District Technology Plan

In January 2016, KASD Administration presented a Five-Year Technology Plan Proposal to the Board of Education, which the Board supported unanimously.  With an annual estimated cost of approximately $450,000-$500,000, the KASD Technology Plan represents a considerable investment in supporting technology as a means to both instruction and learning. In 2019, the Technology Plan was amended by the Board of Education to include 1:1 Chromebooks in grades 5 and 6.  Thanks to the decreased cost of Chromebooks, we were able to make this amendment while staying within the budget allocated for the original plan. We are currently in the 4th year of implementation.

With the restrictions placed on schools following the COVID-19 pandemic and Governor Evers’ Safer at Home order, a need for additional technology at the elementary level was made evident. Decreased operational costs provided a surplus that could help jumpstart a transition to a 1:1 environment down to 1st Grade, and a 1:2 environment in 4K and 5K.

To implement this new strategy, a few changes would need to be made at the elementary level.  

1. An initial purchase of devices for students in grades 3 and 4 would take place this year, rather than simply purchasing 8 devices per 1st grade classroom.  

2. Current 4th grade Chromebooks that are one year old would go to 1st grade.  Current 2nd grade Chromebooks that are two years old would be shared in carts between 1st and 2nd grades. This would bring us nearly to 1:1 Chromebooks in 1st and 2nd Grades when existing carts are factored in.

3. In elementary schools, we would change the purchasing order so older grades get devices first. With an unpredictable budget for the next few years, we want to avoid having students move from a classroom one year that has 1:1 devices to one that doesn’t the following year.

4. An increase in 4K and 5K to one device per every two students, rather than one per every three as it is now.

With these changes in mind, the Technology Plan Cycle for the next five years would be as follows:

• Year 5 (2020-21)

  • Chromebooks (true 1-to-1) for all 5th graders.  These devices would follow the students for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks for all 9th graders.  These devices would follow the student for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 3rd and 4th graders (non-charter).  These devices would remain in 3rd grade classrooms for 4 years, and in 4th grade classrooms for 3 years.

• Year 6 (2021-22)

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 5th graders.  These devices would follow the students for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 9th graders.  These devices would follow the student for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 2nd graders (non-charter).  These devices would remain in 3rd grade classrooms for 4 years. 

• Year 7 (2022-23)

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 5th graders.  These devices would follow the students for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 9th graders. These devices will follow the students for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 1st graders (non-charter). These devices would remain in 3rd grade classrooms for 4 years.

• Year 8 (2023-24)

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 5th graders.  These devices would follow the students for 4 years.

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 9th graders. These devices would follow the students for 4 years.

  • Reallocation of Chromebooks purchased in 2018-19 to achieve 1:1.

  • iPads for all 4K classrooms (Approx 1-to-2) (12 per classroom).

  • Touchscreen Chromebooks for all 5K Classrooms (Approx 1-to-2) (non-charter) (12 per classroom).

  • Chromebooks (1-to-1) for all 4th graders (non-charter).  These devices would remain in 3rd grade classrooms for 4 years.

The cost of these changes would be relatively small in comparison to the benefit it would provide. We would need approximately $100,000 from the current surplus to purchase devices, and an additional $30,000 per year for the next four years in the Technology Plan budget.  This cost would include carts and devices.

In addition to the classroom hardware, the approved plan featured the following changes to infrastructure.

• Upgrade internal infrastructure from 1 Gb to 10 Gb between switches (network connections) .

• Upgrade internal infrastructure from potential 12 Gb to 120 Gb between buildings (planned).

• Upgrade Internet connection from current 1 Gb to 2 Gb.

As a response to increased demand, we must continue to invest in our infrastructure on an annual basis to provide adequate bandwidth for course activities that require it.  As technology changes, the need for additional bandwidth increases.  This summer we will upgrade the wiring to our wireless access points and increase the total bandwidth available to each school.

At the end of the four years of service, Chromebooks are withdrawn from our system.  Seniors will be permitted to keep their device after graduation. Decommissioned Chromebooks from other grade levels are wiped and sold to recover costs.  The revenue from that sale, while limited, can be used to provide replacement and repair parts that are not covered by warranty.

