Running head: OFFICE 365 FOR COLLABORATION 1

Office 365 Applications for Collaboration among Gifted Teachers

Sylvia Jud

Kennesaw State University

May 2019

Dr. Anissa Vega

Fall 2013
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 2

Setting and Context

The setting for this proposal is the elementary division of the Advanced Learning

Department of the Cobb County School District, which oversees all of the gifted services

provided for students. The Cobb County School District (CCSD) operates all of the public

schools within Cobb County, with the exception of those within the city of Marietta; and covers

321.3 square miles. It is the second largest school district in the state and 23rd largest in the

country. According to its website, CCSD serves 111,751 students (42.42% receive free and

reduced lunch) in 112 schools: 67 elementary, 25 middle, 16 high schools (6 magnet programs/1

IB school), one charter school, one special education center, one adult education center, and one

performance learning center (Georgia Department of Education, 2019). The District boasts a

graduation rate of 84%, five percentage points higher than the state average of 79% and a

College and Career Readiness Performance Index score of 80.5 which is 6.9 points higher than

the state average of 73.6. CCSD employs a total of 17,907 workers, of which 5,956 are

classroom teachers. Out of these totals, there are 7,322 identified gifted students and 135 gifted

certified teachers at the elementary level.

In 2012, the Advanced Learning Department created multidisciplinary units (Units of

Study/UOS) gifted teachers were encouraged to use with their students. Since their creation, the

Units of Study have evolved with the inclusion of technology and STEM components; with these

additional modules there has been a disconnect among teachers in the department as to the best

methods to use to implement these UOS. Confusion exists as a result of the outdated way of

sharing information, which relies on one individual to upload content that is shared via email.
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 3

Statement of Problem, Need and Rationale

The problem that prompted this Capstone Project is the need for teachers to have one

central location where they can collaborate on and communicate about the most current

resources available for the Units of Study. With the school district being a Microsoft District,

the teachers already have access to a variety of online tools through Office 365; they just need

professional development to learn how to access and use these tools. For collaboration on the

achievement of common goals, many organizations have adopted the use of virtual teams when

employees are spread across a wide number of locations primarily through the use of information

and communication technology (Bhat, Pande, & Ahuja, 2017). Many of the gifted teachers have

been gathering and using a variety of new resources in their classrooms; while other teachers

have rewritten the UOS so that they are more current and relevant. Best practices dictate that

collaboration among teachers enhances student achievement, so there should naturally be a more

efficient means of connecting with each other. The problems of coordinating face-to-face

collaboration and providing common planning time can be easily rectified and should be

considered a high priority (Friend, 2000). Studies have suggested that teachers who engage in

experiential modelling through online training develop stronger confidence to understand virtual

collaboration tools and use the resources in their classrooms (Vinagre, 2016).

To address the lack of a centralized location the purpose of this project is provide

teachers in Advanced Learning with a functional online tool that each can access for virtual

collaboration, as well as the coaching model of professional development on the use of Office

365 Applications for collaboration and communication. The resources and need to collaborate

and share exists for these teachers, as does the Office 365 platform for a digital collaboration and

communication space. According to the U. S. Department of Education (2019), through the use
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 4

of technology, teachers now have the opportunity to connect with other educators beyond the

walls of their school to broaden their perspectives and create greater potential for student

learning.

This Capstone Proposal takes the need and creates a virtual environment for collaboration

and communication via OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams. Teachers will be able to

instantly communicate with the entire Advance Learning department by posting a chat in Teams

asking for help in obtaining resources or for suggestions. Responses to chats can also be

instantaneous thus cutting down on the time spent waiting for teachers to read their email and

draft a response. In their study, Lin, Hu, Hu, & Liu (2016) found that in collaboration and

communication facilitated by online means, teachers can expand and complement the weaker,

limited real-world collaboration, therefore expanding the scope of available information. In

addition, many professionals are already motivated to participate in virtual teams because it

offers 24/7 availability and therefore can reach co-workers at any time (DeLuca, Gasson &

Kock, 2006). Other benefits of using a OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams are the ease of

keeping the system up-to-date with only current contacts, the continued availability of shared

files after a member is removed from the system, and a centralized location for all department

files and documents.

