Community Profile(table of contents)

The Town of Windham is situated in the southeast corner of the state, a ìRural Oasisî amidst a region of unprecedented growth and development. The primary residential community of Windham rests on 27.2 square miles. The current population of Windham is 15,500. The Windham School District serves 2,236 students in grades transitional through twelve. Of those, 1,565 students attend schools within the community in grades transitional through eight. There are 671 high school students, grades nine through twelve, that are tuitioned to Salem High School. In March, 2005, the Windham community passed a bond to purchase land and build a new high school. The new Windham High School is in the design phase and it is expected to open in September, 2008.

The District is governed by a five-member elected school board assisted by a superintendent, an assistant superintendent, a business administrator, human resources manager and a director of special services. SAU #28 is a dual district, and services provided by this supervisory unit are shared with the Town of Pelham. The townspeople of Windham take great pride in their community and continue to support efforts to improve town and school services, while retaining the sense of small town community which is Windhamís roots and its bequest to future generations.

The Windham School District is comprised of three schools, Golden Brook School, Windham Center School and Windham Middle School.  Golden Brook School houses approximately 417 students in grades Transitional through Second. Golden Brook is a contemporary elementary school, designed to accommodate team teaching, self contained classes, and various programs and strategies to meet the individual needs of students.  The school has a dedicated teaching staff consisting of 36 certified teachers and 31 support staff.  Golden Brook also has a large number of parent volunteers dedicating endless hours with teachers and students positively impacting the teaching and learning process. 

Windham Center School serves 574 elementary students in grades 3, 4 and 5. Center School  has an experienced staff with 43 certified teachers and 34 support staff. Center School provides a comprehensive academic program which blends skill attainment and hands-on, exploratory activities. Emphasis is placed on student-centered activities that frequently include cooperative learning.  Center School also has a very active volunteer program adding to its success.

Windham Middle School provides a wide range of educational services for approximately 574 students in grades 6, 7 and 8.  There are 56 certified staff and 39 support staff. The school organization is based on the team concept. A significant amount of coordination among teams and integrating subject matter is a major goal in instruction at the Middle School. 

All schools are committed to providing a safe, positive learning experience for all students. 

They consistently strive for excellence and believe in high standards. The efforts of the community, school board, staff and administration are clearly reflected in the quality of education in the Windham Schools.

Philosophy of the Plan(table of contents)

This technology plan is a guide to help us fulfill our responsibility to educate our students. We must find ways to provide the students with the appropriate skills and knowledge for them to become productive citizens in our society.

The information age has had an enormous impact on what people must know as well as on how they do their work. The worker of the future must be able to gather, synthesize, and analyze information from a variety of sources in order to make meaningful and profitable decisions. Believing that we need to educate our students to use and adapt to changing technology to prepare them for life in the information age, the Technology Planning Committee was charged to create a three-year technology plan.

The plan should assist instructional staff (teachers and instructional assistants) to be more effective and to meet changing student needs. The instructional staff is the heart of the school and their capabilities must be developed, just as we expect to develop those of the students. To achieve this, the Technology Planning Committee must seek input of staff members to combine new instructional and organizational strategies with the appropriate use of technology.

The following concepts guide the philosophy of the plan:

ï We must integrate technology into the school curriculum as an efficient tool for learning.

ï We view technology as a ëspiral learning processí with ongoing expansion of skills for students, instructional staff, and administrators.

ï The curriculum needs should drive technology purchases, balancing these purchases with the cost to the taxpayers.

ï We must increase instructional staff confidence in the use of technology. This breeds innovation, creativity, and a willingness to explore and integrate technology into the curriculum.

ï We must expand administrative use of technology by administrators and instructional staff.

ï This plan is a living document and should be updated annually.

Long-Range Goals(table of contents)

We have established the following long-range goals in support of our philosophy:

ï Establish a program for students to effectively learn to use technology to retrieve, review, and process the information available to them.

ï Build a commitment to technology as a learning tool for every child.

- Provide appropriate and adequate hardware, software and other technologies to support learning at all levels.

-Provide appropriate and adequate technology staff to assist teachers in the effective integration of technology into the curriculum.

- Provide comprehensive professional development for the successful implementation of the curriculum integration process.

- Train instructional assistants to complement professional staff in the use of technology.

ï Build and support a district networking infrastructure which will provide for the use of electronic mail, Internet access, bulletin boards, distance learning, and video distribution capability, for inter-building and intra-building communications.

