Running head: COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY PLAN

Washoe County School District

Collaborative Technology Plan
Kenneth McCarthy, Katherine Hoy, Robin Cunningham, Renita Ragsdale, and Jill Woodie
EDUC 638 D01 Liberty University
Dr. David Holder
December 13, 2016

Table of Contents

COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY PLAN

Mission for Educational Technology

Vision for Educational Technology

Core Beliefs for Educational Technology

Team Members

Technology Committees Role

Goal One

Goal Two

Goal Three

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Childrens Internet Protection Act and E-Rate.

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Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act.

18

Acceptable / Responsible Use Policies

19

Infographic

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References

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Mission for Educational Technology

The mission of the Washoe County School District is to provide all students the tools to
produce personal and academic growth while meeting the needs of a 21st century world.

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Administration, teachers, and students are expected to integrate technology into curriculum and
collaboration for personal and academic growth.
Vision for Educational Technology
The technological world is rapidly changing and collaboration has moved from a
classroom to a global reach. Student immersion connects schools across a greater platform to
prepare our youth for tomorrows requirements. A 1-to-1 laptop initiative will foster an at-home
access to technology and allow students to remain in touch with the academic world at their
fingertips to ensure equal access to curriculum ushering better prepared students into the world.
Core Beliefs for Educational Technology
We believe that:
All students should have access to technology for educational growth to be prepared for realworld applications.
Students should be trained and prepared to use the technology of tomorrow, not today.
Collaboration through technology should have global benefits not local.
Technology will serve as a catalyst to propel student skills and prepare them to join a modern
community.
Team Members
Katherine Hoy, Assistant Superintendent
Robin Cunningham, Director of Technology
Renita Ragsdale, Principal
Kenneth McCarthy, Instructional Specialist
Jill Woodie, Instructional Technology Facilitator
John Smith, Media Coordinator
Sue Jackson, Teacher
Joe Brown, Parent

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Technology Committees Role

Each member of the Collaborative Technology Committee carries a different level of skill
and experiences to help promote the mission, the execution, the implementation and assessment
of a District-wide Collaborative Technology Plan. To maintain future adaptability to
technological challenges and to ensure student learning, everyone must be familiar with the
technology plan (Whitehead et al, 2013). The committee members will collaborate to launch a
state of the art 21st Century 1:1 digital school district-wide plan that will provide students with
the essential skills needed for todays technological culture. The members also include
individuals from a lower level participant to a high level decision maker.
Goal One
A team of school leaders and network professionals will be established to evaluate the
internet infrastructure within the current school system. Data will be measured to indicate the
workload capable in each school as a means to prepare for a 1:1 laptop initiative. This team will
also be responsible for pricing out and installing hardware requirements and wiring to ensure
each school has a consistent and reliable connection. This goal will not only focus on the
teachers Ethernet capabilities, but the wireless infrastructure for students. This goal will begin
immediately and continue through the 2017 school year. It is of vital importance the
infrastructure is evaluated and upgrades to ensure success for all school individuals.
Strategies
1. Ensure an infrastructure that will accommodate any instructional configurations required by
teachers or staff. (Whitehead,et.al, 2013).
2. Orchestrate professional contractors and network specialist to conduct any changes structurally
to receive better reception, and begin installation of wiring and broadcast units to support
additional wireless loads.

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3. A network assessment will be conducted for each building to devise a plan to find resources to
providing a high speed broadband based on the usage for each schools network.
21st Century Learning Skills
Collaboration- The enhancement of the broadband/Wi-Fi connectivity will provide a means for
bulk data to be uploaded within a short period of time. (i.e. transcripts, ACT scores and
standardized test scores)
Communication This will open up a secure site to instantly reach out to the counselors,
teachers and administrators to have conversations in real time such as Lynch and instant
messenger.
Creativity An opportunity to share ideas from other student and teachers that has taken place in
the classroom throughout the semester.
Critical Thinking- Broadband will provide more access to resources to further their knowledge
more in depth. It will put a wealth of information at their fingertips.
Rationale Including Research to Support Goal One and Strategies
The technological infrastructure is just one element of the educational transformation
(Duncan and Culatta, 2014). It is imperative to have a guide that provides all considerations or
digital learning resources and other implementation issues such as device selection, policies,
privacy and security affiliated with create an effective system for the schools. By going with a
wired/wireless connection has proven to have faster and more reliable source for getting high
speed internet connection to the school or district because this will post fewer threats when it
comes to weather or geographic interference.
For example, a 100-MB connection may cost $100 per month, or $1 per megabyte. A 10GB connection may cost $500 per montha substantially higher monthly bill but resulting in a
cost of only $0.50 per megabyte. Keep in mind, however, that not every school needs a 10-GB
connection. If a school is only using 1 GB but is paying for a 10-GB connection, it would be

