Kray 1

Allison Kray

Professor Flowers

Edu 214

17 March 2020

CCSD Schools Integrating Technology Inquiry

In this day in age, technology is constantly changing and advancing. Schools are

integrating technology to aid students in their learning. I conducted interviews at Spring

Valley High School to inquire about how schools are adapting to these changes in

technology and how it is used in school. Spring Valley is an International Baccalaureate

(IB) magnet school and has career-technical equivalency (CTE), and Advancement Via

Individual Determination (AVID) programs. I talked with Terri Lea Mayer, the computer

technician, Tam Larnerd, the principal, and Amy Langhorse, a teacher of history of

pop-culture and a credit retrieval course in computer labs. These interviews gave me a

clear picture on how schools incorporate technology in the classroom.

Administrator interviews Tam Larnerd (principle) and Terri Mayer (computer tech):

As I inquired about the school’s and district’s technology plan with Mayer, she

was unable to inform me as she is unaware of the plans. So I went to the principal,

Larnerd. He informed me of the school plan which was created by a small group,

including himself, the librarian, and the computer technician. The school’s plan is to

increase the amount of Chromebooks in the school and integrate them in the

classroom. Chromebooks are laptops made by google that specialize in their apps and
 Kray 2

functions. Chromebooks are fitting for the classroom because they are affordable and

the school uses google apps exclusively, such as google docs, slides, classroom and

more. Chromebooks are also addressed in the district's plans. Larnerd informed me that

a few years ago, Chromebooks were not “standardized” in the district, although the

school bought them, with district approval, to incorporate them in the school’s plan.

Along with this, the school sets every student with a school, google account which

includes all the apps free to use for students, even at home. These google apps are

used daily for student learning. Google Classroom is how teachers give announcements

and assignments. It would be similar to what CSN uses, called canvas. The way the

district’s plan was explained to me by Larnerd is that the district has standards, such as

to conduct research, collaborate, communicate, create content with technology and as a

result, students will learn and become familiar with technology programs. The district

creates a budget for the school to buy technology. The school is flexible on how those

standards will apply. They also can put more money into technology with grants, funds

and other programs. For example, their CTE programs give them a greater budget, and

they are self regulating and provide the materials (such as technology) to allow that

program to function.

There is a behind the scenes process on how technology is purchased and

brought to the school. The district pays for certain things, such as computers, printers,

projectors and smart boards. Although, there is a limit to the budget and what is

provided from the district. The district makes sure that there is a computer in every

classroom and office. Although, Mayer informed me that if the school set up classrooms
 Kray 3

that were previously not designated for that purpose, the district will not pay for new

computers for those newly made classrooms. As a result, the school will have to buy

the technology needed for those classrooms from the school’s budget. When a situation

is present where things need to be replaced, the district will pay for it with approval from

them. Mayer said the length of time for that approval will depend on the situation and

what they need. Sometimes there is no conflict with approval of the district. Although,

other times the process will be longer and the district may deny extra funding if it is not

warranted as necessary for the learning environment or not aligned with the district’s

standards. When a teacher requests extra use of technology, many times Mayer will

coordinate with them to accommodate their needs based on the technology they

already have in the school. Typically, the teachers are not aware of all the technology

that they have access to. Although, if the teacher’s request is something that is not

already in the school, it will be a decision up to the principal. In the end, that purchase

will be out of the school’s budget.

The problems with technology among teachers are minimal. Mayer and Amy

Langhorse (teacher) both told me that some teachers have problems with their

gradebook in Infinite Campus. Infinite Campus is a website program that is used district

wide where grades, attendance, classroom and student information is inputted. The

way it was explained to me, it differs from a gradebook from excel. Mayer informed me

that teachers usually collaborate among themselves to solve the minor problems they

have and the computer technician is usually a last resort. When technology fails in the

classroom, such as a broken projector, the computer technician has backup supplies for
 Kray 4

such cases. The school has warranties for projectors and smartboards. The computer

technician is on call to these problems and responds quickly. Technology will be set up

again typically in the next hour. Each situation is different and the time frame for repair

will depend.

When groups and events use the school's technology, the computer technician

sets up everythings for them. These events are usually low maintenance and require

very little work. Typically, these events only request the use of wifi. Mayers believes she

is at a good school that integrates technology well. She believes the best feature is

software that monitors the students computer usage, such as Net Off Vision and

Lanschool. Net Off Vision allows teachers to view the content of the students when they

are on Chromebooks. Lanschool functions the same, but is used when students are

using the PC computers in labs. Teachers can also block websites using this software.

Mayer also discussed the biggest complaint that teachers have is that the projectors are

not hung from the ceiling, but rather, they are on carts. This is problematic for teachers

because it is easier for the projectors to move and cords to be disconnected on carts.

