Bryker Woods PTA

TTF Final Report
The Technology Task Force presented its final report to Bryker Woods parents and teachers at a meeting on April 14th. TTF chair Kent Odland explained the task force’s mission and findings. Much of the discussion centered on how Bryker Woods teachers currently use technology in their teaching and the impact a technology specialist at the school could have.

Based on its research, the TTF recommends that Bryker Woods hire a full-time technology instruction specialist:

Bryker Woods’ Technology Task Force finds that a Instructional Technology Specialist would help ensure all students have equal access to and mastery of technology TEKS. (See Research section for TEKS summaries.) The TTF recommends that the school find monies from outside funding sources (grants, local business donations, AISD budget) as well as possibly from within the school and PTA budget, to hire a permanent, fulltime, teaching-accredited Instructional Technology Specialist, drawing upon the successful strategies at other AISD schools.

Thanks to the members of the TTF for their excellent work on the school’s behalf: Kent Odland, Dee Susong, Janeen Irwin, Matt Nelson, Amy Whitsell, Anne Heinen and Mr. Arce. Everyone who attended the meeting was impressed by the professionalism and the quality of their efforts. The text of the executive summary follows after the break. The entire report is available via the link above. Executive Summary

To ensure Bryker Woods Elementary remains “The Best School in our Town”, it needs to develop new strategies for meeting the escalating and wide-ranging technology needs of its students and faculty. Currently, the development of technology curriculum and maintenance of functional hardware and software are the responsibility of classroom teachers. Many teachers are unable to devote the appropriate attention to these tasks, and, as a result, students are not always provided with challenging or engaging technology opportunities. A Bryker Woods Technology Task Force (TTF) was formed to identify the best practices of other AISD schools and to make a recommendation based on its findings.

A team of TTF members began by contacting other schools with similar demographics to determine how these campuses meet state requirements known as Texas Education Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as well as individual technology demands. Team members interviewed technology representatives at eleven different campuses to determine the schools’ approaches for maintaining appropriate support. When applicable, questions were also asked regarding financial and funding strategies. TTF members also had the opportunity to interview Susan Monahan, an AISD Instructional Technology Facilitator, to further clarify the District’s long-range support plans.

Based on the data collected, the TTF concluded that it would be in Bryker Woods’ best interest to locate funds to hire an Instructional Technology Specialist. A job description was developed to identify job duties and to ensure that candidates have appropriate qualifications to meet the needs of faculty and students. As a next step, a Funding Task Force was formed to create strategies for financing the position long-term until other permanent funding sources were in place.