Forsyth County Public Schools in Georgia
Building for the Future: Crafting a New Education Enterprise • April 18-20, 2004
Located north of Atlanta in one of the nation's fastest growing counties and currently the fastest growing school system in the state, Forsyth County County Schools has built a new education enterprise that embraces a digital world. Our vision is for students to be prepared for life in the 21st Century through their ability to use computer-based technologies to access information and enhance personal achievement. Building for the future means using classroom technology that promotes an active learning environment where students use technology to engage in authentic learning.
Forsyth's blueprint for success means that students are consistently engaged in the learning process through authentic problem solving and design. Our system's abundant technology resources help transport students beyond the experiences that have been possible in a traditional classroom.
The site visit will empower participants to hammer out a plan for success by determining the capacity needed for educational and administrative technology implementation and effective integration into the classroom. Strategies will be shared on how to best engage your community in making decisions regarding teacher training, hardware purchases, and software selection. In addition, organizational structures for technology support, roles and responsibilities for instructional technology specialists, and funding strategies will be considered. These strategies, combined with the horsepower of emerging technologies, will serve to help school boards identify high-leverage developmental activities to improve technology implementation district wide.
Forsyth's Technology Toolkit
- Building Classrooms for the Future: Planning and Designing for Tomorrow's Technologies
- Digital Outreach: Engaging Every Parent through Online Reports of Academic Progress
- Student Spotlight: Engaging Student Writing by Using Online Writing Portfolios
- Managing Student Data Using a Comprehensive Student Information System
- Developing Quality Work for Students through Collaborative Online Unit Design
- Automating Food Services Point of Sale
21st Century Teaching
- Improving Instruction: Building and Defining the Role of the School-Level Instructional Technology Specialist
- School and Teacher Web Sites: Information Delivery Systems Without Learning HTML
- Targeting Instruction Using Interactive Whiteboards
- Developing Writing Fluency in a Digital World
- Increasing Engagement and Achievement in Science through Model Classrooms
- Building the Future Electronically through Professional Learning: Forsyth's Focused Choice Model
Administering the Enterprise
- Building Support Among All Stakeholders: Strategic Planning with Your Community
- Addressing Limited English Proficiency Students
- WebCentricity — Connecting the Education Enterprise Online
- Managing Professional Development and Online Learning
- Leadership Academy
- Online Work Order System and Electronically Managed Warehouse and Maintenance Departments
Forsyth's Students: Natives of the Digital Age
- One to One Computing: The Challenge of Addressing 21st Century Students
- Student Video Production Center
- Iprofile: Anywhere, Anytime Student Information through Personal Digital Assistants
- Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Analyze Real-World Issues
- Developing a Quality Workforce: Apprenticeship Programs and Students Earning Industry Certifications
Cornerstones for a Successful School System
- Productivity Tools for Board Members
- "eBoard" Paperless Board Meetings
- On-line School Law and Policies
- Web/Electronic Communications for Community Engagement
- Online Legislative Input/Feedback with Daily Updates on Legislation
- Addressing NCLB: Evaluating and Tracking Student and Teacher Performance
- Paperless Recruiting and Hiring of Highly Qualified Educators
- Building Capacity for Technology Services
- Financial and Personnel Framework