Technology For Students!

              District Technology Initiative

A recent audit of computer and technology policy, planning, equipment and usage in the Tukwila School District made a number of recommendations for improvement, the first of which has already been implemented.

The audit, commissioned by the District and conducted during the 2008-2009 school year by a team of technology experts from the Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD), presented the recommendations to the District technology study committee in June. Technology study committee includes representatives from the community, business, parents, school board, administration, teachers and other District staff.

Now, the District technology study committee is looking into the ESD recommendations to see where technology can be used to improve student achievement.  

The first step in those improvements is an update to the District technology vision statement, which went to the Tukwila School Board and was approved on Sept. 22.   Technology Vision

Technology will help students successfully compete for jobs in the local and global market place, the vision statement emphasizes. Technology will support many of the strategies outlined in the District Improvement Plan for the Tukwila School District.  District Improvement Plan  It will also motivate students to learn, more deeply engage parents and the community in teaching and learning and support decision making throughout the District to ensure that what the District is doing works for students.

Recommendations from the ESD audit are grouped into five levels, in pyramid fashion. From the base to the top, the levels are: District vision, infrastructure, professional development, support and student-centered learning.  Technology Audit

Specific recommendations include the following:

• Establish a process of consistent, sustainable and equitable implementation of technology across the District.
• Upgrade our communications infrastructure to enable our students and staff to take full advantage of the instructional resources available on the internet.
• Equip our classrooms with modern 21stcentury technology for teaching and learning.
• Provide ongoing professional development to our staff members so that they can employ new technology to achieve the greatest benefits for our students.
• Adequately support our technology support department so that the technology is reliable and functional at all times.
• Provide instruction and instructional support applications to maximize student learning.
• Greatly increase the access to high quality educational interactions with technology for all our students.

21st Century Classrooms provide ready access by students and teachers to a huge variety of quality educational resources available on the Internet.  21st Century Classrooms include such technologies as:

• Audio enhancement systems to ensure that all students can accurately and completely hear all instructional conversations
• Interactive electronic white boards that allow teachers to create dynamic and engaging lessons
• Projection systems that allow students to explain and share their work with all the students in the classroom.

The ESD Detailed recommendations can be accessed:  ESD Detailed Recommendations