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Instructional Technology Plan

LIBERTY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

CHAPTER 1

Instructional Technology Plan

The goal of the Liberty County Instructional Technology Department is to increase student achievement by providing teachers and students with the most innovative technology tools, professional development, and support that is available.

The ISTE Standards which are standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and are widely recognized and adopted worldwide.

ISTE Standards for Students (ISTE Standards•S): The standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and digital world.

ISTE Standards for Teachers (ISTE Standards•T): The standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge educators need to teach, work and learn in an increasingly connected global and digital society.

ISTE Standards for Administrators (ISTE Standards•A): The standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge school administrators and leaders need to support digital age learning, implement technology and transform the instruction landscape.

https://www.iste.org/standards

The Liberty County Technology Department develops trainings with ISTE Standards in mind to ensure that we are preparing our students, teachers, and administrators.

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SECTION 1 As students enter the Liberty County School System (LCSS), they are given the opportunity to embark upon the Liberty Learning Experience where learning is transformed through innovative, engaging, and personalized instruction.

All 4th-12th grade LCSS students are empowered with a 1:1 environment using iPads. Pre-K thru 3rd grade students are provided a set of iPads in each classroom for small group and personalized instruction. Students are able to take charge of their own learning while becoming responsible digital citizens.

The Liberty County School System is excited to offer the most innovative teaching and learning tools. Teachers and students will be given access to a variety of apps used for teaching, practice, and production.

All students are given the same opportunity to be successful through the use of iPads in the classroom. The Instructional Technology Department will work closely with all teachers to model, share resources, and provide support to be successful in implementing the technology in their classrooms.

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CHAPTER 2

Professional DevelopmentThe Instructional Technology Department will offer three tiers of professional development:

Tier I: Professional Development for all teachers on the basic functionality of the technology.

Tier II: Professional Development that is data driven. This professional development will often times be merged with teaching and learning.

Tier III: Professional Development targeted to PD plans and individuals that have specific needs deemed by site administration.

SECTION 1

Tier I - All TeachersCanvas Training

Teachers have been and will continue to be given the opportunity to attend Canvas trainings where teachers will learn how to utilize the Learning Management System for student assignments and grading. Teachers can upload assignments and distribute to classes, students will receive the assignment on their iPad and complete the assignment via many methods. Students can then save their work back to allow teachers to grade directly from their iPads. Students and parents will be able to see scores as the teachers return them and will also be able to create a digital portfolio of all of their work throughout their educational career in the Liberty County School System.

Nearpod

Nearpod is a platform that is designed to let teachers create, download and teach interactive lessons across all student devices. Nearpod works on any operating system or browser. It also integrates with our district’s Learning Management System, Canvas. Teachers can easily upload their content into Nearpod and make it their own.

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When teachers are allowed to make lessons engaging and interactive, students are in turn more likely to be engaged in their learning and academically successful.

G-Suite G-Suite for Education is a suite of tools that can help teachers increase opportunities for critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, all while supporting the learning objectives that you have for your students.

- Google Drive is an online file storage solution. Teachers and students can store files securely and open or edit them anywhere from any device.

- Google Docs is a free, web-based word processing tool that allows you to create and edit documents online and collaborate in real-time. Use Docs to recognize students’ errors and suggest corrections on the fly.

- Google Forms Use Google Forms to create assessments or surveys on your own or with others at the same time. Choose from a variety of beautiful, pre-made themes or create your own. Then analyze your results in easy to read charts or graphs. Google Slides allows you and your students to create new presentations and edit with others in real time.

Apple Classroom

Apple Classroom is a powerful iPad app that helps you guide learning, share work, and manage student devices. Teachers can easily launch a specific app, website, or textbook page on every student device at the same time or launch a different app for each group of students. Then share their work on the Recordex board using Apple TV. Teachers can see which apps students are working in,control the volume of an iPad as well as lock an iPad or the entire class set of iPads. You can easily launch the same app on every student device at the same time or launch a different app for each group of students. Classroom helps teachers focus on teaching so students can focus on learning.

iMovie

iMovie training has been offered for all teachers. Teachers will be able to create trailers to introduce topics or allow students to create movies to demonstrate learning. iMovie provides numerous templates and is a great learning tool. iMovies can be uploaded to Canvas or Google Drive.

Use engaging apps that helps you put the power of technology to work in and out of class. This course offers teachers lesson ideas that make it easy to guide how your

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students use the iPads and apps in the classroom and provide valuable insight into each student’s progress. So you can focus on what’s most important...teaching and learning!

