The evergreen plan provides a new mobile lab of 31 laptops to each elementary school every four years, a new lab of desktops for three of our large secondary schools every year, and a new lab of desktops for our two smaller secondary schools every 3 out of 4 years.  As well, many schools are now in the process of providing laptops for teachers with the obligation that teachers enroll in district technology professional development.  Our Technology Leadership Committee (TLC) believes that our plan is an affordable alternative to the 1 to 1 laptop initiatives happening all over North America.

Our district has just finished deploying wireless technology to all of our schools.  Teachers with wireless laptops now have access to school accounts and the internet via our new wireless networks.  Portable labs also take advantage of our wireless set up.  We are currently working through how to provide secure wireless internet access to all students and staff who bring their own laptops to use in our schools.

We are implementing teaching and learning strategies based on Bernajean Porter's vision of technology as a very powerful tool to promote higher level thinking.  Curriculum is the focus of our technology program, not the technology.  Teachers are enriching the learning in their classrooms through the use of technology.  To help teachers with these new teaching and learning strategies, our District Technology Teacher travels from school to school to provide onsite real time in-service with teachers and their students.  Teachers access the District Technology Teacher's Calendar via the internet, note available times, then email him with dates for visiting their class.  The first visit is to set up a unit of study based on the teaching already happening in the classroom.  Most  involve 5 to 7 sessions with the teacher participating as a learner at first, then eventually moving to take over the teaching by the end of the unit of study.  The focus is on mentoring the teacher as well as providing enriched learning experiences for the students.  The goal is to have the teacher able to teach that unit of study with their students on their own the next time they teach the unit.

The units of study mentioned above are designed using Bernajean Porter's Technology Learning Spectrum.  Our district also uses a locally developed in-service model labelled EOTMISM - Emergent On-site Technology In-Service Model.  This model was developed from the writings of Bernajean Porter and the BC Ministry of Education's - ICT 6-9 Mentorship Program.  The foundation of this teaching model is to make the job of teaching and learning technology easier for the teacher by delivering the mentorship program in the teacher's familiar environment with the tools available to the teacher on a regular basis.  The program provides assistance in the teaching of the curriculum with technology with the teacher's own students and curriculum. Click on this list of curriculum projects completed in our district which is divided into Literacy, Adapted, and Transformational categories as described in the Bernajean Porter's Technology Learning Spectrum.

Some schools value scope and sequence expectations to track literacy learning in technology but the philosophy of our district is to focus on curriculum using technology tools so technology skills are taught as needed. (Just in Time Learning) - Bernajean Porter

The BC Ministry's Performance Standards for Technology focus on how technology tools are used in learning, not what technology skills are acquired so scope and sequence for tracking skill acquisition in technology is not a major goal in our district technology program.

As mentioned above, part of our district in-service plan is the position of the District Technology Resource Teacher who provides on-site technology mentorship on a daily basis to teachers, students, and administration. (1.0 fte)

Each secondary school is provided with .125 fte for each computer lab in the facility and each elementary school is provided .1 fte for the role of the CRT - Computer Resource Teacher.  This teacher manages the school network including managing the server and client machines, user directories and trouble shooting the small glitches that occur in any technology environment.  They also provide mentorship for teachers in the time allotted when all other issues are running smoothly.

This year, our district initiated the "Laptops for Teachers Program" where teachers complete 30 hours of professional development and in return receive a laptop to use as their own.  The laptops remain the property of the district for the first 3 years and then are turned over to the teachers.

Our district believes in allotting 25% of the district technology budget to professional development.

Staff at one of ours schools have implemented iLearn, a program where elementary students learn with technology for at least half a day every day.  Writing skills were assessed before and after the program with the results indicating much improved skills in writing, especially with boys.  Also, it has been noted and assessed that students using technology learn their topic to a degree where they can present their learning without notes and without reading from their actual reports.  Also, it has been documented that HOTS - higher order thinking skills (Bernajean Porter) are required to complete specially designed technology learning projects, therefore, improvement in thinking skills is addressed more effectively with technology.

To celebrate the success of learning with technology our district is presenting the SD22 Technology Showcase on May 6th, 7th and 8th where students and teachers will present and demonstrate the learning that has taken place in our schools using technology as a learning tool.  Please feel free to attend.

Our IT department consists of 4 technicians who support the District Technology Program by servicing all hardware and by creating and installing images for our permanent and mobile computer labs.  They set up the servers, gateways, switches, and wireless hardware and install the initial image on all client computers at our schools.  Teachers (CRTs) are then responsible for managing the users on the networks and for troubleshooting minor issues with client computers, printers, scanners, etc.  When it is deemed to be a more serious problem a work order is initiated and the hardware is sent in or the technicians will travel to the schools to repair the problem.

The IT Department provides security and functionality to facilitate innovative and creative learning using technology tools.  It is district policy in our elementary schools to always have adult supervision when students access the internet.  Some schools use networking tools to shut down internet access at noon and recess when in it is difficult to provide adult supervision.  At our secondary schools, a program called Browse Control has been installed to limit access to inappropriate websites that are not blocked by PLN.  It is the district's belief that students need to be taught the appropriate use of technology at school and at home.  With internet bullying on the rise, there is a greater need to teach students the value of appropriate use.  Simply blocking internet access in our schools is not an effective way of dealing with the appropriate use of technology.

As mentioned previously, the technicians are currently working to secure the wireless networks in our schools to make it convenient for users who bring their own laptops to securely access school user files, printers, and the internet.

It is also district policy to have internet access approval as part of the registration process at all of our schools.  If parents do not wish their children to have internet access, internet access is blocked for those students using network software.  Click on these links for more information about SD22 Acceptable Use Policy, SD22 Acceptable Use Regulation and the Media Consent Form.