Running head: PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 1

Enhancing Personalized Learning Opportunities for Middle School Students

Through the iTunes U Platform

Lisa A. Flicker

Kennesaw State University

August 2017

Dr. Jo Williamson

June 2017
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 2

Setting and Context

This capstone experience will take place at Holcomb Bridge Middle School, a public

school located in Roswell, Georgia. Roswell is a mid-sized suburban town, twenty miles north of

Atlanta. Holcomb Bridge Middle School (HBMS) has an enrollment of 751 students between the

6th and 8th grades. HBMS offers 8 class periods per day for the students, and with 4 rotating

quarter schedules per year. They rotate in order to offer students the opportunity to have their

various core courses at different times throughout the year. HBMS has one principal, two

assistant principals and one assistant administrator. There are 62 teachers, two full-time

counselors, one full-time graduation coach, and other supporting staff including a media

specialist and cafeteria staff.

HBMS is a very culturally diverse school. The student demographics include 39%

Hispanic, 28% White, 27% African American, and 3% Asian. About 30% of the students would

be classified as middle class, 58% of the students are on the Free/Reduced Lunch Program, 10%

of the student population is English as Second Language learners and 27% are classified under

Special Education. We do have several students who are classified as homeless and are living at

various shelters and hotels within our school district.

Holcomb Bridge Middle School has twice been designated as a Georgia Lighthouse

School to Watch, in both 2013 and re-designated in 2016. We are an AVID program school and

a Verizon Innovative Learning School. Furthermore, HBMS is a 1:1 school which offers the

students iPads with 5GB per month of data provided by a grant from Digital Promise and

Verizon. However, this three-year program will end at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. We

have also received a Fulton County Education Foundation Grant of $42,000 to support AVID
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 3

W.I.C.O.R. strategies across all contents. The school also offers for our families a Title I Parent

Liaison, and a Bilingual Parent Liaison.

Teachers take part in Professional Learning Communities on a regular basis. There are

norms and expectations set for these communities. Backward Design Days are offered for

teachers to collaborate by content level twice a year. HBMS has a Student Governance

Committee made up of administration and elected parents, teachers, and community leaders.

Teachers promote the iCARE positive behavior model as well as the Positive Behavioral

Interventions and Supports methods (PBIS).

Personalized learning is an HBMS initiative. It is promoted throughout every discipline.

Given that our population is so varied and that every student’s interests and strengths are just as

varied, we wanted a format that allowed our diverse population of students to be able to show

mastery of the standards being taught and in a manner that worked best for them. By allowing for

personalized learning through voice and choice opportunities, students are empowered to show

learning through ways they create and help develop and through formats that work best for them.

The utilization of voice and choice strategies can be defined as learner driven and facilitated by

the teacher (Bray and McClaskey, 2013). In other words, “allowing learners to drive their

learning based on interests, aspirations, and questions. Students will be learning at their own

pace and with constant feedback that gives them the ability to use their own voices to choose the

best way to show mastery in competency-based learning” (p. 15).

HBMS is promoting this integration of voice and choice with technology not only to help

our students become lifelong learners but also to help our students to be competitive in the work

force. Teachers have been provided professional development activities and access to tools,

methods, and resources to help create personalized learning opportunities for their students.
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 4

HBMS students have access to IXL, Redbird Math, iMovie, Keynote, Study Island, iTunes U,

Office 365, and many other resources to both promote extended learning, to use as a base, and to

help students create products. Last year, given the use of One Note, iTunes U, and several other

on-line platforms teachers were using in their individual classrooms, students and parents were

feeling confused. Therefore, administration decided to become a one-platform school. iTunes U

was chosen.

At this point, training for most teachers has not been completed. The concern is how to

utilize the iTunes U platform while also providing for voice and choice opportunities for

students, especially if they had not used iTunes U before. Teachers are feeling a bit

overwhelmed with having to organize and figure out new technology, create “courses” to meet

their own needs, and then relay this new information to their own students. By providing an on-

line platform and with extensive training, choice board examples, course set-up examples, and

one-on-one help for the faculty, this could help to foster the access of voice and choice

opportunities for all of the HBMS students.

