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Kathryn Batwinis
ET680
A change I would like to see in my school, is an increase in how much teachers use
technology, leading students with 1:1 devices, and using it collaboratively as staff.
Specifically I would like to see our staff use technology on the teacher to teacher level;
using Google Classroom in Staff Meetings and collaborative Google Docs/Sheets/Forms, etc.
as the main platform for our work. This can be done through collaborative planning
meetings, staff surveys, and making our resources available through Google rather than
Windows. I I would also like to see this shown by teachers then taking these technologies
and skills back to their classroom - use Google Classroom with all students in all grades,
and get students using their Google accounts starting in Kindergarten. Many primary
teachers, who don't have chromebooks, will use their promethean boards and go to the
computer lab, but are still not using them as effectively as they could in that time. Many
older teachers in my school are also much more hesitant to using technology. It takes a lot
of pushing to get them to open up to new technologies. Our teams have started to use
Google in collaborative planning which I think is a great step, but for many, it stops there.
Even if teachers don't use "super fancy" technologies, any exposure kids can get to new
opportunities is beneficial. Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is such a great way to
participate in and model collaboration with other colleagues, share information with
students, get and give feedback efficiently, etc. As a 5th grade teacher, there are so many
years before me that could really build their skills before getting to my classroom.
Resources certainly have different availability at different grade levels, but I'd like to see
more teacher embracing technology in any way, and not being afraid of it or opposed to
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trying new technologies. I think teachers would also see the benefits in these new ways to
Currently, third through fifth grades have 1:1 chromebooks in their classrooms.
Primary classes in our school are fortunate, in that they at least have a few chromebooks
per classroom by borrowing extras from the upper grade carts. While this is not 1:1 for
primary grades, it is several more computers per classroom on a daily basis aside from the
members of a certain community (Surry 1997). He also states that four key influencing
factors in the diffusion of technology include the innovation itself, how information is
communicated, time, and the nature of the system where it is being introduced. (Surry
1997). Attributes that also influence a new innovation include trialability- if stakeholders
can try the technology before completely adopting it, observability- if participants can see
the benefits, relative advantage- if this new innovation has an advantage over the status
compatibility- if it is compatible to what is already in place and does not change the
systems entirely. (Surry 1997). The innovation of having teachers use GAFE on the teacher
level and then also with their students no matter what grade level they are, should be
perceived as low complexibility and high compatibility. Even though it may be complex for
many at first, as teachers work with GAFE, they will see that it has a user-friendly set-up
and many people to help them walk through it. Using this technology, also would not
replace all of their current routines, but help enhance them making it very compatible.
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Rather than using a word document for their planning, they can use a more efficient Google
Doc. While some of the resistant teachers may not see it as compatible, I hope that over
time they will see it as compatible and more efficient. By incorporating this technology
through staff meetings as well, teachers will have a perfect opportunity to try the
technologies from the student side, see how they are used, how they work, and how they
can be incorporated, before having to try any of it on their own. The advantage to using
technology is that work becomes more collaborative, more efficient, and more available.
Teachers will not need to keep stacks of papers from meetings, but rather could go back
into Google Classroom to find resources they need. Being able to use this technology in staff
meetings and at the teacher level before the student level, will also help teachers observe
the benefits. They will be able to see the effects of using technology and then hopefully
continue to see the benefits when they take it back to their classrooms.
