Rachel Rountree November 15, 2012 Dr.

Jo Williamson Spring 2011 Making Time for Technology

Description of the Capstone Experience and Results For my Capstone, I chose to create a professional development opportunity for the teachers at Timber Ridge Elementary School. Prior to beginning my capstone, I sent out a survey to the staff to determine where there was a need. The questions in the survey were centered on technology use in their classrooms. I already had an idea of what our school needed, when it comes to technology, but I wanted to see what other teachers felt about their technology usage. Based on the survey results, I determined that the teachers felt that there was enough opportunity for technology at Timber Ridge. However, the majority of the teachers were only using the SmartBoard to write on, and not many of the other technologies that were available to them. Since I am also a teacher at Timber Ridge, I understood why that was happening. We had been given many technologies to use in our classrooms, such as SmartBoard, Elmo Document Camera, and iRespond remotes. However, we had not received much training on any of these technologies. Typically, we would have one training for each technology, which was provided by the county, and then the teachers would be expected to start using the technology. There was rarely any follow up training provided. The administration team was wonderful at giving teachers the opportunity during professional development days to attend various SmartBoard trainings that were provided by the teachers. However, we only get one professional development day a year, on which we stay at our school. So although the time was more than the county provided, it still was not sufficient. From that information, I decided that there was a need for more technology professional development. One of the questions that I included in my survey was: are the teachers interested in spending time, once a month, working with technology? The response was astonishing. Eighty-six percent of the teachers responded that they would want to take advantage of monthly

technology work sessions. Eighty-six percent was a large enough percentage for me to decide to create my capstone around technology professional development. Below is a screenshot of the results of that specific survey question.

I thought that since many of us are skilled in different areas, it would be great if our technology work sessions, were collaborative so that we could all work together in creating and learning about technology. Originally, I planned to have one work session be a professional development, where the teachers would learn how to use a technology. The next month the work session would be collaborative in nature, where the teachers would bring a standard to work on and we would spend the time creating a lesson that aligns with that standard. However, as the planning began, and I got closer to actually carrying out my capstone, I decided that what I had planned may not work. I am a firm believer that in order to be a great teacher, you must be flexible. There will always be something that happens that necessitates a change of plan. This especially applies when creating a professional development program for practicing teachers. What got in the way

of my capstone, were the new Common Core Standards. When I initially wrote capstone proposal, the common core standards were not in place, in fact I had never heard of them. However, when we started using the Common Core Standards, it was a change in teaching, which I wanted to incorporate into my capstone. I wanted to make my professional development relevant and worthwhile to the teachers. I knew that if I couldnt somehow make my technology workshops, as I was now calling them, work for the Common Core Standards, I would not get the teachers to attend. So, I decided to change things up a bit. I would begin my technology workshops sharing with the teachers several internet tools that I had found. I was especially excited to share with the teachers a website that I found that provided students with math and reading practices that were 100% aligned to the new Common Core Standards. The website, www.scootpad.com, was something that I thought the teachers would love because it allowed them to login and see how each child was progressing through the standards. In addition, it would express the questions in a way that allowed for higher levels of thinking, which is what the Common Core is asking our students to do. I was enthusiastic about this website, but I knew that sharing one really great internet tool would not be enough, so I found another exceptional website to share for our first Technology Workshop. That website was www.classdojo.com. I chose that website, which has nothing to do with the Common Core, because my first technology workshop was at the beginning of the school year, and I thought it beneficial to have the teachers learn this classroom management tool. Although creating a technology workshop about internet tools wasnt my original plan, I had to take what was needed in my school, and change the workshop. Before I began my first technology workshop, I sent out an email to the entire staff inviting them to attend the technology workshop. I thought that it was important to make this

