Running Head: INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT 1

Individual Teacher Technology Assessment Narrative

Christy Jacobs

Kennesaw State University

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Introduction

Brenda Parker, a veteran English teacher with nineteen years of experience and a

second-year teacher at Fitzgerald High School, was asked to complete two technology

questionnaires determining her technology use and ease of technology adaptation. Ms. Parker

teaches ninth and tenth grade English to regular, honors, and gifted students in the small, rural

town of Fitzgerald, GA. Fitzgerald High School is a designated Title 1 school and part of an

entire Title 1 district where all students receive free lunch. Ms. Parker was labeled as the

technology innovator for the English department and was given a full set of touch screen

computers to incorporate into her curriculum beginning in August of 2016. The cart holds thirty

computers along with the following items that are available for use in her classroom: a teacher

station, teacher laptop, Activ-TV Panel, an iPod and Swivel. Each department at the school has

an assigned lab that can be used. With five teachers in the English department, each teacher

has access to one day a week in the lab.

Levels of Technology Use and Change

The first questionnaire, Teacher Technology Use Assessment, was intended to assess Ms.

Parkers disposition towards and current use of technology for instruction, assessment, and

communication as detailed by the Levels of Technology Innovation (LOTI) framework. Ms. Parker

noted after completing the survey, My professional goal is to successfully integrate technology

into my honors classes to differentiate instruction through inquiry and project based learning.

When meeting with my principal at the beginning of the year, she agreed that this would be

beneficial of my time and energy with my particular students (C. Jacobs, personal

communication, February, 2017). To date (at the end of the third quarter of the school year),
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Ms. Parker has demonstrated how she actively seeks ways to integrate digital resources into her

teaching practice to support student achievement using the following: Sway, Office 365, Google

Maps (Tour the Globe), Prezi, Storyboard, iTrailer, and projects such as interactive Shakespeare,

Interactive Julius Cesar, and a comprehensive project based learning opportunity off Mask of the

Red Death. She did, however, note that Fitzgerald High School is the best school she has ever

taught in, in terms of how it provides students and teachers with consistent, equitable, and

reliable access to digital resources. The school currently outsources a tech company that

provides onsite technology assistance and direction. It is important to note as well, that each

English teacher has a class set of iPads, laptops, or iPods, and a full computer lab for access one

day a week. With the abundance of technology available, Ms. Parker does all she can to immerse

herself in technology so that can grow in verbiage, use, and level of comfort.

Technology Perspective

Technology and classroom integration are at the forefront of Ms. Parkers mind when

planning lessons for her classes. She sees the importance technology has on the current

generation of young people through her own two sons and her classroom students. She also

knows if she can capture her students attention by using technology in the classroom, why not?

The daily use of technology by students in her classroom is evident. Students are engaged

through computers, phones, or tablets and use it as a means of notetaking, researching, and even

for a dictionary or thesaurus as these staple printed items are nowhere to be found in her English

classroom. It is through her positive outlook of incorporating technology that Ms. Parker has the

drive to teach herself and figure out how different aspects of technology work, as well as, to

attend workshops to get official training such as Georgia Educational Technology Conference
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(GAETC) and Summer Technology Bootcamps (offered through Ben Hill County Schools). Ms.

Parker is also open to pilot any means of technology as she has piloted surveys, the use of digital

eBooks, and Testpad this school year alone (2016-2017).

The second technology questionnaire, Teacher Adapter Survey, noted how Ms. Parker is

the first person in her department (early adapter), and a stand out of faculty at her school, to try

out new educational applications and technology. She uses social media, through Facebook, in

her classroom, however due to technology restrictions she is not able to implement other forms

of social media such as Twitter chats (as she would like). She obviously does not believe that

students learn best using traditional teaching strategies as can be observed from her selection of

strongly agreeing for student choice of technology use and allowing new technologies in her

classroom. It is important to note however, that Ms. Parker did not see herself as being proactive

in trying out new web 2.0 tools as she was not aware of the verbiage. Once we had the

opportunity to discuss various tools incorporated, she immediately stated that she should have

scored herself higher in terms of being proactive in trying out new tools. Like all aspects of

education, data is an important factor. Ms. Parker, however, will still try new technologies and

strategies if there is no available data or experiences from previous users.

