MEDT 8461 Diffusion of Innovations

Project Title: Creating a Digital Citizenship Program in a 1:1 High School

Team Members: Frederick Wright, Amber Smith and Marilyn Munford
School Name: Hampton High School, Henry County Schools (GA)
Innovation: As a result of the demands of parents, teachers, administrators and
students, the Technology Team has created an action plan for implementing a
Digital Citizenship and Technology Integration Plan to assist the school
community in developing a technology culture based on good decision making and
project based learning. As Hampton High School is the first 1:1 Technology
School in Henry County Schools, GA, the school community struggled with the
effective use of this technology in its first year of implementation, 2014-15. The
goal of this project is to create a program that improves students' effective use of
technology as well as to begin to create a culture of technology integration through
project based applications. Teachers and students have had very little training in
these types of activities and thus the program is valued as new and important by all
stakeholders (teachers, students, parents, and administrators).
The intended adopters of this program are the entire school community (students,
teachers, parents and administrators). The whole community will benefit from
improving social media skills and as well developing a culture of technology as a
tool, instead of one of technology as a toy.

Technology Integration Plan

Steps and Strategies
1. Conduct a survey for administrators, faculty, students, and parents.
Strategies:
Adopters collaboration
Consider advantages and disadvantages postal and online survey
Research similar adopted surveys
Consider advantages for interpersonal channels, and interactive communication
Consider the advantages and disadvantages of social media

Key Actors
*Innovators
*Early adopters
*Change Agents

Rationale
Digital Citizenship Program is a vital part of any technology plan that supports a school with
one-to-one technology. Digital Citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology
use (Ripple p1) . In order for technology to be sustainable, all stakeholders in the school
environment must develop a basic fundamental understanding of how to properly use
technological resources responsibly. Collaboration between the key actors is vital to gathering
information that will give greater insight into the best methods of presenting the innovation with
the various stakeholders. These surveys give the innovators information as to the willingness the
staff, students, and parents to adopt the innovation (Rogers 2003).

Resources
*Computer
*Online Access and One Drive/Google Drive Account
*Access to School Database with all stakeholders email addresses

Timeline
* Two Weeks

2. Analyze data received from surveys

Strategies
*input data into tables, charts, or graphs
*consider relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability
*consider type of innovation-decisions, nature of communication channels and social system,
and the efforts of the change agents
*gather knowledge and attitudes for adoption or rejection

Key Actors
*Innovators
*Early Adopters
*Change Agents

Rationale
Data is gather from the surveys and analyzed to determine if the innovation is plausible or
favorable to the social system. The data is evaluated to determine the attitudes, in the form of
interest and resistance to the innovation to determine if there is a relative advantage to the social
system. Once it is determined that there is a relative advantage then steps will be taken to
analyze other important attributes of the social systems such as, compatibility, complexity,
trialability, and observability (Rogers 2003).

Resources
*Excel/Google Docs

Timelines
*One week

3. Implementation of Plan
Strategies
*Engagement of students
*Will improve technology skills and knowledge of staff and students
*Will integrate technology in the classroom
*Will reduce technology work orders and increase access to one-to-one technology
*Improve in-depth knowledge and academic rigor
*Cultivate a Project Based Learning Environment

Key Actors
*Innovators
*Early Adopters

*Change Agents
*Faculty Department Heads
*Administrators

Rationale
Once the decision to implement and adopt the innovation has been made, innovators must design
specific guidelines to be used to measure the effective adoption of the innovation. In the case of
Digital Citizenship, Mike Ribble (2011) explains, The first priority of any digital citizenship
program will depend entirely on what is currently in place in the district or school (p.43). A
Technology Team composed of the Department Heads and Administration needs to be formed to
develop specific guidelines as how a digital citizenship program will be implemented. The
committee will form a Digital Citizenship Program handbook that explains the goals of plan, and
an overview of the 9 elements of Digital Citizenship and an explanation of how student success
will be measured by the program. The committee would also create a modified school
Acceptable Use Policy to include a Digital Citizenship component. In addition, the Committee
would include a student and faculty contract in which students, staff, and administration would
have to complete a Digital Citizenship basic course in order to receive 1:1 technology.

