Visit the Technology Website

Paradise Valley Unified School District was fortunate to receive the support of the community through the renewal of a Capital Override in school year 2005-06. The Technology Department is responsible for managing the majority of these funds, as directed by a broad-based committee of all stakeholders. Toward that end, the department has responded with many deployments of technology. Deployments vary from over 18,000 computational devices, ranging from high-end MacBook Pro’s, to iMac's, to Palm. iTouch and DANA wireless handhelds. Internet services such as Study Island, Rosetta Stone, FastForword and Renaissance Place are implemented throughout the K-12 levels. The department supports a large, wired and wireless network, with data, voice and video now being converged and centrally managed.

The district supports operating systems including Macintosh OSX, Windows XP and Linux. Over 400 curricular and administrative software applications are installed, supported and licensed. Peripheral components include digital camcorders, document cameras, projectors, audio amplification, interactive boards and cameras at all schools, probeware at middle and high schools, multiple mobile and stationary labs in all schools. All hardware and software is used to supplement, enhance, support and transform learning and instruction in the 21st century.

Technology includes the support and programming of our own data warehouse, pDAT, which houses real time and historical data for every student in every course/class on grades, attendance, high stakes assessments (e.g., AIMS, TerraNova, SAT), demographic, program (e.g., Gifted, ELL, SPED, AVID), course history, roster, and our own internal SAMs (online benchmarks of standards aligned measures). The department has and is instrumental with other departments and all schools in the development and management of resources including; pOSE (PEARL Online Special Education module for the IEP process); pIGB (PEARL Integrated Grade Book for standards integration into an online gradebook for K-6); pOGB (PEARL Online Grade Book for high and middle school students, teachers and parents); Distancia (online high school courses for credit and grades).

Additional technologies include the business and support services necessary to maintain school operations. This includes maintenance of all student information systems, state and federal reporting, communications (data and voice), payroll, finance, purchasing, human resources and distribution. All staff in the Technology Department are responsible for helping the development and training of teachers, administrators and support staff on the effective and efficient use of technology. Said development and training is guided by our certificated teachers on assignment, who professionally guide on best practices for integrating and at times changing the learning environment for today's technological society. Whole-group, collaborative, project-based, face to face, hybrid and online instruction is provided. Topics range from multimedia podcasting, to email integration, to pvlearners and Web 2.0, to applicability of specific curricular applications - the full gamut of services is provided. Additionally, innovative programs are supported such as KOA - “camping out” at the site, vodcasting, remote one on one training, participatory online networking, etc.. The department is further responsible for managing the STR (Site Technology Representatives) program, site-based staff who in turn train and develop staff at their schools.

The department also supports and serves to help foster the GenYes program. This unique, student-centered program is offered in all high schools, almost all middle schools, and is now in over a dozen of our elementary schools. Following the international technology standards of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), GenYes courses partner students with teachers on learning projects that the teacher can in turn use throughout their curriculum. GenYes is the only U.S. Department of Education "Exemplary" program for professionally developing teachers on technology. PVUSD has the largest implementation of GenYes in the state of Arizona, and odds are good, it's already at your school, or coming very soon.