FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Face-to-Face Staff Development Workshop

Robin Skelley
FRIT 7739
Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

Part I: Identification of Learning Goals

General Audience:
The general audience for this workshop are the second grade teachers at Norcross Elementary
School. This group is made up of teachers who spend a majority of their day in the classroom
with students.
Problem Identification:
As technology becomes more advanced and prevalent in our everyday lives, schools must
incorporate technology into classroom teaching. Teachers now have access to online databases
and technology equipment such as Mimeos and document cameras. Students are able to bring
their own devices to school to work on school projects.
The problem is that technology is ever changing and sometimes teachers have difficulty
understanding how technology can be used for student centered learning. Some teachers are
nervous or unsure about how technology can be incorporated into their everyday classrooms.
As more technology and web applications are introduced, classroom teachers and staff will need
professional development opportunities and training on how to incorporate technology into the
classroom.
Instructional Goals:
Participants will practice creating and using a Padlet.
Participants will understand how using Padlet in their classrooms will benefit their students.
ISTE Standards Addressed
1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students
conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students,
colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the
use of technology and information

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

Part II: Learner Analysis

Introduction
The target audience for this workshop are the second grade classroom teachers at Norcross
Elementary School. This is a Title I elementary school located in a suburban area of Gwinnett
County, Georgia. This school year there are nine second grade teachers. The information in this
analysis was obtained by surveying the teachers. The survey was created using SurveyMonkey
and the link to the survey was sent out in an email. Several reminders were sent out, but only six
of the teachers completed the pre-workshop survey.
Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge
Teachers demonstrate basic computer skills (using the internet, Microsoft office)
Have some familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies, even if they do not use them in their
classroom
Attitudes Toward Content & Academic Motivation
The teachers surveyed were asked if they felt comfortable using web apps (such as Padlet or
Powtoon). Four said they felt comfortable and two said they were not. One said I never know
which apps are appropriate for which grade level. Four of the teachers indicated that they never
use discussion boards in their classroom. But all said they felt discussion boards would be
beneficial to student learning.
All of the teachers seemed interested in expanding their knowledge of discussion boards and web
apps.
Educational Ability Levels
All teachers are required to have at least a Bachelors degree in education, along with a valid
teaching certificate issued by the Professional Standards Commission. Several of the teachers in
this workshop have had some graduate school experience and one had earned a Specialist
Degree.
General Learning Preferences
There was a mixture of responses when the teachers were asked about how they preferred to
receive training. All but one of the teachers surveyed said they preferred professional
development opportunities that occur face-to-face. Half indicated they preferred an instructor
lead, step by step walk through. One indicated that they liked an instructor lead walk through,
with a hard copy of the directions to follow. The rest of the responses were split between being
given a step-by- step instructions, but to practice completing steps on my own and being
given a topic to explore on my own, with teacher guidance if I need it.

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

Part III: Task Analysis

Task Analysis Outline
1.
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Navigate to www.padlet.com
Option to create a padlet or sign up
click sign up
Padlet opens
Modifying the Padlet
Right side of screen, black bar
click the gear icon on the bottom
Basic Info
Add title by typing in the field under Title
Title Appears in top left of padlet
Add a description by typing in the field under Description
Add tags by typing in the fields under Tags
Add a portrait icon by selecting a picture on the left
Wallpaper
Add a pre existing background by selecting a picture
Add a custom background by selecting Add Your Own
Layout
Change layout by selecting new layout
Freeform
Stream
Grid
Privacy
Visibility
Change who can see the padlet by selecting an option
private
password protected
hidden link
totally public
Add People by email or username
More privacy controls
Moderate posts
Notifications
If you have created an account you can choose to have notifications sent when somebody posts
Address
When just creating a padlet an address will be created
With an account, you can customize the address
You
Copy
Delete
Posting to Padlet
Double click anywhere on padlet screen to post
Give post a title

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

ii.
iii.
5.
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Robin Skelley

Write post where it says Write Something

Click icons at bottom of box to add an attachment
Sharing
Click arrow inside box SHARE/EXPORT to bring up sharing menu
Share- Post to social media
Export- Image, PDF, Excel, CSV
Subscribe, Email or Print
Embed
Mobile Code
Part IV: Assessment Plan
Formative Assessment
During the workshop, the instructor will as questions about the content to the participants. These
questions will allow the instructor to evaluate the participants understanding of the content and to
clear up any misunderstandings.
Summative Assessment
The students will be asked to post on a Padlet to answer a final question. The presenter will note
if the participants are able to post to the Padlet, and if they are able to come up with an answer to
the question.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants with be give a link to a survey. This survey
includes questions on the content of the workshop as well as the usefulness and clarity of the
information presented. The survey also has questions about the effectiveness and preparation of
the instructor. The results of the survey would be used to make improvements and revisions to
the content of the workshop.
Part V: Workshop Plan

