TECHNOLOGY PLAN

Virtual Field Trips

Megan Bowie
Seneca Elementary School
Current Situation – Perceived Attributes

Implementing the new technology of virtual field trips in Seneca Elementary School will

face many obstacles, but is a strong enough technology to overcome them. Many of the

perceived attributes from Rogers’ Diffusion Theory are more likely to be viewed in a positive

light, than in a negative. Attributes such as trialability, relative advantage, observability will be

perceived as with virtual field trips as beneficial, while compatibility and complexity may take

some work.

Teachers at Seneca are more than willing to scrap the current field trip planning process

that is extensive and very exhausting in favor of a better method. They perceive the current

process very negatively, so the relative advantage will be a very high degree. The concept of

not having to handle money, forms, calling parents, booking buses, contact the cafeteria, and

much more is overwhelming. With virtual fields, though, the teachers will only need to contact,

schedule, and hold the virtual field trip, which are only some of the steps they have to complete

already. The relative advantage of virtual field trips is clear and presents a much better offer to

the teachers. Many staff express the stress of field trip planning as it is, so the alternative will

be very advantageous since it cuts out so many steps. The best way to continue with this

perception would be to outline the steps in a checklist, much like how our current field trip

steps are outlined in a document on our shared server.

Trialability is most likely to be another perceived attribute of virtual field trips, since

there is an option to complete one as a grade/team. Teachers at Seneca gravitate towards

opportunities to work together to share the workload and let the students have a chance to
interact with others they may only see sporadically. With having a choice of co-planning virtual

field trips for more than one class, teachers will be able to work together and plan together. In

other regards of trialability, teachers may also perceive it as an attribute because there isn’t as

much to lose by trying and not succeeding. There was a particular field trip that had been

scheduled and canceled three times due to weather related closings and delays. Each time,

teachers had to contact both the location, office, parents, cafeteria, nurse, and even students.

Finally they had to even refund money to each and every student and parent for the field trip.

With virtual field trips, there will be a definite appeal in the fact that in the worst case scenario,

a cancellation will result in having to reschedule or just surrender the trip. Money doesn’t

change hands, transportation isn’t arranged, and chaperones aren’t needed. This makes trying

a virtual field trip something that more teachers may be inclined to do.

Observability is a key perceived attribute, since teachers will be able to see their

students participating in the field trip, just like with in-person field trips. While the staff may

hesitate because students can’t put their hands on things, they have the chance to see and

experience parts of the world that may be out of the realm of possibilities normally. It’s also an

attribute due to the nature of sharing among Seneca staff. Often teachers share their

experiences with teammates or other staff members as a “good of the group” kind of mentality.

Once one class has completed a virtual field trip, word will most likely spread like wildfire and

teachers will discuss the results with each other. It’s definitely an element of Seneca that

promotes innovation often, as other teachers try out what others have done based on how well

something turned out.

 Compatibility is potentially a perceived attribute, but may need some assistance to

become a reality. While there are tons of pros of current in-person field trips, virtual field trips

align nicely in allowing students to experience real-world, outside learning for themselves. The

downside that most teachers may hesitate with is that in-person field trips plant students in

another environment physically where they can interact and experience firsthand. In order to

overcome this perception, it would be best for each teacher to experience on of the live virtual

field trips to a location not physically possible. For example, Skype in the Classroom has a

virtual field trip with the Aquarius Reef Base where scientist live and work at the bottom of the

ocean in an underwater lab. If teachers experience this for themselves, then they will be able

to see the compatibility with experiencing field trips to gain new learning and explorations.

The final perception of complexity may not be considered an attribute right away by

many teachers. Teachers are currently so overwhelmed with the field trip process as it is, that

throwing another process at them may not be received well right away. The idea of going

online and setting up a field trip to be held with technology involving people all over the world

may come across as overly complex and complicated at first to staff. The biggest hindrance to

that is using technology for a class experience in a new way. Many staff members at Seneca are

not very comfortable with technology in the first place and get frustrated with it, especially

when using it in a new way. They also may be more comfortable sticking to what they know,

rather than venturing out to learn a new process and plan/arrange a field trip in a whole new

way. To overcome this perception, teachers who feel it is too complex (or don’t have any

experience with virtual field trips) can pair up with those that would be considered “experts”

due to having experience in planning a virtual field trip to co-plan a field trip together. This
would be a sure way to scaffold the planning process for teachers who have no prior experience

and to prevent the potential for getting overwhelmed with something so new to them.

