itec 7410/edl 7105 swot analysis template for...

ITEC 7410/EDL 7105 SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs Assessment

What is the current reality in our school?

Name: LaChaka Tatum Semester: Fall 2017

ESSENTIAL CONDITION ONE: Effective Instructional Uses of Technology Embedded in Standards-Based,

Student-Centered Learning

ISTE Definition: Use of information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate engaging approaches to learning.

Guiding Questions:

How is technology being used in our school? How frequently is it being used? By whom? For what purposes?

To what extent is student technology use targeted toward student achievement of the Georgia Learning Standards (GPSs,

CCSs)?

To what extent is student technology use aligned to research-based, best practices that are most likely to support student

engagement, deep understanding of content, and transfer of knowledge? Is day-to-day instruction aligned to research-based

best practices?

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Technology is used daily by

* in 7th grade ELA & all

communications connections

classes and 7th and 8th grade

Project Lead the Way courses

*all teachers

* all administrators

For productivity and student

achievement.

Technology is targeted towards

student achievement accessed

through the Cobb Teaching

and Learning balanced literacy

standard that are aligned with

the Common Core Curriculum.

Data from Cobb Teaching and

Learning System assessments

drives instructional practices.

Day to day practice is not

aligned to research based best

practices.

Student Reading Inventory and

Math Universal Screeners data

are used by some teachers to

assess and drive student

learning.

Not all teachers are facilitating

learning with higher order

thinking tasks for deep

understanding of content.

Focus walk data reveals

majority of classes are teacher-

centered.

The county provides

technology training integration

specialist (TTIS) who keeps

their

*blog updated

*conducts weekly webinars

* partners to models best

practices

Teachers collaborate with a

designated professional

learning team weekly.

Some teachers are

uncomfortable integrating

technology to support students

learning.

Some teachers feel no need to

integrate student centered

technology due to shared

devices on a first come first

serve basis.

Some teachers feel our (TTIS)

cannot assist them due to her

availability.



Summary of Results/Conclusions: In terms of effective instructional uses of technology embedded in standards-based student

centered learning, Palmer Middle School demonstrates strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. At Palmer Middle School,

technology is used on daily basis by teachers, administrators and select classes such as 7th grade ELA, Read 180 and Project Lead

the Way courses as well as students who are enrolled in communications for a connections class. All teachers are well versed in

commonly assessing students using the Cobb Teaching and Learning System. This system provides data for teachers to drive

instructional practices discussed in a collaborative effort during weekly professional learning team meetings. Day to day

pedagogical practices integrating technology for facilitating learning with higher order thinking tasks for deep understanding of

content is not aligned to research based best practices. Student reading inventory and math universal screeners are taking into

consideration when creating student schedules at the beginning of the school year; however, overlooked when lesson planning with

peers. Focus walk data reveals majority of classes are teacher-centered. Some teachers lack confidence in technology integration

and do not view it as a reality due to technology availability on a first come first serve bases. In addition, some teachers do not take

advantage of the Technology Training Integration Specialist as she serves multiple schools yet has limitations of the support she can

provide for teachers.

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

According to the ISTE report, student-centered learning was a weakness at the beginning stages of implementation with 46/100.

Palmer’s school vision is to increase learning to ensure all students are high school, college and career ready, with a mission to

empower ALL students for success (Palmer, School Strategic Plan, 2017.) With that being said, it is imperative that we develop a

plan of action to leverage digital tools to enhance the student centered learning approach. ISTE standards for students promotes

preparing students for the future by leveraging technology as a tool for creation, problem solving and demonstration of mastery.

Digital tools give students the outlet to share what they have learned using real world tools in a creative way to problem solve and

developing a deeper understanding. (Sheninger, 2014). According to Knight (2007) a change in behavior is required to change our

pedagogical practices. He goes on to state that during collaborative exploration of data, coaches and teachers must partner together

to interpret data, plan and execute lessons. Model lessons are essential in that they boost teacher confidence in integrating

technology approaches to enhance student-centered learning (p.136). In recommendation, teachers must be introduced to standards

and be trained on how to implement them seamlessly into their lessons. Through a partnership with the current TTIS who serves

our school in conjunction with teacher leaders in the building, more classrooms can be open for observation of best practices. The

more confidence that is built within PLCs, conversations will start to shift to brainstorming strategies to make classes more student-

centered rather than teacher centered. I think the recommendations made will increase student-centered learning at our school.

Data Sources:

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

ISTE Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool (See Appendix A for results)



ESSENTIAL CONDITION TWO: Shared Vision

ISTE Definition: Proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among school personnel, students,

parents, and the community.

