1. Technology Plan Survey 1
Christina Hamling
Technology Plan Survey
University of Nebraska – Lincoln

2. Technology Plan Survey 2
I observed Saint Edward Public School’s technology plan for my Technology
Survey. I chose Saint Edward Public School because it was a small school district, with
an average class size of approximately 10-15 students. In the future, I would personally
like to work in a small school district. I enjoyed going to a school where I knew all of the
instructors and my classmates. Personally, I would like to have that connection with my
future students and clients. The technology I was also able to use was up-to-date and
when ever I needed help, there was also someone there to instruct me.
The main types of technology used at Saint Edward Public School were
computers, laptops, iPads, and iPods. The inventory for these items are 134 laptops
and computers, 12 iPads, and 2 iPods. According to the plan, they use these devices to
further the education of there students by providing them with the opportunity of a laptop
per student, or 1:1 ratio. Laptops and computers also serve as devices for students to
receive long distance education. For the 2015-2016, there are four classes offered
online as a dual-credit class, where students gain high school and college credit. There
is also a long distance language course taught by an instructor from Palmer Public
Schools. This technology gives Saint Edward students access to classes they would not
be able to take otherwise.
Saint Edward Public Schools’ technology infrastructure uses different programs
throughout their building. PowerSchool is a program that lets students check their
grades, and works as a grade book for teachers. It also shows students school
announcements and notes from teachers. The e-mail system used by all faculty and
students is Google, in correspondence with Google Documents. This gives teachers the
opportunity to share information with students and students are able to work on projects

3. Technology Plan Survey 3
with other students at home. Personally having attended Saint Edward Public Schools,
Google Documents was very helpful and useful. Instead of having to print off a copy of
a document, you were able to share it with your teacher. It also made group projects
more efficient because students could be working on the same document without
actually getting together.
A new technology system Saint Edward Public Schools implemented in 2013
was School Reach. This program allows faulty and school staff to create mass
messages and sent them to all the parents and students. Faculty were also able to
leave a voicemail of a pre-recorded message if necessary. This technology is extremely
helpful in Amber Alerts, school lock downs, snow days, and relaying information about
sporting events. For finances, this school district uses a program called Harris Data
Team. The program is specifically designed for schools and has advanced security
measures for this reason.
An important aspect of any plan is to monitor its progress. Saint Edward Public
Schools has five main goals for the use of their technology implemented throughout the
building. They also monitor their progress towards achieving these goals throughout the
year to ensure devices are being used efficiently. The first goal is for K-12 students to
have computer access to improve reading, mathematics, and writing skills. This goal is
achieved by all high school students going 1:1 with computers, and a computer lab is
available for K-6 students. According to the last report, this goal has 51-99% significant
progress.
The second goal Saint Edward Public Schools has is enhanced teaching.
Through on-going technology training, teachers are up-to-date on the latest

4. Technology Plan Survey 4
technologies to implement in their classrooms. The newest technologies teachers are
using are Mobi devices and Mimioview, which improve student participation and
instructional practices. This goal is also in the 51-99% significant progress range based
on the most recent survey. To provide educational technology is the third goal. This
includes the technologies and program included in their technology infrastructure, which
give this goal a 51-99% significant progress rating.
Faculty development in regards to technology is also important to Saint Edward
Public Schools. To ensure this training takes place, they have professionals come on-
site to help teachers use their own computers and tablets. They also have ESU7
(Educational Service Unit District 7) provide professional development opportunities
through online computer courses so teachers can advance their education. This goal
was set in the 51-99% significant progress range. The final technology goal is to create
21st Century learners. This is done through the development of long-distance learning
and web-based instruction. These practices offer students more classes to take, and
improve their technology skills. As with the previous goals, this goal also reaches the
55-91% Significant Progress range.
Ongoing development and future plans are important to any technology plan.
Unfortunately, Saint Edward Public Schools does not have a 3-5 year technology plan.
After asking their technology head why this was, he responded that in 3-5 years they
will probably be joined with another school due to decreasing class sizes. If they do
consolidate with another school, they would more than likely adopt their technology
plan. Until they do consolidate, I personally think they should still conduct a 3-5 year

5. Technology Plan Survey 5
plan. This ensures that they are still wanting to improve on their goals listed above and
offer students with the best technology devices and programs available.
To further my information on Saint Edward Public Schools technology plan, I
decided to interview Mr. Lyons, the school’s superintendent and technology department
head. Unfortunately, I was unable to conduct a face to face interview due to scheduling
and Mr. Lyons’ medical issues. I was able to e-mail him a few questions, and conduct a
virtual interview. A majority of the interview consisted of reviewing the technology plan
so I could gain a better understanding of it. I also asked him what his favorite
technology program the school implemented was. In response, he said his favorite
program was School Reach because he was able to communicate with students and
their parents in a quick and efficient manner. He also said he likes PowerSchool
because parents are also able to access student’s grades which eliminates problems
with poor student/parent communication.
In the future I plan on becoming a Speech Language Pathologist, and I hope to
work in a school district like Saint Edward Public Schools. Due to Saint Edward’s size,
they do not have a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist. Instead, Mrs. Barb Olson is
only on-site on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was also not able to interview her in person
because of her schedule, but I was able to send her a couple of e-mails. When I asked
her what new technologies were being used in the SLP field, she said fluency,
phonology, and articulation applications on iPads were the most helpful. When
programs are on a tablet rather than paper, students seem to be more interested.
Overall, I was impressed with Saint Edward Public Schools technology plan. The
school district implemented a lot of technologies and programs to improve the education

6. Technology Plan Survey 6
of their students and provide resources for its faculty. I was also impressed with the
school’s goals to further technology integration inside of their building and create 21st
Century learners. Having personally attended Saint Edward Public Schools, we were
always being taught how to use different devices and programs in computer classes.
Teachers were also starting to use different instructional tools such as Mobi devices and
Smart Boards. I personally think this school is doing an excelled job of introducing their
students to new technologies, and I hope to work in a school district similar to Saint
Edward Public Schools in the future.