The Technology Plan

Guilford County’s 2009 Technology Plan
The North Carolina Educational Technology Plan
Summary of Guilford County’s 2005 Technology Plan
Accomplishments of the 2005 Technology Plan (Coming Soon)
Accomplishments of the 2000 Technology Plan

In 2009, Guilford County Schools revised their long-range technology plan to address the five strategic priorities of the state and the goals of the district.

Recommendations of the 2009 Technology Plan include:

• Support the technology integration strategies identified in the district’s new Strategic Plan
• Replace computer equipment as outlined in the five-year replacement schedule
• Continue to expand wireless access in school sites
• Provide Web 2.0 tools that enhance the curriculum
• Implement new software applications such as Sharepoint, Moodle and Single Sign-on that improve communication, productivity and management of the learning environment
• Improve communication, productivity and management of the learning environment
• Implement individual student login, student email solution and digital storage for improved access and security
• Continue improvement of management systems including conversion of the media center management systems to Destiny
• Continue to update design specifications and provide full technology installations including audio-visual enhancements for classrooms in the construction and renovation projects included in the 2008 Bond Referendum
• Support Magnet School Assistance Program grant that includes technology as an integral part of these programs
• Install Voice Over IP telephone systems for school wide communications as outlined
• Expand the network operating center (NOC) and install a “greenhouse” air cooling system
• Support conversion of current student information system to the state-provided NCWise solution

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Guilford County's 2009 Technology Plan

To view the entire technology plan, select the following link:

Guilford County’s 2009 Technology Plan

The North Carolina Educational Technology Plan

As mandated by North Carolina law GS115C-102.6, North Carolina has developed a state educational technology plan to enhance teaching and learning within all its schools. 
Further, each local school district is required to submit an updated technology plan that is consistent with the priorities of the statewide plan.

The North Carolina Educational Technology Plan was designed to reflect North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Excellent Schools.  It was written to support and enhance the following defined priorities:

• Globally competitive students
• 21st Century professionals
• Healthy and responsible students
• leadership that will guide innovation
• 21st Century systems

To view North Carolina’s plan, select the following link:

North Carolina Educational Technology Plan

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Accomplishments of the 2005 Technology Plan

In response to the No Child Left Behind Legislation and other educational reform efforts, the focus of technology use changed. School districts revisited priorities for funding and other resources. Technology programs that provided individualized instruction and remediation were increasingly important. Technology was utilized in the area of assessment as well. With most classrooms networked, more web-based solutions were provided and network access and security became a priority. 

Accomplishments of the 2005 Plan include:

• Implemented assessment tools aligned with the NC Standard Course of Study for reading and math
• Received an Enhancing Education through Technology federal grant and provided Discovery Education Streaming, a video-on-demand service, to all classrooms.
• Deployed publisher-provided software for newly, adopted textbooks
• Installed Plato labs in all high schools for course recovery
• Provided computer connectivity for early and middle college programs
• Offered “short courses”, one- and two-hour training sessions designed to quickly introduce teachers to new technology
• Replaced computer equipment as outlined in the five-year replacement schedule
• Implemented a higher-bandwidth, fiber-based wide area network solution called Metro Ethernet
• Installed wireless “hot spots” in all middle and high schools
• Continued to investigate and employ network improvements and new security strategies such as clustering servers, consolidating server, subdividing school networks in Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), creating a “guest network” and installing intrusion protection systems (IPS)
• Evaluated alternatives and developed standards for audio visual enhancement equipment for classroom use
• Installed full technology packages, including audio visual enhancement equipment, in 23 major construction and renovation projects (2003 Bond Referendum)
• Installed cost-effective Voice Over IP (VOIP) systems for voice communications in 26 sites
• Expanded and developed web-based tools for administrative applications including new school nutrition management software, software for school operations such as leave-tracking, GCS Online portal for student information, online employee services and improved process for transfer of student information

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Accomplishments of the 2000 Technology Plan

During the fall of 2000, a technology planning committee revised Guilford County’s early Long-Range Technology Plan. Later, the district enlisted the help of a consulting firm specializing in technology for education to review the plan and to complete an internal strategic technology audit. Recommendations incorporated from the Technology Plan and the internal audit formed the basis for system-wide technology projects during the 2000 to 2005 timeframe. 

Prior to 2000, the number of computers had grown rapidly. Availability of instructional resources was a high priority in the 2000 Technology Plan. The district also needed to replace older equipment, network the remaining classrooms and improve manageability. Emphasis on network security, policies and virus protection were critical issues.

Major projects completed during the 2000 to 2005 timeframe included:

• Online searchable lesson plans aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study developed
• Software that supported the curriculum made available (Orchard, SuccessMaker, SAT Coach, NC WiseOwl, Kaleidoscope, SAS inSchool, NovaNet)
• Instructional Technology Facilitators funded at middle schools to assist student with preparation for the Computer Skills Test
• Teams of teachers participated in in-depth, immersion-type training programs (QUEST and QTL)
• 99.6% of all classrooms networked with high-speed access to the Internet
• Five-year computer replacement schedule implemented on a school-by-school basis
• Moved to an all-Windows environment
• Employed several networking standards and improvements:
• Technology Applications Review Committee (TARC) established to review and approve standards for hardware, software and network access
• Technology Policies and Procedures Manual written
• NetSupport Manager implemented for remote-control of desktops across the district
• Automated virus protection, centralized filtering, spam filtering, firewalls, DMZ and locked desktops employed
• Deployment and patch management software solutions installed to manage distribution of software application and upgrades
• Inventory management software used to collect configuration information
• Disaster Recovery Plan written, systems replicated systems and generators and UPS devices purchased
• Career and Technical Education program expanded to offer industry-standard certification courses I computer engineering and networking
• District web site reconstructed and Intranet created for protected applications
• Software purchased that enabled schools and teachers to easily create school web pages
• Improved the management systems of the district implementing a data warehouse for student information, online professional development system, telephone notification system for parents and web-based help desk system
• Developed standards and supported technology installations that were funded as an integral part of the 2000 Bond Referendum (47 schools)

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