Running Head: SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

A Shared Vision for Technology in the STEM Program at McIntosh High School

Larry Singleton
ITEC 7410
Summer 2015
Kathryn Shields, Ed.S

Keywords: STEM, technological, global environment, soft skills, and student centered

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

A Shared Vision for Technology in the STEM Program at McIntosh High School
Vision Statement
A diverse population of students in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math) Program at McIntosh High School will develop the technological skills needed
to be capable of living and working effectively, responsibly and productively in a global
environment.
The italicized portion of this vision statement is taken directly from the Fayette
County Board of Education Strategic Plan (Fayette County Board of Education, 2015)
Rationale
This vision is specifically focused on the students in McIntoshs STEM Program
and the development of technological skills. The diversity of students in the program is
also important because of the traditional underrepresentation of females in STEM careers.
Both of those changes to the County Vision are needed to narrow the focus to the needs
of students in the STEM Program teaching/learning environment at McIntosh. The
overall scope of the County Vision sets a high bar for what the program strives to
accomplish for the future of those students.
Without delving deeply into the visions three adverbs, that narrow the scope of
living and working, consider the overall domain of their collective reference.
Effectiveness, responsibility and productivity fit into a domain that is commonly referred
to as soft skills. Many employers in the global environment of business and industry
today are searching for job applicants who have the interpersonal skills, enthusiasm and
motivation that lead to success in careers. (Shultz, 2012) This rationale seems contrary to
the traditional notion that student success is defined by performance in math, science and

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

language hard skills. In fact, the Strategic Plan of Fayette County is centered on student
achievement measured by test scores and does not have any Strategic Priorities focused
on those soft skills described in the vision. This STEM Program vision is aimed at
bringing those important skills into focus and guiding the strategies of a technology plan
aimed at the fulfillment of such a vision.
Our STEM Program will be grouping students into cohorts that represent a small
portion of our total student body. Those cohorts will potentially share many classes over
the course of their secondary education. BusinessDictionary.com defines soft skills using
other terms such as Communicating, conflict management, human relations, making
presentations, negotiating, team building and other such ability, defined in terms of
expected outcomes and not as a specific method or technique such as statistical analysis.
(Web Finance, Inc., 2015) Many of these skill-sets leverage technology in our global
environment and that is where our STEM Program should focus; on the development of
soft skills in a technological environment. Soft skills training that is embedded into hard
skills courses is effective, and can be an efficient way to realize achievement gains in
both types of skills. (Schultz, 2008) Programs that enhance soft skills have
an important place in an effective portfolio of public policies.
(Heckman & Kautz, 2012) This shared vision will guide the policies and
practices that shape and prepare the STEM students at McIntosh to be
capable of living and working effectively, responsibly and productively in a technological
global environment.
Diversity Considerations

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

McIntosh High School is located in an affluent suburb of Atlanta and only a small
percentage of our students are economically disadvantaged. Nevertheless, it is important
that this group be represented in the initial cohort of students enrolled in the program.
Teachers must be sensitive to the technology gap that could potentially affect the
performance of those low SES (socioeconomic status). We must acknowledge that the
gap, with respect to internet access and computer hardware, has been significantly
reduced over the course of many years and government programs aimed at bridging that
gap. Over 82% of American homes with school-age children have broadband access.
(Pew Research Center, 2015) That aspect of the gap will likely continue to close over the
course of time and with increasing affordability of the hardware and service costs. A goal
of providing Chromebooks to all students will certainly bridge the hardware portion of
that gap, and efforts to ensure that every student has broadband access at home should be
addressed with parents on an individual basis to find a suitable solution. Our STEM
Program focus will be on the structure of a teaching/learning environment that compels
all students, of any SES, to actively engage in homework that requires connectivity.
The traditional underrepresentation of females in secondary STEM courses and
STEM careers is also an issue we intend to address. A strategy of pursuing continual
and intentional efforts to make certain the doors are as wide open for female students as
for male students (Creighton, 2003, p. 14) will guide our efforts in this respect.
Stakeholder Roles
We have a unique opportunity with our Strategic Plan to break out of the
traditional strategies focused on student achievement and shift the focus of our efforts to
the greater vision of equipping students with soft skills along with knowledge. That shift

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starts with a concerted effort to actively involve every category of stakeholder in

planning, implementation and analysis. We intend to find representatives from the local
business/industry community, regional post-secondary institutions, students and parents
from middle and high school levels, and county system level directors and/or
coordinators in addition to the logical inclusion of McIntosh teachers and administrators.
The involvement of stakeholders from such far reaching categories of interest is
imperative in supporting the soft skill focus for the rationale of this vision. That process
will initially involve the participation of many stakeholders in a vision survey that will
guide an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities and lead to the
formation of goals & objectives, strategies & action plans, and stakeholder roles that
represent the collective wisdom of all stakeholders. That initial survey will be similar to
the vision survey sent to STEM Team members prior to the creation of this document.
The questions and responses to that survey are summarized in Appendix A.
Adaptability, Sustainability and Scalability
We have added this section to this vision report because the overall long-term
success of a Technology Plan and the STEM Program at McIntosh High School must also
address the need adaptability, sustainability and scalability of the process. We live in
times of rapid change and new programs often fail to grow or even survive because they
are not capable of adapting to those changes. A framework for quality of what we
accomplish in this effort must include methods of measuring the programs effectiveness
and usefulness. (Confrey, Sabelli, & Sheingold, 2002) We share a powerful vision, and a
common desire to build a program that will grow in numbers over a sustained period of

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time by continually adapting to changes in technology and environmental factors at our
school.

