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Needs Assessment Report: Promethean ActivBoard 178-Interactive Whiteboard

Samantha G. Longanecker

Trevecca University
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Needs Assessment Report: Promethean ActivBoard 178-Interactive Whiteboard

The targeted audience for this training is elementary level educators. Educational

integration and educator training on the Promethean ActivBoard 178-Interactive Whiteboard is

the general focus of the instruction. The training objectives and purpose lie in creating a set of

instructions for elementary level educators. This training will focus on developing an awareness

and integration knowledge of the ActivBoard. Learners will become aware of the capabilities,

functioning, troubleshooting, frequently asked questions, and content specific resources for

instruction and operation of the ActivBoard. The objective of the training was determined by

interactions with colleagues at the elementary level. It is commonly noted that fellow educators

are not fully aware of ActivBoard capabilities and integration in their classroom. The low level

of integration proficiency, with the ActivBoard among elementary educators, is the identified

problem. The learners will master the objectives of ActivBoard integration, and they will

integrate learnings into lesson planning and instructional lessons for elementary level students.

Individual educator competency of integration will be the assessing factor in the effectiveness of

the instructional modules.

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Learner Analysis

The characteristics of the learners will ultimately determine the decisions that are made

with the design of the instruction sets for this training. A crucial step in creating the most

effective and efficient training is in the communication with the learner. It is critical to

understand the array of learning styles and needs of the educators that will be utilizing this

training. The learner analysis below will aid in the development of the ActivBoard training.

“Knowing the learners’ skills, attitudes, and aptitudes is obviously important in determining the

appropriate difficulty level of instruction” (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp, 2013, p.53). It is

imperative that I fully consider and analyze my targeted audience, so the appropriate level of

instruction is developed.

Primary Audience

● Elementary Educators in Franklin, Tennessee

Secondary Audience

● Teaching Assistants and Special Educators

● Elementary School Administrators and Academic Coaches

General Learner Characteristics

● Age: 22 years – 60 years Gender: 92% female, 8% male

● Education: Bachelor’s Degree / Master’s Degree / State Licensure-Elementary Education

● Work Experience: 0 - 30+ years

● Physical Strength: All learners can lift 10 pounds

● Learning Styles: Range of Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic (Introduction to VARK

2019).
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Entry Characteristics

● Most educators are not familiar with the concepts and integration of the ActivBoard.

● Most educators understand that the board is a technological component that can aid in

instructional lessons with students.

● Learners will be motivated to take this training because it is going to be developed with

an awareness of time constraints of the learner and practicality of the integration in the

elementary educational setting.

● Prior Experience – Most learners have little to no experience with using the ActivBoard.

Some learners may have little general knowledge about the board. Often educators will

have a troubleshooting error that was not resolved, and this experience has limited their

use of the board in instruction.

● Common Errors – Learners will often not understand how to calibrate their ActivBoard

for correct stylus use. Learners often do not know how to resolve general problems with

board functions. It is also common to find that the learner will often not understand how

to manually power and connect their board for classroom use. Limitations are also

present for accessing instructional resources for planning lessons and integration of the

ActivBoard.
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Instructional Needs

Instruction has been determined as a need to increase elementary educator competency

with integration of the ActivBoard. The modules in the training are as listed: Interactive

Whiteboard Basics and Setup- hardware components and functions, Troubleshooting Basics –

hardware and software functions, Whiteboard Capabilities, Interactive Resources – subject

specific/grade band specific, Frequently Asked Questions – ActivBoard. The learners will

master the objectives for ActivBoard hardware and software connectivity, troubleshooting when

a need arises, by planning and integrating the ActivBoard into academic lessons for students.

Mastery of training objectives will be evident when the learner is aware of board setup,

troubleshooting, and integration of the ActivBoard into daily instructional lessons.

The planned instructional modules have the potential to resolve the lack of competency

of elementary educator ActivBoard integration. By creating an online platform for learning,

educators can use their limited time to explore and learn about the ActivBoard at their own pace.

They will also be able to return to the training for remediation, frequently asked questions, and

troubleshooting suggestions as needs arise throughout their career path. Educators are looking to

constantly increase student performance through instruction. By using the ActivBoard as a

learning resource and tool, you are likely to see a positive correlation in student achievement.

According to the text in ​Integrating Literacy and Technology: Effective Practice for Grades K-6,

“thoughtful practitioners and teacher educators are developing and fine-tuning their instructional

practices to maximize learning opportunities for children” (Watts-Taffe & Gwinn, 2007, pg. vii).

The instructional focus, when training elementary level educators in the use and overall

integration of the ActivBoard, will support the idea that educators are constantly seeking to
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improve their instruction and help students master instructional standards of learning. The

instructional modules will help educators integrate and enrich the learning of their target

audience-students.

This needs assessment has defined the educational problem in which the instructional

outline has been explained. The learners have also been identified and a comprehensive analysis

of the learners’ characteristics have been considered. Further research will be conducted to

ensure that the instructional components match the learning styles and demographic of the

targeted audience. When learners complete the training components, they will show mastery by

being able to successfully integrate the ActivBoard into their instructional lessons in the

classroom and access appropriate self-paced training resources. “Technology is therefore

shifting the ways in which people learn and communicate” (Nettelbeck, 2005, pg. 11). “The

post-literate generation is making the shift from word to image, from text to hypertext, and from

single sources to the interconnectedness of word, image and sound” (Nettelbeck, 2005, pg. 11).

Through the completion of this training, educators will be able to continue to make needed

connections with student learning and enrich their lessons to meet the needs of their students and

community.
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References

Introduction to VARK. (2019). Retrieved October 5, 2019,

http://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/​.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Morrison, J. R., & Kalman, H. K. (2013). ​Designing Effective

Instruction.​ Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Nettelbeck, D. (2005). ​Computers, Thinking and Learning: Inspiring Students with Technology.

Camberwell, Victoria: Australian Council for Education Research.

Watts-Taffe, S. M., Gwinn, C. B., Watts-Taffe, S., & Watts, T. S. (2007). ​Integrating Literacy

and Technology: Effective Practice for Grades K-6.​ Retrieved from

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com​.