Thinking about where we are now versus 3 years ago before getting the
chromebooks, I think people are happier. However, teachers are still unhappy with how the
technology is being used and how much continues to be available. Some teachers are also
reluctant and unhappy with how much technology there is and feel it is too much and then
simultaneously do not know how to use it. The three teachers I talked to feel that in the
beginning with a new technology, a lot of people are opposed, either because they like
teaching paper/pencil, or they are confused, and then as they have time to work with the
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technologies, then they become more accepting. It is mainly these teachers who are happy
with how things are, which is what creates a lot of the resistance. This population of
teachers will be a focus to help move forward. However, even within the non-reluctant
teachers, many are frustrated with lack of time to discover and learn about new
technologies before having to implement them, and need help troubleshooting when it
does not work correctly. They are also sometimes unhappy that a new app might be
strongly suggested for them to use even if they do not completely agree with. Teachers
would like more training to help them figure out appropriate and effective resources to use,
rather than just using what is given or doing the bare minimum when there are so many
opportunities with the chromebooks and GAFE. Now that we have started to receive more
devices, now dissatisfaction also occurs with how much, and everyone would love to see
more devices in the school, especially in the lower grades and for non-homeroom
Some people have the skills to implement the technology, and the ones who are
interested will take personal time, if possible, to learn about new technologies. But all
teachers interviewed, agree that most of gaining the skills and knowledge requires time-
time to play with it, time to use it themselves, and make meaning from it for how it will best
fit their classroom. All teachers also wish there was more professional development
devoted to technology to help build those skills, since technology is becoming so prevalent
in school. Teachers need some guidance in building up their skills and knowledge so not
Now that all classrooms have a Promethean Board and a document camera, it has made
resources and technology available to all students. Third through fifth grades have
chromebooks and therefore have the 1:1 devices, but still would like help finding resources
to use on the chromebooks so it is meaningful. Without knowing the actual stages of SAMR,
teachers have hinted that they would like to go beyond the substitution stage of just using
chromebooks for word processing, or using the Promethean Board as a glorified white
board. First and second grades are able to have a few chromebooks in their classroom this
year which has also been very helpful to them, but an increase in devices for primary
Time is Available
All teachers agreed that this was an area not fulfilled. If time is taken outside of
work to learn new technologies, then maybe. But within our day, there is a very limited
amount of time to learn about new technologies, and then also time to use them. There is a
big push to use technology, but without the time to really learn it first which the teachers
felt was important to have. Sometimes it is good to have trial and error, but sometimes it is
beneficial to have direct training on new technologies first. Teachers would also like to
have Q&A time with other teachers, or opportunities to share new resources they've found.
The teachers responded from both the student and teacher roles. They love being
able to see how engaged and excited their students are. Chromebooks are helping students
gain independence, and allow the teachers to have control over their technology but still
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allow students to have some freedom. As teachers they love being able to get information
so quickly from their students, give quicker feedback, and find resources from the teacher
side that help them be more efficient as well. As teachers willingly work with technology,
they are starting to see the rewards. It is the teachers reluctant to use technology that
interviewed also all agreed that since it is encouraged and expected, that they need more
professional development on it, and more time to talk with colleagues about technologies
very supportive of anything new we want to find and try within our classrooms. Some
teachers are more committed than others, but this also has to do with their original views
of incorporating technology into the classrooms. Parents have been supportive of how we
incorporate technology in the classroom, but as teachers, we would like to see more
Leadership is Evident
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Colleagues are supportive of any technology use in the classrooms. However there is
no designated technology leader. Each teacher has several people in the building that they
are comfortable going to for help and feel that those people are always willing to help, but
also feel that they are taking time away from that person's very busy day to help them.
Incentives Exist, Participation is Expected and Encouraged and Commitment by those who
are Involved. As far as Dissatisfaction of the Status Quo, the population of teachers is almost
split. Some are perfectly happy not using technology at all, and some really want to see
The conditions that will need the most work are Knowledge and Skills Exist, Time is
Available, and Leadership. Teachers really need explicit training and the time, to work with
technology. Many teachers want to know more, but do not know where to go for that
information or have the time to do it. More defined technology leadership would also be
beneficial so that teachers had specific people to turn to when help is needed. These three
seem reasonable to be able to make an impact on as well. Focusing on three areas is more
manageable than all eight, especially in a shorter time frame. As my upcoming role as
technology leader, I hope to be that leadership piece that is missing, and be a point person
in my school when teachers need technological assistance. I also think that I will directly,
with the help of a committee, be able to increase the staffs knowledge and skills for
technology. Time will be the toughest, but careful planning and use technology to also
share resources, will help maximize time that teachers do have. I would like to find a way to
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blend face-to-face help as well as online help, so that there are resources teachers can
Adaptation, Appropriation, and Invention (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz). Each stage
helps to describe where teachers or schools are in regards to their technology acceptance
and use.
The Entry stage is the most basic stage of the model and the first stage of the
process. This stage is where teachers are first introduced and begin the process for change.
