Shelly Cox

EDUC 650
4.19.D Learning Technology

There are many strengths of the technology component at Wheeling Park High School. There
are a total of eight computer labs and ten mobile labs. Each member of the English department has
their own classroom mobile lab. These labs are used during scheduled class time, and students also
have the option to use the labs to work on assignments with teacher permission. The media center
lab is maintained by a full-time technology integration specialist (TIS) and a half-time
media/technology integration specialist.

For the 2019-2020 school year, all students at the high school will have their own
Chromebook as part of the countywide 1:1 initiative. Over the last nine years, the school has
increased the number of devices available to students, along with the software programs available to
them. Additionally, Wheeling Park has also updated the wireless and bandwidth for a higher capacity
of users. There is rarely a time that all ten labs aren’t being utilized for an entire day since the
implementation of Schoology.

However, there is also room to improve accessibility. I spoke with the Mrs. Harden, the TIS,
and she stated that one issue that she constantly faces is that teachers do not reserve the labs in a
timely manner. All teachers have been trained on the process for how to reserve a lab; however, not
all teachers use the correct procedure for reserving a lab. To alleviate this issue, she created a link
that is accessible from the Wheeling Park High School homepage in addition to a link on the teacher
resources on our Schoology site.

The students have many options for engagement with technology. Technology integration
has become a priority of the technology office and they have worked to provide more tools. When
the state added Office 365 accounts for all staff and students, the ability to communicate, produce
and collaborate became much easier for all staff and students. This year Ohio County Schools
purchased Schoology for staff and students to provide a digital learning environment for our
students. All parents have access to the student grade reports through Schoology.

As for weaknesses regarding technology engagement, the county technology coordinator Dr.
Riddle stated, “Getting teachers to integrate technology the correct way and to embrace the process
is a challenge. We are working hard to provide training for teachers, but the process is very slow.”
We are fortunate to be provided with new technology tools; however, the training is often lacking.
Ohio County School administrators have tried to alleviate the headache of this by offering county-
wide tech days during our mandated professional development days. Trainings such as in-depth
presentations on various technology needs such as Schoology, Microsoft 365, etc. are a part of these
days. As the trainings continue, in time, many additional resources and trainings have been added
based on teacher demands. After each PD day, the county sends out a survey to all staff to complete.
Meeting the needs of the teachers will aid teachers in becoming comfortable using all of the
technology resources that Wheeling Park High School has available.