Technology Needs Assessment

By Ashley Rhodes

EDTC 6140 Assignment 4-2

Introduction

The Morton Elementary School technology plan covers 5 years and will serve as the primary tool to guide the school’s acquisition, sustainability, and integration of technology. This plan will be reviewed annually by our Media Advisory Technology Committee to monitor all components and objectives set forth in the plan.

Goal

The use of technology at Morton Elementary School is intended to enhance learning throughout the curriculum and emphasize learning with technology rather than about technology.

Objectives Increase student access to technology by creating a school that is a community

of learning. Provide students with opportunities through technology to practice the skills and

knowledge learned throughout the curriculum. Utilize technology in the areas of curriculum, instruction, media services,

information, and administration. Provide students with hands-on experiences to develop skills in utilizing

technology as a learning tool and provide them with access to the tools of the modern workplace.

Focus students’ school work on the use of their minds and develop independence and responsibility for future learning.

Provide an environment with incentives for administrators, teachers, and students to utilize technology in their new roles and to welcome change with confidence.

Seek a network of support for Morton Elementary School with businesses, parents, and other organizations that support the effective use of technology.

Integrate the use of information technology into professional-development programs and give teachers greater access to technology both at home and at school.

Environment Morton Elementary School is in Onslow County, NC. Onslow County is

situated on the eastern coast line of NC and is the proud home of US Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune, which is the largest amphibious Marine base in the world covering 156,000 acres. Onslow County encompasses over 767 square miles and has a population of over 150,000 people. Our 2007-08 student population is over 24,500 and we currently have 35 educational facilities which include 18 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 7 high schools, 1 early childhood development center, and 1 alternative learning program.

MES serves 564 Pre-K to 5th grade students. It is a Title 1 school with

43 teachers, 24 teacher’s assistants, 8 office staff, 1 assistant principal, and 1 principal.

MES met 12 out of 13 AYP goals (92.3%) for 07-08 MES met the state growth standard for 07-08

Survey QuestionsMy survey was developed online at

www.tigersurvey.com/survey.php?survey=7973 and a link was posted to staff members through an email.

The survey first asked general questions concerning what their role is, how long they’ve been teaching, and what grade they’re teaching.

The next section consisted of the following questions where the participants could answer strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree, or do not know.

-Administrators model effective uses of technology.-Administrators support changes in school-level systems, policies, and

practice related to technology.-Administrators guide the school toward more effective uses of technology.-An effective long-range school technology plan is in place.-The school technology plan is developed by a leadership team or committee

involving a variety of school stakeholders.-The school technology plan is monitored and updated adequately.-The budget for technology resources is adequate in size to support decisions

arising from planning and to continuously update and replace technology systems as they become outdated.

Survey Questions Continued

-Supplemental sources of funding are actively pursued to support technology.

-Teachers and other staff members support the school technology plan.

-Teachers are encouraged to take risks and be inventive with technology use.

-The media center can be flexibly scheduled to provide equitable access to resources and instruction.

-Computer labs can be flexibly scheduled for equitable access to resources and instruction.

-Mobile computers can be flexibly scheduled to provide equitable access to resources and instruction.

-An adequate technology base is available.-Communication systems within the school are adequate.-Reliability and speed of connections to the external Internet,

online databases, and resources, etc. are adequate.

Survey Questions Continued

-Adequate access to technical support is available.-An adequate cataloging system is readily available, with which

staff members can search and locate teaching materials.-An adequate collection of print, multimedia, and electronic

resources is readily available.-Both the curriculum and the needs of learners are considered

in making resource media and software selection decisions.-Community and/or business partnerships are successfully

engaged to support and advance the technology program.-Parent and community stakeholders are kept informed of

successes and progress with the technology program.-Teachers and staff members have a strong base of knowledge,

skills, and understanding about contemporary technologies.-Teachers have a say in the selection and evaluation of

professional development topics.

Survey Questions Continued

-Professional development activities can be applied to meet licensure and/or renewal requirements.

-In the past 12 months, I have participated in professional development opportunities examining research-based practices in technology-enhanced classrooms.

-In the past 12 months, I have participated in development opportunities examining identification, location, and evaluation of technology resources.

-In the past 12 months, I participated in professional development opportunities examining the uses of technology to improve individual teacher productivity.

-In the past 12 months, I participated in professional development opportunities examining ways to involve parents and the community in student learning with technology.

-In the classroom, I consult publications, online journals, or other resources to identify research-based practices in teaching with technology.

-In my classroom, I identify, locate, and evaluate technology resources.-In my classroom, I use technology regularly to collect and analyze student

assessment data.-In my classroom, I use technology to support and increase teacher productivity.-In my classroom, I use technology to support communication and interaction with

parents and the community.

Interviewee Description

I plan to interview several teachers in different grade levels. Some currently use technology in their classrooms and others seem reluctant to integrate it into their classrooms. By interviewing them, I can create a technology plan that meets the needs of both groups. I can also determine what supports need to be put in place and prioritize what skills need to be mastered.

Data Examination

Our staff took an online School Technology Needs Assessment. It collected data about a variety of broad areas of technology implementation in our school, including:

The degree to which environmental factors support technology use Professional development opportunities offered and taken advantage of Uses of technology to support teaching and learning activities The impact of technology on teaching practice and student outcomes Overall technology needs

Our staff also completed the Teacher Working Conditions survey late last year. They also completed a professional development survey to assess what areas of development teachers were interested in participating in.

Focus Group Description

I will ask the following open-ended questions to a fellow first grade teacher:

-How do you use word processing for your class?-Do you have ideas of how you could gather information useful for

spreadsheets?-What are some of the ways you would like to be able to communicate

with parents?-How often do you need to contact our district’s head nurse? -Are there any technology workshops that you’ve enjoyed taking?

What could make them better?

I will analyze the responses given to me from her explanations of the questions and use them to set realistic goals for the technology plan.

Findings

I will report my findings through a report given to first the administration, and then school-wide. Once the technology plan is created to support these findings, it will be sent to the county office.

Simulated Report

Most of the survey questions were answered either strongly agree or agree.

The questions concerning the media center and computer labs were a mixture of neither agree nor disagree and disagree.

The community and/or business partnerships question had 35% neither agree nor disagree and 29% do not know.

In the past 12 months, 63% did not participate in professional development opportunities examining ways to involve parents and the community in student learning with technology.

47% do not know if their lesson plans refer to both content standards and student technology standards.

Recommendations Offer training that helps teachers identify technology standards

and how they can be integrated into the classroom. This can meet the objective concerning the on-site training for staff.

Funds need to be spent on electronic resources and materials that staff can have access to

Technology workshops should be categorized into 3 groups: productivity, multimedia, and integration. Topics should include products and software that schools already have or plan to purchase.

These recommendations will be reviewed by the Morton Elementary School MATC and then integrated into the school’s technology plan. Once the plan is compiled, it will be voted upon by the staff and then submitted to the Board of Education for approval.