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overbuying for its needs(Duncan and Culatta, 2014). The extended reach, enhanced interactivity,
increased speed, and greater flexibility provide web tools combined to produce three important
benefits for customer-based knowledge creation: (1) direction of communication, (2) the
intensity and richness of the interaction, and (3) the size and scope of the audience being served.
(Roberts and Grover, 2012).
The influence of broadband distinguishes between technology as enabling a paradigm
shift in teaching and leading versus a retrospective approach to accommodate an existing
curriculum. Student become more active learners and able to work individually or within in
groups, having acquired the skills to use the tools of technology to search, organize and analyze
information. (Coyne, et al., 2015).
Expected Outcomes in Terms of Student Learning/Achievement
To complete the work in a timely fashion and this would increase the reliability of the
connection to websites and other services. The students will be able to view their progress at any
time.
Evaluation Measures
Director of Technology- Instructional Technology Facilitator for each school will be the first
point of contact for their school in order to communicate the information down to the Assistant
Superintendent, Principal, Instructional Specialist and the rest of the staff.
1. The team will inform all involved on the quality of service and what the packet will contain. This
will be necessary to prioritize the network traffic to reduce the impact of heavy users from
affecting other users, more commonly known as traffic shaping.
2. Faculty and staff will go through brief training to bring them up to speed on what broadband
service will be used and its networking capabilities.

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3. All technology leaders from each school will keep track of usage so that any unauthorized users
will not be using up valuable bandwidth or have any outside interference that may pose a threat.
District wide meeting can be held at the end of the school term to discuss the pros and cons of
the enhanced broadband and adjust as needed.
Professional Development Plan
Professional development can be done in phases from the initial to the follow up stages.
The first step would be to inform the faculty and staff with a mass email and notification to all
the schools in the district. Once the information has been generated to each school the
professional development dates can be set so the vendor can enlighten the staff on what the
service has to office. Make several of the training sessions mandatory so that all staff and faculty
when have informal and formal introduction to the software, material and advantages and
disadvantages of the process. Also provide the teachers/staff with links to tutorials with step by
step procedures and training modules that can be accessed at their leisure. (1) Workshops to
cater to smaller groups and provide demo sessions, (2) Large groups provide a video presentation
or lecture, (3) create pilot groups to test some of the material before going live and allow the
pilot group to provide feedback to the other surrounding school and the district as a whole.
Timeline for Implementation
Incorporate into the classrooms, computer labs and media centers over the course of two
years, completion date for Spring 2018.
Integrate the technology tools/ equipment (ongoing throughout the year)
Identify appropriate software at the beginning of the 2017 school year for entire district to
support curricular goals. (review quarterly and adjust as needed)
Itemized Budget

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Washoe County School District estimated the Total 1st Year

Cost of Ownership (TCO)-Tech Plan accounting for 2017
all the major cost factors over the duration of the
plan.

2nd Year
2018

Tech Professional Development

4,000

1,800

Technical Support

58,000

29,000

Hardware and Peripherals/ Replacement/Repairs

37,000

3,500
(Repairs)

Resources / Online Subscription Services

5,000

5,000

Electronic Learning Assessment Resources

1,600

1,600

Productivity Resources (i.e. Microsoft Office)/

Upgrades

3,500

3,500

Networking and Telecommunications

Infrastructure

2,000

2,000

Web site hosting / Publishing services

175.00

175.00

Total Cost Per Year

111,275

46,575

Total Cost

157,850.00
Goal Two

By June 2017, 80% of students will have used 1:1 technology to assist in working
collaboratively with others as evidenced by data collected throughout the year.
Strategies
1. Provide teachers with professional development opportunities to learn how to integrate 1:1
technology into the classroom.
2. Teachers will collect data each quarter on how and when they used 1:1 technology in the
classroom.
3. Students will work collaboratively on a project (Project Based Learning) each quarter.
21st Century Learning Skills
Collaboration and creativity are the 21st century learning skills that are addressed.

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Student success will increase through the procurement of Dell/HP laptops, educational software,
and professional development that focuses on student instruction.
Rationale Including Research to Support Goal #2 and Strategies
Stephenson, Hedburg, Highfield, and Diao (2015) say, recent developments in
technology, mobile learning and multi-literacies, drawing on a range of case studies deploying
mobile devices and using apps as part of learner-led inquiry processes to enable creativity,
collaboration and critical thinking.

Expected Outcomes in Terms of Student Learning / Achievement

80% will have used 1:1 technology by June 2017 and worked collaboratively with other
students. Overall Outcome: Students to use 1:1 technology. Specific Outcome: 80% of students
will have used 1:1 technology
Evaluation Measures
Principal- The principal will collect data reports at the end of each quarter from the Instructional
Specialist- These will be evaluated to determine steps for the next quarter.
Instructional Specialist- The instructional specialist will be responsible for gathering the data
reports at the end of each quarter to give to the school principal.
Teacher- Classroom teachers are responsible for integrating approved technology and
educational software into the curriculum to enhance student learning. They will collect the data
quarterly on how and when they used the 1:1 technology in the classroom. Teachers will also be
held accountable for the statewide online assessment.

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Professional Development Plan

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1:1 Technology professional development will be offered monthly for an hour to an hour
and a half throughout the school year with a follow up session conducted the following week.
Each session will be differentiated to meet the needs of the multiple skill sets of teachers.
Sessions will cover: Project based learning with technology, the flipped classroom model,
creating collaborative work spaces with technology, and blogging with students.
The specific training provided will focus on allowing teachers the ability to master one
skill prior to moving on towards the next. The training will be broken into three stages. The first
being instruction focused on the implementation of the tools and hardware. This is designed
towards educating staff on the capabilities of the laptop devices, as well as protection systems in
place for student safety.
The second stage will move into instructional strategies for each department and grades.
These strategies will involve various ways to use technology during instructional time, student
project-based learning, and at-home success tools. The district has already implemented the
ability to use Google Classroom, so this stage will include use of student emails and access to the
districts One drive, classroom, and Google Docs. As an initiative towards user functionality, the
district is already moving away from Microsoft Office.
The final stage in the professional development training will be designed towards
continual support for reluctant teachers and social media. Educators that need more support will
be able to attend to better facilitate the use of social media in their classrooms both as a
communication tool, and instructional resource. These professional development segments will
be conducted at the end of each monthly faculty meeting.
Timeline for Implementation

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Quarterly for 2017-18 School Year- Teachers will collect data on how and when they
used the 1:1 technology in the classroom.
Yearly for 2017-2018- Teachers will give the statewide online assessment using the 1:1
technology.
Itemized Budget
Number of Students

Cost of Laptop

Total Cost

7,500

$249

$1,842,600
Goal Three

Two weeks before the school year begins, a team of school leaders will be established to
create and maintain social media accounts, specifically Twitter and Facebook, as a means to
communicate to students, staff, parents, and the community. Data will be measured each quarter
with a goal of increasing participation by thirty percent. Facebook participation will be
measured by page views, page likes, reach, and post engagements. Twitter participation will be
measured by impressions and total engagements: link clicks, detail expands, and retweets.
Strategies
1. Expectations for school social media accounts will be established by the Superintendent,
Director of Technology, and Principals of each school before the school year begins.
2. Each principal will establish a social media team consisting of school leaders to develop and
maintain school social media accounts.
3. Expectations will be communicated by the principal to the school social media team at the
beginning of the school year.
4. At the opening faculty meeting, the principal and social media team will present expectations for
the social media accounts to faculty members. In addition, the principal and social media team

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will present a protocol for faculty members to follow when submitting requests for publishing
post(s).
5. If any faculty members use a blog to showcase their classes, clubs, and/or athletic teams, they
will be encouraged to synch their blog to the social media accounts. Student work should also
be showcased on Facebook and Twitter.
6. The school social media teams from each school will meet quarterly to review measurement
reports pertaining to Twitter and Facebook.
7. The school social media teams will provide a report to the school principal detailing participation
among both social media accounts.
8. All school social media teams from the school district will meet at the end of the school year to
discuss positives, negatives, and suggestions for improvements.
21st Century Learning Skills
Collaboration and communication will be enhanced by creating and maintaining school
social media accounts. According to Sheninger (2014), Social media allows leaders to create
unique communities for their schools/districts, establish a digital presence, construct feedback
mechanisms on websites and other spaces, and welcome stakeholders into a conversation (p.
99). The school social media teams will collaborate periodically throughout the school year to
enhance communication between students, staff, parents, and the community. Also, pictures,
videos, blogs, and infographics can be shared to Facebook and Twitter to serve as a showcase
piece for courses, graduation projects, and other school related activities. In the classroom,
students will be able to create the videos and infographics to be shared while keeping in mind
ones digital responsibility, citizenship, and footprints (Sheninger, 2014, p. 147). Twenty-first
learning skills such as collaboration, communication, and creativity will all be addressed when
creating and maintaining a school social media account.
Rationale Including Research to Support Goal #3 and Strategies

