Running head: INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Individual Teacher Technology Assessment

ReTina D. Gray
PL & Technology Innovation (ITEC 7460)
Kennesaw State University
2/27/2015

INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Individual Teacher Technology Assessment

To assess the level of technology use and attitudes towards change, Mrs. Smith, an AP
Calculus Teacher with nine years of teaching experience, was assessed using Loti Questionnaire
and a six-point Likert Scale. Mrs. Smith currently serves as the department chair for the Math
department at Olive Grove High School and serves as a liaison between the leadership team and
her department. She is responsible for helping her department implement researched based
strategies that improve student learning by assisting her data team in collecting and analyzing
data through irespond. Mrs. Smith believes that in order for teachers to be effective in the
classroom, they must use technology to gather data in an effort to identify student needs and
assist them in increasing student achievement. Not only does Mrs. Smith use technology to
gather data but she also uses technology to engage students as they learn. In in her classroom,
uses technology tools such as Smart boards and documenting cameras, which are used to provide
interactive visuals and models to demonstrate steps for solving math problems. Smart boards
and documenting cameras are also used to display student work, worksheets, and save images
that can be used later. Mrs. Smiths students also use apps on Ipads that provide tutorials,
examples, and additional practice. Mrs. Smith believes that these tools are beneficial because
they maximize student learning and makes math concepts more meaningful. She also states that
using technology in the classroom is fast, effective, and prepares students for the technological
world; therefore, she keeps current with new technology trends by attending professional
developments, reading articles, and exploring technology outside of school (B. Smith personal
communication, February 27, 2015).

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To evaluate Mrs. Smiths level of technology implementation within her curriculum, she
was administered a LoTi Questionnaire with a six-point Likert Scale. The responses on the scale
ranged from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree with an additional response for Other.
Mrs. Smith answered a majority of the questions with either Strongly Agree or Agree with
the exception of one question in which she answered Disagree. According to her responses,
Mrs. Smith is proficient in web tools that maximize student learning. She strongly agrees that
the technology used in her curriculum is implemented in an effort to adhere to the Common Core
State Standards for math and they are used to create meaningful and relevant web-based
assignments that allow for higher order thinking. Her students are engaged in peer interactions
through discussion boards and are allowed to make comments and ask questions on the class
discussion board related to math. When students are completing classroom assignments, they are
allowed to select the technology of their choice in order to complete those assignments. Yet, her
students do not maintain a webpage, in order to create a classroom portfolio nor do they
collaborate with math experts outside the classroom.
According to the LoTi Questionnaire, Mrs. Smith strongly agrees that she utilizes social
media, professional organizations, research articles, or other means of media in an effort to stay
current on technological trends. She also develops surveys for her department in an effort to gain
feedback and make data-driven decisions regarding lessons and projects. The data collected is
then used to collaborate with collogues in an effort to discuss ways to utilize, improve, and
modify technology based on the learning needs of students.
Based upon her responses to the LoTi Questionnaire, I would rate Mrs. Smith between a
LoTi level 3 and LoTi 4b, Routine Integration. At LoTi level 3, Infusion there is a lot of "handson" technology that encourage complex thinking skill strategies such as problem-solving and

INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

reasoning yet, these tools are only for productivity. However, at LoTi level 4b, Routine
Integration, Mrs. Smith is in a comfort zone due to the routine integration of technology. At this
level, students have an input in determining which technological tools to use and are encouraged
to generating their own questions through the class discussion board.
In order for Mrs. Smith to rise above Infusion and Routine Integration, students should be
encouraged to assume adult roles by developing and sharing products of real use to themselves
and others. At a higher LoTi level, students could create a webpage demonstrating how AP
Calculus is beneficial to medicine, economics, and engineering. To bring authenticity and to aid
her in rising to a LoTi level 5, Expansion, Mrs. Smith and her students could collaborate with
real world experts beyond the classroom. In addition, Mrs. Smith could also rise to the LoTi
level 6, Refinement by encouraging students to use technology as a tool to solve real world
issues and problems.
In an effort to determine which adopted category describes best describe Mrs. Smith
when it comes to adopting new technology, I administered a ten question Innovation & Ideas
Adoption Survey. Her responses indicate that she is comfortable integrating content specific
technology in her classroom. Her responses also indicate that she uses current research strategies
to aid her in occasionally implementing these new technology strategies within her curriculum.
Despite her comfort level within her classroom, Mrs. Smiths responses to other questions
revealed that she is not comfortable with aiding her colleagues with technology. Her responses
indicate that she occasionally assists colleagues with technology and digital tools. When asked
why, Mrs. Smith stated that before assisting someone else, she has to be proficient and successful
in her own classroom practices (B. Smith personal communication, February 27, 2015).

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To increase her proficiency in technology and to fulfill her duty as a department chair and
data team facilitator, Mrs. Smith willingly attends professional learning sessions focused on
technology and increasing student achievement. Although she has created and implemented
professional learning sessions with in her department, she has not created a professional learning
session focused on technology. After analyzing her responses on the Innovation & Ideas
Adoption Survey, I believe that Mrs. Smith falls between the Early Adopter and Early Majority
categories. When it comes to technology, Mrs. Smith is self-efficient and willing to try new
ideas. She is also considered an opinion leader due to her role as a department chair and data
team facilitator. As an opinion leader, she has the potential to influence and inspire her
colleagues to try new technology strategies but her belief that it must be practice successfully
first, places her in the Early Majority category. During our discussion, Mrs. Smith expressed that
she would like to implement blend strategies within her content area. In an effort to aid her in
this process, she and I discussed a coaching plan based upon a partnership approach in which she
and I would be equal partners.
In a partnership approach, equality is established when both the collaborating teacher and
the coachs opinion and points are important and worth hearing (Knight, 2007). Therefore, Mrs.
Smith will have a voice in the implementation of blended learning strategies. The coaching plan
will consists of Mrs. Smith and I collaborate in the mornings, twice a week for four weeks to
discuss which blended learning strategy she would like to implement and would be beneficial to
student learning. Once a decision has been made, I will provide a model lesson in her classroom
with her students. Mrs. Smith will have the opportunity to teach a lesson using the same strategy
as I observe and gather data. Once data has been collected, Mrs. Smith and I will collaboratively
explore and analyze the data.

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To ensure that implementation is sustained, ongoing support and constructive feedback

will be provide along with opportunities to reflect. During the reflection period, Mrs. Smith will
have an opportunity to reflect on what she has learned and the choice to accept or reject what she
has learned. During this period, I too will have the opportunity to learn new skills as it related to
coaching. In an effort to record this learning experience, I will keep a coaching journal to record
what I have learned, discuss challenges that I faced, the coaching strategies that I used, and the
impact the technology had on Mrs. Smiths instruction.

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References

Bandura, A., Fullan, M., Hall, G., Hord, S., Huberman, M., Miles, M. B., Turner, H. M. (n.d.).
Standards for professional learning: Implementation. Retrieved from
http://learningforward.org/standards/implementation#.VO05aywl8Xg
Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction.
Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks.