31 Oct Use the attached technology needs assessment to create a technology plan.? ? Your report must include the following identifiable sections: – General inform
Use the attached technology needs assessment to create a technology plan.
Your report must include the following identifiable sections:
– General information about your school/place of work. Be as detailed as possible; include
number of students, staff, location, mission, core values, etc. You can fill out this section from the
information you gathered in your needs assessment, or from the current technology plan (TP) of
your school. If you could not locate the TP, you will need to ask for help from your stakeholders
to complete this section.
– Stakeholders responsible for implementation of technology plan. (They might not the same ones
who you interviewed and surveyed for your needs assessment). These can include yourself, your
technology coordinator, the director of the media center, your principal, a dedicated parent, etc. It
is up to you. In this section, you will need to explain on detail your reasoning to select these
people, and why you think they will do a good job making sure the TP takes place.
– Current status of your school’s access to technology. This section will be easy to write, if your
school/place of work already has a technology plan (do not forget to use references if you are
copying information from another source). If this is not the case, then you can use the data you
gathered from your first assignment. This section must include detailed information about 1) labs
and classrooms’ access to technology, 2) library media center access to technology, and 3)
teachers’ access to technology.
– Technology vision of your school/place of work. You will have to investigate if this is already
stated and you might be able to find it in your current school technology plan; if not, you will
need to propose a technology vision. You can ask help from your stakeholders to develop this
section.
– Needs discovered at your school/place of work. In this section you need to list the two needs
your technology plan will be focused on, and what was the reasoning to select them for your
technology plan. Be specific and detailed, and justify your choosing by addressing what your
stakeholders shared with you during your data collection. You can use some of the information
that you developed in project 1 to complete this section.
– Proposed technology goals: This section must be based on the previous section, and must be
divided in 1) goals for student access to technology, 2) goals for teacher access to technology,
and 3) goals for school access to technology. Use the SMART principles (specific, measurable,
attainable, realistic, time-bound). For example, if one of the needs discovered was to acquire
Google Expeditions, then you have to create at least one goal so students can benefit from this
acquisition, at least one goal so teachers can benefit from this acquisition, and at least one goal so
the school can benefit from this acquisition. In addition to create those goals, you need to explain
how those goals will be achieved. Considering that you have to address at least two needs, this
section should have AT LEAST six goals, three for each need.
-Proposed plan duration. In this section you need to include a detailed schedule with the
following components: proposed timeline for securing funds, proposed timeline for acquiring
equipment, proposed timeline for professional development of stakeholders, proposed timeline
for implementing your goals; and proposed timeline to evaluate your technology plan
-Proposed budget (this section will be very useful for your 3rd assignment). You need to be very
specific. How many pieces of equipment you are proposing to acquire? What is their individual
price? What else you will use funds for? Will you consider teacher salaries, or training personnel
in your budget? How long it will take you to secure the funds and spend the money? Who will be
in charge of the budget? How will you make sure that the money is well spent?
– Internet safety. In this section you must talk about the current status of initiatives for internet
safety in your school, and proposed initiatives, once your technology plan is in place. You can
ask help from your IT people and/or Principal to complete this section.
– Proposed process to monitor and evaluate the technology plan. As a leader of the project, you
need to list specific solutions on how you will monitor and what strategies you will utilize to
evaluate the plan that you are proposing. You also need to justify why you are selecting those
strategies. This is a crucial section so please be thorough and detailed. If you are unsure about this
step please read pages 10-16 of this document (You are welcome to read the whole PDF)
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/school_tech.pdf
Checklist for the assignment (250 total points):
General information about your school or place of work (10 points).
Stakeholders (20 points).
Current status of your school’s access to technology (40 points).
Technology vision of your school/place of work (40 points).
Needs discovered at your school/place of work. (40 points will be taken if you don’t follow
include this section)
Proposed technology goals (40 points).
Proposed budget (25 points).
Proposed plan duration (25 points).
Internet safety (25 points).
Proposed process to monitor and evaluate the technology plan (25 points).
Your report follows APA style (20 points will be taken if you don’t follow these style
guidelines)
The criteria to evaluate each item on the checklist will consist of 4 brackets: Unacceptable (0% points
awarded), Developing (up to 20% of the total points), Proficient (up to 80% of the total points), and
Exemplary (from 81 to 100% of the total points). The course instructor will be the responsible to apply
these criteria.
