U-46 develops 3-year plan for technology upgrades

Elgin Area School District U-46 officials recently unveiled a three-year master plan for districtwide technology upgrades.

The Technology Master Plan sets a standard for the types of technology used throughout the district. It calls for providing training for teachers and administrators, as well as technical support for current and future technology. The estimated cost of the proposed upgrades is $4 million in the first year and nearly $5 million in years two and three.

"It's really been a couple of years in the making," said Craig Williams, U-46 director of information services. "We've been really trying hard to look into tying technology into our instructional practice and make that the cornerstone of this plan."

Within three years, officials hope each classroom will be equipped with a laptop for the teacher, wireless access, a large, flat-panel television screen or projector, document camera, speakers and webcam for videoconferencing.

In elementary schools, the goal is to have at least six devices per 30 elementary students in three years, and a gradual phasing out of computer labs.

"It really seems like at some point the general computer lab will become obsolete ... if you get to a point where you are close to one-to-one in a building," Williams said.

Computer labs likely would be available at the high schools and other grade levels for specific purposes, and at school libraries.

At the middle schools and high schools, the goal is to have a set of computing devices on a cart for every four classrooms (about 120 students).

"This plan doesn't stop us from becoming a one-to-one district in the future," Williams said.

All classrooms districtwide are expected to be wireless by the end of the 2015-16 school year through ongoing technology infrastructure upgrades to support additional devices.

"We've got another 22 schools that we are working on the (wireless) cabling for," Williams said. "Several high schools will be done this summer."

Officials have applied for roughly $5 million in federal E-Rate Program funding that would reimburse 80 percent of the cost of infrastructure upgrades.

Among the challenges is the district having a hodgepodge of technology, such as varying models of laptops, projectors and equipment, with no uniformity, said Trisha Shrode, director of curriculum and instruction.

The master plan emphasizes consistency in technology implementation and switching to two types of devices - laptop/Chromebook and iPad/tablet - for better integration of content, she said.

Officials incorporated what they learned from mini-grant programs allowing teachers to use laptops and iPads in the classroom during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

"There was a lot of inequity across the district," Williams said, adding, "some of that was driven by funding, and perhaps, some of that was driven by a lack of vision."

The master plan was developed with input from several stakeholders, including teachers and administrators who participated in a survey last fall.

Nearly 80 percent of 308 teachers surveyed cited not having enough devices for student use in the classroom and not all students or families having computer and Internet access at home as obstacles to learning. Of the 22 school site administrators surveyed, more than 60 percent cited technology support, availability of devices, and Internet capacity and bandwidth to accommodate multimedia and digital content as the primary challenges.

Ongoing professional development for teachers and administrators on new technology will be provided on-site during the upcoming school year, and through districtwide collaboration sessions, "Tech Days" and monthly Twitter chats.

"We're really trying to make sure that we have enough support in the buildings when teachers need it," Williams said.