CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONEquipping Teachers with the Tools Needed to Create Global Learners: Teacher Professional Development to Increase Academic Achievement

Kennesaw State University Masters in Instructional Technology

Presented by:Lea Capps

July 15, 2014Advisor: Sheri Booker

SETTING & CONTEXT Green Acres Elementary Title I School N= 841 74% Hispanic 91% Free and Reduced Lunch Dominated by LEP Little or no reading of English support at

home Lack of clubs at the school level Stakeholders: staff members,

administrators, local community Principal supported capstone project

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SETTING & CONTEXTKSU

NEEDS ASSESSMENT Surveys Utilized:

Current uses of technology needs assessment- Focused On: What specific technology was being used How technology was being used Who was using the technology (student or

teacher) LoTi Digital Age Survey

January 2012 Distributed by the county and results analyzed by

LoTi Connection Interest Inventories

Used to assess participants’ dispositions, attitudes, and skills and comfort level

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EVALUATION KSU

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

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How often do students engage at a Blooms Taxonomy level of Analysis or Evaluation?

How often do students engage at a Blooms Taxonomy level of Creation?

Teacher use, student observe

Student use, Teacher observe

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

KSUGreen Acres Elementary School Digital-Age Results

Professional Development Priority Areas

The greatest priority

indicated by the LoTi profile is using

technology in student

centered learning and

creativity, which includes promoting

higher order thinking and student

engagement ("Loti

digital-age profile:" 2012).

LOTI LEVEL 2 KSUWhile 100% of the participants in the survey report having access to multiple technology tools, 56% of the teachers at Green Acres self-assessed at a LoTi level of 2 or lower.

PROBLEM!!!! Technology is not being used effectively at

Green Acres Elementary!!

Question: How can we address technology

use at Green Acres Elementary?

How can we model, instruct, and support

teachers in utilizing technology to engage

and motivate learners at a higher level of

thinking? How can we do this effectively, efficiently,

and with the support of the community?

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CAPSTONE PROJECT PLAN Plan: Create a Professional Development Course

designed with the goal of impacting student achievement through the improvement of technology use in the classroom.

It was important for this course to be meaningful and relevant to teachers so they would be motivated to implement the tools and strategies learned.

The vision for the professional learning course was driven by the desire to improve teaching practices at Green Acres Elementary.

The purpose was to provide teachers with the tools to incorporate technology into their classroom and provide students with rich learning experiences.

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COURSE GOALS Make teachers aware of ISTE standards and LoTi

levels (ITEC 7480) Give teachers time to learn new technologies and

practice with guided instruction Provide applicable examples for using technology to

meet the needs of diverse grades, classrooms, and learners (INED 7783)

Help teachers understand how to implement learning experiences that promoted higher order thinking

Improve teacher confidence and attitude towards student technology use in the classroom

Provide a flexible course environment that featuring high quality and relevant instruction (ITEC 7460)

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DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT Originally planned for 10 weeks (Jan-May) Actual Timeline 5 weeks (April-May) 5 Face-to-Face Classes 5 Online collaborative sessions Originally planned for PLU credits Zero PLU credits offered Weekly “office hours” tech support as needed Three separate sessions offered

Teacher Effective Web 2.0 tools Implementing Tech Tools in the Classroom Bridging the Gap Between School and Community

Sessions were not all mandatory but recommended Weebly used for online collaboration

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PARTICIPANTS

The participants varied with each session The Capstone Experience catered to

Counselors Administration Specialists Special Ed Teachers 3 Primary Teachers All of the Facilitator’s Grade Level Team 4 Intermediate Teachers The School’s Technology Specialist

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RESOURCES & IMPLEMENTATION

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http://teachtechconnect.weebly.com/#/

Course Description Weebly used for the online platform Online collaboration Face to face instruction In class learning/ application Participants were expected to create lessons using digital tools

learned in workshops Resources and discussions posted on Weebly Technology and digital tools explored during professional development

Voicethread Photostory Audacity Wallwisher/ Padlet Graphclub Digital Storytelling Wordle Polleverywhere

Remind101 was digital tool preferred by most in this course!! BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY!!!

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EVALUATION PLANKSU

RESULTS/

REFLECTIONKSU

This experience will help me with my ELL learners. Thanks for everything! --Teacher Participant

Wow! I never thought I could be so tech savvy, Capps!! Thanks a bunch. This was fun. Sad you are leaving.-----Specialist Participantant Capps, Maybe next time

we could do more slow paced things like Excel or Active Inspire? Thanks------Primary Teacher Participant

RESULTS The post assessment reflected considerable

growth in the teacher’s knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of utilizing digital tools.

Teachers reported being more aware of the available technologies and how to utilize them in their classrooms.

The post survey also indicated an improvement in teachers’ comfort levels as well as willingness to implement learning activities with new unfamiliar technologies.

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QUESTIONS How do we implement follow-up support for these

teachers? How do we ensure PLU credits for future professional

development courses in the field of technology enhanced learning?

How do we assess the impact of this professional development on student learning and ensure its continued impact in the future?

Technology is continually evolving. How do we ensure that our professional learning communities are doing the same to ensure that we are preparing 21st Century learners?

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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH & LEADERSHIP

According to the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) from ISTE, Professional Growth and Leadership signifies a teacher's inclination to "continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources." Based on this priority area, a teacher is able to participate in local and global learning communities, evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice involving the use of digital tools and resources, and exercise leadership in promoting the technology skills of others as well as improvements to the teaching profession.

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REFERENCES International Society for Technology in

Education. (2012). Essential conditions: necessary conditions to effectively leverage technology for learning. Retrieved, 2013, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-for-students-essential-conditions

Moersch, C. (1994). Loti framework. Retrieved from http://loticonnection.com/index.php/more/frameworks/20-loti-framework

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