Resources
*Computer, internet, Word processor
*District, State, Federal Policies
*Mike Ribbles Book Digital Citizenship in Schools
*Everfi / Ignition Digital Citizenship online course

Timeline:
*Two Weeks

4. Publish Procedures for Adoption

Strategies:
*Publish copies of procedures to be sent out to parents and students
*Send out messages though social media for parents to view procedures on school webpage

*Create video of procedures and have them available on website and social media.
*Provide an online forum for students and parents to ask questions and make comments
*Have and informational meeting at the beginning of school for all parents and students
explaining procedures.

Key Actors:
*Innovators
*Early Adopters
*Change Agents
*Technology Committee

Rationale:
Communication of the adoption procedures to all stakeholders is vital to the successful adoption
of any innovation. According to Albronda, De Langen, & Huizing (2011), effective
communication is a vital factor in the success of innovation adoption and implementation. The
goal in this phase is give the stakeholders that are late adopters or resistant and opportunity to
learn more about the process and present their questions and concerns of implementation to the
innovators and early adopters. Thus, the school technology committee (representing the
innovators and early adopters) would hold a meeting or orientation explaining the procedures to
parents, students, and other stakeholders who are resistant to adoption. In addition to a formal
meeting, an introductory video explaining these procedure would be created by the technology
committee and submitted over social media. This would cover both channels of communication,
mass media and interpersonal (Rogers, 2003).

Resources:
*One page pamphlet explaining procedures and benefits of a Digital Citizenship Program
*Video presentation explaining the procedures and benefits of a Digital Citizenship Program
*Meeting Space
*Communication of time and place of meeting through social media and school website

Timeline
*One week to prepare video and presentation for face to face meeting

5. Staff Development
Strategies:
*Review Mike Ribbles Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
*Review the login and setup procedures for Everfi, an online program designed to teach students
Digital Citizenship curriculum through an interactive game.
*Teach how to import students into the program and export grades and other assessments.
*Demonstrate project based learning ideas to reinforce the learning goals of the curriculum
*Set a time line of when this program needs to be complete.
*Create video tutorials on how to use Everfi
Key Actors:
*Innovators (Technology Committee)
*Early Adopters (Technology Committee)
*Teachers
*Administrators

Rationale:
The technology committee becomes the main lead in training staff to implement the digital
citizenship program. It is at this step that late adopters decide to accept the innovation or not.
The quality of the training is very important in establishing the perception of mutual support for
the adoption. If teachers have a positive experience it will encourage them to continue the
practice (Rogers 2003). As Mike Ribble explained in his 5-step action plan for implementing a
digital citizenship program, technology leaders need to provide training and resources to
classroom teachers (staff development) to begin educating students about making appropriate
decisions regarding technology (Ribble, 2005). The Technology Team would provide initial
training sessions for all teachers and administrators. In these sessions, teachers would review the
nine elements of Digital Citizenship and be trained on how to access and use the Everfi Digital
Citizenship game. Teachers would follow the rubrics for designing a follow up activity in the
form of a physical product. Follow-up sessions would be available for any person who needs
them based on the individuals planning period.

Resources:
*Students access to 1:1 technology
*Access to Everfi Digital Citizenship Game
*Teacher access to 1:1 technology
*Video tutorials for follow up training
*Meeting place for staff development

Timeline:
*Two days for initial training
*Follow up sessions as needed by individual teacher request

6. Share students and teachers experiences

Strategies:
*Conduct surveys to evaluate student and teachers positive and negative experiences
*Teacher observations and reflections of experiences
*Technology Committee members conduct interviews with teachers and students to get positive
and negative feedback about program
*Teacher collaboration in Department meetings and Curriculum meetings and Faculty Meetings
*Send survey to parents via email and social media.

Key Actors:
*Students
*Teachers
*Technology Committee
*Parents

Rationale:
In order for any innovation to take root, the stakeholders must begin to take ownership of the
adoption process. This would be known as the implementation stage of the Innovation-Decision
Process. The learning curve for stakeholders during this stage requires support from a variety of
sources. Creating an opportunity for teachers to share their experience increases the self-esteem
of stakeholders and the likelihood of moving them to the Confirmation stage of the InnovationDecision Process (Roger, 2003). In addition to improving their motivation, it also provides them
with the opportunity to improve their ideas and projects relating to Digital Citizenship. It also
can provide a positive peer pressure among stakeholders as they see observable results. This can
be especially important in motivating laggards to implement the innovation (Rogers, 2003).

