Running Head: TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Technology Professional Development: Needs Assessment Bill Darrow EDTL 6320 Bowling Green State University

TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: NEEDS ASSESSMENT

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Abstract Bryan City Schools takes technology professional development seriously. Any opportunity to strengthen the staff’s level of knowledge is taken advantage of. Helping the staff reach higher levels of technology comprehension, generally translates into learning activities for students that provide support, hands on experiences and/or enrichment. As in any organization, there are teachers ahead of the curve and some who still haven’t started their engine. The challenge is to provide professional development that will support every staff members needs. Results from a survey provide direction and data to drive professional development. This allows teachers voice to be heard as well as collecting a vision for future trainings. Currently, staff members want training on how to use their SMART board at higher levels as well as other software that can elevate the student experience. In addition to this training, they are also curious on how iPads and iPods can be used with their students in their classrooms.

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Technology Professional Development Professional development is a requirement in the world of education, however with busy schedules, continually changing curriculum and 21st Century skills, educators do not want to waste their time and sit through meaningless professional development. Teachers like for their voice to be heard as well as follow-through on the part of administrators. Bryan City Schools does that on a regular basis and is never satisfied with the level of training that has been/is being provided. Granted permission to share a survey with random teachers in every building, simple survey questions were asked of them. The intent of the survey was to find out which topics they felt were of highest importance, as well as what level of training would be needed for each (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/932YLFW). The results were not overwhelmingly surprising. Most teachers use technology in their classrooms and with their students on a daily basis. What they are looking for are the second and third levels of training. Wanting to increase their skill base and learn how different programs, student information systems and searches can help them in their classroom every day. SMART board training came back at the top of the list. Not 100% of teachers currently have a SMART board in their classroom, but those who do, use it and want to “get more” out of it. The IT department recently introduced SMART exchange to the BCS staff, and they are chomping at the bit to find out more. SMART exchange allows SMART board users to find lesson plans to use on their own SMART board as well as connect with other teachers. Teachers simply join the online community, by creating a free account, and they are instantly able to view and use subject-specific content, that correlates to the standards (http://smarttech.com/us/Resources/SMART+Exchange). According to Lenz’s article, “How Will Technology Change Learning – and Teaching”, it is being rumored that the education market is going to be the next “Dot-com” technology growth area (Lenz, 2011). As we move forward with the Common Core and 21st Century skills, this is not

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surprising. Educators are being asked to train students and give them skills for jobs that haven’t even been created yet. Each time a teacher attends a conference, watches a webinar or speaks to a colleague there is a recommendation for new student data systems, software to enhance student learning and apps to be downloaded on iPads and iPods. All of these are happening in Bryan as well, and represented by the results from the needs assessment. Teachers are asking for more information on clicker systems, IXL Math, Google Earth, Accelerated Reader, Study Island, Quia, Document cameras, Tumblebooks, United Streaming, Starfall and Moodle, just to name a few. There is so much software for students, Bryan is making a conscious effort to have each grade level focus on a few and having the students develop solid working knowledge before moving on to the next grade level. For instance, Kindergarten through Grade 2 students use the Tumblebooks library, Starfall, Spelling City, ThinkCental and Accelerated Reader. (http://elem.bryan.k12.oh.us/Elementary_200910/Elem_Web_Sites.html) Teachers at these grade levels also have access to check out iPads, iPods and laptop carts for their students to be actively engaged in the programs mentioned above or applications that the IT department has downloaded. By the time a student reaches Middle School, they are expected to know how to access their Google account, use a variety of study websites (such as IXL math, Study Island and Quia) as well as manage their email and their teachers Moodle sites. All of these programs required training on both the teacher and student end. The philosophy adopted has been to provide that professional development on an as needed basis to the teachers. There are summer training opportunities, monthly meetings with the IT department, as well as one on one help as needed. When the school district is implementing a new software system or program that will affect a large percentage of the staff, they take advantage of 2-hour delay in-services that are set aside for training purposes.

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Bryan implemented a new student information system and grade card this year. These topics consumed a majority of the Technology Professional Development first semester. At this point it seems apparent that teachers are asking for Professional Development on programs, apps and websites to be use in the classroom and will enhance their students learning. The main challenge to meet the needs of teachers across the district is to have enough “experts” to present to each group on several topics. As you can see by the survey results, teachers are using a wide variety of technology in the classroom with their students. Speaking with the IT department, it was determined that there could be 6 sessions going on simultaneously for teachers to participate in. Each session would last 45 minutes and then be repeated. All teachers would participate in 2 sessions that they felt would benefit them the most. The sessions that have been decided on include: Intermediate SMART board; Advanced SMART board; using iPad and iPods in your classroom; using AR, IXL, United Streaming, and SMART exchange to enhance your lessons; Google Docs; and Clickers, Document Cameras and video conferencing. This will meet the needs of the teachers in the district for the current school year and serve as a springboard for years to come. “Schools have been much slower to adopt to the use of internet-based materials for professional development than they have for student information” (Fletcher, 2012). As Bryan, and all schools, continue to be bombarded with technology needs it will be hard to provide all of these in a face-to-face setting. Face-to-face professional development is time consuming and expensive, as if teachers are in a “sit and get” setting, they may not be able or willing to make the necessary changes back in their classroom. Professional development needs to be continuous and ongoing. The venue that can provide this type of training is the Internet. The Internet has a wide variety of resources available at a fingertip and teachers a can refer back to lessons as they need and can move at a pace that is comfortable for them. Bryan implemented an online professional development system called,

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Public School Works, in order to provide some of these trainings. Teachers appreciate being able to complete trainings on their own time and at their own pace. Benefits noted by staff include; less time out of the classroom, CEU’s, preserve limited face-to-face professional development and working at their own speed. The IT department continually looks for Free On Demand PD via self-paced tutorials, narrated tutorials and Webinars. At monthly tech meetings, the IT department shares information and resources they have found to assist the staff. Technology professional development is ever changing and needs to be in the forefront at all times, as soon as you “let your guard down”, the world of technology will pass you by.

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Discussion Fletcher (2012), discussed the point, as schools become increasingly digital, the arising challenges cannot easily be dealt with at one time. This challenge is a reality in every school district. How do we keep up with technology, how to we get our staff trained, how to we make it cost effective? All questions facing IT departments across the board. Needs assessments provide direction for prioritizing the technology needs of the district. As stated above, you can’t tackle all issues at one time. But you must be timely when providing your training. It would be unproductive to have 100% of the teachers receiving SMART board training, for instance, if they all do not have a SMART board in their classroom. The needs assessment allows focus and variety throughout the district. You can map out a schedule of when to provide trainings and how many people might be affected by certain programs, apps or hardware. There are limitations to asking for staff input via a survey. They may only respond on their immediate needs and not give input on what they see necessary to continue to grow. With this said, a needs assessment is a critical instrument for technology professional development.

TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: NEEDS ASSESSMENT References

Fletcher, Geoffrey H, (2012), The Water Bed Effect in K-12 Education. The Journal, Transforming Education Through Technology, 18.

Lenz, Bob (2011). How Will Technology change Learning – and Teaching?. Retrieved February 23, 2012. from Eudtopia.

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