District Technology Training Plan (DTTP)

EDTC 640
Summer 2014
Erica Valenstein













The District: Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County is a suburban community just North of Washington, DC. It is the largest
school system in Maryland and the seventeenth largest in the United States. There are 202 total
schools consisting of 151,289 students and 22,597 employees.
Montgomery County is a diverse county with students from 157 different countries and speaking
138 different languages. Graphic 1.1 shows a representation of the cultural distribution of the
students learning in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Montgomery County Public Schools has embraced the importance of Smart Board technology
within the school system during the past few years. During our most recent technology
modernization in 2012, the county began making sure that every instructional classroom had a
Promethean Board to utilize with the students. Along with this technology modernization, there
was an extremely high demand for training. The county offered many different opportunities for
teachers to attend trainings either over the summer or during the school year.
The Problems:
One of the major problems, especially for this upcoming school year, is the amount of
technology available compared to the amount of technology needed to administer our newly
Graphic 1.1: Demographics of MCPS Students
White (Non-Hispanic)
Hispanic/Latino
Black or African American
Asian
improved Maryland State Assessment. This new state assessment is called Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Not only do Elementary, Middle,
and High schools need enough computers to administer this test electronically, but teachers need
these computers throughout the school year in order to embed the new technology into each
students learning experiences. 18,000 additional devices are planned to be distributed in the
form of mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and hybrid laptops/tablets) during the 2014-2015 school
year. The school district has plans of offering training and support to teachers in order to
effectively teach with this technology, but as an elementary teacher, I have not received any
information on where to find any of these trainings. The trainings may eventually happen, but
they will happen while the roll out occurs, not prior to. This is a problem because many teachers
are scrambling with this new technology and often become very frustrated, overwhelmed, and
defeated before the district is able to offer any adequate help. This same problem happened when
the roll out of Promethean Boards occurred after 2012. The following survey may be given to
collect data that backs up this problem.
Montgomery Countys After-the-Fact Training
The Needs:
In order to understand the needs of the district, I felt it would be most appropriate to conduct a
survey via survey monkey. I shared this survey with 10 colleagues and received 7 responses. The
survey administered can be viewed on my Yola site.
After analyzing the results, the needs within the district are as follows:
1) The need for sufficient wireless internet within the school buildings.
2) The need for training to be offered prior to introducing new technology.
3) The need for offering Professional Development courses online instead of in person to
save on time.
4) The need for offering troubleshooting Professional Development courses.
5) The need to be able to access wireless internet on personal devices within the classroom.
6) The need for more tablet and laptop computers.
7) The need for more technology device training.
8) The need for utilizing effective web 2.0 tools within the classroom.
This particular DTTP will focus on a training using Chromebooks. This particular technology is
reported to be distributed throughout the county during the 2014 fall semester.
The Audience:
This particular training course is aimed towards classroom teachers. Our district plans to begin
distributing Chromebooks to schools during the 2014 fall semester. These Chromebooks will be
given to classroom teachers, so it is important that these teachers feel comfortable with the
device and software prior to receiving the technology.
Teachers do not need to have any prior knowledge of the Chromebook prior to beginning this
training. They must, however, have prior knowledge of using some type of computing device
while teaching. This particular training will be catered to a very wide range of teaching
experiences. I expect teachers with both few and many years of experience to sign up for this
particular course.
It is recommended that the webmaster and/or media specialist of every building receiving
Chromebooks attends this training. The reason for this is so that these people may become
experts in this area and if any problems arise on site, these experts can help troubleshoot and
support other colleagues.
The Goals/Objectives:
By the end of this particular training, teachers will be able to effectively manipulate and use a
Chromebook effectively within the classroom. The first half of the training will focus on the
basics of a Chromebook. It will focus on how to turn on, charge, and move through various
programs. The second half of the training will focus on teaching strategies and using the
Chromebook to enhance teaching and planning.
Content:
Course Needed Target Audience Description of Course
Various Troubleshooting
Tutorials: Including, but not
limited to:
Teachers, Administration, and
Paraeducatiors who utilize this
software on a day-to-day basis
These troubleshooting
tutorials will be online
screencasts divided up into
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
ActivInspire
Inspiration
Kidspiration
Microsoft One Note
Natural Reader
Kurzweil
either with their planning or
teaching purposes.
various problem scenarios
many teachers may encounter
when using this software.
These screencasts tutorials
will save time and money
when uploaded to a central
location on our Professional
Development site.
Chromebook Training Classroom teachers who are
assigned to receive new
Chromebooks during the 2014
tech mod.
This training will allow
students to feel comfortable
not only with the new device,
but also with ways to use the
device effectively within the
classroom.
Web 2.0 Tools Classroom teachers who wish
to enhance their classroom
environment by using web 2.0
tools embedded into their
instruction.
This training will walk
teachers through how to use
various new up and coming
Web 2.0 tools. Students will
leave this course with not only
an understanding of how to
use the tools, but how to
embed them into their
instruction within the
classroom.

