FRIT 7739

Technology Program Administrator

Technology Program Administrator

Executive Summary
The Media Center at H.E. McCracken Middle School functions as both a library
and a technology center. The media center serves all students, faculty, and
administration. The media center is staffed with a media specialist, a media
specialist assistant, and a computer technician. The media specialist works
with students to teach them research skills using both the library and the
districts virtual library, DISCUS, as well as, how to use information
responsibly and in accordance with policies and laws. The media specialist,
media specialist assistant and computer technician are all responsible for
helping students and teachers troubleshoot basic technology issues with
teacher and student devices. The computer technician is responsible for
device repairs for both teachers and students. Observations and an
interviews show that the media center is meeting the expectations of its
mission and goals which include ensuring all students and staff are effective
users of information. Suggestions for improvement include: 1) Creating a
Building-Level Library Media Center Advisory Committee; 2) Hiring a fulltime
computer technician; 3) Developing a school Technology Plan to establish
guidelines, goals and objectives for the 1:1 device program.

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Organizational Chart

Methods
Various methods were used to collect information for this evaluation. Two
interviews were conducted during the evaluation. One interview was with the
media specialist (Appendix A) and the other with the bookkeeper (Appendix
B). The Beaufort County Schools media center plan was provided by the
media specialist and reviewed (Appendix C). Other documents reviewed were
the media Centers Long Range Plan (Appendix D), the library media

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specialist self-report including a needs assessment (Appendix E) and the

media center calendar (Appendix F). All of these documents were provided
for review by the media specialist. Finally, an observation checklist was used
during media center observational visits (Appendix G).

Center Context and Goals

The mission of the Beaufort County Schools Media Center Programs:
The mission of the BCSD media centers is to ensure students and staff are
effective users of ideas and information and to promote activities which
encourage lifelong reading and learning skills.

Belief Statements
The school library media program supports, supplements, and complements
the educational program of the school.
The purpose of the school library media program is to promote information
literacy so that all students may become life-long learners.
The school library media program will function as the information and
technology center of the school.
Goals for Beaufort County School Media Center Programs
To provide materials and services appropriate to the curriculum of the school.
To provide materials and services that meet the information and recreational
library needs of the learning community.

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To provide opportunities for collaboration between the library media

specialist and classroom teachers to incorporate information literacy into
instruction.
To provide age and developmentally appropriate resources in all formats to
meet the information needs of varied users.
To promote information and media literacy.
To implement the integration of the library media program into the
curriculum through collaboration among all members of the school
communityteachers, students, parents, and administrators.

Goals and Objectives specific to the H.E. McCracken Media Center:

Goal 1:
The HEMMS media center staff will attempt to increase the amount of
independent reading for all students in grades eight and nine by creating an
environment that promotes books and literacy.
Objective 1:
Create library displays and bulletin boards promoting high interest
books and book series.
Objective 2:
Continue to research the latest young adult titles and update the
library collection with high interest books.
Objective 3:

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Provide additional copies of materials that are checked out most often.
Objective 4:
Show book trailers or give book talks to teachers and students.
Objective 5:
Promote the BCSD virtual library to students.
Goal 2:
In an effort to promote safe, ethical and effective use of technology, the
media center specialist will collaborate with teachers to prepare and present
lessons that help students master information literacy, inquiry and research
skills.
Objective 1:
Collaborate with content area teachers to plan and implement
research/inquiry based lessons.
Objective 2:
Provide instruction on how to use the DISCUS database.
Objective 3:
Provide instruction about the safe, ethical and effective use of
information.
The H.E. McCracken Media Center is an established media center in the
school district.
Currently, the media center is staffed by a full time media specialist, a full
time media assistant and a part time computer technician.

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Job Description for Library Media Specialist

Position Purpose: To administer an integrated information technology
program that provides library, media, and technology resources in support of
the instructional program of the school
Reports To: Building Principal and Director of Educational Technology
Supervises: Library media assistant (paraprofessional), parent and student
volunteers
Job Description for Library Media Specialist Assistant
Position Title: Library Media Center Assistant
Reports To: Library Media Specialist
Job Role: To perform general and specialized paraprofessional duties in the
school library in conformance with established procedures.
Job Description for Computer Technician
Position Title: Computer Technician
Reports To: Technology Director
Job Role: To perform general and specialized computer repairs for students
and teachers in the school media center in conformance with established
procedures.
In the last few years, the media center has evolved from a library to a hub
for technology for this school. Below is a timeline that displays the transition
from just a library to a library and technology center.

