Techosta Where Tech Starts From
Brentwood school officials have ratified a five-year technology plan that follows the district’s mission to establish and develop lifelong digital learners.
The plan started July 1 and will run until June 30, 2022.
“It will enhance our technology and promote global awareness,” Superintendent Amy Burch said at a July 10 school board meeting.
Burch said former coordinator of instructional technology Kylie LaSota should be credited with doing most of the work that took a year to develop. The process started with administrators doing an inventory of the current technology devices and discuss the district’s goals and vision.
Burch said the core values for the plan are equitable access of technology across all grade levels, global outreach and transformational outcomes in all educational fields.
Research for the plan followed the International Society for Technology and Education standards.
District officials said they realize the plan will take time as funding is the biggest challenge.
With the plan in place, school board members approved moving forward with a three-year leasing agreement for devices. The lease would cost a little more than $32,000 each year.
The middle/high school would receive three carts for a total of 105 Acer convertible devices. The high school computer science mobile lab would get one cart and 33 Acer Aspire laptops. Batteries will be ordered for the current laptops at the high school.
Elroy and Moore Elementary schools would each be provided one cart of 36 Acer convertible devices.
Burch said the goal will be to roll out the devices at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, but that will depend on how long the technology team needs to set up each cart with the devices.
LaSota, who resigned from her job last month, met with Carnegie Mellon University students in the education and technology field to get their input about which devices would be best for the students.
Burch said the administration recommended leasing devices instead of buying, which would have cost nearly $98,000. She said other district go with a three-year lease because device become obsolete by the fourth year.
Burch said the district will consider rolling out additional devices in the second and third year of the lease.
Not every student will have his or her own device. Burch said there will be a check-out system similar to the library if students need a device for homework or a project.
The board also approved the purchase of five high-end Acer computers and four charging carts for $7,910.
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