Team+4

Team 4's Page: Karen Feils, Cybill Jacob, Kelly Lyons
 ** Rationale: ** Based on the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards, the largest challenge to our existing site was not access at home or connectivity for our community. Rather, the challenges faced are the growth in technology integration beyond what the physical buildings can accommodate coupled with need for improved infrastructure and access for all stakeholders equal to the expectations of the district.

Infrastructure/Access:Lack of foresight with regard for expanding technology resources and ever-evolving technology standards hinder progress district-wide
 * Digital Divide Focus: **

//**__Three Most important Focus Points in the Essential Conditions:__**// 1. Access 2. Professional Development 3. Support Policies

//__**These relate to our Digital Divide Focus in the following ways:**__// Lack of accessibility due to budget and building restrictions, schools having difficulty fully implementing technology within the schools all create the current digital divide.

//__**Our plan for addressing and improving these points:**__//

**__Action Plan:__** Provide extension hours for media centers in various neighborhood schools with support staff available to all stakeholders, refocus current push of stationary labs to mobile labs; utilize district grant writers to locate funding for technology integration
 * Access: ** Although many students have nearly unlimited access to technology at home, it is difficult for schools to fully implement technology due to lack of funding and/or restrictions in the ability for the technology to be upgradeable and expandable in terms of equipment and software. "Technology cannot become a useful support for students' work if they have access to it for only a few minutes a week. Technology-supported, project-based instruction requires a high degree of access to the tools of technology and to communication systems. Schools are faced with reality of a limited budget for equipment, telecommunications, and software, and they must make hard choices about how to get the most out of what they have." (p. 71)

**__Action Plan:__** Offer Professional Development courses based on immigrant and native users; provide district credit through Professional Development Academy based on utilization of technology in current curricular best practices; data-driven research geared to drive curricular goals. **__Action Plan:__** Adherence to district-wide technology plan is essential at all schools within the district to ensure quality integration of technology standards and equity among all students; link performance-based pay to integration of technology; use a set minimal percentage of school budgets for technology upgrades/replacements. 
 * Professional Development:** While technology integration is the expectation, teachers lack the in-depth training to integrate the technology in the daily instructional routine. Additionally, if teachers receive training on a new technology piece, they are not given adequate time to plan the integration thus keeping teachers feeling ill-pared and frustrated with their ability to integrate technology best practices.
 * Support Policies:** Support Policies relate to the digital divide because without the finances and the support for teachers and administrators alike, the vision would be empty. Likewise, the support policies relate to the concept of reward structures for implementation. Teachers cannot be expected to implement the latest and greatest programs without incentives (monetary or otherwise) and proof that the programs are research based. Ultimately, the budget must be focused towards the goals and visions and all should be funneled in the direction of access and infrastructure.

=**Staff Rationale:**=

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Sources: [] [] []

Means, B., Olson, K., & Singh, R. (1995, September). Beyond the classroom: Restructuring schools with technology. //Phi Delta Kappan, 77//(1), 69-72.