ï Provide adequate facilities (such as extra power outlets, phone lines, etc.) for administrators, instructional staff, and students.

ï Provide adequate technical staff for the development, support and maintenance of the district technology infrastructure.

ï Develop a budget and implementation plan for the expenditure of school district, state, federal, corporate, and private grant monies consistent with the philosophy and goals of this plan.

ï Assess the implementation of the goals and vision of the plan, then recommend changes to the plan on an annual basis.

ï Assess and measure the impact of technology on learning in our schools.

ï Explore emerging technologies as appropriate.

ï Maintain a flexible and open approach to the implementation of technology and its integration into the curriculum, due to the rapidly changing nature of technology.

ï Set ground work for computer literacy as a life skill.

ï Foster the relationships between business and the community.

Historical Review(table of contents)

The School Board charged the Technology Planning Committee to create a long term plan for the effective utilization of technology in the instructional programs and administrative procedures of the Windham School District in September 1991. The School Board approved the first technology plan, titled ìWindham School System 5-year Technology Plan 1992-1996î, dated June 2, 1992. This guide created the foundations upon which the subsequent plans were built. Three major areas that the plan addressed were curriculum integration, instructional staff training, and administrative usage of technology.

A complete historical review of the Districtís technology implementation can be found in the Windham School District's 3 Year Technology Plan 2001-2004, Windham School Districtís 5 Year Technology Plan- 1998-2001, and the Historical Review of Technology 1991-1997.

District Network and Technologies(table of contents)

Local Area and Wide Area Network Design and Use(table of contents)

The Windham School District has designed its network to ensure connectivity and inter-operability of multiple platforms through local and wide area networks (Network Topology-Appendix A). The current network supports all necessary protocols. All school classrooms have been wired with at least two network nodes using four pair Category 5 UTP wire to central wiring closets. Currently, all school buildings are connected via a 100mb multi-strand single mode fiber optic cable backbone to the SAU Office. Internet access is provided to all schools through our wide area network from the SAU office to an Internet Service Provider (G4) via a T1 line. Each school and the SAU office utilize 3Com switches and routers and each school has multiple 10/100 ethernet switches for workstation and printer connectivity.  The internal school networks are designed to deliver high bandwidth Internet to all areas. Network equipment and bandwidth utilization are analyzed on an on-going basis and recommendations for new or upgraded equipment are made when appropriate.

All schoolís Internet access is routed through a SonicWall (Pro 3060) firewall hardware appliance for security and Internet web content filtering meeting CIPA (Childrenís Internet Protection Act) requirements. External DNS services are provided by our Internet Service Provider, G4 Communications. The District maintains two internal DNS (primary and backup) servers.

The district has standardized on Windows 2000 servers for instructional use.  Existing instructional servers and workstations (Appendix B-Inventories) are evaluated yearly for upgradeability, expansion and appropriate usage. Additional RAM memory and/or other components are added to workstations annually to extend their usefulness in the classroom as well as additional network equipment to accommodate all classroom network nodes.   Selected computer systems are redistributed to classrooms annually based on the needs of students and staff.  Workstations are retired if they no longer meet the needs of any district staff member or student or if the workstation is too costly to repair or maintain. Communications servers (Web and e-mail) are located at the SAU Office and Windham Middle School and they serve as the core of the district network. All servers have tape backup capabilities and are connected to UPS systems in the event of power failure.

The SAU administrative server is a Windows 2000 server utilizing UniFundís FundSense software for financial, payroll and personnel data. For school administrative computing, the schools utilize a software package called PowerSchool running on an Apple G5 dual processor tower. PowerSchool is a web based comprehensive student information system.  All administrators, teachers and support staff have accounts to log into the PowerSchool server allowing them to access student demographic information, attendance, grades and schedules. With the implementation of PowerSchool, all staff has access to pertinent information in real time, where in the past, only selected staff had access to valuable student information and teachers often had to wait until reports could be printed and distributed.  In November 2005, the Parent Portal access to the PowerSchool system was opened to parents of Windham Middle School. Parents can view their child's grades, attendance, teacher comments, school announcements and more. As a result of implementing the Parent Portal Powerschool feature, parents now play a more active role in their child's education.

