I. Technology Plan Summary

A. Introduction

It is widely accepted that today’s educators must prepare their students for life in the 21st century. Technology brings resources to the classroom that can stimulate and encourage learning. Technology is an important part of many current vocations and will relate to virtually all jobs in the future. With that understanding, comes the challenge of preparing our students for tomorrow’s technology. Technology, with its applications, is a tool that an individual can employ to enhance communication, to solve problems and to access information. Therefore, technology in the Byram Township schools will be not implemented as an isolated discipline, but as an integrated part of the district curricula. The purpose of the Byram Township School District’s Technology Plan is to infuse technology into our curriculum, where students will learn the purpose, use, application and value of technology as a tool.

In planning for technology, the district must first consider how, such tools will be used by our students and staff in the education process. Our goal will be to place at their disposal an infrastructure that will maximize opportunities for communicating, problem solving and accessing information. The availability of this resource will increase the students’ active participation in the learning process and places the teacher in the role of being the link between the present technological innovations and the traditional educational goals.

This plan to advance technology in the Byram Township Schools will continue to address three main factors; student outcomes, staff outcomes and the acquisition of technology resources. It will assess the current status of technology in our schools and it will project a systematic three-year plan to reach our established goals. In addressing these goals it is important to recognize that technology will continue to improve in power, speed and price. As technology capabilities are enhanced, continued staff development will be required.

B. Mission Statement

The district will provide a technology infrastructure capable of eliminating time and distance as a barrier to student and staff communication, research and learning.

The district will advocate and provide models of the appropriate use of technology, to foster creativity, encourage higher order thinking, and motivate students.

The district will prepare the staff through ongoing access to technology, in-service and professional development opportunities.

The district will maintain adequate network resources and services to connect all classrooms, teaching stations and offices within the district and provide appropriate links to the local, national and global community.

C. Visions

Technology, Learning & The Curriculum

· The use of technology will not be limited to network and computer resources, but will include audio visual, optical scanning, digital imaging, receiving and recording devices capable of utilizing and producing multimedia resources.

· Learning will not be bound by time or location.

· Students will become increasingly more independent and more responsible for their education.

· Access to unlimited information will broaden the scope of the traditional curriculum.

· The curriculum and the core standards will serve as outlines and guides, the teachers as facilitators.

· Teaching students the inquiry and research process will be as important to the goal as the report that is produced.

· Technology will enable the student to pursue interests in the manner that best suits his/her learning modalities.

· Technology will encourage cross-curricular studies.

· Staff will require comprehensive training in the use of technology and retraining in the management and presentation of learning.

· Students will require guidance and supervision in the use of technology.

· Parents will require direction in establishing guidelines for supervising the use of technology in the home.

· Technology will become an invaluable resource for the community. The schools will provide better access to this resource through the utilization of their facilities.

II. Technology Inventory

A. Inventory Summary

In May 2003, the NJDOE School Technology Survey was completed. The following summarizes the data gathered from our annual inventory:

Computer Inventory

	School Location Con=Consolidated Int=Intermediate
Computer Type	Computer Classroom		Instructional Classroom		Library Center		Admin Offices
	Con	Int	Con	Int	Con	Int	Con	Int
Multimedia Computers		27	38	112	1	9	7	36	230
Non-Multimedia Computers			10	3					13
Totals		27	48	115	1	9	7	36	243

Network Equipment Inventory

School	Switches	Hubs	Routers	Firewall
Intermediate	4 – 72 Ports	9 – 216 Ports	1	1
Lakes Elementary	6 – 57 Ports	5 – 200 Ports

The cabling infrastructure for the site and buildings follows “premise wiring standards” and includes fiber-optic backbone between buildings and wiring closets. Cat 5e or better network drops exist to all teaching and administrative areas.

Floor plans of the cabling infrastructure for both schools, as well as, any certification and guarantees are documented. Cable documentation and certification summary reports are available for review in the Office of the Technology Coordinator.

Internet access for the district LANs is accomplished via a dedicated T-1 circuit provided by Verizon and is connected to Data Network Solutions (current ISP). The current bandwidth capacity of our internet service is Fractional T-1with a committed information rate of 768K over frame relay. Internet connectivity is secured and protected by a network firewall and content filtering.

In addition to the hardware, cabling, and electronics, the district’s two school buildings were inspected to determine the electrical capacity of each. The Byram Intermediate School’s electrical capacity, as established by General Public Utilities, is 1600 amps. The Byram lakes Elementary School has an electrical capacity of _____ amps.

