Working from a third person's point of view in analyzing an organization has quite the limitation and is more time consuming than it ought to be. Even if I was working for the school district as a teacher, unless I was working directly with the school board, information won't come readily available. Contacts listed are unreachable, which isn't at all surprising, considering how there are probably more important matters to attend to than answering emails from unknown personnel. However, that concerns me; would parents and other interested stakeholders be able to obtain answers to their questions regarding student learning?
To find information on the organization's technology devices and operating systems I was limited to their website and their public online Board Documents. Searching through file after file, pdfs, power points, and various links (that were listed in no particular order), I was able to find their Technology Plan with the additional information that helped give me the latest update on their school district. The plan consisted of new hardware that was purchased between 2010-2015. From there, I did additional research on the specifications to be able to compare them to SBAC testing requirements.
What I found, was how quickly the laptops were outdated. Some were no longer being manufactured, so I would assume would need to be replaced in a few years when the operating systems required upgrading. For example, the school district implemented iPad 2s, only now, the SBAC recommends new purchases of iPad 3s. All other details: screen size and resolution, headphones or earphone attachments, keyboards and pointing devices, and security and network met all minimum requirements since the hardware were only purchased in the last five years. Basically, the newer the product, the better the specs would be in surpassing expectations, especially with the expansion of internet broadband across the district.
New to me, is the Schoolwire Synergy software that the organization had included to secure browser use and to control access to websites and applications. The devices, like the Chromebooks and iPads, have programs that are pre-installed and will allow personal management of the system; which was generally what I was familiar with. The important factor here, is the functionality to prevent students from accessing non-approved sources during testing. As up to date as they could be, I'm curious if the organization has an updated Technology Plan for 2015 onwards, since no documentation has been made accessible. Hopefully, as the organization becomes more familiar with how technology is integrated with the school system, there would be a more organized and more efficient way to manage such details.
To find information on the organization's technology devices and operating systems I was limited to their website and their public online Board Documents. Searching through file after file, pdfs, power points, and various links (that were listed in no particular order), I was able to find their Technology Plan with the additional information that helped give me the latest update on their school district. The plan consisted of new hardware that was purchased between 2010-2015. From there, I did additional research on the specifications to be able to compare them to SBAC testing requirements.
What I found, was how quickly the laptops were outdated. Some were no longer being manufactured, so I would assume would need to be replaced in a few years when the operating systems required upgrading. For example, the school district implemented iPad 2s, only now, the SBAC recommends new purchases of iPad 3s. All other details: screen size and resolution, headphones or earphone attachments, keyboards and pointing devices, and security and network met all minimum requirements since the hardware were only purchased in the last five years. Basically, the newer the product, the better the specs would be in surpassing expectations, especially with the expansion of internet broadband across the district.
New to me, is the Schoolwire Synergy software that the organization had included to secure browser use and to control access to websites and applications. The devices, like the Chromebooks and iPads, have programs that are pre-installed and will allow personal management of the system; which was generally what I was familiar with. The important factor here, is the functionality to prevent students from accessing non-approved sources during testing. As up to date as they could be, I'm curious if the organization has an updated Technology Plan for 2015 onwards, since no documentation has been made accessible. Hopefully, as the organization becomes more familiar with how technology is integrated with the school system, there would be a more organized and more efficient way to manage such details.
Reference:
"Device Requirements and Approved Browsers." (2016). Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/assessments/testing-technology/devices-and-browsers/
"Device Requirements and Approved Browsers." (2016). Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/assessments/testing-technology/devices-and-browsers/