I. VISION STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Southern Kings Consolidated School continually strives to provide every student with the best possible education, preparing all students to function effectively in the society in which they live. Therefore, we believe all students in SKC School must develop competencies in using and applying a broad range of technologies to support lifelong learning. SKC School's shared vision is to aid its students in becoming skilled, knowledgeable, independent, and self-directed learners who are comfortable with and proficient in using technology in all its forms as information resources. Through the integration of technology, with its varied aspects and applications, each student at SKC will be afforded opportunities and challenges that will allow them to successfully engage the future. This plan conveys our vision statement, our beliefs in ICT integration, and our grades 1-8 learning outcomes as they relate to technology skills. Through this plan we would hope to provide equitable access to the use of technology within our school curriculum to enable students to become lifelong learners. ICT in this context includes computer, electrical, and data systems designed and networked, when feasible, to enhance our school's communication, information processing and productivity needs.

BELIEFS

Every SKC student should have the opportunity to acquire the technological knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

It is essential for all learners, including educators, to have access to, process and manage information via ICT as a basis for lifelong learning.

Skillful integration of technology supports the development of process skills such as flexibility, adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration which are essential to success in our rapidly changing information age.

SKC staff should provide appropriate integration of technology with school curricula and instructional management to enhance student learning.

Networked ICT systems permit efficient and effective communications within and outside the school, maximize productivity and efficiency, and enable our school to better prepare students for future learning.

II. CRITERIA

PLANNING PROCESS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Level One Training: Personal Proficiency - Educators are able to use a computer to enhance personal productivity, locate information and conduct research via the Internet, and operate a variety of common technology display devices.

Level Two Training: Instructional Proficiency - Educators are able to apply ICT skills of level one proficiency in classroom instructional strategies and activities.

Level Three Training: Mentor Proficiency - Educators are able to tutor professional peers, produce technology-integrated lesson plans and present educational technology training as an integrated tool in teaching and learning across the curriculum.

Provides training and support strategies to ensure that staff has the appropriate competencies and continuous support needed to integrate ICT into the curriculum.

Provides opportunities for staff to enhance their technology knowledge and skills.

Provides staff with access to professional development in the use of technology in order to prepare them to help students meet high academic standards.

INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING

Integrates technology with provincial curricular outcomes to help students attain high academic achievement.

Develops and implements classroom activities that integrate ICT and curriculum and define measures for documenting success in raising student achievement levels.

Expands classroom tools for teaching and learning.

Provides for the integration of ICT resources into existing and emerging curriculum.

Enables learning community to communicate more effectively, access and process information, and work productively.

Links the classroom with ICT resources within the school, community and worldwide.

Increases the productivity of students as they work toward attaining learning outcomes.

Encourages the integration of technology tools enabling students to become active and experiential learners.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Research suggests that the goals of a learner in a technologically equipped school are to learn how to think, to develop concepts and ideas, to apply what they learn, and to question and solve many types of practical and social problems. Research also says that the integration of ICT can make the school more supportive of knowledge construction. Technology enhanced learning encourages students to use the technology in ways to promote inquiry. The integration of technology can have significant impact on learning for all students; when it is used effectively as a tool for communications, research, organization, calculation, experimentation, and simulation, students will:

improve their ability to write and communicate effectively;

acquire skills that enable them to evaluate a problem and apply the appropriate technology to assist them in solving the problem;

take advantage of multiple paths of learning;

participate in learning experiences that extend beyond their own school;

acquire skills to search, select, organize, and present information from a variety of ICT sources;

be able to perform experimental investigations that are not otherwise feasible; analyze, interpret, and evaluate information;

can learn to be active participants in the problem solving process.

The appropriate integration of ICT can, in its present and future forms, present the school community with powerful means to accomplish those goals we hold in common. Our purpose is to give our students, teachers, leaders, and community the very best tools available as we work together to realize our aspirations for our students. Technology is simply one of many tools which can be integrated into curricular activities to achieve specific purposes and goals. Specifically, we believe that the integration of ICT can support our provincial learning outcomes by:

providing timely, unlimited access to data and information

enabling and stimulating students to express their creativity

facilitating individual learning and teaching to maximize student success

providing diverse modes of communication

promoting higher-level thinking skills to solve authentic problems

promoting learning of basic skills and content

providing efficient and cost effective use of time and resources for management, teaching, and learning

facilitating the development, organization, and presentation of ideas to achieve intended purposes

promoting the integration of curriculum, disciplines, instruction, and modes of learning, and

promoting adult, parent, and community learning, communication and involvement.

With the tools of ICT, students can dramatically raise knowledge levels, learn problem-solving techniques, develop the skills required to manage massive amounts of information, analyze concepts from several different perspectives, and develop the hard-to-qualify higher-order analytic and critical thinking skills that are necessary for lifelong learning. Key categories of learning outcomes presented in this document are Communication, Information Processing, and Productivity. A broad overview of grades 1-8 outcomes as they relate to technology skills is presented in each category.

