2007 KPBSD Technology Plan KPBSD Information Services Department Table of Contents Section 1: Communications Infrastructure Needs Assessment Page 4 Goals Page 4 Network Overview Page 5 Network Diagram Page 6 List of Connectivity to Each School Page 8 Internet Access Page 9 Schools Capable of Videoconferencing Page 9 School Wiring Description Page 9 Ethernet/ TCP/IP Page 9 E-Mail Page 9 Internet Explorer Page 10 Phone Systems Page 10 IP Telephony Page 10 Voice Services Page 14 Cellular/Smart Phones Page 21 Web Cams/Security Cameras Page 21 Communication with Parents Page 22 Minimum Edline Expectations for Administrators Page 23 Minimum Edline Expectations for Teachers Page 24 Evaluation of School Specific Goals Page 25 Annual Review Necessary for E-Rate Application Page 25 Evaluation of Action Plans Page 25 Communication Infrastructure Action Plan Page 26 Section 2: District Technology Plan FCC E-Rate Program Page 28 KPBSD Use of E-Rate Page 28 2008 E-Rate Funding Requested Page 28 Co-Ordination of Funding Sources Page 29 Cooperation with the Borough Page 30 Tech Plan I Description (July 2000 – June 2003) Page 31 Tech Plan I Implementation Different Than Planned Page 32 Tech Plan I – The Numbers Page 32 Tech Plan II – (July 2004 – June 2009) Page 34 Tech Plan II – The Numbers Page 34 Hardware Standardization Page 37 Hardware Inventory Page 38 Software Standardization Page 45 The Kenai Process for Standardization Page 46 The Software Database Page 47 Software Inventory by Location Page 48 Technology Support Page 84 Remote Support Tools in Use by Information Services Page 84 District Computer Repair Shop Page 84 District Technology Plan Action Plan Page 85 Information Services Department | 2007-10 Technology Plan 1 Section 3: Administrative Systems A Brief History of Adminsitrative Systems and Data Processing Page 87 Administrative Systems Action Plan Page 88 Section 4: Instruction Curriculum Development Page 89 Sample Language Arts Curriculum Guide Page Page 90 Integrating Technology Page 91 Materials Selection Page 91 Curriculum Review Cycle Page 91 Supplements to the Language Arts Curriculum Page 92 Standards-based Report Cards Page 93 Adult Literacy Page 94 Section 5: Professional Staff Development District Efforts Via Curriculum Implementation Page 95 Other District Staff Development Efforts Not … Page 96 School Efforts Using School Development Plan Page 97 Research Page 97 Title 1 Schools Page 98 NCLB – School Improvement Status Page 98 Section 6: Assessment Assessment of Staff Page 99 Assessment of Students Page 99 District Assessment Schedule 2007 Page 100 Non-District Site Specific Assessments Page 102 Section 7: Distance Education Distance Education (2007 and Beyond) Page 103 Section 8: Instruction Action Plans Page 104 Section 9: Distance Education 2007-2008 Summary Info Page 110 Information Services Department | 2007-10 Technology Plan 2 Appendices Appendix A – Technology Plan I Executive Overview Appx. A Appendix B – Children’s Internet Protection Act Appx. B School Board Agenda March 20, 2006 (Item 12) Page B-1 School Board Agenda April 3, 2006 (Item 10c) Page B-3 School Board Minutes showing policy change related to CIPA Page B-5 School Board Policy BP 6167.71 Page B-22 Appendix C – Alaska State Standards Appx. C Appendix D – District Long Range Plan Appx. D Appendix E – Electrical Certification Appx. E Appendix F – School Development Planning Guide Appx. F Appendix G – Professional Development Outline Appx. G Appendix H – Proposed Budget FY2009 Appx. H Appendix I – List of Tech Plan Contributors Appx. I Information Services Department | 2007-10 Technology Plan 3 Section 1: Communications Infrastructure Needs Assessment – 2007 As of this date our communications infrastructure is sound. Past decisions on the building out of our infrastructure have been focused on the long term and past investments have left us well prepared for today and the future. Future emphasis will be on maintaining a robust cost-effective network district-wide capable of supporting our existing load plus capable of increased usage, for example, delivery of distance education, videoconferencing, and voice-over-IP, just to name a few. We are always looking for new technologies or new service offerings from our telecommunications providers to increase services and/or decrease cost. Our ten year contract for fiber services will end during this tech plan period so our network topology could possibly look quite different in 2010 as it does now in 2007. Our network is designed and built around centrally sharing services so it is anticipated that the need for a strong and robust network will continue into the future. Within our buildings 100MB Ethernet switches provide the network backbone today. Many of the computers presently in use have 10/100/1000MB Ethernet capability inbuilt. Whether speaking about the Wide-Area Network (WAN) inter-connecting our schools or the Local Area Network (LAN) inside our schools, network needs may change over the term of this plan. We acknowledge upgrades may be needed and we will adapt to provide the network