Alex Facciponte's Week 5 Blog Post EDU 5373

 Alex Facciponte's Week 5 Blog Post EDU 5373


Although internet access is not directly included in my plan, it still could provide various positive impacts on my community. About 92.3% of my students within the district have broadband internet access at home (NCES. 2022). While that is a high concentration of students that do have access, it still means a few hundred students are left out of internet access. Providing broadband internet to everyone can create a higher quality education (Department of Commerce, n.d.). It can allow for our students to be more competitive in terms of global impacts as well (Department of Commerce, n.d.). It can also create substantial economical impacts (Department of Commerce, n.d.). Providing broadband internet can help create more high quality paying jobs (Department of Commerce, n.d.). It can also provide various opportunities for people to sharpen their craft through skills development opportunities (Department of Commerce, n.d.).

Both the ISTE and Crossland readings support ideas for my technology integration plan. I am trying to allow students to have access to more updated devices so they can have engaging learning experiences (Crossland et al., 2018). In terms of universal accessible design, these updated devices can give learning opportunities for everyone (Crossland et al., 2018). Although technology is not directly spelled out in federal law, the department of justice and education agree that it coincides with it (Crossland et al., 2018). Technology is required to be kept up with as it is developing (Crossland et al., 2018). This is the ultimate goal of my project. I do not want students to fall behind in their educational progress because they do not have sufficient device access to keep up. These updated devices can help to reduce barriers for learning so all students can succeed (Crossland et al., 2018). As for ISTE, they have standards in place that allows for there to be a careful evaluation of technology that is to be implemented (ISTE, 2020). I would like to do this in my plan to engage all stakeholders to be a part of the process of what technology should be included regarding various hardwares or softwares. In my plan I also plan to incorporate relevant professional development for teachers (ISTE, 2020). I believe that there are times teachers believe that some professional development sessions do not have to do with them and they become disengaged. Instead, I will ask for their feedback on what they would like to cover in terms of technology so they can create a sense of confidence when utilizing this technology.

A funding option that I believe could be beneficial is looking into the state digital equity planning grant program. This grant helps to provide resources for digital literacy (Department of Commerce, n.d.). As seen in my needs assessment, students struggle with basic digital literacy and care of devices. Also, a majority of students and the community are of a racial minority in being hispanic (NCES, 2022). At times, there can be a language barrier that can occur as well which is why I see this grant being a potential fit here in my district (Department of Commerce, n.d.). Another source of funding I think could be effective is the Smart Schools Bond Act. The act provides funding to improve educational technology expenditures (NYSED, 2025). To get this approved, our technology integration plan needs to get approved by the state to make sure we align with their standards (NYSED, 2025). Ultimately, I believe these two sources of funding could be effective in trying to budget my plan.

From what I understand in my current schools budget, the school receives funding from E-rate, general state aid that is not specified, and computer software and hardware aid (Patchogue-Medford School District, 2025). As for expenditures the total technology budget looks to be about 71,500 dollars (Patchogue-Medford School District, 2025). There are much larger expenditures for the high school than the others (Patchogue-Medford School District, 2025). I am assuming this is because more students attend the high school. I did notice that there are 0 dollars allocated to each of the middle schools in terms of technology education equipment (Patchogue-Medford School District, 2025). This would not help to sustain the developing field of technology and my technology integration plan hopes to change that.

References

ACS School District Profile 2018-22. (2022) Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/Programs/Edge/ACSDashboard/3622470#

Crossland, A., Gray, T., and Reynold, J. (2018). ESSA and digital learning: Closing the digital accessibility gap. American Institute for Research. Retrieved from: ED602482.pdf

Department of Commerce. (n.d.). Internet for All. Retrieved from https://www.internetforall.gov/

ISTE. (2020). Using ESSA to fund Edtech: Getting the most out of the Title IV-A. Retrieved from: [2020 UPDATES] USING ESSA TO FUND EDTECH.pdf


Patchogue Medford School District Adopted Expenditure Budget. (2024). Retrieved from: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1729526277/pmschoolsorg/jop0igtgmjgwtt7no7ol/2024-2025_Adopted_Expenditure_Budget.pdf

Patchogue Medford School District Revenue Budget Projection . (2024). Retrieved from: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1729526277/pmschoolsorg/ivqrggpkcq0jcuqpcm2o/2024-2025_Adopted_Revenue_Budget.pdf

Smart schools bond act. New York State Education Department. (2025). Retrieved from: https://www.nysed.gov/edtech/smart-schools-bond-act

Comments

  1. bbarker1223323April 19, 2025 at 2:21 AM

    The absence of funding for middle school technology education equipment is definitely concerning. If middle schoolers aren’t exposed to meaningful technology education, it’s much harder to build the skills and confidence needed for more advanced high school programs or future tech careers. I like that your technology integration plan aims to address this — redistributing funds or finding alternative grants and partnerships for middle schools could make a real difference.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chas BeelerApril 19, 2025 at 12:14 PM

    Alex,

    That smart schools bond act seems like a great way to address some of your district's aging devices. However, I would be surprised if your district's entire technology budget is only $71,500. After looking at your district's projected expenditures, I would guess those expenditures are for curricular costs that pertain to the technology education program rather than equipment, software, and personnel costs. I'd try digging into the following account codes on your expenditure sheet: 1620, 1621, 1670, and 2610-2612.

    Best,
    Chas

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brad ButtryApril 20, 2025 at 10:43 AM

    Hi Alex, In my field, we’re seeing the same urgent need for up-to-date devices and accessible design. Like your students, our aircrew trainees come from very different digital backgrounds, which creates large equity gaps in learning. I found your idea about involving teachers in shaping their PD really relatable. We do something similar by getting instructor input before building our digital literacy onboarding. Your approach to stakeholder collaboration is solid! it’s exactly the kind of feedback loop we’re building with instructors and command leadership to make training more effective.

    ReplyDelete

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