Swot Lisa Flicker Itec 7410

ITEC 7410/EDL 7105 SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs Assessment
What is the current reality in our school?

Name: Lisa Flicker Semester: Spring, 2018
ESSENTIAL CONDITION ONE: Effective Instructional Uses of Technology Embedded in Standards-Based,

Student-Centered Learning
ISTE Definition: Use of information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate engaging approaches to learning.
Guiding Questions:
 How is technology being used in our school? How frequently is it being used? By whom? For what purposes?
 To what extent is student technology use targeted toward student achievement of the Georgia Learning Standards (GPSs,
CCSs)?
 To what extent is student technology use aligned to research-based, best practices that are most likely to support student
engagement, deep understanding of content, and transfer of knowledge? Is day-to-day instruction aligned to research-based
best practices?
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Technology is used on a daily Teachers are not consistently Content teachers meet each Some teachers are
basis by students and teachers. tying in technology based week for planning and overwhelmed with the one
Furthermore, technology is lessons to real world collaboration. Technology platform initiative started this
used in all disciplines, situations, but utilizing integration and support can be year and have incorporated
including the connections technology for skill and drill. discussed. other platforms.
classes offered within the
school. Higher order thinking skills are Personalized Learning Coach Teachers feel there has not
not consistently being is available to meet with been enough technical support
Technology and student implemented with technology. content teachers during their provided to utilize the one
achievement is targeted meetings for planning and platform system and are
through results obtained from Need increased opportunities implementation of technology veering away from it.
students’ STAR and IXL for teachers to access strategies and support.
reports, and through the professional development Teachers feel overwhelmed
analyzation of standardized geared toward technology During Hawk 30 time, students and feel they do not have
tests such as Milestones. Data integration. could learn how to use additional time to try out new
taken from these tools is then additional tools for creating technologies on their own to
targeted towards creating ISTE-T Standards not well higher order thinking products use with students, therefore,
learning goals for students as known by educators and and that allow for more relying on older formats knows
determined by the leadership especially in regard to collaboration opportunities to them for skill and drill.
team. supporting student growth and with their peers.
Technology usage by students best practice through Vertical team meetings Teachers are not aware of
is aligned to research and best- technology use. between content areas meet specific tools to use for their
practice as determined by the once per month to discuss low SES and ESL, and
Personalized Learning Coach strategies and technology learning disabled student
and the Personalized Learning integration for increasing test populations.
Leadership Team created at scores and engagement.
HBMS.
Students complete the Digital

Compass App through
Common Sense Education.
Summary of Results/Conclusions:
According to discussions with teachers and information dispersed through the Personalized Learning Leadership Team, students are
familiar with basic applications on their iPads and know how to utilize their device to create products in various formats. They also
understand how to access information through specific search engines. Students are using their iPads and the tools provided in
classes on a daily basis. The Common Sense Education Digital Compass App is used at the beginning of the school year to promote
digital citizenship.
However, there is a definite lack of knowledge on the specific ISTE technology standards for both students and teachers. Both
groups seem very much unaware of these standards as well as how they apply to the successful learning and achievement within the
curricular standards they are supposed to know.
According to A. Francis, the Personalized Learning Coach at HBMS, there is a definite need for teachers to learn how to use more
collaborative tools within their classroom setting. Teachers at HBMS tend to rely more on skill and drill technology applications as
a means for integrating technology in their classroom than for higher order thinking opportunities (A. Francis, personal
communication, March 9, 2018).
Hawk 30 time is held for 26 minutes each day and is periodically used at the beginning of the year as an opportunity for students to
gain insight in to technology integration and tools for assisting them with collaboration and problem solving.
Recommendations from Gap Analysis:
Recommendations for HBMS would be the breaking down of the specific data obtained from Milestones and STAR testing in to
more specific learning demographic groups. These groups could be low SES, gender, ESL, and specific learning disabilities.
Therefore, this data could be better analyzed to see if the technology we are using is benefiting all population groups equally or if
there are certain modifications that need to be made.
The HAWK 30 time slot, which is a 26 minute homeroom offered each day, and is available at least two days a week for academic
learning could be used for the teaching and learning of new technology tools. These tools should encourage higher order thinking
skills as well as collaboration. This could be conducted on a monthly or bi-weekly set time basis.
According to the ISTE Policy Brief (2008), when technology is used in collaborative formats, increased information through
student sharing is evident. Technology, when also used for project-based learning and for working with real-life situations, tends to
increase student engagement and achievement far more than just skill and drill (2008). Students need to be exposed to more higher-
order thinking learning opportunities that incorporate collaborative learning and resources outside of our building. These need to
include wikis and blogs that encourage collaborative learning, publishing, and the sharing of ideas.
ISTE Standards for Students could be relayed to teacher, students and parents through the school website. Furthermore, strategies
for implementing these standards within the everyday curriculum could be recommended by the Personalized Learning Coach and
placed in a One Drive folder for HBMS educators to access. The Personalized Learning coach could also work in small groups with
teachers during their content planning time to brainstorm strategies for utilizing these standards with their content and to encourage
higher order problem solving and collaborative activities. Furthermore, these opportunities between the Personalized Learning
Coach and content teachers can provide teachers with tools that can specifically target ESL, low SES and female populations. Some
future collaborative tools utilized with these specific demographic populations can be Popplet, Scribbler, and Edublogs (Solomon &
Schrum, 2014).
Data Sources:
A. Francis, personal communication, March 9, 2018
Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship
ISTE. (2008). Technology and student achievement: the indelible link. ISTE Policy Brief. Retrieved March 10, 2018, from web.
Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool from the ISTE site (results in Appendix).
Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

