Page 10 - Technology Plan for School Years 2017 to 2021

Executive Summary

Academic Growth and Success Through Technology

In planning for the future, it’s helpful to review the past in order to gauge progress,
successes, and find areas for improvement. Our previous technology plan covering 2014-
2016, anticipated and helped to prepare for the ever-increasing role technology plays in
providing tools for learning and success for our students.

The new five-year Technology Plan, covering 2016-2021, seeks to build and expand upon
previous plans by continuing to implement, leverage, and maintain technology solutions that
align with the FLDOE 2014-2019 Technology Plan and help achieve the goals of the
District’s overall 5-year Strategic Plan.

The theme for the 2016-2021 Technology Plan, “Academic Growth and Success through
Technology,” places the focus squarely on providing technology tools and systems to help
educators improve student achievement and preparedness for the global economy. The
2016 National Educational Technology Plan describes “Engaging and Empowering Learning
through Technology” with the stated goal “All learners will have engaging and empowering
learning in both formal and informal settings that prepares them to be active, creative,
knowledgeable and ethical participants in our globally connected society.” Achieving that
goal requires the coordination of technology with academic initiatives to ensure that schools
are “Future Ready,” help bridge the digital divide, provide personalized learning, and support
technology-based assessment.

Initiatives like the Digital Classroom and state-required online-only testing have led to a
substantial increase in the number of classroom and lab computers in recent years, which in
turn, necessitates increased network and Internet bandwidth. Providing secure, stable,
robust, and redundant Internet, network and server connectivity is critical to providing the
foundation for all of our classroom, testing and online technology initiatives. The organically
interconnected nature of these technologies means that the underlying infrastructure has
become a critical component to the overall learning experience. This is reflected in the
current technology plan as we continue to invest in expanding the capacity, availability and
redundancy of network, Internet, and application platforms.

The increasing use, influence, and pervasiveness of social media platforms provides both a
challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in providing safe, secure, and appropriate
access while maintaining the opportunity for increased communication, engagement, and
collaboration with students, parents, and the community.

Progress can be measured by setting realistic, attainable goals, and monitoring how close
we are to reaching them. Analyzing data and establishing metrics for measuring

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