People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by access to an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools, and the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
www.21stcenturyskills.org
Faculty and Staff: Click here to request technical support.
- Michael M. Wagman, Director-
x 1037
- Tony Bickert, Network
Manager- x 1025
- Jason Grubbs, Network
Engineer- x 1026
- Becca Luft, District Data Systems
Specialist- x 1007
- April Koss, Student Data Support- x 6382
- Jacque Kakareka, High School Tech
Support Specialist- x1038
- Patrick Voytko,
Middle School Tech Support
Specialist- x 3025
- David Bell, Elementary School Tech Support
Specialist- x 1032
- Joanne Crosby, Administrative Assistant to
Technology and HR- x 1060
The 21st centur
y classroom is a place not restricted to a physical space but where a school seeks to guarantee student proficiency in a core curriculum of knowledge and skills we believe will stand the test of time in a range of subject areas. More than that, it is a place that fosters the “productive habits of mind” that instill a love of learning in students, provide students with opportunities to work productively with others, think critically, solve problems both real and hypothetical, and demonstrate new learning in creative and innovative ways. It is a place where the fundamental relationship between student and teacher changes. In a world where what we know as fact often changes with new research and our collective body of knowledge grows exponentially, a teacher can no longer be the oracle of knowledge. Rather, teachers must model productive habits 
of mind through example, guidance, customization of instruction based on knowledge of student strengths and needs, and by the way units of study are constructed and learning assessed. This shift in thinking about classrooms is no small task and technology is a catalyst and a tool that can facilitate this shift. Technologies used in many modern classrooms allow teachers to move beyond the traditional textbook by using primary sources, demonstrate abstract concepts in ways students can grasp, bring the microscopic world to the human eye, simulate processes that could not be otherwise demonstrated, bring people from distant places into the classroom, take students, virtually, to almost anywhere, allow students to collaborate with others in their class, in another state or another country. Technologies available to our teachers and students open the door to anytime and anywhere access to our curric
ulum, to each other, and should compel us to change the nature of the questions we ask students to answer. It gives teachers the opportunity to assist students, who have the technology in their hands to reach out to the world, to understand that with that unprecedented power comes responsibility.
Technologies available to schools today can serve to professionalize the teaching profession by giving teachers access to student performance data, both historical and current, allowing the teacher to work more diagnostically and prescriptively in making informed decisions regarding what material will be presented, what content and skills need particular emphasis and for whom, and how best to assess a student’s learning. In the larger world, we call this customization. In education, we call it differentiation. Regardless, of what we call it, technology helps facilitate it and the world we are preparing our students for demands it. If we fail to deliver, we will fail to remain relevant in the lives of our students.
The Pottsgrove School District is committed
to leveraging the technologies that support data-driven planning, teaching and
learning. It is our belief that the thoughtful integration of appropriate
technology, used in an ethical and efficient manner, is critical to the
advancement of the overall mission of the Pottsgrove School District to educate and inspire all
students to excel as productive, responsible citizens and life-long learners.
To live, learn and work successfully in an
increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must be able to use
technology productively. Within an effective educational setting, the investments we make in technology can
enable students to become capable information
seekers, analyzers, and evaluators; problem solvers and decision makers;
creative and effective users of productivity tools; communicators,
collaborators, publishers and producers; and informed, responsible and
contributing citizens.
Through grants and local resources, Pottsgrove
has made tremendous strides in recent years and provides a fiber wide area
network and a robust wired and wireless infrastructure supporting iMacs and
mobile labs comprised of MacBooks and iPads, as well as other hand held devices. Our goal is to be a model for the seamless integration of technologies that foster greater
precision in teaching and engagement in learning.
The techn
ology department at Pottsgrove supports
the district in a wide variety of areas in and out of the classroom including computer desktop, phone
and network support, internal and state reporting, internal and external communication, data-informed decision-making, professional
development, and initiatives in curriculum, assessment and special education.