Solomon, G. and Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 how-to for educators (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.
ESSENTIAL CONDITION TWO: Shared Vision
ISTE Definition: Proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among school personnel, students,
parents, and the community.
Guiding Questions:
 Is there an official vision for technology use in the district/school? Is it aligned to research-best practices? Is it aligned to
state and national visions? Are teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members aware of the
vision?
 To what extent do teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members have a vision for how
technology can be used to enhance student learning? What do they believe about technology and what types of technology
uses we should encourage in the future? Are their visions similar or different? To what extent are their beliefs about these
ideal, preferred technology uses in the future aligned to research and best practice?
 To what extent do educators view technology as critical for improving student achievement of the GPS/CCSs? To preparing
tomorrow’s workforce? For motivating digital-age learners?
 What strategies have been deployed to date to create a research-based shared vision?
 What needs to be done to achieve broad-scale adoption of a research-based vision for technology use that is likely to lead to
improved student achievement?
The official vision for the HBMS does not have a HBMS needs to create a Some of the parents from our
technology use in our school is separate technology vision technology vision plan that is ESL demographic groups do
aligned with the 7 Principles although it does follow along aligned with the shared vision not all have access to the
for Personalization. with the 7 Principles of and SIP for the school. information being
Personalization as presented disseminated in languages that
The county is currently through Fulton County Representatives from all of the they speak. Just offered in
working on updating the 2015 Schools. However, most different stakeholder Spanish.
Technology Plan. teachers are not aware of this. communities need to be
involved with the creation of
Teachers at HBMS understand All stakeholders are not the technology vision plan for Community resources are not
the importance of technology currently being represented HBMS. utilized on a regular basis to
as a tool for engagement for within the Leadership Team support technology integration.
students as well as a means for creating the technology vision All stakeholders will be made
accessing higher order for HBMS. aware of the shared vision that Not all staff and teachers
thinking opportunities. includes technology believe in or understand the
Teachers also understand that Stakeholders at HBMS are not integration and held true potential that the regular
students need specific skills in aware of the county vision that accountable for their support use of technology integration
order to prepare for their future is currently being used to of the shared vision. can have on supporting and
within the workforce. support technology integration. increasing student
Further dissemination of achievement.
A Personalized Learning All of the stakeholders within specific research-based
Leadership Team has been HBMS are not aware of what information on the benefits of Many teachers are not aware,
established to create the the ISTE-T or ISTE-S the three areas being focused invested in, nor did they buy-
Strategic Plan and a standards are in regard to what on for our technology vision in to all three strands that were
Personalized Leadership Team students need to know and should be done during decided upon for our school’s
has been created to help how it should be used and designated professional technology vision.
support technology initiatives supported. learning and grade-level
and create learning planning time. Funding can be an issue in
opportunities for educators at When the concept of flexible regard to providing for outside
HBMS. pacing is brought up, teachers professional development
are very unaware of the opportunities for teachers.
The principle at HBMS is very meaning or how to even
active on Twitter and sharing implement this within their The uncertainty of future
technology-based activities classroom setting and plans. funding for data being
being created and implemented provided to students at home is
throughout the school. The vision is shared on the a concern with how it may
HBMS website, but it is weak affect student achievement and
in regard to technology success.
integration and its importance.
HBMS does not have its own specific technology vision plan. The school is utilizing the FCS plan that is aligned with the 7
Principles for Personalization. As the school was asked to choose from at least 2 of these principles, HBMS decided to focus on
Varied Strategies, Choice and Voice, and Flexible Pacing (A. Francis, personal communication, March 9, 2018). Teachers at the
school, and for the most part, are not aware that these three areas are ones we have decided to focus on over the past two years.
Teachers who are aware of this technology vision have little buy-in and support for the technology vision as it is not being fully
implemented at this time. Furthermore, and as discussed in the personalized Learning Leadership Team, flexible pacing seems to be
an area that they do not understand and are concerned with being able to accomplish.
The three year grant provided by Digital Promise and Verizon will be ending this school year. Stakeholders at the school do not
have an alternate plan to use when this contract expires. Funding is not provided by Fulton County to compensate for this loss.

