Implementation Plan

Implementation Plan:

To prepare for the mobile lab the district’s two computer technicians will attend a workshop on how to use and maintain the wireless lab and they will then bring that information back to share with the Palombi staff. The staff has been surveyed on what they would like to learn more about and will continually be surveyed at the end of each trimester in order to provide staff development based on their interests and comfort level. (See Evaluation section)

There will also be three liaisons in the building, the two technology teachers and the library/media specialist, who will provide assistance to the staff on troubleshooting and lesson development. Although it is not part of the technology teachers’ job description they are always willing to assist. However, the library/media specialist is responsible for tending to “technical difficulties,” communicating larger problems with the technology coordinator on a weekly basis, and contributing guidance to the staff. The library/media specialist will also coordinate the check out process of using the lab. Teachers will be required to sign up on a clipboard posted in the library for the times in which they would like to use the lab. A fair use policy will be employed that restricts teachers from checking out the lab for more than three consecutive periods in order to allow others to use it and to charge the batteries.

After the entire staff has received the training provided by the two computer technicians, the staff will be encouraged to work together and share ideas and helpful strategies in order to generate successful learning experiences for their students. In addition to the monthly workshops, all teachers have daily team meetings in addition to a personal plan period to work on technology integration and to seek help with using the mobile lab. The teachers are also encouraged to share their lesson plans and materials in the Teaching Technology log that is available with the other teacher materials in the library.

With all of the students having access to the lab they will all receive training on how to appropriately use and care for the laptops. The three liaisons will organize and run the training sessions for the students during morning advisory. The students would also be given the opportunity to assist in transporting the lab to the teachers that have signed up to use it and returning it to the media room where it will be housed when not in use through a service learning program. This group of students would also be responsible for making sure the laptops are working properly, the batteries are charged, and the machines are clean. They will report any problems in a log that will be posted on the cart. These services would be completed during one of their non-required encore classes. Students will be selected for this position by staff members based on high qualities in work ethic, respect, and perseverance, and although they will miss out on one of their encore classes these students will learn in a meaningful, authentic manner. When given a sense of ownership and responsibility middle school students can provide invaluable services for others while also assuming an extensive position in leadership.

Without the aggravation of trying to find an open computer lab for all classes, teachers will now have more flexibility to involve members of the community in their classrooms. With the comfort of being in their own classrooms and access to all materials teachers will be more at ease with inviting parents, business members, and community service workers to assist in lessons and to share their expertise. These volunteers will be able to assist with technology problems and questions or by sharing their own knowledge and skills with the students. For example, many teachers are knowledgeable enough to teach an exciting and enticing lesson about the advances in out nation’s military technology, but it would be a phenomenal lesson coming from an actual soldier who has used those technologies overseas. When the community has the opportunity to see the superior work of the staff, students, and technology they will be more supportive of the education system. The monthly school newsletter will be the main source of recruiting these volunteers, however they will also be sought out at open houses, school sponsored events, and parent-teacher conferences.

The mobile lab proposed consists of thirty laptop computers stationed on a cart. The cart is made specifically for laptops and is capable of charging the laptop’s batteries. An access point is a piece of hardware that is located on top of the cart and must be connected to the network jack on the wall in the classroom when the laptops are in use. The access point provides Internet and network access to the laptops wirelessly. Once the access point is connected to the network, the students have access to the school network and the Internet. No wires will be physically connected to the laptop while a student is using it. A printer will be mounted to the top of the cart and only the laptops from the mobile lab will be able to print to it. Whitehead proposed the question, “What do we want students to be able to do with technology?” and he answered the question by stating, “Access information whenever they need it, at any time, from any source.” A mobile lab would meet this innovative technological vision!

The laptops used in the mobile lab require specific wireless technologies. One of the newest and most exciting of these technologies is the Intel Centrino mobile technology. This technology combines a mobile-specific CPU and chipset with integrated LAN capability. In addition, it enables extended battery life. The features of Centrino technology are a perfect fit for a mobile lab. The extended battery life that is provided by the Centrino technology will be much needed when these labs are used several times in the school day. The system is also compatible with our existing network. Each laptop is compatible with our existing televisions throughout the school. A teacher could teach a class and give examples using a laptop by simply connecting a laptop into the television. In addition to the laptops expediency and compatibility they are also, “far less expensive than a regular computer, are durable, and are extremely lightweight” (Whitehead pg. 161).

Many of the existing programs at Palombi would be enhanced considerably by employing a mobile lab. The Accelerated Reading, Writing, and Math programs would become available to the entire student body, which would boost test scores in those areas. The physical education department could use the mobile lab for inputting data for the Lift America program. Study Island would be readily available for ISAT preparation. Students would not be displaced from computers during NWEA testing. The library would not be as congested during major research projects. Many of the textbooks used in the building have websites that provide additional resources such as quizzes, summaries, real-life applications, and journal entries, which would support the curriculum and provide more use of the materials we already have.

Just imagine…Mrs. Benjamin’s science class of thirty-two eighth graders is all actively engaged in a project on the human digestive system. One group of students is viewing an online simulation of the digestion process. Another group is interviewing a gastrologist from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota using instant messenger. Some students are charting the data from a pig intestines dissection using Excel. Believe it or not all of these students are working in the same classroom- thanks to the aid of a mobile lab!

Proposal:

Executive Summary

Justification

Budget

Budget Justification

Conclusion