Communication

Students will use ICT to communicate effectively and creatively.

1. Students will communicate through applications software.

- Create well-written documents, spreadsheets and databases.

- Use computer-assisted design tools.

2. Students will communicate visually, graphically and artistically through electronic presentations.

- Use a variety of technology (computers, LCD projection devices, scanners, digital cameras).

3. Students will communicate through networks and telecommunication.

- Use computer networks and telecommunications.

Information Processing

Students will use ICT to access and retrieve, to interpret and evaluate information.

1. Students will access and retrieve electronic information.

- Use search strategies to retrieve information.

- Use on-site electronic resources (encyclopedias, catalogs).

- Use networks to access information (on-line databases, libraries).

2. Students will interpret and evaluate information to support learning in all curricular areas.

Productivity

Students will use ICT and its applications to maximize productivity and skill development.

1. Students will use technology to enhance their productivity.

- Use ICT to develop learning and workplace skills.

- Use ICT to support the development of process skills in all curricula.

- Develop strategies for problem solving, critical and creative thinking.

- Create high quality multi-media products.

- Develop creativity and innovation through the integration of technology.

2. Students will develop basic technology skills.

- Select and access ICT appropriate to needs.

- Use correct starting and exiting procedures.

- Develop keyboarding skills.

- Operate peripheral devices.

- Use technology independently and cooperatively.

- Use technology safely and ethically.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

ICT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION - PART ONE OF 3-YEAR SCHEDULE

Basic Core of Technology:

The purpose of this component is to provide a basic school wide ICT infrastructure that will allow for maximum communications, connecting rooms within the school, as well as universal access to technology resources throughout the province and the world. This component will consist of the following items:

Equipment and Software:

1. Every classroom will be wired to the school's network thereby allowing for access to the network from any area and/or work station in the school.

2. Each classroom will be provided with 4 computer workstations connected to the network.

3. Each networked computer will be equipped with management, communications and application software.

4. Our school will be provided with at least the equivalent of two computer labs, each consisting of 30 networked computers.

ICT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION - PART TWO OF 3-YEAR SCHEDULE

Basic Core of Technology:

SKC will continue to build and strengthen the technology resources to allow for maximum information and communication, as well as universal access to technologies throughout the province and the world.

Equipment and Software:

1. Upgrade all networked computers.

2. Upgrade software.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

A. PLANNING PROCESS FOR STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

1. School Technology Committee assists staff through plan implementation process, and provides suggested procedures for implementing the ICT vision in their school.

2. Staff network training with focus on how network systems work and skill in using them. Using network software with enough knowledge and skill to engage in initial applications.

3. School Technology Committee advanced leadership/technology training. Develop technical expertise needed to help school carry out its implementation plan. Specialized training on network hardware and software. Integrating ICT to change instructional practices. School Technology Committee members will provide in-service, become peer mentors, develop strategies for sharing ICT expertise, provide in-class teacher support, and model best instructional practices.

4. Staff implementation training. Identify procedure for selecting curriculum software. Develop staff development plan. Establish evaluation and revision process based on student data. Practice with hardware/software with available mentoring. Participate in focused in-service provided by School Technology Committee and other colleagues. Access information from a variety of electronic and print sources. Share developing skills with students and peers. Coach others on staff in ICT integration.

B. STAFF NEEDS EVALUATION

School staff will complete the SKC ICT Skills rubric, graph the results annually and use the information to plan for staff development opportunities. As well, staff will administer, observe, and score student performance evaluations at grade levels. As staff members note the information literacy skills in which students need assistance, they will work with their colleagues to enable changes in student learning experiences.

C. STAFF DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

SKC uses a variety of support systems for training and ongoing staff development. The computer and network support specialist of the Systems and Technology Services at the Department of Education assists with phone and email help lines, as well as direct support, and an on-site user support specialist helps staff adapt to new technologies. The Resource-Based Learning Coordinator at the Education Department prepares ICT integration courses and workshops, offering them in a variety of formats and times, including during and outside of the school day and the school year. Some are offered intensively; others are spaced out over time to provide for practice. At school, the Teacher Librarian and Technology Committee provide in-class support and in-service, including the "5-minute in- service" or "just-in-time learning".

