1.

3 Policies, Procedures, Programs, and Funding - research, recommend, and implement

policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared
vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines.
Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant
proposals.

Reflection

The artifact is research on an emerging technology: e-readers in the classroom. It was
completed for ITEC 7445 Multimedia and Web Design in Education. I looked at the viability
of e-readers replacing traditional textbooks in the classroom as a means of saving money and
improving student performance.

The purpose in choosing e-readers is simple: money. Over the last few years, Cobb County has
faced many financial issues forcing teachers to be let go, pay to decrease, class sizes to increase,
and the school year to be shortened. Meanwhile, textbook adoptions are slated to occur once
every six years for each subject area. The most recent adoption for English cost millions of
dollars for a book that had very few changes. When Common Core became the new set of
standards, 2-year-old textbooks became obsolete based on standards, not content. In an effort
to be fiscally responsible, e-readers deserve to be looked at as a possible replacement for
traditional textbooks.

The research is presented in the form of a PowerPoint document. I looked at multiple angles
including cost, functionality, effect on student performance, and potential drawbacks. While
my conclusion stated that there was not enough information to make a decision one way or
another, it is apparent, and I recommend, that further research in the form of piloting e-readers
in select classes would help create a decisive answer as to whether or not the district should
invest in the implementation of e-readers.

Through this research, I learned that my voice can be more than just a singular opinion that
gets lost in the wind. This is a real idea that has potential to succeed. I realized that all it takes
is an emotion, an idea, and initiative to be heard in possibly revamping a common procedure, in
this case textbook adoption. Regrettably, I did not send this to those responsible for textbook
adoption. It seems that I was lacking in initiative and risking a rejection, which is really quite
silly. This is something I would change. I would give this to both my department chair and
our teacher representative on the textbook adoption committee.