All network management is performed by the Districtís Technology Director and the Windham Middle School technician. The district employs ample technical staff to service our existing hardware and software but recognizes that staffing needs have to be evaluated on an on-going basis to ensure continued success with our programs.

Major benefits as a result of the implementation of our comprehensive networked system include:

ïIncreased and improved communication with the use of e-mail and school administrative software - PowerSchool

ïOpportunities for sharing of information and technology resources (software, files, printers, electronic research tools) for teachers and students.

ïExternal resources such as libraries, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals with expertise that have network access are readily available. 

ïClasses are able to collaborate with other classes on various projects from within the district and globally around the world.

ïOpportunities for developing and expanding research skills by collecting, analyzing and evaluating information via the Internet.

Hardware and Software Standards(table of contents)

Hardware and software standards have been established by the Director of Technology for new purchases to ensure workstation and network compatibility. To ensure the maximum workstation life cycle, the Windham School District purchases hardware with state of the art specifications. The life cycle for a standard workstation is 3-4 years depending on use. The standards are updated periodically by the Director of Technology based on industry standards and software demands used by district staff.  In addition, the District has adopted software standards that assure inter-operability across workstation platforms. For example, Microsoft Office Suite is the standard productivity package for all workstations. Software that is SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework) compliant can dramatically improve the overall efficiency of educational administration.  When upgrading the Districtís administrative software such as Student Information Systems, Library Automation Systems and School Lunch Systems only software that is SIF compliant will be considered. Other software standards are updated periodically by committees under the supervision of the Director of Technology.  

Copyright and Software Licensing(table of contents)

The Windham School District adheres to and enforces copyright law as outlined in the School District Policies and Federal Law.  All software is licensed in accordance with the vendor's requirements. Every effort is made to ensure that only legal and licensed computer software is loaded on district workstations. Educating district staff on copyright law and fair use guidelines is an on-going process. The Windham School District will continue to make concerted efforts to enforce copyright.

Other Resources(table of contents)

In addition to workstations, many other technology peripherals are needed in administrative and instructional computing to enhance teaching and learning.  The Director of Technology oversees the purchase of all peripheral technology equipment to ensure the maximum return on investment.  Each device is evaluated on its compatibility with existing and future systems, ability to be used and supported effectively, and ability to be maintained in a cost effective manner. Other technology devices that will be purchased as part of this technology implementation plan include:

•ink jet printers
•laser printers (color and black/white)
•digital cameras and scanners
•electronic white boards
•extended memory storage (USB drives, CD-RW)
•probeware (data measurement tools)
•presentation devices (large screen monitors and computer projectors, screens)
•Cable/Broadcast (video)
•Telephone (voice)
•laptop computers
•wireless devices/solutions
•Furniture
•PDAís
•network routers
•network switches
•file servers and communication servers

Current Workstation Status(table of contents)

With the use of district, grant and private funds, each school in the Windham School District has acquired substantial quantities of hardware and software. (Hardware Inventories-Appendix B.) At Windham Middle School, all classrooms have five networked PC workstations (1 teacher workstations, 4 student workstations). In addition, each classroom has a scanner, laserprinter, and color inkjet printer. All classrooms have a wall mounted 32î TV/Monitor with an audio/video switch allowing simultaneous connectivity of a computer workstation with DVD capabilities, Cable TV, and VCR.  Adequate peripheral equipment (digital cameras, scanners) is readily available for all users. A 26 station PC computer lab is available for whole class activities. Two mobile labs of 25 PC laptops are available for classes to sign out. The primary productivity software on all workstations is the Office XP Suite. Other instructional software such as Inspiration, HyperStudio, and keyboarding software is loaded on selected workstations. All workstations are connected to the Internet and e-mail accounts are configured for all staff. All students and staff have their own assigned username and password that determines their network privileges.  All user data files are stored on a network server and backed up regularly. A CD-Tower is located in the library media center with appropriate electronic resources that can be accessed from all classrooms. Additionally, a pilot project at Windham Middle School has provided two 6^th grade classrooms with Palm handheld computers. Each student has a Palm that is used for all content subjects. An additional classroom set of Palms is used by the Middle School Enrichment teacher.

