Lilyanne W.

Tyler
Professional Development Workshop
FRIT 7739

Identification of Instructional Problem and Goal

In order to determine the instructional problem that the workshop would address, I

designed and distributed a needs analysis survey. This survey was developed using Google

Forms and made available to all secondary English/Language Arts teachers in the school district.

The survey formatting and questions are available for viewing in Appendix A. I chose this

audience to gather data from because of recent shifts in curricular materials. New resources have

been adopted over the last two years, so teachers are still becoming familiar with how to

integrate technology into instruction while meeting curricular needs. Additionally, I had

conversations with the secondary English/Language Arts instructional coaches in the district to

gain their insight on what they perceived as teacher needs since they field many teacher

questions and provide guidance across the county.

After receiving feedback from the needs analysis survey and analyzing the data, it was

determined that teachers wanted help making the newer district-wide vocabulary curriculum

more engaging and technologically accessible. The current curriculum is formatted as online

PDFs for teacher download, as well as online slideshows to use in instruction. Students do not

have workbooks, so all workbook pages have to be downloaded and printed in order to provide

students with a copy they can write on and keep. Otherwise, teachers are expected to project the

“worksheets” on the interactive whiteboards and facilitate instruction in this manner. Therefore,

in order to help make the vocabulary curriculum more engaging for students using technology

tools, I established the goal for the workshop, which would be for teachers to understand how the
Web 2.0 tool Nearpod could be integrated into the vocabulary curriculum to increase engagement

and meaningful learning.

Learner and Context Analysis

The learners participating in this workshop are middle school and high school language

arts teachers within the school district. They have a wide range of teaching experience, but all

teachers have had two years or less experience with the current vocabulary curriculum mandated

by the district. Additionally, they have had less than one year of experience with all students

having an in-class learning device. The teachers have a wide range of experience using Web 2.0

tools, but all have expressed interest in learning more and bringing them into their instructional

practices. Due to the workshop being conducted virtually, they must have enough experience

with technology to use Zoom, access links, and utilize Padlet. Nearly all teachers have

experience with Zoom due to virtual learning and virtual conferences being established because

of COVID-19. Since it will be conducted virtually, there will be limitations for how information

can be shared. In order to model certain skills, I have chosen Zoom for the learning context so

that I have the ability to share my screen, enabling the teachers to watch my actions just as they

would if the workshop were conducted in person.

Task Analysis

In order to effectively provide instruction about using Nearpod integrated with the vocabulary

curriculum, instruction about the actual tool must take place in case teachers are unfamiliar with

Nearpod. After teachers have a basic understanding of the tool, the workshop can move toward

the goal of providing ideas for how to make the vocabulary curriculum more engaging.

Eventually, this knowledge can be built upon to challenge the teachers to brainstorm new ways
the tool could be used within their instructional practices. The following describes the task

breakdown:

Task 1: Log on to Zoom and open links provided in the Chat feature.
Getting
Started

Task 2: Watch the presenter's Contribute to interactive discussion questions

Introduction screen tour of Nearpod through the Chat feature or by speaking.
to Nearpod and listen to
explanations.

Task 3: Watch the presenter's Add a resource to your library and tell what was
Introduction screen tour of the saved.
to Library Nearpod library and
Resources listen to explanations.

Task 4: Watch the presenter's Browse templates and Answer the question on
Introduction screen tour of the select one that would be the Padlet
to the creation options and useful.
Creation templates.
Tools and
Filters

Task 5: Using Watch the presenter’s Read through the PDF of Add one activity idea to
Nearpod with screen tour of the additional vocabulary the Padlet
Vocabulary workshop website with activities.
integration examples.

Task 6: Add more ideas to the Visit the workshop Complete the post
Summary and Padlet. website. workshop evaluation
Conclusion survey.

Instructional Goals

1. Teachers will be able to access and utilize Nearpod interactive lesson technology
resources to create engaging learning experiences and activities.
2. Teachers will be able to integrate non-technological elements of the vocabulary
curriculum with the interactive elements of Nearpod to lift the level of student
engagement for vocabulary lessons.
 3. Teachers will be able to apply ideas and skills discussed during the workshop to create
similar engaging Nearpod lessons and activities for other domains of the ELA
curriculum.
Content Sequencing and Instructional Strategies