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By creating and maintaining social media accounts for all ten schools in the school

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district, communication will be enhanced for students, staff, parents, and the community. Cox
and McLeod (2014) state, The social media content could enhance the overall communication
between the school and the public while simultaneously providing a stronger brand image (p.
852). Social media also provides an opportunity for parents to become informed. In todays
society, information is quickly obtained using mobile applications, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Chairatchatakul, Jantaburom, and Kanarkards (2012) research findings suggest Facebook has
improved a parent-school relationship by enhancing parent involvement.
Marketing to members of the community would be difficult without the help from social
media. With a new Facebook page as part of a communications plan, leaders can begin to
further engage stakeholders (Sheninger, 2014, p. 84). By creating Events in Facebook,
communication will be enhanced. Events can be created and shared with community members,
such as a plant sale for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club. Events created using
Facebook will also provide an estimated number of individuals who might be interested,
attending or not attending. The data provided from the event would give the FFA advisor a better
of idea of how many people to expect which allows for better planning. The FFA advisor would
also be able to communicate updates, plant prices, and what plants are being offered at the event.
In conclusion, there are many benefits to creating and maintaining a school social media account.
Data can be collected and utilized to improve the overall experience. Members of the
community will also become more aware of the events taking place at the local schools.
Expected Outcomes in Terms of Student Learning/Achievement
The school will involve the student body in the advancement of the schools social media
accounts. Seeking input from the student body will provide valuable information to the social

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media team. The information can be used to help improve the overall experience for the

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Facebook and Twitter account. Students will understand the impact behind their digital footprint.
Students will also practice digital responsibility.

Evaluation Measures
Principal- The principal will collect measurement reports at the end of each quarter from
the Instructional Specialist. Data will be analyzed to determine steps for the upcoming quarter.

Instructional Specialist- The Instructional Specialist will be responsible for gathering the
measurement reports at the end of each quarter to pass along to the school principal. In addition,
the Instructional Specialist will create social media post for test-taking strategies and SAT/ACT
prep.
Instructional Technology Facilitator (ITF)- During monthly faculty meetings, the
Instructional Technology Facilitator will work with faculty members to generate material for
Facebook and Twitter. Time spent working with faculty members will be documented and passed
along to the Instructional Specialist.
Media Coordinator- The media coordinator will monitor post, comments, and replies on
both Facebook and Twitter. The media coordinator will also be responsible for liking and/or
replying to replies. The media coordinator will create and embed specialized Facebook and
Twitter widgets for the schools website. All documented time will be passed to the Instructional
Specialist quarterly.
Teacher- Teachers will communicate success stories to the Instructional Technology

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Facilitator. Documentation between the teacher and ITF will be sent to the Instructional

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Specialist quarterly.
Professional Development Plan
Informative ten minute sessions will be provided by the school social media team at each
of the monthly faculty meetings. Faculty members will have the opportunity to share their input,
ask questions, and provide feedback at the end of each meeting. The following topics will be
addressed monthly:
1. Overview/Goals of School Social Media Accounts
2. The Basics to Facebook and Twitter
3. Protocol for Post(s)
4. The Purpose Behind Facebook Events
5. Syncing Blogs to School Social Media Accounts
6. Showcasing Student Work, Club Activities, and/or Athletic Teams
7. Sharing Content (Public Post versus Private Post)
8. What are Hashtags?
9. Analyzing Data from School Social Media Accounts
10. Ones Digital Responsibility, Citizenship, and Footprints
11. Suggestions and/or Improvements for 2018-19 School Year
Timeline for Implementation
Summer of 2017-18 School Year
Expectations for school social media accounts will be established by the Superintendent,
Director of Technology, and Principals before the school year begins.
Each principal will establish a social media team comprised of school leaders to develop and
maintain school social media accounts.
Expectations will be communicated by the principal to the school social media team at the
beginning of the school year.
Opening Faculty Meeting for 2017-18 School Year
At the opening faculty meeting, the principal and social media team will present expectations for
the social media accounts to faculty members. In addition, the principal and social media team