This might be the time where teachers are transitioning to using new products, explore,
and probably will come across a lot of frustrations, such as with discipline, maintenance,
management, and personal struggles with the new technology. The Adoption stage is the
next step in the process, where teachers are using the technology more, facing fewer issues
with discipline, and student motivation is higher. Technology use is more frequent, but
there is no functional change in the teaching (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz). Technology
might just be used as a substitute for how it would have been taught- for example as a
white board or word processing. The adaptation stage shows a high increase in student
engagement and productivity. Students are more motivated and are seeing positive
outcomes in their work, therefore student productivity and quality of output increases.
Teachers in this stage might see the need for more help with instructional, feedback, and
evalua tion strategies to keep up with their students (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz). The
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understand and master the technology and be able to use it efficiently to complete tasks.
This is also a change when new instructional strategies are developed, such as project-
based instruction or flipped learning, and teachers have a chance to step back a bit to
observe students take over their learning (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz). Finally, the
Invention stage takes learning to the highest step, where teachers grant their students
permission to create their own learning, demonstrate to their teachers how to find and
analyze information to build on their previous knowledge, to make sense and own their
Based on these stages, my school as a whole would fit best between the Entry or
Adoption stages. We have many technologies in place and some teachers are feeling those
frustrations of how to manage them and how to work with them. Some teachers however
are more in the adoption stage where they are trying to use the technologies and are
teachers fit within the Entry, Adoption and Adaptation. Some teachers have moved beyond
Adoption into the Adaptation stage and are able to use technology to really produce great
student engagement and productivity. However, this is a select number of teachers. The
majority would fall under Adoption, and some teachers in the Entry stage, similar to a bell
curve.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders that I think are critical to a technology plan for my school would be
Specialist (ITSS), and our Instructional Specialist from the technology department from the
county. Our Leadership team would be a great place to start- field what needs we have
from the several departments represented- each grade level, ESOL, special education,
Counselor, Paraeducators, admin, etc. I am the 5th grade team leader, and our Leadership
team is very open about where our school currently stands and sharing our opinions about
where it could go. I could have each team leader talk to their teams to see if anyone else
would be interested in joining the process as well, or at the very least have each team
leader take information back and get feedback from each grade level. I would also want
student voice in our plan, especially from the upper grades who have the 1:1 devices.
Everything ultimately comes back to our students, so it would be important to see how they
would like to see the technology used in their educational setting. The same goes for
parents- what do parents find beneficial as far as how technology is used? Our ITSS and
Media Specialist would also be key members in helping implement our plan both
instructionally and making sure everything is accessible and connected. Our school was
also assigned an instructional specialist from the Technology Office when we got
chromebooks. He is always available when we need help, and would be a great resource for
helping us plan where we would like to take our school, provide us with ideas and
resources, and align our plan to that of MCPS. This group of people would address most key
groups mentioned in the Guidebook for Developing an Effective Technology Plan - students,
and community members through PTA (Graduate 1997). A main person we are missing is a
someone that our committee would need to reach out to in our community as a team effort.
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I think part of the reason our old technology committee and plan dissolved, was
within the county. It sounded like since teachers didn't have a voice in any of that, they lost
some interest. So I think it would be important to bring it back to specifically our school
level, and decide how we can take our county's technologies and use them in a beneficial
way within our building. We can tailor the technologies to our population and our needs. I
think this would help with buy in by making it more personalized and meaningful. Letting
teachers have a say in this, will help with implementation as well. Giving them a voice will
be a major element in getting teachers invested. As teachers get involved, they will be able
to see changes and report what is working or what is not, continue to have a voice, and
hopefully continue to stay involved after seeing their purpose in the plan. It will also be
important to continue to revisit this plan throughout the year, see how it is progressing,
and not let it be another thing that falls to the side. It will stay important if we help keep it
viewed as important.
One of the conditions that my school lacks, is the condition about Leadership. By
forming a specific committee of people, this would be addressed. Teachers would know
specific people within, and some outside of, the school to go to. These committee members
can also help with training and professional development, as well as the follow-up pieces
after that, also addressing the condition of Knowledge and Skills. The committee will also
be able to address the time constraints. The committee will be able to take teacher
feedback to prioritize what needs to be done when, and figure out meeting times to help
teachers, as well as other opportunities for teachers to gain knowledge. This will help
structure the time and maximize time for teachers to work with the new technology.
