Tippi+Clayborne's+Page

Module 4 update....please read 8-1-10 Hi All, I wanted to say thank you for all of your kind words and patience while I have been away. I think I will be getting back into the groove; at least I hope. I did submit my paper during the last module, but have had to re-submit it; I think I missed the idea of the assignment. I am waiting to hear back to see if I can continue in the direction I am now heading...I am attaching the file that I revised and re-submitted, so if you'd like to look it over, I'd appreciate your thoughts. I haven't added anything just yet, but will by Monday evening. Thank you again for all of your understanding! I will let you know if this is the one that I get to keep...and then I will delete all of the other stuff from the page....

I am very excited to be working with you all throughout this course!

I am still working on some of the specifics for my topic. Anything that is highlighted in yellow is what I need to verify and may need to change; this is a work in progress :-)
 * Module 1**

Antioch Elementary School (AES) is a Title 1 school serving grades Pre-K-5. It is located in a low socio-economic district of Dalton, Georgia. Antioch’s mission is to provide a safe, engaging environment where teachers, parents, and the community work together to ensure all students succeed. Meaning that all AES students thrive in an environment rich with academic and emotional support built upon 21st century skills for learning. According to current Average Yearly Progress (AYP) results, AES fell short last year in meeting AYP for Economically Disadvantaged, and ELL students in only one area – Math. These same students showed impressive gains in all of the other major academic areas. To meet the demands inherent in mastering 21st century skills for learning, AES has embraced the spirit of the Whitfield County School District’s progressive technology plan to integrate technology into every classroom. All AES classrooms are equipped with networked computers capable of Internet connectivity, LCD projection systems, and audio enhancement equipment. However, less than 50% of teachers at Antioch utilize the available technology to enhance their instruction. This proposal recommends a performance improvement intervention that can help increase the rate of technology integration by all teachers at AES; which will further increase overall student academic achievement at the school. The intervention will span a total of two school years and has a total cost of $10,200. That amount includes advanced pay compensation and a laptop computer for a school-based, full-time Technology Coach selected from qualified AES teachers. The Technology Coach’s primary responsibility is to provide comprehensive support and professional development for teachers in their efforts to constructively utilize the school’s technology and to effectively integrate new technologies into their classrooms. A Performance Improvement Intervention Project team, lead by the Project Manager, will also be created to manage, assess and evaluate the entire performance improvement intervention process. Antioch Elementary School is proud of meeting the AYP requirements for the past three years. Faculty and staff work hard to ensure the success of all of their students. Consequently, to continue on their path to excellence in education, AES personnel fully recognize the need to close the existing performance gap regarding effective technology integration throughout their school. Hence, your full consideration of this proposal will help Antioch Elementary School continue to provide their students with the best education possible in a 21st century society. Name of Organization: [|Antioch Elementary School] History and Background: Antioch Elementary, a Title 1 school serving grades Pre-K-5, was opened in the fall of 1954. It is located in a low socio-economic area of Dalton, Georgia; it is populated by low to middle income families. Approximately 72% of the student population is onFree/Reduced Lunch. The mission and vision statements for AES reflect the spirit and commitment of the administration, faculty, support personnel and community toward providing the best learning environment for their students. Those statements are as follows: Antioch’s mission is to provide a safe, engaging environment where teachers, parents, and the community work together to ensure all students succeed. We envision a responsive school district that is focused on students and that is valued and respected by the community. 1. Students learn when actively engaged in a safe, nurturing, and non-threatening environment. 2. Teachers are committed to providing an engaging learning environment that equips students with the necessary skills to become productive citizens in a diverse, technological society. 3. Parents are essential to their child’s progress in school through active and supportive participation. 4. Partnership between the home, school, and community builds a positive attitude toward life and education. 5. Antioch Elementary School is a community of learners. We are all here to learn, grow, and become good citizens. The administration, faculty and staff at Antioch Elementary include: 1 principal (Tami Dodd), 1 Assistant Principal (Denise Pendley), 2 School Monitors/Parent Liaisons (Lendi Addis & Kelly Spinetta), 1 Guidance Counselor (Jennifer Schneider), 1half-time Instructional Technology Support Assistant (Merrijean Weeks), 1 Media Specialist (Cindy Martin), 1 half-time Media Specialist Assistant (Ruth Harris) 23 homeroom teachers, 8 paraprofessionals (teacher’s aides) 3 ½ ESE/ESOL teachers, 4 resource teachers, 3 specials/activities teachers, 1 Language Facilitator (Speech Pathologist), 4 ESE paraprofessionals, 1 bookkeeper, 1 office clerk, 1 half-time school nurse, 7 cafeteria workers, and 2 custodians.
 * Executive Summary (Proposal) **
 * // The Organization and its Performance Problem //**
 * Mission **
 * Vision **
 * Beliefs **

