School Board to Review Technology Plan

Now that budget season is over and voters approved the 2012-13 town budget and capital improvement projects, the Simsbury school district is focused on the future and moving forward with a new three-year technology plan.

The school district adopts a new technology plan every three years that will keep the schools and students competitive in an increasingly technology driven economy. On Tuesday, the Board of Education heard a presentation of the new plan that will be implemented in 2012.

Jason Casey, Director of Systems Technology, and Joncia Lytwynec, Director of Instructional Technology, explained the new three-year plan developed by members of the Technology Advisory Council, the school community, and the Simsbury High School Leadership Team.

The board will review the new technology plan and vote during the June 12 meeting.

The district's current technology plan included steps to increase student access to online tools, new equipment purchases, student workshops, skill assessments, online curriculum, increased student access to technology, high-speed internet connectivity for all schools, and wireless internet access.

Lytwynec said the new plan was developed following state guidelines and targets the critical needs of the district.

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"As we were going through our needs assessment we saw that there are really  five major areas or themes that we kept seeing going through," Lytwynec said.

The five needs addressed in the technology plan are:

• Improve system quality and reliability
• Identify and support innovative practices
• Provide technology integration support
• Increase student and teacher access to digital resources
• Improve communication of the plan's status

The first step in the new plan is to improve the district's computer network system, a $1.8 million project to invest in a thin client operating system to streamline the network and reduce overall maintenance costs, Casey said.

"Another way we are looking to improve quality is to move away from the one-size fits all model of buying laptops and desktops and get into a model of getting the best devices and applications into the hands of students," Casey said.

The district will create a Technology Advisory Council that will conduct research on the best practices for the district's use of new technology. The council will select a team of teachers willing to pilot new technology programs and report back to the committee.

To provide support, the district will increase professional development opportunities and provide access to online resources including webinars and videos. The district will also develop a K-12 technology curriculum map to define when and where technology skills will be taught.

Students will transition to a "flipped classroom" model where students will review new material at home using new technology and apply the new skills and infromation in the classroom. Officials will also explore the "Bring Your Own Technology" option, which would allow students who possess their own devices to bring them to school.

The district will hold a technology conference for teachers and administrators on June 20.