voluntary, because there are teachers at my school who do not need to attend a technology workshop. I began the email with a quote that I hoped would motivate the teachers to attend the workshop. I, subsequently, used a quote in all of the reminders and invitations for each workshop. The quote that I used for the first technology workshop was one of my favorites. The quote from John Dewy: If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow. This quote is a perfect statement for using technology in the classroom and I hoped that it would speak to the teachers as it spoke to me. I was surprised at the teachers who replied to my invitation to the technology workshop. As in every school, there are those teachers who are Debbie Downers. They are generally negative, and complain often if they feel something is a waste of their time. However, these teachers replied that they wanted to come to the technology workshops, and one in particular stopped me in the hallway to tell me that she was excited about the workshops because she really wanted to learn more about technology. I was thrilled that even the teachers who I thought were the last ones to want to come, said that they were coming and were even excited to learn more about technology. I also had several teachers who told me that they wanted to be a part of the workshop but they couldnt attend. So to accommodate those teachers, I built a website, with the handouts created for the workshop, as well as a few tutorials on each internet tool. I used Weebly to create the website, http://trtechnologyworkshop.weebly.com/, so that those teachers who did not attend could access what they needed to complete the workshop. I created a handout for each internet tool reviewed during the technology workshop so teachers could take the handouts with them when they returned to their classrooms and put into practice the new knowledge. I also created a questionnaire for the teachers to complete after the technology workshop. The purpose of the

questionnaire was to give me feedback on their experience in the workshop, and to also give them the opportunity to tell me what they would like to learn more about. After I created the website, handouts, and questionnaire, I was ready for my first technology workshop. I had ten teachers attend the workshop, which was a good turnout, since we are a relatively small school. The teachers appeared to be excited about the workshop, and willing to learn more about how they can use technology in the classroom. I began the workshop by sharing with the group my goal for the technology workshops: to increase technology use in the classroom. The first internet tool I shared with the teachers was Class Dojo. I thought it would be fun to have a Class Dojo classroom set up with the attending teachers so they could see their names on Class Dojo and how the students would add or remove points based on their behavior.

It was enjoyable to act as teacher to my peers, giving them points for being on task, as well as taking away points for talking or other negative behaviors. The teachers had fun going to the SmartBoard and awarding themselves points for their behavior. After they had time to play around with a class that was already created in Class Dojo, I walked the teachers through

creating their own Class Dojo account and set up their class so they could begin using Class Dojo in their classrooms. After the teachers set up their Class Dojo accounts, I demonstrated the resourcefulness of Class Dojo. They were excited when I shared that they could select a specific student, and print a report card on the specific behaviors of that child. I was happy with the response to Class Dojo, and knew they would appreciate the second internet tool that I was to show them. ScootPad was the internet tool that I was the most excited to share with the teachers because it is aligned to the Common Core Standards. ScootPad is a website that provides students with practice questions that require them to think critically, which is a skill emphasized in the Common Core standards. I introduced ScootPad to the teachers by demonstrating what it looked like from the students point of view. I wanted them to see how the questions were formatted as well as see that the students cannot move on to another skill until they had mastered the current task they were working on. Below is an example of a question.

We went through a few practice questions together so the teachers would be able to navigate this site. They were excited when they found out that the questions on ScootPad are 100% aligned with Common Core standards. I showed them some of the other great features

ScootPad has to offer: such as the ability to have parents login to see how their child is progressing so they can see for themselves areas for work at home. The teachers were excited about getting their classes set-up using ScootPad I guided them through creating their own ScootPad account and adding their students. The teacher creates each students username and password requiring some extra set-up time. Once they were logged in they were able to create homework for their students, and differentiate the number of practices each student should do - depending on the needs and abilities of their students. The teachers valued an alternative to typical homework. The teachers agreed that it was easier to assign homework through ScootPad because of its alignment with the Common Core, and the ability to choose practices for individual children. I also expressed that since each student has their own login, they cannot see what practices other students are doing. The teachers liked this feature because of students who would be curious as to varying homework assignments. We spent over an hour on ScootPad, getting the classes set up and ready to use. At the end of the session, we realized that 3 hours had passed. I had intended to only spend one hour, however, the teachers were so excited about the internet tools they learned about that they started using them right away. After a question and answer session, I asked the teachers to complete a questionnaire about what they learned during the sessions and if they will utilize the technology in their own classroom. I used that information to assess whether my technology workshops were effective. The last question on the questionnaire was: what would the teachers like to learn more about. I ensured that each questionnaire was anonymous, so that the teachers filling them out could be completely honest.