Statement of Problem, Need and Rationale

We live in a rapidly growing global economy, one that is constantly changing through

advancements in technology and user preferences. As educators, we must be able to understand

the needs of this new world and how we can help our students to become competitive and

comfortable dealing with these rapid changes and updates. Holcomb Bridge Middle School is

looking to move away from traditional teaching methods and to move teachers toward the role of

facilitator as the school becomes a personalized learning environment. Personalized learning, as

defined by Netcoh (2017), is the process of allowing students to “have a voice in what they are

learning based on how they learn best and have a choice in how they demonstrate what they
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 5

know and provide evidence of their learning” (p.384). Holcomb Bridge wants to accomplish this

by creating an environment encouraging students to direct their own learning paths through

utilization of student’s interests, strengths, and available technology.

Given the fact that Holcomb Bridge Middle School is culturally and economically

diverse, the diversity needs had to be addressed when considering which format to pursue. The

iTunes U platform allowed opportunity for educators to personalize their e-learning delivery to

their students. A Review of Personalised E-Learning: Towards Supporting Learner Diversity, by

O’Donnell, Lawless, Sharp and Wade (2015) states personalized learning prevents an

information overload. Furthermore, an educator’s role is to ensure students are provided

appropriate and engaging information geared toward specific needs and at a suitable level, and

activities are appropriate to match students and their diverse learning goals. Allowing individual

students to access information they need based on teacher recommendations and continuously

updating information to students based on feedback and assessments is ultimately best practice

(O’Donnell et al., 2015, p. 26).

The complimentary, open, and fluid system that is iTunes U allows educators the

opportunity to continuously update information as it expands and changes. Furthermore, the vast

amount of resources available in iTunes U allow teachers access to resources including podcasts,

videos, books, documents, college courses, images, and audios. Strashko (2016) implies that “it

could be suggested the purpose of its development is the reproduction of socio-cultural

experience and socially significant knowledge in the context of the cognitive and informational

interaction in the global educational environment” (p.78). The iTunes U platform allows a

variety of methods and forms to get information out to our digitally savvy students and for the

purpose of their disseminating information to create their own products. Strashko (2016)
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 6

continues to say that the task of modern education is to not only transfer knowledge and mastery

but to use that information to create new information and ideas (p.79). All of this information is

available to schools at no cost, within the course that is provided by their teacher, and available

to them at all times while enrolled. This provides students the ability to work at their

convenience, even if extended absence occurs, or for the purpose of remediation or acceleration.

Traditional classroom settings make it difficult for teachers to provide resources students

can access to help direct their own learning. Providing resources in an iTunes U format allow

teachers the ability to relay information in a format that is currently limited to the teacher’s time,

capabilities, and ideas. This supports the flipped classroom model. The flipped classroom model,

which does away with the top down initiative, allows teachers to have more time to connect with

students, increase the value of class time, and spend more time teaching and facilitating instead

of delivering information (Sota, 2016). Teachers can involve their learners in building engaging

learning environments by adding them as co-designers in the process (Bray and McClaskey,

2013).

An e-learning platform, states McLoughlin and Lee (2010) allows learning experiences to

be active, process based and driven by learner’s interests (p. 29). Students have the potential to

cultivate self-regulated independent learning. McLoughlin and Lee (2010) further state and

define self-regulated learning as the ability of a learner to prepare for his or her own learning, to

take the steps needed to learn, manage, and evaluate the learning process. They go on further to

state that this type of learner is able to move in the higher order thinking realms by using self-

monitoring and reflection through student-centered learning.

The web offers innumerable resources for teachers to access and utilize for

personalization and meeting individual needs of students. This can seem overwhelming to some
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 7

educators. However, allowing iTunes U as a platform enables teachers to coordinate their

personalized e-learning efforts in one place. This is a platform that allows educators to

individually design their courses to specifically meet the needs of their students and the subject

matter they are teaching. Students can be given various paths to follow, alternatives to learning

certain standards, and additional opportunities to master and enhance the learning experiences

(O’Donnell et al., 2015). Unfortunately, these opportunities for students are limited to the

comfort level, technological capabilities, and accessibility of the teachers looking to utilize them.

Therefore, appropriate and catered professional development opportunities need to be provided

to educators using on-line platforms, like Holcomb Bridge Middle School, to ensure success.

Some challenges noted in classrooms when allowing access to voice and choice are the

belief it may cause chaos and undermine student learning. However, engagement has actually

been shown to rise when students are empowered with the choice of completing learning goals

through their chosen paths and relevant to their interests when creating standards-based products

(McLoughlin & Lee, 2010). Teachers need to feel comfortable creating these types of settings.

The teachers at Holcomb Bridge Middle School are interested in making this change and

understand the benefits. However, some educators at Holcomb Bridge Middle are concerned

with the time needed to implement this change, are unsure how to best implement this platform

within their classrooms, and concerned if they have the technology background needed to

accomplish this task successfully.

I propose the need for professional development incorporating information on creating

an iTunes U course utilizing voice and choice strategies. Within the course will be guidelines and

“prepared resources allowing students to exercise control over their learning while also guiding

them toward particular learning objectives” (Netcoh, p. 385, 2017). Teachers will have access to

these guidelines and prepared resources through a one drive after the professional development
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 8

is delivered. The file will be updated as new products are implemented within the school.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles will be considered for students to access, engage

and express their learning, styles and preferences for choice and personalization (Bray and

McClaskey, 2013). Strategies will be shared regarding student use of iTunes U to access course

materials, take notes, track assignments, access grades and reflection pieces, and foster class

communication. Examples provided would show how this platform can be used to enhance

student interaction, learning, and differentiation (Matta, Salakas, Salerno, and Sultano, 2016).

Path and pace components will be included in the professional development as it applies to voice

and choice opportunities for students. This is all the more enhanced by the iTunes U platform,

as it permits students to advance at their own pace while following custom paths of knowledge

(Strashko, 2016), instead of more rigid traditional processes previously utilized in many

classrooms at Holcomb Bridge Middle School.

Objectives and Deliverables

The utilization of iTunes U at Holcomb Bridge Middle School is a means for promoting

personalized learning. Teachers and staff have felt overwhelmed by this new platform and how it

may relate to their own teaching. Therefore, the need for professional development opportunities

for teachers and staff is necessary to aid in the successful utilization of iTunes U as a means for

facilitating personalized learning initiatives for all Holcomb Bridge Middle School students. The

professional learning will be focused on both the creation of individualized iTunes U courses as

well as how this platform may be used to promote student voice and choice opportunities.

Additional access to resources will be provided to educators through a one-drive digital folder

that will be up-dated as new school materials are created and implemented. The goal of this

project will be based upon the following objectives, each of which should be achieved by May,

2018.
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 9

 Increase the use of iTunes U as a classroom platform in grades 6-8, including special area

teachers.

 Improve teacher’s comfort level utilizing iTunes U to create personalized learning

opportunities for students.

 Provide effective and efficient means for teachers to access additional materials, ideas,

and templates to create voice and choice activities with the iTunes U platform.

The following deliverables have been determined and will be created to support the success of

the project:

 An on-line survey identifying the specific needs of Holcomb Bridge teachers and their

confidence level utilizing iTunes U and personalized learning initiatives.

 A One-Note digital folder highlighting resources created within our school and on-line.

Resources will include iTunes U instructions and troubleshooting, choice board

templates, and personalized learning strategies.

 One-on-one coaching opportunities to teachers requesting this strategy to successfully

set-up and implement iTunes U.

 Quarterly professional development sessions highlighting the majority of specific needs

determined from surveys and one-on-one coaching sessions.

PSC Standards

Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) standards are supported throughout

the capstone project. My roll will initially start as an agent of change, as is supported by

Standard 1.1, Shared Vision, and then continue to Standard 1.4 as I help colleagues to create an

iTunes U course utilizing personalized strategies for their students. Personalization and iTunes U

are initiatives that Holcomb Bridge is in the beginning stages of implementation for teachers and
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 10

staff. Standard 1.4, Diffusion of Innovations & Change, will be supported through my

implementing professional learning opportunities for teachers that are based from needs

assessments carried out earlier in the year. The change process has been difficult for some

teachers who were very comfortable with the format they had previously used. I need to model

and give specific strategies for utilizing the iTunes U platform to promote personalized learning

and based on their specific content and technology comfort level.

Due to the nature of this project, much of the emphasis will be placed on the second

standard, Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. In standard 2, I will provide support to teachers

who are creating and implementing iTunes U courses to promote and utilize personal learning

strategies. These learning strategies will be used to foster authentic, differentiated, and higher-

order thinking experiences for students of Holcomb Bridge Middle School. Specific strands

addressed with this standard will be 2.1, Content Standards and Student Technology, as well as

2.5, Differentiation.

Another standard that will be visible throughout this capstone experience will be

Standard 3, Digital learning Environments. Through professional learning opportunities and one-

on-one training, I will be modeling and providing resources for the implementation of the iTunes

U platform that will give students the means to use their own voice to choose learning paths for

themselves. Most of this standard will be covered within this capstone as teachers learn how to

implement this technology tool, troubleshoot problems, utilize adaptive technologies and

services within iTunes U, and create a more flipped or blended classroom.

Standard 4, Digital Citizenship and Responsibility will also be addressed. This standard is

one that Holcomb Bridge Middle School tries to incorporate through homeroom digital

citizenship lessons on a monthly basis. For this capstone experience, I will be focusing on 4.3,
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 11

Diversity, Cultural Awareness & Global Awareness. This strand is important as teachers focus

on meeting the specific and varied needs of the diverse population at Holcomb Bridge Middle

School. As our society becomes more accessible through technological advancements, students

need to learn how to access community and global resources, and to use them in a responsible

way.

Professional Learning & Program Evaluation, Standard 5, will also be addressed through

needs assessments, professional learning opportunities, and program evaluation. I will be

creating an initial survey to assess what specific needs individual teachers have at the current

time, I will then design professional learning trainings based from those results and work one-on-

one with educators to best meet the diverse needs of the teachers at Holcomb Bridge Middle

School.

Table 1.

Project Objectives and Standards Alignment

Project Objectives PSC Standard

 Increase the use of iTunes U as a Element 1.1 Shared Vision

classroom platform in grades 6-8, Element 2.1 Content Standards & Student

including special area teachers. Technology Standards

Element 2.2 Research- Based Learner-

Centered Strategies

Element 2.6 Instructional Design

Element 5.2 Professional Learning

PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 12

 Improve teacher’s comfort level Element 1.4 Diffusion of Innovations &

utilizing iTunes U to create Change

personalized learning Element 2.3 Authentic Learning

Opportunities for students. Element 2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills

Element 2.5 Differentiation

Element 2.7 Assessment

Element 2.8 Data Analysis

Element 3.1 Classroom Management &

Collaborative Learning

Element 3.3 Online & Blended Learning

Element 3.4 Adaptive and Assistive

Technologies

 Provide effective and efficient Element 3.2 Managing Digital Tools

means for teachers to access and Resources

additional materials, ideas, and Element 3.5 Basic Troubleshooting

templates to create their own Element 4.3 Diversity, Cultural

voice and choice activities with Understanding and Global Awareness

the iTunes U platform.

PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 13

Project Description

The project I will be delivering will support the Holcomb Bridge Middle School initiative

of becoming a single platform school. The platform will be used to create on-line content courses

supporting personalized learner-centered goals. Specifically, I will create and implement needs

assessments surveys, professional development workshops configured from survey results, a

One-Drive folder created and up-dated for trouble-shooting ideas and strategies for

implementing personalized learning, and samples of proven plans gathered from within and

outside Holcomb Bridge Middle School. Teachers will be given tools needed to create their own

iTunes U course and given strategies on how to utilize the course to promote personalized

learning opportunities within their class.