Each classroom at Windham Center School has a minimum of three networked PC computers for student/teacher use. All workstations are connected to the Internet and all teachers have access to their own district e-mail accounts. Three 25 station PC mobile laptop labs (one per grade level) are available for sign out by classes for activities aligned with curriculum. There is a myriad of educational software loaded on classroom workstations. All classrooms have access to a printer either on the network or standalone in their classroom as well as other peripheral equipment (scanners and digital cameras). Teachers have their own username and password to log onto the network to gain access to network resources such as the Internet and data folders. Additionally, all classrooms have a 32î mounted TV/Monitor with an audio/video switch allowing simultaneous connectivity of a computer workstation, Cable TV, and VCR.

At Golden Brook School, workstations are located in classrooms and a pod of 6 computers is accessible in each grade level for small group instruction. Each classroom has at least two modern workstations with Internet and e-mail access and a standalone inkjet printer or access to a networked printer. Peripheral equipment such as scanners and digital cameras are available for teachers to sign out and use in their classrooms. A 12 station Apple iBook Mobile Lab is available for classes to sign out as well as a 25 station PC mobile laptop lab. There is a substantial amount of educational software located at all grade levels (ie, KidPix, MathBlaster, Kidspiration, etc.). All student and teacher data files are stored on a network server. Teachers have username and passwords to access Internet and e-mail accounts. Generic login accounts are used by students to log on to workstations to gain access to computer and network resources. Golden Brook School classrooms also have 32î mounted TV/Monitors with a audio/video switches allowing simultaneous connectivity of a computer workstation, Cable TV, and VCR.

All school library media centers are fully automated with Follett library circulation and cataloging software. A minimum of 5 student lookup workstations are available in each school library for students to search library collections. These workstations are also used for research utilizing electronic resources and the Internet under the direction of library and teaching staff. School library collections have been published on the web and are available for students and members of the community to search from home.

 The New Hampshire Department of Education has defined levels to be used in determining student to computer ratios. The current levels as defined by the Department of Education are as follows:

Level C- Pentium II/MacG3 - 32-64 Mb RAM - Win95-98/Mac OS 8.x

Level D- Pentium III/Mac G4 - 64 Mb RAM  or better - Win98/2000/Mac OS 9.x

Level E- Pentium IV/Mac G4 or better - 256 Mb RAM  or better – Win2000/XP/Mac OS X

The current breakdown of computers as defined by the State of New Hampshire DOE is as follows:

The current student to computer ratios for the Windham School District:

The projected student to computer ratios at the completion of this plan are:

The Windham School District exceeds the State of New Hampshireís required 5:1 student to computer ratio.

Library-Media Center(table of contents)

The library media program plays an important role in the successful implementation of the district technology plan. Networking infrastructures in the district provide connectivity to ìall manner of learning technologiesî. Considering the educational purposes for such decisions, the library media specialist is a key participant in choosing appropriate Internet services.

The logical consequence of this interconnectivity is that all school library media centers function as the information center of the school. They include, but not limited, to access to the Internet, CD-ROM resources, and district library holdings through networked automated catalogues and circulation systems. Students are able to search library holdings from their classrooms and from home via the Internet.

Through the efficiency of our networks, access is no longer the problem.  However, ìincreased access does not automatically lead to insight or increased understandingî and it is the library media specialist who can help all information seekers select the appropriate print or electronic resources, purposefully navigate through the ocean of information, and, according to the district technology vision, ìuse technology as a learning tool... to access, analyze and communicate information Öin the process of building knowledgeî.  The library media specialistís mission is to ensure that ìstudents and staff are effective users of ideas and information.î

Internet and E-Mail Access and Use(table of contents)

The Windham School District provides full Internet Access to all school classrooms. The rich sources of information available on the Internet hold the promise of greatly enhancing the quality of education available to students. The Districtís goal in providing this service to teachers and students is to promote educational excellence through communication, resource sharing, innovation and research. Additionally, learning how to use this wealth of information and how to communicate electronically are information literacy skills which support student achievement and success in the 21st century.

The degree of access to the Internet is dependent upon the age of the students. Generally, at elementary grade levels, Internet use is project focused, teacher directed and supervised. Most often, teachers provide students with web sites that have been reviewed and evaluated and align with the district curriculum. Selected students have independent use, however, on-line computers and web site access is monitored at all times and at all levels.  The district utilizes SonicWall's Web Filtering software meeting CIPA requirements for Internet filtering. Internet log files are reviewed regularly to ensure that students are using Internet resources appropriately. If inappropriate behavior is discovered, incidents are reported to building administrators and appropriate disciplinary or education decisions are made. Internet log files, which store a history of users Internet access, are saved for a period of 28 consecutive days. The district is committed to ensuring that all students use Internet access for only educationally sound and productive learning activities.

