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Reflective Analysis

Adrienne Phelps

EDUC 638

Liberty University
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The use of technology in education is growing at such a rapid speed that it has become

imperative for educators to learn how to adapt and utilize it in the classroom. Over the course of

the Leadership in Education Technology class, I have grown in both my personal and

educational knowledge of the different formats that technology presents as well as how to utilize

it. During the creation on the collaborative technology plan I was able to utilize and build skills

as a leader and group member, develop a more inclusive understanding of technology through

research, and develop an understanding of the planning and work involved when creating a

technology plan for a whole school district.

The group that I had the pleasure of working with consisted of myself and two other

women. Each of us presented a different area of expertise. Two of us were classroom teachers at

the middle and high school levels while the other works to recruit and train missionary teachers

to go around the world. We worked on our project using a google document and met every

Tuesday and any other times that were necessary using Skype. During our initial meeting we

immediately set up group norms for us to follow. Group norms are created to outline and assign

the various goals, roles, process, and interactions that will be used to complete the assignment

(Raue, S., Tang, S., Weiland, C., & Wenzlik, C. (2013). It is important to do this when creating

the group because by doing so, everyone will understand what should be happening and their

role in the work. This will minimize issues and contribute to the group’s overall success.

As we started working on the project, we divided the plan out into sections and each one

of us focused on a specific area. Each week we would have a specific amount of work that was to

be completed before we met. We cooperatively built the program a section at a time. This means

that each of us played a part and we came together to complete the whole. Then, when we met
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each week, our group would collaborate by read through each completed section, discuss it, and

edit the parts together. To collaborate, groups must decide goals, share responsibilities, and work

together to be successful (Barfield, 2016). I found that while both cooperating and collaborating

are important pieces of the project, the collaboration was the most important part. We were able

to help each other when one of us didn’t understand something and the project became stronger.

Working as part of a team to build this project presented so many benefits. Each of us

presented a unique viewpoint that the others did not have. This allowed us to look at the work

and adjust for each other that that person may not have thought of. It also helped lesson the work

load because the project became so big. However, with benefits, there are always challenges.

Life happens and can get messy at the most inconvenient of times. Online group work can be

complicated because of its asynchronous characteristics and lack of physical presence, and its

requirements for skills in handling technology, human relationships, and content-related tasks

(Chang & Khan, 2016). During our project, two of us were continually traveling so we had to

find times that worked for all of us to meet. I even did it while riding in a car. Also, one of our

members had a family emergency. We were able to postpone a day or so to allow for the team

member to be available. Luckily enough we did not have any disagreements but that could have

presented a problem. It is incredibly important to understand the benefits and challenges that

group work presents because every job has a point where cooperation and collaboration are

needed.

While creating the district technology plan I began to see how many people would need

to play an active role in the process. Being a classroom teacher, the amount of work that went

into the implementation of a technology plan. It was extremely overwhelming and there were

three of us working on the plan. This knowledge led to understanding the need for a wide range
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of people such as teachers, administrators, and other community stakeholders to be involved.

Everyone that will be utilizing the technology needs to have an understanding and say in what is

being used and/or created. A disconnect has formed between the schools and stakeholders due to

fear, unwillingness or lack or initiative to change, and not knowing where to begin (Sheninger p.

5). To help make sure all stakeholders have a say and are involved, the group chose to include

the Superintendent, Classroom Teachers, Technology Coordinators, Finance and Public

Relations, and parent representatives. Each person brings a unique view to the table that must be

considered.

As the team worked continued working on the project, we were incredibly grateful for

having a set plan for its creation. This made it very clear that when implementing any initiative, a

step by step plan should be in place. The plan sets forth a guided timeline for each step and

allows each individual to know when certain steps should be completed allowing for effective

cooperation and collaboration. When the plan is in place the next step is to communicate the

information between the stakeholders and then the general public.

Creating this technology plan taught me many things. Firstly, this project was more labor

intensive and time consuming that I expected it to be. When the plan was broken up, the

hardware specifically fell into the goal I worked on. This was not an area that I have any

experience in so there was a lot of research and discussion involved when creating Goal 1. The

work would not have been completed without the cooperation and collaboration of the other

group members. The biggest thing learned was the need for a plan and timeline so that the work

did not become overwhelming.

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To create the technology plan and screencast all four 21st Century skills were used.

Technology contributes to building cooperation, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity in

many ways. Technology tools such as Prezi provides opportunities to create while, programs like

Skype and Google Docs allow for groups to cooperate and collaborate and think critically. Dr.

Sheila Tucker (2014) states that “a technology enriched learning environment should be created

that enables students to manage their own learning, and to assess their own progress” (p. 167).

As a team, the cooperation and collaboration not only helped when creating the plan, but was

also beneficial because not all of us had knowledge of the different programs we were using.

Secondly, creativity was needed for the screencast due to the minimum amount of words that

were able to be used. Lastly, critical thinking was needed as each member had to analyze the

information that was found, evaluate its need, and synthesize it for implementation.

Communication was a major component to the success of the work. When interviewing

for a job, if the applicant is not a very good communicator they will be less likely to be hired.

Skilled communication is the key to success. This means that the individual can communicate in

many settings, using many different formats, and being able to reach a diverse audience. This

skill is highly important because students and parents from many different backgrounds need to

learn in many different ways. If the presenter has poor communication skills the information

becomes jumbled and the message becomes lost and the audience becomes frustrated.

The knowledge gained from this class can be used in both the classroom and in a school

leadership position. In the 6th grade classroom the students are often asked to collaborate on

research and creating projects. They would become frustrated when at home due to not being

able to work on the document all at once. Now they will use google docs to work on the projects.
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As part of our school’s technology committee, I am more able to understand what is needed and

how to voice thoughts and questions in a knowledgeable way. I will also be able to create a

school blog to go along with our twitter page so that parents can receive more information about

the goings on each week.

With as much as has been learned, there is something that I would do differently in this

class. The biggest thing that would be changes is the amount of time allotted for research. It was

much more intensive than I expected and I wish I had more time. Other than that, there is not

many things that would be completed differently.

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References

Barfield, A. (2016). Collaboration. ELT Journal, 57(7), 222-224. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccv074

Chang, B., & Kang, H. (2016). Challenges facing group work online. Distance

Education, 37(1), 73-88. doi:10.1080/01587919.2016.1154781

Raue, S., Tang, S., Weiland, C., & Wenzlik, C. (2013)

http://www.systemicexcellence.de/library/Paper_Raue_Tang_Weiland_Wenlik

The_GRPI_Model.pdf. Retrieved August 21, 2018.

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times [VitalSource

Bookshelf].

Tucker, S. Y. (2014). Transforming pedagogies: Integrating 21st century skills and web 2.0

technology. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 166-173.

doi:10.17718/tojde.32300