Striving to use technology to create a positive change in the learning environment for

students, based on best practices and teaching strategies, aligned with curriculum standards is my
Vision for Technology at Lowndes County Schools. This vision has been the focus of my
capstone project, Student Blogging in the classroom, as well as continuing to improve my own
ability to assess student learning as a result of integrating technology into the classroom. It is
essential that the learning experience be assessed for authentic and meaningful change, not just
the innovation of using a new form of technology in the classroom.
Technology should enhance the learning environment for students by taking the
classroom outside of the four walls of the school. According to (Rule, 2006), the four themes for
supporting authentic learning involves real- world learning, open-ended inquiry, students engage
in discourse in a community of learners, and students direct their own learning. My capstone
project directly meets all of these themes as well as my artifacts that demonstrate my
understanding for the ISTE standards. For example, one of my goals is to encourage authentic
engagement and relevancy in class work, which would hopefully result in greater participation
and in-depth discussion. The advantage of many types of technology is the ability to think
creatively about your individual application of the tool. There are various Web 2.0 tools that
can be used such as blogs, wikis, Google docs, Google slides, You Tube, IMovie, Google
Classroom, Hangout, and many more. The focus, however, needs to remain on improving the
teaching of content material while also developing 21st literacy skills for students.
My vision is aligned with my Districts vision for technology use, below are practical
ways that Lowndes County Schools listed examples of how this should be implemented in the P12 schools:
Technology will be an integral part of the learning environment as students acquire
knowledge and skills and as they develop projects and create products to demonstrate mastery of
the CCGPS and to meet the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for
Students.
Working collaboratively, curriculum specialists, instructional technology specialists, academic
coaches, teachers, administrators, and media specialists will maintain a focus on higher order
thinking skills and on using technology to promote student-centered activities of analyzing,
evaluating, and creating.
Through comprehensive professional development, teachers will acquire the knowledge and
skills needed to integrate technology into a challenging curriculum which addresses students
specific needs, learning styles, and developmental levels. Professional development will be

relevant, based upon identified needs, responsive to teacher and administration requests, and will
develop those capabilities identified in the International Society for Technology in Education
Standards for Teachers.
Administrators will expect that appropriate technology tools be used to facilitate rigorous and
challenging instruction, and they will demonstrate proficiency in using technology to promote
instruction in their schools and for the efficient operation of their organization. Professional
development for administrators will develop the capabilities identified in the International
Society for Technology in Education Standards for Administrators.
Integrated learning systems will be used with monitoring and continuous review in reading,
math, language arts, and science to develop student skills and to identify areas for improvement
and remediation.
We will emphasize the development of information fluency in students across all grade levels,
providing them with opportunities to locate, analyze, evaluate, and ethically use information
from a variety of sources and media.
The Technology Department will work collaboratively with teacher representatives from
elementary, middle, and high school and with the departments of Teaching and Learning, Title
programs, Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE), and Special Education to
identify needs and to leverage resources to provide hardware and software to facilitate student
learning with equitable access by all students.

References
Lowndes County Schools. (2015). Technology. Retrieved from Lowndes County
Schools: http://www.lowndes.k12.ga.us/technology
Rule, A. (2006). The Components of Authentic Learning. Journal of Authentic
Learning, 1-10.