Finally, the approved plan supported an additional 2.6 FTE with 1.6 FTE dedicated to additional Library/Media Specialist support divided amongst all three levels  and 1.0 FTE adding a Technology Coach to support the District’s elementary schools.  The primary purpose of this report and accompanying presentation is to provide the Board with information regarding how this plan is progressing. 

In the summer of 2017, Technology Coach Jim Geoffrey was reassigned as District Technology Coordinator, and Library Media Specialist Mary Vanderloop retired. To better serve the needs of students and staff, the District combined these two positions to hire a 1.0  Library Media Specialist at Victor Haen Elementary and a 1.0 Library Media Specialist at Park Community Charter School.  These two positions had, as a part of their contract, additional Technology Coaching responsibilities at New Directions Learning Community and Electa Quinney Elementary. Through their tier 1 support of student technology, on-site coaching and professional development planning and implementation, these positions have been critical to the success of this plan.

A key feature of the Technology Plan is providing devices to be utilized by students.  What was known when the KASD Instructional Technology Proposal was brought forth was the number of devices needed to support the Grade 1 classrooms.  What was not known was how many students would opt to utilize a District Chromebook.  The information below provides utilization data for each of the grades selected for 1:1 implementation for the 2019-20 school years.  

ChromeBooks

• Class of 2020  (Current Seniors) 314 Students

  • 93.95% Fully Integrated (295)

  • 2.23%  Used only at School (7)

  • 3.82% Provide their own device (12)
     

• Class of 2021  (Current Juniors) 298 Students

  • 94.63% Fully Integrated (282)

  • 2.68%  Used only at School (8)

  • 2.68% Provide their own device (8)
     

• Class of 2022   (Current Sophomores) 276 Students

  • 97.83% Fully Integrated (270)

  • 1.45% Used only at School (4)

  • 0.72%  Provide their own device (2)
     

• Class of 2023  (Current Freshmen) 309 Students

  • 93.53% Fully Integrated (289)

  • 2.91%  Used only at School (9)

  • 3.56% Provide their own device (11)
     

• Class of 2024 (Current 8th Grade) 322 Students

  • 93.79% Fully Integrated (302)

  • 3.73 % Used only at School (12)

  •  2.48% Provide their own device (8)
     

• Class of 2025 (Current 7th Grade) 310 Students

  • 92.26% Fully Integrated (286)

  • 4.84 % Used only at School (15)

  •  2.9% Provide their own device (9)

The percentage of students who currently accept a device is higher than at any point in the history of this technology plan. 

We require Chromebooks to have a 4-year warranty on repairs.  When a student has a 1:1 device that is broken for any reason, they exchange that device for a loaner in the LMC.  The LMC then completes a help desk ticket, and we send the Chromebook to our vendor for repair.  As of February 16, 2018, we had sent 197 Chromebooks in for repair.  Batteries are only under warranty for one year, and replacement cost is $50.  This year we have only replaced a few (fewer than 15) batteries that were not under warranty. We have also been able to utilize parts from out-of-warranty Chromebooks to repair other devices, which has resulted in a cost savings.

Network Upgrades

• Switching (devices that connect all the computers to the internet)

  • Spring 2016 - IT staff upgraded all of RVMS (center of the network) to provide 10 times their former capacity.

  • Summer 2016 -  IT staff upgraded 90% of remaining schools to provide 10 times their former capacity
     

• Wireless

  • Summer 2017 - IT staff upgraded WiFi capacity and speed with updated hardware and additional placement for WiFi access points.  New access points with no existing wiring had high-capacity Category 6a ethernet runs.

  • Summer 2018 - IT staff replaced smaller access points with larger ones in 1:1 classroom areas and upgraded the Wireless controller and added additional access points in high-need areas.

  • Summer 2019 - IT staff doubled the number of access points in the high school and middle school to better serve 1:1 classrooms.

 

As library media specialists in the Kaukauna Area School District, part of the role includes technology coaching and integration. Here is a breakdown of the technology role of the library media specialist. This estimate does not include the library media specialist aspect of the job. On a day to day basis, the job is different depending on units, lessons, or time of the school year (quarter, trimester, start of school year, end of school year). 