After the first workshop was over, I analyzed the questionnaires. The feedback I received was very informative. I was able to take their feedback and use it to create the second technology workshop. The table below outlines the data I got from the end of workshop questionnaire. Question Did you learn something from this workshop that you would use in your classroom? Teacher Responses 100% of the teachers responded yes to this. Specific comments that were made were in favor of using Class Dojo for classroom Management. The Target (gifted) teachers who attended said that they couldnt use ScootPad, but were excited to use Class Dojo. 100% of the teachers responded yes to this question as well. There were no additional comments here. Next Steps I will continue to use internet tools in my workshops; however, I need to make sure that what I am sharing with the teachers is relevant to everyone who is attending.

Do you think that these workshops will help you increase the amount of technology you use in your classroom? What would you like to learn in the next technology workshop?

Ill continue with the technology workshops so teachers will be even more likely to use technology in their classrooms. 80% of the teachers mentioned The next technology that they would like to learn workshop will be on creating more about SmartBoard. The lessons with SmartBoard other 20% did not comment Notebook. on what they wanted to know more about.

After analyzing the questionnaire responses, it was clear to me that what the teachers really needed, was more SmartBoard training. This was surprising because we have had more SmartBoard training at our school than for any other technology. Each year we have used our professional learning day, on Election Day, and dedicated that to some sort of SmartBoard training. I decided that I would change my next technology workshop, to ensure that I meet the needs of the teachers at my school, - so SmartBoard training was my new direction.

The following month, October, was our second technology workshop. I invited all the teachers again by sending them an email that included a quote to motivate them into increasing their technology use. This months quote was from Jean Piaget, The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done. I felt that this is a quote that relates to technology because we need to prepare our students for their future. It is especially meaningful because with the new Common Core standards we are teaching our students in a new way, that requires them to be critical thinkers, and technology can help with building those thinkers. In my invitation to the teachers, I asked that they come to this workshop prepared with a standard that they want to work on, because the majority of the workshop would be creating a SmartBoard lesson. I wanted them to leave this workshop with something they could take back to their classroom and use with their students. Fewer teachers attend this workshop than had attended my first workshop. I had expected reduced attendance due to upcoming conferences. Many teachers were busy finishing assessments and recording grades on report cards. I know that it was stressful for the teachers to take time away from report cards to come to this months technology workshop, so I was very appreciative of the 6 teachers that were able to make the workshop. I began the workshop with an internet tool - www.masteryconnect.com. Mastery Connect is a website that teachers can sign up and search for assessments that align with the common core standards. Teachers can also contribute assessments they have created to this website, so it is a collaborative place to go for Common Core assessments. I knew the teachers would appreciate this website, because it saves time creating their own assessments, they can use a common assessment from Mastery Connect.

As expected, the teachers were excited about exploring and finding assessments on Mastery Connect. We spent over 30 minutes getting each teacher account set up and searching the assessments that have already been created for many Common Core standards. However, I had to present the teachers information on what they wanted to learn more about, which was the SmartBoard. So after almost 45 minutes we switched gears and started focusing on SmartBoard. Many teachers in the workshop said that they used the SmartBoard just as a whiteboard and they wanted to know how they could create lessons using the SmartBoard. In todays session, I showed them how to search for SmartBoard notebooks already created through the Smart Exchange website. The Smart Exchange is a website you can access through the SmartBoard Notebook, which has thousands of Smart Notebooks already created and ready for teacher use. I was most excited to show the teachers how to search by Common Core standard for specific SmartBoard Notebooks. This was important to demonstrate, because teachers are always looking for resources to help us teach the new standards. By giving teachers an application that integrates the Common Core standards and SmartBoard Notebooks, I am making the technology workshop relevant to the teachers! Once everyone was able to get logged into Smart Exchange, I modeled a search by standard. I also showed the teachers that after they select the desired standard, they can narrow their search by grade level, making it easier to find grade appropriate lessons. After I demonstrated how to find a lesson, I showed the teachers how to change the SmartBoard Notebook by deleting or adding elements to the pages. Once they saw how easy it was to search for a Notebook, the teachers spent the rest of the workshop time creating their own SmartBoard Notebooks using the standards they brought with them. This was another long workshop session; however it was good that the teachers were able to leave with something that they could use in

