A cross-functional leadership team sets a clear vision for the school, its culture, and what teaching
and learning look like before putting technology in classrooms.
As part of the District's Practitioner Schools 6.0 program, the focus for South Gate Middle School is creating Creative Communicators.
Students at South Gate Middle School will complete at least one project using a digital tool that showcases their mastery of the standards and showcases their creativity.
As part of our Professional Learning Plan, teachers have received at least one Digital Tool training per month created and presented by our Teacher Leader Corps.
Resources are also provide to students and staff in our Technology section of the school's website. Our student technology team also participates in creating these resources.
Professional Learning Goal #1: Teachers will participate in monthly technology workshops that introduce technology apps, tools and websites to integrate in the classroom and foster creative communication among students.
We received at least 65% of participation for all technology workshops throughout the year. Most workshops were help during beyond teacher working hours. We will revisit this goal for the following year and plan to provide workshops during school hours to increase participation to 100%.
Professional Learning Goal #2: Teachers will adopt at least one digital tool to help cultivate students as Creative Communicators.
Our Teacher Tech Survey data indicates that 94% of our teachers allow students to use their devices more than once a week, and 84% of our teachers allow students to create content at least once a week in their classrooms. Our prevalent apps are BookCreator, Canva, and Google Slides.
Professional Learning Goal #3: By Jun 2022, Technology Team (Student Tech team, TLC, VILS Coach, Technology Coordinator, Instructional leadership team) team will have developed a resource library of help/how to videos for all stakeholders and STEAM/STEM Activity videos.
We will continue to expand our resource library on our school website and Schoology Group page to ensure all stakeholdershave equatible access to all technology at our school.
Our Instructional Leadership Team meets every Monday to create goals and discuss progress in meeting these goals for the various programs on campus (Dual Language Program, Magnet Program, Special Educational Program, LinkedLearning, VILS, District mandated and School Lead Professional Development).
The leadership team has also created Google forms that contain device usage policies that every staff member and student/parent must read and sign (available in English and Spanish) before being assigned a device. All students participate in an "iPad Norms" presentation through their PE classes within the first week of School.
LAUSD Responsible Use Policy for District Devices
South Gate MS Digital Citizenship Family Agreement Form
In addition, monthly meetings with the school's Instructional Cadre/Department Chairs take place to share information, ideas, upcoming trainings, budget, parent engagement opportunities, and other important school events with our staff.
The Instructional Technology Initiative Department in LAUSD provides at least one Professional Development for all Technology Coaches (VILS and ITFs) per month. The department partners with media companies such as KQED, PearDeck, Google, Soundtrap, among others, to provide innovative digital tools and strategies that target the ISTE standards for Creative Communication (part of the Practitioner Schools 6.0 initiative). In addition, the ITI department also provides monthly Virtual Connect meetings designed for Creative Communicator Teams established at each participating school site.
South Gate Middle School continues to be part of the District's ITI Practitioner Schools 6.0 program and has applied for the Practitioner Schools 7.0 Empowered Learners program for the 2022-23 school year. As part of the program, the VILS Coach and Creative Communicators team participate in meaniningful and engaging workshops to leverage technology in the classroom.
Our Teacher Leader Corps consists of 10 members. Each department (Math, ELA, Science, History, and Electives) and grade level is represented in our TLC with levels of technology use ranging from novice to expert.
TLC members meet every last Thursday of the month to discuss technology implementation, progress in meeting our PLP goals, and create monthly technology training for staff members. All trainings are co-facilitated by TLC members.
TLC members also have an open door policy for other teachers to observe their classrooms when implementing technology.
Our Teacher Leader Corps continues to meet monthly to discuss upcoming technology professional development, allotment of budget to purchase technology, review teacher and school needs, and continue to leverage technology schoolwide. TLC members have led all technology PDs during the Spring Semester including an upcoming all-day Tech PD during the summer. Teachers will be given an opportunity to join the TLC for the 2022-23 school year.
Summer Tech PD 6/16/22 (Link Coming Soon)
All TLC Members will recieve and pilot BoxLight Interctive displays. They will be available for teachers to observe through out Fall semester 2022.