The district has embraced the concept of “Total Cost of Ownership - TCO” for evaluating the cost effectiveness of technology. Criteria for defining obsolescence and plans for replacing obsolete technology is based upon the “TCO” analysis of equipment and systems. Current “TCO” metrics indicated an expect life of 3-5 years for computer workstations and 5-8 years for thin client devices. Implementation of Terminal Server technology has the potential to extend the useful life of obsolete computer workstations, but this will not be realized for several years.

B. Three-Year Technology Plan Inventory Table (2004-2007)

Area of Need	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007
Technology Equipment	Add workstations, digital imaging & multimedia presentation equipment	Add workstations, digital imaging & multimedia presentation equipment	Add workstations, digital imaging & multimedia presentation equipment
Network Capacity	Adequate	Add network port capacity	Add network port capacity
Filtering Software	Maintain Service Levels	Maintain Service Levels	Maintain Service Levels
Support Plans	Annual Service Contracts	Annual Service Contracts	Annual Service Contracts
Telecommunications Services	Maintain Service Levels	Add Internet access capacity	Maintain Service Levels
Technical Support	Add Support Resources	Maintain Support Resources	Add Support Resources
Facilities Infrastructure	Adequate	Adequate	Adequate
Software Licensing	Add Education Software Add Microsoft Licenses Add Citrix Licenses Maintain Antivirus Licenses	Add Education Software Add Microsoft Licenses Add Citrix Licenses Maintain Antivirus Licenses	Add Education Software Add Microsoft Licenses Add Citrix Licenses Maintain Antivirus Licenses

III. Three-Year Goals and Objectives (July 2004 – June 2007)

Goal 1

Students will progressively acquire technology and information literacy skills.

Objectives

Students will acquire technology and information literacy skills as they learn to use and apply the technology resources of the district. Grade and subject curricula will expose students to the appropriate technology tools as part of the instructional plan.

Goal 2

Staff will acquire the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize technology to assist student achievement.

Objectives

Staff development opportunities focusing on technology will be offered on an annual basis during in-service. Individual training will be conducted on an as needed basis, plus as part of problem troubleshooting and resolution. Staff mentoring and knowledge sharing also occurs in ongoing basis.

The district support contracts will provide for up to 10 hours of staff training annually.

Goal 3

Integrate the use of technology into the district curriculum at all grade levels.

Objectives

The district vision is to “infuse technology into the curriculum”; therefore, an integrated approach to the use of technology in the curricula has always been taken. Over the years this has been most evident in the middle school grades where better access to technology resources existed. Access to technology resources is now district wide.

Goal 4

Students and staff will have access to the district technology resources in all learning environments.

Objectives

Upgrades, improvements and enhancements to the district technology resources will eliminate barriers to access. Implementation of a Terminal Server/Thin Client computing environment will improve the availability of workstations per student while reducing the “Total Cost of Ownership” for the district. “Anytime and anywhere” access to information and software applications will be possible.

Goal 5

District will maintain and enhance the technology infrastructure as a secure and cost effective means of accessing and communicating information.

Objectives

The district will maintain and enhance the technology infrastructure and facilities to provide an adequate level of reliability and the capacity for growth. Network firewalls, user security, content filtering and computer virus protection will all be part of security provisions to safe guard the access to and communication of information. Application of “Total Cost of Ownership” analysis will be used to determine cost effectiveness of technology expenditures.

IV. Three-Year Implementation Strategies (July 2004 – June 2007)

Goal 1		Students will progressively acquire technology and information literacy skills.
	Objective/Activity		Timeline	Responsibility	Evaluation
A	Students will have equitable access to resources for becoming proficient in the use of technology		Yearly	Principals, Staff, TC	Inventories, Computer Classroom schedules
B	Establish proficiency standards for student skill level		2004 - 2006	Principals & Staff	District Curricula
C	Assess student literacy in the use of technology for Grades 5-8		2006	Principals & Staff	Student Folders
D	Assess student literacy in the use of technology for Grades K-4		2007	Principals & Staff	Student Folders

Goal 2		Staff will acquire the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize technology to assist student achievement.
	Objective/Activity		Timeline	Responsibility	Evaluation
A	District will provide Technology In-service training		Annually	CSA, Principals, Staff, TC	Schedules, Attendance records
B	Supervision & evaluation practices will address the effective use of technology		Annually	CSA, Principals, Staff	Evaluation records
C	Assess Staff training needs		Annually	CSA, Principals, Staff	Surveys, Evaluation records
D	Technical resources will be maintained to offer timely support		Ongoing Yearly	BOE, CSA, TC	Technology Staff records Support & Service agreements