Instructional Strategies:
Scaffolding:
In order to support students and ensure that every student receives individualized support, the
instructor will use scaffolding not only during step-by-step tutorials, but also during work
sessions.
During the step-by-step tutorials, the instructor will lecture using a projector with visuals of each
step and will pause periodically to answer questions and provide support as necessary. The
instructor will only move on when every student is ready. I have been in too many workshops
where the instructor progresses before the class is ready. Many of the students in the workshops I
have attended have become extremely overwhelmed with the training before the workshop is
even over. Often times, this leads to a negative attitude and lack of motivation towards the rest of
the course. In this workshop, I want the students to feel comfortable and confident that their
needs are being met.
During the work sessions, the instructor will circulate the room and evaluate the students ability
to complete the task at hand. If the instructor notices something wrong, or any frustration, he or
she will step in. Instead of showing the student what to do, he or she will ask inquiry based
questions in order to scaffold the learning of the student.
Informal Assessment Activities:
Many of the activities and exploration exercises are meant as an informative assessment. My
intention as an instructional technology planner is to plan workshops that are hands on and where
students learn through experiences. In order to do this, I have created hands-on activities where
the instructor is able to assess the ability of his or her students according to the goal in mind
(objective).
YouTube tutorials:
Many times, students begin to tune out when just one person is talking and lecturing the entire
time. It is also helpful to use visuals in order to enhance learning. In order to motivate and keep
the students attention during this workshop, I have found multiple YouTube videos to enhance
each workshop lesson.
Sample Five Day Workshop:
Technology Workshop Lesson Plan
Name:
Erica Valenstein
Workshop Title:
Introduction to Chromebook Technology
Day #:
1
Subject of the Days Workshop:
Chromebook Basics
Prerequisite Knowledge:
None
Content (Describe in a paragraph):
During this first workshop, students will learn the basics of the Chromebook. This will include
how to turn on & off, how to charge the tablet, and a guided tour of the chrome operating system.
In order to guide students through the operating system, the instructor will begin with the home
screen and walk the students through each of the main applications. The instructor will pause
periodically to allow students to explore within each application in order to become familiar with
it.
List the objectives for this lesson.
Students will be able to turn on and off the Chromebook device
Students will be able to charge the Chromebook device and know when the Chromebook
is fully charged.
Students will be able to navigate successfully through the Chromebook device without
assistance.
How will you teach the lesson? Details help.
This particular lesson will be taught using a lecture in the beginning, followed by an activity that
allows students to practice their fluidity of manipulating their new Chromebook. Due to the fact
that many of these students will not know even how to turn on the Chromebook, the instructor
needs to lead the class in a step-by-step lecture in order to show the students how to perform
many of these basic tasks. Once the students understand this enough to manipulate the device,
they will begin to explore on their own, finally ending in a scavenger hunt in order to build
understanding.

Lesson plan found here.
Additional materials you will use and how will you use them.
One Acer C720 Chromebook for each student registered for the class
o Students will use their own personal Chromebook in order to follow along and
explore various features during the guided tutorials. Students will also use the
Chromebooks for the activities the instructor explains throughout the workshop.
Projector and Projector Screen
o The instructor will project his or her main screen on the projector screen so that
students can follow along on their own computers easily.
Evaluation Strategies:
Evaluation for this workshop lesson will consist of mainly observational data. As the students
progress through the scavenger hunt, looking for the appropriate apps, the instructor will observe
and assist students as he or she feels necessary. Assisting should be in the form of a scaffolding
support.

