Priorities from Gap Analysis
Of all the items listed in the gap analysis, the top three priorities include funding, internet bandwidth, and policies. Others items are important, but these three are the most pressing and the three that would have the most significant impact on the student success. The device selection, professional development, software, technology integration and infrastructure discussions are all vital to the success of the project and will be addressed. At this point, most of these are already being addressed or have been planned for. Without funding, the project cannot move forward. We are fortunate to have the ability to secure a loan for the amount required for this project. The available funding will cover the cost of the devices and some infrastructure items. The limiting factor of no internet is already impacting student learning. While students can access the Blackboard learn server while at school, the plan calls for students using the schools firewall even when they are at home. Internet access is vital for looking things up, watching educational video lessons, and many free educational learning tools. This project has afforded the opportunity to devise a new acceptable use policy. Inadequate planning for policies and procedures could bring the whole program to a stop. We have had many brainstorming sessions to determine what scenarios might happen with this implementation. As such, we have determined how we will handle each one. The acceptable use policy addresses many issues pertaining to common issues, including damage and loss. For the most part, the device will be considered school property and will be treated as such. When considering school property, if a student damaged or lost a textbook, disciplinary and financial consequences would be administered. The laptop and other technical devices would fall under the same disciplinary and financial consequences as other district equipment