Sequence Description Goal

1 Instruction on Nearpod’s offerings 1

2 Instruction on Nearpod’s Library 1

3 Saving a resource on Nearpod to your personal library 1, 2, 3

4 Instruction on Creation Tools within Nearpod 1

5 Exploration of Nearpod Templates 1, 2, 3

6 Investigation of vocabulary activity examples 2

7 Brainstorming of more vocabulary activity examples 1, 2

8 Brainstorming Nearpod creation options within other domains 1, 3

9 Brainstorming Nearpod creation with specific tools 1, 2, 3

10 Completion of Feedback Survey 1, 2, 3

Much of the instructional strategies implemented within this workshop are based on

modeling and gradual release. For example, teachers will watch my actions through screen

sharing before completing actions on their own. Additionally, the actions teachers participate in

along the way will build on each other, creating an “I do, we do, you do” instructional format.

Ultimately, teachers will be tasked with applying the information they were presented to their

understanding of the curriculum requirements to brainstorm ways that Nearpod can be integrated

in the vocabulary curriculum and then expanding into other domains.

Another prominent strategy featured in the workshop is hands-on style learning. Instead

of hearing information about the tool, teachers have the opportunity to interact with the tool
themselves, in their own accounts, and practice accessing different types of functions and

resources. This allowed for more engagement, more meaningful learning, and the opportunity for

immediate feedback when questions arose and misunderstandings took place.

Development of Assessments

When creating assessments for this workshop, I paid special attention to the fact that the

participants were all at a variety of levels with their technology skills. I created assessments to be

low-risk and positive, with immediate feedback. Most of the assessments concerned the teacher’s

ability to find different functions and resources, and their ability to edit or save items within the

tool. These assessments were designed to promote investigative behaviors with the technological

tool and were structured to prevent teachers from becoming discouraged or frustrated by their

ability to use the tool. All informal assessments throughout the workshop were conducted

through verbal discussion, the chat feature, or through Padlet contributions.

The formal assessment was conducted through the post-workshop evaluation survey.

While this survey was designed to assess the instruction and design of the workshop, it was also

designed in a manner that allows me to assess whether or not the workshop met its goals of

helping teachers learn how to use the tool effectively within vocabulary instruction. There are

several questions that are phrased in a reflective manner that require the participants to assess

and express their understanding and gains from the workshop. A copy of the survey is available

in Appendix B.

Design of Instruction

In order to provide more teachers the opportunity to participate, the workshop will be

conducted virtually using the Zoom video conferencing tool. The instruction and activities will

be completed synchronously, with the opportunity for further discussion and collaboration in an
asynchronous manner. Since the workshop is synchronous but virtual, it requires the use of

collaborative Web 2.0 tools for interactive functions. Several workshop discussions are housed

on the Web 2.0 tool Padlet, which allows for both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration

and saves conversation history and posts. Lastly, the structure of the workshop is housed on a

Google Site. This will provide guidance for participants as we work through the steps in the

workshop, and it also provides a resource for participants to refer to later when they need

additional help with the tool. Within the Google Site, links to the Padlet and Post-Workshop

Survey were embedded, in addition to a curation of tutorial videos and helpful links. This

website allows collaboration to continue after the workshop is completed.

Plan for Evaluation

In order to assess the effectiveness of the professional development workshop, a

Post-Workshop Evaluation Survey will be completed by participants. This survey was developed

with Google Forms, and it is embedded in the workshop website. It will also be sent out to

participants via link through the Zoom chat feature and through email. This survey is two-fold,

as it also helps assess the teachers’ understanding of the tool and how to integrate it into their

instruction. The questions within the survey will assess the effectiveness of the instruction,

delivery, and resources of the workshop. It will also assess the amount of opportunity presented

for collaboration with professional peers. Engagement and interest will be assessed by asking

participants if they plan to utilize the tool in their instruction and if they will continue their

education on the tool. Lastly, participants have the opportunity to explain what specifically

worked well and what needed improvement within the workshop. This will allow me as an

instructional designer and presenter to improve my own practices and adjust to better fit teacher

needs. The Post-Workshop Evaluation Survey can be found in Appendix B.

Resources to Support Instruction

Nearpod. (n.d.). Nearpod. https://nearpod.com/library/

Nearpod. (n.d.). Nearpod. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/Nearpod

Nearpod. (n.d.). Nearpod help center. Nearpod. https://nearpod.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

Nearpod. (n.d.). Nearpod teacher resources. Nearpod.

https://nearpod.com/resources/#webinars--section

Padlet. (n.d.). Padlet. https://padlet.com

Appendix A
Appendix B