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Plan of Action
Ultimately for my school, I envision that each teacher would have their own portable
device, in addition to or in place of our desktop computers, to be able to use for staff
purposes and to help implement technology in their classrooms. With this, I envision the
time and resources for continuous professional development opportunities, both inside
and outside of the schools, so that teachers can broaden their knowledge and resources for
implementing technology efficiently. I also envision that all students in grades K-12 have
access to devices on a daily basis. This will allow students to personalize their learning,
reach out to new resources and take control of their academics. Our classrooms will be able
to have more project based learning, and more opportunities for students to work beyond
the classroom without having to leave the classroom. With an increase in professional
development as well, I envision that teachers would be able to seamlessly blend technology
in purposeful ways to augment and redefine learning. Teachers would understand that
technology is not new teaching, but it can help supplement and enrich what we already
know as good teaching practices. We are currently teaching students who will be working
in jobs that are not yet created with technologies that are not yet created, so we need to
help them best prepare for their futures in ways we have available to us now and adapt
them in the coming years. In order to make this happen, it is our mission to ourselves and
to our students to stay dedicated. During this process, frustrations are sure to happen. New
technologies do not always work, or work as intended, they may lose internet connection
and change plans, or they may take a whole new way of thinking about our teaching. These
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problems should not necessarily be considered as bad, and us as teachers need to take on
these hurdles and get past them together, so that we can help our students demonstrate
and enrich their learning. We can model how to overcome a new task for our students, just
as we want them to overcome hurdles and succeed in their future. As a staff, we will share
resources, share ideas, share frustrations, and share strategies to make more classrooms
technology enabled, and student-driven. By doing this, we will strengthen our teachers
knowledge and skills in using technology, and simultaneously build those skills for our
students so they can make more meaning from their learning. All members need to keep in
mind that in now way is this a short term plan. However, we can take short term steps to
ease staff members into it, especially more reluctant teachers, so that they have the chance
to see the benefits, observe what is working and how they can use it in their classrooms, so
we increase the buy in as well. Then overtime, small chunks at a time, we will lead
Some main issues right now are that teachers are determined not to use new
technologies, that they dont know how to incorporate technology, and they do not know
how to keep up with their students and provide enriching activities by using technology.
More professional development and more access to devices will give teachers the
opportunities to build their confidence so that they can overcome their own struggles first,
and then have the opportunity to work it into their instruction. Another issue to consider as
the team moves forward, is not necessarily a negative one. However, it is important. The
staff is currently at very different places in their knowledge and implementation, so as the
whole school moves forward, the team will also need to differentiate for the teachers so
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that each teacher is receiving the help at the level they need. Only then will each teacher
A sample proposed action plan for this innovation is shown in the table below. This
outlines broad steps that this plan could take. As the needs assessment is given, and
teachers share new strategies and frustrations throughout the year, specific topics can be
decided for meetings. This action plan starts in the summer of 2016 and extends through
early spring of 2017. The process will start by getting the administration and staff
development teacher involved first, to look at logistics for implementation in the school,
prioritizing possible needs, and setting up a plan to start a committee. It will then go to the
Leadership team and creating a tech committee, who will then make a needs assessment
for the staff. This will ideally be done at the beginning of the school year to maximize time
from the beginning. The first meeting for staff will be about using Google Classroom- using
it in staff meetings for modeling purposes and for staff resources, and then having teachers
set up their own. Surveys, Plus/Delta reflections and feedback after the staff meetings will
be an important piece to continually gather data and for the committee to reflect on as
future meetings are changed. The needs assessment will be a large piece of data that will
help the committee plan out which teachers need which supports, and plan differentiated
meetings from there. Whole staff meetings and tech committee meetings will alternate
months, so that teacher have time for implementation and reflection after using
technologies in their classrooms, and so that the committee and Leadership team has time
to reflect on meeting results, dip-stick for needs throughout implementation, and plan
Action Plan
Meet with Me, Principal, EST July 2016 Letter of Intent for
Principal/EST to (Education Service principal to sign
discuss possibilities Team- Principal, AP,
for internship next Staff Development
year involving PD Teacher, Reading
for staff Specialist)
Meet with Me, EST, Leadership July/August 2016 Sign-Up Sheet for
Leadership team to Team committee
discuss preliminary volunteers,
priorities for PD for prioritized list of
staff staff needs from
brainstorm
Create a needs Me, Leadership August 2016 (Pre- Survey results from
assessment for staff Team, Tech Service Week) staff members
to survey where Committee
they are/what they
need help with
Use Google Tech Committee October 2016 Each teacher will set
Classroom in Staff up their own Google
Meetings and Classroom and
provide teachers invite students
with resource for
setting up own
classes
Start weekly Tech Tech Committee October 2016 (and Create digital
Spotlights to show then weekly newsletters to send
new throughout the to staff weekly
resources/share year)
resources from
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other teachers
Tech Committee Tech Commmittee End of October 2016 Create schedule and
meeting to discuss agenda for next
next differentiated meeting
staff meeting
Mid-Year survey for Tech Committee, January 2017 Evaluate new data
teachers to evaluate Administration from survey with
effectiveness of Tech Tech Committee
Spotlights, meetings,
new needs
End of Year Survey Tech Committee, May 2017 Evaluate data and
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This whole process will be ever-changing once it starts implementation and once we
see what the needs of teachers really are. However, this gives a basic outlined plan to help
adhere to.