The Windham School District has an Acceptable Use Policy for students and staff to govern and guide the use of all computer related technology in the district, including the Internet. (Appendix C) All students and parents/guardians are required to sign the policy each year. Those students and parents/guardians that do not sign the agreement are not given Internet access privileges. Each year, teachers review the rights and responsibilities as users of the district network with their students. In addition, before any student work can be published on the school district's website, parents must sign the District's Permission to Publish form (Appendix C).

All district staff have an e-mail account that is used for district communication among staff and parents. In October of 2005, new guidelines and policies were developed governing the use of e-mail in teacher/parent communication. Included in Appendix C is the Windham School District E-mail policy, E-mail Retention Policy, Parent/Teacher Communication Guidelines and Parent E-mail Authorization Form.

E-mail accounts are not created for individual students, however, the District will create accounts for use in classroom curriculum projects at the request of a teacher.

Professional Development(table of contents)

The Windham School District recognizes that comprehensive and continuous professional development for integrating technology into the curriculum is essential for success.  The School District is committed to providing high quality professional development programs for technology integration. The district has focused past professional development activities using technology as a tool to enhance teaching and learning. The Director of Technology is responsible for continuing the development and evaluation of a technology in-service training program for faculty, staff and administrators in the use of district resources.  The procedures used to conduct staff development have been and will continue to be driven by assessments of the needs and competencies of the district staff so that appropriate training curriculum can be devised.

The Windham School District has adopted the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Teachers and Administrators. These standards and performance indicators define the fundamental concepts, knowledge, skills, and attitudes for applying technology in educational settings. The District will work with district staff to promote and assess these standards on an individual basis. This data will provide valuable information for professional development needs in the District. The NETS are included in Appendix D.

Professional Development workshops must incorporate hands on, concrete activities that directly relate to a teacherís every day responsibilities. The district employs a number of best practice strategies that have proven to promote effective technology staff development. Recent needs assessments (LoTI) completed by staff members reflect the need for continued support and training in the schools. Several different levels and training formats are needed to accommodate district staff. For example, workshops will need to be offered for basic and introductory levels, application specific software, multimedia software, technology integration in all curricular and Internet applications. All training activities need to be intensive, sustained and classroom focused.

 The following list consists of sample topics and characteristics for technology training:

•Integrating the Internet into existing curriculum units
•Introduction and Advanced Uses of Microsoft Office suite
•Hands on workshops with participants at similar competency levels
•Telecommunications (e-mail) and Teacher Web Page Development
•Use of Scanners and Digital Cameras in Multimedia Projects
•Marco Polo
•Student Assessment
•Data Driven Decision Making
•Creating and Using Webquests in the Curriculum
•Using Nettrekker in the Classroom

In addition to local professional development opportunities, there are many other technology workshops, seminars and courses offered by outside sources. The district has provided licenses to Connected University, an on-line professional development community for staff. The licenses provide District staff the opportunity to take on-line courses, tutorials and allow them access to numerous web resources that can assist them in the effective integration of technology into the curriculum. Distance learning can provide an avenue for teachers to take courses and curricular where it is not readily available within district or at local training resources.  This is an exciting alternative to the traditional training formats that teachers are accustomed to and the Windham School District will continue to provide Connected University and similar distance learning opportunities to itís staff. The Windham School District Technology Committee will continue to investigate innovative professional development strategies for potential implementation in the district. Teachers will be encouraged to participate in new innovative strategies and assessments will be developed to measure their effectiveness.

Below is a list of additional sources of professional development for the use of technology:

•Apple Computer Staff Development
•Connected University
•Title II, Part A, Part D
•Title V
•Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference
•Southern New Hampshire University
•New Hampshire Electronic Learning Network…  New Hampshire State Library
•New Horizons Computer Learning Center
•NHPTV Knowledge Network
•Northeast Regional Technology in Education Consortium (NetTech)
•NHSTE
•NHEMA
•Plymouth State College
•Rivier College
•SERESC
•State of New Hampshire Department of Education
•University of New Hampshire - Durham - Continuing Ed
•University of New Hampshire - Manchester - Continuing Ed
•Greater Manchester Professional Development Center
•Local Educational Support Centers Network
•Windham Technology Staff

Technology Integration into the Curriculum(table of contents)

Curriculum drives the technology integration process in the Windham School District.

