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Running Head: SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

Warner Robins Middle School Shared Technology Vision Statement

Kayla LeVieux 

ITEC 7410 - Instructional Tech Leadership

Spring 2021

Dr. David Beeland Jr.

Keywords: Vision Statement, ISTE, Title-One,

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Warner Robins Middle School Technology Vision 

Shared Vision Statement

Houston County’s mission is to produce high achieving students. In compliance with

Houston County’s mission, Warner Robins Middle School’s (WRMS) vision is to establish a

student population who are able to efficiently navigate, create, and collaborate a variety digital

resources to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning

experiences for themselves and others. WRMS aims to produce high achieving digital citizens

through setting high expectations and providing a rigorous and varied academic and

technological curriculum across to a diverse population of students. both of which are aligned

Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) and International Society for Technology in Education

(ISTE) standards.

Rationale

In order to ensure rigorous technology curriculum is being implemented throughout

WRMS, there needs to be a school wide adaptation of technology standards. ISTE provides an

intuitive set of technology standards that easily coincide with the implementation of GSE, which

WRMS is already using to create and teach their lessons. In order to accomplish this widespread

change, WRMS could conduct a technology centered professional learning or technology team to

ensure teachers have access to and learn how to implement new standards. According to the U.S

department of Education, “to maximize the impact of digital learning, Georgia needs a cohesive,

aligned strategy for (digital) implementation… (2021).” Without a strong strategy for technology
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implementation, WRMS is essentially failing to maximize the impact of digital learning for their

students. All stakeholders: administration, teachers, students, and parents need to be a part of

implementing this change to a standard aligned technology vision in order to more efficiently

enhance student learning.

Today’s students are expected to learn 21st century skills throughout their time in the

classroom. This expectation cannot be done through singular technology classes alone.

Technology skills need be implemented throughout the entirety of the student’s curriculum.

According to Edutopia,

“Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research

shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key

components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction

and feedback, and connection to real-world experts” (2021).

Currently, WRMS’ offers two technology-based connections classes. Connections classes

at WRMS are those that extend beyond core content classes. These classes follow their own

technology standards but are not reinforced in content classes. While teachers are using

technology in the classroom at WRMS, the transfer of technology skills are not currently being

implemented purposefully. The benefits of cross-curricular teaching cannot be overstated.

According to Madden (2018) “Cross-curricular teaching…is an effective way to teach students

transferable problem-solving skills, give real-world meaning to school assignments, and increase

engagement and rigor” (p 1).

Diversity Considerations
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According to ISTE’s leadership standard for educators, teachers should “advocate

for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet

the diverse needs of all students (2021).” Warner Robins Middle School is a title one public

school with a diverse population of over 793 students and a “minority enrollment of 69.36%”

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). “97% of Warner Robin Middle School's population comes from

low-income households” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Due to the high levels of students from

low-income homes, WRMS's entire student body receives free and reduced lunch. Of those

students, nine students are Asian, 382 Black, 243 White, 58 identify as two or more races, 100

are Hispanic. The current student to teacher ratio is 14:1, with a teacher population of 56.

Ninety-six students receive special education services; 34 are in eighth grade, 35 in seventh, and

27 are in sixth grade. Across all grade levels, 58 students receive 504 accommodations (2020).

“Meeting digital access challenge is more important than ever, because, as many

stakeholders say, digital equity is about more than access to devices and strong internet

connections–it’s about social justice and fair opportunity” (Devaney, 2014). WRMS has several

devices, thanks to its title-one funding, however with a population as diverse as WRMS’ the

standards for their technology incorporation must go beyond supplying technology within the

school. As stated by their mission and vison statement, WRMS wants to produce high achieving

students. In today’s climate, “high achieving students” cannot be accomplished without

providing every student with both a 21st century education and providing students needed to

close learning gaps that affect every student’s ability to succeed. For WRMS, this means

identifying and elevating those gaps within their student population.

First and foremost, WRMS will adapt a technology disbursement program that ensures all

students have access to technology and internet both inside and outside of the classroom.
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“Students who don’t have access to devices or the internet at home lose the collaborative and

creative opportunities they have during school” (Devaney, 2014). Prior to Covid-19, HCBE had

no way for students to learn digitally, unless they were able to provide their own technology to

do so. Even then, the only online programs offered were classes high school needed in order to

complete their credits for their GED. This approach isolates several different student populations

as well all elementary and middle school students. After Covid, it became clear that there needed

to be a system in place for students to checkout computers and mobile internet hotspots. Because

this system is now currently being implemented, there is no reason HCBE cannot continue to

supply at home learners as well as in-person learners. Afterall, children who have access to

devices and internet at home continue to do good work and develop connections as well as

participate in student lead collaboration. However, supplying technology isn’t enough. In

compliance with their vison statement, educators, as well as all stakeholders, need to continue to

provide students with guidance and opportunities to participate in collaboration and build those

needed connections (Devaney, 2014).