A critical factor in broadening instructional design as well as developing teachers who

are competent in the modern learning environments, is the need to collaborate via technological

means and educational research sectors (Basham, Smith, Greer, & Marino, 2017). Being a

Microsoft School District, the expectation exists that district staff will use the tools offered by

Office 365 with each other as well as with students. As noted by Friend (2000), teachers need to

engage in meaningful exercises and experiences, therefore, teachers will be required to attend
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 5

professional development on how to access and use the OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams

for collaboration and communication. Usage of the Notebook and Teams will be determined by

continued monitoring of chats; and file, artifact, and supporting resources uploads within the

platform.

Objectives & Deliverables

To address the lack of meaningful collaboration and communication among the gifted

teachers in the Cobb County School District, the purpose of my Capstone Proposal is to create a

OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams group, and provide professional development training.

With the purpose in mind the overarching goal is to promote technology facilitated collaboration

and communication between teachers at different schools. The current system in place is

antiquated and convoluted, there is no simple way or place to gather information or communicate

quickly.

Objective

The objective of my Capstone proposal is that during the first semester of the 2019-2020 school

year, elementary gifted teachers in Cobb County will participate in professional development and

begin using OneNote and Microsoft Teams for the purpose of collaboration, communication and

file-sharing by uploading documents, artifacts, and other resources which other gifted teachers

could use when teaching the approved Units of Study.

OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 6

Deliverables

● OneNote Notebook for gifted teachers which will include sections (tabs)

dedicated for collaboration in which teachers can upload files and share

information on existing and new Units of Study.

● Microsoft Teams group for entire staff of elementary gifted teachers to provide a

simple secure platform for communication regarding collaboration efforts and

needs.

● Agenda for professional development sessions outlining training objectives and

schedule.

● Sway presentation for professional development with cards focusing on specific

need to know functions of OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams.

● Professional development for elementary gifted teachers on how to access,

navigate, and use the OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams.

● Hand-out, including screenshots, of how to access, navigate, and use the OneNote

Notebook and Microsoft Teams.

● Training videos for reference following professional development sessions.

● Additional Skype training sessions as needed.

● End of training Forms survey to evaluate effectiveness of professional

development sessions

● Follow-up professional development sessions to expand knowledge of OneNote

Notebook and Microsoft Teams capabilities beyond the basic.

OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 7

PSC Standards

To address the lack of collaboration and communication, the purpose of this Capstone

Proposal is to provide elementary gifted teachers in Cobb County with a dedicated OneNote

Notebook and Microsoft Teams group along with the professional development to access,

navigate, and use these tools. The ISTE standards associated with this main objective are:

Standard 3. Digital learning environments. Element g. Candidates utilize digital

communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with

students, parents, peers, and the larger community. (PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g, 2010)

Standard 5. Professional development and program evaluation. Element b.

Candidates design, develop, and implement technology rich professional learning

programs that aligns to state and national professional standards, integrates

technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of

adult learning and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment.

(PSC 5.3/ISTE 4b, 2010)

The goal of the Capstone Proposal is to increase collaboration and communication.

Element g of ISTE Standard 3 supports the use of digital tools for communication and

collaboration which directly correlates to this Capstone Proposal. In addition, Element b of ISTE

Standard 4 is appropriate for this project because I will be designing, developing, and

implementing professional development that, according to the main objective, targets elementary

gifted teachers and their use of Microsoft OneNote and Teams for the purpose of collaboration.
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 8

Table 1 Standards and Objectives Alignment

Standard Standard Descriptor Project Objective

PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g Candidates utilize digital communication
and collaboration tools to communicate
locally and globally with students, parents,
peers, and the larger community.
By May 2019, I will utilize
digital communication and
collaboration tools create a
OneNote Notebook and
Microsoft Teams group.

Candidates develop and implement By November 2019, I will

PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b
technology-based professional learning that instruct 130 teachers on how to
Professional
aligns to state and national professional access, navigate and use the
Learning
learning standards, integrates technology to OneNote Notebook and
support face-to-face and online components, Microsoft Teams for
models principles of adult learning and collaboration and
promotes best practices in teaching, learning communication.
and assessment.

Project Description

As a means of broadening teacher collaboration and communication practices, a OneNote

Notebook and Microsoft Teams collaboration space will created. The system in place currently

is antiquated and doesn’t lend itself to effective virtual collaboration. To align with best

practices, teachers will be required to attend professional development on how to use this

platform. The following is a detail description of the activities associated with the Capstone

Proposal and how they are aligned with the aforementioned objectives, deliverables, and

standards.