• Chromebooks/Devices - distribute, troubleshoot, manage, and bridge between teachers and IT

• Developing Resources - lesson planning, creating tutorials and handouts, electronic resources (databases, eBooks), researching apps and programs including COPPA and FERPA compliance, and collaborating with other district specialists

• Teaching and Modeling - library skills classes, basic competencies (login, navigate, etc), teaching and co-teaching in the classrooms

• Technology Coaching - collaborating with staff, staff meeting presentations, and coaching sessions with staff

• District Level Planning - technology professional development planning, facilitating technology professional development sessions, and communication

A vital component of the technology plan is providing professional development to district staff. The library media specialists have been planning, coordinating and facilitating technology professional development for the past four years.  A diverse catalog of opportunities are continually provided and led by a variety of facilitators. Overall, feedback has been positive. Sessions focus on implementation of technology within the curriculum utilizing the RAT (Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation) model. 

Technology professional development is offered to staff every other professional development day. Numerous staff have facilitated approximately 15-20 sessions per professional development day. From those sessions provided, certified staff members had the opportunity to choose the session that was best for their curricular area. 

Once per year, the Media Specialists plan a technology summit to highlight the innovative work of both staff and students.. This day features positive integration of technology into the classroom and the curriculum. The schedule typically includes a kickoff activity, a student/staff showcase, two technology professional development sessions, and concludes with collaboration time.

Further evidence of the success of this plan is the large number of staff, including all of our Library Media Specialists, who presented at the CESA 6 “Spring Into Success” event that took place in February. Presentations were given to employees gathered from many area school districts at two sites.

In addition, the District has supported continued professional development/growth opportunities for these roles in a “train-the-trainer” model.  The SLATE  (School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education) Conference is attended by the Technology Coordinator and all Library Media Specialists. This conference provides professional development including learning innovative technology integrations and networking with others in similar roles. It also provides contact with vendors with whom products can be evaluated, trialed and questions asked.

Conference attendance has led to implementation of some of our most successful innovations in technology, including Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs), SeeSaw, Virtual Reality, and gamification of learning.

Detailed accounts of each of the information technology offerings on the professional development days can be found with feedback in Appendix A.  On behalf of the technology committee and of the District, we would like to thank all staff members who have willingly facilitated a session or more to share their knowledge and experience with others.  

 

When the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-school activities, our technology plan made learning remotely not only possible, but hastened the planning process immensely.  Most of our teachers were already using Google Classroom with students, and students in grades 5 and up had their own device to take home and use. Systems were put in place to provide continued technical support for students and staff during this time, and teaching and learning continued as a result of our access to devices.

Teachers use Google Meet to plan in groups, attend meetings, and get one-on-one time with their students. Google Classroom and SeeSaw are used as a platform with which to organize the learning day. Students without access to the Internet were identified and prepaid hotspots were purchased so that they could continue to participate with their peers.

While access to devices made it possible, the dedication and effort of our staff made it happen. Library Media Specialists mobilized to gather online resources and provide training videos. Staff worked together to develop lessons in 24 hours. Student Services staff are monitoring and contacting families of students having difficulty. IT and Administration are meeting with staff and families when equipment is needed. We are fortunate to have this plan implemented by employees of this caliber. 

Things change every day in this new environment, and we are changing in response. Our second iteration of Elementary continued learning has included maintaining connections between classroom teachers and students through technology.  Most families are providing their own equipment, but some are borrowing Chromebooks from our schools. The variety of types of devices at home, while filling an urgent need, does not provide the same experience for all students. By providing 1:1 Chromebooks for elementary students, we ensure that devices of the same kind are available to all students while sheltered at home, while providing a richer set of options for work in the classroom.

WiFi usage: Congestion in our WiFi network caused us to eliminate the Guest network at KHS and River View. Staff were asked to use the KASDRestricted network for their personal devices. Students who decline our Chromebook but bring their own device must have their device registered to use the KASDStudent network.

• 87 Staff have joined the KASDRestricted network with their personal devices.

• 57 Students have joined the KASDStudent network with their own devices.

• We have reduced the number of users on each of our access points at KHS and River View by 40%.

• We are receiving far fewer reports of Chromebooks unable to connect to WiFi in classrooms.

• We have nearly 3500 active Chrome devices in our network, plus 5 Windows computer labs, 1 Macintosh computer lab, and hundreds of staff laptops.