As the funding from the grant provided by Digital Promise and Verizon ends this school year, administration and other staff should
reach out to community resources for options on maintaining digital equity for all of our students when they are outside of school or
in their homes.
The Professional Learning Leadership Team should move forward to include representatives from all stakeholder groups, and
include representatives from the community, parents and students. Feedback on initial plans should be asked for from all
stakeholders to increase buy-in and support for the vision being implemented.
All stakeholders will need to be made aware of any new plan and vision. Training to support the new vision needs to be
implemented through vertical teams and grade level planning times. Furthermore, professional learning and practice time needs to
be incorporated in to the school year for teachers to be able to plan and work collaboratively for the support of the plan.
This includes the ESL populations and trying to get information to them in other languages other than just Spanish as previously
only being offered.
HBMS needs to increase the number of highly focused professional learning opportunities for teachers within HBMS. Included
within these opportunities would be informing and assisting teachers on how they can use PLC’s to access information, collaborate
with colleagues, and learn about new technology breakthroughs by joining PLC’s on social media applications (Sheninger, 2014).
Data Sources:
Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sheninger, E., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Digital leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a
SAGE company.
ESSENTIAL CONDITION THREE: Planning for Technology
ISTE Definition: A systematic plan aligned with a shared vision for school effectiveness and student learning through the infusion
of ICT and digital learning resources.
Guiding Questions:
 Is there an adequate plan to guide technology use in your school? (either at the district or school level? Integrated into
SIP?)
 What should be done to strengthen planning?
 In what ways does your school address the needs of diverse populations in the school or district to include how race,
gender, socio-economic, and geographic diversity giving consideration to how these factors commonly affect K-12
students’ access to school and beyond-school access to high-speed Internet, modern computing devices, software,
knowledgeable technology mentors, culturally-relevant digital content, and other affordances critical to technology literacy
acquisition.
HBMS uses the 7 Principles of HBMS general education Specific strategies to support Teachers feel overwhelmed by
Personalized Learning from teachers are not given specific technology with personalized the amount of meetings in
FCS as a guide for technology. technology integration training learning should be discussed HBMS, adding additional ones
to support low SES, ESL and during weekly content and to support a new SIP with
HBMS has a Personalized LD. grade level meetings. technology integration would
Learning Coach to support not go over as positively.
teachers with technology Teachers and most other Special needs teachers could
integration. school personnel are not even share strategies with general The lack of a specific
aware that Fulton County was education teachers on how best Technology Plan hinders
There is a Personalized updating a Technology Plan to meet the needs of specific support for successful
Learning Leadership Team in that they did not know existed demographic groups, such as implementation of technology
place to assist with technology in the first place. None of the the low SES, ESL, and LD and the shared vision for the
and personalized learning teachers that were spoken to populations. school.
within the school. for this SWOT even knew that
Smart goals for ELA, science HBMS was using the 7 Educators and other HBMS Teachers often get sidetracked
and reading are included with Principles of Personalization as stakeholders need to become and off topic during planning
the HBMS SIP and as deemed a guide for our Technology directly involved with the time taking away from the
necessary through the Plan. creation of a technology plan. limited time they have to
analyzation of Milestones and collaborate with their peers.
STAR testing. Specific guidelines for helping A team needs to be created to
low SES, ESL, and female analyze data and monitor the
learners to succeed and progress of the technology
achieve within HBMS are not goals decided upon for HBMS.
included within the Smart
goals of the current SIP.
Holcomb Bridge Middle School follows Fulton County Schools’ 7 Principles of Personalized Learning Plan. Each school is to
choose at least two of the principles to implement. HBMS chose Varied Strategies, Choice and Voice, and Flexible Pacing to
incorporate as part of the technology plan. This was implemented in 2016 with the help of the Personalized Learning Leadership
Team made up of administrators, teachers, and the Personalized Learning Coach (A. Francis, personal communication, January 16,
2018). Teachers who were consulted for this SWOT were not aware of the Fulton County Schools’ 7 Principles of Personalized
Learning Plan, nor did they know what information was included within it.
HBMS teachers feel overwhelmed with the amount of meetings that are required and that they are asked to attend. However, most
general education teachers feel they do not have adequate tools and knowledge to successfully meet the needs of many of our
diverse learning groups, such as low SES, ESL and specific learning disabled populations they serve.
HBMS does not have a specific plan in place for assisting low SES, ESL and female learners to succeed within the Smart Goals of
the current SIP.
Specific technology goals need to be included within the current SIP to help support the smart goals for the school. The technology
goals need to be collaboratively decided upon by the Personalized Learning Leadership Team that will now include community,
parent, and student representatives within the new core team. Stakeholders who do not feel invested in the new technology plan or
who do not feel they have the knowledge and ability to support it will be offered various professional learning opportunities and
support. The support can be through one-to-one coaching with the Personalized Learning Coach and by creating a partnership mind-
set as discussed in Knight (2007). When teachers and coaches work together, promoting equity, voice and choice, dialogue,
reflection, praxis and reciprocity this helps to increase buy-in of the technology applications and strategies a school is hoping to
achieve (2007).
Teachers are frustrated with the amount of meetings at HBMS. Additional meetings are brought about from the very diverse needs
of our student population and from county requirements added on due to our being a Title I school and having obtained a below
average CCRPI score in the last year. Utilizing grade level time to introduce new technology tools that would benefit not only
general education learners but focus on our diverse learning populations would be a less intrusive use of collaborative planning
time. Information that could be shared through email and not having to be discussed while in a whole group setting, could make
more valuable use of time and provide more time for discussions on collaborative strategies to be discussed and the development of
technology training and practice.
HBMS needs to make sure the digital divide is narrowed. In Boser (2013), studies have shown that affluent students are given more
opportunities to access technology resources and tools for more hands-on and higher order thinking opportunities. The article
further states that students from more disadvantaged backgrounds are being given the least engaging learning opportunities with
technology than their peers from more affluent backgrounds (2013). With the large low SES and migrant population at HBMS,
administrators and teachers need to be aware of this fact. The utilization of on-site resources, such as special education teachers and
counselors, can be used to learn strategies and tools for enabling this population group to succeed within HBMS. Specific tools
need to be shared and discussed that allow for greater collaboration between students. This would include tools that allow students
to access information at their reading lexile level or in a variety of formats, as offered through Google Drive Apps, NEWSELA, and
iTunes U podcasts.
Data Sources:
Boser, U. (n.d.). Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck? Retrieved February 16, 2018,
from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2013/06/14/66485/are-schools-getting-a-big-enough-bang-
for-their-education-technology-buck/