I feel as though I may be confused as to what I should be posting. I had included, so I thought, this detail in my previous post. I would appreciate any feedback offered. This is the last section of my paper that was posted during Module 1; sorry I didn't place it under the Module 2 heading until now. I will try to do better to break down each section/module for easier reading. :-)
 * Module 2**

** Performance Problem ** The School District of Whitfield County has a very comprehensive technology plan. It covers all areas from technical infrastructures to professional development in technology use. Following are three key objectives from the plan that effect the progress of technology integration at Antioch Elementary: Provide professional development opportunities to both teachers and administrators that will enable them to successfully integrate technology into classroom instruction;

ensure that the traiings and the technologies are being used in the classroom and in the curriculum effectively and in-line with the goals and standards of Georgia’s Initiative in School Improvement and Accountability and the Georgia State Standards; and,

establish a continuum of Pre-K-12 student performance competencies and instructional strategies for the application of technology (School District of Whitfield County, 2009).

Antioch Elementary is fairly well-equipped with the latest educational but less than 50% of teachers at AES utilize the available technology to enhance their instruction. Much of the new technology tools sit gathering dust, or, are not being utilized effectively or to the highest potential. It has been shown that Antioch Elementary students in classrooms where teachers feel comfortable integrating technology into their daily instruction (Johnson and Liu, 2000) have improved their Reading, Math, and Science scores significantly on the annual GCRCT/GKIDS (GDOE, 2009). Consequently, an educational technology solution is being sought to improve the rate of technology integration by all teachers at the school, thereby, increasing overall student academic achievement (ISTE, 2008).

I am currently thinking about the three intervention strategies and thought I would post them here as I developed them. I will add more as it comes to me and I work out all of the details. I also don't know how to make my formating the same from module to module; do you all know how?
 * Module 3**