TECHNOLOGY PLANNING

INTEGRATION OF ICT

All members of the school community continue to develop information literacy skills and strategies which enable them to become successful life-long learners. They are committed to the development of ICT integrated curriculum for the improvement of learning by participation in professional development, action and research, evaluation, experimentation, reflection, and outcomes-oriented student learning. Students and staff members are competent users of technology resources; they have personal e-mail accounts and receive ongoing training in proper and effective integration of technologies in cross-curricular activities. Students regularly use ICT resources for curriculum-related activities under the direct supervision of their teachers and teacher librarian; they are becoming more experienced in accessing, analyzing, producing, and evaluating up-to-date information in technological formats. At all levels, the use of technology integrated into the curriculum is increasing information and communication between students, teachers, parents, and persons outside of school. With more ICT resources, and the increased bandwidth provided by an upgraded network, more students will be able to use the new technologies quickly and efficiently. The school's current capacity is stretched to the limit as many simultaneous learners and staff strain the current system when accessing network sources of information.
Students and staff are quickly building an impressive presence on the Web. Since its first online appearance in December 1998, the school website (www. edu.pe.ca/southernkings/index.htm) showcases and carefully organizes the best of SKC curricular and extra-curricular activities, highlighting the students' accomplishments, projects, and programs. Detailed, extensive, and current, the site helps students, teachers and parents as a resource of school-related information, as well as links to help with study and research. Both comprehensive and well-rounded, the site provides as much and as useful information as it can, encouraging students and staff to take advantage of the knowledge available to them through the Internet. By providing many search engines, and countless educational links that include resources for the school community, the website functions as an excellent starting point for research.

LONG-TERM FUNDING STRATEGY

To facilitate future decisions pertaining to ICT resources, the SKC administration is committed to providing a long term financial plan which provides the learning community with emerging technologies to support student learning, and at the same time, protects the community's investment. We understand that responding to the financial challenges presented by the need to make new technologies available to our students is multifaceted. This challenge includes not only the initial purchase price of the equipment, but also the infrastructure to connect one classroom to another, and every student and staff member to the world. Furthermore, beyond providing the initial equipment, the school must be able to provide basic and advanced staff training both in the use of the equipment and software, as well as instructional strategies for the integration of this technology into the curriculum. Finally, the school must be prepared to meet the challenge of upgrading and replacing both software and hardware as required by obsolescence and growth. Replacement and upgrading are intended to insure that our staff and students have access to the current hardware and software products they need.

A. INITIAL PURCHASE

To increase opportunities for technology integration, the school needs funds to install a school-wide ICT infrastructure complete with networked computers, and various peripheral equipment, such as LCD projector and system, smartboards, laptops, printers, scanners, and digital cameras. The school needs to have every classroom and library connected to its network. This initial investment will provide what amounts of we consider our baseline level of technology in the school. Our financial challenge is twofold: 1) provide, maintain and support this baseline level in all the ways noted above, and 2) provide for an enhanced level of access in the form of more computers and technology throughout the school.

B. ONGOING MAINTENANCE & SUPPORT

In order to provide the financial resources required to maintain our technology base, the school has developed a 3-year ICT Replacement plan. This plan is not intended to provide additional levels of technology but rather insure that what we already have is functional and up-to-date. In year one of this plan we hope to be upgrading significant quantities of our hardware and software. Hardware upgrades will bring all systems up to a Pentium performance level. Concurrently, all computer systems will be brought up to a minimum 1 GB diskspace allocation. The software upgrades will bring all Windows for Workgroups systems up to Windows 2000. Corel Office Suite 9 or AppleWorks will be installed on all systems as the school standard.

ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

The goal of the SKC ICT Plan is to bring rich information resources to the school to support the kinds of learning outlined in our provincial curriculum outcomes. Installation of the initial purchase of an ICT infrastructure hopefully will begin in 2001 and extend throughout the next 3 school years, concurrently with scheduled hardware and software replacement and upgrading. During the past several years, all staff members participated in many hours of staff development designed to emphasize the main goal of the plan: promoting technology integration into the school curriculum, while encouraging collaboration between all members of the learning community in the design, facilitation and evaluation of student ICT innovations. In order to enhance their achievements, staff will be provided additional time and resources to meet and share information and skills as required to develop more advanced skills.
Technology integration evaluation began at the outset with a partnership with the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta in a research study conducted between May 2001 and June 2002, focusing on how our staff is developing ways to integrate ICT into the curriculum to enrich students' learning experiences, and reporting their best practices in a multiphase research project conducted in Alberta and across Canada. Also, an invitation will be extended to the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island to participate in a research study to measure the impact of technology integration on our students' learning and education.
During the SKC ICT Plan Implementation 3-Year Schedule, performance task assessment will be administered on an annual basis to gain a measure of students' abilities to solve problems using new technologies. During the past years, the teacher librarian and teacher teams emphasized Information Literacy and collaborative student inquiry assignments as they integrated technologies into curricular programs, and consolidated progress.
The school will collect information on a bi-annual and annual basis in order to continually improve student information literacy. Each year students in selected grades will complete the self-assessment instrument regarding their learning with technology. This information will be used to examine the school program and see what needs to be improved. The performance evaluation of groups of students cooperatively working through a problem-solving task, will enhance a shift toward students becoming creative, critical thinkers who take ownership and effectively manage their learning.