Review of Duncanville ISD Technology Plan 2007-2010

The Duncanville ISD Technology Plan was written for 2007-2010. In the Executive Summary, it is stated that the district believes that "technology must be viewed as a system composed of several essential components." The training, learning activities, and infrastructure that support that technology are just as important.
The District stated 5 goals for this technology plan. The first goal states that "all students in DISD will experience a relevant, highly engaging, technologically infused educational experience to maximize learning and achievement for life beyond school."The strategies to support this goal address staffing with certified staff, researching ways to provide one-to-one computing, and developing a budget to replace hardware and software every 4-6 years. Additional strategies in this goal area address student usage in the area of reasonableness, appropriate usage, and ethical use. They also need access 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.Activities to promote relevant learning such as webquests, WoW lessons, and internet scavenger hunts are to be prevalent. A show case will be provided to spotlight student work to increase authentic audiences.
The second goal states that "all DISD staff will model continuous learning by developing, possessing, and demonstrating technology competencies appropriate for their position in order to perform their duties at optimal levels to accomplish goal 1. The strategies for this goal focus on meeting and maintaining technology competencies that model the skills we want the students to have.
Goal 3 says that "Duncanville ISD will provide a nurturing clmate that facilitates the mental, physical, and emotional health and development of students within an enviroment free from violence and disturbances. To this end, the district will provide a safe computeing enviroment for students and staff.The acceptable use policy must be accepted each year before access will be given.
Goal 4 is expressed as "the schools exist to serve the community, and partnering with the community in the development of goals, policies, and setting tone will serve the bst interest of all students. Parents and taxpayers should be viewed as our primary external customers." Strategically, the district is aiming to increase communication between the schools and the parents. They will work to increase the partnerships with the community, and businesses. They will provide distance and extended learning opportunities for parents and others in the community.
The fifth goals states that" the district will intergrate technology into fabric of what we do so that we are more efficient and effective and 'innovatively' use technology to better teach our students and save money." The strategies under this goaladdress infrastructure and professional development. The professional development model, which is over seen by the technology department, gives the educators the chance to upgrade and improve their technology equipment by earning it through professional development modules.
On-going assessment is built into all of the strategies supporting the 5 goals. A formal assessment is completed annually. The technology committee will review on-going assessments on a regular basis and make adjustments as necessary. The STaR Chart will be used to measure overall performance. The budget to support this plan was designed to support all components , not just those required for funding.