Running Head: INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Individual Teacher Technology Assessment Narrative

Daniel L. Warzon, Jr.

Kennesaw State University

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Mr. Killion is a Special Education teacher at Collins Hill High School. In order to gain

insight into Mr. Killions comfort level adopting new technology and his current use of

technology he was asked to complete two technology questionnaires. Mr. Killion is a veteran

teacher that has taught 15 years varying in grade levels and classes taught. He currently teaches

co-taught Economics, resource Economics, and resource US History. In the past he has taught

AP US Government. His classroom contains one student desk top computer, a projector, and his

teacher issued laptop. Collins Hill is a bring your own device school which allows the students to

utilize smart phones and other personal devices at the discretion of the teacher. Mr. Killion also

has access to computer labs, media center, iPad carts, laptop carts, and chrome book carts. These

labs and carts are shared amongst the school and have to be reserved in advance.

Levels of Technology Use and Change

Mr. Killion was given an Initial Integration Survey that measured his confidence level

and his current use of technology in his teaching practices. In the survey, Mr. Killion stated that

he was confident in his ability to use technology in the classroom. In further talks with Mr.

Killion he stated that he has been exposed to different types of technology and is confident in his

abilities to use technology in a effective manner (D. Warzon, personal communication, October,

2016). However, he also stated to have no opinion on his ability to teach the students on how to

use the technology. Mr. Killion uses Microsoft Powerpoint and Prezi to deliver information to

his students. He is not the creator of most of the presentations. He also uses the school's learning

management system, eClass (D2L). His use of eClass however is very limited. He mainly uses it

to post notes and events on the calendar which is the minimum required by the school. In

teaching a class like Economics, Mr. Killion claims that he likes to use technology for research
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and for the students to gather current information on the topics they are studying in class. When

asked if he thought that technology improved his instruction he agreed that it does, but stated that

he needed more time to implement the technology. In further conversation about these topics he

expressed that there is a learning curve with his special education classes when it comes to

implementing technology. He likes introducing new technology to the students but it often takes

them a while to learn how to use the tools and can waste valuable instruction time (2016). When

asked using technology for accommodating the needs of the special education students he said

that he would like to use it more for that but has very little experience.

According to Mr. Killions survey results, his primary use of the of technology is for

word processing, spreadsheets/databases, assessments, email/messaging access, and presentation

software. He uses technology for assessing informally by using things like Kahoot, or formally

assessing by using test creators like USA Test Prep. Mr. Killion States that his biggest challenge

in implementing technology in the classroom is lack of time. He does not have enough time to

learn the new technology and then teach the students how to use the technology. When looking

at his use of technology in the classroom and comparing it to the LoTis level of teaching

innovation he falls into a level 2, exploration. The technology that Mr. Killion uses is used to

present information to the students. He also uses technology for extension activities to allow the

students to gain current information.

Mr. Killion also took a survey on his attitude toward change and the innovation of new

technology. This survey showed that he is open to change once he sees evidence of success from

the change. When asked to comment further or his answers he said that he does not like to be the

original to try something and he has more of a show me attitude when it comes to learning and
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integrating something new (2016). Mr. Killion agreed in the survey that the use of technology

elevates student learning and is a quick way to get feedback on student learning. Mr. Killion is

by no means an innovator when it comes to using technology and would consider himself as a

rookie. When asked what he does when technology implementation does not go his way he

responded by saying he simply switches to plan B. From the information gathered from these

surveys and talking with Mr. Killion, I would be rate him an Early adopter. According to Orr

(2003), early adopters use the success of others and the data that they gather to encourage their

change. If the innovators and leaders say that it is beneficial then he is more open to give it a try.