First project item/activity

The first activity involves my creating and implementing an on-line survey to assess the

current level of comfort, investment, and needs for constructing an iTunes U course supporting

personalized learning. The survey will be created using Google Forms and will be sent through

school mail to all faculty and staff at Holcomb Bridge Middle School. Since this is a school

initiative and all personnel will be coming in contact with students utilizing iTunes U and

personalized learning, it is advantageous for everyone to be familiar with the basic workings of

this platform and all that it is capable of in regard to supporting school goals. Results from the

survey will be analyzed to assess specific needs, determine the professional development

activities to be created and offered, and one-on-one coaching that may need to occur. There will

also be a second survey sent out, one month later, to assess how many courses have been created

and actively used in school, user confidence with using this platform, and additional needs or
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 14

training. It is anticipated that approximately 12 hours will be needed to create, distribute, and

analyze the surveys.

Second project item/activity

Based on the survey results and the specific overall needs of Holcomb Bridge Middle

School staff, I will create and conduct professional learning workshops. The workshops will be

designed for teachers who are not only unfamiliar with iTunes U but also unsure how the iTunes

U platform can support personalized learning. I will model strategies for providing personalized

learning opportunities for students. I will also demonstrate to teachers the options they have

within iTunes U when designing a course to specifically meet content and course needs. I will

also share several examples on how to incorporate and imbed personalized learning strategies

within an iTunes U course. A calendar invite will be sent out for the workshops so I will know

how many people to expect. The workshop will be offered on a workday and at 8:00 a.m. I will

plan on having the trainings in my classroom. If there are more than 30 attendees, I will utilize

the media center. Handouts will be provided with step-by-step directions on how to set up and

enroll students in a course. It is anticipated that approximately 15 hours will be needed to create,

construct and implement these workshops based from the results of the surveys I send out to

Holcomb Bridge teachers and staff.

Third project item/activity

In order for teachers to have access to necessary tools for troubleshooting and developing

personalized learning activities through their iTunes U course, I will create a folder in One Drive

dedicated to this purpose. Teachers will be given shared access to the folder to access in the

“shared with me” section of One Drive. Teachers will also have permission to contribute

resources as they create or find them. The folder will be divided in sections for the shared course
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 15

by information, troubleshooting, course set-up options, choice board templates, and suggested

personalized learning strategies. Furthermore, I will also include within the folder an enroll code

to access a mock iTunes U course that the teachers and staff at Holcomb Bridge Middle School

may access. In this course will be opportunities for teachers to try out personalized lessons,

communicate with one another, and see what it looks like from the student perspective. This will

be especially useful for teachers who could not attend the workshops, who may be more visual

and tactile learners, or need a refresher on what possibilities are available with a course and how

they can make that apply to their own classes. The creation and inputting of data and information

to the One Drive folder will initially take 10 hours. Continual updating will occur as workshop

sessions are completed and surveys evaluated. It is anticipated to take 1-2 hours to complete each

update to the One Drive folder.

Table 2.

Project Activities Alignment

Project Item/Activity Project Objectives Deliverables

Create, conduct, and  Increase the use of  Initial staff survey

assess Google Forms iTunes U as a  Follow-up survey

survey classroom platform one month after

in grade 6-8, Initial training

including special

area teachers.
Running head: PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 16

Create and conduct a  Increase the use of  Design and deliver

workshop on implementing iTunes U as a workshops focused

personalized learning classroom platform on using iTunes U

strategies through the in grades 6-8, to promote

iTunes U platform including personalized

 Improve teachers learning

comfort level opportunities

utilizing iTunes U  Provide one-on-one

to create coaching

personalized opportunities to

learning teachers requesting

opportunities this strategy

 Provide effective  One-Drive folder

Develop and publish a and efficient means  Up-dating folder on

digital folder for iTunes U for teachers to regular basis, or as

and personalized access additional needed

resources materials, ideas,

and templates to

Create voice and

Choice activities

With iTunes U
Running head: PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 17

Evaluation Plan

Evaluation is an important component of any capstone project. Therefore, I will evaluate

during key times of this project. Evaluations will be made prior to the creation of the first

workshop, after small group sessions and one-to-one sessions, and during post-planning. For the

purpose of ensuring the objectives of this capstone are being met during the different stages of

implementation, I will create Google Form surveys. These surveys, when created and carried out

correctly, will give me insight in to any new issues that may arise or modifications that are

needed as I strive to meet the objectives of this project.