Guiding Questions:

Is there an official vision for technology use in the district/school? Is it aligned to research-best practices? Is it aligned to

state and national visions? Are teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members aware of the

vision?

To what extent do teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members have a vision for how

technology can be used to enhance student learning? What do they believe about technology and what types of technology

uses we should encourage in the future? Are their visions similar or different? To what extent are their beliefs about these

ideal, preferred technology uses in the future aligned to research and best practice?

To what extent do educators view technology as critical for improving student achievement of the GPS/CCSs? To preparing

tomorrow’s workforce? For motivating digital-age learners?

What strategies have been deployed to date to create a research-based shared vision?

What needs to be done to achieve broad-scale adoption of a research-based vision for technology use that is likely to lead to

improved student achievement?


Cobb County School District

(CCSD) provides an official

vision for technology use that

is aligned to state and national

standards.

The vision for technology is

accessible for all stakeholders

on the CCSD technology

department website.

There is not an official vision

for technology use in the

school.

All stakeholders are not aware

of the shared vision for

technology.

Three individuals make up the

BYOD planning team.

A shared collaborative vision

will be created with all

stakeholders’ input taken into

consideration.

All stakeholders will have

clear understanding of the

vision and will be responsible

for implementation.

Evaluation of the vision and

timeline of action will be

monitored through surveys and

data walks.

Some teachers do not feel the

need for a share vision for

technology for the school and

will be reluctant to participate

in the planning and

implementation process.

Some parents are not as

involved in school events

which will cause difficulty in

the planning process.



A survey, planning of BYOD

and interviews about

technology current realities has

been issued to date to create a

research based shared vision.

The leadership team will

discuss the data monthly and

share with all stakeholders

Summary of Results/Conclusions:

Cobb County School District has a vision for technology use that is aligned to national and state standards. As Palmer does not

have an official plan, there is a BYOD plan in its infancy stages being developed. Within this development, all stakeholder have

not been made aware the vision. The current team of BYOD planners is made up three individuals inclusive to the Principal, Media

Specialist & myself (classroom teacher). Some teachers are unaware this team exist and the ones who do, do not see it as a crucial

need in our school. Because this is a shared vision is not in action, the opportunities are immense. A discussion can begin with the

leadership team and trickle into other PLC teams, All stakeholders will have a clear understanding for the need of their input in

creation of policies and usage for BYOD initiatives. In the future of the plan implementation, evaluation of the vision and timeline

of action will be monitored through surveys and data walks.


According to the ISTE report, a shared vision for technology was a weakness at the beginning stages of implementation with

46/100, therefore there is room for great improvements to occur. It is suggested that a shared vision for technology be embedded

into the current School Improvement Plan after soliciting input from all stakeholders. Sheninger (2014) sates, “Without a crucial

why and how, any resulting plan will fail” (p.65). Communicating with stakeholders lead to three technology priorities that need

much attention 1) Implementation of BYOD plan to leverage technology for teaching and learning 2) Implementation of purposeful

professional learning by teacher leaders within the school building and utilization of County Technology Training Integration

Specialist (TTIS) to partner with teachers in creating and supporting effective digital age learning environments & 3) PBL

integration throughout the school will encourage use of tech tools to enhance rigorous, relevant and engaging learning experiences

for all students. Sheninger reveals in Digital Leadership (2014), that kids of all ages use devices in some form of fashion to game in

way that challenges them to think creatively and sometimes collaborate. He goes on to insert how these devices can be utilized in

schools if we first teach students and support teachers in the value of the tech as a tool to increase engagement and enhance the

learning experience. BYOD team currently has three dedicated members; the principal, media specialist and myself. My suggestion

is to grow the BYOD team to include representation of all levels of stakeholders. By January, offer a comprehensive personalized

professional development for teachers who hold interest in effective BYOD implementation. Implement an incentive plan for

teachers who are willing to try strategies and usage of signs to manage tech use. By the start of 2018 school year, all teachers will

have the same PD during pre-planning with built in time to complete BYOD certified training online developed by Cobb's

technology department. All stakeholders will be notified of the plan and give opportunity to add input before plans are finalized. I



think recommendations made will help improve the shared vision planning at our school.

Data Source

Tatum, L. (2017) Shared vision & rationale paper

Tatum, L. (2017) School Improvement Plan Analysis

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Corwin & Ontario Principals Council


ESSENTIAL CONDITION THREE: Planning for Technology

ISTE Definition: A systematic plan aligned with a shared vision for school effectiveness and student learning through the infusion

of ICT and digital learning resources.