The Windham School Districtís curriculum is aligned with the NH Curriculum Frameworks.  Curriculum is revised in regular cycles, usually during the summer months.  The district sets curriculum revision priorities that are addressed by committees with representation from all schools. All throughout the curriculum revision process, Windham staff identifies appropriate technology resources and/or applications of technology to support improved teaching and enhanced student performance.

The Windham School District has adapted documents from the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) project, Technology Foundation Standards for All Students and Profile for Technology Literate Students (Appendix D). Future curriculum document revisions will align with the technology foundation standards for students. Assessment tools, rubrics and/or processes will be developed to ensure that all students are technically literate by the end of grade 8 as required by the State of New Hampshire Department of Education.

The Director of Technology, school technology integration facilitators and library-media staff meet with staff to plan how to use technology for teaching and student learning within their specific curriculum area. Teachers are assessed as to their current skill level and professional development needs. Available technology resources, access and availability are also linked to project needs. Professional development training is designed and conducted to meet the needs of the teachers. Teachers are trained in the use of productivity software such as word processing, database, spreadsheet, and telecommunications as well as curriculum specific software. Teachers who demonstrate exemplary curriculum integration units are readily available to share their knowledge and experiences. Teams of teachers in all schools continue to form that will assist teachers with curriculum integration.

The Windham School District as part of the professional agreement between the Windham Education Association and the Windham School Board has a Teacher Grants and Incentives Fund (TGIF). This incentive program provides grants to teachers that will enable them to put innovative ideas that extend and enrich the curriculum into practice, improve instruction, improve student performance, improve the working environment, or improve methods and materials. Through the TGIF program, many curriculum projects that effectively integrate technology have been and continue to be developed and implemented through the district.   

Teachers recognize the benefits of network services (e-mail and Internet access) in their unit design and teaching strategies.  With these resources available in our schools, teachers are integrating e-mail and the Internet into existing units and new curriculum units. In addition, with the availability of district network resources successful strategies and learning units can be easily disseminated into all classrooms in the district.

The district realizes that effective integration of technology into the curriculum is a slow process which requires extensive professional development and technical support. Teachers often use technology tools to replicate the way they teach now.  It can take years before a teacher can integrate technology effectively to the point of utilizing the technology to its fullest potential.  It is a high priority of the district to continue with its efforts to provide teachers with the necessary training, support and resources necessary for them to be successful with technology integration to improve the teaching and learning process.

Current Technology Integration Projects(table of contents)

The Windham School District has had some success in integrating technology into the teaching and learning process. Summer institutes in which teams of staff spend a week or more learning the technology and devising new methods of using it in their curriculum has resulted in successful technology integration projects. Various learning units throughout the curricula have been revised to provide a more hands-on approach using technology for part or all of the presentation. In implementing this process, instructional staff and students have acquired various technology skills without being taught specific tasks.

As a result of the teamwork, summer institutes and other training initiatives, the following specific interactive curriculum have been revisited and had technology integrated into them:

ï Plants and Seeds unit

ï Native American unit

ï Interactive Dinosaur program

ï New Hampshire History unit

ï Medieval Projects

ï Civil War unit

ï Artists - a multimedia approach

ï The International Unit

ï Simple Machines

ï Poetry

With the advent of the district LANís and WAN, the existing projects are able to reach a broader student population, expanding within the district and the world.

In a more general way, technology is being used to:

ï Research, using CD-ROMs to access information from encyclopedias and other electronic resources.

ï Access the Internet and e-mail resources tied to curriculum objectives.

ï Utilize curriculum specific software correlated to specific activities.

ï Create slide shows and multimedia presentations often utilizing digital scanned pictures and digital cameras.

ï Read CD-ROM books on the computers.

ï Access to rich video content via the Internet and subscription services

ï Provide keyboarding instruction to students.

ï Used for numerous writing activities such as

   - Creating a musical play, writing a professional-looking script to be read by students.

   - Writing lyrics for childrenís songs.

   - Writing books and reports.

ï Webquest activities

ï Use interactive laserdiscs for the following topics:

   - The Great Ocean Rescue.

   - The Great Solar System Rescue.

   - The Human Body.