the classroom. I gave the teachers the same questionnaire to fill out on this workshop and the results were similar to the first one. Ive outlined them in the table below. Question Did you learn something from this workshop that you would use in your classroom? Teacher Responses 100% of the teachers said yes. Mastery Connect had the most comments on, but 4 of the teachers also commented that they enjoyed learning how to find already created SmartBoard Notebooks as well. 100% of the teachers said yes. One left a comment that said that she liked knowing she could search for SmartBoard Notebooks that are already created, so she could save so much time by using the lessons that have already been created. Not everyone filled this out, but those that did, said they still wanted more SmartBoard resources! Next Steps I will look for more Common Core resources to share with the teachers, as well as find other SmartBoard resources.

Do you think that these workshops will help you increase the amount of technology you use in your classroom?

I need to find other resources like the Smart Exchange that will help teachers save time when creating their lessons using SmartBoard Notebook.

What would you like to learn in the next technology workshop?

Ill continue to research new SmartBoard resources to share with the teachers at the next workshop.

I knew that the teachers enjoyed learning more about SmartBoard, so I continued to plan on having the next session on creating SmartBoard notebooks. However, a little wrench was thrown into the plan. The county pushed out an update to our SmartBoard software. Overnight many teachers found that they no longer had SmartBoard 10, now they had SmartBoard 11, and it was very different than what they were used to. Not all teachers got the update to SmartBoard 11, and I was one of those teachers that did not get the update. I knew that it would be a difficult workshop without everyone having the same version of SmartBoard, so I postponed the third, and last, technology workshop until November 14th. I made sure that work orders were put in for

those teachers who want to come to the workshop so they would all have the updated version of SmartBoard. Since SmartBoard 11 is so different from SmartBoard 10, I decided that it would be best if I supported the teachers by training them on the new version of SmartBoard. I had to do my research for this workshop, but the updates were beneficial for the teachers, as well as there were some added features that would allow the teachers to use SmartBoard Notebooks to engage their students even more. For the invite to the staff, this time I used a technology quote from Bill Gates, Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important. I liked this quote because it emphasizes the importance of the teachers as well as using technology in the classroom. I also included in my technology workshop email that the purpose of this workshop would be to learn about SmartBoard 11 and how it can be used to engage our students. The turnout for this last workshop was higher than the other workshops, with 14 attendees. I can attribute the high attendance to the topic, since it was so relevant to the teachers. We had just received the updates to the SmartBoard software, and many teachers were still trying to figure out how it all worked. I started the workshop by showing the teachers the SmartBoard 11 tutorial that I found at teachertechnologies.com. I chose to begin this workshop with the short video tutorial, so the teachers would get energized about the new functionality of SmartBoard. I had heard of teachers complaining about the change, because with the update, there were some challenges with getting document cameras to work. However I didnt want that issue to taint the teachers perspective of SmartBoard 11 and possibly cause them to not use the technology. So, I wanted to build them up first, and show them how much better version 11 is, and I was excited about it so that helped the teachers become more enthused.

After we watched tutorial, I showed them how to trouble shoot the problems that they had with using their document camera with the SmartBoard. I showed them how, now, you have to open a blank SmartBoard notebook first, and then set the screen to transparent. Once the teachers have done that, they can open their ELMO Document Camera, and write on the document using the SmartBoard pens. This was a backwards from how we used to use the document camera, so I distributed directions on how to use the document camera with SmartBoard 11. After the teachers had time to trouble shoot their problems with the document camera, I demonstrated how to use the new features of SmartBoard 11, which were reviewed in the short tutorial. I began with the new pen functions. I understood that most teachers use their SmartBoard as glorified whiteboards, and they would be most interested in the new pen functions. The newest features were the crayon pen, and new options for the creative pens. Then I showed them my most favorite part of the newer version, the widget function. I instructed them how to access the Smart Exchange again, and how to search for the widgets. I showed them how to download the widgets and use them in their SmartBoard Notebooks. They were most excited about the Voki Widget. Many teachers have used Voki on their classroom blogs, and were eager to use it to engage the students with their SmartBoard lessons. I had the teachers download a widget they were interested in and add it to their content. This allowed teachers practice adding widgets in a safe environment where I could assist them if they needed it. After the teachers felt comfortable downloading a widget and adding it to their content, we moved on to the other new features on SmartBoard 11. I demonstrated how easy it was to group objects now, instead of having to right click and choose group, all they need to do now is highlight the objects, shake them and they are grouped! Since this process needed to be done on the SmartBoard itself, I had the teachers come to the board to practice grouping objects