Goal 3		Integrate the use of technology into the district curriculum at all grade levels.
	Objective/Activity		Timeline	Responsibility	Evaluation
A	Establish the integrated use of technology in the Core Curriculum Content areas at each grade level		2007	BOE, CSA, Principals, Staff	District Curricula
B	Verify the integrated use of technology in the Core Curriculum Content areas at each grade level		Annually	BOE, CSA, Principals, Staff	District Curricula Staff Folders
C	Assess the use of technology in formal curricula		Annually	BOE, CSA, Principals, Staff	Staff and Student Folders

Goal 4		Students and staff will have access to the district technology resources in all learning environments.
	Objective/Activity		Timeline	Responsibility	Evaluation
A	All school classrooms, offices & media centers will have adequate network access		Ongoing	Administrators, TC	Annual Survey
B	Improve Student:Computer ratio		Annually 2004-2007	BOE, BA, Administrators, TC	Annual Budget & Survey
C	Establish remote access to district technology resources		2004	BOE, CSA, TC	Project plans
D	Community Technology “Open House” sessions		Annually	Administrators, TC, Staff	Scheduled sessions

Goal 5		District will maintain and enhance the technology infrastructure as a secure and cost effective means of accessing and communicating information.
	Objective/Activity		Timeline	Responsibility	Evaluation
A	Maintain adequate network security provisions		Ongoing Yearly	TC	Operation metrics, Purchasing records
B	Maintain existing network facilities		Ongoing Yearly	TC	Inventories, Purchasing records
C	Develop obsolescence criteria for equipment		2004-2005	TC	Appendix to plan
D	Students will abide by district standards & policies		Ongoing yearly	BOE, CSA, Principals, Staff	Acceptable Usage Policy, Student Contracts
E	Maintain District Website		Ongoing yearly	District Webmaster, TC	Website Content

V. Funding Plan (July 2004 – June 2007)

A. School Year 2004 – 2005

Technology Instructional Equipment-Computers, printers, monitors, projectors, multi-media	$71,950
Computer Workstations	$4,800
Thin Client Workstations	$19,050
Printers	$1,000
Network Printers	$5,200
Scanners	$1,200
TV/Monitor w/mount	$0
VCR/DVD	$0
LCD projectors	$27,500
Smart Boards	$18,000

Technical Services - internet, maintenance, support, security, misc, etc.	$13,606
T1-Frame Relay Circuit & Service - Verizon $400/mo w/Access NJ discount	$4,800
Internet Access Service @ CIR 768 Kbps - Data Network Solutions $495/mo	$5,940
Website Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$616
Email Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$1,050
Internet Content Filtering Service - Sonicwall Annual Support	$700
Internet & Network Firewall Security - Sonicwall Annual Support	$500
Classlink Annual Support	Prepaid $8500

Technology Software Licenses - Computer OS, applications, antivirus, educational	$34,875
Computer OS & Application software - Microsoft Annual Volume License Cost	$9,000
Network & Computer Security - VirusScan Annual License Cost	$4,065
Educational Software Licensing	$13,980
Terminal Server Client License Cost	$7,830

Technical Support - staff, services, etc.	$94,000
Technology Administration, Planning & Management	$65,000
Systems Maintenance	$10,000
User Support	$15,000
Training	$4,000
10 Hours Technology Workshops (Incld w/Classlink Annual Support)	$0

TOTALS ( Local operating funds and/or grants, E-Rate)	$214,431

B. School Year 2005 – 2006

Technology Instructional Equipment-Computers, printers, monitors, projectors, multi-media	$106,750
Computer Workstations	$4,800
Thin Client Workstations	$19,050
Network Hardware	$4,000
Printers	$15,000
Scanners	$1,200
TV/Monitor w/mount	$20,000
VCR/DVD	$2,000
LCD projectors	$27,500
Smart Boards	$18,000

Technical Services - internet, maintenance, support, security, misc, etc.	$23,266
T1-Frame Relay Circuit & Service - Verizon $400/mo w/Access NJ discount	$9,600
Internet Access Service @ CIR 768 Kbps - Data Network Solutions $495/mo	$10,800
Website Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$616
Email Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$1,050
Internet Content Filtering Service - Sonicwall Annual Support	$700
Internet & Network Firewall Security - Sonicwall Annual Support	$500
Classlink Annual Support	$12,000

Technology Software Licenses - Computer OS, applications, antivirus, educational	$35,775
Computer OS & Application software - Microsoft Annual Volume License Cost	$9,900
Network & Computer Security - VirusScan Annual License Cost	$4,065
Educational Software Licensing	$13,980
Terminal Server Client License Cost	$7,830