ESSENTIAL CONDITION FOUR: Equitable Access (Specifically Low SES and gender groups)
ISTE Definition: Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and digital resources.
Guiding Questions:
 To what extent do students, teachers, administrators, and parents have access to computers and digital resources necessary
to support engaging, standards-based, student-centered learning?
 To what extent is technology arrange/distributed to maximize access for engaging, standards-based, student-centered
learning?
 What tools are needed and why?
 To what extent are strategies needed to address equity issues among Low SES and gender groups? What are examples of
strategies that would benefit your school/district? (required)
 Do students/parents/community need/have beyond school access to support the shared vision for learning?
Students are issued an iPad and Low SES students do not If our data packages are not Teachers, on average, have not
a monthly data package to always complete projects and going to be offered for made efforts to learn new
encourage and promote the practice with technology tools students next year, community technologies that may benefit
utilization of technology tools, at home, even with the data outreach could be utilized for specific learning groups due to
including the personalized package and iPad provided. assisting our low SES limited time available to them.
learning initiative. population who may not have
As possible turnover may be internet access at home. Some teachers feel that no
Teachers and staff are issued a occurring within matter if there is equitable
laptop and an iPad with a data administration, specific goals New technologies and access or not, students will not
package in order to support for creating a new plan on strategies can be introduced make the effort to learn nor
technology and student equitable access for all and shared with teachers will there be support at home.
engagement. students during the upcoming during content, grade-level,
school year has not been and vertical team meetings. There have been a lack of
Administration understands the acknowledged to the staff nor opportunities for all teachers to
importance of equitable access. discussed in the Personalized Parents can be offered iTunes collaborate with outside
Learning Leadership Team. U, IXL, and other technology resources. This has been due to
There are laptop carts available tools training at HBMS to help a lack of funding.
to each grade level to use as Lack of specific resources and them assist their children when
needed and to support learning tools for teachers to access for at home. Although administration and
when student iPads are not creating collaborative learning most teachers understand the
available. opportunities specifically A Hawk 30 Technology concept of equitable access,
Learning Club could be the lack of funding and support
There are thirty desk top geared for low SES, ESL, and offered for students who from grants that ends this year
computers within the media female learners. qualify to be low achievers and may prohibitive for certain
center that teachers may sign- are within the low SES and demographic groups within
up to use with their whole Some teachers feel they do not ESL demographic groups HBMS.
class as well as technology have enough background showing to need this type of
learning stations for students to knowledge and skills to meet support. Students and parents
collaborate and share within the very specific needs of low sometimes feel there are not
the learning commons area. SES, ESL and female learners. The Personalized Learning enough resources provided to
Leadership Team should them outside of school hours
Internet access throughout Specific strategies are not discuss during their monthly to access information needed
HBMS for use by all students, addressed with the HBMS SIP meetings how best to plan for on platforms used with
teachers and staff. for helping low SES, ESL and the end of the data package technology integration.
female learners to achieve. grant that expires at the end of
The vision statement for this year and researching new
HBMS is published on the Student iTunes U accounts can alternatives to ensure equitable
school website. only be accessed through their access for students next school
individually issued iPads and year.
not through any other device.
This is frustrating for teachers An on-line community
and students if the student does resource to help students with
not have the specific iPad homework and projects outside
issued to them. of school hours could be
created through some type of
blog format.
Students and teachers are all issued iPads for use at school and outside of school. A 5MB data package is provided for students to
use when not at school. This data package is provided through a grant that will be expiring at the end of this school year.
Administration is aware of the importance of digital equity, however, no specific plan has been put in place once the Digital
Promise and Verizon grant expires at the end of this school year. However, all students will continue to be issued an iPad during the
school year through our 1:1 personalized learning county-wide initiative. Furthermore, specific learning strategies have not been
addressed within the HBMS SIP that outline a plan for helping low SES, ESL, and female learning populations.
Due to Fulton County issuing specific AppleID’s to students, this only allows students to access their iTunes U courses on the iPads
specifically issued to them. They are not able to use the Apple ID on any other personal device at home or at school. Therefore, if
the student is without their iPad, they are not able to access resources and the products they have created within the course.
Students will continue to have access to unlimited data usage while at school, but their current data packages will be expiring at the
end of the school year. Alternative means for accessing the internet need to be formulated by the Leadership Team. This could
include arrangements with community resources within the HBMS district to provide access to students to Wi-Fi while outside of
school. A list of these possible resources could then be distributed to students and parents as well as published on the school
website.
According to the ISTE article “8 Ways to Establish Shared Vision” (2015), it is vital to have parents and other stakeholders aware
of the resources being used within the school. A school Weebly or other two-way communication tool could be utilized by HBMS
to assist parents and students outside of school hours. This platform could host troubleshooting strategies and also be used as a
format for teachers, students, and parents to communicate in real time as questions arise. With this format, parents could assist other
parents if a question is asked, or even possibly students who may be on the site able to answer specific questions. A student run
technology team could be formed that could also act as technology helpers both inside and outside of school hours. Furthermore,
resources for parents can be offered in several different languages, as needed.
To ensure access to student’s iTunes U courses that includes specific resources and products they may need, it is suggested that
Fulton County take away the requirement of utilizing AppleID’s for students. FCS should allow students to access their courses
through regular or school email addresses. If this cannot occur, other on-line platforms should be considered to better meet the
needs and accessibility requirement for all students. As stated in Reich (2012), it is vital to make sure that digital equity and higher-
order thinking technology-based learning opportunities are offered for all students. This is vital for low SES and ELL learners who
have shown to not be offered this type of learning opportunity as compared to schools in more affluent areas (2012).
Data Sources:
Reich, J., Murnane, R., Willet, J. (2012). The state of wiki usage in U.S. K–12 schools: Leveraging web 2.0 data warehouses to
assess quality and equity in online learning environments. Educational Researcher, 41(1), 7-15. DOI: 10.3102/0013189X11427083
8 ways to establish shared vision. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=381&category=Lead-the-way&article=
ESSENTIAL CONDITION FIVE: Skilled Personnel
ISTE Definition: Educators and support staff skilled in the use of ICT appropriate for their job responsibilities.
Guiding Questions:
 To what extent are educators and support staff skilled in the use of technology appropriate for their job responsibilities?
 What do they currently know and are able to do?
 What are knowledge and skills do they need to acquire?
(Note: No need to discuss professional learning here. Discuss knowledge and skills. This is your needs assessment for
professional learning. The essential conditions focus on “personnel,” which includes administrators, staff, technology specialists,
and teachers. However, in this limited project, you may be wise to focus primarily or even solely on teachers; although you may
choose to address the proficiency of other educators/staff IF the need is critical. You must include an assessment of teacher
proficiencies.)
Teachers state they use Within HBMS, 40% of staff Technology tools and Some teachers are a little
technology based lessons with and educators are still not applications will be included afraid or not confident
their students on a regular skilled working with the within grade level meetings at attempting new technologies
basis. designated school platform, least once a month. and are not making an effort to
iTunes U, according to the embrace school directed
All teachers are able to use Professional Learning Coach. Support staff needs to be given platforms within their
basic word processing systems, additional opportunities to classroom settings.
email, and internet searches. Overall, teachers and staff do learn the iTunes U platform as
not feel they have enough well as specific tools that they Some teachers feel that as they
All teachers surveyed said that experience and knowledge of may encounter when working are not able to troubleshoot or
are able to create higher order technology tools and skills with the students they are fix technology issues as they
thinking skill lessons that necessary to meet the specific assigned or within their occur within the classroom,
integrate technology and real needs of ESL and low SES domains. they then choose to limit the
world problem solving. students. technology application usage
A new opportunity will be with their students.
coming to fruition at the end of
Teachers feel confident with Most teachers at HBMS are the school year for the Do to glitches created by FCS
understanding how to use technologically literate, Personalized Learning schools in iTunes U and the
technology-based assessment however, when asked if they Leadership Team. They will lack of a timely resolution to
tools with their students. This were willing to try out new need to find alternatives for the
them, iTunes U is becoming
includes Formative and Naiku. technology tools, they felt they loss of our Personalized not as user friendly and
did not have enough time to Learning Coach at the end of teachers are moving away
invest in it for the purpose of this school year. from the initiative to
updating their tool box. implement new and more user
A new survey needs to go out friendly platforms with their
to school personnel regarding a students.
new standardized platform
being adopted that would meet Due to the increase in teachers
the needs of almost all of our using various other platforms,
teachers and students. parents are unsure of where to
get the information needed
from their student’s on-line
platforms and are
overwhelmed, once again, with
learning all of the new
platforms.
For the upcoming school year,