together. They appreciated how easily grouping objects was under the new version of SmartBoard. After we went over how to group objects using the new SmartBoard, I showed the teachers how to use the activity builder. I asked the teachers to use the standard that they brought and create an activity using the activity builder. The teachers spent about 45 minutes creating their own activity, and familiarizing themselves with SmartBoard 11. At the end of this workshop, I did not give the teachers the same questionnaire as I had in my previous workshops. This time, I sent out a survey to the staff to determine if they are using technology more now, than at the beginning of the year, prior to the beginning of my technology workshops. The purpose of the technology workshops was to increase the amount of time teachers used technology to support the on-going learning in the classroom. I had planned on taking the data that the administration was already collecting on their learning walks, to tell me the percentage of technology being used in the classroom. Prior to the common core standards, the administration compiled data on technology use and higher levels of thinking. However, due to the change in standards, they had to modify the data collected on learning walk, meaning they were no longer collecting data on the amount of time technology is being used in the classroom. This was a disappointment since that was how I planned on collating data for this Capstone project. However, as previously stated, in order to be a great teacher, you have to be flexible. I had already taken data on the teacher survey completed prior to the technology workshops. So, I decided to send another survey and use the data to determine if my technology workshops were effective. The results of the teacher survey were promising. I chose to use the exact same questions on this survey as the survey I sent the year before. The reason I chose to send out the same survey was to ensure that the results were as valid as possible. The first survey was conducted in

November 2011 and 29 teachers participated in the survey. That was a great response, since we are such a small school, almost all the teachers participated in the survey. The second survey was completed in November of 2012. As of the writing of this report 17 teachers have participated in the survey. This is quite a bit less from the year before. There could be many reasons for the lack of participation in this survey. One reason there was less participation could be that because of the new standards, teachers have less time to spend on surveys than the year before. Another reason could be the timing of my survey. I sent it out to the staff the week before Thanksgiving, when many of the primary teachers were preparing for Thanksgiving performance for their parents. Although there were a reduced number of participants in the technology survey, I believe that the results are still encouraging. I put the results of the surveys in a PowerPoint with the questions side by side, so that I could see the results easily. After creating the PowerPoint, I uploaded the presentation to SlideShare, so I could share the results with my administration and technology committee. The first question on both surveys asked the teachers how often they use technology in their classrooms to teach. In 2011, 69% of the teachers responded that they use technology several times a day to teach. When we revisited the survey in 2012, 94% of the teachers said they are using technology several times a day to support their teaching. This is a wonderful improvement over the previous year! The purpose of this Capstone was to get the teachers to use technology more in their classrooms, and already based on this first question I believe I was successful. Another question that I found interesting, was what the teachers comfort levels with technology, this was important to me because I hoped that the more time teachers that teachers spent with technology would help to increase their comfort levels with technology. In 2011, 69% of the teachers were either comfortable or very comfortable with technology. In 2012, 88.2% of

