COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BLUEPRINT WILL ALIGN RESOURCES, BENEFIT STUDENTS IN MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS

MIAMI – Students will have the technology skills they need and the equipment on which to learn them, teachers will have the means to analyze their classes’ performance and to interact with parents, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools will have systems to transact business efficiently.

This is the vision described in a Comprehensive Information Technology Blueprint approved by the School Board on Wednesday.  The document, based on more than six months of study, is designed to provide equitable access, use, and support of information technology resources for all students.  In addition, it will empower them with 21st-century information literacy skills vital for competing in an information-based global economy.

An initial survey of the District’s technological resources uncovered that technology in the classroom was random and inconsistent and that student opportunities to use technology as tools for learning were limited. This was partially due to the inconsistent and inequitable distribution of technology resources (hardware, software, and training) in schools and offices.  Even when the technology was available, the school support was inadequate to maintain and expand new initiatives.

Additionally, schools had computers, but lacked the needed teaching skills to facilitate and integrate them into the classroom. Relevant information was available in data storage, but unavailable to staff and schools’ Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee for developing school improvement plans. There was no connection between what was available and what was needed.

The Comprehensive Information Technology Blueprint is designed to ensure that students are technologically proficient and academically successful and that teachers are highly qualified and engaging.  It will also help administrators to be more effective and efficient and help support staff to be more productive. Additionally, parents will profit from being more involved in their children’s academic progress.

Some of the improvements outlined in the document:

• Professional development for teachers that will help them discover and develop new skills to become collaborators and facilitators working with highly motivated and engaged learners who are technologically literate.

• Educational plans that will be available in real-time and updated daily in a wireless, paperless environment, allowing teachers, administrators, students and parents to see student progress in real time.

• Replacement of outdated financial, human resources, payroll and procurement systems that will improve service to schools, make District operations more efficient, reduce paperwork and increase accountability.

•  Every student in every classroom will have access to technology and the Internet. A technology literate teaching force will be developed that integrates technology into the curriculum in a meaningful and productive manner.

The Blueprint is the beginning of a vital and necessary process to meet the District’s technology requirements. Although much work has been done, the planning process is not complete. The next steps are to identify funding sources and prioritize projects based on that funding. As this plan is implemented, each project will be brought to the School Board for individual approval and funding. The projected cost of the plan over five years is $399,438,000.

The Blueprint was developed under a contract with CELT Corporation, and was intended to ensure technology literate students, technology competent teachers, and an efficient and effective support staff. The plan is aligned with the 2005-2008 District Strategic Plan.

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05-LJG/141/JJS

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