Please refer back to this site often as a
resource for information relevant to the technologies used in our schools and
tips to keep children safe on the Internet. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
This portal gives parents in grades K-12
access to enter their Emergency Form information online as well as to view
current attendance data. In our Middle School and High School parents are
also able to see their children's grades. If you have questions or need
assistance with the parent portal, please email us at pgsdparentportal@gmail.com.
What is the AUP?
The AUP or Acceptable Use Policy is a Board policy that is also mandated
by federal law and state regulation to maintain our eligibility for federal and
state technology grants and discounts on telecommunication services. It states
the primary purpose of the school district network, details the allowable activities
on the network and extends to any device, either district-owned or personal,
that accesses the network. It is designed to be a statement of ethical use but
it is also designed to protect the network from use for illicit purposes or in
any manner that poses risks to the network. Further, it defines potential
sanctions for misuse of the network. It is important to review this policy with
your child/ren and to discuss appropriate and ethical use of technology. We
also discuss these issues in age appropriate ways throughout our K-12
technology and library curricula. A copy of the AUP is available at http://www.psba.org/districts_policies/p/489/POLPTSG815_1.pdf
Does Pottsgrove have a policy governing student use of student-owned electronic devices?
Yes, Pottsgrove also has an electronic devices policy that governs the use of
student-owned hand-held devices such as cell and smart phones in our schools. The policy recognizes the ubiquitous nature of these devices and the growing body of literature
and case studies on potential for their effective use in instruction. The policy creates an environment that
encourages innovative and appropriate use but balances the potential
offered with the need for rules of etiquette, age-appropriate rules and procedures, and to maintain a safe and secure environment for students and
staff. Click here to download the policy. Click here to download the guidelines for their use in the high school and here to download the guidelines for their use in the middle school.
Why do we filter web content?
The primary purpose of our computer network and Internet connectivity is
to serve the educational mission of the school district. In order to maintain
eligibility for federal and state technology and telecommunications grants, we
are obligated under the 
Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) to filter Internet
content for material inappropriate for minors and to have a system in place for
monitoring online activity. Consistent with our educational mission and CIPA
regulations, we do filter and block some web content. The Internet is
constantly growing and changing and web blocking technology is much more of a
blunt instrument than a surgical tool. It relies on continuously updated databases
divided into broad categories. We block categories such as gambling,
pornography and hate sites, as examples. We keep most broad categories open,
however. Within any category we can enter exceptions and often do based on
legitimate academic purposes. For example, gaming is a category we block,
however, there are many games with educational value and support instruction.
We open those sites on request of a teacher once the educational value is
confirmed. Social networking is also a category where we selectively open
sites. Faculty access a less restrictive tier should there be something we
block that is needed for classroom demonstration or preview. Even this tier is
filtered, however. In short, we do
our best through technology and human intervention to balance the legitimate
academic needs of our students and faculty while honoring the spirit and intent
of CIPA.
We've progressed from a society of farmers to a society of factory workers to a society of knowledge workers. And now we're progressing yet again to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers, and meaning makers.
Daniel Pink, 2006
A Whole New Mind
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0, also known as the interactive web, is a newer generation of web
technologies that allow for the all web users to also be content providers. It
provides for online productivity tools, forums and social networking among
communities of interested people. Blogs, Twitter, wikis, You Tube, Facebook are
some examples of Web 2.0 technologies. Web
3.0, dubbed the semantic web, is on the horizon and promises to feature more
intelligent searching, personalized content based on the technology’s ability
to learn about each user’s online behavior and much more.
What is Internet 2?
Internet2 is a high-speed computer network that uses a different
infrastructure and set of network connections than the public Internet used for
web browsing and email. It was constructed and is maintained by major research
institutions and is now available to the K-16 community through Internet2
regional member partners. The network is designed to transport high quality
images, sound and other media considered to bandwidth intensive to run reliably
over the public Internet. Pottsgrove is fortunate to be part of a consortium
with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, other Montgomery County school
districts and Montgomery County Community College to provide students and
faculty video conferencing and virtual field trips using video conferencing
hardware and Internet 2 connectivity.
What is a Ning?
A ning is an online social network anybody can create that brings together people with a common interest. A ning supports member only access, participant profiles, online discussions, posting of resources, and more.