Technology Workshop Lesson Plan
Name:
Erica Valenstein
Workshop Title:
Introduction to Chromebook Technology
Day #:
2
Subject of the Days Workshop:
Chromebook vs. Laptop
Prerequisite Knowledge:
General knowledge of a laptop or desktop computer for
comparison.
Content (Describe in a paragraph):
This particular workshop will go into detail about the difference between a Chromebook and a
regular laptop or desktop computer. We will explore a traditional laptop and see that all the files
and data is stored on the computer itself. We realize that if the computer crashes, we lose
everything, unless we have backed it up ourselves. After exploring the laptop and finding these
features through a guided exploration, we will explore the Chromebook looking for these same
features. The students will realize that with a Chromebook, all the files and information is saved
to the cloud and is stored using the internet. This information can be accessed anywhere there
is an internet connection and with any smart device. The lesson will go more into detail about
what a cloud is.
List the objectives for this lesson.
Students will be able to explain the differences between a laptop device and a
Chromebook device.
Students will be able to describe what a cloud is.
How will you teach the lesson? Details help.
This lesson will take place in a computer lab setting where desktops or laptops are available, in
addition to one Chromebook for each student. It is important to be able to access both a desktop
or laptop computer in addition to the Chromebook for effective comparison during this lesson.
Similar to the first workshop, this lesson will begin with a lecture and exploration comparing
how files are saved on a traditional desktop or laptop computer and a Chromebook computer.
Through guided exploration, the students will discover that the files created on a Chromebook
are stored on the internet, not on the computer itself. The lesson will finish with collaborative
brainstorming activity where students will discuss the pros and cons of cloud storage. This
particular activity is designed to not only reinforce the objectives at hand, but also challenge the
students to understand that no solution is completely perfect.

Lesson plan found here.
Additional materials you will use and how will you use them.
Desktop computer or laptop computer for each student.
o Students will sign on to these computers in order to view the difference between a
hard drive and a cloud computing app. Students will also use these computers to
learn how to access the Google Drive app from a regular computer via the
internet.
One Acer C720 Chromebook for each student registered for the class
o Students will use their own personal Chromebook in order to follow along and
explore various features during the guided tutorials. Students will also use the
Chromebooks for the activities the instructor explains throughout the workshop.
Projector and Projector Screen
o The instructor will project his or her main screen on the projector screen so that
students can follow along on their own computers easily.
Evaluation Strategies:
The instructors will evaluate each group as the brainstorm a list of pros and cons of cloud
computing. The instructor will scaffold and clarify any confusion with this type of understanding
as he or she observes the brainstorming activity and presentation from each group.

Technology Workshop Lesson Plan
Name:
Erica Valenstein
Workshop Title:
Introduction to Chromebook Technology
Day #:
3
Subject of the Days Workshop:
The World of Sharing: Google
Office
Prerequisite Knowledge:
General knowledge of basic Microsoft Office features
(Word, Excel, & PowerPoint)
Content (Describe in a paragraph):
During this particular workshop, we will begin exploring the various apps the Chromebook has
to offer. While creating a sample Google Doc file, we will first learn the basics and how to use
the app on our own. Next, we will use each others emails and invite each other to share the
documents. Students will be able to learn firsthand what it is like to create a document with
someone else remotely.
List the objectives for this lesson.
Students will be able to create a document on their own using the Google Docs app.
Students will be able to share the Google doc file with at least two other users and
collaboratively create a file.
Students will be able to explore the other Google Docs features, such as Google
Presentation and Google Spreadsheet.
Students will be able to brainstorm various activities in the classroom using the Google
Docs app.
How will you teach the lesson? Details help.
Due to the fact that by now, the students are becoming more and more familiar with
manipulating the Chromebook, this lesson focuses far more on activities and explorations within
the Google Office apps it offers. Especially when students already have enough prior knowledge
to manipulate a program or device, exploration is an important strategy for teaching because it
allows students to pave their own learning pathways. When students are able to relate
information themselves in a way that they understand, it is more likely to stick with them. The
students will learn how to collaborate and share a Google Doc by participating on a collaborative
activity remotely via Google Docs. Following this activity, students will have more time to
explore, then discuss their experiences.

Lesson plan found here.
Additional materials you will use and how will you use them.
One Acer C720 Chromebook for each student registered for the class
o Students will use their own personal Chromebook in order to follow along and
explore various features during the guided tutorials. Students will also use the
Chromebooks for the activities the instructor explains throughout the workshop.
Projector and Projector Screen
o The instructor will project his or her main screen on the projector screen so that
students can follow along on their own computers easily.
Evaluation Strategies:
During this lesson, the students will have an opportunity to access and collaborate on a document
that has already been shared with them. Students will receive support as they collaborate and add
their ideas to the document. This will be the students practice. Following the practice, the
students will then have an opportunity to create, share, and collaborate a document within a
small group. During this time, the instructor will circulate the room and evaluate the students
understanding and efficiency of this objective. The instructor will provide support as he or she
feels is necessary.

