BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Name:                         Jeffrey Johnson

School:                        T.C. Williams High School

School System:           Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS)

SECTION I:   PROCESS AND POLICY

Who is the CIO of your school system?

There are two head technology people in the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). Mr. Chris Sieger is the Director of Information Technology Services. Dr. Ken Reed is the Director of Technology Services and Resources. Basically, Mr. Sieger is in charge of equipment and infrastructure while Dr. Reed is in charge of technology integration and software.

Who is in charge of technology in your school?

T.C. Williams is the only high school in ACPS, so the system-wide technology directors (listed above) serve the same functions at T.C. Williams.

Who is the technology/media specialist in your school?  What ways can he/she/they assist you in technology integration?

There are two Network Resource Teachers (NRT) at T.C. Williams: Hilda Ateca and G.A. Hagen. There is an opening for a third NRT which has been vacant for approximately two years. Each NRT has a background in teaching students, but does not currently teach in the classroom. Their time is completely devoted to technology.

The NRTs assist in all forms of technology integration. Some of this is done continuously, such as installation of productivity software and new computers. The rest, such as troubleshooting and software training, is done on an as-needed basis.

Teachers with no previous experience have a one week orientation prior to starting work. Part of this orientation is a meeting with the NRTs, but it is typically the last meeting on the schedule and is extremely limited.

Who do you contact for technical troubleshooting?

The NRTs. Troubleshooting is the most demanding portion of their jobs. They are reachable by phone, voice mail, and e-mail. They also carry "walkie-talkies" to keep in contact with each other. This means that if you can find one NRT, he/she can find the other.

Who in the system is responsible for technology training system wide and at your school?  What is the present schedule, both in-house and system-wide, and how do you get free to participate?

At T.C. Williams, training of teachers is carried out by other teachers. The teachers who do the training are called Technology Integration Enablers (TIEs). The TIE program is carried out cooperatively between Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and George Mason University (GMU). Teachers interested in becoming TIEs must apply for the program. If they are selected, they take a series of courses at GMU and are awarded 12 graduate credits. These courses are paid for by the school, but teachers must take them on their own time.

Upon completion of the classes, TIEs are scheduled to teach training sessions within the school system (not necessarily at their own school). Scheduling of these training sessions is coordinated by the media specialist in ACPS. There are approximately 48 TIEs in the school system, 11 of whom are at T.C. Williams High School. It is intended to have at least one TIE in each school, but with teacher mobility and turnover this is not always the case.

Who should you talk to about research on the web?

Library staff is available for help and so are the NRTs. The library has the only "open" computer lab in the school and the NRT office is in the library as well.

What is the process to sign up for a computer lab? How many labs are in the school? How many computers to they have relative to your class?

There is only one "resource" (or "open") computer lab in the school. This is in the library. To use it, teachers need to sign up with the librarian. Typically, at least one week's notice is needed to secure a class period in the lab.

The computer lab in the library has 24 PCS and 12 Macs. There are two other computer labs for student use, but they are in math classrooms dedicated to specific courses. In theory, arrangements can be made with the teachers in these classrooms for "outsiders" to use the computers. In practice, however, this is rarely done. There are other classrooms with several computers, such as the graphic design department which has approximately 10 Macs.

There is also a staff computer lab with 11 PCS and 5 Macs. There are also two scanners, a laser printer, a color printer, and a poster maker in this lab. This lab is available to staff, but not to students.

In reality, then, there are 36 computers in the library to be shared by 2,100 students.

What is the process to post something on your school web site? Are you required to be part of a school website?

The school's website is maintained by one of the mathematics teachers. To post something, or to get involved in any other way, one would have to contact that teacher.

Teachers are not required to be a part of a school website, but they are encouraged to participate in the school's "intranet" site.

The intranet site has been created to simulate a school website and house individual web-related materials (e.g. class websites, WebQuests) which are accessible only through the school's network. According to the NRTs, this is in large part motivated by Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) policy regarding the publishing of pictures and names of students. Since teachers are not permitted to publish pictures or names of students, they are restricted in publishing student work on a conventional website (accessible by parties outside of the school). The intranet allows teachers to maintain sites without such restrictions. The primary drawback is that the intranet is not accessible to students from their homes.

How do you request technology purchases for your classroom?