Guiding Questions:

Is there an adequate plan to guide technology use in your school? (either at the district or school level? Integrated into

SIP?)

What should be done to strengthen planning?

In what ways does your school address the needs of diverse populations in the school or district to include how race,

gender, socio-economic, and geographic diversity giving consideration to how these factors commonly affect K-12

students’ access to school and beyond-school access to high-speed Internet, modern computing devices, software,

knowledgeable technology mentors, culturally-relevant digital content, and other affordances critical to technology literacy

acquisition.


There is a very clear plan at

the district level to guide

technology.

A BYOD plan is in process.

There is not a very clear plan

at the school level to guide

technology.

Time is not embedded at any

time of the day for students to

use devices or the internet to

complete homework.

Internet service could be

offered at a subsidize rate for

families in need.

The BYOD committee can

meet monthly to evaluate, what

is working, not working, next

steps.

Time becomes a factor with

planning and implementing

technology.

Teachers are not aware of the

ISTE standards.

Teachers are not sure how to

use BYOD for instruction.



BYOD is not being used for

instruction.

The county provided (TTIS)

serve several schools within

the county.

There is currently no plan in

place for students without

technology or internet access.

The Technology plan will be

implemented into the current

SIP by the collaboration and

agreement of stakeholders.

Teachers are not interested in

joining another committee as

everyone is currently

committed to two-three

monthly meetings.

Some students do not have

access to devices or reliable

internet.


In planning for technology, the ISTE diagnostic report rated Palmer as in the beginning stages of implementation. There is a clear

robust plan for technology at the district level which is detailed in the goals, plans and budget. Palmer Middle School’s plan goes

as far as implementation of BYOD. Notated in the SIP are plans for using data to drive instruction. Beyond those items, there is no

clear plan developed to guide technology. Time is not embedded at any time of the day for students to use their devices for

homework. Some students take devices to class but only use it to listen to music, not for instructional practices. Teacher admit to

being unaware of how to utilize student devices for instruction due to the size of the screen or off task behavior management issues.

These past experiences with technology have discouraged teachers from attempting use. One threat to this problem is that teachers

are not aware of the ISTE standards available for teachers, students, administers and coaches. More committee members are

necessary to expand on use of BYOD however, some teachers find this to be more work and do not want to add yet another

committee to their already busy schedule. One of the biggest issues is that some students do not have access to devices and/or

reliable internet access due to the cost of equipment and wifi services. This gives a new found committee the opportunity to partner

with community members to offer internet services for families of need at a much lower rate.


As the gap generally widens in the households of students without accessibility to adequate devices or costly internet

services. Teachers hold the key to decreasing the gap by honing in on two indicators of equity. A mindset shift has to occur within

the teaching community where every member of the faculty and staff has a perspective that supports and encourages all students no

matter their differences, to embrace technology as tool for collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. In addition, teachers adopt



the use of technology in their classrooms so students can have those experiences at school. In order for this to occur, professional

development must center on developing a fearless staff of risk takers by supporting the efforts of digital use and through teaching

best practices thus discovering the value of the tools to make learning meaningful and relevant (Sheninger, 2014). As this happens,

teachers will feel confident in shifting their instructional practices. Additional solutions involve, Palmer developing a plan of action

for families to have access to technology and fostering relationships with business to assist in financing a lower cost for home wifi.

This can be done by purchasing additional devices for check out. Families can sign a waiver and checkout a device for a certain

period of time and a hotspot as well. As a school, we can open labs early and close them later for students to have access and parent

to come alongside their child to learn how to use the digital resources provided. I think recommendations suggested will improve

planning for technology at our school.

Data Sources:

Tatum, L. (2017). Personal Communication, September, 2017

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.


ESSENTIAL CONDITION FOUR: Equitable Access (Specifically Low SES and gender groups)

ISTE Definition: Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and digital resources.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent do students, teachers, administrators, and parents have access to computers and digital resources necessary

to support engaging, standards-based, student-centered learning?

To what extent is technology arrange/distributed to maximize access for engaging, standards-based, student-centered

learning?

What tools are needed and why?

To what extent are strategies needed to address equity issues among Low SES and gender groups? What are examples of

strategies that would benefit your school/district? (required)

Do students/parents/community need/have beyond school access to support the shared vision for learning?


Administrators & teachers

have 1:1 access to computers

and digital resources necessary

Access to digital devices are

on a first come first serve

basis.

PBL and STEM can be

incorporated throughout all

content areas.