Technology Perspective

Mr. Killion recognizes the needs and benefits from implementing technology into his

instruction. He commented that the reasons that he does not implement more technology into the

classroom is because of the lack of resources and time. Even though Collins Hill has multiple

ways to obtain technology to use in the classroom it can be difficult to get the technology needed

for the lesson. When he does have access to the technology he feels that he does not have the

appropriate amount of time to implement between him learning the technology and the students

learning how to use the technology. In our discussion he discussed the need for applicable

training for his content area. He stated the school offers training opportunities that are not always

applicable to do not offer any follow-up (2016). He also would be like to receive more training

on tools that can be used to accommodate the needs of special education students. Mr. Killion is

open and willing to collaborate with other teachers and experts to find teaching practices that

will further engage students.

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Technology Training Needs and Coaching

When asked what the his greatest room for growth is, Mr. Killion expressed that he

would like to learn more about how he could use his learning management system (LMS),

eClass, to increase his student engagement. The plan for coaching is for Mr. Killion to observe

how technology can be implemented by observing modeling teachers. The plan is to start basic

with learning the tools that the LMS offers and then evaluate what needs evolve from that. Mr.

Killion has agreed to one on one coaching that will take place weekly. We have decided to use

the peer coaching model that will allow for more collaboration as well as modeling. Mr. Killion

expressed that he has a show me approach to trying new things in the classroom. By modeling

proper implementation Mr. Killion will get to observe new ideas and strategies to take into his

own classroom. From these experiences he will be able to gain confidence to try new things as

well as collaborate with other teachers and share what he has learned.

We will begin our coaching by assessing his current skills. He has expressed his

weakness in using eClass. We will look at his current knowledge and use of eClass and develop a

plan for him to slowly implement more into his classroom. We will set weekly, or unit goals.

Collins Hills LSTC recommended making small goals of just implementing or improving the

use of technology in one lesson at a time. Once the teacher has learned to implement and further

use the technology at that level then we expand to using it in other lessons. After a while the

teacher will start to have confidence to innovate and implement technology throughout the whole

course. Throughout the peer coaching we will set a focus of each meeting. We will reflect on the

past lessons by starting with what went well . After looking at what went well we will look at
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what can be improved and how to improve it. Eventually, Mr. Killion will gain confidence to

lead others into implementing technology.

Initial Technology Integration Survey Results

Question Answer

I feel confident in my ability to use Agree

technology in the classroom.

I feel confident in my ability to provide No opinion

technology training to the students.

How often do you use technology to engage Monthly

students in your classroom?

The integration of technology will improve Agree

my instruction.

What is the biggest obstacle for you when Lack of time to implement the tool
learning a new technology tool?

How often do you use technology to assess Monthly

student knowledge?

My level of comfort using technology to Moderate

communicate with my students in and outside
of the classroom is

How do you allow students to use technology Word Processing, Spreadsheets/Databases,

in the classroom? Check all that apply. Assessments, Email/Messaging access,
Presentation Software

My level of comfort in using technology to Moderate

differentiate instruction for diverse groups of
learners is

Early Adopter Survey Results

Question Result

When new technology comes out, how quick I get it after I have seen many of my friends
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are you to buy it and test it out? enjoy it

Of the following, which is most likely to Genuine examples of its usefulness

influence your decision to use new
technology?

Which motto best describes you? Show me.

How do you feel about changes in your When I see change be beneficial in other
classroom and school building? classrooms and schools, I am more likely to
welcome it.

How would you describe your willingness to I will try something once a colleague
try a new strategy in your classroom? experiences success

How do you feel about the use of technology I already use technology consistently in my
in the classroom on a regular basis? classroom!

How do you feel about the use of technology This is a quick and easy way to get feedback
in order to elevate student understanding? on my students.

Which statement best describes how you I research and ask for the new technology
introduce new technology into your
classroom?

What keeps you from implementing more Resources- I do not have the resources I need
technology into your classroom? to implement effectively into my classroom

Which statement best describes you when Ok, onto plan B

technology does not work the way you
planned it to?

How do you use technology in your Display and convey information

classroom? (presentations, videos, audio, pictures,
calendar)
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References

D. Warzon, personal communication, October, 2016

Orr, G. (2003). Diffusion of innovations, by Everett Rogers (1995). Retrieved March, 4, 2016

from http://web.stanford.edu/class/symbsys205/Diffusion%20of%20Innovations.htm