Dawn Clements, principal at Fitzgerald High School has approached Ms. Parker on her

strong integration skills with technology in the classroom. When being observed on the Teacher

Keys Effectiveness System (TKES), Ms. Parker is currently scoring a three, however she could

score a four if she would show others some of the new technology tools she has discovered as

successful and what she has implemented in her classroom. Ms. Parkers response, however, is

that those in her department, or any department, must be willing to listen. It is difficult for Ms.
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Parker to share as she does not want anything to take away her excitement and thunder with

technology integration (C. Jacobs, personal communication, February, 2017). Based on the

SAMR model and from Ms. Parkers individual assessment of technology use and adaptation, she

scores herself at a level of modification. I cant imagine my classroom without technology. My

two sons are wanting to be, they will be, in the field of technology when they grow up and it is

important that I stay abreast to create conservation with my sons and prepare my students for

their future (C. Jacobs, personal communication, February, 2017).

Technology Training Needs and Coaching

When asked what areas of technology we could expand upon for continuous technology

integration and growth in the classroom, Ms. Parker specifically mentioned three areas: creating

online notebooks for students to collaborate, turn in essays, and blog through OneNote in Office

365, to implement eBooks to her entire classes, and to incorporate Twitter chats as an additional

means of social media. Our plan for integration and growth through training is based on the peer

coaching strategy once the implementation stage is ready. As a media specialist, technology

integration and teacher collaboration is at the core of what I provide for the school. To aid Ms.

Parker in her quest for continued growth on the three areas mentioned above, I will complete

the initial setup of her classroom notebooks and provide screen shots of the process to Ms.

Parker for review along with creating a blogging basics tab inside the notebook to introduce

students to blogging in the educational setting and what will be required from their peer

responses. I will also prepare a cheat sheet for her classes on the overview of using eBooks, and

I will get with the technology department to determine if we can lift the restriction on Twitter to

simply allow for a Twitter chat conservation at minimum. After the initial setup phase is
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completed from previous collaboration to determine what Ms. Parker is envisioning for this

integration in her classroom, she and I will co- teach the new technology to her students. By peer

coaching the implementation of digital notebooks and eBooks, there will be help available if any

glitches were to occur. The glitches, are what Ms. Parker notes as keeping the rest of her

department from ever trying technology integration as they do not want to waste time in trying

something new. Ones mindset regarding technology integration however, must acknowledge

the fact that there will be glitches until you become proficient in any aspect. By knowing things

can and will go wrong, one will be more open to allowing new device and strategy use in the

classroom, especially when there is help available.

Peer coaching will remain in place for the duration of the book study. Together, Ms.

Parker and I will work with her students to build successful digital notebooks around blogging,

collaboration, submitting required writings, and online notetaking of the required text. As this

collaboration is for the duration of the book study, it will continue through effective use of

induvial and provided laptop devices using eBooks (as the entire English department at FHS is

moving away from printed required text to a digital format of the required text begging in August

of 2017). Two Twitter chat sessions will also take place during the book study. The first chat will

only include Ms. Parker, myself, and her students. During the second Twitter chat, we hope to

invite department members and administration to join or come view the implementation in

hopes of opening the door to positive conservation. When others in the English department

view technology integration successfully, and acknowledge they can have help when

implementing, it will allow Ms. Parker to create positive conservation which can lead to her peer

teaching technology integration in the English department at Fitzgerald High School.

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3/4/2017 Teacher Technology Use Assessment

Responses cannot be edited

Teacher Technology Use Assessment

This instrument is intended to assess an individual teacher's disposition towards and current use of technology for
instruction, assessment, and communication.

Please respond to each question with the answer that best represents your current instructional practice.