Current Situation – Ely’s Eight Conditions of Change

Already there are some of Ely’s conditions of change currently present at Seneca

Elementary. There is a clear sense of “Dissatisfaction with the Status Quo” among majority of

the staff regarding the current field trip process. In a survey, every staff member that

responded indicated how unhappy they were with how field trips must be planned today. They

expressed feelings of being overwhelmed from handling too many steps and responsibilities.

Money, transportation, and availability were among the most common sources of aggravation.

Due to so many staff members being dissatisfied, the condition is perfect for a change. They

don’t like the way things are now, so they’re all open to a better solution. It is the perfect

situation for implementing a change in the process, such as virtual field trips. Having resources

available is also a condition of change currently met at Seneca. Baltimore County Public

Schools has approved many different sources of field trips, as well as provided the technology

resources necessary to complete them (i.e. projectors, devices, internet, Promethean Boards,

etc.). Having the resources makes a big difference in regards to change, since teachers don’t

have to put in any extra effort to make a change by gathering things. Everything is right there

on hand for teachers to grab and use, so the option is wide open and there to use, as is the

change. Finally, the conditions of rewards and incentives is also already in play for this change.

Teachers have to put in a lot of time and effort in planning a field trip currently. They must not

only arrange it, but they must collect and document money, forms, lunches, medicine,

transportation, and more. With virtual field trips, they only need to plan, arrange, and hold the
field trip in a school location, such as their classroom. The incentive of less planning and hassle

is evident and immediate. With such an appealing change, many teachers will flock to the

technology after experiencing this incentive. There is also the reward of having something

more to put into Domain 4 on their End of Year documents that goes above and beyond. It is

current, impressive, and allows for many more opportunities to show off on Domain 4.

Teachers are expected to document what they complete throughout the year that

administrators may or may not see. Something like a field trip is a great opportunity to gain

something to put into Domain 4 and pull out at the end of the year. The more a teacher does in

regards to Domain 4, the higher the chance of the best rating and evaluation from the

administrator for a teacher’s final evaluative rating that goes on record. Many teachers

scramble for extras, such as running after school clubs or going to Professional Development

opportunities that take up much time. Virtual field trips take much less time, yet are still a

great resource for Domain 4.

For each condition of change present currently, there are more that are not present.

Some of those conditions can be influenced by a technology leader, such as myself. There is

not sufficient knowledge and skills of virtual field trips among almost all of the staff today. They

either have never planned one and/or experienced one themselves. If people don’t have the

knowledge and skills of a technology, they cannot possibly make a change to successfully

incorporate it into their classrooms. Luckily, as a technology leader, I can directly influence this

condition. I can train current staff in planning virtual field trips, as well as plan one for them to

experience firsthand. I can provide them with the opportunities to build up their knowledge

and skills with virtual field trips. Participation is another missing condition that I can influence.
In Seneca only two teachers have taken the time to learn and produce a virtual field trip. This

lack of participation, however, is largely due to not knowing how or feeling uncomfortable. I

plan to work with various teams/teachers to co-plan a virtual field trip for their students so that

they can gain confidence and become more comfortable. I can also pair those experienced

teachers with the inexperienced for the same purpose. Participation will definitely increase,

since the number one request from my staff in my survey was for help. Not a single teacher

said they wouldn’t be willing to co-plan a virtual field trip with an experienced teacher. Once

participation increases, this will open a way to influence commitment, as more teachers will

experience the ease of virtual field trips for themselves. Many more teachers will become

committed to virtual field trips once they see and experience the results for themselves. The

final condition I can influence as a technology leader is leadership. The mentor/mentee

program for helping more teachers gain experience will create a situation where teachers who

have completed virtual field trips will become leaders that others can turn to. The other aspect

of leadership in regards to administration has already expressed interest in the idea of virtual

field trips and would like to witness one. I’m confident that seeing a virtual field trip and

experiencing it with the kids will convince Seneca administration to encourage others to try

virtual field trips in their classroom.

