Tech Standards at Flandreau

Our current technology plan was adopted in Jan. of 2006, and is in the last few months of the implementation cycle. We have had progress on all of our goals and most of our action steps have been completed. We have already had one meeting on developing the replacement plan.

Primary goals for the 2006 plan include:

1. Promote district-wide technology integration in strategic planning
2. Provide on-going professional development to promote technology integration in all phases of teaching and learning.
3. Implement a State and ISTE standards-based curriculum at all grade levels and curriculum areas
4. Provide access to high performance digital services to support teaching and learning.

As you see, goal number three is the crux of our discussion. We had one member of our Technology team participate in the development of the New Technology standards. This is definitely an asset to out district as we move forward with our implementation.

There have already been discussions about the scope and sequence of our technology plan. Keyboarding has been suggested to move down into the lower elementary instead of the lower middle school. The consensus feeling is that bad typing habits develop early, and we need to correct those behaviors early.

It has been a long tradition at Flandreau for a different kind of thinking. We often say, "Every teacher is a reading teacher. Every teacher is a math teacher." We are adding, "Every teacher is a technology teacher." The technology standards will be implemented through out the curriculum areas.

Internet safety has been a topic of growing concern in Flandreau. We have brought in outside resources, but we should develop internal resources. One of the action steps in the 2006 technology plan that has not been implemented is a school-wide Internet safety curriculum.

I appreciate that the technology standards do not focus on specific tools. The implementation of these standards can, and will outlast many of the hot tools of the day.

Flandreau will be incorporating the technology standards into our curriculum. With continued training in the Classroom Connections initiative, we will provide a solid technological base for each of out curricular areas.