Technology Workshop Lesson Plan
Name:
Erica Valenstein
Workshop Title:
Introduction to Chromebook Technology
Day #:
4
Subject of the Days Workshop:
The World of Sharing: Google
Hangouts
Prerequisite Knowledge:
None
Content (Describe in a paragraph):
During this workshop, students will learn how to use Google Hangouts for multiple purposes.
The students will participate in a guided tour of Google Hangouts as they explore most of the
features, including chat and video conferencing. At the end of the lesson, we will brainstorm
together various applications for using this Google app in the classroom.
List the objectives for this lesson.
Students will be able to use the chat feature of the Google Hangouts app.
Students will be able to use the video conferencing feature of the Google Hangouts app.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of Google Hangouts by brainstorming
possible activities in the classroom that utilize this app.
How will you teach the lesson? Details help.
Although the students are familiar with the Chromebook device by now, we will be exploring a
complex app today called Google Hangouts. There are many features to this hangout, but for the
purpose of this lesson, the instructor will only teach the basics. During the exploration times, if a
student is ready to be challenged and the instructor has time, he or she will show that particular
student what the other features do. This lesson will be completely based off the students abilities
as a group. The instructor will have many opportunities to assess how well the students
understand this app. If the students are ready to move on, then the instructor will progress. This
is a great way to teach the lesson because if needed, the instructor can keep the workshop lesson
as basic as possible and only spend time supporting the students on the main features.

Lesson plan found here.
Additional materials you will use and how will you use them.
One Acer C720 Chromebook for each student registered for the class
o Students will use their own personal Chromebook in order to follow along and
explore various features during the guided tutorials. Students will also use the
Chromebooks for the activities the instructor explains throughout the workshop.
One pair of headphones for each student.
o Due to the fact that there are many students in one room, each student will use a
pair of headphones while participating in the video chat activity. This will set up a
quieter environment and allow each student to hear only what they need to during
their conversation.
Projector and Projector Screen
o The instructor will project his or her main screen on the projector screen so that
students can follow along on their own computers easily.
Evaluation Strategies:
The instructor will evaluate how well students are able to use the Google Hangout app during the
video and chat conference they have with their partner. During this activity, the instructor will be
observing and supporting students in order to ensure that every student is fully capable of using
the app by the end of the activity.

Technology Workshop Lesson Plan
Name:
Erica Valenstein
Workshop Title:
Introduction to Chromebook Technology
Day #:
5
Subject of the Days Workshop:
Additional Chromebook Features
Prerequisite Knowledge:
Prior knowledge of your own smart device.
Content (Describe in a paragraph):
During this final workshop, we will explore some other main features of the Chromebook apps.
These features include the Chrome Webstore, and offline features. We will also explore how to
access your files on various other smart devices, such as the iPhone, and iPad or any other
BYOD.
List the objectives for this lesson.
Students will be able to use the Chrome Web Store and find at least two app downloads
that would be useful in the classroom.
Students will be able to understand what is available to them if they do not have an
internet connection.
Using their own smart device, students will be able to access their Chromebook files
using the cloud.
How will you teach the lesson? Details help.
This particular workshop lesson has probably the most amount of steps and objectives to meet
out of all the lessons. This last day is simply dedicated to the students understanding that the
cloud is a feature that can be accessed from many different areas. The students will have the
opportunity to learn how to access the cloud from three devices: the Chromebook, a desktop or
laptop computer, and their own smart device. Due to the fact that much of this lesson involves
step-by-step directions, the majority of the lesson will be taught in a guided hands on type of
lesson. There are many small activities that the students must complete and explore in order to
move onto the next particular step. The instructor will guide the students through much of this
lesson.

Lesson plan found here.
Additional materials you will use and how will you use them.
Desktop computer or laptop computer for each student.
o Students will sign on to these computers in order to use these computers to learn
how to access the Google Drive app from a regular computer via the internet.
One Acer C720 Chromebook for each student registered for the class
o Students will use their own personal Chromebook in order to follow along and
explore various features during the guided tutorials. Students will also use the
Chromebooks for the activities the instructor explains throughout the workshop.
Projector and Projector Screen
o The instructor will project his or her main screen on the projector screen so that
students can follow along on their own computers easily.
Evaluation Strategies:
The instructor will chunk this lesson into smaller parts and evaluate during individual work time
in order to make sure that every student understands the content. The instructor will be able to
monitor this by observing which students are easily accessing the assigned content and which
students are having trouble.

