ITEC

7410: SIP Plan/Technology Plan Analysis

Name: Margo Tripsa Semester: Summer 2016

Type your answers below (ie. minimum of 2-5 sentences per question as appropriate).

School Improvement Plan Analysis:

What is your schools mission/vision?

My schools mission and vision is found on the schools website:
Vision International School, Qatar a separate gender, college preparatory
school is committed to preparing students for the 21st century by providing
an academic environment in which students learn how to creatively solve
problems and to learn independently. In addition, students will learn to express
themselves through the fine arts, athletics and a wide range of activities and
experiences designed to enrich their lives. We seek to instill a sense of ethics,
care and compassion for others through engagement in community service and
global citizenship.
Therefore, it is apparent that my school targets four important aspects: shaping
students who are problem solvers, independent learners, able to express themselves
through fine arts and athletics, and ethical and compassionate citizens.
What are the targeted areas for improvement (ex. fourth-grade math, improved
LA scores for ESOL population, etc.) and the specific goals related to this
improvement area that are set forth in the SIP (ex. % gain in CRCT scores)?
My schools School Improvement Plan has five components and all the goals are just
broadly articulated. The five areas are (1) Assessment, which talks about the need for a
good correlation between assessment and standards (2) School and Classroom
Leadership, which refers to the practices utilized for deepening student understanding
of the content, (3) Student Engagement, which refers to indicators such as
differentiation, innovation and creativity, and choice, (4) Curriculum, Teaching and
Learning, which sets as target high achievement in literacy and numeracy throughout
the school, and (5) Home, School, and Community Partnerships, which specifies ways for
strengthening the school-home relationships. To my surprise, I did not see any specific
goals for student achievement in the SIP.
 How does your SIP address the needs of diverse populations regarding digital
technology equity for low SES and gender groups (ie. females) and assistive
technology for disabled learners? If it does not, what are your recommendations?
My schools SIP does not address any aspects related to digital technology equity for low
SES and gender groups. The entire student population that attends our school comes
from affluent Qatari families and they all own multiple new generation gadgets. The SIP
does not include the use of assistive technology for disabled learners. Assistive
technology could greatly benefit several students at our school. I would recommend
assistive technology to be used as a differentiation strategy. Some students at my school
would benefit from assistive technology that targets speech, reading, writing, and social
interactions. Our school doesnt make use of IEPs, but instead the learning support
specialists design Interventions Plans. It would be useful if the learning support
specialists worked together with the literacy coach and the instructional technology
coach when designing the intervention plans and if they provided assistive technology
resources and services to the learning disabled students. The teachers should also be
empowered to use assistive technology through professional development and one-on-
one coaching.
How is technology included in the SIP? In what ways is student technology literacy
included as a goal in your SIP? If it is not, what are your recommendations?
To my surprise technology was not included in the SIP in any way. My school has
MacBooks for middle schools students and even though it is not 1:1 iPads, with the
BYOD all students have devices for use at school. In my opinion, technology literacy
should be an additional component of the SIP. Just as literacy should be taught across
disciplines, technology literacy should be taught cross-disciplinary. If there was some
effective use of technology in ELA, math, and science at my school, there was no use of
technology in Arabic classes or special area classes. Therefore, my recommendation
would be that those teachers who work with exceptional students get the support they
need and are encouraged to use technology in all subject areas.
 Why is technology is addressed (or not addressed!) as it is? [Additional Field
Experience option if interviewing others in the school to find this history.]
To find the answer to this question I interviewed the school principal. The principal
shared that, given the fact that because our school is new and opened its doors only two
years ago, there are many things that the school needs to work on, and one of them is
the use of technology for instruction. The founding faculty started from basically
nothing and started building a school little by little. The school was built in 8 months,
and when the teachers came in August, none of the rooms had furniture, there were no
phone lines or internet connection. Things advanced pretty fast and the school was
ready to open its doors to the students, but many essential things still remain to be
done.
Are you pleased with the current treatment of technology-related issues in the
SIP? Why or why not?
I am totally surprised and disappointed with the current treatment of technology-
related issues in the SIP. I understand that the school had to deal with many issues
related to curriculum and instruction, but technology should have come to the forefront
as a solution, not as something that the school did not have time to address. I would
also note the fact that this was reflected in instruction during the past two years as only
a few teachers have used technology effectively. The school used significant funds for
purchasing technology and, overall, the technology at my school is underutilized.
Would you like to see technology issues represented differently in future SIPs?
Why?
Technology has to be included in future SIPs and the school also needs a technology
plan for several reasons. While there are plenty of devices available for student use,
there is no push in terms of technology integration. Therefore, there are classes where
students use iPads for instance, only as a reward for free time and during that time the
students play games they download themselves. The school has Promethean boards,
but these boards are used only as projectors. Just a few students know how to use
technology effectively for educational purposes and use technology to showcase their
learning, while many are just consumers of content.
What are your first thoughts of how technology could contribute toward achieving
the mission/vision/goals set forth in your school improvement plan?
I cannot envision a 21st century school without technologically literate students.
Although the use of technology is not literally stated in the schools mission or vision, I
found on the schools website a statement that talks about technology under the
section called What Makes US Different? This statement says, Will use technology
appropriately as a natural extension to enhance learning opportunities. Students will be
exposed to and engaged in the use of technology on a regular basis as a means to
expand their classroom experience and provide them new opportunities for self-
expression and discovery. The majority of the student population is English Language
Learners, so the benefits of technology integration can be significant in supporting their
language development, in making content accessible to them, and in shaping them as
global citizens. Technology could contribute towards achieving the schools mission and
vision set forth in the SIP only if rigorous systems are in place for implementing the
initiatives articulated in the SIP through good collaboration and communication. The
teachers should be provided with training and support along the way and should use
assessment strategies to measure the impact of the technology initiatives implemented.
How might technology be integrated more effectively into your SIP in the future?