New Teacher TrainingsAll new teachers will receive training on the MacBook, iPad, Recordex Board, Keynote, and Pages.

MacBook Training

Teachers will learn the basic functionality of the MacBook, Safari, Pages, Keynote, Gmail, connecting to printers and more. The Liberty County Technology Department will offer follow-up training on the MacBook as needed.

iPad Training

Teachers will learn the basic functionality of the iPad such as loading apps, email, calendars, and Safari. The Liberty County Technology Department will offer follow up training on the iPad as needed.

Recordex Board What is a Recordex Board? It has replaced most, but not all of the Smart Boards in our county. It is an interactive white board with touch capability. It can mirror whatever is displayed on your monitor. Depending on your stu-dents’ iPad model, he/she can screen share their work with you and the class.

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Simplicity Touch Recordex Board Midway Middle School

Keynote Training

Teachers will learn how to create presentations on both their MacBooks and iPads. Keynote is user friendly and allows teachers to add pictures, videos, links to webpages, etc. Teachers can email presentation to other teachers and students as well as upload their notes to Canvas or Google Drive to share with students.

Pages Training

Pages allows teachers to create newsletters, flyers, and other documents using a variety of templates or they can choose to create their own using a blank template. Documents can be exported to Word or PDF and can be emailed to parents, students, and other staff members as well as uploaded to Canvas or Google Drive.

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SECTION 2

Tier 2Data Driven Professional Development

The Liberty County Instructional Technology Department partners with other departments to provide a solid foundation of training where technology is embedded and used to transform learning. Using collected data from a variety of sources, the Instructional Technology team will identify areas of need among individual or small groups and provide support.

Some of these topics may include:

- Differentiation with iPads in a Social Studies (or other content area) classroom

- Using iMovie in Math (or other content area)

- Apps for Thinking Maps

- Personalizing learning with the help of technology

- Accessibility features for students with disabilities

- Managing devices in the classroom

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SECTION 3

Tier 3Individual Support

As teachers request or as administrators recommend, the Instructional Technology Department is committed to offering individual support for teachers. This support will be appointment based where collaboration will occur on planning lessons that incorporate technology to achieve the deeper understanding for students by varying the DOK levels used in the lessons.

The Instructional Technology Specialists (ITS) will model lessons for teachers as well as assist in the beginning stages of implementation to ensure teacher comfortability of the technology and flow of the classroom as it is being used.

As teachers begin to incorporate technology, there may be apps, programs, etc. that the teacher is not comfortable with. The ITS will provide one on one training if needed to allow all teachers to utilize the technology and be able to transform lessons in their classroom through the use of technology.

The Liberty County Instructional Technology Department will work closely with the administrators to determine needs and goals for individual teachers.

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SECTION 4

MediaThe media programs in the Liberty County School System believe students should be offered the best educational opportunities possible. As part of this belief, the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st- Century Learner, the ISTE NETS for Students, and the Future Ready Librarians and Schools standards are integrated into collaborative instruction.

Through the use of direct instruction, facilitation, and project-based learning, LCSS media specialists engage students and strive to increase their knowledge of information literacy. Multiple literacies are included under the umbrella of information literacy. Digital, visual, textual and technological literacy are all addressed through multiple programs.

Media specialists at each level, elementary, middle, and high school have their sights on:

• increasing media and information literacy, using tools like GALILEO databases, netTrekker, ebooks, online sources, and print

• increasing the level of collaboration with teachers that result in more project based learning

• assisting teachers with the use of new technology equipment

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2018-2019 Plan for Improving Student Achievement in Media Literacy Data analysis indicated the greatest area of need is: Student understanding of media literacy skills. Measurable Student Goals:

1- Students will have increased access to print and electronic resources, which support the Georgia Standards for Excellence, and/ or Common Core in order to aid in the system improvement goals.

2- Students will receive collaborative instruction from teachers and their media specialist(s) to increase reading comprehension and

information literacy scores on the GMAS (see system goals).

3- Student utilization of the media center will increase by 1% for each school site.

Actions/Strategies/ Interventions

Timeline for Implementation

Needed Professional Learning (including

materials)

Funding Source

Person (s) Responsible

Monitoring of Intervention (Artifacts)

Evidence of Impact/ Means of Evaluation

(Student Learning Data)

1. a. Literacy

a. Identifies and secures selections/materials/resources to support the Georgia Standards for Excellence and/or Common Core as well

b. c. as books for pleasure reading.

