Over the past year, the educational technology department spearheaded improvements across the district aimed at enhancing communications, data management, and continued support of the district’s technology infrastructure.
With feedback from parents and staff, the technology department developed a capable website that, along with our television show “Back to School,” serves as a showcase of the amazing things taking place within the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District. In addition, the technology department developed a custom online platform to showcase student work through a digital portfolio tool, available to all students.
Over the summer, the district transitioned to a new student information system, enabling more efficient data management and expediting necessary reporting to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Our asset inventory system, developed during FY15, was used to identify and replace worn-out technology equipment in FY16, and the maintenance of our existing hardware remains a top priority. With FY16 funds, the department introduced technology in locations with support from building administration, aiming to have the most significant impact on staff and students. In particular, library spaces at both the elementary and the middle school received a needed refresh of technology resources, which included the installation of Google Chromeboxes.
With their simple-to-use, easy-to-manage approach, Google Chromebooks remain in high demand. Additional Chromebooks were purchased at the classroom level from kindergarten through eighth grade. The selection of this equipment aligns well with existing Google software. It affords our students not only an opportunity to collaborate, curate, and create digital materials, but also to remain current with digital activities expected in the 21st century and included in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
District and building servers received substantial upgrades, enabling faster Internet connections, stronger security, and greater access for Internet-capable devices. With support from the business department, the district signed a service contract for 50 district printers, with a cost savings from prior fiscal years.
Technology integration continues to evolve and is becoming an essential tool for our staff, enhancing and supporting the delivery of our PreK through twelfth-grade curriculum. At the macro level, technology integration has shown marked improvement; however, the district has identified a need to bolster instructional resources at the elementary level and to increase media and research skills at the middle school. The educational technology department continues to focus on integrating technology into the curriculum and strives to ensure that resources are available to all students to become technologically literate and achieve their full academic potential. Additional staffing additions to the technology department will bolster both support and instruction for staff and students. These staffing positions, outlined in our Needs Assessment, include technicians to support our growing number of devices so that our staff-to-device ratios are closer to state-recommended levels, and a technology integration specialist at the elementary level to support technology integration in the classroom.
Although not officially released until May of 2016, the five-year technology strategic planning committee began its work identifying goals and recommendations for the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District. The underlying theme of the committee’s work is that educational technology and a solid infrastructure will improve student academic achievement.
This information is a public record and was submitted by Mr. Luke Callahan, Director of Technology, Information, and Media Relations for the end-of-year town report for Groton and Dunstable, Massachusetts, in January 2016.