2018-2019, HBMS will no
longer have a Personalized
Learning Coach. Therefore,
one-to-one and small group
instructional coaching that she
has offered will not be in
existence, nor will we have
that extra support during
content and grade level
meetings.
Teachers and students at HBMS feel confident in their use of basic on-line word processing applications. They can upload apps,
search for information and use email to communicate. However, many teachers do not feel as comfortable using collaborative
learning tools with their students and do not do so on a regular basis. Students want the opportunity to work collaboratively but feel
there are restrictions from the school and county that prevent them from these types of tasks.
Teachers at HBMS periodically utilize on-line assessment tools to access real time assessment results from their students. However,
not all teachers in the school have access to Naiku which has proven to be a benefit for 8th grade science students. Teachers who use
Naiku like the immediate feedback, being able to analyze their individual responses, and providing their own feedback in to their
readiness. Teachers primarily rely on Kahoot, Formative, and Quizizz.
Unfortunately, teachers have not all supported the one platform initiative in regard to on-line classrooms and the single use of
iTunes U. Schoology, Seesaw, Edmodo, and OneNote are also being used by some teachers. The multi-platform system has proven
difficult to keep up with for parents and students.
Naiku is an assessment tool provided through a subscription paid for by HBMS to 8th grade science and social studies teachers. It is
very user friendly, tech support from the company is prompt, and it offers various options for delivering multiple types of questions
within the assessments created. The benefit from using this tool is the options allowed towards meeting the individual needs of the
HBMS diverse learning groups and the real time feedback it gives to teachers for the benefit of modifying or redelivering, as
needed. It is recommended that this tool be expanded to include grades 6-8 and in all disciplines. The implementation of this
assessment tool would enable students and teachers to see real-time results, assessments can easily be modified for individual
students, and there is a storehouse embedded within the program for content areas to share assessments, questions, and ideas.
It is recommended that HBMS teachers participate in a survey created by the Personalized Learning Leadership Team to determine
what teachers need and want from an on-line platform. This is necessary as iTunes U has not been widely accepted and used. The
results can then be examined to look in to a new possibility for the following school year. This would enable buy-in with teachers as
they would also have some say in to which platform is going to be chosen (Knight, 2007). Engaged Learning was a low area on the
Lead and Transform ISTE Diagnostic Tool. Providing a common platform that would allow teachers to personalize opportunities
for students and in a well-supported tool that allows students to have access from any device is something would enable growth in
this area.
Furthermore, the Personalized Learning Team needs to meet before the end of the year to discuss how it can evolve as the
technology support services within HBMS will not be offered or will be changing at the end of the year. This includes how it plans
to compensate for the loss of the Personalized Learning Coach and what options there can be for students who will not have a 5MB
data monthly package offered to them through their iPad issued device.
Data Sources:
ESSENTIAL CONDITION SIX: Ongoing Professional Learning
ISTE Definition: Technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas.
Guiding Questions:
 What professional learning opportunities are available to educators? Are they well-attended? Why or why not?
 Are the current professional learning opportunities matched to the knowledge and skills educators need to acquire? (see
Skilled Personnel)
 Do professional learning opportunities reflect the national standards for professional learning (NSDC/Learning Forward)?
 Do educators have both formal and informal opportunities to learn?
 Is technology-related professional learning integrated into all professional learning opportunities or isolated as a separate
topic?
 How must professional learning improve/change in order to achieve the shared vision?
Once per semester training Technology training on Technology training follow-up Lack of funding devoted to
sessions are offered for specific skills is typically a on strategies and tools can be professional learning
educators in a choice format one-time opportunity and there offered through Monday opportunities outside of HBMS
and during the grade level PL is very little follow-up or planning sessions provided by inhibits the sharing of
planning time designated on support for that technology the Personalized Learning information and continued
Mondays. tool or strategy. Coach. growth for the faculty and
staff.
The PL’s are mandatory, Lack of funding this school Increased on-line and
however, teachers are allowed year, and the uncertainty of the collaborative opportunities for The lack of teacher support for
to choose among several future, provided far less professional development need additional training
options for the one that would professional learning to be encouraged and offered opportunities before or after
for faculty and staff. This school. This is due to limited
be most beneficial for them opportunities for teachers this would include the time constraints and outside
and offer what they may need. year than in previous years. collaboration with teachers conflicts and responsibilities.
outside of the HBMS school.
The TKES platform requires Very little participation in FCS The loss of the full-time
teachers to choose specific offered on-line optional The importance of PLC’s and Personalized Learning Coach
goals they wish to work on professional development. how they may be utilized in a at HBMS that was funded
throughout the year. These user friendly format for through a grant from Verizon
goals should be met through teachers needs to be fostered and Digital Promise.
additional training and encouraged throughout
opportunities. HBMS stakeholders.
Teachers are required to attend professional learning opportunities offered during Monday 2nd period planning times. These PL’s
are offered in choice formats in which teachers are required to choose 2 of 4 mini-trainings during the 55 minute time slot. Follow-
up in regard to these training opportunities is not consistent, and primarily offered through a survey form.
This year the lack of funding very much prohibited HBMS teachers from participating in professional learning opportunities both
within and out of school. This prevented many of the collaborative opportunities from occurring between HBMS staff and their
colleagues in surrounding schools, districts and states.
Teachers are not all aware of the professional learning communities (PLC’s) available to them and offered through social media.
They do not understand that these groups can provide collaboration and a means for gaining new knowledge and strategies to
implement with all types of learners.
It is recommended that the Personalized Learning Leadership Team meet for a week over the summer to create professional
learning sessions on a quarterly basis. These opportunities will be based from surveys conducted on what teachers need and would