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will present a protocol for faculty members to follow when submitting requests for publishing
post.
On-going for 2017-18 School Year
If any faculty member uses a blog to showcase their classes, clubs, and/or athletic teams, they
will be encouraged to synch their blog to the social media accounts. Student work should also be
showcased on Facebook and Twitter.
Quarterly for 2017-18 School Year
The school social media teams from each school will meet quarterly to review measurement
reports pertaining to Twitter and Facebook.
The school social media teams will provide a report to the school principal detailing participation
among both social media accounts.
End-of-Year for 2017-18 School Year
All school social media teams from the school district will meet at the end of the school year to
discuss positives, negatives, and suggestions for improvements.
Itemized Budget
Facebook and Twitter are free social media accounts. The school social media teams will
be awarded continuing education unit (CEU) during the time spent working before the school
year begins and once the school year has finished.
Childrens Internet Protection Act and E-Rate.
E-Rate assists schools by working as a federal program to provide discounted rates for
internet access in an educational setting. This allows students to access a broader range of
information without charging the schools an extreme amount of money. The intention is to
ensure academic success is affordable for all schools, and to allow all students to gain access to

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information. With access to the internet and a broader spectrum of information, schools need to
ensure student safety when accessing a broader range of materials.
The Childrens Internet Protection Act (CIPA) works in conjunction with the E-Rate as a
federal requirement overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The CIPA
requires schools and education programs to monitor and protect students from harmful content
found on the internet. This may have a negative side effect because it also may block access to
legitimate learning content and such tools as blogs, wikis, and social networks (Whitehead,
Jensen and Boschee, 2013) that can actual help facilitate the learning within a classroom.
Many districts in the schools are affected from another challenge with these federally
mandated programs. Financially, many schools cannot afford to over a one-to-one technology
program with devices that meet these requirements. To mitigate this, the schools have allowed
students to use their own technology, such as laptops and cellphones, which cannot be blocked or
managed through the schools firewalls and internet (Whitehead, Jensen and Boschee, 2013).
Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act.
The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is designed for for websites and
online programs aimed towards the use of children and the general public. The act requires to
safeguard student information that is collected during use of such programs. This can put the
schools at risk when an educator requires the use of online systems such as blogs and social
media, especially when the students are under the age of 13. Many parents may not wish their
students to participate in such programs, and the teacher cannot guarantee the compliance of a
3rd-party system from protecting the students information. This hinders the teachers ability to
incorporate technology and online requirements for assignments and research. Some schools
have limited the type of access a student can have. For example, if a program requires a student

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to use a personal email to access it, schools such as the Washoe County School District have

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prohibited the use of such programs without written parental consent. If even one parent does
not agree, the teacher cannot require the use for grading purposes unless an alternate option is
provided.
Acceptable / Responsible Use Policies
An Acceptable use policy (AUP) is one of the most important tools in implementing
technology into the District. The safety of the students is imperative in the development of a
district-wide technological plan. AUPs are a means to protect the students, the school staff and
the District from misuse of the internet and misuse of the equipment. Many points need to be
considered when the plan is developed. Laughton (2008) conducted a hierarchical analysis of
AUPs in the attempt to prioritize the objectives. His recommendations include:
1.

Intended use of and advantages of the internet

2.

Responsibilities of the users

3.

Code of conduct- including consequences

4.

Acceptable and unacceptable internet use

5.

Parental consent to AUP

All students participating in any district-wide technology, including personal devices on

campus (iPads, cell phone etc.) will participate in technology class training. The class will
include training on the expectations and use of technology and thoroughly cover the Acceptable
use policy. Upon completion of the training, students and parents are required to sign the
Acceptable use policy. Parents will be encouraged to use the same guidelines addressed in the
AUP for technology used in their home.

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References
Chairatchatakul, A., Jantaburom, P., & Kanarkard, W. (2012). Using social media to
improve a parent-school relationship. International Journal of Information and
Education Technology, 2(4), 378.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.7763/IJIET.2012.V2.157

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Cox, D. D., & McLeod, S. (2014). Social media marketing and communications strategies
for school superintendents. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(6), 850-868.
Retrieved from
http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JEA-112012-0117
Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule ("COPPA").
Retrieved November 20, 2016, from
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reformproceedings/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule
Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Children's Privacy. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from
https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/children'sprivacy
Laughton, P. (2008). Hierarchical analysis of acceptable use policies. SA Journal Of
Information Management, 10(4). doi:10.4102/sajim.v10i4.330
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.
Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Stephenson, M., Hedburg, J., Highfield, K., & Diao, M. (2015). Visualizing
solutions:Apps as cognitive stepping stones in the learning process. The Electronic
Journal of e-Learning, 13(5), 366-379. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283057149_Visualizing_Solutions_Apps
_as_Cognitive_Stepping-Stones_in_the_Learning_Process

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Whitehead, B., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013) Planning for technology: A guide for
school administrators, Technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks: Corwin.