Technology could be included in all components of the SIP. Under Assessment,

technology could be listed as a tool for formative and summative assessment as well as
a tool for collecting and analyzing data. Under School and Classroom Leadership and
Student Engagement, technology should be included because is represents a great tool
for differentiating instruction, for helping students deepen their understanding of the
content, for motivating and engaging students, and so forth. Technology would play an
important role in the Curriculum, Technology, and Learning component. It can help
teachers be responsive to the linguistic and cultural diverse needs of our population of
students, it could help teachers with remediation, intervention, as well as gifted
students resources and services, and it can broaden students opportunities for learning
and choice. All the indicators listed above are part of the SIP, but technology is not listed
as a tool for reaching the schools improvement goals. I think it would be useful for the
administration to be specific in regards to what technology initiatives the school would
like to promote, to have clear timelines for implementation, and to have support
systems in place.

Our SIP was, basically, designed by the curriculum director with some input from the
school principals. I think it would be very beneficial if teacher input was also reflected in
the plan and if the technology director and the instructional technology coach would
participate more actively in redesigning the SIP next year when half of the faculty and
administration will be new.

My school, Vision International School, Qatar, does not have a Technology Plan, and it is
not part of a district.

District Technology Plan Analysis:

(Note: Most districts do have a plan. Contact district-level personnel for a copy if
needed.)

What are the three main curriculum goals in your districts technology plan?
What strategies are outlined for achieving these goals?
Does the plan seem achievable over the designated timeline? Why?
In what ways would you like to see the plan improved?
What could you, in your current or a future position, do to help support implementation
of the plan?
How does the plan address the needs of diverse populations regarding digital technology
equity for low SES and gender groups (ie. females) and assistive technology for disabled
learners? If it does not, what are your recommendations?
In what ways does the plan tie-in to your local SIP?

School Tech Plan Status:
(Note: Most schools will not have a tech plan. In this case students can only answer
question one and maybe elaborate on why there is no plan and if there ever was a
history of tech planning at that school at all.)
Is there a technology plan that is separate from the SIP at your school? If so, when
and how was it created?
Do members of the school community know about the tech plan?
Is it being implemented effectively? Why or why not?
What strategies could be implemented to help accelerate adoption of the plan?