Briar Meadow Charter School
Houston Independent School District
Address: 3601 Dunvale, Houston, Texas 7706
Voice: 713-458-5500
Fax: 713-458-5563
Web: http://www.briarmeadowtechnology.com
Planning Team
Campus Facilitators
Fred Slone, Campus Technology Specialist, Videographer
Cheryl Hullaby, Kindergarten Teacher, School Webmaster
Linda Carlson, Intermediate Teacher, Lead Science Teacher
Laura Boston, Librarian, Master Technology Teacher
Peter Heinze, Principal
District Support
Linda Sears, Technology and Information Services
Pat Collins, Technoloy and Information Services
Ada Rivera, Instructional Technology Secondary
Elizabeth Perrin, Instructional Technology Elementary
Demographics
Briarmeadow opened its doors in 1997 to 150 students in grades K-3. The school was a joint
effort of a group of teachers, parents, and administrators to relieve overcrowding in the West District. Located in a section
of a YMCA campus, the school quickly outgrew the space. Today, the school has over 400 students in grades PreK-8. .
A substantial portion of the students come from families who chose this school for
its technology driven curriculum.
A recent survey revealed 60% of students were highly proficient in basic computing skills, and 40% were beyond
expectations or clearly outstanding.
Our Strategic Vision
Campus Technology Integration Statement
At Briarmeadow, technology is used to enhance teacher and student productivity,creative
expression, efficiency, communication, and to access information. The Technology Scope and Sequence we have developed focuses
on three broad areas; 1.) Reserach, 2.) Organization, and 3.) Publishing. These three areas are used as a foundation to build
upon educational processes that already exist in the classroom.
scope and sequence
We are in the fourth year of a four year $246,000 Technology Immersion Pilot Grant to help
us to further integrate technology into our already dynamic Middle School Program. We are one of 25 schools in the state
given this wonderful opportunity. The funds will be used for professional development activities, conferences, and equipment.
We also have an Intel Master Teacher on staff who conducted the" Intel Teaching Thinking with Technology" class
during the first semester of this year.
This spring we are piloting the online Math curriculum "Reasoning
Minds"
and plan to do a full implementation of the program next year.
Campus Technology Mission Statement
The mission of BCS is to be at the forefront of technology and learning. The teachers are committed to participating
in ongoing professional development to enhance their technology skills. We will make technology available in every classroom
and to every student, teacher, and staff member. All aspects of the technology plan will be created to accommodate individual
learning styles so that all students attain success. We will regularly review and revise our plan to meet student and teacher
needs and wants.
Campus Technology Vision Statement
We want our classrooms to be a place where students can get the information they want, when they want it,
and have the equipment and guidance to use that information in creative, unique ways. Our visionary curriculum will include
multiple presentation and organization methods for assignments, production of desktop videos, and students that are skilled
in the use of the internet. We want a communication system that allows our students to be able to network with libraries ,
museums, and classrooms all around the world. We want our teachers, students, and parents to have online access to assignments,
records, and school information. We would like to provide technical support that is quickly and easily accessible. Our vision
is to have highly motivated and technology proficient teachers and students.
We are in a unique and wonderful position, the technology has been placed in our hands,
our rooms are 100% connected to the internet, we have over 150 laptops, 2 wireless laptop carts, 2 fully equipped multimedia
labs with PC's, iMacs, laptop computers, video production, printers, scanners and editing equipment. We want to have a plan
that is fresh and keeps us motivated . We envision a strong and supportive group of parents, business, and community members
to further our curriculum goals.
Short Term Goals for Immediate
Application
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Provide a Campus Curriculum Integration Technologist to design presentations, conduct onsite workshops,
and demonstrate lessons to students and staff concurrently.
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Have a website that serves not only the staff and students of Briarmeadow but also the entire learning community
and that is updated on a daily basis.
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Update software and "Deep-Freeze" all student and teacher laptops and desktops.
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Form a STAT (student technical assistance team) to help with troubleshooting and computer upgrades.
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Get E-mail accounts for all students in grades 6-8.
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Create Podcasts of school events to be posted on our Podcast Web Site and on iTunes.
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Start a morning "Internet Cafe" for early arrivals.
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Provide monthly technology opportunities for Teachers to maintain skills.
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Create and maintain electronic portfolios on the school server for all students in grades 3-8.
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Use TIP funds to send all Middle School Teachers to the Texas Computer Educators Conference in Austin.
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Communicate office notices, staff info, and memorandums via e-mail.
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Upgrade technology in Middle School classrooms.
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Deliver online content to students via Middle School Class Web Sites.
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Have all Middle School Teachers complete an online course in digital media integration.
Long Term Goals to Achieve Vision Statement
1. Use technology to efficiently communicate:
a) within our school
b) between school and home
c) between school and community
2. Bridge the gap between technical capabilities of staff.
3. Have paperless classrooms with electronic management of assignments, data collection
, grade books, and calendars.
4. Have an established technology budget.
5. Conduct virtual staff meetings .
6. Produce students that can improve their education by maintaining web
sites, using e-mail, appropriately searching the internet, and creating dazzling presentations.
