Preliminary+Draft

====Notes: (Melanie) I think we need to mention the sizes of our various schools since the differences might be more understandable when put into context that way. ==== ====(Michaela) Melanie that is for sure something that would be an excellent intro for our paper. A brief description of the size of each school. I know since mine was done on a single school in one diistrict I can tell you that there are roughly 600 students with 22 classrooms. That would make the intro very easy to write up. :) ==== Melissa- The school I am at has about 1900-2000 __students__. It's hard to get an exact count...we have some truency issues right now :( (Sarah) Sounds great ladies, my school has just over 500 students and around 30 classrooms. I started the intro and we can take out intro when we put it all into one paper. If you guys don't like or would like to change the intro, feel __free__. Just trying to get us started :) Thanks again for being a great team!! I was unsure how many students there are for GRCC and we can change that and Fairfox if needed. If we are going to start with a summary of the four schools then I think I should take our what I had below, now in pink. What do you guys think?

(Melanie) Great idea to just get started on the intro; I had intended to do so last night but it was one of those days and I was too tired to think straight. GRCC Fall enrollment for 2011 was about 17,600.

(Melanie)I finished a pass through on editing and added a conclusion. Feel free to change where you see fit:)

(Sarah) Just read the entire paper all together, made a few changes. All is sounding great!! I love that you added where each school was located, sounds much better.

(Melanie) I see some links added in but they don't seem to lead anywhere. Is there a plan for adding hyperlinks to some other page?

(Sarah) I have no idea why there are hyperlinks to some words. I think they need to come out, but didn't want to do so until I knew. I tried to send each of you a google chat invite, did any of them work? I am wondering if my school will only let me chat with other people from my school. If I can't figure it out by 5, I will set up a new google email to use for tonight.

(Melanie) I removed the links and checked again for spelling, etc. I'm actually good with it the way it is -- I'll talk with you tonight:)

(Sarah) The links are still there, I will try now. I am good with it also :)

(Melanie) Earlier I said maybe we should just submit the paper through blackboard but I just looked at the directions again and Kim only mentioned the WIKI or a google doc.

(Michaela) Kim should have access to each of out pages on this wiki. She just wont be able to edit it without being a member. The intorduction and the conclusion sound great! The paper looks amazing and I am so happy to have you ladies as my group members :) We seems to work pretty darn well together.

__Hardware:__

Hardware is such an important aspect when choosing what technology to use and this is definitely the case when it comes to schools. Our survey results showed no opposition to this logic. It seems that all schools researched preferred Windows as their computer platform of choice. However, the models chosen containing these computer platforms showed similarities as well as differences among the different schools. For instance, Melanie found that Grand Rapids Community College had quite a variety of models which included desktops, laptops, and tablets. Michaela found that Emerson Elementary only employed the uses of desktops and some laptops. Sarah’s school likes to use desktops as well as ipads and Melissa’s school district stuck to using Dell desk tops. When it comes to operating systems, Emerson Elementary seemed to fall flat. The other three schools being compared are either already using Windows 7 or are in the process of transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7. Emerson is not doing so and is still currently using Windows XP with no immediate plans to upgrade in the future. Computer configuration also seemed to vary among the four schools. Melanie found that Grand Rapids Community College used a variety of configurations as they have a variety of computer models. Emerson Elementary uses a universal configuration throughout the school. Each computer has a Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, with a 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB of ram, a 10/100/1000 network card, and a DVD + RW drive. While researching Fairfax County Public Schools, Melissa found that they use a network drive that allows them access into ClassXP and IG Pro which are share folders throughout the district. Sarah’s was the most unique discovery of all as her school district prefers the use of a virtual configuration which helps to save space on the desktop. Add on devices are also a very large part in decision making of what technology will be used. Most add on devices were similar throughout the four schools observed. Keyboards, mice, printers, and projectors seemed to be the most common. Document cameras and all-in-one printers seemed to be the most uncommon of devices. Smartboards also seemed to be another common add on in use within the schools. Connecting these devices was another point of interest. All schools being reviewed used some type of high speed connection. Melanie found that Grand Rapids Community College preferred to use Merit as their high speed carrier and has a backup through AT&T. Michaela found that Emerson Elementary, which is a school within the Owosso School District, has its own LAN (local area network) and that the district itself has its own WAN (wide area network). This network uses both wired and wireless technologies. Melissa, who reviewed the Fairfax County School District, found that they prefer to use high speed internet and primarily are a completely wireless district. Lastly, Sarah, who researched the Crawford Ausable School District, found they also prefer high speed internet but use one with the fastest transfer data rate available called T3.