Supporting Resources for Technology Implementation (Personnel, Software, Supplies)(table of contents)

In addition to the Director of Technology and school technology coordinators, additional resources are necessary for successful technology implementation. The District needs to provide for the acquisition of a variety of resources to support technology use in the teaching and learning process.  These resources include but not limited to:

•technology staff/contractual services
•maintenance, training, technology integration
•technology supplies
•print and video resources
•software for teaching, learning, and management

The Windham School District recognizes that adequate and appropriate technology staff is key to the successful use and integration of all its technology resources. The Windham School district technology staff consists of a Director of Technology, two full time technicians responsible for maintaining all equipment at the three Windham schools and three technology integration facilitators (one located at each school) responsible for supporting teachers in the technology integration process. With adequate staff, Windham teachers have the essential resources to enrich and support their teaching and learning while strengthening their technology skills. The Windham School District Technology Committee along with district administrators will continue to analyze technology staffing needs annually and make recommendations to the school board. The Windham School District currently meets or exceeds the State of New Hampshireís Department of Education requirement to provide sufficient technicians and integration support personnel in all schools.

Contractual services continue to be necessary for a variety of technology services. All network hardware and district administration servers are maintained by the Director of Technology and technical staff. Network management is primarily the responsibility of the Director of Technology. However, other services are contracted on an as needed basis, particularly for professional development and high end technical services.

The district provides software acquisition on an ongoing basis, funded from district and grant sources. State-of-the-art software for the following main categories will be regularly purchased, maintained and upgraded as needed:

•productivity/presentation
•word processing, spreadsheet, database, utilities, etc.
•administrative (district, school and classroom management)
•curriculum (simulation, probeware, ILS)
•information resources (electronic encyclopedias, news databases, print resource databases, etc.
•communication and research tools…  on-line subscriptions

Software purchases are coordinated through the Director of Technology in an effort to secure the best possible pricing and licensing agreements. The district favors purchases of multi-license software when appropriate. School libraries purchase on-line subscriptions to such services as SIRs Discoverer and Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia online. This is the most cost effective manner to provide timely up to date information resources to staff and students via the Internet. Some subscriptions are available for students and parents to access from home.

Other resources such as supplies and print resources are supplied annually from the district budget.  Print and video resources are cataloged through school library automation software and available for staff to sign out. These resources are critical for the continued success of the program.  Budgets are reviewed annually to assure that adequate funding is allowed for resources to support district technology implementation and support efforts.

Coordination of Technology Funding From State and Local Sources(table of contents)

The purchase and implementation of technology in schools promotes a financial burden to the taxpayers of the Town of Windham. Because of this, the district must utilize every funding source available to support the technology program. It is essential that all funds available to fund this technology plan are utilized in a manner that meet the planís goals and objectives increasing the capacity for teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum and improve student achievement. A process is in place where technology priorities are determined each year by the school district leadership team, the district Technology Committee and the Windham School Board.  Available funding sources are aligned with the annual technology priorities. The Windham School District Technology Planís action plan and budget is reviewed annually and revised to reflect available funding sources.

The Windham School District utilizes several different funding sources to support technology acquisition, operation, training, and maintenance. The major technology funding sources include:

•local district budget
•federal entitlement funds (Title IID, Title V)
•competitive grant awards
•business and community support
•Teachers Grants and Incentives Fund (TGIF)
•Universal Service Fund (E-Rate)

Community Collaboration and Collaboration with Adult Literacy Services Providers(table of contents)

The Windham School District has a collaborative with the Salem School District, School for Continuing Education. Adult Literacy Programs are offered in the spring and fall consisting of:

•Numerous Enrichment Programs (many technology oriented)
•Adult Basic Education
•Adult High School Equivalency
•Adult High School Diploma

The Windham School District will continue to work closely with the Salem School District to maximize the use of available resources in program offerings.

Efforts will be made on the part of the district to open schools on a periodic basis for community workshop and training activities utilizing district resources. Also, Windham School District staff continues to expand the district web site design and development. Additional and updated information is added to the web sites in an effort to provide valuable and useful information to the Windham Community about our schools and programs. Teachers are encouraged to create their own web sites listing information such as curriculum, homework, Internet resources etc. Currently, approximately 90 percent of our classroom teachers have their own web pages. It is the goal of the district for every classroom teacher to have their own web page.

The district believes collaboration efforts with the community is essential to promote community support for technology in our schools, continued support for the funding of the technology plan as well as improved communication between our schools, teachers, administrators, parents and community members. 

