Observation Template - School Walk-Through  

The following observation tool was developed to assess frequency of use of technology by all teachers in the school. It incorporates a systematic walkthrough of classrooms to observe and note who and how technology is being used in the school. The tools were designed to understand how teachers and students are using technology in a school by observing technology across multiple classrooms. The School Walk-Through Template focuses on noting the frequency of use of technology in a classroom, how technology is integrated in a classroom, and how teachers are using technology in their curriculum and/or practice and with students. To help understand curriculum impacts Blooms Taxonomy was incorporated. To help understand the level of technology integration the Substitution, Adaptation, Modification, and Recreation (SAMR) model was utilized. To provide reliability in using the observation template, the following directions were developed. The goal of the directions was to provide a consistent process to gather data to allow for comparison between and within schools, classrooms, and over time. It is recommended that observers become familiar with the SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy to aid in agreement between observers. Following is the step-by-step directions: o Notify teachers’ prior of the observation timeframe due to the possible of disruption to their classrooms. o Download and print out the School Technology Walk-Through Observation Template and/or configure onto an electronic device. o One observer (Two observers are recommended to allow for agreement to observed effects). o Familiarize each observer with Blooms Taxonomy and the SAMR Model located on our website. o Start observations. o Each observer should visit each classroom for 5 minutes – regardless if technology is being used or not, and stay for the entire 5 minute duration. o Observations should be at random times. o Each classroom should be revisited after 15 minutes (if allowable). o Note results for each classroom onto the School Technology Walk-Through Observation Template. o If school scheduling allows, visit classrooms in the morning and afternoon. o On average a classroom should be visited at least two times in the morning and two times in the afternoon by each observer. The process of multiple visits is to allow for instructional opportunities by teachers to use technology and provide consistency to the data.

Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine – 2015

 

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Observation Template - School Walk-Through, (Cont.)  

Demographic: School:

Observer initials:

Date:

Time:

Content Area:

Number of Students:

Student configuration: Working individually: Working in pairs: Working in small groups: Whole class: Other: Is technology being used for instructional purposes during the observation period? (If No, skip to Bloom's question) Yes:

No: Technology in use by TEACHER (check all that apply)

Technology in use by STUDENT (check all that apply)

Laptop:

Laptop:

Smartboard/Whiteboard:

Smartboard/Whiteboard:

Clickers:

Clickers:

Camera and/or video recorder:

Camera and/or video recorder:

Projector:

GPS or mapping technology:

GPS or mapping technology:

Cell phone:

Cell phone:

Microphone / Headphone / Audio:

Microphone / Headphone / Audio:

Desktop PC:

Desktop PC:

Tablet:

Tablet:

Other:

ARD (Apple Remote Desktop): Other:

Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine – 2015

 

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Observation Template - School Walk-Through, (Cont.)  

Type of Technology Use in Classroom Formal Lesson (e.g., teacher directed lesson) Causal Use (e.g., students playing games, “cruising” the internet, listening to music, etc.) Software/Supports in Use (Check all that apply) Internet search: Spreadsheet or data analysis software: Word processing software: Presentation software: Digital textbook: NoteShare, Google Docs, OneDrive, etc: Online (e.g., Studywiz, Moodle, Ning, portaportal): Blog: Wiki: Other: Technology Plus other materials:

Yes

No

Is technology used in isolation by students? (e.g., no textbooks or worksheets) Is technology used in isolation by the teacher? (e.g., presentations) What materials or supports were used in conjunction with technology?

Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine – 2015

 

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Observation Template - School Walk-Through, (Cont.)  

SAMR level S: direct tool substitute, no functional change; A: direct tool substitute, functional improvement; M: technology allows significant task redesign; R: technology allows creation of new tasks, previously unattainable Substitution (e.g., word processor used like a typewriter) Adaptation (e.g., basic Word functions used: cut and paste, spell check, etc.) Modification (e.g., Word doc integrated with e-mail, spreadsheets, graphing) Redefinition (e.g., Word integrated with workgroup and content management software) Not applicable

Bloom Level What does the lesson target on Bloom’s Scale? Remember/Understand Apply Analyze/Evaluate Create Unable to evaluate

Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine – 2015

 

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Observation Template - School Walk-Through, (Cont.)  

Brief description of lesson & technology use:

Comments & additional context, if necessary:

Student Engagement: 0-50 % 51-75 % 76-90 % 91-100 % Other:

Developed by MEPRI to evaluate the Maine Learning Technology Initiative

Maine Education Policy Research Institute University of Southern Maine – 2015

 

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