4.

1 Digital Equity
Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and
resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. (PSC 4.1/ISTE 5a)
Artifacts: ITEC 7410 SWOT Analysis & Action Evaluation Plan

Reflection

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis and the related
Action Evaluation Plan were completed as a part of my field work for my ITEC 7410 during the
spring of 2016. The SWOT Analysis and subsequent Action Evaluation Plan was developed in
order to determine the current level of technology integration at a private elementary school. As
an individual class assignment, I wrote the SWOT report on my own; however, I collaborated
with various stakeholders in order to compile the data I needed to conduct the analysis. The
SWOT Analysis and related Action Evaluation Plan provided specific recommendations and
plans to improve based on the results that were synthesized from various data sources in
conjunction with the school data team.
The SWOT Analysis and Action Evaluation artifacts clearly demonstrate my ability to
model and promote strategies to achieve equitable access to technology tools and resources.
These artifacts also provide evidence of my ability to successfully model and promote strategies
for ensuring equitable access to technology-related best practices for all students and teachers.
Through the input from stakeholders, I constructed an actionable evaluation plan that tracked
specific goals based on the SWOT Analysis findings.
To summarize the SWOT findings regarding equitable access in the school, the major
challenges were inconsistency in technology integration during instructional time from the

educators combined a reduced number of devices available in classrooms. Many teachers also
did not utilize student-led, individualized learning based on the best strategies for using
technology in their classrooms. Stereotypical gender expectations regarding technology also
played a role in the availability of technology tools and resources. Power outages and disruption
in Internet connectivity also made educators less likely to visit the computer labs for whole class
computer usage during instructional times.
The school was found to have a number of strengths regarding equitable access to
technology and many opportunities to ensure the best technology-related practices would be
utilized by teachers and students for learning and professional purposes. A computer and printer
were in every classroom, and computer labs were open to all grade levels. Wireless Internet
access was able open to teachers and students, and a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) contract
and policy were in place. Professional learning for educators regarding the best strategies for
technology integration were planned. The community stakeholders were also open to pursuing
initiatives to improve technology access for students.
The Action Evaluation Plan established a series of goals with actionable items and
success indicators for each technology-related initiative. The equitable access-related goals
outlined in the Action Evaluation Plan stated that every student was required to utilize a variety
of technology tool and resources to participate in one constructivist-based learning activity
during instructional time each day to produce digital work products demonstrating mastery.
Students would also establish an online portfolio of their work to share safely online. Thus,
teachers would be required to establish their own plans for utilizing technology tools and
resources at least once per day to help students to achieve these goals. Weekly professional
learning focused on technology usage was designed and conducted to strengthen the level of

comfort in applying the best strategies for using technology tools and resources for learning.
Informal and formal walkthroughs were conducted to track the compliance with the mandatory
integration of technology for differentiated learning.
Through the process of completing the SWOT Analysis and Action Evaluation plans, I
gained valuable information and techniques in determining a schools current level of technology
integration. The collaboration with stakeholders, especially members of the schools data team
proved to be the most valuable resource throughout the analysis process. In the future, I will
begin the data designing, administering, and compiling process early to give us plenty of time to
conduct a more thorough SWOT and subsequent actionable and evaluatory plan. Combining high
standards of data collection with the best research-based practices would be the most effective
way to conduct a SWOT Analysis. This would be the only thing I would change next time. I
would include a lot of relevant research within the both artifacts to give them weight.
The SWOT Analysis was an important tool for informing the current progress towards
visionary and concrete goals. The analysis informed all stakeholders on the various aspects of
technology integration that the school could celebrate as well as parts that needed work. The
SWOT opened the eyes of educators and administrators to the opportunities to improve, and the
threats provided the type of reality check that was needed to ensure immediate action. School
funding for technology was especially impacted by the SWOT Analysis because the stakeholders
were able to easily visualize and understand the benefits and negative outcomes of the
technology-integration plan. The tracking of the success of the Action Evaluation Plan was done
through post-surveys and analysis of academic performance over time as well as formal and
informal walkthroughs during instructional time to check teacher compliance with the new
initiatives. The school gained a valuable strategic plan for promoting digital citizenship, ensuring

equitable access, and using technology in daily learning through the development and application
of the actionable items included in the Action Evaluation Plan. Student and teacher learning was
improved by the mandatory professional developments delivered to educators on the of
technology for constructivist learning.