Larnerd is putting in the school budget to have 20 projectos hungs in the school next

year and overtime, less projectors will be on carts. Another complaint that Mayer stated

is that the district replaces computers, on average, every 7-9 years. Mayer believes that

computers should be replaced sooner, like every 5-7 years. She also stated that a

reboot for the wifi is requested to the district and the wait list is very long. She believes a

reboot needs to be more frequent because after some time the wifi response slows

down.
 Kray 5

Larnerd and Mayer both discussed how the disadvantaged students get equal

access to technology at home. With permission and signature from parents, students

can take home Chromebooks and will be assigned to hotspot devices that give wifi

connection. Mayer argues that children do have equal access at Spring Valley and

provide resources to students, but it is the student’s responsibility to take advantage of

them; many times failing students do not.

I also inquired about the digital divide amongst schools with the two

administrators. Tam Larnerd, the principal said typically the divide is not constant with

the school’s socioeconomic area, because lower income area schools receive more

funding for technology with the intention to bring success for students in a failing area.

Public schools in better areas receive less funding, so technology may not be as

advanced in those schools. Mayer stated that she has seen schools with really old PCs

that have no purpose in the school because the old software does not work with many

updated programs. Mayer does not know the situation of that school. She assumed it

was the principal's responsibility to demand for newer technology and make it a priority

in the school’s budget.

Teacher Interview With Amy Langhorse:

Langhorse has her master’s degree in educational technology, which she thinks

is no longer useful because when she got her degree, 10 years ago, technology has

changed dramatically. Langhorse stated that the program is not hard to grasp and that

she learned on her own, but some teachers have a great deal of problems when the
 Kray 6

time comes to submit grades quarterly. Langhorse recalls a time when Infinite Campus

was starting with the district and brief training was provided to teachers for this program.

She also informed me that there are resources online to help teachers get familiar with

new technology and programs. When new teachers arrive, there is no official training,

but the new teacher is assigned with an experienced teacher to guide them through the

technology they use in school. Typically, new teachers do not have major problems with

technology, it is typically the older teachers who have problems.

Langhorse mentioned that the software Lanschool is also used to ensure safety

in the school. She had a student joking about shooting up the school and found through

Lanschool that he was searching about guns. These programs are used to supervise

the content the students are viewing and inappropriate content will be dealt with.

Langhorse stated that every student is required to take a basic computer course in

order to graduate, but she finds that 25% of her instructional time is teaching these kids

to use technology. Langhorse argues that other technology can interfere with the

learning environment, such as phones. She finds that students are addicted to the

screens in their pocket and have a difficult time paying attention in class because of the

distraction.

Langhorse argued that the digital divide exists and, as a teacher, there is very

little to change because that requires the whole system to change. Although, she

agrees it is the education’s responsibility to give students resources to succeed, and

without proper technology, students will ultimately fail in this day in age. As an educator,

it is Langhorse's job to make sure students have the opportunity to succeed. Langhorse
 Kray 7

suggests that technology should be used in the class to engage students in an exciting

and relatable way. She does this in her History of Pop-culture class by having students

learn Adobe Spark and Illustrator to create projects. She thinks other teachers rely on

Google slides and lectures too much. This approach can be dry and unengaging.

The few questions I created for Amy Langhorse was “how do you deal with the issues of

phones?”, “what advice do you have for new educators?”, and “what is your biggest

priority as a teacher?”. Her discipline with phones is very minimal. She tries not to

restrict students with many rules, but also establishes when phones will not be allowed,

for example during lecture and discussion. She does not discipline students when they

are doing individual work. Langhorse does not have many discipline issues like her

other colleague because she established boundaries in the classroom from the first day.

This, as a result, causes less stress for her and allows the classroom to be more

relaxed. This gives clarity to the students and will cause less discipline problems. Her

advice for me as a future educator is to continue professional certifications to advance

in the career, so there are opportunities for growth. She also stated that it is important to

develop a relationship with students, but it should be clear that your job is not to be the

students’ friends. At the end of the day, this is a profession. She said that you need to

protect your job by maintaining professionalism. Lastly, her biggest priority as a teacher

is to get students through high school. She has experienced some of her students being

homeless or in broken homes. She said, students will not care about learning about the

history of pop culture if they are in bad environments at home or have not had

breakfast. It is important to meet the students where they are and understand their
 Kray 8

capabilities or lack of. On the other hand, some students are fortunate to be in good

homes, but are not goal oriented. Some students are just trying to land a job.

Regardless, she believes it is her priority to help students finish school. She struggles

with the feeling of lack of control when she sees students in broken homes and

experience homelessness, but she does what she can to help students and give them

resources.

Final Note:

These interviews helped me understand more clearly how technology is used in

school. There are resources students and teachers take advantage of to make sure

everyone has a valuable learning experience. There are also struggles in the school

dealing with technology that can be improved. Teachers, like Amy Langhorse, are ones

that maintain professionalism and have a relaxed classroom environment because the

advice she gave to me is applied to her. Terri Mayer is the computer technician that

sets up technology and helps when technology fails in school. Tam Larnerd creates the

school budget and makes room for technology advances. Spring Valley High School,

with many valuable programs, uses and integrates technology to prepare students to be

active participants in their society for their years beyond their secondary education.