Hassan Kariem

FRIT 7739

Warren T. Jackson Elementary Program Evaluation

Executive Summary
Warren T Jackson elementary is a two campus elementary school located in the
Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Ga. This is a school of excellence, an institution that
has earned distinctions as a National Blue Ribbon School, a Georgia School of
Excellence, and an International Baccalaureate(IB) World School. These high
educational standards define the culture at Jackson Elementary. Information
Communication Technologies enables worldwide access to primary and secondary
sources of data. It offers technical equipment, communication options, and
environments to reflect on their learning experience by using appropriate software,
virtual learning environments, and school intranet.(ib document reference)
The technology lab is at the core of these standards. Students use the resources in the
lab to create presentations, research information, and communicate with students
around the world.
Organizational Chart

Methods

Hassan Kariem
FRIT 7739

The technology center at Jackson Elementary was evaluated using various sources of
information. This information was then evaluated to reflect how effective the center is at
assisting students and fulfilling their IB learning goals. The following sources were used
in the evaluation:
Technology Center Survey
Interview of Technology Coordinator
Interview of Technology Instructor
IB Exhibition Website - http://www.ibo.org/
Observation during site visit.
Technology Center Goals
The technology center at Warren T. Jackson elementary main focus is supporting
students and educators align their academics with an international standard of
excellence. It does this by enriching both students and staff with various high tech
solutions to achieve their learning goals.
The technology instructor promotes this alignment by focusing lessons on how to use
technology to research, create, and present learning artifacts for fifth grade exhibition, a
culmination of students studies through each unit they have participated in since their
kindergarten year.
Technology Center Staff
Technology Coordinator- Managers technology resources and collaborates with
instructors in the incorporation of technology in their lessons. Responsible for making
decisions about what technology to purchases and manages technology inventory.
Media Center Specialist- Assists students and teachers with identifying resources they
will need for research. Organizes all items in the media center including technology
resources and literature.
Media Center Assistant - Assists Media Center specialist in the organization of resources
in the technology center. Assists with the management of student research and inquiry.

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FRIT 7739

Technology Instructor- Teaches students how to use technology to express ideas,

research, and create content for their fifth grade exhibition. Provides a foundation of IT
skills needed to be an effective learner in the digital age.
Equipment:

A. Main Computer Lab

The technology center is run by the technology coordinator Kelly Maguire. In her main
lab she has 30 PC computers, 2 laser jet printers, 1 color printer with a scanner, a
Promethean board and a laptop cart that houses 40 Macbook Laptops, and 20 ipads.
She also has 4 spare PCs for replacements. Each computer has headphones with
integrated microphones.

B. Mac Lab

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FRIT 7739

The second lab contains only Mac computers. It has 26 desktops, a printer, and a
Promethean board. Students can request headphones in this lab as well. The lab also
houses various other hardware: (5 digital cameras, 3 portable color printers, 5 digital
video cameras)
All computers have the Microsoft Office Suite, internet capabilities, and other learning
assistant software.
The computers in the Mac lab all have Adobe Suite software like Photoshop,
Dreamweaver, and Fireworks.

The iPad tablets are signed out by the Media Center Specialist at teachers request. These
all contain various educational Apps.

Evaluation
The technology center is available for all student and staff Monday- Friday, 7:30 am3:00pm. On Wednesday this time is extended by 30 mins to accommodate afterschool
tutoring . The Media Center Specialist and Media Center Assistant are ever present in
the main area of the technology center dedicated to the reading materials. The
technology teacher runs the main computer lab in the technology center and students
come to her for their specials classes. The technology coordinator is responsible for
managing the resources of both the main computer lab and the Mac lab. Students are
allowed to be in the Mac lab at anytime without direct supervision. The media center
caters to 600 students and 25 teachers grades 2-5 daily. The main computer lab hosts 5
classes a day which is approximately 150 students. The Mac Lab is used at students and
teachers discretion.
The technology center survey revealed that teachers feel as though the staff is supportive
and that the resources that they have access to are beyond satisfactory. Teachers
revealed that they mostly use the lab to create media rich content for class work like
websites and videos. Since every classroom has their own computers, lab time is
reserved for specials classes, student free time, class wide assignments, and research.
This information reveals that the lab is functioning well within the confines of its goals
of providing students and instructors with support in creating an effective and enriching
ib learning environment.
The interview with the Technology Coordinator revealed that the school has a great
support system of parents and sponsors. Sponsors have provided the school with

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FRIT 7739

millions of dollars in equipment and renovation. She expressed that the most difficult
part of her job is using all of these resources in an effective way. She gave an example of
the Mac Laptop cart. The laptops had been purchased with a grant from Georgia Tech
and for a whole year they sat relatively unused. It wasn't until the Challenges (gifted)
instructor asked for them for his robotics lesson that they really began to use the Mac
Laptops. These laptops are now primarily used by him for coding.

The interview with the technology teacher revealed that the resources in the main
computer lab are mostly dedicated to teaching students the basic IT skills they will need
in order to create a quality exhibition. Her focus of instruction is teaching students the
basic of Microsoft Office Suite( Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.) and sharpening their
typing skills. Since the school has so many resources she expressed that teachers rarely
depend on her for collaborative lessons. She says the most difficult part of her job is
making sure that class activity doesnt get too boring. She also expressed a desire to
teach them how to use more web 2.0 tools. Currently she is teaching them how to use
Prezi.

Recommendation
Technology Director
The technology center is so well equipped that one could say that it is over-equipped.
Every classroom has its own computers, there are two fully functioning computer labs,
laptop cart, iPads and a plethora of other hardware that teachers and students can use.
The technology coordinator expressed how much of issue it was figuring out how to
effectively consolidate the technology that they have.
A technology director would have the educational and professional background to
perform the proper assessment needed to gauge how technology can be properly used.
This would result in a more effective technology plan. A cart full of MacBooks
remaining unused for a year would never happen under the proper guidance of a
Technology Director.
Another issue that A director would remedy is finding avenues for the technology
teacher and other staff to collaborate on a grander scale. One of the key tenets of IB is
collaboration amongst staff. Focusing on IT skills is great but the digital world is

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FRIT 7739

expanding and as such students should be utilizing the amazing resources web 2.0
provide to sharpen their skills in coding, communication, and design.

Appendix
Technology Survey
This survey was dispersed amongst the 5th Grade teachers at Warren T. Jackson
elementary via Google Forms. Each answer is rated on a scale of 1-5.
1. How often do you use the the technology/ media center?
2. How satisfied are you with the overall quality of the technology/media center
equipment?
3. How confident are you in the technology/media centers staff ability to assist you
with your needs?
4. How satisfied are you with the availability of the technology/media center?
5. How satisfied are you with the physical layout of the technology/media center?

Interview Questions
I used the following questions to conduct an interview with both the Technology
Coordinator and Technology teacher.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

How long have you been the technology coordinator/ technology teacher?
How has your experience been so far?
What do you feel is the easiest part of your job? Why? Give an example.
What do you feel is the toughest part of your job? Why? Give and example.
What is the most important role of your occupation?
Do you feel that you are supported in your role?
Can you give me an example of how you use technology to fulfil your role?