Some students do not have

access to reliable devices and

wifi to access student-center,



to support engaging, standards-

based, student centered

learning.

Project Lead The Way STEM

courses have been

implemented for 7th & 8th

grade Science Academy where

students have 1:1 digital access

computers and digital

resources necessary to support

engaging, standards-based,

student centered learning.

Students in seventh grade

Accelerated ELA have 1:1

digital access at school.

The county provides engaging

students centered lessons on

CTLS and professional

development days to meet

students’ needs.

Digital access mainly focuses

on summative assessment

through Cobb Teaching and

Learning Systems.

A STEM club for girls can be

implemented.

Students will be able to

checkout devices for overnight

use.

engaging, standards-based

resources

Some female students are

uninterested in STEM.

Students who do not have

access to the course may not

use technology in the

classrooms throughout the

school day


The ISTE diagnostic report states that Palmer is meeting the need for equitable accessibility 58/100 which still indicates areas in

which we can grow. In terms of equitable accessibility to technology at Palmer Middle School, we have a robust and reliable

connection to wireless wifi. Teachers, staff and school leaders have access to technology equipment to engage students in

learning. ALL classrooms are equipped with a SMART board or Ebeam, projector, docking station, wireless clickers, Simplicity

Cam. ALL teachers have laptops. Students on the other hand, may or may not use technology often to enhance learning. Six carts

of 15 ipads, 6 carts of 30 laptops and 3 computer labs are accessible on a first come first serve basis for student use. Often times,

technology is requested for formative and summative assessments. The county has provided a system for teachers to access student-

centered lesson that meet both content and ISTE standards for students. With the access to technology in the building, students



have the opportunities to utilize these tools when teachers deem it as necessary to embed within the content standards. A threat to

these tools is that, some students do not use technology throughout the school day, female students do not demonstrate an interest in

the tools and accessibility of reliable internet services and/or devices is not the same for all students. Opportunities that are

presented through these threats include opening labs early for students to use before school, checking out devices and starting a club

to encourage uninterested female students to become more interested in the technology.


According to Boser (2013), three areas of concern with digital equity are students’ use of technology for basic skills, states neglect

to focus on technology outcomes compared to expenses and access to rigorous learning opportunities for students from

disadvantage backgrounds. The gaps with this divide are present within Palmer Middle School. The first is between the student

population who is enrolled in classes in which teachers are utilizing technology in a student-centered fashion and those enrolled in

classes that are not. The second lies between students with accessibility at school however their accessibility in the capacity

teachers assign homework and additional resources is lacking at home. In order for all students to have the same experience with

technology, it has to be a school priority in integrating student-centered tools to increase rigor, creativity, collaboration and problem

solving. Bridging the Digital Divide defines the “homework gap” as an issue that is leaving students behind (Kang,

2016). Providing time to openly discussion digital divide challenges and perceptions of teachers as it relates to both their comfort

level of student-centered tech usage and homework is a start to closing the gap Palmer’s community. The focus of accessibility

should remain in the hands of what can be done at school. Rearranging the school day once or twice a week to have open lab time

for students to use school technology decreases the homework gap. Actively sharing tools and how they can be used in the

classroom during collaborative planning with teams, inviting teachers in to observe peers, partnering with colleagues to co-teach

and providing more professional development support on the topic of digital divide will help close the gap. Incorporating STEM

throughout the school with a PBL method of teaching gives ease to technology integration. In addition, those female groups of

students who are uninterested can have a club geared towards introducing them to STEM careers or females in technology through

field experience opportunities that are not otherwise given in their classes. I think recommendations made above will improve

equitable access at our school.

Data Sources:

Tatum, L. (2017) Shared vision & rationale paper

Boser, U. (2013, June 14). Are schools getting a big enough band for their technology buck? [Pdf]. Center for American

progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/UlrichEducationTech-brief-3.pdf


Essential Conditions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions

https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/UlrichEducationTech-brief-3.pdf

http://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions



ESSENTIAL CONDITION FIVE: Skilled Personnel

ISTE Definition: Educators and support staff skilled in the use of ICT appropriate for their job responsibilities.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent are educators and support staff skilled in the use of technology appropriate for their job responsibilities?

What do they currently know and are able to do?

What are knowledge and skills do they need to acquire?

(Note: No need to discuss professional learning here. Discuss knowledge and skills. This is your needs assessment for

professional learning. The essential conditions focus on “personnel,” which includes administrators, staff, technology specialists,

and teachers. However, in this limited project, you may be wise to focus primarily or even solely on teachers; although you may

choose to address the proficiency of other educators/staff IF the need is critical. You must include an assessment of teacher

proficiencies.)