like to find out more information on. Furthermore, there needs to be a system of follow-up with these learning opportunities for
teachers so that any questions or issues they are having may be addressed and in a timely manner. As stated in Knight (2007),
follow-up is imperative towards the successful implementation of a new technology or tool being introduced. Teachers will not
continue to use a tool that they do not feel confident using.
Furthermore, the Personalized Learning Leadership Team should offer opportunities for teachers to come observe them using
specific tools and strategies with their classes. A debriefing and feedback session can then be scheduled to discuss what they think
about this and how they would like to use this new opportunity within their own classes (Knight, 2007).
Each month a new PLC can be highlighted and discussed during grade level meetings. This would enable teachers to understand the
benefits of joining PLC’s and the many options available to them in regard to delivery of information. Most PLC’s are free and
funding is, therefore, not an issue. PLC’s will also give teachers another opportunity to be exposed to new technologies and
strategies if funding is not available again next year. Furthermore, PLC’s can be accessed through many different devices and when
convenient for teachers.
Data Sources:
ESSENTIAL CONDITION SEVEN: Technical Support
ISTE Definition: Consistent and reliable assistance for maintaining, renewing, and using ICT and digital resources.
Guiding Questions:
 To what extent is available equipment operable and reliable for instruction?
 Is there tech assistance available for technical issues when they arise? How responsive is tech support? Are current “down
time” averages acceptable?
 Is tech support knowledgeable? What training might they need?
 In addition to break/fix issues, are support staff available to help with instructional issues when teachers try to use
technology in the classroom?
Equipment available at HBMS Down time averages for As the Personalized Learning The HBMS Personalized
is operable and reliable. Wi-Fi student iPad repairs and issues Coach position will be ending Learning Coach position that
access is consistent and can be next year, the need for more was funded through a grant
accessed throughout the is sometimes slow and takes technology support and will end with this 2017-2018
building. almost a week. trouble-shooting may need to school year. Teachers and staff
move over to the media are concerned about where
Tech Support is easily Assistance within the specialist and support staff in they will be getting this
accessed by way of an email classroom for technical there. support from in the future.
request for teachers and support and instructional
creating a ticket in the media issues is not always available The Personalized Learning The Personalized Learning
center for students. Response and/or available in a timely Team can send out surveys Coach was also the liaison
time is very quick. manner. periodically on technology between Fulton County
needs and requests for technology department and our
Additional iPad carts are Students are not always as assistance with tools and school. Teachers are concerned
available for teachers as welcomed within the learning planning. The survey results that without this additional
needed and if students are commons area and support for can then be analyzed and support in our school we will
without an iPad for repair or if any assistance they may need problem solved during the not have adequate
lost. with the technology there is monthly meetings. troubleshooting access within
not always given. Fulton County Schools.
Tech support for hardware is As the Personalized Learning
typically on campus and very For teachers, an email is sent Coach position will be ending Outside FCS tech support that
knowledgeable. If they do not to an outside tech support link this year, the Personalized is available to our school three
know an answer, they will look that then relays the information Learning Leadership Team can days a week is typically not
to find it as soon as possible. to internal troubleshooters. The meet bi-weekly to help knowledgeable on the specific
initial response from a compensate for that loss and to instructional tools we are
There is support staff available technology support staff is problem solve professional utilizing within our school
for technical issues during sometimes longer than what learning requests in a timelier setting, this includes Naiku
testing and periodically within should be expected if it was manner. and iTunes U.
the classroom, as needed. just sent directly to support
personnel within the building. A student technology support
group can be created to assist
teachers and staff with
instructional tools help. They
can be the “experts” on certain
tools that are widely used
within our school.
The on-line platform currently being promoted is iTunes U. This has been shown to have some quirks that were only evident once
the county made students use special AppleID’s to access their courses and accounts. Furthermore, collaboration is not as advanced
within this platform as is available in others. Teachers are becoming frustrated with iTunes U and some have veered off to use other
platforms that offer more of what they want and need for their students. Buy-in for a majority of teachers did not occur because a
continuous support network was not successfully implemented from the start.
Students have the ability to create work order tickets for their iPads. However, once the iPad is dropped off it sometimes takes an
extended amount of time to get it repaired and returned. Students are able to borrow iPads, but these do not allow access to their
iTunes accounts due to the AppleID’s instrumented through Fulton County Schools.
FCS support personnel who come to HBMS three times per week are not always knowledgeable on all of the various tools and
strategies we are implementing on a regular basis. They are mainly in the building for hardware support issues on devices issued to
teachers and students.
In order to troubleshoot more efficiently, teachers could cc the technical support staff available in the building at that time when
creating tickets for technical support or assistance. This would mean that included in our morning messages would be information
on which technology support staff is available on that day.
Support staff that comes to our school can be made aware of some of the main systems or tools teachers at HBMS are using and try
to become more familiar with them so that when issues arise, they may be able to assist as needed. Accessing information and
assistance through PLC’s geared toward specific software tools can also be instrumental in assisting issues as they arise. As stated
in Sheninger (2014), it is vital for technology leaders and administration to develop and support PLC’s created within a school, but
those that connect school personnel with resources and people outside the four walls of the school.
Furthermore, a student technology support club can be created in which students involved would become the experts in the main
applications we are using within our school. This would include Naiku, iTunes U, Quizizz and Formative. Students would be on-
call and could work in the same format as hardware support. Tickets can be issued and students who are available at specific times
may assist a teacher, as needed.
Data Sources:

Sheninger, E., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Digital leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a
SAGE company.
ESSENTIAL CONDITION EIGHT: Curriculum Framework
ISTE Definition: Content standards and related digital curriculum resources.

Guiding Questions:
 To what extent are educators, students, and parents aware of student technology standards? (ISTE Standards for Students)
 Are technology standards aligned to content standards to help teachers integrate technology skills into day-to-day
instruction and not teach technology as a separate subject?
 To what extent are there digital curriculum resources available to teachers so that they can integrate technology into the
GPS/CCS as appropriate?
 How is student technology literacy assessed?
Digital curriculum resources The curriculum resources One The Personalized Learning Funding for the Personalized
can be accessed through a One Drive file need to be updated Coach and Personalized Learning Coach and the
Drive file available to all staff to reflect the changing Learning Leadership Team can Personalized Learning
as well as through the state and curricular standards and the work together to create a One Leadership Team to work
district level sites available new technologies available. Drive file for digital together over the summer to
through the county web site curriculum resources and create resources and align
and content level distribution. Most educators are not aware examples that all HBMS staff standards to technology skills
of the specific ISTE Standards has access to for the 2018- may not be available.
Many teachers feel for Students. 2019 upcoming school year.
comfortable integrating Most teachers are not even
technology use with their Students, parents and other The Personalized Learning aware of the specific
students. stakeholders are not aware of Coach can create a diagnostic technology content standards
the specific ISTE Standards for survey and tool to better assess within their grade level or
Over half of the teachers are Students. students and their technology content.
either using iTunes U or some literacy.
other platform as a way to There are technology standards There is no accountability for
relay and store information aligned to content but they are teachers knowing and utilizing
and resources and student not easy to access or in a user Teachers can work the technology standards
products. friendly format. collaboratively in content within their everyday lessons.
meetings to align specific
Most students appear to know Digital curriculum resources technology standards with their Collaboration tools available
how to use the applications are known to be available curricular ones. to students are sometimes
and tools available on their through various sites, but the prohibited due to constraints
iPad for basic technical teacher must take the time to ISTE Standards for Students put in to effect by Fulton
literacy activities. search and evaluate which and Teachers can be provided County Schools.
ones to use and this is not as a resource for teachers
Teachers are given mini- always accomplished by all through grade level meetings.
lessons for digital citizenship teachers.
to go over with their HAWK Potential technology leaders
30 students at the beginning of Specific grade level can be identified at HBMS as
the year. technology standards are not resources and trouble-shooters
known by teachers. for the 2018-2019 school year
when the Personalized
Student technology literacy is Learning Coach position will
not being assessed individually no longer be available at the
at this time. school.
Many students tend to rely on FCS should include specific