needed. Computer technology in the schools is of sufficient number and of high quality. Adequate software is in place as well. It is anticipated we will continue with the five-to-six year computer refresh cycle however changes in education may dictate other classroom configurations as well. For example, changes in the Alaska Association of School Boards 1:1 student laptop computer initiative could lead to some PC based laptop initiative in our district. And with laptops will come wireless access points in schools and different repair and support procedures, among other things. A laptop initiative should also change how instruction is delivered. There is significant interest in rolling out a 1:1 laptop initiative. At this time a wide scale implementation is unlikely to happen without significant funding from an outside force, for example a state backed 1:1 laptop initiative. We will continue to look for funding opportunities as Goals 1. Seek out cost effective methods to increase bandwidth or reduce telecommunications costs. 2. Continue to implement IP telephony where appropriate. 3. Maximize E-rate. 4. Match bandwidth to each school’s needs. 5. Always use technology advances to improve performance or reduce costs. 6. Provide educational access to electronic resources within and outside the district. Information Services Department | 2007-10 Technology Plan 4 Network Overview There has always been inequity in the delivery of telecommunications services in our district. We live in a vast geographic region served by three different Local Exchange Carriers (LECs). Many of our communities have low populations, and due to very remote locations, have a high cost of delivering telecommunication services. As in any business, balancing cost and benefit will affect a telephone utility's decision on when to upgrade equipment. In some of our locations there are just too few people to absorb the costs of increasing telecommunications capacity. During the past tech plan period significant improvement has been made improving bandwidth to many of our sites. The availability of Transparent LAN Services (TLS) from ACS has allowed us to cost effectively increase bandwidth beyond T1 capability to non-fiber schools for lesser or equal-to-T1 cost. In addition, significant bandwidth improvement has taken place in some rural locations; Voznesenka, Tyonek, Nanwalek, Hope, and Seldovia. We have overcome the technical obstacles to providing adequate service in most rural locations, however the cost has been high in relation to the school sizes. Distance and population are always a factor. A T1 circuit to the 35 students at the remote site of Tyonek costs far more than a T1 circuit delivering service to the 874 students in the Nikiski area. Cost and benefit realities are at work in such situations. Telecommunication tariffs that govern the cost structure are geared for lower cost in the populated areas. It costs the telecommunications carrier less to deliver services in the denser populated area, and hence, the costs to the urban consumer are less. There are still some under-served areas. Kachemak Selo and Razdolna are serviced by 56K circuits to Homer High and no option short of a phone company build-out will solve the lack of physical capacity to those locations. Both are Russian Old Believer communities. In Razdolna, students may use computers with instructional software but don’t access the Internet. In Kachemak Selo students don’t use computers at all. The district has been very aggressive in charting our own telecommunications future. In 1999 the district entered into a 10 yr contract for 100 miles of fiber optic cable from Homer to Soldotna to Kenai and serving communities in-between. Homer Electric Association (HEA) strung fiber optic cable on their power poles for internal company use and offered to share that capacity with our school district. We partnered with the local internet provider to build out fiber from six HEA power substations to the school locations. Today 19 schools and 1 administrative building are connected with single mode fiber in a SONET ring and an additional other 8 schools also use the fiber backbone for at least a part of their wide-area-network (WAN) connection. We have a variety of bandwidth speeds serving schools, from 56K to 100MB, and have not, nor will we ever, reach parity or equality of bandwidth in our schools. The bandwidth to each site is generally sized to meet the need at that school. Our goal is to provide every location with adequate bandwidth to satisfy their instructional and administrative needs. The need for adequate bandwidth continues to grow. Where once there was a rough correlation between the number of computers at a school and the size of the bandwidth serving the school, changes in how many services are provided has changed that relationship. With server backups, online teacher grade books, teachers taking attendance online, delivering software over the network, distance delivery of coursework, IP telephony, etc., services delivered over the network are growing independent of student populations.