1 - Strongly Agree / Consistently

2 - Agree / Frequently
3 - No Opinion / Occasionally
4 - Disagree / Rarely
5 - Strongly Disagree / Never

Name of School

Fitzgerald High School

Person Requesting Survey Response

Christy Jacobs

I actively seek ways to integrate digital resources into my teaching practice

to support student achievement.
1 2 3 4 5

My school provides teachers and students with consistent, equitable, and

reliable access to digital resources.
1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EcApzfcc74sTC0Yg428knp7gBB3IVyMkKtHFwV0PEds/edit#response=ACYDBNincUhMb0Y0dSx0EQ36m5-EaN0K412mDXfY... 1/3
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3/4/2017 Teacher Technology Use Assessment

I possess adequate skills and training to explore and integrate digital

resources effectively into my teaching practice.
1 2 3 4 5

I use digital resources to present content and instruction.

1 2 3 4 5

I use digital resources to differentiate instruction.

1 2 3 4 5

I use digital resources to assess student learning.

1 2 3 4 5

My students use digital resources to present and/ or publish their work.

1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EcApzfcc74sTC0Yg428knp7gBB3IVyMkKtHFwV0PEds/edit#response=ACYDBNincUhMb0Y0dSx0EQ36m5-EaN0K412mDXfY... 2/3
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2/27/2017 TeacherAdopterSurvey

Responses cannot be edited

Teacher Adopter Survey

This survey is designed to identify a teacher's adopter level category (early adopter, early majority, majority, late
majority, laggard, etc).

Please respond to each question with the answer that best represents your current instructional practice.

1 - Strongly Agree / Consistently

2 - Agree / Frequently
3 - No Opinion / Occasionally
4 - Disagree / Rarely
5 - Strongly Disagree / Never

I seek out new technology for personal use.

1 2 3 4 5

I am one of the rst people I know to have the latest version of my cell
phone.
1 2 3 4 5

I volunteer to pilot new strategies and technologies in my teaching.

1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19zW17JzuDshPB4SY6qUqI4h38SFVI120EAg9I0TJ6eM/edit#response=ACYDBNiTw5ShtKwHjyb74bz9bqfZ8Ekzg8xRFniDB... 1/5
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2/27/2017 TeacherAdopterSurvey

I am the rst in my department / at my school to try out new educational

apps and technology.
1 2 3 4 5

I like to gure out new technology by myself.

1 2 3 4 5

I use various social media tools in my teaching/ classroom experience.

1 2 3 4 5

I enjoy showing others new technology tools that I have discovered and
implemented with my classroom.
1 2 3 4 5

I participate in leadership committees to adopt innovations for my school.

1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19zW17JzuDshPB4SY6qUqI4h38SFVI120EAg9I0TJ6eM/edit#response=ACYDBNiTw5ShtKwHjyb74bz9bqfZ8Ekzg8xRFniDB... 2/5
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2/27/2017 TeacherAdopterSurvey

I believe that students learn best using traditional teaching strategies.

1 2 3 4 5

I like to have data and hear experiences from previous users before
implementing a new strategy in my classroom.
1 2 3 4 5

I am comfortable giving students choice in use of technology in my

classroom
1 2 3 4 5

I am comfortable trying new technologies in my classroom.

1 2 3 4 5

I am proactive in trying out new web 2.0 tools?

1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19zW17JzuDshPB4SY6qUqI4h38SFVI120EAg9I0TJ6eM/edit#response=ACYDBNiTw5ShtKwHjyb74bz9bqfZ8Ekzg8xRFniDB... 3/5
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2/27/2017 TeacherAdopterSurvey

I enjoy attending workshops that discuss new cutting edge technology for
the classroom.
1 2 3 4 5

I like experimenting with an inquiry based learning approach.

1 2 3 4 5

I actively follow innovated technology feeds on social media.

1 2 3 4 5

I adopt technology after it has been proven successful at my current

school.
1 2 3 4 5

I adopt technology in my classroom after being provided ample support.

1 2 3 4 5

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19zW17JzuDshPB4SY6qUqI4h38SFVI120EAg9I0TJ6eM/edit#response=ACYDBNiTw5ShtKwHjyb74bz9bqfZ8Ekzg8xRFniDB... 4/5
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References

C. Jacobs, personal communication, February, 2017