Technical Support - staff, services, etc.	$102,750
Technology Administration, Planning & Management	$68,250
Systems Maintenance	$10,500
User Support	$20,000
Training	$4,000
10 Hours Technology Workshops (Incld w/Classlink Annual Support)	$0

TOTALS ( Local operating funds and/or grants, E-Rate)	$268,541

C. School Year 2006 – 2007

Technology Instructional Equipment-Computers, printers, monitors, projectors, multi-media	$106,750
Computer Workstations	$4,800
Thin Client Workstations	$19,050
Network Hardware	$4,000
Printers	$15,000
Scanners	$1,200
TV/Monitor w/mount	$20,000
VCR/DVD	$2,000
LCD projectors	$27,500
Smart Boards	$18,000

Technical Services - internet, maintenance, support, security, misc, etc.	$23,266
T1-Frame Relay Circuit & Service - Verizon $400/mo w/Access NJ discount	$9,600
Internet Access Service @ CIR 768 Kbps - Data Network Solutions $495/mo	$10,800
Website Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$616
Email Hosting - Schoolcenter Annual Subscription	$1,050
Internet Content Filtering Service - Sonicwall Annual Support	$700
Internet & Network Firewall Security - Sonicwall Annual Support	$500
Classlink Annual Support	$14,000

Technology Software Licenses - Computer OS, applications, antivirus, educational	$36,675
Computer OS & Application software - Microsoft Annual Volume License Cost	$10,800
Network & Computer Security - VirusScan Annual License Cost	$4,065
Educational Software Licensing	$13,980
Terminal Server Client License Cost	$7,830

Technical Support - staff, services, etc.	$112,688
Technology Administration, Planning & Management	$71,663
Systems Maintenance	$11,025
User Support	$25,000
Training	$5,000
10 Hours Technology Workshops (Incld w/Classlink Annual Support)	$0

TOTALS ( Local operating funds and/or grants, E-Rate)	$279,378

VI. Professional Development

Provisions for staff development are made within the district’s school budget each year. Those provisions included in-service training, workshops and online resources to allow local staff to participate in and provide staff development. Annual service and support contract with Classlink Technologies, Inc. provides for up to 10 Hours of instructional training on a wide variety of educational technology topics.

In-service classes and collaboration time encourage our staff to share instruction on technology applications with their colleagues. Classlink Technologies, Inc. also fulfills a role as a research resource for information on instructional technology applications and electronic portfolio capabilities for aligning instructional materials with district curricula and corresponding NJ State standards.

The district intranet and email is used for posting administrative information to and from the staff, as well as, facilitating communication between all district staff members. Instruction in this area focuses on completing administrative tasks via the district intranet and email. Administrative staff is trained on creating and updating school memorandum on the district intranet. This alleviates the need to produce “hard copy” of posted materials for every staff member.

These resources have enabled the district to maximize electronic communication for administrative purposes and now provide a system of communication between home and school. This has enhanced teacher/parent communication that is often difficult with today’s schedules.

Continuing education credit hours are awarded to members of the staff who have successfully completed approved classes and/or courses.

Completion of new school facilities and the implementation of advanced technology, such as terminal server and thin client workstations, have required extensive training for all staff and students. Additional training time will have to be devoted to developing staff expertise in the use of new technology resources. This is especially true for the Kindergarten to Fourth grade staff, who now has much greater access to the district technology resources in the new school. Curriculum planning will need to be conducted in order to better integrate the new technology resources. Each school in the district now has a computer classroom capable of allowing class sizes up to 28 students access to a workstation for instructional purposes.

The School Technology Committee recommends that the needs for technology training be coordinated with the district Professional Development Committees, so that a “holistic” approach is taken to development needs and that adequate resources are allocated. Teaching staff desires more “hands on” time with technology, opportunities for staff mentoring and additional technical support in the classroom. Funding constraints remain a barrier to providing staff development opportunities outside of scheduled in-service and for additional technical support resources.

VII. Evaluation Plan

The Byram technology plan must be viewed as a plan for systematic changes. The progression from where we are, to where we want to be, will undergo a constant review. Built into that review will be an established process that shares the entire technology plan with the staff and affords them the opportunity to react to any and all parts of the plan. Each grade level will be asked for feedback on activities conducted that year. The administration will review the staff input regarding the status of these activities and evaluate the district’s progress.

July - Annually - Funding will be assessed for prioritization of the technology

expenditures planned for the school year.

Sept - Annually - The staff will be informed of the technology

activities planned for the school year.

April - Annually - The administration will solicit staff input, evaluate the

district’s progress and, if necessary, adjust the technology plan accordingly.

May - Annually - NJDOE Technology survey will be completed.