A request for money is made to one's department chair and a request for technical assistance is made to the NRTs. This technical assistance is required to ensure compatibility with current hardware and software, avoidance of redundant purchases, and help in choosing the best available tool for the given application.

What are the policies on student acceptable use and teacher personal use of technology in the school?

Student use of computers is subject to availability in the library or one of the classrooms which is equipped with computers. Use of other technological resources is subject to availability and allowable only under supervision of a teacher.

Teacher personal use of technology in the school is not permitted. Teachers are given a separate e-mail account for school use only.

What are the technology standards for which you are held accountable?

Teachers are held accountable to Virginia Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel. Teacher training in technology at T.C. Williams is geared towards these standards.

What grants are available to teachers for acquiring money/resources related to technology?

Teachers must use their own initiative to secure grant money. Grants are sometimes available through the school system, the city, and through other organizations, but it is up to teachers to find out about them and apply for them.

What is the policy on bringing in floppies and CDS from outside onto your classroom computer?

No data from outside the school is permitted to be transferred onto computers which are school property.

What is the policy on installing school software at home?

No software which is school property is permitted to be transferred onto computers not owned by the school.

Is there an approval process for distributing things like newsletters at school?

Such approval is subject to general school policy. Decisions regarding distribution of things such as newsletters are typically made at the department level.

What technology is provided to enable you to contact the parents of your students?

A software package called Integrate Pro is used as an integrated attendance, scheduling, grading, and evaluation tool. The program is installed on each individual teacher's computers and the data associated with the tool is stored on the network. Contact information for all parents (address, phone number, e-mail, etc.) is included in this data. The software includes utilities such as progress reports which are compiled for a given group of students and e-mailed directly to their parents.

SECTION II:   INFRASTRUCTURE

Does your school have a network?

Yes

Figure out what network folders you have access to.

   a.      What folders can you save in?

Teachers can save to the h:\ ("home") drive. They are encouraged to save everything to this drive. There are no storage space limitations. This drive is further partitioned according to departments and other defined groups.

   b.      What folders can your students save in?

Students can not save to the network.

   c.       What folders can you read only? students read only?

Teachers and students have "read-only" access to the intranet (discussed above). Teachers also have access to the u:\ ("upgrade") drive for software updates and upgrades.

Does your school have a web site? Who accesses this site?

Yes. It is accessible by anyone via the World Wide Web.

The school also has an intranet site. It has been created to simulate a school website and house individual class websites which are accessible only through the school's network. According to the NRTs, this is in large part motivated by Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) policy regarding the publishing of pictures and names of students. Since teachers are not permitted to publish pictures or names of students, they are restricted in publishing student work on a conventional website (accessible by parties outside of the school). The intranet allows teachers to maintain sites without such restrictions. The primary drawback is that the intranet is not accessible to students from their homes.

Are you able to access the Internet from your classroom? If so, what type of connection is provided? (E.g., telephone modem, cable modem, DSL, LAN connection, etc.)

Internet access is provided for every classroom computer. Each classroom has at least one computer and each teacher has a laptop computer with the same capabilities as the desktop computer in the classroom. An effort is currently underway to provide at least two computers in every classroom.

For Internet access, the school has a T-1 line with fiber to each classroom and computer lab in the school.

Are you able to access the Internet and the network from computer labs? If so, what type of connection is provided?

Internet access is provided for every computer in the computer labs.

For Internet access, the school has a T-1 line with fiber to each classroom and computer lab in the school.

Does your school have a CD tower? What software is stored on it or on the network?

The technology department has a CD tower with seven drives. The software which is stored on the tower changes according to needs, but is typically used for subject-specific software (e.g. drill and practice programs for math and social studies). The tower may also be used for software which is very graphics-intensive. Such programs are sometimes too large to be installed on local hard drives.

Until recently, the library also had a CD tower, but it is no longer functioning. The tower was used for reference software such as encyclopedias and catalogs. The decision was made not to return the tower to service, however. It is not compatible with the next generation of network software and the school has since converted to online versions of encyclopedias and catalogs.

There is no software stored on the network. All software is installed locally on individual machines.

SECTION III:   HARDWARE

To what extent does the available technology make it possible for you to integrate the following into your daily instruction?

   a.  Instructional TV programming

There is a television in every classroom. Each set has access to cable programming. This allows classrooms to view the ACPS channel available through the local cable provider.