One action plan I found is from Brewster School District in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Two of their goals are very similar to mine, to increase devices and provide a device to all
students in grades 2-12 and another to provide strong district-level leadership to teach
teachers how to effectively incorporate technology into their classrooms (Brewster 2014).
Their plan is for 3 years, 2014-2017. They have a very clear action plan, also laid out in a
table format, that is easy to read and follow. They are specific in the steps they will take
throughout the three years, and are specific to which tasks are continuously ongoing
throughout the project and which have more finite end dates. Their table does not just list
Implement in Schools but is very specific as to which pieces of the plan will be
implemented at a time. It is also very clear who will be responsible for each part, showing
also if it will be a step taken back at the schools by the school principals, or if it will be a
2014). This is also publicly a fluid document that they are changing and updating to let
everyone involved know about the progress the project is making. This is important not
only for the committee to reflect on, but to keep all stakeholders updated and continue the
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buy-in from as the project progresses. There were also two pieces that I think could be
upgraded. One is that their assessments of how they will evaluate their action items are not
clear. Some assessment pieces are incorporated into their plan table, but they are listed
under the Action Items, such as Evaluate Staffing based on technology purchases
(Brewster 2014). They also have a section devoted to evaluation and assessment, but
without any smaller pieces listed in the table, it is very broad and harder to match up with
when they will actually take those evaluations. Also, even though it is a district-wide led
initiative, they have a lot of goals. There are goals for the whole district for staff as well as
devices, and then there are also student goals, staff goals, teacher pedagogy goals and
district-wide initiative goals. (Brewster 2014). Having so many goals seems like it would be
harder to stay on track and obtain. Overall though, this plan is very similar to mine, but
more long-term, was easy to follow for someone not in the district, and has a clearly laid
Another plan I found that incorporates similar elements, is from Calvert County,
Maryland. This project has four main objectives for the county, two of which are similar:
Improve Staffs Knowledge and Skills to Implement Technology and Improve equitable
access to appropriate technologies among all stakeholders (Calvert 2011). One aspect I
really found beneficial was that there is a separate action plan table for each of the four
objectives. This made it easier to follow, and showed that not only was there a plan for all
objectives combined, but also an individual plan to specifically address each objective. This
keeps each objective addressed but also a cohesive larger plan. Similar to Brewster School
Districts plan, they also posted changes and updates, in an addendum. (Calvert 2011).
Seeing this twice now, I think it is very important. It helps keep everyone accountable to
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the plan, but also keeps everyone involved informed. This plan, was much simpler. This
might be more like something I will make for a short-term plan, but looking forward it
definitely was not as detailed or informative as Brewster School Districts. I also felt that
Calvert County was missing information about assessment. It was not clear who would be
responsible for collecting the data or how it would be done. They also included many
Calvert Countys plan was laid out simpler, showed an example of a short-term plan, and
separated it into smaller chunks out of one large plan, but was missing a few pieces.
References
http://www.brewsterschools.org/technology/Pdfs/technology_plan.pdf
http://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/diit/documents/FullTechPlan.pdf
Dwyer, D., Ringstaff, C. & Sandholtz, J. Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Research: The
http://www.nctp.com/downloads/guidebook.pdf
Surry, Daniel W. (1997) Diffusion Theory and Instructional Technology. Paper presented at
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/diffusion/