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2010- Beaufort County School District introduced county wide virtual library
for student access.
2010- Media Center created student chess and book clubs.
2010- Beaufort County School District required all school to implement a
summer reading programs.
2011- Media Center designed and presented book author door mural.
2011- Media Center bought an electronic poster maker.
2012- Beaufort County School District gave all core teachers classroom-set
IPads. Media Center was in charge of repairs and collections of IPads.
2013- Beaufort County School District gave all middle school students an
individual IPad. Tablets were given and collected during the school day. Media
Center was in charge of repairs and collects of IPads.
2013- Media Center began collection of new materials and weeded through
outdated books.
2014- Beaufort County School District gave all middle and high school
students an individual Dell Tablet. Tablets were given to students at the
beginning of the school year and collected at the end. Students are allowed
to take home tablets. Media Center was in charge of repairs and collects of
Dell Tablets.
2014- Media Center created a School Media Production crew. Students
delivered daily announcements and video tutorials.
2014- Media Center upgraded rooms presentation hardware.

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2015- Beaufort County School District gave all middle school students an
updated individual Dell Tablet. Tablets were given to students at the
beginning of the school year and collected at the end. Students are allowed
to take home tablets. Media Center was in charge of repairs and collects of
Dell Tablets.
2015- Media Center prepared for next years return to a 6-8 grade school.
Materials have been added for those grade levels and weeded some the high
school books.
Media Center Budget
District: $17,550
Local School: $25per student technology fee

Center Activities
The center provides the following services to students and staff:
Teach students how to use reference materials in the media center.
Teach students how to conduct research online.
Teach students about the acceptable use policy, plagiarism and copyright
laws.
Teach students how to use DISCUS virtual library.
Demonstrate how to troubleshoot basic technology issues with teacher and
student devices.
Demonstrate the use of web 2.0 tools in the classroom.

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Evaluation
After completing observations in the H.E. McCracken media center and
reviewing media center documentation, I evaluated the plan using the rubric
below (Appendix H).

Does Not Meet

Mission/Visi There is no
on
indication of an
articulated mission
or vision in this
technology center.

Goals and
Objectives

General goals are

not clear or are not
present in this
technology center.

Meets

Exceeds

The mission/vision
focuses on the
technology
outcomes and
avoids the learning
outcome issues.

The
mission/vision is
all-inclusive
dealing with
learning
outcomes, not
just technology
outcomes. The
statement
recognizes the
learning process
skills and
values.

The goals are broad

and inclusive but
are not entirely
clear. They are
related to

The goals are

broad and
inclusive,
addressing
teaching and

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10

objectives, but are

not measurable.

learning needs.
The goals are
clear and
measurable.
The objectives
are related to
the goals and
further
information
defines how
they will be
met.

Needs
Assessmen
t

Needs Assessment
is absent, or
incomplete.

Technology has
been assessed and
analyzed, but may
not include
summaries of
information from all
elements in the
technology surveys.

Assessment is
comprehensive
and contains
detailed
information
from hardware
resources,
technology
needs
assessment and
Maturity Model
Benchmark
surveys;
identifies use by
students and
staff, and
training
received and
desired.

Technology
and
Learnin
g
Statement

Technology and
Learning statement
absent or provides
incomplete
information on the
current use or
future role of
technology in the
technology center
and how it will
enhance learning.

Provides overview
of the current and
future use of
technology in
enhancing the
teaching-learning
process for
students. Little
detail on how
technology will be
integrated into

Provides clear
and strong
description of
how technology
is currently
used in learning
environment
and ways it will
be used to
achieve
instructional

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11

learning and
curriculum.

outcomes;
describes how
technology will
enhance
curriculum and
teaching and
learning
strategies; is
tightly coupled
to other reform
efforts;
indicates what
students will do.

Budget

No funding process
is included.

Broad and general

funding methods
are included. These
methods are limited
to traditional
resources.

The center has

a specific
funding process
which describes
in detail
traditional and
nontraditional
resources. The
funding
describes how
each aspect of
the goals and
objectives will
be met.

Evaluation

No evaluation
instrument is
included. There is
no mention of
progress
monitoring, data
collection/analyzati
on, or use of
results.

An evaluation
instrument is
included that lacks
details concerning
progress
monitoring, data
collection/analyzatio
n, or use of results.

The evaluation
instrument
clearly identifies
progress
monitoring of
the goals and
objectives, data
collection and
analyzation, and
how results will
be used for
future planning.

Summary:

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12

After reviewing the data collected, it is evident that the Media Center is not
performing successfully as a library and technology center. The media
specialist, along with the center staff, upholds the mission and goals of the
media center. It is evident that the activities, information, demonstrations,
and tutorials that are provided support literacy and lifelong learning for all
stakeholders. However, it seems the technology component of the media
center is not as successful. With this school being a 1:1 school for student
tablets, there is a lack of focus on setting guidelines, goals and objectives for
technology. It is evident that having a part time computer technician is not
enough support for a successful technology center as the media specialist
and assistant spend much of their time dealing with repair issues.
Suggestions for improvement include: 1) Creating a Building-Level Library
Media Center Advisory Committee; 2) Hiring a fulltime computer technician;
3) Developing a school Technology Plan to establish guidelines, goals and
objectives for the 1:1 device program.