First Project Item/Activity

One of the main objectives for this project is to create professional development

workshops for teachers and staff at Holcomb Bridge Middle School. These workshops would be

designed for teachers not confident in their ability to create iTunes U courses designed for their

specific content and utilized for carrying out personalized learning lessons. The deliverable for

this proposed project will be creating and administering a Google Forms survey asking teachers

their comfort level using technology, ability to use technology, and interest in attending a

workshop geared towards assisting them in becoming more comfortable in these topics. I will

also ask teachers to share concerns they have towards creating an iTunes U course and utilizing

this platform with their students. In order to get effective data, I will need at least 60% of the

staff and teachers to complete the survey.

The following sample questions will be included in the initial survey created to assess

need and interest in an iTunes U course supporting personalized learning:

 About how much of your professional development, that was technology-based, are you

using in your own classroom setting?

PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 18

 How often is technology used to differentiate content, product, or process for students?

 What are some reasons why you may be reluctant to use technology in your own

classroom?

 Do you feel confident successfully creating and implementing personalized learning

lessons that utilize technology on a regular and consistent basis?

I will also conduct a similar survey after completing the professional development

workshop on creating an iTunes U course to support personalized learning. Questions will

include the likelihood teachers will create an iTunes U course and use this within their own class,

how useful the iTunes U platform is in delivering personalized learning activities and managing

these types of activities in an organized manner, comments for improving the workshop, and

how applicable and useful the One Drive folder for personalized learning strategies was to them.

I will then review the results periodically to troubleshoot, improve, and add to the file as needed.

I will know my questions are well-written and applicable to the objective I am trying to achieve

if the information I obtain from my survey gives me the data I need to create workshops to meet

my goals. The goals are to improve the comfort level and utilization of the iTunes U platform for

implementing personalized learning strategies. Therefore, the survey will be evaluated based on

the quantity and quality of the results I receive from the staff and teachers at Holcomb Bridge

Middle School.

Second Project Item/Activity

The second project activity will be the creation and publication of a One Drive folder

housing personalized learning strategies and step-by-step instructions for setting-up an iTunes U

course. The products uploaded in to the One Drive folder will be guided by evaluating responses

from the surveys, including specific needs staff members shared in their responses. Success of
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 19

the One Drive folder will be determined by the amount of times teachers and staff access the One

Drive folder to create personalized learning opportunities in their classrooms. A Google Forms

survey will be conducted in March and during post-planning in May to evaluate the times

accessed and effectiveness of the One Drive folder as a deliverable for this project.

Third Project Item/Activity

The objective for this project, that includes creating and conducting workshops on

personalized learning and iTunes U, will be accomplished through whole group workshops,

small-group meetings, and one-on-one coaching sessions. The purpose of these deliverables is to

increase confidence and mobilization of iTunes U courses as a platform for relaying personalized

learning strategies. These training sessions will be evaluated by surveys I will create using

Google Forms. The surveys will be implemented after Workshop #1, Professional Learning

Coaching Day, and Workshop #2. The success of the surveys will be based on at least 60% of

teachers and staff completing them, and the quality of feedback I am able to gather from the

responses.

Project Timeline

The timeline for this project will take place between December and May of the 2017-

2018 school year. The project will begin in December with the creation of a survey to assess the

needs and current technology integration of the Holcomb Bridge Middle School faculty and staff.

It will continue until the end of the school year and include two workshops, a small group

personalized session, and one-to-one coaching opportunities. I will also create a Google Drive

folder to store personalized learning strategies. The projected timeline is found in table 3. It is

projected that this project will take around 112 hours to implement. Although it is scheduled to
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 20

end in May, I will continue to be available to support staff as needed. A list of all proposed

resources can be found in table 4.

Table 3.