__**Intervention Stategies: Low-Cost, Medium-Cost, and High-Cost**__ After careful consideration of feasibility, manageability and efficiency factors involved (Januszewski and Molenda, 2008), the Medium-cost intervention strategy described above was selected -- the creation of a full-time Technology Coach position, through which a competent change agent can propel and support the full integration of educational technology in all K-5 classrooms at Antioch Elementary School. In addition, given current school budget restraints that directly and indirectly effect the hiring of extra staff as well as the procurement of additional technology equipment, such a strategy is the best one at this point in time to help close AES’ targeted performance gap. Medium-cost Strategy. This approach incorporates key strengths of both the low-cost and high-cost strategies. Although it requires about double the cost of the low-cost strategy, the intent to seek grant monies and outside funding sources puts this medium-cost strategy within a reasonable budgetary range. Also, the creation of a solitary, full-time, Technology Coach position will decrease the coach’s range of influence somewhat but will also lessen the potential for high levels of stress on the coach. In addition, the Technology Coach’s membership in an established educational technology organization such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will help mitigate the need to seek out more expensive professional development opportunities. Therefore, at this point in time, the Medium-cost strategy proves to be the best intervention with which to close AES’ targeted performance gap. Low-cost Strategy. This strategy is the most cost efficient. It doesn’t require extra resources or monies for the services of the Technology Resource Facilitator (TRF). Also, incentives for participation in in-service activities will be in the form of comp time instead of dollars. Stipends for free off-campus, district-based in-service are taken from the district’s budget. However, one major weakness of this approach is that the TRF will be required to do the job of a Technology Coach plus his/her own teaching duties without extra remuneration. That situation will potentially cause a level of stress for the TRF that may result in lessened productivity and lowered job performance on his or her part. That unacceptable prospect is a key reason for the rejection of this strategy since the success of the performance intervention would hinge upon the TRF’s high level of support and diligence. High-cost Strategy. The strengths of this strategy include those of the low-cost strategy along with a variety of other factors that could positively affect student achievement through technology integration. For instance, a Technology Resource Team can distribute tasks and responsibilities across expert personnel more efficiently. Also, two Technology Coaches can devote a greater amount of attention to their respective grade level ranges; thereby, enhancing the opportunity for more meaningful, grade-specific professional development, and, for increasing each coach’s availability for in-class support and frequent demonstrations of best practices. Furthermore, an upgrade to a wirelessly linked computer network with multimedia and Internet capabilities, and interactive whiteboards in every classroom is an ideal situation for increasing teacher and student motivation to use the advanced technology. However, given the tighter budget restrictions being leveled on all schools in the district at the present time, such a plan is quite cost prohibitive. That’s the major reason why this high-cost strategy was rejected for use in AES’ performance improvement intervention.
 * Low-cost Strategy:** A Technology Resource Facilitator position will be created to work with and assist our Instructional Technology Support Assistant (ITSA) position. This facilitator position will be filled by an on-staff, InTech certified classroom teacher who will be responsible for his/her assigned teaching duties as well as those required of a technology coach. To help save on the cost of the program, no additional compensation will be provided for this position. The Technology Resource Facilitator will be responsible for the delivery of professional development for all teachers and follow-up support for those teachers who may need further help with the effective integration of new and existing instructional technologies in their classrooms. The ITSA will also be responsible for technical equipment maintenance, troubleshooting problems with technological hardware, and resolving technical problems the school may experience. An incentive for teacher participation in professional development activities will include compensation time that can be accumulated and utilized throughout the school year. All off-campus, district-based training is supplemented with stipends and/or points toward recertification. An approximate $5,000 limit for this low-cost category will cover expenses related mostly to technology equipment maintenance, i.e. printer cartridges – both black and color, and, replacement headphones and audio-enhancement microphones.
 * Medium-Cost Strategy:**A Technology Coach position will be created to complement our Instructional Technology Support Assistant (ITSA) position. This full-time, school-based coaching position will be filled by a certified, tech-savvy teacher already on staff. The Technology Coach’s role will involve the procurement and/or delivery of professional development for all teachers and follow-up support for those in-serviced teachers with the effective integration of new and existing instructional technologies in their classrooms. The Technology Coach will also be responsible for assisting teachers with curriculum modifications, enhancements to their classroom environments, and frequent in-class modeling of best practices in technology integration. The ITSA will work in tandem with the coach and will be responsible for technical equipment maintenance, troubleshooting problems with technological hardware, and resolving technical problems the school may experience. An incentive for teacher participation in professional development opportunities would include compensation time that can be accumulated and utilized throughout the school year. All off-campus, district-based training is supplemented with stipends and/or points toward recertification. An approximate $25,000 limit for this medium-cost category will cover an additional, full-time, instructional position (Technology Coach), a laptop for the Technology Coach equipped with wireless Internet connectivity and multimedia functions, and expenses related to technology equipment maintenance as indicated above.
 * High-cost Strategy:** A school-based Technology Resource Team will be created. This team will consist of one school-based technology coach for K-2, one school-based technology coach for 3-5, and, one Instructional Technology Support Assistant (ITSA). The role of each Technology Coach will involve the procurement and/or delivery of professional development specific to their respective grade level ranges, and, the provisioning of follow-up support for K-2 or 3-5 in-serviced teachers with the effective integration of new and existing instructional technologies in their classrooms. The ITSA on the team will be responsible for technical equipment maintenance, troubleshooting problems with technical hardware, and resolving technical problems the school may experience. An incentive for teacher participation in professional development activities will include compensation time that can be accumulated and utilized throughout the school year. All off-campus, district-based training is supplemented with stipends and/or points toward recertification. This intervention will require an approximate $50,000 limit in this high-cost category to fund the two Technology Coach positions, upgrade our classrooms to wireless linked networked systems with multimedia and Internet connectivity, provide each classroom teacher with a laptop computer equipped with wireless Internet connectivity and multimedia capabilities, and, purchase and train each teacher on the use of the ActivBoard interactive whiteboard for each classroom.
 * Selected Intervention:**
 * //Rationale and Justification for Selection of Medium-Cost Intervention Strategy //**