Microsoft Office 365 Applications for Collaboration Space

The first activity for the Capstone Proposal is to design and develop a OneNote Notebook

and Microsoft Teams group. This activity addresses the objective which states that elementary

gifted teachers in Cobb County will participate in professional development and subsequently

utilize, the OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams platforms for the purpose of collaboration
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 9

and communication. It also correlates with ISTE Standard 3, Element g which supports teachers

to utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally

with students, parents, peers, and the larger community (PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g, 2010). The fact that

the OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams is being created for the specific purpose of

collaboration and communication lends itself directly to this standard.

Professional Learning Sessions to use OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams

Collaboration Space

The second activity for the Capstone Proposal includes all of the professional learning

materials create and implement professional learning for elementary gifted teachers on accessing,

navigating, and using Microsoft Office 365 applications including the OneNote Notebook and

Microsoft Teams, Sway, and Forms through a minimum of 2 sessions. By implementing the

coaching model of professional development, this activity is aligned to ISTE Standard 4,

Element b, which unequivocally refers to technology rich professional learning programs that

use digital age best practices (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b, 2010). The coaching model of professional

development, which will occur during pre-planning so that gifted teachers can begin

collaborating before classes begin, incorporates digital age best practices by engaging teachers in

hands-on, deliberate practice of accessing and navigating the OneNote Notebook as well as by

utilizing the newest of the Microsoft products available through Office 365. In addition to the

coaching model, there will be training videos for teachers to access after professional

development sessions, handouts with specific instructions for access, and on demand Skype

training sessions. Due to the lack of a centralized location for collaboration and the availability

of Office 365 Applications, teachers in the Advanced Learning department are in need of a

virtual platform to access for communication as well as collaborate on; along with professional
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 10

development to familiarize themselves with how to access and best utilize a virtual setting.

Following PD, additional training will be available through office hours via Skype whereby

teachers can video chat to receive additional support from any location.

Table 2. Project Activities Alignment

Project Item/Activity Project Objectives Deliverable

Creation of OneNote Over the course of the Spring
Notebook and 2019 semester, I will create a
Microsoft Teams group OneNote Notebook and
for collaboration Microsoft Teams group for
elementary gifted teachers to
use as a platform for
collaboration and
communication.
● OneNote Notebook
● Existing documents and forms
from Intranet to Content
Library
● Microsoft Teams for all
elementary gifted teachers and
supervisors to use for
communication

During pre-planning for the ● Pre-PD survey

Professional Learning
of Collaboration 2019-2020 school year,
platform elementary gifted teachers will
participate in the coaching
model of professional
development on accessing,
navigating, and using the
collaboration platform of the
OneNote Notebook and
Microsoft Teams
● Agenda
● Handout with login
instructions
● Handout on which sections to
find specific items
● Presentation on an
introduction to OneNote
Notebook
● Training session
● Presentation on an
introduction to Microsoft
Teams
● Training session
● End-of-training survey
● Observations of teachers to
assist with targeted assistance
during coaching sessions, and
● Follow-up coaching sessions
with teachers to provide
targeted assistance with using
the collaboration platform.
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 11

Evaluation Plan

As a direct need for elementary gifted teachers in Cobb County to have access to virtual

collaboration and communication, the coaching model of professional learning will be

implemented to introduce the OneNote Notebook and Microsoft Teams group created for

teachers’ use. To evaluate the Microsoft Office 365 Applications for collaboration: a

professional learning opportunity, teachers will be provided with surveys, observations, and

usage data. Through these evaluative tools, the Project objective of providing elementary gifted

teachers with an online platform for engagement in virtual collaboration and communication will

be addressed.

Over the course of the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year, a OneNote Notebook

and Microsoft Teams group for elementary gifted teachers to use as a platform for collaboration

and communication will be created; and during pre-planning for the 2019-2020 school year,

elementary gifted teachers will participate in the coaching model of professional development on

accessing, navigating, and using the collaboration platform of the OneNote Notebook and

Microsoft Teams.

Surveys

As a follow-up to the professional learning sessions, a Microsoft Forms survey will sent

to all elementary gifted teachers. This evaluation will be a Likert-scale questionnaire, with

ratings from 1 - 5 with 1 being not effective to 5 being very effective, in which the participants

will rate the overall effectiveness of the collaboration platform and the professional learning

coaching. The results of the survey will be appraised to determine if changes to the platform are
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 12

needed and as a reflection to the coaching methods used for professional learning. Success will

be determined by greater than 75% of the responses on the high end of the Likert-scale.