Appendix A
Media Specialist Interview Questions
1
2

What is your job title?

What are your responsibilities in this position?

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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

13

What are the job titles of other media center staff and
describe their responsibilities?
What is the mission of the media center?
What are the goals and objectives for the media center?
What activities and programs are provided by the media
center?
What is the budget for the media center?
Give a brief history of the media center.
What are the strengths of the operations of the media
center?
What are the challenges of the operations of the media
center?

Appendix B
Bookkeeper Interview Questions
1
2
3

What is the current budget for the media center provided

by the school district?
Does the school contribute to the media center budget?
Is there any fundraising money available to the media
center?

Appendix C
Elkins. B., Haist, L., Kelley, M., Lepionka, L., McKnight-Zeigler, C., Richardson, L., Roseneau,
M. (2008). Beaufort County School District Library Media Specialists Policies and
Procedures Manual. Retrieved from
http://www.beaufort.k12.sc.us/files/_AGH6L_/44a7daaa21e36bb83745a49013852ec4/BCSD_P
OL_PROC_MANUAL_2008.pdf

Appendix D
Exley, K. (2014). H.E. McCracken Middle School Media Center Long-Range Plan. Beaufort:
Beaufort County School District.

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14

This document was created by the media specialist in reference to the 20152016 school year. The document addresses the school population and their
media center needs. It establishes the instructional goals and objectives for
the current school years and environmental goals as well.
Appendix E
Exley, K. (2014). Media Speciailist Self-Report. Beaufort: Beaufort County School District.
This document was created by the media specialist at the end of the 20142015 school year. This document is a reflection of the strengths and
weaknesses of the media center and offers suggestions for improvement.
Appendix F
Media Center Calendar
This is a calendar that is kept by the media specialist and contains dates for
all media center activities.
Appendix G
Observation Checklist
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Literacy skills are being promoted by media center

staff
Students are encouraged by the staff to be
responsible digital citizens
Copy Right laws are explained and enforced by the
staff
Media Center resources are current
Technology updates and repairs are current
Technology is being used by students in a
meaningful way
Student access to websites is monitored by staff
Students use the computer lab

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9
10

15

Teachers have access to appropriate technology

resources
Instructional Technology support is provided for
teachers

Appendix H
Rubric for Evaluation of Technology Center
Does Not Meet
Mission/Visi There is no
on
indication of an
articulated mission
or vision in this
technology center.

Meets

Exceeds

The mission/vision
focuses on the
technology
outcomes and
avoids the learning
outcome issues.

The
mission/vision is
all-inclusive
dealing with
learning
outcomes, not
just technology
outcomes. The
statement
recognizes the
learning process
skills and values.

Goals and
Objectives

General goals are

not clear or are not
present in this
technology center.

The goals are

broad and inclusive
but are not entirely
clear. They are
related to
objectives, but are
not measurable.

The goals are

broad and
inclusive,
addressing
teaching and
learning needs.
The goals are
clear and
measurable. The
objectives are
related to the
goals and further
information
defines how they
will be met.

Needs

Needs Assessment

Technology has

Assessment is

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Assessmen
t

is absent, or
incomplete.

Technology
and
Learnin
g
Statement

Technology and
Learning statement
absent or provides
incomplete
information on the
current use or
future role of
technology in the
technology center
and how it will
enhance learning.

Budget

No funding process
is included.

16

been assessed and

comprehensive
analyzed, but may
and contains
not include
detailed
summaries of
information from
information from all
hardware
elements in the
resources,
technology
technology needs
surveys.
assessment and
Maturity Model
Benchmark
surveys;
identifies use by
students and
staff, and training
received and
desired.
Provides overview
of the current and
future use of
technology in
enhancing the
teaching-learning
process for
students. Little
detail on how
technology will be
integrated into
learning and
curriculum.

Provides clear
and strong
description of
how technology is
currently used in
learning
environment and
ways it will be
used to achieve
instructional
outcomes;
describes how
technology will
enhance
curriculum and
teaching and
learning
strategies; is
tightly coupled to
other reform
efforts; indicates
what students
will do.

Broad and general

The center has a
funding methods
specific funding
are included. These process which

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Evaluation

No evaluation
instrument is
included. There is
no mention of
progress
monitoring, data
collection/analyzati
on, or use of
results.

17

methods are
limited to
traditional
resources.

describes in
detail traditional
and
nontraditional
resources. The
funding describes
how each aspect
of the goals and
objectives will be
met.

An evaluation
instrument is
included that lacks
details concerning
progress
monitoring, data
collection/analyzati
on, or use of
results.

The plan includes

an evaluation
instrument is
included that
clearly identifies
progress
monitoring of the
goals and
objectives, data
collection and
analyzation, and
how results will
be used for future
planning.