Stakeholder Roles

As with any school wide program, event, or new implementation, the support needed to

be successful goes beyond the commitment of that of just the staff. “Proactive leadership in

developing a shared vision for educational technology among all education stakeholders,

including teachers and support staff, school and district administrators, teacher educators,

students, parents and the community” (ISTE, 2010). To ensure the vision is being carried out

properly, support will be needed from all of WRMS’ stakeholders, who will all hold different

responsibilities in carrying out the support needed for WRMS’ shared vision to be effective.
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Technology Services

HCBE technology services will continue to provide WRMS with services for hardware

and software, installation and management, and maintenance in order to achieve the shared

vision. WRMS needs the outside support to maintain all internet connections and hardware

management that the school cannot perform within WRMS. Achieving the shared vision will go

beyond in school maintenance and the staff’s technology capability. According to ISTE’s (2021)

Essential Conditions for Technical Support, technical support is important for “consistent

and reliable assistance for maintaining, renewing and using ICT and digital learning resources (p

1).” Technology services will be responsible for maintaining the high-speed internet connections,

installation and software upgrades, hardware maintenance on all staff and student computers.

Administration

WRMS administration has already demonstrated their commitment to the shared vision

by establishing and maintaining a school wide culture that fosters teachers implementing new

technologies, strategies, and researched based practices and technologies that enhance student

learning. “Educators need ongoing training to keep up to date with rapid changes in educational

technology. Yet when planning for a systemwide transition, leaders often budget for

infrastructure and equipment but overlook the need for professional learning” (ISTE, 2021).

WRMS administration also supports the shared vision by providing teachers with the ongoing

need for professional development. Administration understands that technology is continuously

developing, and with it the need for continuous professional development. Administration will

provide teaches with the time, support, and budget needed for their ongoing professional

development.

Teachers
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The teachers of WRMS carry a significant weight in the implementation and general

success of the shared vision. Teacher, “shape, advance and accelerate a shared

vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders” (ISTE,

2021). In order for the shared vision to be successful, teachers will act as the liaison between

their own needs, students’ needs, and the appropriate stakeholders. To effectively administer the

shared vision into daily learning, teachers will also “advocate for equitable access to educational

technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students”

(ISTE, 2021). Teachers will also foster and maintain collaborative culture with stakeholders by

attending professional learning, communicating technological needs with technology support,

identifying student needs based on digital assessments and communicating those needs to both

parents and administration.

Parents and Students

Parents and students will utilize technology to further enhance student learning. Parents

and students will engage in digital surveys, use infant campus (IC) to check student progress,

complete of all Google Classroom assignments at home and school, and take advantage of

technology to communicate with teachers and staff. Parents will communicate the need of their

students needs, identified though observation or grades posted in IC, and report needs/concerns

to teachers in a timely manner. Students will do their best to utilize the technology available to

communicate their needs with teachers, when said needs arrive. Students will also participate in

daily technology collaboration and assignments to demonstrate their understanding of content.

“Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge,

produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others”
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(ISTE). When the opportunity presents itself, students will participate in creating and sharing the

digital content they create in meaningful ways.

References

Devaney, Laura. (2014). 7 reasons digital equity is a social justice issue. Retrieved

from https://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/11/12/digital-equity-access-938/2/

Digital Learning Task Force. (2021). Retrieved from

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https://gosa.georgia.gov/sites/gosa.georgia.gov/files/related_files/document/Task_Force_

Final_Report_12.17.13.pdf

ISTE Standards for Educators | ISTE. (2021). Retrieved from

https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

ISTE Standards for Students | ISTE. (2021). Retrieved from

https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Essential Conditions | ISTE. (2021). Retrieved from

https://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions

Madden, Lucy. (2018). Benefits of cross-curricular education – Letters to a Pre-Scientist.

Retrieved from https://www.prescientist.org/2018/05/29/benefits-of-cross-curricular-

education/

Mission, Vision, and Beliefs. (2021). Retrieved from https://wrms.hcbe.net/missionvisionbelief

Public School Review. (2020). Warner Robins Middle School Profile (2020-21): Warner Robins,

GA. Public School Review. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/warner-robins-middle-

school-profile.

Why Do We Need Technology Integration? (2021). Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-importance
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U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Warner Robins city, Georgia.

Census Bureau QuickFacts.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/warnerrobinscitygeorgia/IPE120219.