1.4 Diffusion of Innovations and 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
For my Action/Evaluation Plan, I was asked to create an action plan based on a larger project, which was to analyze and assess my school and district technology plans and develop one of my own. The Action/Evaluation Plan is an outline for how I will take the research I conducted and create a plan of action. The plan also includes components that explain how these plans can be evaluated. I personally conducted all the research and analysis; however, I did utilize a survey that was created by our Media Specialist, which provided some great feedback from the faculty at McClure Middle School (MMS).
Standard 1.4, Diffusion of Innovations and Change asks us to research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. My Action/Evaluation Plan demonstrates my research, analysis, and recommendations. This research conducted during this research ensures the plans and action taken will be implemented and will have a higher effect. What I love most about this artifact is its ability to change and transform students and faculty in my school. For the Technology Plan project, I was asked to conduct a SWOT analysis, conduct surveys, and determine needs for MMS. This research helped me realize that although we have a faculty who is well versed in technology, we do not have a unified approach to educational technology. While analyzing my school’s strategic plan (McClure Middle School, n.d.), I was able to see that it does not align as much as it should to national technology standards or our district’s technology plan (CCSD, 2018). My recommendation is to develop an Educational Technology Committee, who will be tasked with implementing initiatives which can help MMS align more closely to our district and national technology visions. Our district has moved to a 1:1 initiative since I wrote this plan, which I recommended. I am pleased to see this, but I feel that as a school, MMS may be flat footed due to the lack of a committee in place. Our students and faculty alike need a committee in place even more now due to the implementation of 1:1, as well as the implementation of our county-wide learning management system, CTLS. By working on this artifact, I have a plan of action ready that I can present to our administration.
This Action/Evaluation Plan, along with similar artifacts that tasked me to dig deeper to analyze what is working and what needs improvement in our system, provided a lot of insight. To me, one of the harder parts of being an educator is to have and to take time to reflect. Something I could have done better was to research funding and financial resources more thoroughly. Finances and funding are so important to effectively implement change when it comes to technology.
The Action/Evaluation plan gave great insight into assessing its effectiveness. Each section tasked me with an evaluation method, as well as how to measure its success. I recommended various ways in which my Action/Evaluation can be measured. Examples include increasing engagement, which will translate into higher competencies and higher standardized test scores, tying technology implementation to teacher evaluations, and reaching low SES and female students. Increasing digital literacy is also a skill that can be measured, and with our school and district transitioning to more technology rich environments, my Action Plan will help our students bridge the 21st century gaps (Edutopia, 2016).
References
Cobb County School District. (2018, August 6). 2018-2020 CCSD TECHNOLOGY PLAN [PDF]. https://sbcobbstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/WWWCobb/fgg/5/CCSD%20Technology%20Plan.pdf
Edutopia. (2016, June 21). Resources for Closing the Digital Divide. Edutopia. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-technology-access-resources
McClure Middle School. (n.d.). McClure Middle School 2018-2019 Strategic Plan [PDF].
https://sbcobbstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/WWWCobb/medialib/2b664214021.pdf
Standard 1.4, Diffusion of Innovations and Change asks us to research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. My Action/Evaluation Plan demonstrates my research, analysis, and recommendations. This research conducted during this research ensures the plans and action taken will be implemented and will have a higher effect. What I love most about this artifact is its ability to change and transform students and faculty in my school. For the Technology Plan project, I was asked to conduct a SWOT analysis, conduct surveys, and determine needs for MMS. This research helped me realize that although we have a faculty who is well versed in technology, we do not have a unified approach to educational technology. While analyzing my school’s strategic plan (McClure Middle School, n.d.), I was able to see that it does not align as much as it should to national technology standards or our district’s technology plan (CCSD, 2018). My recommendation is to develop an Educational Technology Committee, who will be tasked with implementing initiatives which can help MMS align more closely to our district and national technology visions. Our district has moved to a 1:1 initiative since I wrote this plan, which I recommended. I am pleased to see this, but I feel that as a school, MMS may be flat footed due to the lack of a committee in place. Our students and faculty alike need a committee in place even more now due to the implementation of 1:1, as well as the implementation of our county-wide learning management system, CTLS. By working on this artifact, I have a plan of action ready that I can present to our administration.
This Action/Evaluation Plan, along with similar artifacts that tasked me to dig deeper to analyze what is working and what needs improvement in our system, provided a lot of insight. To me, one of the harder parts of being an educator is to have and to take time to reflect. Something I could have done better was to research funding and financial resources more thoroughly. Finances and funding are so important to effectively implement change when it comes to technology.
The Action/Evaluation plan gave great insight into assessing its effectiveness. Each section tasked me with an evaluation method, as well as how to measure its success. I recommended various ways in which my Action/Evaluation can be measured. Examples include increasing engagement, which will translate into higher competencies and higher standardized test scores, tying technology implementation to teacher evaluations, and reaching low SES and female students. Increasing digital literacy is also a skill that can be measured, and with our school and district transitioning to more technology rich environments, my Action Plan will help our students bridge the 21st century gaps (Edutopia, 2016).
References
Cobb County School District. (2018, August 6). 2018-2020 CCSD TECHNOLOGY PLAN [PDF]. https://sbcobbstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/WWWCobb/fgg/5/CCSD%20Technology%20Plan.pdf
Edutopia. (2016, June 21). Resources for Closing the Digital Divide. Edutopia. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-technology-access-resources
McClure Middle School. (n.d.). McClure Middle School 2018-2019 Strategic Plan [PDF].
https://sbcobbstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/WWWCobb/medialib/2b664214021.pdf