LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

reference guide

ROUTING
TITLE: Information for Schools on Supported Instructional All Schools
Technology Activities from the Educational Technology and Offices
Group

NUMBER: REF-3975

ISSUER: Tony Tortorice

Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Division

DATE: November 1, 2007

BACKGROUND

This Reference Guide provides information to schools regarding supported instructional

technology activities and applications by LAUSD. It also provides information to schools
regarding services provided by Educational Technology Group and ways to obtain them.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES PROVIDED

Educational Technology Group provides support for the integration of technology and its
innovative use in the school program. The following applications of classroom technology are
supported by Educational Technology Group and are addressed in this reference guide:

• Instructional Technology Use Planning

• Online Learning Programs
• Instructional Collaboration Using The Web, Email, And Video Conferencing
• Instructional Technology Professional And Staff Development
• Instructional Technology Grant Implementation
• Certificated Staff To Support Technology In The School Program
• Classified Positions Available To Schools For Repair Of Technology

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY USE PLANNING

The Los Angeles Unified School District Education Technology Plan

(http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/techplan) outlines strategic goals for technology integration
into the classroom. These goals were designed to support data driven decision-making,
development of 21st Century skills, and increased teacher effectiveness and student
engagement.

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The Educational Technology Group supports individual school sites with the development of
their own instructional technology use plan. Instructional Technology Applications
Facilitators (ITAFs) are available to assist principals and their instructional teams in the
design and delivery of specific professional development for the use of technology to support
instruction and student achievement.

Instructional Technology Applications Facilitators (ITAFs) collaborate with the school

community to discuss needs and assist in reviewing data provided by the school or available
through EdTech Profile (www.edtechprofile.org). This data will guide and prioritize the
decision-making process to implement a school-based technology use plan.

ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMS

Online Learning Programs provide students access to high quality, standards-based, content-
driven learning experiences that meet their learning needs and expand the boundaries of the
classroom. These programs provide learning opportunities to ensure that every student within
the District has equitable access to a quality education.

Online learning is designed to:

• Provide access to content in a digital and online learning environment

• Offer students access to courses to which they would otherwise not have access
• Address different learning modalities
• Promote continuous engagement with the curriculum
• Help alleviate overcrowding of classrooms
• Provide students access to highly qualified teachers regardless of geographic location
• Provide hard-to-staff subject areas courses to students for in schools where a shortage
of teachers makes these classes unavailable
• Continue the instructional program during intersession and throughout the summer

The online offerings are as follows:

• Online Distance Learning Program (ODLP): This program offers primarily Advanced
Placement courses. These courses are available to students at every high school.
Taking an online distance learning course is a viable option for a student who has a
scheduling conflict or the course is not offered at the site and/or the class is full.
• Los Angeles Virtual Academy (LAVA): This program can be implemented at any
school and is managed by school site staff with the assistance of the Educational
Technology Group. Selected A – G courses are offered in a blended (online and face-
to-face) learning environment.

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• Supplemental Online Learning Program (SOLP): This program provides a virtual

learning space to teachers and students to expand learning opportunities beyond the
traditional classroom. Teachers use this virtual learning space to increase participation
and interaction, assign and collect student work, provide extra learning materials, and
vary the methods of instruction to provide a differentiated learning environment

INSTRUCTIONAL COLLABORATION USING THE WEB, EMAIL, AND VIDEO

CONFERENCING

The Educational Technology Group assists schools and teachers with the appropriate use of
the Internet and email to enhance instruction. Many online tools are available for schools and
teachers to use to maximize the use of their time when collaborating and communicating for
instructional purposes. Educational Technology Group assists schools in implementing 21st
Century skills to provide students with an opportunity for learning that will engage them in
real world and authentic learning experiences.

A digital collaboration system is available for instructional programs to extend professional

learning communities into an online environment. Incorporating various collaboration
technologies reduces the challenges created by distance, time and location. The online
environment is tailored to specific objectives including discussion forums (in LAUSD’s
Moodle environment – a web based online learning application) and real-time web based
meetings (in LAUSD’s Elluminate application – a web based collaborative meeting place).

The Educational Technology Group provides assistance for the use of video conferencing to
support instructional practices. Video conferencing is used in many ways to support
instruction and engage students where distances are too great for traditional field trips.
Programs such as Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) bring several
California State Parks (including the State Capitol) into the classroom for discussion and
exploration with park rangers. Video conferencing also provides an opportunity for students
to connect live with schools either down the street or in another country in order to speak with
other students about curricular issues as well as to provide other perspectives on shared
topics. Professional development sessions are available through UPDATE (see below) via the
Learning Zone (http://lz.lausd.net) for teachers desiring to use video conferencing in their
classroom.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Uniting Professional Development and Technology for Education (UPDATE) provides

professional learning opportunities to help teachers implement specific instructional strategies
and integrate technology into their teaching in order to meet the needs of all learners.
Assuring academic rigor within the content, scaffolding the learning, building knowledge

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about culturally-responsive pedagogy, and applying methodologies that bridge diverse

learners' cultures, learning styles, and strengths are all part of the courses delivered through
UPDATE.

