5.1 Needs Assessment
Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
Artifacts: GAPSS Review
Individual Teacher Technology Assessment
Reflection:
These artifacts, which I created for ITEC 7460, demonstrate my ability to determine the strengths and weaknesses of technology-based professional learning program. The GAPSS Review Needs assessment was an assignment that gave me the opportunity to review my school’s professional development program. I researched the funding, resources, training, initiatives, goals, and design in order to assess its strength and weaknesses. For the Individual Teacher Technology Assessment, I performed a similar tack, but for my peer coaching partner. I observed her class and reviewed her goals, training, and skills in order to recommend technology that would improve her lessons.
These assignments were extremely beneficial for me. From the GAPSS review, I gained a deeper understanding of the inner workings of my school. By interviewing my principal, I discovered how professional development is funded, planned, and executed. From here, I was able to explore untapped resources in the school and community and found ways to make the most of the available resources. I made suggestions for how to improve the professional development program such as increasing monitoring and follow-up as well as changing the design to make the format more ongoing and continual instead the workshop format.
Working with my peer coaching partner provided me with a more personalized opportunity to conduct a needs assessment. I had my peer coaching partner fill out a survey indicating her perceived strengths and weaknesses. In this survey, she also revealed her digital skills and goals. Based on her survey results and my observation of her class, I made recommendations for digital tools that would help her improve her lessons. I showed her digital tools available in the media center, such as Plickers and Chromebooks, that would increase the usage of technology in her classroom. We selected other digital tools such as Socrative that could be used to advance her goals and support the school initiatives.
I enjoyed completing these assignments since I was able to apply the skills and knowledge that I learned from my KSU classes to make changes to improve the school. It inspired me to watch my peer coaching partner to combine her effective teaching strategies such as summarizing, differentiating, and providing feedback, with digital tools. If I were to complete these assignments again, I would share my findings with the entire administrative staff and community. I only had the chance to share my recommendations with the Technology Team, which consists of 1-2 administrators and community members. By sharing my findings and recommendations with a larger audience, I could inspire the school leaders to create new initiatives to improve the school. The community members would be able to provide support for these initiatives.
The effects of these lessons can be seen around the school. The Technology Team is using my recommendations from the GAPSS review to modify and improve the professional development program, which will be assessed via staff surveys at the end of next year. In my peer coaching partner’s class, the effects of our coaching sessions can be assessed via observations and assessment scores. When observing my partner’s class, digital tools are used daily in class. The increased usage of technology has resulted in increased student engagement and performance.
These artifacts, which I created for ITEC 7460, demonstrate my ability to determine the strengths and weaknesses of technology-based professional learning program. The GAPSS Review Needs assessment was an assignment that gave me the opportunity to review my school’s professional development program. I researched the funding, resources, training, initiatives, goals, and design in order to assess its strength and weaknesses. For the Individual Teacher Technology Assessment, I performed a similar tack, but for my peer coaching partner. I observed her class and reviewed her goals, training, and skills in order to recommend technology that would improve her lessons.
These assignments were extremely beneficial for me. From the GAPSS review, I gained a deeper understanding of the inner workings of my school. By interviewing my principal, I discovered how professional development is funded, planned, and executed. From here, I was able to explore untapped resources in the school and community and found ways to make the most of the available resources. I made suggestions for how to improve the professional development program such as increasing monitoring and follow-up as well as changing the design to make the format more ongoing and continual instead the workshop format.
Working with my peer coaching partner provided me with a more personalized opportunity to conduct a needs assessment. I had my peer coaching partner fill out a survey indicating her perceived strengths and weaknesses. In this survey, she also revealed her digital skills and goals. Based on her survey results and my observation of her class, I made recommendations for digital tools that would help her improve her lessons. I showed her digital tools available in the media center, such as Plickers and Chromebooks, that would increase the usage of technology in her classroom. We selected other digital tools such as Socrative that could be used to advance her goals and support the school initiatives.
I enjoyed completing these assignments since I was able to apply the skills and knowledge that I learned from my KSU classes to make changes to improve the school. It inspired me to watch my peer coaching partner to combine her effective teaching strategies such as summarizing, differentiating, and providing feedback, with digital tools. If I were to complete these assignments again, I would share my findings with the entire administrative staff and community. I only had the chance to share my recommendations with the Technology Team, which consists of 1-2 administrators and community members. By sharing my findings and recommendations with a larger audience, I could inspire the school leaders to create new initiatives to improve the school. The community members would be able to provide support for these initiatives.
The effects of these lessons can be seen around the school. The Technology Team is using my recommendations from the GAPSS review to modify and improve the professional development program, which will be assessed via staff surveys at the end of next year. In my peer coaching partner’s class, the effects of our coaching sessions can be assessed via observations and assessment scores. When observing my partner’s class, digital tools are used daily in class. The increased usage of technology has resulted in increased student engagement and performance.