Running Head: TECHNOLOGY CENTER ANALYSIS

Technology Center Analysis Richard Morris Georgia Southern University FRIT 7738

TECHNOLOGY CENTER ANALYSIS

Executive Summary This document is an analysis of the Education Technology Center at Dalton State College. Included in this report are the methods of information gathering, goals of the center, center activities, and an evaluation of the center. There were various methods used to gather information on the ETC including interviews, observations, and reports. This report specifies the goals and mission of the ETC along with various examples of how these goals are being met on a weekly basis. The ETC has numerous activities performed on the Dalton State campus for college students and professors as well as activities performed at local schools for k-12 teachers and administrators. The evaluation of the center concludes the analysis, finding that the center meets its goals and follows its mission well. Also, there are recommendations to improve the operations of the center. Overall, I think the ETC at Dalton State College is a great place where teachers and administrators have the opportunity to expand their technical knowledge.

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Organizational Chart for the ETC at Dalton State College

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Methods To gather information on the ETC at Dalton State College, I used a variety of sources. One of the most beneficial sources came from an interview with the ETC director Judy McEntyre. The interview protocol can be found in the appendix. Along with the interview, I was able to visit the site a few times and see the types of equipment they use for training. After my observations at other centers, I was able to create a checklist that helped me identify things I had seen before and I added some things that I thought were necessary as well. Other methods of gathering information involved looking through the ETCs website at www.dscetc.org and interviewing other teachers who have used their services. One teacher I was able to interview was Adam Williams who just last year visited the site and created his own report of the ETC. I was able to collect that report from him and I used that valuable information to assist me in my findings. One other method of information gathering is through my own personal experience with staff development at my school taught by the staff from the ETC at Dalton State. Center Context and Goals According to Judy Mrs. McEntyre, the mission of the ETC is to work to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. The ETC has three main goals: goal 1 is to Use research-based best practices and data analysis to improve instruction through the use of technology, goal 2 is to Ensure the stability of school districts technology infrastructure to support teaching, learning, and administration and goal 3 is to Provide opportunities for future educators on college campus and higher ed faculty to participate in

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hands-on training in the integration of 21st century technology tools. These goals are being met through professional development plans in the schools they serve and at the ETC. The staff conducts classroom observations on a monthly basis, and then they review the data with teachers and administrators using eWalk software. The center has many stake-holders and only a few staff members to reach out to those stake-holders. According to the website, the center services twenty school systems; however, McEntyre stated in her interview that there are twenty-six school systems in Northwest GA being service. Also, the ETC provides service to North GA RESA and Dalton State College. These stake-holders are serviced by four staff members at the ETC which include: the director, tech specialist, grant coordinator, and instructional technologists. The director sets up the training dates and types of training, handles all the clerical work including requisitions, purchase orders, and initial meetings with school personnel. The tech specialist controls and maintains the daily operations of all equipment. The grant coordinator checks on grant schools while also coordinating specific training needs and evaluations. All staff members are instructional technologists including the director. They develop and teach any type of professional development linked to any technology too that schools purchase. They work in the classroom with k-12 educators to build appropriate content specific instructional tools to be used with the hardware in the classroom. Finally, they collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness and use of the training by the participant. Center Activities The center has a large assortment of activities to offer to its stake-holders. The center consists of a computer lab containing twenty-eight Dell computers, one Smart Board, one

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Promethean Board, two scanners, two printers, and one document reader, along with one classroom and one resource room. The ETCs website offers a multitude of classes for teachers, administrative staff, and tech specialists. The activities include iPad training, interactive whiteboard training, and student response system training. The purpose of these activities is to motivate teachers to use the technology available to them in the classroom. Also, there are preservice classes on photostory, podcasting, building webpages, and other web 2.0 tools. The staff also offers administrator meetings to discuss and review the data and expectations of the desired courses listed above. According to McEntyre, 99% of the k-12 training is administered at local school sites while the pre-service and higher ed training is located at the Dalton State Campus. Evaluation Based on the observations, interviews, and other data collected, the ETC at Dalton State College is fulfilling its mission to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. They reach out to twenty-six different school systems across North Georgia and provide detailed training on relevant technology. They fulfill their mission by having classes taught at their center for pre-service teachers and by offering staff development at the schools they serve. The staff and my observations have convinced me that the staff is meeting their goals consistently. One of their goals is to ensure the stability of technology infrastructure at schools in their area. This goal has been and continues to be met by the four staff members of the ETC. One such event was held over the course of last semester at my school, where two staff members taught our teachers how to use the Promethean boards effectively in the classroom. The class