Special Needs Students(table of contents)

This plan does not address the specific requirements of the special needs students in our school system. Each of those students has an individual education plan that covers the required equipment for that student. The Windham School District formed a Tech Team comprised of district special education staff for the purposes of providing technology consultation services to staff and students. The Team meets regularly to develop programs for students and review and learn new devices/software programs.  They provide training sessions for staff on an on-going basis in the use of new technology devices and software that is relevant to special education students.  A cooperative effort is made between the Tech Team members, special education staff and the technology director to design an optimal solution for special needs students. Furthermore, because the integration process emphasizes the team approach, teachers are encouraged to include special education staff when designing instructional units with technology.

Assessment(table of contents)

This plan represents a significant spending effort on the part of the Windham School system. We believe it is important to measure the effectiveness of the technology and professional development in our school system. The school board needs to know if this plan is improving student achievement and if more of our instructional staff are using this technology to help them in their daily work. If we can measure the effect that the technology has on our school system, we can determine which aspects of this plan work and which do not. By doing so, we can concentrate our efforts in those areas that provide the most benefit.

In an effort to measure the effectiveness of technology use in our schools, the District Technology Committee devised a survey instrument that is distributed to all professional staff each spring. This survey is used to measure classroom experiences and usefulness of various technology components. Each year, the survey data is reviewed by the district technology director. The data provides the District with valuable information on the impact of the current yearís technology action plan and a basis for modifications to future budgets and implementation plans.  The May 2005 Survey instrument is included in Appendix E.

Since February 2002, all teachers in the district participate in an annual on-line survey called the Level of Technology Integration (LoTI). The survey creates a profile that measures three areas: 1) classroom teachersí Level of Technology Implementation (LoTI), 2) Personal Computer Use (PCU), and 3) Current Instruction Practices (CIP). After all teachers have completed the LoTI survey, school and district reports are provided to the District with recommendations on how to increase the entire staffís Level of Technology Implementation. The District uses the data from the LoTI to assist in designing professional development activities for teachers and staff. The results provide pertinent information on the impact of our professional development. The most recent results of the LoTI survey are included in Appendix F.

Additionally, the Director of Technology uses a variety of assessment strategies to monitor the progress of the Districtís technology integration efforts. Strategies such as surveys, interviews and observations are utilized regularly. Results are shared with school district staff, administrators, technology committee members, school board members and the Windham community.  With a variety of assessment strategies, adequate data is provided for the continual improvement of the all technology integration efforts. The District will continue to discuss, develop and implement alternative assessment strategies.

Other Considerations(table of contents)

Improving Facilities

The school facilities are in need of some general enhancements to better utilize our technology equipment.  Many classrooms do not have adequate power outlets to support 3-5 multi-media systems.  Data drop locations in some classrooms are not located in appropriate areas. The Technology Committee has set minimum facility standards for all classrooms where each classroom should have the necessary electrical, data and coax drops to support 6 computer workstations (1 located at the teacherís desk), 3 printers, large screen monitor, Cable TV and air handling capabilities.  In addition, all computer furniture, chairs, and tables should be ergonomically appropriate based on student grade level. The Director of Technology will continue to work with building principals to target and prioritize these issues and such issues will be brought to the Technology Planning Committee for action.

Windham High School

In, September, 2008, the new Windham High School is slated to open for Windham students. The high school is currently in the design phase. The Director of Technology will work closely with district staff, Architects, technology consultants and the design team to ensure that the the building technology infrastructure design will be adequate for current and future technology implementations. The next revision of this plan will include all aspects of technology planning and implementation for the high school. The Windham School District will be developing a technology action plan for the Windham High beginning this school year. The Windham High School Ed Specs outlining the proposed building wide communication and technology requirements is included in Appendix G.

Windham School District Technology Action Plans(table of contents)

The following sections detail the action plans for each of the next three school years. Each yearly plan contains a table indicating the need, the action, technology required, training and support needed and budget. These yearly action plans are to be used as general directions for the school system. Parts of the action plans will be updated annually to reflect changes in the curriculum and/or needs of our staff and students as well as changes in district educational priorities. In early fall, during the budget process, the action plan for the next school year is revisited and revised based on district priorities and items accomplished the previous year. A revised plan and budget for the next school year is then presented to the School Board for approval.