100% of teachers consistently

blogs their weekly lessons,

enter grades into Synergy and

use CTLS for common

assessments/ data summaries

100% of teachers interviewed

were comfortable with

integrating technology into the

classroom for students to be

creative.

75% of interviewed teachers

felt comfortable with being a

model classroom for

implementation if asked

1% of teachers facilitate

blended learning course; ie

Read 180 Next Generation and

Project Lead the Way.

1% of teachers have a 1:1

Digital aged classroom where

students have 1-1 accessibility

to curriculum.

1% of teachers utilize the

district initiative OneNote for

content delivery and student

assignment submission.

1% of teachers utilize Edmodo

for teaching and learning.

More PLTW course can be

added in years to come.

A technology team can emerge

for each grade level to commit

to assisting peers in integrating

technology.

BYOD training can be

encouraged with a jeans pass

incentive.

The media specialist and TTIS

can compare schedules and

create a shared calendar for

teachers to schedule time to

plan technology integration

together.

Most teachers did not view

BYOD training as valuable.

The TTIS assigned for Palmer

is responsible for three other

schools

Teachers are intimidated by

the thought of integrating

technologies they are

uncomfortable with using.

Administrators do not refer to

technology integration in staff

meetings as a crucial need in

our school to enhance teaching

and learning.



100% of teachers interviewed

felt skilled in accessing digital

academic resources.

When an appointment is

booked, the media specialist is

available to coteach lessons

using digital resources

Administrators have converted

our staff notebook to a digital

OneNote to promote digital

learning.

75% of the 4 teachers surveyed

prefer traditional teaching

methods over instructional

technology.


used BYOD for students to

listen to music rather

instructional practices.

50% of teachers agreed they

were skeptical about new

technology unless used

successful by a peer first.


complete the BYOD initiative

training online.

Administrators can speak of

technology as a part of our

school culture


On the ISTE diagnostic report, skilled personnel ranked the lowest. Four teachers, from each content area, completed the survey.

Out of those 4, ½ are skeptical about new technologies unless used successfully by a colleague, while 75% prefer traditional

teaching over instructional technology. 4 other staff members including a digital aged pilot teacher, a PLTW, reading and

communications teacher were interviewed. All of which have more access than most teachers directly in their classroom. All four

interviewees saw value in integrating technology but feared most teachers were not comfortable with proper integration. 75% of

the four interviews mention BYOD as a tool for students to listen to their music rather instructional. Which indicates our overall

school use of BYOD is limited. Only 25% of the interviewed teachers completed the BYOD online training. Administrators have

converted our staff notebook to a digital OneNote to promote digital learning. Palmer’s Principal’s aspirations and intentions for

how students and teachers use technology in the teaching and learning process extends to the ongoing use of (a) Oncourse for

lesson planning and teacher blogs (b) CTLS (Cobb Teaching and Learning System) for common assessment creation, sharing and

data analysis (c) Reading and Math Universal Screener for assessment of students’ Lexile and math quantile (d) Synergy to

communicate attendance and academic progress to parents and students (e) Microsoft Office 365 suite; especially the

implementation of OneNote digital class notebook. Within Jackson’s time as leader, she has made an impact in Palmer’s

technology implementations by adding student-driven technology based courses to the curriculum such as blended individualized

learning program, Read 180 Next Generation, to achieve the goal of increasing the percentage of students reading on grade level.



Alongside our school leadership site team, resources such as USA Test Prep, Literacy TA and MobyMax have been purchased to

meet individual student needs (Palmer Middle School, Strategic Plan, September, 2016) . A small percentage of teachers utilize

digital tools such as Cobb Digital Library resources, Common Lit, Kahoot, Socrative, Quizlet, Edmodo, etc to escalate student-

driven engagement. The fact that some teachers do not view BYOD training as important, administrators have not mentioned

technology as a priority and our designated TTIS is not available daily, holds a threat to the opportunities that’ll help close the gap.


As skilled personnel seems to be our biggest gap according to the ISTE diagnostic results, I would personally recommend as a

school we dig a little deeper into the weaknesses and threats into order to derived solutions. PLTW is a STEM course currently

offered to 7th and 8th grade students. There is potential to add more courses to the curriculum and offer it to 6th graders next year.