VCRs are available on a department-by-department basis. Typically, each department has one VCR. Additional VCRs are available on loan from the library.

   b.  Other (Audio recordings, teleconferencing, video production, etc.)

Equipment other than computers and televisions is available through either the library, media center, TV production center, or NRTs. In general, such equipment is available for use in the classroom given reasonable notice.

What technology resources are available to you in the Library Media Center? What resources are available for research?

The Media Center has VCRs, digital cameras, VHS video cameras, overhead projectors, a laminator, and a scanner (in the technology office). These items are available on an as-needed basis with sign-up sheets if necessary. Some items, such as the scanner, stay in the library while most others are loaned out.

Research resources are available via the computer lab in the library. They consist of subscriptions to online encyclopedias and catalogs such as InfoTrack and Grollier. These resources used to be stored on a CD tower, but are now all online.

Does your school have a LCD display panel or monitor hooked up to a computer? What is the policy for its use?

One unit is currently available through the NRTs. Units for each of the math computer labs are currently on order.

To use the single unit available to all teachers, arrangements need to be made with the NRTs.

In each classroom, the television set is linked to the desktop computer for remote display of what is on the monitor. This generally proves to be adequate for classroom use.

Are there laptops available for home or classroom use? How do you sign up for them?

Each teacher is provided a laptop computer with the same capabilities as the desktop computer in her/his classroom. Teachers are encouraged to take the computers home (analogous to a briefcase).

Are there digital cameras available for home or classroom use? How do you sign up for them?

The library has two digital cameras with video and still capabilities. Teachers must sign up with the librarian for their use. The NRTs have a single digital camera. It is a still camera with "mini-movie" capabilities (.mpg format). Teachers must sign up with the NRTs for their use.

Does your school have scanners? How can you access them?

Two scanners are available for use in the staff computer lab in the library. They are available on a first come, first served basis. There is an additional scanner in the library for general use (also first come, first served).

SECTION IV:   SOFTWARE

What operating system(s) does your school support?

The school is approximately 90% PC (Windows) based and 10% Mac based. Twelve Macs are provided in the library computer lab. The rest of the Macs are in specialized departments such as graphic design and television production.

What software is provided for:

   a.  instruction

Instructional software is available on a department-by-department basis. Obtaining such software is subject to general technology procurement protocol. Some of this software is stored on the CD tower. Arrangements need to be made with the NRTs to house such programs on the tower (only seven drives are available).

   b.  classroom management

A software package called Integrate Pro is used as an integrated attendance, scheduling, grading, and evaluation tool. The program is installed on each individual teacher's computers and the data associated with the tool is stored on the network.

   c.   professional productivity

Productivity software is installed on individual classroom computers. Microsoft and Corel suites are both available (with word processing, spreadsheet, database, etc.). In the effort to have two desktop computers in each classroom, the idea is for one to be equipped with Microsoft and the other with Corel.

   d.  grading/evaluation

A software package called Integrate Pro is used as an integrated attendance, scheduling, grading, and evaluation tool. The program is installed on each individual teacher's computers and the data associated with the tool is stored on the network.

What are the conditions for software use?

Software is installed locally on all computers. Use is subject to licensing agreements for each software package. No software which is school property is permitted to be transferred onto computers not owned by the school.

Does your school use WebWhacker or a similar utility to download an entire website?

You can use this to save a website onto a hard drive and have fast, reliable use of the site for your class.

T.C. Williams has WebWhacker, but does not use it. The need simply has not arisen yet. If it were used, it would be on the computers in the library computer lab.

SECTION V:   STUDENTS

What percent of your students have computers at home? Internet access at home? E-mail access at home?

A rough estimate by the NRTs is that approximately half of the students at T.C. Williams have computer capabilities at home. In general, if they have a computer at home, they typically have Internet access and e-mail.

What technology experiences have your students had in previous grades?

According to the NRTs, if students are products of ACPS schools, they typically arrive at T.C. Williams with a lot of experience with technology. If they come from outside of the ACPS system, they are typically behind the others, with considerably less experience. Roughly 25-30% of T.C. Williams students come from outside of the ACPS system.

What technology standards should your students achieve?

Students are subject to the Computer/Technology standards which are part of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL).