East Penn School District Technology Integration Plan - EPSD

members in the District in order to better utilize the existent technology, to maketechnology a seamless component of curriculum and instruction in East Penn, and toevaluate the impact of the integration of technology on improved student learning.In addition to this initiative, K-12 science and health-wellness/fitness teachers willconcentrate their professional development efforts in the upcoming year on incorporatingspecific instructional strategies reflective of the focus areas into the revised Science,Technology, Environment, and Ecology curriculum and the Health-Wellness/Fitnesscurriculum. Working closely with the C & I staff, including the instructional technologyresource teachers, the teachers will then develop a plan for implementing these strategiesand for assessing their effectiveness in the classroom. A major component of this processwill be the integration of appropriate technology as an instructional strategy in bothcurricula. This entire process will serve as a model for all future curriculum review,revision, and implementation.RecommendationsThe staff of the Curriculum and Instruction Office supports the recently published reportentitled “The Learning Return on Our Educational Technology Investment: A Review ofFindings from Research” (C. Ringstaff and L. Kelley, San Francisco, 2002) whichidentified the following six factors as crucial elements for successfully integratingtechnology into a curriculum:• Technology is best used as one component in a broad-based reform effort.• Teachers must be adequately trained to use technology.• Teachers may need to change their beliefs about teaching and learning.• Technology resources must be sufficient and accessible.• Effective technology use requires long-term planning and support.• Technology should be integrated into the curricular and instructional framework.With these factors as a guideline, the C & I Office will continue to support theeducational program to• Achieve the identified Pennsylvania Academic Standards• Support and enhance the East Penn K-12 curriculum• Attain the goals established in the East Penn Strategic Plan• Support the identified initiatives of “best practices” in the District’s ProfessionalDevelopment Institute• Support academic success of all students by enriching learning opportunities in allclasses.EPSD Technology Integration PlanPage 17