Google Classroom has been embraced by our teaching staff as a simple tool to distribute content, organize assignments, and collect work from students. Kaukauna Area School District has an average of 360 active Google Classrooms each day during the 2019/20 school year prior to Digital Learning Time, and double that amount after we began teaching at home.

We have extracted usage data from our student Chromebooks and have found that as of March 13, 2020, students used their Chromebooks for an average of one hour per day for the prior 7 days. That was broken down as follows:

 

School Average Minutes Per Day

KHS 87.43

RV 115.87

EQ/NDLC 39.54

Park 33.34

Haen 48.64

Tanner 29.97

 

The same report run on March 25 showed that 7-day usage increased at KHS and River View:

KHS 109.80

RV 152.84

 

These numbers are actually underreported, as some students are using their personal devices at home instead of their school Chromebooks, and those statistics are not included here.

 

GoGuardian Director keeps track of educational use of our 1:1 Chromebook devices.  The top educational tools and the amount of use each saw over a 7-day period ending on the afternoon of March 12 is below.  As you can see, Google Docs was the most often used tool on the 1:1 Chromebooks, nearly 3.5 times as much as the next used tool, YouTube.   

 

I ran the same report the afternoon of March 25, one week after Online Instruction began. The report is in the next diagram. Usage increased in several areas and decreased in others. As you can see, Google Classroom overtook Google Docs as the most used instructional tool. Kahoot, a real-time online educational “game show” that is best played in person, dropped significantly while use of Khan Academy, free online instructional videos, increased 5 times. Our staff are posting lessons on YouTube, and as you can see the amount of time on YouTube has more than doubled. The data shows that our staff continue to engage students in learning with their Chromebooks while learning at home.

Since our April update, some additional data has been made available.  In February 2020, we printed over 805,000 copies on our printers and copiers.  In April 2020, we printed only 30,000 copies. At the same time, the number of Google Drive files created went from about 4,000 per day to 11,000, and the number of Google Drive files shared per day quadrupled from around 3,000 to about 12,000.

 

 

We distributed surveys to parents and teachers asking questions about the effectiveness of our 1:1 Initiatives. We also surveyed students in grades 5-11.  Please note that these surveys were taken before school closures due to COVID-19.

Survey results can be found using the following links:

• Students: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sqz4PaqlVYLGONzkQS-g-CcFp_EMY0gofBAtO5CyEns/edit?usp=sharing 

• Parents: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e5h6njDF27m4WhhkB5-ujELgdNq-2vna3CmAf4vMWAw/edit?usp=sharing 

• Teachers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PtO7-nydaas1xdHIKpOsV4e-AZRU4qJtHEsQ9iPUOG4/edit?usp=sharing 

In summary:

Teachers value our technology plan and feel that it is making a positive impact on teaching and learning and student engagement. They worry about the distraction technology provides and caution against using it too frequently, although most use them daily. They are developing ways to transform their classroom instruction that were not possible before having Chromebooks and tablets. 

Parents are grateful for the technology as it provides equitable access and teaches real-world skills. While their students do not always talk about their devices, they enjoy using them and are more excited about learning. Parents feel their students are learning more because of their devices. They do feel that more sites should be blocked for students.

Students, on the other hand, feel too much is being blocked.  They wish the network was faster, and those with older models wish they had newer ones. However, they do feel they learn better and are more interested in classes with a Chromebook. They are using their Chromebooks frequently, although at home they are not always used for school-related purposes. 

If you are interested, last year’s survey results can be found using the following links:

• 1st Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/QTVDRo 

• 2nd Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/gBcdwG 

• 7th Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/cVyws9 

• 7th Grade Students: https://goo.gl/qRLD1M 

• 8th Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/ohzQ8k 

• 8th Grade Students: https://goo.gl/JYFmis 

• 9th Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/nYLpjR 

• 9th Grade Students: https://goo.gl/XWbwxp 

• 10th Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/ZfKyDk 

• 10th Grade Students: https://goo.gl/pvKpQQ 

• 11th Grade Parents: https://goo.gl/Y52TZt 

• 11th Grade Students: https://goo.gl/X5TYXD 

• Teachers: https://goo.gl/JmNGH2 

2018 surveys (for comparison) https://goo.gl/ZuH2Xn 

Results have been consistent year after year.  The number of respondents was down from previous years.

