1.4 Diffusion of Innovations & Change
Candidates research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. (PSC 1.4/ISTE 1d)
Artifact: Action/Evaluation Plan
Artifact: Individual Teacher Technology Assessment
Artifact: Coaching Journal
Reflection:
These artifacts, which were created as class assignments, demonstrate my ability to research, recommend, and implement strategies for change in my school. I created the Action/Evaluation Plan as part of the ITEC 7410 class. This assignment required me to complete a SWOT analysis in order to find ways to improve technology implementation at my school. My plan consisted of five goals and procedures for helping to achieve those goals. These goals addressed the ISTE essential conditions as well as local and national technology standards. When creating this plan, I had to consider my school’s current funding, goals, needs, initiatives, resources, policies, and training. I recommended changes such as more professional development and technical support to help us achieve the goals of the strategic plan.
The other two artifacts were created as class assignments in the ITEC 7460 class. For these artifacts, I coached a colleague in implementing technology in her classroom. Just as with the Action/Evaluation Plan, I assessed my colleague’s current technology implementation strategy, including her training, goals, usage, needs, and skills. Then I recommended different technology for her to use in the classroom. My research, recommendations, and implementation strategies are documented in the two artifacts. The coaching journal provides a detailed account of how I monitored the implementation plan and adjusted it based on each coaching session.
From these experiences, I learned how to create positive change in our school. In the Action/Evaluation plan, I made recommendations based on the SWOT analysis and staff feedback. The staff surveys showed that teachers felt overwhelmed when implementing technology. They felt that they had previously been briefly introduced to various digital tools but were not provided the time or assistance for implementing them into their curriculum. In order to help the staff, I convinced my administration to extend our technology team in order to provide more technology support. This recommendation was possible to implement immediately since it did not require any funding, but rather it utilized our current resources and staff more effectively. If I could do anything differently, I would have led a device donation drive where the community could turn in their old smart phones and tablets for school use. I tried to get this initiative started, but I was too late. The best time for the drive would be Orientation Day, which is when all the students and parents come to school to get the students’ new schedules and meet teachers. This drive would enable our teachers and students to have increased access to devices, which would improve digital equity.
The positive effects of these assignments can be seen throughout our school. My peer coaching colleague, Amy, is now a vocal advocate for instructional technology. Her students are more engaged in class and are performing better. Her students’ test scores illustrate the positive effects of our coaching sessions. She has shared her new knowledge and skills with other Spanish teachers, who have started to see their own positive results. The results of my Action/Evaluation Plan can be seen more broadly throughout the school. There are technology workshop sessions offered weekly, teachers in each department acting as technology coaches, and teachers applying for and obtaining grants in order to purchase classroom technology. The impact of these assignments will be assessed through staff surveys. Additionally, student achievement has been improved, which will be seen on local, district, and state assessments.