Teachers do not have a comfort level in implementing technology without proper support from the TTIS or media specialist. For

this issue, a new technology team cam emerge within the handful of teachers who are comfortable. This committee would not have

meet monthly but just commit to leveraging their skills to help their peers gain confidence. A threat to this would be all teachers

freely admitting to needing to rely on a colleague. Participation in BYOD personalized training created by the Cobb County School

District instructional technology team would give teachers the knowledge and understanding necessary to utilize student devices for

instructional purposes rather than listening to music. In addition, adding an incentive such as recognition and a jeans pass for

BYOD training completion will encourage teachers to take part in the training. According to ISTE (2008), The success of any

technology initiative depends on seeing results. Increased student engagement, for example, can happen only if teachers and staff

are also engaged and invested in the transition to a standards-ready system. A true partnership between the media specialist and

TTIS allows teachers to plan accordingly for additional planning opportunities and support necessary for implementation. As

administrators are the leaders of the school, teachers tend to lean toward admin expectations. Admin has the power of putting an

emphasis on technology integration for the enhancement of student success by modeling and making multiple references to

technology use in the classroom. I think these recommendations will improve skilled personnel at our school.

Data Sources:

Palmer Middle School, Strategic Plan, September, 2016

Face to face interviews

Technology Adoption survey






ESSENTIAL CONDITION SIX: Ongoing Professional Learning

ISTE Definition: Technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas.

Guiding Questions:

What professional learning opportunities are available to educators? Are they well-attended? Why or why not?

Are the current professional learning opportunities matched to the knowledge and skills educators need to acquire? (see

Skilled Personnel)

Do professional learning opportunities reflect the national standards for professional learning (NSDC/Learning Forward)?

Do educators have both formal and informal opportunities to learn?

Is technology-related professional learning integrated into all professional learning opportunities or isolated as a separate

topic?

How must professional learning improve/change in order to achieve the shared vision?


Cobb County schools embeds

4-5 professional learning days

into the school year. All days

are mandatory for attendance.

Palmer provides monthly

mandatory digital technology

PD based on administrative

observations.

Cobb County’s Technology

department provides weekly

webinars for implementation

of a digital aged classroom.

Technology Department leader

host twitter chats monthly.

At Palmer, monthly digital

technology PD opportunities

are isolated as a separate topic

rather than integrated into all

professional development.

Some teachers grade papers

during PD due to lack of

available time during planning.

Teachers have the opportunity

to complete a teacher-paced

BYOD certified PD for Cobb

County Schools.

Teachers have the opportunity

to attend weekly webinars or

watch the play back recording

at their leisure.

Technology related PD should

be integrated into all PD.

Since the beginning of the

school year, 10/80 teachers

have completed the BYOD

training.

Teachers view PD as time

consuming rather than

valuable.

With all the professional

development, teachers tend not

to be open-minded thus do not

implement the new practices

they learn.

Teachers do not take

advantage of no mandatory PD

opportunities if it takes away

from instructional time.



All teachers are a part of a data

driven PLC team and are

required to meet and document

the meeting weekly.

All teachers are a part of an

action team committee who

meets once a month.

All teachers take part in

monthly vertical team

meetings.

The county holds a STEM

academy (meets 4 times a

year) open to any employee.

The county host edcamps and

yearly STEMpalooza for all

employees.


Cobb County School District houses about 50+ employees as TTIS (Technology Teaching Integration Specialist) who provide

designated schools with technology workshops and one on one coaching when requested by administrators to address school needs.

Moreover, monthly professional learning is facilitated by TTIS offering a choice of synchronous or asynchronous webinars. Within

this year, professional learning workshops on CTLS, Synergy, irespond and ebeam has been offered on campus during planning by

our designated TTIS in the county. The most recent technology workshop attended by all on our usually grade level professional

learning day, concentrated on Office 365 digital OneNote class notebook and SMART. As eager as administrators hoped all would

be to move with urgency into this change of teaching habits, most teachers uninterested, displayed facial expressions of

disappointment due to lack of technology devices to utilize daily. Teachers alluded to the fact that we do not have a one to one tech

ratio in our school.




As, ongoing professional development was a clear strength of Palmer Middle School, there is still room for improvement.