Only one condition of change is missing that cannot be influenced, so can therefore be a

hindrance: time. Extra time is something necessary to explore new technologies and gain a

familiarity and comfortability with them. Unfortunately, time is also something in very short

supply with the school day and so many teacher responsibilities. Try as I might, I cannot

provide the teachers more time to explore/learn during school hours. I can offer voluntary
trainings throughout the year after/before school, but that would be outside the paid school

day. The only one who can influence this change would be my administrator. I would push as

much as possible for a professional development during the few professional development days

we have left throughout the school year, but I would need coverage to delve any deeper during

other teacher’s planning times. This lack of time could definitely hinder the change to virtual

trips because teachers won’t be given sufficient extra time to explore and learn within their

working day. That absence can hinder the motivation, but hopefully the other conditions will

overcome this one missing condition.

Current Situation – ACOT model

Within Seneca, teachers are pretty spaced out among the ACOT model. There are still a

few teachers in the Entry stage of the model, that choose to use as little technology in their

classroom as possible because they feel like it’s always breaking or just a pain. These few

teachers may go through their entire day barely turning on their projectors or simply using their

Promethean Board as a screen, rather than an interactive tool. Then there is a group of

teachers that are in the Adoption stage of the ACOT model. This group uses their technology in

basic ways. They may make flip charts or PowerPoints for their lessons occasionally, but mostly

they stick paper or a book under the document camera and display it. They use their desktop

computers because they’ve become comfortable with it. This means they print one copy of

something to the old printer and then go make copies. Their ways of using technology works

for them and is effective on the most basic level. Most of the teachers, however, are in the

Adaptation stage, where they are slowly figuring out how much the technology can help them

work better. They may have discovered how to save and share documents on a shared cloud
server, or they may be using the Promethean Board to have students physically manipulate the

materials. Teachers at this stage are using the technology to do things, such as improve

communication, document data, observe results, or share resources. There are a few teachers

in the school that are in the Appropriation stage, though, of the ACOT model. They are the tech

“masters” that are asked for help from teachers and students. On a regular basis they have

teachers asking tech questions or sending students with devices to them for assistance with a

problem/task. They use the online math tools and assign tasks to students to work through

independently or with a group while they work with others on different tasks. They are

constantly multi-tasking and have multiple modes of technology going at once in a single lesson

with little to no extra effort.

As a technology leader, it is my goal to help these teachers move from their current

stage to the next. For Entry stage teachers, this may mean making webcasts or tutorials on

basic technology tasks. It usually means setting up their technology for them and walking them

through how to use it. I generally provide resources to these teachers for them to look at as

needed or to provide to their students. It’s all about giving them a starting point to see the

technology as useful, rather than a nuisance. Those teachers in the Adoption stage can benefit

from giving them new resources or showing them how to use some technology in place of an

old method with more success/efficiency. I may be demonstrating a technology to them one-

on-one, or invite them to watch a lesson with a more “tech-savvy” teacher to see the

possibilities. They’re ready for more, but need to see how helpful that more can really be to

everyone. The teachers that are in the Appropriation stage benefit most from forming a PLN

(Professional Learning Network) or other professionals that they can learn from/reach out to
and keeping up with it. They’ve mastered the technology they have and may need to talk with

other experts to expand on their ideas or gain some new ones. I plan on helping them by giving

them some new possible sources for their PLN.

Focus

At Seneca, our goals are to produce well rounded students that we are preparing for the

world around them. We want our students to excel in both education and life. Technology is a

way of customizing and personalizing learning for each student and tailoring it to their needs. If

they are a struggling learning, it may mean providing re-teaching and remediation

opportunities. If they’re an advanced learning, it may mean providing access to higher level

thinking and higher grade level learning experiences. The more technology access there is, the

more access to individualized learning there is. Instead of a twenty something student class

with one teacher, it can become a twenty something class with twenty plus teachers through

technology. Each student can have a personal teacher through the technology, as it allows for

customized experiences. The better quality of technology is use, the better the quality of

learning happening. If the technology is the most basic level of technology, customization is

nearly impossible. Imagine a classroom where students move through online modules that the

teacher created. A struggling fourth grader with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for a

disability may be working on basic operations and counting in math, while an advanced learner

may be working on dividing decimals because they exceled at the grade-level standard of

naming decimal values. While in another room that uses technology inefficiently may have a

student with an IEP watching a fourth grade video that they don’t understand with two

advanced learners watching something they understood twenty minutes early and now find
boring. Both classrooms may be using technology, but the better quality usage is making a

bigger difference in the students’ educations.

