5.1 Needs Assessment
Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
Artifact: Individual Teacher Technology Assessment
Reflection:
Before engaging in instructional technology coaching, it is important to first understand the feelings and current practices of the teacher partner. Therefore, as part of ITEC 7460, I was tasked with developing and implementing assessments to measure a willing colleague’s current technology use as it pertains to the Levels of Technology Integration (LoTI) Framework and attitudes about adopting new technology in order to gauge his/her particular needs to address throughout the coaching model for professional development. I decided to implement my assessments with a first grade teacher, to whom I will refer to Mrs. M. This artifact includes a description of the assessments themselves as well as Mrs. M’s results and an interpretation of those results.
I was able to conduct both of these needs assessments to determine Mrs. M’s strengths and weaknesses as they apply to LoTI and technology adoption. From the LoTI needs assessment, I determined that Mrs. M recognizes the importance of incorporating technology for “higher levels of cognitive processing and in-depth treatment of the content using a variety of thinking skill strategies (e.g., problem-solving, decision-making)” (LoTI Framework, 2011) and has some knowledge of how to do so; however, she does not employ these strategies very often, nor is she familiar with a wide variety tools to accomplish this goal. Instead, she more often uses technology for “lower levels of cognitive processing (e.g., Bloom Levels - remembering, understanding, applying; Webb’s Levels – recall & reproduction, working with skills & concepts)” (LoTI Framework, 2011). From the technology adoption needs assessment, I determined that Mrs. M would be considered an “early adopter” according to Roger’s (1995) change theory of diffusion, as described by Orr (2003). Whereas innovators are eager to give any new technology a try, Mrs. M, as an early adopter, prefers to “use the data provided by the innovators’ implementation and confirmation of the innovation to make their own adoption decisions. If [early adopters] observe that the innovation has been effective for the innovators, then they will be encouraged to adopt” (Orr, 2003). Mrs. M is enthusiastic about new technologies, but also prefers to consider her options and is usually not the very first person to try a new technology. I was able to then use the findings from these needs assessments to inform myself about how to best fulfill Mrs. M’s particular content and delivery needs throughout the coaching relationship for technology-based professional development. For example, I found that in order to improve her instruction according to the LoTI Framework, she needs support and guidance to comfortably implement lessons that incorporate technology for HOTS-related learning activities on a more consistent basis. She also needs support in learning a wider variety of technology tools and resources that can help her accomplish this goal. From her assessment results about her feelings about the adoption of new technologies, I found she is a good candidate for technology coaching because she will be willing to learn about new technologies after seeing some evidence of their effectiveness first.
From developing and implementing these needs assessments, I gained a deep appreciation for the needs assessment process as a way to tailor professional learning to each coaching partner’s particular needs. Although I regularly administer diagnostic assessments with my students to understand their learning needs, I had not previously transferred this process to adult learning. By conducting these needs assessments with Mrs. M, I was able to give her training that would most directly and meaningfully benefit both her and her students. I also gained appreciation for how effective such strategies could be when used on a broader scale to determine needs for other professional learning activities beyond individual coaching. If I were to conduct the needs assessments again, I would want to try my hand at finding and working with colleagues with different technology adoption attitudes and current technology practices so that I could learn even more about how to suit the needs of different adult learners.
These needs assessment have had a positive impact on faculty development, as I used the results to create a professional learning plan for a member of the school’s faculty to learn how more about implementing technology in her classroom. This impact can be demonstrated in the coaching journal that details how the professional development that resulted from these needs assessments helped Mrs. M learn about technology implementation. This impact can also be assessed by anecdotal data such as classroom observations and walkthroughs that document the increased quantity and quality of technology implementation in Mrs. M’s classroom.
Before engaging in instructional technology coaching, it is important to first understand the feelings and current practices of the teacher partner. Therefore, as part of ITEC 7460, I was tasked with developing and implementing assessments to measure a willing colleague’s current technology use as it pertains to the Levels of Technology Integration (LoTI) Framework and attitudes about adopting new technology in order to gauge his/her particular needs to address throughout the coaching model for professional development. I decided to implement my assessments with a first grade teacher, to whom I will refer to Mrs. M. This artifact includes a description of the assessments themselves as well as Mrs. M’s results and an interpretation of those results.
I was able to conduct both of these needs assessments to determine Mrs. M’s strengths and weaknesses as they apply to LoTI and technology adoption. From the LoTI needs assessment, I determined that Mrs. M recognizes the importance of incorporating technology for “higher levels of cognitive processing and in-depth treatment of the content using a variety of thinking skill strategies (e.g., problem-solving, decision-making)” (LoTI Framework, 2011) and has some knowledge of how to do so; however, she does not employ these strategies very often, nor is she familiar with a wide variety tools to accomplish this goal. Instead, she more often uses technology for “lower levels of cognitive processing (e.g., Bloom Levels - remembering, understanding, applying; Webb’s Levels – recall & reproduction, working with skills & concepts)” (LoTI Framework, 2011). From the technology adoption needs assessment, I determined that Mrs. M would be considered an “early adopter” according to Roger’s (1995) change theory of diffusion, as described by Orr (2003). Whereas innovators are eager to give any new technology a try, Mrs. M, as an early adopter, prefers to “use the data provided by the innovators’ implementation and confirmation of the innovation to make their own adoption decisions. If [early adopters] observe that the innovation has been effective for the innovators, then they will be encouraged to adopt” (Orr, 2003). Mrs. M is enthusiastic about new technologies, but also prefers to consider her options and is usually not the very first person to try a new technology. I was able to then use the findings from these needs assessments to inform myself about how to best fulfill Mrs. M’s particular content and delivery needs throughout the coaching relationship for technology-based professional development. For example, I found that in order to improve her instruction according to the LoTI Framework, she needs support and guidance to comfortably implement lessons that incorporate technology for HOTS-related learning activities on a more consistent basis. She also needs support in learning a wider variety of technology tools and resources that can help her accomplish this goal. From her assessment results about her feelings about the adoption of new technologies, I found she is a good candidate for technology coaching because she will be willing to learn about new technologies after seeing some evidence of their effectiveness first.
From developing and implementing these needs assessments, I gained a deep appreciation for the needs assessment process as a way to tailor professional learning to each coaching partner’s particular needs. Although I regularly administer diagnostic assessments with my students to understand their learning needs, I had not previously transferred this process to adult learning. By conducting these needs assessments with Mrs. M, I was able to give her training that would most directly and meaningfully benefit both her and her students. I also gained appreciation for how effective such strategies could be when used on a broader scale to determine needs for other professional learning activities beyond individual coaching. If I were to conduct the needs assessments again, I would want to try my hand at finding and working with colleagues with different technology adoption attitudes and current technology practices so that I could learn even more about how to suit the needs of different adult learners.
These needs assessment have had a positive impact on faculty development, as I used the results to create a professional learning plan for a member of the school’s faculty to learn how more about implementing technology in her classroom. This impact can be demonstrated in the coaching journal that details how the professional development that resulted from these needs assessments helped Mrs. M learn about technology implementation. This impact can also be assessed by anecdotal data such as classroom observations and walkthroughs that document the increased quantity and quality of technology implementation in Mrs. M’s classroom.