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

References
Confrey, J., Sabelli, N., & Sheingold, k. (2002). A Framework fo Quality in
Educational Technology Programs. Educational Technology,
Abstract.
Creighton, T. B. (2003). The Principal as Technology Leader. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. A Sage Publications Company.
Fayette County Board of Education. (2015, June). Fayette Vision 20/20.
Retrieved from FCBOE:
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/StrategicPlan/PlanDetail.aspx
?S=4067&PID=2160
Heckman, J. J., & Kautz, T. D. (2012). Hard Evidence on Soft Skills.
Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w18121
Pew Research Center. (2015, April 20). The numbers behind the
broadband 'homework gap'. Retrieved from PewResearchCenter:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/20/the-numbersbehind-the-broadband-homework-gap/
Schultz, B. (2008). The Importance of Soft Skills: Education beyond
Academic Knowledge. Journal of Language & Communications,
Abstract.
Shultz, N. (2012, September 19). Hard unemployment truths about
'soft' skills. Retrieved from American Enterprise Institute:
https://www.aei.org/publication/hard-unemployment-truthsabout-soft-skills/
Web Finance, Inc. (2015). Soft Skill. Retrieved from
BusinessDictionary.com:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/soft-skill.html

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AppendixA

A Shared Vision for Technology in the McIntosh STEM Program

Survey Results
6-26-2015
Here are the initial participation results from Administration and STEM
Team members who received the survey. A decision to survey other
stakeholders, as shown below, with this or a different instrument is an
option we should collectively consider as we work toward forming our
Vision Statement for the program.

The following questions assume that students have Internet access for
working on assignments after school; either at home or some other
community facility with the available connectivity. You do not have to
respond to every question; it's OK to skip ahead!
Please answer the following questions with short bullet
point types of responses.
Digital Tools: What is your vision for computers provided to STEM students?

Desktop computers in labs

1:1 distribution/access
They can plan a roll in some activities.
Students would be responsible for their own personal computers but
may borrow MHS technology while on campus.
Students could use their own personal computer but would also be
allowed access to Chromebooks at school.
All STEM students should have a Chromebook.
Updated, most current software and programs needed

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Digital Skills: How would you characterize the computer skills that students in our
STEM program should be expected to master?
Inventor, robotic programming
Proficient research, composition, and data collection skills
I do not have a specific target. I think they should be able to master
skills to the level expected in a relevant activity.
Students are expected to already have mastered Word, Excel and
Google Docs
Google Apps; MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Cloud Storage
Far beyond basic skills, learn how to communicate via the computer
using email and social media, spreadsheets

Teaching/Learning Environment: Describe one important component of a

technologically oriented teaching/learning environment?
I believe that classes that need the use of technology need to have it
provided in the classroom and that BYOT should be phased out of our
system
Common compatibility and access
Students, like it or not, are digitally dependent
Internet and computer access
Students and teachers have access to internet and computers.
Courses are delivered via Blackboard LMS
Teacher education

Teaching/Learning Methods/Strategies: Describe one important

teaching/learning method/strategy to be utilized in our STEM program?
Submitting everything through the new LMS
Data collection and analysis
Cross- curriculum studies
Inquiry labs and research projects
Inquiry labs
Project Based (Constructivist) Learning
Integration of all curriculum within other disciplines

Integrated Curriculum: Describe one example of how different courses in STEM

can be integrated.
It needs to be an application process
Thematic instruction, product-based assessments
Could write a program to analyze data, use mathematics to calculate
probabilities, and use language arts to write a summary of the findings
Physics and trigonometry in construction
Math is consistently integrated in many science labs
Students work on the same bridge design project in Physics,
Trigonometry and Engineering Concepts

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Collaboration: Describe one example of collaboration needed within the STEM

Program.
Cross curriculum collaboration, large projects that incorporate several
classes
Instructional planning and coordinated assessments
Collaboration among different subjects to assign a single semester
long project
Physics and trigonometry in construction projects
Teachers of math and science can collaborate to incorporate the same
skills within one particular project.
Online digital collaboration on a project assignment with students from
another school
Common planning for STEM teachers

Authenticity: Describe one example of incorporating real world authenticity into

the STEM Program.
Proper use of a LMS that students can receive quick feedback
Product development
Students would work in teams to complete projects as is often done in
the real world.
Students analyze data and prepare graphical reports from STEM
Program student surveys
Partnerships/internships with businesses

Diversity: Provide a brief vision statement of how the STEM Program should
address student diversity.
Nontraditional students should be encouraged to join the stem
program
Students with diverse backgrounds, but similar interests, can work
collaboratively to master STEM content and produce STEM outcomes
that promote equity and access.
I do feel the program will have to actively "recruit" some students who
grew up in homes that did not have college educated parents. Many
students such as that just don't know of all the opportunities that are
out there for them
I believe the MHS STEM Program should attempt to target a
proportional balance in both gender and race.
I don't think student diversity should be a factor in the first year or so.
Students are selected into the program based on their potential (if
possible to assess?) to succeed, not on past achievement

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