The Roosevelt Union Free School District envisions an environment of equitable learning in which all students have equal access to participate in, and benefit from educational opportunities. This vision is infinite.

A quality education meets the needs of all students and provides them with the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in our society. Our students are clearly in an economy completely integrated with all aspects of technology. Recognizing that the world is rapidly becoming a global village; the Roosevelt Union Free School District is building an infrastructure ensuring that our students are technologically proficient in a global economy.

Whether in corporate America or the classroom, the most prominent value of technology is simply learning. Advances in technology are rapidly changing the way we teach, learn and conduct business. If technology is a means to an end and the end is learning, then educators must examine the basic fundamentals of the learning process. Recent discoveries in brain research have increased our understanding of how people learn leading to a reexamination of teaching practices. We know from this research that learning is a dynamic process constructed by the learner who brings prior knowledge, skills, and understanding in formulating new meaning. So then, what role does technology play if learners construct their own knowledge?

In the constructivist classroom, knowledge is not passively received, but actively constructed by learners. Technology provides students with a variety of information sources replacing the sole reliance on the textbook. The use of technology in the classroom not only assists the teacher with high interest material, but also provides the students with the opportunity to check new information against old rules, thereby constructing new understandings. Technology as an instructional tool is a sound fit with the constructivist classroom.

In order to achieve these goals, the Roosevelt Union Free School District is undertaking a three component approach to integrating technology and instruction. First is the development of technology-rich curriculum in every area of instruction. Second is the ongoing and thorough training of all instructional staff on how to facilitate a techno-constructivist classroom. Third is the development of a robust Network Infrastructure, which includes the acquisition and maintenance of sufficient technology resources to provide regular access for all students. This three component approach is supported by committed and informed leaders at both the district and school levels, adequate funding to support the successful completion of the project, and an ongoing evaluation of our efforts to inform us of our success and deficiencies.

The Technology Department, in conjunction with the Curriculum Department is responsible for coordinating the development of technology-rich curricula with curriculum directors across all disciplines. Professional Development will be provided across the district to provide hands-on training in the process of integrating technology into regular curriculum. Technology Liaisons will serve as school-based turn-key trainers to support this effort.

Research and experience have shown that, the most effective way of utilizing technology is to integrate it into the learning of the core subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. By taking this approach, the students simultaneously enjoy more student-centered learning experiences and develop necessary technology skills.

Technology professional development for staff members is also the responsibility of the Technology Integration Specialist. Our professional development goal is to dramatically improve the technology skills

Roosevelt Union Free School District 3-Year Technology Plan (2008-2011)

of all teachers and to develop their capacity and desire to facilitate techno-constructivist learning experiences with their students. The professional development program combines the use of school-
based instructional technology coaches, technology courses offered for all district employees throughout the year, off- site courses offered through New York Institute of Technology, Teachers Center, and consultants who specialize in technology integration.

Technology acquisition is the responsibility of the Technology Integration Specialist. The Technology Department will oversees the purchasing, installation, and maintenance of all technology including, but not limited to, network equipment, computers, printers, servers, video conferencing equipment and related peripheral devices. Networking and computer purchases have been centralized in the past year and acquisition of this equipment is now on a standard five-year rotation. The aim of the standardization program is to purchase and support a networked computer for every district employee and to provide a 6:1 student to network computer ratio at every school.

For these goals to measurably impact the educational experience of students, the district must have the support of leaders who share this vision. The Roosevelt Union Free School District leadership-school board and principals-all recognize and appreciate the impact that technology has on student motivation and achievement. They further recognize that for the potential to be realized, teachers must be supported in their efforts to attend professional development and implement technology-rich lessons. Our leaders also recognize the importance of motivating those teachers who are reluctant to embrace the importance of integrating technology into a student-centered environment. In order to help district and school leaders build their understanding of how technology can be effectively implemented to impact student learning, leadership training will be offered annually.

The Roosevelt Union Free School District has been very aggressive in finding local, state, and grant funds to support our technology programs.

Finally, the district is engaged in ongoing evaluation of our technology program. We are interested in collecting and using data that will guide our purchases, professional development, and integration strategies to best serve the needs of our students. While summative evaluations are valuable, we are particularly interested in developing and utilizing formative evaluation tools that will allow us to make adjustments as we proceed with our program.