Project Timeline

Month Project Item/Activity, or Evaluation Item Hours

December Create survey using Google Forms to determine staff needs and 5 hours
current technology integration levels
December Administer survey and evaluate results 3 hours
January Design Workshop #1 based on survey results 15 hours
January Create One Drive folder for personalized learning 10 hours
strategies and step-by-step instruction for iTunes U course
set-up
January Prepare and set-up for Workshop #1 1 hour
January Implement Workshop #1 1 hour
February Create, administer, and evaluate Google Forms 5 hours
survey on Workshop #1
February Update One Drive Folder to meet changing needs and interests 4 hour
as reflected in survey results
February Create sign-up for Small Group Coaching on using 1 hour
personalized learning strategies through iTunes U courses
February Design and plan for Small Group Coaching 5 hours
February Prepare and set-up for Small Group Coaching 4 hour
February Implement Small Group Coaching 1 hour
March Create, administer, and evaluate Google Forms survey 5 hours
On Small Group Coaching effectiveness
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 21

March Create, administer, and evaluate results on Google Forms 4 hours

survey for quantity accessed, changing needs
and effectiveness of the One Drive
March Update One Drive folder to reflect results of needs 4 hours
addressed in survey
March Create, administer, and evaluate Google Form survey 5 hours
to analyze interest and need for professional learning day
to coach colleagues / one-on-one coaching
March Prepare and set-up for Professional Learning Coaching Day 5 hour
March Implement Professional Learning Coaching Day 8 hours
March Create, administer, and evaluate Google Form survey for 5 hours
Effectiveness of Professional Learning Coaching Day
April Create a file in the One Drive folder for teachers to share 1 hour
examples of their own personalized learning lessons or ideas
April Create Sign-up Genius for Workshop #2, 2 hours
professional learning rotations
April Evaluate data from sign-up to plan Workshop #2 5 hours
April Implement Workshop #2 Professional Learning Rotations 8 hours
May Create and administer Google Forms survey to staff and 5 hours
teachers to determine the success of the project
Total Hours 112 hours
PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 22

Table 4.

Proposed Resources

Proposed Resources Specific Items

Space The workshops and small-group trainings will take place in my

classroom, room 404. If the workshops have more than 30 people
signed-up, the media center will be reserved and used. One-on-one
coaching sessions will be conducted either in the participating
teacher’s classroom or in mine.
Tools Epsom Projector, Dell laptop, iPad, dongle, wireless internet,
remote mouse
Materials iTunes U Holcomb Bridge Training Course, Google Forms
surveys, Sign-up Genius, Apple Apps, handouts
Human Resources I will create and deliver the workshop and one-on-one
coaching sessions. I will organize and plan
the Professional Learning Coaching Day where teachers’
wishing to share strategies learned this year on personalized
learning can present in small group sessions. Teachers, staff, and
administrators will be invited to complete surveys and attend all
workshops and training sessions, as needed. Scheduling of all
workshops will be conducted through the personalized learning
coach at Holcomb Bridge Middle School.
Running head: PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 23

References

Bray, B., McClaskey, K., & International Society for Technology in Education, (. (2013). A

Step-by-Step Guide to Personalize Learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 40(7),

12-19.

Matta, J., Salakas, B., Salerno, G., & Sultana, E. (2016). Will using an iTunes U course with the

Pedagogy Wheel result in effective individualised learning? Australian Educational

Leader, 38(2), 44-49.

McLoughlin, C. & Lee, M. J. W. (2010). Personalised and self-regulated learning in the Web 2.0

era: International exemplars of innovative pedagogy using social software. Australasian

Journal of Educational Technology, 26(1), 28-43.

Netcoh, S. (2017). Research paper: Balancing freedom and limitations: A case study of choice

provision in a personalized learning class. Teaching and Teacher Education, 66383-392.

doi:10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.010

O'Donnell, E., Lawless, S., Sharp, M. & V. Wade. (2015). A Review of Personalised E-

Learning: Towards Supporting Learner Diversity. International Journal of Distance

Education Technologies, pp.22-47. DOI: 10.4018/ijdet.2015010102

PERSONALIZED OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ITUNES U 24

Sota, M. S. (2016). Flipped learning as a path to personalization. In M. Murphy, S. Redding, & J.

Twyman (Eds.), Handbook on personalized learning for states, districts, and schools (pp.

73– 87). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University, Center on Innovations in Learning.

Strashko, I. V. (2016). Philosophical and Educational Orientation of iTunes University as a

Possibility of Satisfying Individual Needs for Education. Humanities Bulletin Of

Zaporizhzhe State Engineering Academy, (65), 76-83.

Leader, 38(2), 44-49.