EdTechProfile by the Numbers – September 2007

With the beginning of the school year comes a number of challenges which typically get met by a various array of site plans. While most plans deal with student achievement, many focus on the daily operation of the school site.

In planning for the new year, administrators should take a look at, and incorporate within their site plans, what to do regarding their technology needs for the year. In California, state adopted materials are now required to have a technology component. This can vary widely from a resource CD with blackline masters to websites that provide supplemental materials for teachers, students, as well as parents.

However, as with any new thing that comes down the pike, sufficient staff development is needed to provide guidance to teachers in using all of these resources effectively. Along with staff development, resource allocation – who has what and who needs what – should be a consideration when developing any annual site plans.

As there are many resource possibilities related to the adopted materials, a committee should look at them to determine what resources will be needed to assist teachers in using these technologically enhanced lessons effectively. Will teachers need specific basic training in technology skills? Will teachers need new or updated equipment such as computers, projectors, or interactive wireless classroom pads?

EdTechProfile can provide data to the site teams to determine the teacher needs. Each year teachers update their Technology Assessment Profiles indicating their use of technology in the classroom, as well as their skill levels in using those technologies. Each year schools complete the California School Technology Survey (CSTS) counting up computers and reporting how teachers are using technology to support their teaching and student learning. All of that data is available through reports in EdTechProfile.

The most concise report for sites to use is the K12 Voucher Report. Anyone, teachers or administrators, who has an EdTechProfile account, can access the K12 Voucher report for their site merely by logging into their account and requesting the report. The “request button” can be found on the Home tab near the bottom of the page. Those without an EdTechProfile account can access a full report by using the CDE’s Data Quest site. Data Quest can be easily accessed from the EdTech Profile website (http://edtechprofile.org) by clicking on the Reports tab at the top of the page.

With so much riding on data driven decision making, having technology use and technology skill data to make important decisions about professional development and capital outlay for computers, projectors, and other equipment is very helpful. The available data has also been very helpful to sites applying for grants from outside sources.