Technology Planning and Implementation in Swampscott Public Schools
Swampscott Public Schools focus on technology planning and implementation, ensuring adequate Wi-Fi coverage and network capacity for student testing. The district organizes training sessions, administers student tutorials, and addresses potential network weaknesses to enhance digital learning experiences. Collaboration among school leaders and the tech team is key in optimizing resources and ensuring successful technology integration.
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A Districts Perspective: Swampscott Public Schools November 20, 2019
Presenters Swampscott MCAS Team: oLytania Mackey Knowles Director of Technology & Digital Learning oCatie Porter Roberts Digital Learning Specialist & Elementary STEM Consulting Teacher 2 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Winter Timeline Swampscotts Perspective December/January: oMap out access points for Wi-Fi coverage for each building. Often, technology adds new things to the infrastructure of a network that a building principal or leader does not know about. oBook your dates & times district-wide and get organized. Here is our handout from 2018. These decisions are made at the district level with all principals together because we have to share tech team resources & time. February: oAdminister student tutorial/scavenger hunt. 3 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Network Planning Swampscotts Perspective Our biggest concern was Could our network handle the load of students accessing the TestNav app at once? oWe often struggle with shared access points when students in two classrooms next to each other are attempting to get online. oWe test in five schools, but not at the same time. The maximum number of students testing at a time is only 400. Solution: We created coverage maps of access points to identify potential areas of weakness before testing (see next slides). 4 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Building with Adequate Wi-Fi Coverage easily able to identify potential problem areas 5 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Building with Poor Wi-Fi Coverage will need to add additional access points 6 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Student Tutorial Swampscotts Perspective Swampscott student tutorial scavenger hunt Note: scavenger hunt updated for 2020 for grades 3 5 only o Scavenger hunt keeps students in grades 3 8 engaged and active. o Make sure students know how to navigate the test e.g., bookmark questions answer different question types properly sign out 7 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
MCAS Scavenger Hunt Instructions for Teachers Have the students access the app on their computers: oAccessing the Student Tutorial for Mac oAccessing Student Tutorial for Chromebooks You may need to restart the Tutorial on your computer. Guide the students to select Start Test Now and Start Session. 9 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Sample from the MCAS Scavenger Hunt Go to Slide 6 a. What is one way you can go to slide 6? b. What is a different way you can go to slide 6? c. Bookmark Slide 6
Resources & Suggestions from the Swampscott Team Resources o Training slides o Swampscott Infrastructure Trial Guide o Swampscott Infrastructure Trial script for students o Sample Materials for Coordinating MCAS Test Administration o Student Training Materials Folder o Helpful Checklist of principals responsibilities vs. the technology department. Tech team should NEVER answer accommodation or security questions. Suggestions o Create spreadsheets with test information - color code by test administrator to easily see home room groups. o Despite it being computer-based testing, students still need paper and pencils. o Learn to filter and sort your views in PearsonAccess Next. 11 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Contact Information for Swampscott Team Lytania Mackey Knowles oDirector of Technology, Digital Learning, and Innovation omackey@swampscott.k12.ma.us Catie Porter Roberts oDigital Learning Specialist & Elementary STEM Consulting Teacher oporter@swampscott.k12.ma.us 12 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