After hours of monthly professional learning additionally, spending full in-service days learning new strategies, teachers remain

focused more on the time factor, rather benefits of increased engagement resources like digital class notebook initiatives would

bring (Knight, 2013, p.4). Knight expresses eight tactics in coaching others. One being to assure teachers have everything they

need to implement the new practice that’s shared with them. To effectively implement a new practice, follow up is necessary and

apparent at Palmer. Follow up takes the form of surveys or reflections directly after workshops, one on one coaching and open

classroom modeling asking “What support will you need to implement this strategy in your classroom?” Furthermore, there are

elected teachers with model classrooms who act as support systems for technology and new strategies. A powerful trifecta of

leaders, play a vital role in the degree in which our shared vision will be supported. The AVID coordinator, (TTIS) and media

specialist each partners with teachers to infuse best practices as they relate to AVID and technology integration. They set the tone

in conducting professional development (PD) as well as co-teach lessons to demonstrate the power of infusing technology tools

with school-wide writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading (AVID) strategies. For instance, our AVID coordinator

conducts hands-on (PD) on Cornell note taking, philosophical chairs and Socratic seminar instructional practices. The (TTIS) will

take these strategies and instruct teachers on how they can be enhanced for collaboration with technology. For example, student’s

usage of Word online to share and collaborate on Cornell notes while researching for a PBL. In addition, our Media specialist

facilitates alongside teachers using an interactive presentation such as Nearpod to teach students about conducting proper research.

As a teacher leader, I can model new practices and share my success and failure with my colleagues. These stories will allow them

to gain more comfort in attempting new practices learned in professional development. I think the recommendations made will help

improve ongoing professional development at our school.

Data Sources:

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Palmer (2017). School strategic plan: Retrieved from http://www.cobbk12.org/palmer/strategicplan.aspx


Tatum, L. (2017). Shared vision & rationale paper



ESSENTIAL CONDITION SEVEN: Technical Support

ISTE Definition: Consistent and reliable assistance for maintaining, renewing, and using ICT and digital resources.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent is available equipment operable and reliable for instruction?

http://www.cobbk12.org/palmer/strategicplan.aspx




Is there tech assistance available for technical issues when they arise? How responsive is tech support? Are current “down

time” averages acceptable?

Is tech support knowledgeable? What training might they need?

In addition to break/fix issues, are support staff available to help with instructional issues when teachers try to use

technology in the classroom?


There are 3 computer labs, 3

grade level laptop carts, 6 ipad

carts, and the media center

equipment is available for

instruction

Two classrooms have 1:1

laptop access.

Technology support is

knowledgably about

instructional and operational

tech needs.

When support TTIS is

available, she consistently

contacts the staff to let us

know her availability.

Instructional technology and

equipment support is split

amongst 3-4 schools and is not

available on demand.

Tickets must be submitted by

clicking on the help desk icon

located on all laptops.

Some teachers contact the

media specialist for

troubleshooting and break/fix

issues.

100% of essential conditions

survey participants disagree

with the statement that there is

consistent and reliable support

with troubleshooting technical

issues.

Teacher leaders within the

school emerge as helpers with

instructional issues and

technical issues in the

classroom.

Support staff can mentor

teacher leaders in the building

open to learn quick

troubleshooting tips and

instructional issues.

Help desk tickets are not

answered in a timely matter.

Equipment support staff is not

readily available.

Instructional technology TTIS

is not readily available to help

with issues

If an issue arises while teacher

helper are teaching and

support staff are serving

another school, there is no one

available to assist

Teachers are discouraged to

use technology when support

staff is not available.


According to ISTE’s diagnostic report, technical support is strength at Palme Middle School. There are 3 computer labs, 3 grade

level laptop carts, 6 ipad carts, 2 additional laptop carts in the media center along with other equipment available for instruction

such as headphones, microphones, interwriter pads. Two classrooms have 1:1 laptop access. Technology support is knowledgably

about instructional and operational tech needs. When support TTIS is available, she consistently contacts the staff to let us know her



availability. Instructional technology and equipment support is split amongst 3-4 schools and is not available on demand. When

issues arise, tickets must be submitted by clicking on the help desk icon located on all laptops; however, these tickets are not

answered in a timely matter. Some teachers contact the media specialist for troubleshooting and break/fix issues. 100% of essential

conditions survey participants disagree with the statement that there is consistent and reliable support with troubleshooting technical

issues. Instructional technology TTIS and support staff are not readily available to help with issues. According ISTE (2008),

cconsistent and reliable technical support removes these barriers and makes it possible for educators to better leverage their use of

technology as an effective teaching and learning tool. Teachers feel discouraged to use technology when support staff is not speedy.

s


ISTE’s Essential Conditions framework discusses the importance of reliable technical support for teachers and student use of

technology. In order to overcome barriers of support staff not being available when teachers are in need, it is suggested that

supports within the community of the school to be in place for backup. Teacher leaders within newly found technology committee

can emerge as helpers with instructional issues and technical issues in the classroom. Support staff can mentor teacher leaders in the

building open to learn quick troubleshooting tips and instructional issues. As help ticket responses tend to be an issue, it was stated

by one teacher I interviewed to take a three step approach by putting a ticket, follow up email to support staff and cc the principal

for a quicker response. According to ISTE (2008), teachers know how to get technical help without significant lags. Key

considerations for planning include: Sufficient infrastructure to support ideal levels of technology use; Access to technology

specialists; Diversified responsibility for technology use, implementation and support. While three steps is not the route most

teachers would want to make, I think communicating these issues to principal, as a whole, may increase the speed of tickets being

resolved. I think the above recommendations will improve technical support at our school.

