TECHNOLOGY at NNPS

Technology Vision: It is the vision of Newport News Public Schools that technology will facilitate, encourage, support and transform learning in schools and workplaces.

Technology Mission: It is the mission of Newport News Public Schools to promote and facilitate the effective and innovative integration of technology into schools and workplaces.

Technology Goals

The use of technology is continually advancing Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) into the 21st Century. The ultimate goal of the our investment in technology is to ensure that students can access, assimilate, apply and adapt to existing and emerging technologies as life-long learners in a global community. When this occurs, NNPS will produce graduates who are able to understand and use technology to reach their full potential in life.

Major components of our Technology Plan include:

Integration: Improvement of teacher and student access to technological resources in classrooms and other learning centers through equitable distribution of equipment, software, and technical assistance and encouragement of teachers to integrate technology into the instructional program.

Professional Development: Establishment of training programs and incentives to enhance teaching and learning through the use of educational technologies.

Connectivity: Development of electronic infrastructures with supporting software and hardware that allow all users to have equitable technical access to local, state, and worldwide educational resources, supporting both instructional and administrative applications. Establishment of integrated voice, video, and data networks capable of providing every instructional and administrative area in each school with sufficient connections to the LAN and WAN capable of supporting statewide network applications and initiatives at all Newport News schools.

Educational Applications: Provision of the instructional and remediation applications that will stimulate instruction and will help students improve SOL skills.

Accountability: Development of a system of on-going evaluation for the school division to assess technology applications, teacher training, and the integration of technology in instruction in order to provide appropriate decision support capabilities for all stakeholders and ensure our Technology Plan is consistent with the state technology plan.

Technology Highlights at NNPS

(Adrin Snider, Daily Press / March 23, 2009)
 
21st Century Classroom: Fifth grade teacher Christine Steigleman uses a smartboard to teach students at Hidenwood Elementary. The board allows teachers to track students' progress by monitoring their answers to problems. Students can work on the board along with the teacher during the course of classwork.

Technology is an integral component in integrating 21st Century Learning into our Smart, Safe Schools. Since the inception of its first technology plan, NNPS has progressed through a series of requisite steps of installing network infrastructure and computer systems, conducting staff development in basic technology tools, and implementing instructional software and learning tools.

All schools are outfitted with a suite of software, hardware and the necessary infrastructure to conduct daily operations within the school, across the division, and over the internet. Computers have been provided to each classroom and computer labs, a laptop for every teacher, as well as a desktop or laptop for every administrator. Technology staff, both on-site and centrally located, supports this equipment and the infrastructure.

The Technology Operations staff works closely with Instructional Technology, part of the Department of Innovation and Development. Instructional Technology Coaches are licensed teachers who work directly with classroom teachers to promote and integrate technology directly into our classrooms.

To ensure a reliable, redundant, and secure computing infrastructure, NNPS has implemented a one (1) Gigabyte, three (3) ring, redundant, fiber-optic network with an intrusion prevention system (IPS) implemented at the gateway of the network. Firewall, web and email filtering, and virus protection systems are continually monitored and updated to ensure data security, protection against virus, malicious software, and denial of service threats. A managed wireless solution has been implemented, and backup power solutions are in place where feasible.

More highlights include:

• All teachers' laptops are equipped with a variety of educational software, secure internet connection to the student information system, e-mail, and the NNPS Curriculum Scope and Sequence and lesson plans.

• Technology-related professional development and in-house training staff use both in-house expertise and numerous outside resources including the Virginia Department of Education, the regional education consortium (C.I.I.), technology vendors, and independent consultants/trainers.

• All middle and high school students are using online SOL testing in at least one subject.

• Parent Express allows our student's families to securely access attendance data, grades, schedules and academic progress online.

• Administrators and teachers have access to web-based integrated transactional student information management system and NCLB reporting tool.

• Using School Interoperability Framework (SIF) compliant applications (eSIS Student Information Management System, Edulog Transportation Planning, Parentlink Phone Dialer, MUNIS Enterprise Resource Planning System)

• Community access provided through NNPS web sites (division, school, teacher), teacher e-mail, and parent access to school technology (some schools).

• Distance learning is in place through the Desire2Learn online course portal.