the same tools and applications tools and applications that can
for creating their products and encourage problem solving and
rarely are motivated to try new collaborative activities for
tools that would encourage students within the new
collaboration. standards being implemented
and the resources that are
The new GSE standards and provided.
resources are not including
enough specific technology- FCS should publicly make
based higher order thinking known the new Technology
options for teachers. They Plan once it is fully developed
should include some and completed. HBMS needs
suggestions for specific tools to add this as a resource on to
that could be used to support its website for teachers,
the standard or activity.
students and parents to easily
Teachers are unsure where to access.
access additional software and
tools that could assist their An increased use of
students with achievement, technology “experts” within
including low SES, ESL, and HBMS could be utilized for in-
specific tools shown to be school professional learning
more affective with female opportunities.
learners.
An on-going review and
opportunity session needs to be
implemented for students in
regard to positive digital
citizenship.
Teachers are aware that there are specific standards for technology, however, they are not integrated within their content standards.
Students understand how to use the technology provided to them but are, for the most part, very unaware of any technology
standards as specifically addressed by ISTE or the county.
The Fulton County technology plan is currently being developed. The former plan that had been utilized was one for 2012-2015.
HBMS does not include specific technology related strategies within their school improvement plan. Therefore, very few teachers
are aware that the school is implementing three different strategies recommended from the FCS technology department.
Teachers are feeling that there is not enough time to be able to access new technologies, learn them, and develop plans to utilize
with all of their students and then try and differentiate those plans for all the various learners within their class. They do not feel
there is enough support to implement new tools, use them successfully, and get the support they need when trying them with their
students.
The increased use of HBMS teachers and staff to provide professional learning opportunities geared toward effective technology
tools and strategies for supporting personalized learning. These should also include tools that can help our low SES and ESL
populations to achieve. Low achievement rates within these specific demographic populations have been documented through
STAR and Milestones testing by the Personalized Learning Coach (A. Francis, personal communication, March 9, 2018).
A more in-depth digital citizenship curriculum could be created and implemented with students throughout the year and during not
only HAWK 30 time slots but accessed and used on a regular basis by all teachers and staff. This would be a school wide program
developed by either the Personalized Learning Leadership Team or newly designed technology leadership team. One resource that
could be used would be from the website and article ISTE 9 Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship. Many of the resources
within this article and when using Digital Compass allow modifications for students to work in pairs or to use additional resources,
such as Google Translate, to enable them to be successful when learning the standards.
Focus on specific ISTE Standards for Students could be discussed and strategized for content related activities during content and
vertical team meetings throughout the school year. Ideas for utilization of the standards with students could then be published in
One Drive file or a specific iTunes U course developed just for the faculty of HBMS.
Data Sources:
ISTE. (2007). ISTE-S, Standards for Students. Retrieved March 9, 2018, from web.
ISTE. (2008). ISTE-T, Standards for Teachers. Retrieved March 9, 2018, from web.
9 resources for teaching digital citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=242
References
Boser, U. (n.d.). Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck? Retrieved February 16, 2018, from
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2013/06/14/66485/are-schools-getting-a-big-enough-bang-for-their-
education-technology-buck/
Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship
Essential Conditions. (2008). ISTE.org. Retrieved 9 April 2017, from: http://www.iste.org/standards/toolsresources/essential-

conditions
ISTE. (2007). ISTE-S, Standards for Students. Retrieved March 9, 2018, from web.
ISTE. (2008). ISTE-T, Standards for Teachers. Retrieved March 9, 2018, from web.
Reich, J., Murnane, R., Willet, J. (2012). The state of wiki usage in U.S. K–12 schools: Leveraging web 2.0 data warehouses to assess
quality and equity in online learning environments. Educational Researcher, 41(1), 7-15. DOI: 10.3102/0013189X11427083
Sheninger, E., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Digital leadership: changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a SAGE
company.
8 ways to establish shared vision. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=381&category=Lead-the-way&article=
9 resources for teaching digital citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=242
Appendices
Appendix A: Results from ISTE Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool

Appendix B: Essential Conditions Interview Questions
1) Has HBMS considered a replacement option once the Digital Promise/Verizon data package has expired for our school? If so, what
is the option?
2) If we have not yet considered an option, how do we expect this will affect our students who do not have internet access at home?
Have we considered how this will impact their performance in school and in regard to equitable access and as compared to students
who do have internet access?
3) How is technology, which is currently being used in our school and/or looking to be used, deemed effective and supportive of our
vision statement at HBMS?
4) What would the ideal classroom at HBMS look like that is also utilizing technology integration?
5) What are some of the current technology tools we are using that you feel are effective and supportive? Are any of these geared
specifically for SES, gifted, minority, ESL or special education students?
6) Are there ways through technology implementation that HBMS could support our diverse populations (i.e. low socio-economic
status, gifted, minority, ESL, or special education students) and that you feel we have not yet utilized? Why have we not yet done this
(i.e. for lack of funding, support, ability)?
7) Which technology tools would you like HBMS to possibly begin implementing in the near future? Why do you feel these tools
would be beneficial?
8) What are the various ways we currently and will plan on continuing to fund for innovative and authentic technology programs and
systems here at HBMS?

Swot Lisa Flicker Itec 7410

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ITEC 7410/EDL 7105 SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs Assessment

What is the current reality in our school?

ESSENTIAL CONDITION ONE: Effective Instructional Uses of Technology Embedded in Standards-Based,

Students complete the Digital

Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

ESSENTIAL CONDITION TWO: Shared Vision

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

ESSENTIAL CONDITION THREE: Planning for Technology

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

ESSENTIAL CONDITION FIVE: Skilled Personnel

For the upcoming school year,

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

ESSENTIAL CONDITION SIX: Ongoing Professional Learning

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

ESSENTIAL CONDITION SEVEN: Technical Support

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

ESSENTIAL CONDITION EIGHT: Curriculum Framework

ISTE Definition: Content standards and related digital curriculum resources.

Many students tend to rely on FCS should include specific

Recommendations from Gap Analysis:

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

Digital Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship

Essential Conditions. (2008). ISTE.org. Retrieved 9 April 2017, from: http://www.iste.org/standards/toolsresources/essential-

Responses from the Survey Instrument (in Appendix) created by L. Flicker.

Appendix A: Results from ISTE Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool

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