__Software:__

There are many different types of software that can be used in a workplace. This will be a summary of Grand Rapids Community College, Emerson Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools and Grayling High School and the software used within them. It seems that Grand Rapids Community College uses much more software than most of the other schools and school districts. Some of the schools use and do things the same and others use and do things very different. Software is an important part of a workplace and is implemented everyday. Multimedia for that Grand Rapids Community College is Adobe Design Premium Suite that has but is not limited to Adobe Flash, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Emerson Elementary School uses window media player as well as Grayling High School uses a form of windows such as PowerPoint. Grayling also uses online multimedia such as Prezi and GoAnimate. Flash is the last multimedia authoring program used in these four schools and it is used in Fairfax County Public Schools. Again, it looks as if Grand Rapids Community College uses many more internet programs than the other schools. All three other school all use Internet Explorer as their internet program. Grayling High School sometimes uses Firefox and Fairfax County Public Schools also uses McAfee. While each department at Grand Rapids Community College uses different internet programs. A few of the internet programs at GRCC are ALEKS, Plato Academic Systems, Mitchell on-line, Weaver reading tutorial software, and //Reading A to Z// are in use. There are many more programs that the GRCC uses when referring to internet programs. The most popular word processing program is Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office is used in all four schools. Grand Rapids Community College also uses Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Publisher. Schools have a wide variety of computer assisted instruction programs (CAI) to choose from and some schools use more than others. Grayling High School and Fairfax County Public Schools both have Smart Boards that are used as CAI programs and Grayling also uses an E20/20 program. Just like with the internet programs, each department at Grand Rapids Public Schools uses different CAI programs, some of the CAI programs they use are Cortez Peters Championship Keyboarding, Keyboarding Pro Deluxe, and Typing ACE. In the science discipline, one could use the anatomy and physiology software, ADAM, or Plato Academic Systems for mathematics. There are many more CAI programs that are used at Grand Rapids Community College. Emerson Elementary School also uses a lot of CAI programs, a few of them being GroupWise, STAR Reading, Inspiration and Math Blaster. Just like Grand Rapids Community College, Emerson uses many more. Emerson Elementary School and Fairfax County Public Schools both use Microsoft Excel as their Statistical program. Grand Rapids Community college uses Minitab, SPSS, SAS and StatCrew for their statistical program and Grayling High School uses Data Director. Schools have a wide variety to choose from for statistical programs and running reports. Most schools update their software every year to include any new updates that have become available. This is the case for at least three of our four schools. Grand Rapids Community College, Emerson Elementary School, and Grayling High School all get their software updated yearly. Melissa is currently in her first year of teaching at Fairfax County Public Schools and was unable to find how often they update their software. They do have to turn in their laptops for the summer and she thinks the technology department updates them at that time.

__Training:__

All but one of our group members were satisfied with the level of technology training at respective campuses, feeling that administration offered reasonable training according to need. Michaela’s Emerson Elementary School, however, did not rise to the standards she would expect, and her report for the school in this area was less than acceptable. At her school, Michaela reports no formal technology training is offered, and no qualified person available on site who could present such a class. One might assume that the technology teacher could intervene, but that instructor is not proficient enough with computers to take on the task. Even as hardware at the school is improved with the addition of ceiling mounted projectors and i-pads on the way, no preparations for training to use these devices has been advanced. Michaela’s frustration with an absurd situation is clear and she would like administration to begin supporting faculty in this area by including technology training as part of required Professional Development days and by supporting teachers who attend educational technology conferences or seminars. Our other group members offered praises for the technology training sessions offered at their schools. At Melissa’s Fairfax County Public Schools, faculty are required to attend some instructional sessions in technology and are encouraged to take advantage of many other technology-based presentations. For Melissa, technology specialists are available both on campus and at the county level to assist instructors with all their needs in this area. Not only are the specialists ready to help each individual, they are eager to assist departments or groups with specialized sessions according to need. Melanie’s comments about Grand Rapids Community College were similar to Melissa’s in the sense that they both had a technology department ready to help individuals with all technical questions. Beyond answering questions and assisting in technical classroom emergencies, the college offers a wide variety of classes to involve staff and faculty in all aspects of technological training. Although staff must attend training sessions, faculty members are not required to do the same and many do not take advantage of the ample and varied training sessions available. Even though Sarah stated she wished she had more training available because of the vast amount of technology being used at her Grayling High School, it was clear she feels her school is exemplary in this area. All employees are trained in basic computer literacy, and the level of training rises as the need becomes evident. As new technologies are added to the campus, departments, teams, and individuals attend classes for all hardware or software they are expected to use.

__Evaluation:__

The most effective way to gauge student understanding and successful pedagogical techniques is through evaluation. By obtaining data throughout the school year, teachers and administrators can utilize it in developing valuable ways to improve the quality of education for students. School districts vary when it comes to techniques in gathering its data. With all of the technology available, it makes this process much more efficient and easier to share.  Melanie teaches at Grand Rapids Community College, which seems to contain a substantial amount of technology for both its staff and students. 1500 computers are available on campus for 17,601 students. Faculty performance is evaluated by the students at the end of every semester. The adjunct faculty assesses their students on a monthly basis using Blackboard. Polls on Blackboard are performed by the Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Technology. The adjunct faculty evaluations are conducted through Institutional Research and Planning.  Michaela is located at Emerson Elementary School in Owosso, Michigan. Currently there is 1 computer for every 7 students to work on. Evaluations are not used in this particular school. Michaela is frustrated with the situation due to the lack of consistency with training and follow up. Technology is constantly evolving, therefore it is important to stay current with the most innovative and effective educational tools.  Melissa is with Fairfax County Public Schools. The high school she is at has 1,900 students and 1,690 computers for their use. There are several technology based assessments students use. PALS is used for phonological screening as well as eCART for every subject based on the state standards. Within the next year, the students will be completing many of the state tests via computer. New staff members must be certified by their school based technology specialist at the end of the academic year to ensure they are competent in using all of the technology within the county. Students are evaluated either every unit to once a quarter. Teachers conduct the assessments for the students.  Sarah is currently employed at Grayling High School. The computer to student ratio is 1 to 2.28. There are 2 main labs along with a computer lab on wheels (COW). Freshman students are required to complete the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test, which is computer based. The following year, the PLAN test is administered, which is an ACT prep assessment. Juniors take the Michigan Merit Examination (MME). All of the assessment data is recorded by the ISD for collaborative purposes. These assessments are ongoing and are conducted by teachers and administrators.