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Running Head: SWOT Analysis

Personal Technology SWOT Analysis

Topaz D. Thompson

University of West Georgia

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Personal Technology SWOT Analysis, Goals, and Plan

As a middle grades language arts teacher my primary responsibility is to help students

demonstrate mastery in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. However, to ensure

that my students are prepared with the skills needed to be successful in their future professions

and academic endeavors, technology integration plays a huge role in my instruction. Throughout

the span of my personal teaching career, the presence of technology has grown tremendously. In

turn, both students and educators alike must be proficient in order to keep up with the demands

of our ever-changing society. Through this progression I have developed a love and appreciation

for educational technology specifically. Improvements in this field have enabled educators to

push students to new heights. While working towards this degree, I plan to acquire certification

in the field of instructional technology. In the future I hope to work for a major school system in

Georgia as an instructional technology specialist.

Strengths

I believe one of my greatest strengths is my ability to organize and manage my class

through technology. I manage by class through my E-Class webpage. EClass, which is

Gwinnett's digital Content, Learning, Assessment and Support System that provides the district

an integrated learning management system to enhance student engagement and the learning

process (GCPS, n.d.).Each teacher has web page that students may access to locate plethora of

resources. On my EClass page, I keep a calendar where students can access my daily lesson

plans, resources and classroom activities. EClass provides students with autonomy over their

own learning. By accessing my calendar, ideally kids that have missed multiple days of school

are not necessarily forced to fall behind. I also have numerous resources on my page that
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students may access to either accelerate their learning or practice in areas where they might

struggle.

Easy-to-navigate websites provide all of the information that families need, such as

calendars of events and progress reports. In addition to using the Internet and other technologies

in the classroom, identifying inefficiencies in the workflow of the entire school allows

administrators to improve productivity (Turner, 2013). I credit technology integration for

increasing the level of efficiency in my classroom as well. For example, as a language arts

teacher, students are responsible for multiple writing assignments. Instead of writing responses

by hand I use Google Docs. The kids can share their assignment with me while they are working.

I absolutely love it because I can offer feedback in real time. Google Classroom allows me to

create differentiated assignments that students can access individually. In this day and age,

students are expected to master more material within a shorter period of time. Instructional tools

such as these saves valuable instructional time.

Weaknesses

My greatest weakness would have to be my limited knowledge of technological

hardware. I’m going to be completely honest, I have spent several hours reading countless

articles about the latest and greatest technological educational tools and how to implement them.

Nonetheless, I can barely connect my Bluetooth headphones to my phone. I could definitely use

more practice in this area. Things like connecting cables, hooking up printers, troubleshooting,

etc. are not my strong suit. Honestly, I don’t even know where one would go to acquire such

training. Most instructional technology curriculum focuses more on instructional design and

development, and how to use technology to support that. However, I feel that if I am going to
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pursue a career in the instructional technology field it would benefit me to be more

knowledgeable in this area.

Opportunities

It is also important to consider the ever-greater opportunities being afforded by new

developments in technology and digital products. Both the hardware and software that can enable

an improved consumer experience are starting to mature and fit together. Improvements in

technology have permeated every aspect of our lives from transportation to dating (Kokswijk,

2007).Companies are now able to provide a newer wider range of services at a lower price point

than ever before. These services could include anything from distance learning, to online grocery

shopping to smart mannequins that offer personalized content to shoppers, and from iPads to

enable in-store browsing to so-called “magic mirrors” that can help customers try different styles

of clothing in different environments. This new technology could drastically alter how we live

our day to day lives.

Threats

Even though many people feel threatened by our growing dependence on technology,

ultimately they should feel liberated to focus on higher-level tasks that improve the quality of

education for all. Such scalable technology will ultimately make school more efficient;

increasing quality and reducing cost through technology should be the primary objective of all

educational leadership, even if layoffs are part of the compromise. As schools try to utilize

technology, they need to understand which aspects (or services) of school are likely to be better

accomplished through technology. They should “outsource” or embrace technology and allow it
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to perform functions that were previously delegated to people, even instructors and advisors.

This will allow staff and faculty, instructors and advisors to focus on higher-level tasks.

Personal Technology Goals

My personal technology goal is to use the knowledge I will obtain in this degree to

prepare students to be safe responsible and innovative digital citizens. Providing access to

technology and tools provides equal opportunities for all which enables them to take

responsibility for their own learning. Technology should be used to extend student learning

beyond the walls of the classroom! This semester I have really enjoyed interacting with my

fellow classmates via the discussion tool. I’ve discovered a couple other people in my class that

teach in alternative school environments too. While participating in the Discussion: A Short

History on Educational Technology, another fellow student and I were able to discuss how we

utilize the flipped classroom approach in our teaching. I have found the dialogue to be very

valuable, and I have some new ideas I plan on incorporating in my classroom. I personally

believe that my responsibility as an educator is to prepare students for all paths of life including

future education and future careers, especially careers that do not exist currently. Technology is

our pathway to that dream.

Personal Technology Plan

My goal this semester is to become more familiar with Google Classroom. With this

application students can work on and turn in assignments, even from their cellphones. There is a

feature where teachers can grade them online which is a valuable time-saver. Teachers also can

email reminders and announcements directly to parents, decreasing the likelihood that important
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permission slips get lost in backpacks on the way home. I think the app's greatest potential to

change how education works lies in how it allows teachers and students to collaborate. Teachers

can customize assignments based on students' needs and interests. Also, multiple students can

work on an assignment at once, and teachers can watch remotely as students collaborate –

making them more like guides for where to find information than the ultimate sources of it. I use

google apps quite frequently in my class, and I think that incorporating Google Classroom would

be a great benefit to my students.

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References

Bandura, A., & National Inst of Mental Health. (1986). Prentice-Hall series in social learning
theory. Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ, US: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

GCPS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2018, from

https://publish.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/gcps/home/public/about/eclass

Kokswijk, J. V. (2017). Digital ego: Social and legal aspects of virtual identity. Delft: Eburon.

Turner, B. (2013). Pew Research Center. The Statesman’s Yearbook The Stateman’s Yearbook,
78-78. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-59643-0_155