 

Teaching and Learning continues to work collaboratively with the IT Department, the Tech Committee, teaching staff and administration to address the emergent themes that illustrate areas in which we can continue to improve.

We must continue to invest in our infrastructure as planned, as need will continue to grow and demands on our resources will continue to increase. While we have made great strides in the past few months, there is still room for improvement.

Considering the high usage of technology in the elementary levels and assessments that are increasingly offered online, we should investigate adding additional technology at our elementary schools.

With the “trial by fire” that the global COVID-19 pandemic has created, staff are more skilled than ever with technology. It will be interesting to see how perceptions and opinions change after having been through this experience. Teachers are using tools that are free during the health crisis, but will have a cost afterward. We should use this experience to identify additional needs and update equipment that is outdated while adding additional services or equipment that would be beneficial both inside and outside of the school walls. We should take the opportunity to provide even greater access to students in our elementary schools, both in the classroom or at home when work in the classroom is not possible.

October 4th Technology PD Report

The October 4th Technology Professional Development day offered 25 different courses over one session. The courses were designed to provide KASD staff with the opportunity to learn and collaborate around tech-integrated lessons, units, and assessments. 

A goal of the technology professional development team was to incorporate more facilitators and a variety of classes to meet the needs of the majority of staff at each level. The real value in technology PD lies in future-ready skills and empowering students to create and innovate in the classroom. 

Overall, the ratings were extremely high for all of the sessions.  Around 94% of responses selected “Strongly Agree”  or “Agree” that options offered were relevant to them. The feedback was also very positive in regards to the facilitators and the overall structure of tech time and the courses. Two themes emerged from the feedback form. The first theme was around the possibility of staying in the staff’s respective buildings during technology PD. The other theme dealt with the staff’s appreciation to be able to provide feedback for technology PD and they were wondering why other PD sessions do not ask for feedback.

FYI: Routine Details

• Attendance was taken and an absence list will be shared with teaching and learning

• All courses created by the Technology PD committee were run at the high school. This provides easy access to IT for assistance and to provide the same opportunities for all levels. There were other courses run at different schools for a variety of reasons.

• We utilized the same procedures as the past Tech PD days.

• Once again, our technology infrastructure and maintenance plans have provided a relatively problem-free training event, thanks to the I.T. department.

-Angela Brown, Paula Davis, Heidi Munin, Melinda Lemke Menting,  Sherri Wolf and Kevin Hietpas, Library Media Specialists
 

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January 20 Technology PD Report

The January 20 technology professional development day was the third year in a row that we offered a technology summit. For the second year in a row, the summit focused around technology in action, specifically ‘maker’ technology.  A highlight of the day was our maker celebration. The maker celebration highlighted the technology housed in the library and used throughout the buildings. Staff were able to play with Spheros, Cubelets, virtual reality, green screen software, and much more.

After the celebration, we offered two different sessions with a total of 37 different courses. We were able to offer so many courses because of the willingness of our staff to share the innovative use of technology in their classrooms. The courses were a mix of review from last year and new ideas to be implemented this year. We made a conscious effort to run all classes. 

As always our team works to have quality courses designed for each level across the district. We are looking to expand on our offerings to continue to push our staff beyond their comfort zones.

Overall, the day was well received. Participants enjoyed exploring the variety of technology available in our schools. The feedback was also very positive in regards to the facilitators and the overall structure of tech time and the courses. We hope to continue to garner this type of feedback as well as recommendations for courses in the future. 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns for future technology professional development.

FYI: Routine Details

• All courses created by the Technology PD committee were run at the high school. This provides easy access to IT for assistance and to provide the same opportunities for all levels. There were other courses run at different schools for a variety of reasons.

• We utilized the same procedures as the past four Tech PD days. 

• Once again, our technology infrastructure and maintenance plans have provided a relatively problem-free training event, thanks to the I.T. department.

-Angela Brown, Paula Davis, Heidi Munin, Melinda Lemke Menting,  Sherri Wolf and Kevin Hietpas, Library Media Specialists

 

 

The KASD Board of Education Policies that relate to the proposed Technology Plan include the following: 363 Use of District Technology Resources 363.1 Internet, Email, and Voice Mail AUP  364 Guest Wireless AUP 365 BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and 366 Web Page. Board of Education Policies. Kaukauna Area School District, n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2016.