Ongoing Professional journals and reviews, attendance at media/ literary conferences, media collection analysis using tools like Title wave, and the school improvement plan

642 media account, professional learning budget for conferences, free access to www.titlewave.com, and other available funds: may include Title I and Title II funds for the purchase of materials

Media Specialists

Purchase Orders; Collection Analysis; Other Purchasing Tools; Student/teacher request lists

Annual Media Report (Circulation reports from Destiny and/or Titlewise; Student projects; MyON reports; AR/Whooo’s Reading reports)

1. b. Literacy Implements programs and provides resources to support student literacy by providing reading incentive programs, literacy focused lessons, and literature appreciation programs.

Ongoing Media Specialist collaborative meetings, professional journals and reviews, attendance at media/ literacy conferences and PLNs

642 media account, professional learning budget for conferences, school media accounts

Media Specialists

Reading program statistics; lesson statistics, or incentive program participation (ex. HRRB or Book Clubs), copy of calendars and/or newsletters

Annual Media Report (reading program reports and site visits) photographs/ social media posts of events

2. Designs Collaborative Spaces Provides flexible spaces that promote inquiry, creativity, collaboration and community.

Ongoing Professional journals, attendance at media/literary conferences, and participation in PLNs

Book/Supply accounts, School Media account, Charter/Grant funds, eSPLOST

Media Specialists and School & District Administrators

Visitation Statistics, social media posts, photographs

Photographs/ social media posts of usage

3. a. Builds Instructional Partnerships Partners with educators to design and implement evidence-based curricula and assessments that integrate elements of deeper learning, critical thinking, information literacy, digital citizenship, creativity, innovation and the active use of technology.

Ongoing Media Specialist collaborative meetings, professional journals and reviews, attendance at media/ literacy conferences and PLNs, school level PLCs


Media Specialists and Classroom Teachers

Agendas from conferences and PLC meetings, collaborative lesson statistics, copy of calendars and/or newsletters

Annual Media Report

3. b. Empowers Students as Creators Encourages and facilitates students to become increasingly self-directed as they create digital products of their learning that engage them in critical thinking, collaboration and authentic, real-world problem solving.



Media Specialists, Classroom Teachers and Instructional Technology Specialists

Media Festival project statistics, Makerspace documentation, Student Exemplars

Annual Media Report, photographs/ social media posts of events

3. c. Curates Digital Resources and Tools Leads in the selection, integration, organization, and sharing of digital resources and tools to support transformational teaching and learning and develop the digital curation skills of others.



Media Specialists and Instructional Technology Specialists

Social media posts and/or PLN, newsletters, Destiny Discover Collections, media center webpages

Website, Newsletters and social media posts

4. Facilitates Professional Learning Leads professional learning to cultivate broader understanding of the skills that comprise success in a digital age (e.g., critical thinking, information literacy, digital citizenship, technology competencies, etc.)



Media Specialists, Instructional Technology Specialists, Academic Specialists, School Counselors

Professional learning sign-in sheets, media center scheduling documentation, photographs and social media posts

Professional Learning Evaluation forms

5. Ensures Equitable Digital Access Provides and advocates for equitable access to connectivity, digital devices, information, resources, programming, and services in support of the district’s strategic vision.


642 media account, professional learning budget for conferences, school media accounts, eSPLOST, Title I and Title II, Charter Funds

Media Specialists, Network Administrator, Technical Support Staff, Instructional Technology Specialists

Work Order Documentation; System Wide Technology Plan, Instructional Technology Plan, media center orientation calendars, PLC minutes

Purchase Orders, Destiny check out logs

6. Invests Strategically in Digital Resources Leverages an understanding of school and community needs to identify and invest in digital resources to support student learning.

Ongoing Media Specialist collaborative meetings, professional journals and reviews, attendance at media/ literacy conferences and PLNs, school


Media Specialists, Instructional Technology Specialists, and Director of Technology Innovations

Monthly usage reports from subscription services

Data on student learning from subscription services (ex. USA Test Prep assessment scores)

level PLCs

7. Cultivates Community Partnerships Cultivates partnerships within the school and local community (families, caregivers, non-profit organizations, government agencies, public and higher education libraries, business, etc.) to promote engagement and a lifelong learning process.



Media Specialists and Parent Involvement Facilitators

Sign in sheets from parent and/or community events (ex. Parent Tech Night), minutes from community partner meetings

Parent Event Evaluation forms

8. Advocates for Student Privacy Teaches and promotes student data privacy through their instruction and role as educational leaders.