Observations

Throughout the coaching model of professional learning, the instructor will observe

teacher skills to determine further needs for review before moving onto next topic in training.

Success will be determined by the enhancement of trainees’ ability to use the platform to upload

artifacts and documents, and create chats with other participants. Chats are to be geared toward

collaborating to increase student achievement.

Data

Usage of the Office 365 Applications for collaboration and communication will be

monitored to determine the success of this Capstone Project. Data verifying that at least 85% of

the teachers in the Advanced Learning Department are using platform for virtual collaborating

will constitute a successful project.

Project Timeline

To provide a complete project from the planning and design stage, to teacher training, to

implementation, the Capstone Proposal timeline below breaks down the monthly deliverables to

meet the end of the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year due date.
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 13

Table 3. Project Timeline

Month Project Item/Activity, or Evaluation Item Hours
May OneNote Notebook, including adding specific sections 10
and pages for transfer of existing department forms and
files, as well as set up of pages dedicated to each of the
grade level Units of Study and other approved lessons
May Forms and files to the specified sections created in 12
Content Library
May Microsoft Teams group for all 130 teachers and 5
supervisors of the Advanced Learning department and
link the OneNote Notebook
June Microsoft Sway to use during professional learning 9
session scheduled for pre-planning
June Handouts for professional learning sessions scheduled 7
for pre-planning, focusing on access and navigation
June Microsoft Forms survey to be distributed following 6
conclusion of professional learning
July Learning videos via Screencast-O-Matic for teachers to 8
access on demand following conclusion of professional
learning
July Coaching model for professional learning at a location to 7
be determined
July Collaboration platform and survey live for participants 1
at professional learning
August Microsoft Forms survey response evaluation 8
September Microsoft Sway for presentation to review existing 9
access and introduce changes at October coaching
session
October Follow-up coaching model of professional learning to 4
review existing access and introduce changes
October Microsoft Forms survey of collaboration platform and 5
coaching model for professional lesson
October Microsoft Forms survey review and evaluation 7
November Skype coaching via office hours 3
Total hours 103
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 14

Resources

The main types of resources which are needed to implement the development of an online

collaboration, sharing, and communication tool for elementary gifted teachers fall into four main

categories: human, printed copies, hardware, and software:

● Professional development trainer or presenter,

● Printed agendas, quick sheets, and training materials,

● Teacher laptop computers to access Office 365 Applications

● Internet browser to access Office 365

● Microsoft Forms for end-of-training surveys

● Microsoft Office 365 Application

OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 15

References

Bhat, S. K., Pande, N., & Ahuja, V. (2017). Virtual Team Effectiveness: An Empirical Study

Using SEM. Retrieved April 09, 2019, from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705091732567X

Basham, J. D., Smith, S. J., Greer, D. L., & Marino, M. T. (2013). The Scaled Arrival of K-12

Online Education: Emerging Realities and Implications for the Future of Education.

Journal of Education, 193(2), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741319300206

DeLuca, D., Gasson, S., & Kock, N. (2006). Adaptations that virtual teams make so that complex

tasks can be performed using simple e-collaboration technologies. International Journal

of e-Collaboration, 2(3), 64–90.

Friend, M. (2000). Myths and misunderstandings about professional collaboration. Remedial and

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Hawkes, M., & Romiszowski, A. (2001). Examining the reflective outcomes of asynchronous

computer mediated communication on inservice teacher development. Journal of

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Lakkala, M., Ilomäki, L., & Palonen, T. (2007). Implementing virtual collaborative inquiry

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https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290600811529
OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 16

Patrichi, M. (2011). Threats to Using Mass Collaboration in Education. ELearning & Software

for Education, 1–8. Retrieved from

https://login.proxy.kennesaw.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc

t=true&db=eue&AN=64924659&site=eds-live&scope=site

State of Georgia, Department of Education (2019). Enrollment by ethnicity/race and gender.

(n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://app3.doe.k12.ga.us/ows-

bin/owa/fte_pack_ethnicsex.entry_form.

United States Department of Education (2019). Teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2019, from

https://tech.ed.gov/netp/teaching/

Vinagre, M. (2016). Training teachers for virtual collaboration: A case study. British Journal of

Educational Technology, 47(4), 787–802. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12363

OFFICE 365 APPLICATIONS FOR COLLABORATION AMONG GIFTED TEACHERS 17

Appendix

(You will complete this section upon implementation of your project – not in this class.)