Equipment Need
Computer and Projector
Access to the internet
Laptops for participants/use their own
Workshop Outline
Before workshop, instructor will email links to content (brainstorm Padlet, post-workshop
survey, step- by- step instruction sheet) to the participants. On the day of the workshop, the
instructor will provide paper copy of the step-by- step instruction sheet.
1) Introduction
a) Presenter Introduction
b) Purpose of workshop
i) Why using a Padlet can be beneficial in the classroom

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

ii) How a Padlet works

iii) Ideas about how you could use Padlet in the classroom
2) What is a Padlet?
3) Why use Padlet in the classroom
a) allow student a different way to show what they know
b) promotes group discussion
c) helps students learn about digital etiquette
4) How Padlet works - Have participants use laptops to follow along with the steps. As the
instructor demonstrates and explains each step, they will ask questions to the participants about
the content.
a) Creating a Padlet
i) Navigate to site: www.padlet.com
ii) Create Login- Explain the benefits of creating an account which including
being able to easily return to Padlets later, being able to edit the Padlet later, and
being able to create a customized URL.
iii) Create Padlet button- Explain the you can create a Padlet without an account,
but some feature are not available
b) Modify Padlet
i) Giving a title
ii) Wallpaper
iii) Layout
iv) Privacy
c) Posting
i) Click anywhere on Padlet to post
ii) Give title
iii) Write post or add attachment
5) Example- Using Padlet it Large Group Setting
a) Lesson starter- What we want to know about_______
b) Students can ask questions during large group reading
c) Students can share opinions on a topic
6) Example- Using Padlet is Small Groups
a) Group work- place to organize thoughts during small group project
b) place to collect resources
7) Example- Padlets used in independent work- webquest
8) Brainstorm ideas- Give participants the link to an already created Padlet with the following
questions as the title. Participants will share their answers on the Padlet.
a) What other ways could you use a Padlet in your own classroom?
9) Conclusion-The instructor will ask for any questions or comments if time allows. Then the
instructor will remind participants to complete the post-workshop survey as soon as possible.
Assessment Data

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

To assess the participants, the teachers were asked to post on a Padlet other ways they could use
Padlet in their own classroom. All the participants were successful in posting to the Padlet. They
were all able to give their posts a title and write something in the body of the post.
The teachers posted good ways they could use Padlet in the future. The suggested using it for
collaboration, as well as using it for distance learning. Another suggested using it for discussing
science problems.
Because all the teachers were able to post successfully to the Padlet and were able to create
original ideas about how to use Padlet in their classrooms, the assessment data indicates a
successful workshop.
Part VI: Evaluation
Participant Evaluation
After the workshop was completed, the teachers were asked to complete a survey about the
experience. The survey was created is SurveyMonkey and the link was provided in an email sent
to the teachers. Unfortunately, even though there were several reminders to complete the survey,
only three of the teachers did so.
All of the teacher surveyed thought the presenter was well prepared and the presentation was
organized and easy to understand. They felt confident that they could create a Padlet and use it in
their classroom. There were no responses when asked which part of the workshop they enjoyed
the least. All indicated they thought they would use Padlet in their classroom in the future.
None of the respondents indicated how the workshop could be improved. In future surveys, I
would make this a required question.
Evaluation and Reflection
Overall, I believe that this was a successful professional development workshop. All the
participants were able to complete the assessment and those who took the survey said they
thought they would use Padlet in the future.
There are some pieces that could be improved. During the actual slideshow, the presentation felt
too much like a lecture. Even though the teachers were following along with their own
computers, I would like to find a way to make that portion a bit more interactive. More questions
could be asked of the participants.
The surveys could have been more successful too. There was not a very high completion rate. I
think if this had been given for CEUs, the completion rate might have been higher. There needed
to be more motivation to get the surveys turned in.

FRIT 7739-Spring 2016

Robin Skelley

I think if there had been more time available, more technology elements could have been added.
A short video talking about how teachers use Padlet or talking about the benefits of discussion
boards in the classroom might could have been included. The presentation might have also been
done in a different presentation app, such as Powtoon or Prezi, to make it more visually
interesting.
In conclusion, I believe that this was a successful workshop. Although there were some pieces
that could be improved in the future, I believe that the teachers have benefited from the
workshop. They have indicated that they will be using Padlet in the future and they were able to
come up with creative ideas on how they would be able to use the application in their own
classrooms.

Resources:
1) ISTE Standards: Teachers- http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers
2) Padlet
www.padlet.com