Resources:
*Student surveys
*Teachers surveys
*Administration surveys
*Parent surveys
*Video of student products relating to a Digital Citizenship Program

Timeline
*After the three weeks of the semester, the program is complete and physical products are turned
in for evaluation.
*Show a video of summary of physical products through television broadcast system on fourth
week of semester.

7. Committee meet to evaluate and change procedures

Strategies:
*Technology Committee meet to evaluate data from various sources, survey data, interviews,
and observations and discuss undesirable consequences of the innovation.
*Technology Committee develop procedures to reduce the impact of undesirable consequences
and attempt to bring the adoption process to a Dynamic Equilibrium.

Key Actors:
*Technology Committee
*Administration
*Teachers
*Change Agents

Rationale:
The Technology Committee meets to evaluate data from various sources, including surveys from
different stakeholders, interviews from students and teachers, and observations from
administrators and teachers. With the data, the committee discusses the positive and negative
consequences of the innovation. From the discussion, new procedures will be developed to
improve the adoption process and bring the adoption process to a state of Dynamic
Equilibrium (Rogers, 2003).

Resources
*Survey data compiled into charts and graphs
*Meeting room
*Cloud sharing program/Google Docs or MS OneDrive

Timeline:
* One week (The new procedures need to be finalized by midterm of the semester in order to
allow for enough time for changes for the next semester).

8. Publish new procedures

Strategies:
* Create a cloud based document with all procedures for implementing Digital Citizenship
Program with a section in manual for new procedures.
* Send a survey to stakeholders with an emphasis on the new procedures created by the
Technology Committee.

Key Actors:
*Technology Committee
*Teachers
*Students
*Administrators
*Parents

Rationale:
The Technology Committee publishes new procedures and creates a working procedure manual
for the program. The manual is made available on the website and submitted to all stakeholders
via email and social media. The Technology Committee follows up the manual by submitting a
survey to all stakeholders with the goal of gaining feedback to the changes in procedures. The
committee will take feedback from surveys and make changes as needed.

Timeline:

Last two weeks of the first semester (new procedures must be submitted to all
stakeholders by the end of the first semester in order to make the appropriate adjustments
to initiate the program for the following semester).

Plan Steps

Strategies

1. Conduct survey Adopters collaboration

to all
Consider postal and online
stakeholders
survey

Key Actors
Innovators
Early adopters
Change Agents

Research similar adopted

surveys

Rationale

Resources

Timelines

Surveys give
Computer
stakeholders the Cloud software
opportunity to
Access to email
evaluate and
address of all
decide whether
stakeholders
the innovation is
acceptable to the
social system.

Two
Weeks

Data is gathered Excel/Google

from the surveys
Docs
and analyzed to
determine if the
innovation is
plausible or
favorable to the
social system.

One Week

Consider advantages for

interpersonal channels, and

interactive communication
Consider the advantages and

disadvantages of social media

2. Analyze Data
received from
survey

Input data into tables, charts, or Innovators

graphs
Consider relative advantage,

compatibility, complexity,
trialability, and observability
Consider type of

innovationdecisions, nature of
communication channels and
social system, and the efforts of
the change agents
Gather knowledge and

attitudes for adoption or

rejection

Early Adopters
Change Agents

3. Implementation Engagement of students

of Plan
Will improve technology skills
and knowledge of staff and

Innovators
Early Adopters

Change Agents

students

Department

Will integrate technology in the

classroom

Faculty

Heads

Administrators
Will reduce technology work
orders and increase access to

1:1 technology
Improve indepth knowledge
and academic rigor

Cultivate a Project Based

Learning Environment

A Technology
Committee
composed of the
department
heads and
administration
will be formed to
develop specific
guidelines as to
how a Digital
Citizenship
Program will be
implemented.
The committee
will form a Digital
Citizenship
Program
handbook that
explains the goals
of the plan, an
overview of the 9
elements of
Digital
Citizenship, and
an explanation of
how student
success will be
measured by the
program.