Change as a Process

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but rather is gradual and happens over time. It

comes from learning and experiencing, as well as practicing and determining personal

preferences. A new teacher may begin with only putting paper under a document camera until

they’re more comfortable. Next thing, they may be creating interactive slides for the students

to get firsthand experience with. The following year they may step up their use because

they’ve found what works for them and they may include some assignments that they send out

to the students’ accounts where the students work independently and share it back with the

teacher. No one becomes an expert overnight. Just like with the students in the classroom,

everyone comes to the table with different experiences and prior knowledge. Change happens

as you acknowledge where you are and then build upon that to get to the next level. Teachers

may have the resources on hand, but they don’t all know how to use them, or even have

experience with them. This is important to recognize when trying to make a technology plan,

as technology leaders need to work to meet their stakeholders where they are in order to have

them get involved and stay that way. No one wants to stay a part of something when they feel

like they have no clue what is going on time and time again. The frustration will take over and

motivation will disappear. Not only do teachers come with different levels of experience, but

so do other stakeholders like: parents, students, and administrators. Parents and students may

not even have the access to the resources and technology that they need to make a change.

It’s important to keep that in mind when trying to make a change. For example, asking a parent
to try out a virtual field trip at home to experience what their children are may shut them down

to the change if they don’t have the necessary tools or skills.

Individuals vs. Organization

Just as like in a classroom where students are both individual learners and members of

the class, teachers must also be viewed as both individual educators and staff. It is not realistic

to have the same expectations for both primary (pre-kindergarten through second grade) and

intermediate (third grade through fifth grade) teachers. First graders are not going to be using

technology as much as fifth graders, as they’re completely different in regards to development.

It takes first grades an abundance of time to complete what is simple for an intermediate

student. It’s important to group students in terms of class and grade, as well as ability and

more. One student may be more experienced in a technology, so they may have higher

expectations, but that doesn’t mean the whole grade can have that same goal. It’s important

to set achievable, realistic goals that are appropriate for grade levels, as well as ones for the

individual students so that everyone is still getting a challenge. If considering a technology such

as virtual field trips, one sixty minute field trip may be appropriate for a third grade class, but if

the kindergarteners had that same experience, it would be chaos where they wouldn’t gain

much learning. They’d be bored because it’s not an appropriate amount of time for the

development of attention and learning. On the other side, however, a thirty minute virtual field

trip may not be enough for a class of third graders to get a deeper understanding as the

presenter goes more in depth and allows for more interactions.

Past vs. Future

 In the past students have been able to experience two to three field trips a year,

depending upon availability, proximity, money, and transportation; we need to prepare the

students to think of the world beyond their close-knit community. So many jobs and careers

now deal with the bigger picture of the world. How is it possible for students to think bigger

when many students of Seneca never venture more than twenty minutes from their

neighborhood? They’re not becoming global citizens when they never interact with the world

around them or even see it. So many of my students have no understanding of other cultures

and countries. With virtual field trips, teachers can provide that awareness of the world around

them and give them more possibilities of leaving their mark on it.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders have a very important role to play in implementing virtual field trips in the

classrooms. From teachers to administrators to parents to students, everyone has a part to

play. It’s important to keep everyone involved and aware of their roles. Teachers may have the

roles of actually creating the virtual field trip experiences in the classroom, but they have it the

easiest, next to the students, in staying involved. Once they actually experience a class virtual

field trip, they will be hooked at seeing the process and the final results. Students, however,

get to actually experience and learn through the virtual field trips. They will want to stay

involved because they’re the lucky recipients of experiencing parts of the world or other

learning that they may never get to otherwise. They may get to talk to someone from another

country that has created a new invention that will alter many lives. Students will buy in and

stay active stakeholder because they’ll be hooked and want more. Administrators may take a

little more to get and stay involved. In my school it will really help when teachers send out
about their field trips, like through Twitter. It will send a positive image of our school and