The following resources should be used to help you to develop your technology plan:
How to create a technology plan: https://www.schooltechteam.com/steps-to-creating-a-technology-plan/
10 tips for school technology planning: https://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/859-10-steps-to-successful-educational-technology-plan
Evaluating the technology in our schools: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/school_tech.pdf
Assessing Technology Needs at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School
Sanchetta Ferguson
University of West Georgia
MEDT 8462
Dr. Kane
10/2/2024
Assessing Technology Needs at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School
General Information
My name is Sanchetta Ferguson, and I work at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia. I am the Broadcast/Audio Visual teacher. I work with approximately 400 students between 6th and 8th grade, mostly from low-income backgrounds. Roughly 75% of our student population is African American, 15% Hispanic, and about 10% are other ethnic groups. I am responsible for delivering engaging and comprehensive instruction in the broadcast and audio-visual production course. My role equips students with the skills necessary to excel in the mass communications field, fostering creativity, technical proficiency, and teamwork. My other responsibilities include guiding students in using digital resources in research work and in-class projects and ensuring that the morning news station runs properly.
Results of the Needs Assessment
The process for conducting the needs assessment commenced with collecting data from key stakeholders within the school. I had to design a survey instrument that would be used to collect quantitative data from the school's teachers and administrators. The survey consisted of 10 questions that addressed issues about the availability, reliability, and usage of technology in the school. The sample, consisting of 10 teachers and administrators drawn from different departments, namely Science, Math, English, and Social Studies, was used in this study. The results of the survey were collected and compiled for one week.
Following the survey, I interviewed five stakeholders, including the head of the media center, the school's principal, and three teachers from different departments. The interview questions targeted the problems faced concerning technology use in the classroom and what exactly their suggestions for improvement were. This is done by analyzing data from both qualitative and quantitative sources, ensuring test subjects take their time to contribute to this study.
After gathering the information, I summarized it into charts to better view and interpret it and, therefore, an excellent report. All in all, it took two weeks to get everything done right, considering all perspectives.
Available Technology
Ralph J. Bunche Middle School integrates some old and new technology within the school. In every classroom, teachers use a smartboard and projector to show lessons and videos for their classes. Personal devices include Chromebooks, with only 60% of the students having them; the rest, 40%, still share computers with others in the media center and computer labs.
The school Wi-Fi works reliably in every teacher's room, but 40% of classrooms report slow Internet speeds, especially during points of the day when a large number of devices access the network. This interferes with lesson plans that rely on cloud-based educational resources. Secondly, there are only 20 Chromebooks for students at the media center, which is not always enough, given the number of students needing to access them for research and completing assignments. The school does use instruction aids such as Google Classroom, Kahoot, and Quizlet; however, their integration within the departments is not clear. Teachers of the Science and Math Departments use them more frequently than others due to the difficulty posed for some by a lack of enough training and means.
Stakeholders
Participants in the needs assessment included teachers, administrators, and the media center director. Their roles and input in determining the key gaps in technology at the school were quite vital.
Principal
The school principal gave a presentation on how the budgeting and allocation of resources are performed. She further shared that getting funds for improving technology is difficult amidst other priorities in the district's and school’s budget. Her input was significant in showing the administrative challenges in technology implementation.
Media Center Director
The director of the media center serves to facilitate the use of technological resources within the school setting. She stipulated, "The demand for Chromebooks exceeds supply to such an over/requesting amount that we need additional devices to ensure equal access for all students."
Teachers
I interviewed three teachers from the Science, Math, and English departments. They gave useful feedback on the daily obstacles they faced in integrating technology into their classroom interactions. The science teacher mentioned how she could not conduct virtual labs as the speed of their network connection was too slow. The English teacher complained about a shortage of computers, which hampered her intention to assign digital writing projects to her students.
These stakeholders were selected because they were involved in both working with students and technology. Their diverse roles then created a wide-ranging look at the technology needs within the school.
Major Outcomes (Identified Needs)
From the data collected through this needs assessment, two great needs on which attention should focus are network connectivity and hardware availability.