Media Specialists, Counselors, and Classroom Teachers

Digital citizenship (cyber safety and data privacy lessons), Staff development workshop sign in sheets; email notices to students (high school)

Annual Media Report, Staff workshop evaluation forms; formative assessments for digital citizenship lessons

9. Leads Beyond the Library Participates in setting the district’s vision and strategic plan for digital learning and fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation to empower teachers and learners.

Annually Media Specialist collaborative meetings, professional journals and reviews, attendance at media/ literacy conferences and PLNs, school level PLCs


Media Specialists and Director of Technology Innovations, School Leadership Teams

PLC documentation

Completed Media Literacy Improvement Plan

CHAPTER 3

Support

Support is vital to the success of the technology use in the Liberty County School System. The Instructional Technology Department is committed to offering ongoing support for all teachers in all areas of technology.

SECTION 1

Teacher SupportOne-on-One Teacher Support

Just as students do, teachers sometimes need individualized instruction to become comfortable with the technology tools. The Instructional Technology Department offers support from all levels. One important piece that teachers need is one on one support. During this time, the Instructional Technology Specialists will show teachers how to use the hardware and software components, collaborate with an ITS to write lesson plans that embed technology as well as model lessons.

During the support sessions, teachers can expect assistance for the following:

- First time app deployment

- Classroom management with iPads

- Small group instruction with technology integration

ITS Office Hours

ITS will provide on-site support in the form of Office Hours at each school. Admin or Media Specialists will notify the staff when the ITS is present in the building. If a teacher needs support, they can reach out through email or find the ITS in their designated location for quick support, basic trouble shooting, collaboration, modeling, or any other technology integration assistance.

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Tech Knowledge Base on Team Drive

The Instructional Technology Department has created a knowledge base located in Canvas for teachers where they can search for answers to questions that they may have related to technology. The ITS team will continue to upload helpful documents for teachers to access throughout the school year.

Some of these topics will include but are not limited to the following:

- How do I add email to my iPad?

- How do I get my pictures and videos off of my iPad onto my MacBook?

Teachers can self-enroll in the course by clicking this link: Technology Knowledge Base.

Alternatively, they can also sign up at https://liberty.instructure.com/register and use the following join code: B9PT9P

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https://liberty.instructure.com/register

https://liberty.instructure.com/register

CHAPTER 4

Motivating and Inspiring Teachers“Start were you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~Arthur Ashe

Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students!

Badging

Badging and digital badges offer opportunities to recognize teachers’ accomplishments, skills, or interests and help set goals, motivate behavior, represent achievements, and communicate success in learning offered by the technology department.

In recognition of educators’ exemplary work which promotes student participation, engagement, and success. Administrators, Instructional Technology Specialists, Academic Specialists, and colleagues will present badges to our teachers to proudly display outside their classroom door. Teachers will also receive digital badges to add to their email signature as well as goodie bags to show our appreciation for the hard work teachers put forth to promote student achievement and academic excellence.

BADGESBADGES CRITERIA

Canvas

Teacher consistent use of tech Published courses Interaction with students Student consistent use of tech Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale

NearpodTeacher consistent use of tech Student consistent use of tech Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale Creating personalized Nearpod lessons

Google Apps

Teacher consistent use of tech Student consistent use of tech Creating projects, assignments, etc Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale

Optional: Students collaborating on a Google Apps project

PadletTeacher consistent use of tech. Student consistent use of tech Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale

Wixie

Student consistent use of tech Student create storyboard to create project Grammar appropriate to grade level Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale Showcase project to a larger audience

Tech-Cellence

Teacher consistent use of tech Student consistent use of tech Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on DOK scale

Zoom

Teacher consistent use of tech Student consistent use of tech Tech aligns with ISTE standards Tech aligns with GSE standards Higher level tech use on SAMR scale Higher level tech use on DOK scale

CHAPTER 5

Parent Technology Academy

Technology courses have been designed to assist parents with becoming full partners in their children’s education. Parents will have the opportunity to participate in workshops that are aligned with their needs to build effective family-school partnerships for the success of all students.

Courses Offered

* Creating a Parent Google Account

* Creating a Parent Canvas Account

* Monitoring Student Attendance/Grades with Power School

* Know Your Student/School Logins

* There’s An App For That - Powerschool - Canvas Student - Canvas Parent - ClassDojo - Google Translate - Remind101

* iPad Security/Safety

* Using ZOOM for Parent/Teacher Conferences