students, which will immediately please my administrators. Another important way for them to

feel the need/importance of change, however, will be when they see a virtual field trip in action

and experience it with the kids. Right now virtual field trips are simply an idea to my

administrators. They need to experience it and the impact it has in order for it to become a real

concept. Parents are the final stakeholders and in some ways are the most difficult to engage

in the process of change in regards to virtual field trips. Some parents of my school are

extremely uninvolved, so involvement from them is nearly impossible. On the other hand,

parents seem to come from everywhere for actual field trips to chaperone. My plan to involve

parents is to hold a virtual field for the parents to experience either at school for those that

don’t have the resources, or at home through a link. I hear all the time that school is so

different from how it was when the parents were younger and that they have no idea what is

going on in their child’s education. What better way than to have the parents experience some

of the learning for themselves. Since virtual field trips can be live with anywhere in the world, it

would be a great experience at night to have parents see and experience another part of the

world live. Just like many of my students, many of the parents at my school lack the

opportunities to explore outside the general vicinity. They will buy into the change and make

the biggest difference if they can experience the change themselves.

Vision and Mission

Seneca Elementary School’s Mission is to enhance learning by allowing students to

experience virtual field trips. Students will gain a richer understanding through learning from
direct sources and experiencing elements from all over the world. They will become global

citizens by becoming a part of the world and paving their pathways.

At Seneca Elementary School we strive to provide a customized and personalized deep

understanding to our future global citizens. We delve deeper into our learning by experiencing

it for ourselves. Our school works to engage each student with the outside world so that they

can begin exploring their future from the classroom.

Plan

In order to move Seneca through the process of changing to incorporate virtual field

trips, a plan has been developed. The plan begins with first analyzing where staff members are

currently in regards to the technology of virtual field trips. It’s important to know their

background with this technology, and where they are with the ACOT model. Since virtual field

trips do involve technology, if a teacher isn’t adept with using technology it’s important to

establish that and help to build up their current technology skills. It’s imperative that a teacher

at least knows how to find virtual field trips and then how to hold a live video session in the

classroom on the board for everyone to see/hear/experience. If a teacher does not know this,

it’s critical to help them not only with planning the first trip, but also with implementing that

trip in their classroom. After determining the starting point, a survey established at least one

area of interest in regards to a grade’s curriculum. From there I began searching for virtual field

trip options and sending those options to the interested teachers. It’s also important to identify

any experts that can possibly become leaders and mentors to those that are inexperienced with

virtual field trips. The next step is to set a time aside after speaking to administration where I
can plan a virtual field trip with a grade, such as the monthly grade level meetings. Time will

need to be allotted during the meetings, as well as coverage for the time leaders are out of

their classroom, unless during their planning. It is not ideal for teachers to surrender some of

their planning time, however, it furthers their development as a professional. It also allows for

the team to be able to work together and decide as a whole what they would like to see for a

field trip they may not get to experience. It is more likely that a group of teachers will be

successful at planning a second virtual field trip if they can all be part of the planning process

together to plan and ask questions. Finally, at least one person from each grade will complete a

virtual field trip by the year’s end. Administration will be invited to stop in and the actual trip

will be communicated about and showcased on teacher Twitters, as well as the school Twitter

and Facebook page. This showcase will involve the parents and families in the virtual field trip

and their children’s educations. The negative aspect of this is that choices are limited for live

virtual field trips so late in the school year, so some may have to experience a pre-recorded

field trip. At the end of the year, a professional development will be set up for the week before

students return in the new school year where all staff can learn about and experience a virtual

field trip for themselves. Information will be emailed out of sources to check and experts to

talk to among the staff that can assist with the process. Various assessments after the steps

include: surveys for teachers and students, rating scales for the experiences, and curriculum

related writing prompts to present the gained learning.

References

Atkinson, N. L. (2007). Developing a questionnaire to measure perceived attriubute of eHealth

Innovations. American Journal of Health Behavior, 31(6), 612-621.

Turek, W. (n.d.). Ely's Conditions of Change. Retrieved March 14, 2018, from

https://sites.google.com/site/elysconditionsofchange/history

Skype in the Classroom - Virtual Field Trips. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2018, from

https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/virtual-field-trips