Materials:
Material Description
Lesson 1:
Google Apps Scavenger Hunt
This particular presentation is a slideshow that
walks students through a question and answer
quiz at the end of the lesson. The students have
to use their newly learned knowledge about the
various apps and their Chromebook to find the
app that answers each question.
Lesson 2:
What is Cloud Storage?
This video is used during the second workshop
in order to better explain what Cloud Storage
is. Using this video as a platform, students will
then discuss the pros and cons to cloud storage.
Lesson 3:
Similarities with Microsoft Word

This is a Google Doc that will be shared with
the class prior to Lesson 3. This will be the
first collaborative document students will work
on together via Google Docs.
Lesson 3:
Google Docs in Plain English
This is a YouTube video that the students will
view in order to understand why using Google
Docs to share files is far more effective than
email attachments.
Lesson 4:
Chromebook: Video Chat with Google+
Hangouts


This YouTube video will be shown simply to
create motivation and serve as an introduction
to the Google Hangouts workshop.
Lesson 5:
Chrome Web Store Whats a web app?
This video will be shown during lesson 5 in
order to briefly show the history of websites
and how it has evolved into a series of web
apps. It will give the students a good idea of
the types of things they may find at the
Chrome Web Store.

Field Test:
After designing a workshop, it is extremely important to test out the workshop on a pilot group in
order to assess its effectiveness. Due to the fact that I am an elementary teacher in a school who
will be receiving these Chromebooks during the fall of 2014, I know that many of my coworkers
will sign up to pilot this workshop if it means becoming better prepared for when we receive
these Chromebooks.
I will run the workshop exactly how I have planned to this pilot group of students (coworkers)
and present a survey via Survey Monkey of the workshop at the very end.
After each lesson, I will also take the time to do a Plus-Delta activity with my students in order
to receive feedback from them. A Plus-Delta activity is a way to gather information and
feedback from a group of people. The leader draws a T-Chart on the board with a Plus on
one side and th Greek symbol, Delta, on the other. Participants state things that went well on
the Plus side and things that can be improved on the Delta side.
Revision:
In order to revise my workshop before actually teaching it, I will review all of the Plus-Delta
feedback and the survey results. Using this information and data, I will revise and make changes
to my workshop.
Evaluations:
It is important to be sure that all students met the specific objectives during this workshop. At the
end of each lesson, the instructor will rate each student for each objective on a scale of one to
three. One means that the student has very little understanding of the objective and three means
that the student has complete understanding and has met the objective. During the informal
assessment activities, the instructor will observe, support, and rate each student on the specific
objective at hand.
At the end of the course, the instructor will average out each students ratings. An average of a
two or higher marks success.
Summative Evaluation:
In order to evaluate the success of the entire workshop, I will need to receive feedback from my
students. The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to create an online survey using rating scales
and comment boxes. I will ask questions about how much information students knew coming
into the workshop compared to how much they knew leaving the workshop. This comparison is
extremely important because it gives me a general idea of the abilities of my students coming in
and allows me to analyze raw data proving that my students feel more confident about using this
type of device.
This survey will also include information about how the students felt about the venue and
materials used. I will use rating scales in order to receive consistent data. This will help me
evaluate if I will use the venue again and if I need to make any improvements for the courses to
follow.
I also think it is important to collect data six months after the course. I would send out a separate
survey to my past students focusing on questions and rating scales that collect data on how much
of the course content was actually used in order to enhance the teachers planning and class
lessons.
Budget:
Expense Amount Cost per Unit Total Cost
Instructor time 25 hours $40.00/hour $1,000.00
Stipend for teachers 20 students/class
maximum
$50.00/student $1,000.00
Total Cost $1,000.00/workshop
*All projectors, laptops, Chromebooks, headphones, and smart devices will already be at the
teaching venue, provided by the county.
Follow-Up:
In order to follow-up and ensure that the students who took the class can receive continual
support and training, if needed, the district provides Instructional Technology Specialists
assigned to each school. Staff may set up appointments with these specialists for one on one
support.
The district also has an online help desk. This help desk allows staff to input their device
information into the system if it is broken or not working for any reason. A Technology
Specialist will come to the school location and either fix the problem.
Finally, during the class, we created many different Google Docs that the instructor shared with
all the students. These Google Docs included relevant Web Store apps, pros and cons of many of
the Chromebook features, etc. The instructor also will share a Google Doc with the class at the
end of the lesson including all of the YouTube video links that were shown in class. Because the
students have access to their Google Drive set up in class from any computer with access to the
internet, they may view these files at any time for support.
References:
Google. 2014. Meet chromebook. Chrome. Retrieved from
http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features/#feature-content-
speed&tab=features-tab-apps-offline&tab=features-tab-sync-phone
Montgomery county public schools. 2014. FY 2015 budget questions and answers. Retrieved
from http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/fy2015/budget-
questions-2015.aspx
Montgomery county public schools. 2014. MCPS mobile cart options. Retrieved from
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/departments/techproducts/Mobile
%20Cart%20Options.pdf
Montgomery county public schools. 2014. Montgomery county public schools at a glance.
Department of public information and web services. Retrieved from
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/about/Refresh_2011_Content_Piec
es/AAG1.17.14.pdf