What is a Wiki?
Wiki is actually a Hawaiian word meaning quick. A wiki is a website
created using wiki software. The web software allows somebody without any
programming or web site design experience to create an interactive website
where content can be easily posted by anyone permitted by the wiki creator to
do so. The most popular example of a wiki is
Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia where anyone with knowledge of a topic
can contribute to or edit a topic entry. Pottsgrove has its own private label wikispace at http://www.pottsgrove.wikispaces.net/. Membership to this wiki is limited to
Pottsgrove School District administrators, staff and students. Students
are provided usernames and passwords created by the school district. Please understand
that membership is closed to provide a safe, secure, moderated
environment in which our students and teachers can collaborate on
educational assignments and projects. Membership permits users to edit
content. You are able to view content
posted on most wikis without being a member.
What is RSS?
RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication and is a technology that
allows you to have information on a topic of interest collected from various
sources through a process of subscribing to a source such as a website or blog
and when content is published to that source it is automatically pushed (fed)
to you and read through software called an RSS reader or aggregator. There are
many aggregator programs available including those built into popular web
browsers. There are even online services available to forward subscription feeds directly to your email.
....And what about Voice Threads, Glogster, Wordle, Animoto and all these other
sites with funny names?
Resources to tell stories, combine graphics, text and sound
to create engaging presentations are created all of the time. We have dedicated
technology-using educators and students who find creative ways to use these web or cloud tools for self-expression and to demonstrate new learning. There are vast
networks of people who share ideas about how some of these tools can support
curriculum and enhance student engagement. Some members of the Pottsgrove staff
participate actively in these networks, bringing many new tools into the
classroom all of the time. In short, these tools share the qualities of anytime
access and ease of use, so the instruction is not about the tool but student
expression and curricular content.
With all these tools and social networking sites, does the School
District teach web safety?
Yes. Our K-7 technology curriculum is aligning with National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS) and stresses web safety and the
importance of making intelligent and ethical choices while working and
communicating online. Good cyber-citizenship is addressed in the upper grades in age appropriate ways through special programs and in the context of class discussion. Teachers who facilitate parts of their class online using Wikis, for example, focus on
the importance of appropriate etiquette and hold students accountable for the
way they communicate through this tool. Cyber-bullying, which can take many
forms, is addressed in a variety of ways throughout the district. Additionally,
we stress critical thinking across the curriculum and focus on the importance
of being critical consumers of information retrieved from the Internet.
Important Message
from the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of PA regarding Internet
Safety in PDF
FAQ About Internet
Safety
The Cyberbullying Research Center offers resources for
parents and teachers for helping kids stay safe online and use other
technologies like cell phones responsibly. For example, here are some tips for
preventing and responding to cyber-bullying:
Preventi
ng Cyberbullying- Top Ten Tips for Parents
Responding to Cyberbullying- Top Ten Tips for Parents
Onguard Online-
Created by the federal government with games, videos and other resources for
teaching kids of all ages and adults about online safety. Be sure to download
the parent guide Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online
available free at this site..
WiredSafety-
Internet safety and information on responding to incidents of cyberbullyng
Protecting Kids Online-
http://www.center-school.org/pko/
Safety Tips from the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children-
http://www.netsmartz.org/safety/safetytips.htm
WiredKids.org offers articles and
information for children ranging from age 7 to 18 as well as information for
adults and parents. It offers children articles, video clips, and stories
written by children for children. Not all content is about online safety- http://www.wiredkids.org
Online Guard
provides tips from the federal government and IT industry to help be on the
guard for Internet fraud and to keep your computer and personal information
secure-
http://onguardonline.gov/index.html
Technology Lead Teachers:
- Lower Pottsgrove - Tom Yenchick
- Ringing Rocks - Sarah Stutzman
- West Pottsgrove - Brenda Novak
- Middle School - Christine Henry
- High School - Christa McLaughlin
Edutopia- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
Thinkfinity- Verizon's huge portal of activities and lesson plans in many subject areas aligned to standards and technology-rich. Resources for professional development and parents, too.