The emphasis of the UPDATE is on the seamless integration of technology to enhance the
curriculum already being taught. Courses are delivered in a traditional face-to-face setting
(classroom), online, or in a blended (online and face-to-face) environment. Courses allow for
ongoing, continuous learning and reflection and often make use of virtual tools such as video
conferencing, Elluminate (web based collaboration), and other web applications including
Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts.

Participants may earn salary points for most UPDATE courses. Visit the UPDATE website at
http://update.lausd.net for more information about course offerings. Certificated and
classified employees are welcome to register for UPDATE courses in the Learning Zone
(http://lz.lausd.net).

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT IMPLEMENTATION

Educational Technology staff is available to schools and offices to assist in implementing

instructional technology grants by making resources available that complement local
implementation of technology. Best practices and resources developed in both District-Wide
and school-based instructional technology grants are used to benefit other LAUSD schools.

As the backbone of efforts to transform the District, the LAUSD guiding principles stipulate a
data-driven organization using research and analysis to make decisions, encouragement of
change and innovation, parent empowerment and partnership with the community. A well
defined support model (such as coaching/mentoring) and professional development program,
as well as a focus on the use of state adopted materials and other resources with appropriate
technologies, are key components to successful grant implementations. Ongoing
collaboration and support among peers through the use of common planning time and virtual
meeting tools are also key components to successful student learning programs.

Educational Technology Group will apply, on behalf of schools, for any District-Wide
technology grants that are available and will coordinate the implementation of these grants at
awarded schools. There are also many school and classroom grants that can have a great
impact on education through implementation of strong research-based instructional and
professional development programs, and support of student learning through extended
communication and collaboration among home, school, and the community, leading to
students attaining State content standards.

CERTIFICATED STAFF TO SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY IN THE SCHOOL PROGRAM

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Support of technology and assuring that it works is only the first step for successful
technology implementation at a school site. Ongoing staff development that promotes best
practices and ensures effective use of technology to support the instructional program must
not be overlooked. Many schools choose to release a teacher for one, two, or more periods a
day to support the integration of technology into the school program.

Should a school elect to release a certificated teacher for technology purposes, it is critically
important to assure that their activities focus primarily on leveraging their instructional
expertise.

Suggested areas of focus include:

• Working with teachers, administrators, parents, and students to develop tailored site
instructional technology plans using the District’s Education Technology Plan as a
guide.
• Coaching other teachers in effective integration of technology into the school’s
instructional program.
• Overseeing the overall technology integration into the school’s instructional program.
• Collaborating with ITAFs to share best practices and develop resources for successful
school site technology implementation.

CLASSIFIED POSITIONS AVAILABLE TO SCHOOLS FOR REPAIR OF TECHNOLOGY

Schools should not use teachers to fix computers, printers, and other equipment. The repair
and maintenance of the District authorized computer equipment is performed by the classified
personnel described below or by ITD (or District authorized) repair technicians.

Currently there is no dedicated funding for school site-based technology support staff. Many
schools have found ways to fund either a part-time or full-time technology support position.
The IT Field Services and Service Desk staff in ITD will work with identified school site
support staff. The following classified positions are recommended to provide technology
support to schools:

Full-time or part-time positions:

• Microcomputer Support Assistant (Class Code 2210)

• Information Systems Support Assistant I (Class Code 1083)
• Information Systems Support Assistant II (Class Code 4825)

Part-time interns:

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• Information Technology Support Intern – Computer Repair (Class Code 3872)

• Information Technology Intern – High School (Class Code 3870)

The job descriptions and salary schedules for the above positions can be found at
http://personnel.lausd.net/previous/.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

LAUSD Educational Technology website: http://www.lausd.net/edtech.

Reference Guide: Procedures for Obtaining IT Support & Repair for Various Electronic
and Computer Equipment (REF-1657.1)

Reference Guide: Computer Equipment on District Contracts (REF-1696.0)

Bulletin: Control of Site Equipment (BUL-953.0)

Contact the Division of Risk Management and Insurance Services Claims Section at 213- 241-
3127 for information on computer insurance claims.

IT Technical Support Website: http://techsupport.lausd.net.

ASSISTANCE

For questions regarding the information in this Reference Guide and/or to contact the
Educational Technology ITAF serving your school, please call (213) 241-3837. For a current
listing of Educational Technology ITAFs please go to http://www.lausd.net/edtech.

To contact the IT Service Desk to report a problem with technology at your site, or to report
the theft of laptops (with laser etched District logo) or desktops (purchased after July 1, 2006)
for tracking and recovery please call (213) 241-5200 or connect to
http://techsupport.lausd.net.

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