Christin Williams

Education 650

Standard Activity 4.19C

Learning Technology

For this assignment, I reached out to Leah Sparks, the Executive Director of Technology

for Kanawha County Schools.

1. Who is responsible for making technology purchases used for instruction in

Kanawha County Schools?

- “Mainly the Executive Director of Technology. However, I always consult the Directors,
Assistant Superintendents over C&I, Elem, Middle, High & CTE as well as the
Superintendent if there are big purchases or changes.”

2. What are the procedures for making technology purchases in KCS for instruction?

- “We must follow county and state purchasing rules. We did take a different look
at how we purchase technology because it becomes outdated so quickly. We lease
as much as possible so that when it makes sense, we trade it all in (typically a 3
year rotation) and get all new devices so that teachers and students are never tied
to outdated devices.”

3. How is the budget allocated for purchasing, supporting, and managing technology?

- “The entire technology budget comes from restricted funds for technology that
we receive from the state. When I first obtained this position, I got calls that teachers
were using 9-10 year old laptops and I asked what the refresh plan was. There
really wasn’t one. After everything else was paid, any money that was left over was used
to purchase as many laptops as possible. The first year I was here that was about
200 teacher laptops out of the 1,800 teachers. That’s when we started looking at our
standard budget each year and what had to come out and what payment we could afford
on a lease. When we figured that amount in 2014, we were able to get all teacher and
student devices (grades 6-12) for the Learning 20/20 initiative. We would have never
been able to do it if we did an outright purchase. Because we have that yearly budget just
like you would a house payment and we know what it is, we can plan for it
each year. Then when it makes sense (typically 3 years) we get all new devices just like
we did in 2017. We will be looking at upgrading again next summer. This keeps
everyone on the same playing field and is also easier to manage.”

4. What are the main types of technology used for instruction?

- “We mainly use iPads, MacBooks, Apple TVs, and LCD displays. There are a lot of
other coding robots and other technologies that our schools use including but not limited
to VEX Robotics in every KCS school, Spheros, OSMOs, codapillars and many others.”

5. Are there any instructional technologies that are outdated and will no longer be

replaced by KCS?

- “Since our technology has been advancing so rapidly, we no longer install

SmartBoards. We have all the touch we need in our hands and it allows teachers to move
freely around the classroom and not be tied to the front of the room. There is also a
HUGE cost savings. A new SmartBoard is around $6,000. A replacement bulb is around
$300. A replacement projector is around $2,000. I can put a 65” LCD display mounted
in a classroom for around $1,300. The TV rarely if ever goes bad, there are no
bulb replacements or troubleshooting that needs to be done and they just work like the
TV in your house. It also is much brighter and clearer so that everyone in the room can
see. Another item is the document camera. The iPad on a stand can become a document
camera by air playing it while the camera is turned on. Some choose to use it that
way. However, many teachers that try that end up just taking a picture of the paper and
writing on their iPad and air playing it. Now that we have Schoology and other apps for
assessment, there is also no longer a need for the Smart Responders. Teachers can collect
needed data in many other ways that are available to them and gain student feedback
utilizing the devices they already have.”

6. What instructional technologies are going to be utilized by KCS moving forward?

- “This is hard to say because technology changes so rapidly. We do plan to continue with
MacBooks and iPads as there is a lot progressing in all areas of the workforce using those
devices and workers being more mobile. We always start by assessing what we want to
see students doing and what we want the learning to look like, then work our way
backwards to the tool that will best support that. So far following that process the main
tool has been the iPads. However, we are beginning to incorporate more coding and
computer science requiring more MacBooks and other devices.”

7. How does KCS support teachers using technology for instruction?

- “There are many ways we do this but we understand that many teachers just need to feel
supported and that all day pull out trainings aren’t as effective as job
embedded professional learning and coaching. Therefore we included in our lease in
2014 two Apple Learning specialists. They were here for 2 years coaching teachers.
During that time we were able to hire 4 Learning 20/20 coaches. Their full time job is
going to schools, working directly with teachers to plan lessons around
a learning standard and help the teacher to integrate technology in meaningful ways.
 They then come back and model, co-teach, and/or support the lesson when it is
being taught. Our primary goal is to make sure the teacher feels supported and is able to
see how the technology, when integrated meaningfully, can really enhance the student’s
learning. Also since 2014, we have implemented the Vanguard program where we have
had teacher’s apply for the 4 day intensive training while growing them to be the in-
school experts. Many went on to be Vanguard coaches who have and continue to
offer trainings at their school level as well as the county level. We have also focused
PLCs on the technology pieces for the last few years so that we can continue to grow and
support all teachers as best as we can… On the other side, we have techs who do a great
job helping to keep all the technology functioning as well as a solid infrastructure in the
last few years that we have built to make sure that we have a solid internet uptime.”

8. How are instructional technologies managed or monitored in the school district?

- “We use a mobile device management system (MDM) to track, update, and push
programs, applications, and documents to the devices. The MDM is where we also
assign the devices to the user and send needed profiles for security, filtering, connection
to WIFI and applications. We are also implementing a program called one to one plus
that will help us further inventory and track our devices as well as issue invoices.”

After reviewing the information provided to me by Leah, I must say that I think it is great

that we lease technology when possible and trade out on a three year rotation. As she pointed

out, technology becomes outdated so quickly, and having outdated technology is not beneficial

to teachers or students. The Learning 20/20 initiative has been a true game changer for KCS. I

was not a teacher prior to the initiative taking place, but speaking from personal experience, it is

wonderful! I enjoy being able to take my laptop home or anywhere in the building to do work, as

well as having an iPad like my students to demonstrate activities to my students.

My only recommendation would be to provide ‘basic’ technology professional development

sessions for teachers that are seasoned and struggle with all the new technology that comes out. I

would also suggest possibly having some sort of app share session or a general regularly sent

out where teachers can post and share about new apps or technology that they have tried tin their

classrooms that worked or maybe didn’t work.