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involved hands on activities during our planning period as well as homework to master the concepts. Before the class, many teachers were confused about how to use the board and its software. Since the training from the ETC, I have noticed many of the same teachers using the board on a daily basis for more than just a projector. Adam Williams, a teacher I interviewed at CHS, stated they do a great job with the resources they havethey do not let obstacles such as budget constraints keep them from developing teachers and improving the learning experience for students. Another goal is to use research-based best practices and data analysis to improve instruction. They meet this goal by performing classroom observations on a monthly basis and review the data with teachers and administrators. Their third goal involves providing opportunities for future educators on the college campus and higher ed faculty to participate in hands-on training in the integration of 21st century technology tools. During observations at the ETC, I have seen students from Dalton State College attend classes led by ETC staff on relevant technology. Based on the information I have gathered through interviews with the staff, other teachers, and my own observations, I conclude that the ETC at Dalton State College is meeting its goals and fulfilling its mission for the Northwest GA area. However, I think there are some areas where they could improve. One recommendation is to expand their staff to reach more of NW GA. This is one of the largest areas served through a technology center in GA. More staff would mean more services provided to the counties in our area. However, in order to hire more staff, they need additional funding. The staff already offers PD plans for teachers and college staff, but it would help them financially if they could offer a graduate program in the field of instructional technology. Offering such a program in our area of the state would get more

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teachers involved in the technology arena because the college is so close. They could offer online and campus courses. This would create more funding and allow for expansion of the staff.

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APPENDIX Interview Protocol: The following questions were asked of the Director Judy McEntyre at the ETC in Dalton State College.
Center Goals and Mission 1. What is the mission of Dalton State ETC? 2. What are some of the goals of the center? 3. How are these goals being met? Personnel and Staff 4. Who are the stakeholders of the center? 5. What are the job titles and brief descriptions for key personnel who staff the center? 6. What is the current status of the center? Activities 7. What are some of the activities being carried out at the center this semester? 8. Who is the audience? 9. Where do these activities take place? At Dalton State, other campuses, or online?

The following questions were asked of participants of activities performed by the ETC. Adam Williams, a teacher at Cass High, answered these questions based on his interaction with the staff and his participation in a staff development on Promethean board training.
1. 2. 3. 4. What type of training did you receive from the ETC at Dalton State? Where did you receive this training? On campus or at your school? Do you think the training was beneficial to you and other staff members? Based on your experience with the ETC, is there anything you would like for them to do differently? 5. What are your expectations of the ETC since you have had this training?

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Observation Checklist: After visiting this site and others, I developed a checklist of things I thought I should see in an Educational Technology Center. I used the following checklist the second time I visited the site.
ETC Checklist: ___ Offices for staff (list of staff members) ___ Computer lab consisting of: ___ Computers (enough for a classroom set?) ___ Promethean boards (Location?) ___ SmartBoard (Location?) ___ IWB (interactive white board) ___ document cameras (how many?) ___ Printers ___ Scanners ___ Classrooms for training ___ Resource Room

Website Review: http://www.dscetc.org This is the official website of the ETC at Dalton State College. I looked throughout the website to see how it was set up and what the ETC offered that was not mentioned in the interview. It is a user-friendly site that offers the typical information about a business including activities, workshop training, information about the staff, and who is served by the staff.

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Part B: Monthly Report This semester at the ETC in Dalton State College, they are offering some great classes that educators and students will want to sign up for. Below are two lists of the different training sessions offered on the campus of Dalton State and on-site at local schools. Activities offered at Dalton State for students and faculty: 1. Adobe PhotoShop 2. Beginning Dreamweaver 3. Digital storytelling 4. Podcasting and video podcasting 5. iPad training for students and staff 6. Web 2.0 tools including: Voicethread, Vokis, Blogs, Wikis, and RSS feeds

Activities offered at local schools served by the ETC: 1. Interactive whiteboard integration training including: a. SmartBoard Training b. Promethean Board Training c. Interwrite training 2. SRS training (Student Response Systems) 3. iPad Training for teachers and administrators The center also provides workshops and administrator meetings to review data and expectations with local school administration.