Computer,

internet, Word
processor

District, State,
Federal
Policies

Mike Ribbles
Book Digital
Citizenship in
Schools

Everfi / Ignition
Digital
Citizenship
online course

Two
Weeks

4. Publish
Procedures for
Adoption

Publish copies of procedures

to be sent out to parents and

Innovators
Early Adopters

Change Agents

students

Send out messages through

social media for parents to
view procedures on school

webpage Create video of

procedures and have them

available on website and social

media
Provide an online forum for

students and parents to ask

questions and make
comments Have an
informational meeting at the
beginning of school for all
parents and students
explaining procedures

Technology
Committee

The school
Technology
Committee
(representing the
innovators and
early adopters)
hold a meeting or
orientation
explaining the
procedures to
parents,
students, and
other
stakeholders who
are resistant to
adoption. In
addition to a
formal meeting,
An introductory
video explaining
these procedure
would be created
by the
Technology
Committee and
submitted over
social media

One page

pamphlet
explaining
procedures and
benefits of
Digital
Citizenship

Program Video
presentation
explaining the
procedures
and benefits of
Digital
Citizenship

Program

Meeting Space
Communication
of time and
place of
meeting
through social
media and
school website

One Week

5. Staff
Development

Review Mike Ribbles Nine

Innovators

Elements of Digital Citizenship

(Technology
Committee)

Review the login and setup

procedures for Everfi an

(Technology

online program designed to

teach students Digital

Early Adopters

Students
The Technology
Committee would
access to one
provide an initial
training sessions
to one
for all teachers
technology

and
administrators
Access to

Committee)
Everfi Digital

Teachers
Citizenship curriculum through

an interactive game

Teach how to import students

into the program and export
grades and other assessments.
Demonstrate project based
learning ideas to reinforce the
learning goals of the
curriculum Set a timeline of
when this program needs to be
complete. Create video
tutorials on how to use Everfi

Citizenship

Administrators

Program

Teacher access
to 1:1
technology

Video tutorials
for follow up

training
Meeting place
for staff
development

2 days
request

.6. Share students

and teachers
experiences

Conduct surveys to evaluate

student and teachers positive

Students
Teachers

Technology

and negative experiences

Committee

Teacher observations and

reflections of experiences

Technology Committee
members conduct interviews
with teachers and students to
get positive and negative

Parents

Creating an
opportunity for
teachers to share
their experience
increases the
selfesteem of
stakeholders and
the likelihood of
moving them to
the
"confirmation"
stage of the
InnovationDecisi
on Process.

Student

surveys

Teacher
surveys

Administration
surveys Parent

surveys Video
of student
products

feedback about program

relating to

Teacher collaboration in

Digital

Department meetings and

Citizenship

Curriculum meetings and

Program

Faculty Meetings
Send survey to parents via
email and social media

One week
to be
completed
after
student
presentati
ons of
physical
products

7. Committee
meet to evaluate
and change
procedures

Technology Committee meet

Technology

to evaluate data from various

Committee

sources, survey data,

interviews, and observations
and discuss undesirable
consequences of the
innovation
Technology Committee

develop procedures to reduce

the impact of undesirable
consequences and attempt to
bring the adoption process to a
Dynamic
Equilibrium

Administration

Teachers

Change Agents

The Technology Survey data

Committee
compiled into
meets to
evaluate data
charts and
from various
graphs Cloud
sources, including
sharing
surveys from
different
program/Google
stakeholders,
interviews from
Docs or MS

students and
OneDrive
teachers, and
Meeting Room
observations
from
administrators
and teachers.
With the data,
the committee
discusses the
positive and
negative
consequences of
the innovation.
From the
discussion, new
procedures will
be developed to
improve the
adoption process
and bring the
adoption process
to a state of
Dynamic
Equilibrium

One week

8. Publish new
procedures

Create a cloud based

Technology

Committee

document with all procedures

for implementing Digital
Citizenship Program with a
section in manual for new

Teachers

Students

Administrators

Parents
procedures
Send a survey to stakeholders

with an emphasis on the new

procedures created by the
Technology Committee

The Technology
Committee
publishes
new
procedures and
creates a working
procedure
manual
for
program.
The
manual is made
available
on
website
and
submitted to all
stakeholders via
email and social
media.

Meeting place
Computer Cloud

software for
survey

Word processor

References
Albronda, B., DeLangen, F., Huizing, B. (2011). The influence of communication
of the process of innovation adoption. Innovative Management Journal, 4(7),
22-31.
Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools (2nd ed.). Eugene, Or.:
International Society for Technology in Education.
Ribble, M. S., Bailey, G. D., & Hall, B. (2005). Teaching digital citizenship: when
will it become a priority for 21st century schools. School Business
Affairs, 71(3), 11-14.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th Ed.) New York, NY: Free
Press.

Two
weeks