The Technology Committee felt that in order to create an effective plan
for the incorporation of technology into our schools, that a careful collection
and analysis of data was required. The collection of data included site
visitations, vendor visitations, conference attendance, surveys, and interviews.
A listing of the various activities is contained below.
Visiting technology using school sites including:
Beech Grove High School, Indianapolis, IN
Crown Point Schools, Crown Point, IN
Merrillville Schools, Merrillville, IN
Whiting Schools, Whiting, IN
Visiting technology vendors including:
Apple, Rosemont, IL
Crestron, Indianapolis, IN
Dukane, St. Charles, IL
Electrical Systems, Indianapolis, IN
Picture Tel Demonstration, Chicago, IL
Technology conferences including:
Educational Resources: Emphasis on Technology, Westmont, IL
Indiana Computer Educators: Catch The Wave, Indianapolis, IN
Distance Learning in NW, Merrillville, IN
Indiana Distance Learning Seminar, Westfield, IN
Integrating the Internet into the Classroom, Oakbrook, IL
Local information was very important to our committee. We first collected
a large amount of appropriate local, regional, state, and national demographic
information.
Next, the Technology Committee assembled three survey instruments and distributed
them to: all staff, students in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, and distributed
another survey version within the community. The survey information was
carefully assimilated and then reviewed by the committee members.
In addition to survey information, the Technology Committee felt that it
was important to gather anecdotal information. Therefore, School City of
Hobart staff and community representatives were invited to group interview
sessions held over two days. Each interview team compiled notes from the
interviews and this information was studied by the Technology Committee.
Finally, each Technology Committee member read information distributed throughout
our meetings, and utilized video resources such as "Teaching and Learning
With Technology" that helped to define national educational and technology
related trends.
The collection and analysis of this huge amount of information provided
the Technology Committee with a rich base to identify an ideal educational
environment, identify problems, and create a plan of action.