Data Sources:



Essential Conditions survey (See Appendix C for results)


ESSENTIAL CONDITION EIGHT: Curriculum Framework




ISTE Definition: Content standards and related digital curriculum resources.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent are educators, students, and parents aware of student technology standards? (ISTE Standards for Students)

Are technology standards aligned to content standards to help teachers integrate technology skills into day-to-day

instruction and not teach technology as a separate subject?

To what extent are there digital curriculum resources available to teachers so that they can integrate technology into the

GPS/CCS as appropriate?

How is student technology literacy assessed?


The department of teaching

and learning of Cobb County

houses a digital curriculum on

CTLS Teach website for

teachers to access on a daily

basis.

The Technology Training

Integration Specialist assigned

to the school introduces and

partners with teachers to

integrate technology into the

curriculum.

Majority of educators, students

and parents are unaware of

student technology standards.

Curriculum frameworks are

followed with fidelity however

embedded technology

standards are not a focus in

throughout the building. Two

blended learning classes

offered: Read 180 Next

generation and Project Lead

the Way: Design and

Modeling

A few teacher leaders of

technology offer ideas in PLC

meetings to integrate

technology into the

curriculum.

A training will be held on the

ISTE standards and teachers

will be introduced to practical

ways of implementing

standards into what they are

already doing in class.

Student technology literacy is

not accessed.

Teachers feel limited on time

to teach content standards and

therefore feel integrating

technology standards would be

too time consuming.


ISTE diagnostic report reveals Palmer is approaching the standard of curriculum framework. The department of teaching and

learning of Cobb County houses a digital curriculum on CTLS Teach website for teachers to access on a daily basis.



The Technology Training Integration Specialist assigned to the school introduces and partners with teachers to integrate technology

into the curriculum. ISTE (2008), As part of any system wide initiative, a curriculum framework is needed to pair defined content

standards with digital curriculum resources that are aligned to the content learning goals. Majority of educators, students and

parents are unaware of student technology standards. Curriculum frameworks are followed with fidelity however embedded

technology standards are not a focus in throughout the building. Two blended learning classes offered: Read 180 Next generation

and Project Lead the Way: Design and Modeling. A threat to learning new standards is that teachers feel limited on time to teach

content standards and therefore feel integrating technology standards would be too time consuming.


There are a few recommendations that will help us increase our probability of moving from approaching to meeting this standard.

A few teacher leaders of technology offer ideas in PLC meetings to integrate technology into the curriculum. A training will be held

on the ISTE standards and teachers will be introduced to practical ways of implementing standards into what they are already doing

in class. According to ISTE (2008), Common Core State Standards include technology proficiencies in the array of knowledge and

skills students are expected to build. I think teachers are doing something in their classroom to incorporate digital standards, they

just are unaware that they are doing it. The trainings will help pin point how these standards are already embedded into the

curriculum in hopes to lessen teachers anxiety of adding something new to their responsibilities. Teachers will feel more confident

in knowing they are on the right track and will then feel a reason to call upon our support staff and colleagues to partner for

implementation. In turn, student engagement increases and improves achievement success. I think these recommendations will

assist in improvement of the curriculum framework at our school.

Data Sources:



Essential Conditions survey (See Appendix C for results)





References

Boser, U. (2013, June 14). Are schools getting a big enough band for their technology buck? [Pdf]. Center for American

progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/UlrichEducationTech-brief-3.pdf



Kang, C. (2016, Feb 22) Bridging the digital gap that leaves school children behind retrieved

fromhttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/technology/fcc-internet-access-school.html?_r=0

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Palmer (2017). School strategic plan: Retrieved from http://www.cobbk12.org/palmer/strategicplan.aspx


Tatum, L. (2017). Shared vision & rationale paper

https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/UlrichEducationTech-brief-3.pdf


https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/technology/fcc-internet-access-school.html?_r=0

http://www.cobbk12.org/palmer/strategicplan.aspx

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