the teachers who participated in the survey said they felt comfortable or very comfortable with using technology. This again was another improvement since the year before. However, not all the responses were better than last year. One of the questions I asked was if they felt that our school had enough access to technology. Last year 100% of the teachers felt as though they had enough access to technology. However, when they took the survey this year, 76% of the teachers felt that there was enough access to technology. This interested me greatly, so I was glad I had asked those that said no to explain why. The most common complaint was that there were not enough computers. Many classes have 2-4 desktop computers. We also have three laptop carts, but our foundation is looking into purchasing more laptop carts so each grade level will have one to share. I could look at the silver lining of this complaint and view it as the teachers at my school are so eager to use technology that they want to have more technology available to their students. One teacher commented she thought we should have iPads in the classroom. I think that is a great idea! Maybe on year we can get our foundation to support that initiative. Overall I am pleased with the results of the survey from last year. I believe that the teachers at Timber Ridge are really embracing technology. My plans for following up are to continue to offer my technology workshop. I think that allowing the teachers time to create something with technology as part of a group helps the teachers feel more confident. I also think that there will always be a need for technology professional development, especially as a follow up to a training they have already been through. I read an article online that said, Schools should provide teachers with abundant opportunities to become fluent in using technology to bolster instruction and help students develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills (Rodriguez, 2000). I believe that this is so important to remember. As I move forward with my technology workshops, I will keep this in mind. My work

with this Capstone has proven me to be a technology leader in my school as I was asked by the administration to be a facilitator in the Technology committee. A part of my responsibility to this committee will be to continue to offer a Time for Technology for all the teachers at Timber Ridge. I will also work with the administrative team to see about meeting some of the needs of the teachers of my school when it comes to having enough computers in their classrooms.

Discussion and Reflection I learned a lot about technology facilitation and leadership from carrying out this capstone project. What I learned the most about this is that as a technology leader, I have to be very flexible, and willing to change the course of a professional development to meet the needs of the teachers. When I started the technology workshops, I thought that the teachers would benefit from learning more about internet tools to use in their classroom, however after my first session, I realized what they needed was more SmartBoard training. I was reminded of this flexibility again for my third technology workshop, when there was a software update to SmartBoard that required the teachers to relearn how to use SmartBoard. If I didnt ask the teachers to share their opinions on the technology workshops, I wouldnt have been able to meet the needs of the teachers at my school. This learning relates to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of a technology leader because I developed a professional development opportunity for the teachers at my school. In order to be effective in developing this technology workshop, I had to have knowledge and skills for other school professionals (PSC standard 1.e). I was able to demonstrate this in my technology workshops because I used data from the teachers questionnaires and used that

information to research the best way to teach the teachers what they want to learn more about. So, when the teachers said they wanted to know more about SmartBoard, I researched the different functions of the SmartBoard and Smart Exchange. When SmartBoard 11 came out, I spent a lot of time researching tutorials and other websites that showed me how to use the activity builder, or upload a widget. As the technology facilitator of these workshops, I had to know how to interpret the data from the teacher technology survey and the end of workshop questionnaires as well as how to research the best tools for the teachers at Timber Ridge Elementary. The skills I needed were to troubleshoot issues as they arose with the internet, SmartBoard and Elmo Document Camera. The disposition I needed for the technology workshop was to be positive through all the changes, especially with the software update to SmartBoard 11. So many teachers were frustrated with the fact that they couldnt use their document camera the way they used to, that I had be the positive face on change. I had to be excited to show them that this update was for the best, so they would change their attitudes towards using the new, updated SmartBoard. Advice I would give to others who would like to develop a technology workshop for a professional development would be to ask the teachers what they want to learn about first. I send out a teacher survey, and based on that I thought that the teachers would benefit from the technology workshops. However, I decided on the topic of the first workshop, which was to share with the teachers internet tools they could use in their classrooms. However, that was not what the teachers really needed, so I had to change the rest of my plans for the technology workshops. Another piece of advice I would share with someone who would want to develop a professional development like I did, would be to remain flexible and understand that your audience is important. If I had ignored the teachers request to learn more about the SmartBoard,

then I wouldnt have had many teachers attend the technology workshops. In addition, they would be less likely to use the technology in their own classrooms if Im not sharing something that they want to know more about. I still shared one internet tool with the teachers, so they could see what was out there for them to use. However, I listened to what they wanted and changed my plans to meet their needs.

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Rao, A. (2012, March 01). 10 educations technology quotes. Retrieved from http://teachbytes.com/2012/03/01/10-educational-technology-quotes/

Vincent, T. (2009, June 01). Education and technology quotes. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/tonyvincent/education-technology-quotes