Goal 3
Avoca School District #37, in Wilmette, Illinois, developed and implemented the following action steps for each specified school year in fulfillment of Goal 3.
"Staff will have opportunities to develop proficiency in the use of technology through staff development and collegial support.1992-93
Complete a needs assessment to determine staff priorities related to content and logistics of coursework.
Will attempt to offer approximately 75 hours of computer coursework each year.
Establish a work station in each building for teacher access that includes a Macintosh LCII and laser printer.
Purchase school-wide and district-wide licensing rights for valuable, frequently used software programs to enable greater access.
Establish a centralized training area to facilitate staff development courses and curricular applications (to provide feedback on what/how technology works with students).
Provide technology resource staff for on-site professional development including training, consultation, co-planning integrated activities with technology, demonstration of the use of new hardware and software, modeling, and team teaching.
Establish a bank or electronic visual database of new and existing resource materials (i.e., software, hardware, journals, how-to books, sourcebook of mentors, and contact persons from outside the district).
Enable staff to review software for possible purchase.
Identify interested mentors and their areas of expertise and commitment to serve on mentoring teams and personnel support networks in each building.
Provide opportunities to enable teams of teachers to implement and follow up on already planned projects (i.e., STS [Science, Technology, Society] or International Fair), as well as in the designated curricular areas (i.e., math, language arts).
When appropriate, to send staff teams to exemplary local, regional, state, and national conferences and arrange for sharing of information upon their return. These persons will assume a leadership role in the utilization and application of the expertise gained at these conferences.
1993-94
Complete a needs assessment to determine staff priorities related to content and focus of coursework and new applications.
Offer approximately 75 hours of coursework during the year.
Maintain a teacher work-station area in both schools.
Maintain a training area to facilitate staff development courses and curricular applications.
Provide technology resource staff for professional development. That role would expand to include community awareness activities.
Review and obtain appropriate software. Update the resource bank/database. Add needed school-wide and district-wide licenses.
Provide continued support for the development and growth of mentoring teams and personnel support networks
Continue support for scheduled opportunities to enable teams of teachers to work on ongoing projects as well as new projects in both designated curricular areas and other areas of interest.
Continue to send staff to exemplary local, regional, state, and national conferences and arrange for sharing of information upon their return. These persons will assume a leadership role in the utilization and application of the expertise gained at these conferences.
1994-95
Conduct a needs assessment.
Offer coursework, as indicated by needs assessment.
Maintain teacher work-station areas in both schools.
Continue to maintain a training area to facilitate staff development coursework and curricular applications.
Provide ongoing support to the technology resource staff for professional development.
Review and obtain appropriate software.
Obtain needed school-wide and district-wide licenses.
Provide continued support for mentoring teams and personnel support networks to facilitate integration of technology and curriculum.
Continue support for scheduled opportunities to enable teams of teachers to work on ongoing projects as well as new projects in both designated curricular areas and other areas of interest.
When appropriate, continue to send staff teams to exemplary local, regional, state, and national conferences, and arrange for sharing of information upon their return. These persons will assume a leadership role in the utilization and application of the expertise gained at these conferences.
Indicators of Success
At the end of these three years, all staff has had opportunities. . .
- To continue to participate in a variety of staff development opportunities, including in-district classes, off-site courses, teacher-designed classroom applications, and professional conferences.
- To participate in ongoing collegial teams for developing and integrating curricular units, projects, and applications in addition to mentor programs.
- To consult regularly with an on-site, full-time technology resource person.
- To participate in district-support purchase of new or additional hardware to keep current with new technology.
- To earn enough credits to satisfy a major portion of their 'staff development computer loan' equipment.
- For regularly scheduled time to write, implement, and evaluate the integration of the technology into the curriculum.
- To participate--as individuals or teams--in exemplary state and/or national technology conferences, to share their learnings with one another, and to extend their learning through leadership."