Network Connectivity
This survey demonstrated that 40% of classrooms experience slow speeds during peak usage. A network connection of this nature hinders teachers from carrying out those lessons that require access to the internet in real time-for example, online quizzes, research activities, or even virtual labs. This is an acute problem in computer and science labs, where high-speed connectivity is a prerequisite for accessing interactive education software.
Hardware Availability
This means that only 60% of the students use personal devices, while the rest depend on shared computers in the media center or labs. Thus, the current stock of 20 Chromebooks is inadequate to handle the delays and problems of keeping assignments current. This gap becomes especially substantial in classes requiring extended research or specialized project software.
These needs are also directly related to learning outcomes. Without access to reliable internet, students cannot experience full engagement in interactive lessons; neither will a lack of hardware create inequity, whereby some students lag behind because they are not provided with the necessary tools.
Priority Needs and Criteria
Based on the magnitude of the problem, risk assessment, and impact on learning, priority needs identified include network connectivity and hardware availability.
|
Need |
Causes |
Consequences |
Difficulty to Correct |
|
Network Connectivity |
Insufficient bandwidth, old infrastructure |
Inability to conduct online-based lessons, loss of instructional time |
Medium |
|
Hardware Availability |
Lack of funding for additional devices |
Students unable to complete assignments, unequal access to resources |
High |
Network Connectivity
The problem rates a medium difficulty since upgrading the present infrastructure and increasing bandwidth are required. The cost rates are medium against other technological upgrades.
Hardware Availability
The difficulty in solving this problem is high, as a lot of cost will be involved in purchasing more devices. Without good funding, one-to-one access to Chromebooks or tablets for all students will be difficult to provide.
Action Plan
To address the identified needs, the following action plan has been developed:
Upgrade Network Bandwidth
Deadline
By the end of the current academic year (June 2025).
Strategy
Work with the IT department of the school district to determine what cost this will incur, increasing the internet bandwidth. Send in a proposal for a budget increase to fund this cost. The plan is to replace routers and add access points to ensure all classrooms have fast, reliable internet during peak usage.
Resources
IT department, district funding, vendor quotes for bandwidth upgrades.
Increase Hardware Availability
Deadline
Within the next six months.
Strategy
The school administration applies for technology grants from educational foundations. It also looks for partnerships with local businesses in pursuit of funding for new Chromebooks. It will further look for leasing options, where the school can lower initial costs yet provide the students with renewed machines.
Resources
Grant writing team; potential partnerships with local businesses, such as technology companies; district funding.
Appendix
Surveys
Technology Needs at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School Survey
Administered to 10 teachers and administrators
Survey Questions and Responses:
1. In my school: A vision for technology has been developed through an effective collaboration among stakeholders (administrators, specialists, teachers, students, community members).
· Strongly agree: 20%
· Agree: 40%
· Neither agree nor disagree: 20%
· Disagree: 20%
· Strongly disagree: 0%
2. In my school: The vision for technology use has been effectively communicated to the community.
· Strongly agree: 10%
· Agree: 30%
· Neither agree nor disagree: 40%
· Disagree: 20%
· Strongly disagree: 0%
3. In my school: I am able to use my own device provided by the school.
· True: 60%
· False: 40%
4. In my school: My students can use their own devices provided by the school in each class.
· True: 60%
· False: 40%
5. In my school: Multiple sources of technology are available for all students.
· True: 40%
· False: 60%
6. In my school: The media center can be flexibly scheduled to provide equitable access to resources and instruction.
· Strongly agree: 30%
· Agree: 50%
· Neither agree nor disagree: 10%
· Disagree: 10%
· Strongly disagree: 0%
7. In my school: Computer labs are available for student usage throughout the day.
· True: 50%
· False: 50%
8. I have the technology needed at school to ensure that I excel academically.
· True: 50%
· False: 50%
9. In my school: Teachers and students have sufficient computer hardware available for their use (e.g., computers, digital cameras, projection devices, scanners, printers).
· True: 60%
· False: 40%
10. In my school: The reliability and speed of external connections (e.g., internet) are sufficient.
· Very likely: 10%
· Likely: 30%
· Neither likely nor unlikely: 20%
· Unlikely: 30%
· Very unlikely: 10%
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