Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan

Laura Ann Porter

http://msporter87.weebly.com
Grand Canyon University
EDU-225
February 7, 2015

Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan

Introduction
Classrooms have changed from one room learning environments to
technologically dominated atmospheres where learning is creative, more
advanced, core curriculum guided, and very much digital. In this plan, I will
openly communicate my strategies to be an accountable, successful teacher,
and how to instruct my students using proper core content- filled lessons to
generate

learning.

My

missions

first

priority

is

establishing

good

communication with my students, parents, and educational community. The

next step will highlight my technology choices and how they will enhance
learning for every student. Lastly, after getting to know my students learning
styles, my choice of web tools, digital resources, and skills that I include will
show that my students are learning at a great pace. High achievement
percentages with assessments and a well- structured plan to get everyone
up to standard with assessments is the key to successful teaching and
learning for my students; it is definitely the by-product of a great vision.
Section One: Mission and Vision Statement
Furthermore, mission and vision statements indeed are essential in
plans and goals of every successful person and company. According to a
journal article, mission statements have two primary purposes:

communication and motivation (Cady, Wheeler, DeWolf, & Brodke, 2011).

Vison statements on the other hand, represent a persons or companies
values. Thus, it is my mission to gather as much knowledge as possible and
communicate that knowledge with my students. I also hope to incorporate as
much digital learning and technology in the classroom so that my students
can be inspired to always grow and learn. My vision is to continually inspire
learning in the hearts and minds of my students, to treat them equally, give
them access to a safe, independent work environment, to teach
accountability and responsibility, and to show them that whatever can be
dreamed can be achieved.
Section Two: Communications Plan
With each student that has a dream, the parent should be the initial
stimulus, motivation, and pusher for that dream. In each school district, an
open line of communication with each parent is a sure fire way to keep
students focused, help them achieve academically, socially, and mentally,
and also to help them prioritize their priorities. A good solid education should
be at the top of the list and is the key in attaining those things. For me, initial
contact with the parents as early as possible should be priority number one.
Many schools have an open house before school starts so that the parents,
students, teachers, administrators and other school staff can get to know
each other and establish expectations for the upcoming school year, discuss
school and district policies, and answer any questions the parents or

students may have pertaining to any aspect of the education process. This
will be my first line to establish communication with my parents. The next
line of communication will be the school calling system. In my community,
the school has an established phone system that keeps the parents up to
date with school events, testing dates and many important school district
deadlines. Using the school call system to contact my parents is something
that can be useful. My classroom website is another resource that I will get
my parents and students connected to on the first day of class. Sending
home information on how to access the web site along with my e-mail
address, phone, and other contact information should send welcoming,
inviting vibes home to my parents. ISTE standards dictate that teachers
must collaborate with students, parents, peers, and community members to
support student success (Education, ISTE Standards: Teachers, 2008). Of
course, having a valid contact number for each parent in my students
records is something every teacher should do on or before the first day of
class and definitely before the end of a summative assessment period.
Having parents within reach and on the positive side of learning can all but
ensure every student will do their best to attain a quality education for him
or herself.
Section Three: Integrating Instructional Technology
As a result of the modern advanced curriculum, we are seeing a new
classroom of digital natives which is the term the new technologically

proficient students of today are referred (Prensky, 2001). Teachers have to

step up their teaching game and learn how to effectively use technology so
that the students can keep up with their peers and the rest of the world
because technology is ever-expanding. I know that the traditional techniques
alone will simply not be enough. Lessons planned around using technology
must consider the knowledge and skills of the students so that they are able
to start and complete a lesson successfully (Gunther & Gunther, 2014). As I
learn to integrate technology into my lessons, one such device I plan to use
is the Interactive White Board or (IWB) as it is also known. With the IWB, it
provides the users with the tools needed to handwrite in a given blank space,
type text, highlight text, create shapes, and insert images (Gunther &
Gunther, 2014). Because access to it is easy, it is often a major selling point
and many educators download a version of it to their personal computers to
enable them to build curriculum specific lessons at home to teach content
and add interactivity to their lessons (Gunther & Gunther, 2014). Google
Apps, Skype and YouTube are also some the most popular tools around today
(Dunn, 2013). These technology tools are battle-tested, time saving, and will
be a part of my teaching arsenal. With Skype, I will be able to connect my
students to students in classrooms across the world as well as invite a
lecturer, educator, or personality into my classroom without them actually
entering my classroom. Skype is totally free and is used by millions of people
every day. And as a last tool, YouTube has everything any student, parent, or
teacher may be searching for. Through my classroom website, I can upload

lectures to it and also teach the students how to effectively use the site to
find educational tools that will help them stay ahead of the pack. As an
added incentive, the parents can use YouTube to watch lectures uploaded on
my classroom website so they too will always know what their child has for
homework. Letting the parents know that these tools are easily downloaded
to any computer, tablet and even many smart phones can keep the lines of
communication going. As with any digital device, web tool or software
applications, there may be problems that can arise with new technologies as
well as software glitches and issues that can arise with more established
technologies.

Section Four: Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Despite obstacles that may come, differentiating instruction using
technology for teachers and students is unavoidable in this present age. Yet,
making sure technology is meeting the needs of every student is a must
(Tenkely, 2015). ). And just as teachers pace the lessons when verbally
teaching, they can also use the technology to allow students to work at their
own pace. One advantage of using tech tools is that the technology tools can
make the lessons interactive, more interesting and varied as compared to
teaching from the book, handouts, or spoken lecture. Another positive for
using technology is that the world and workforce thrives and lives on

technology and teaching students how to be experts at this will produce a

future workforce of capable individuals who will one day run the world. With
technology in the classroom, there are also downsides. One of them being
that the students can be too dependent upon technology and in case of
digital blackouts may be lost in using common tools as the Dewey decimal
system in the library to find a book. Another con to using tech is the
possibility of students cheating or plagiarizing papers from internet sites. A
third negative for technology in the classroom is that students who are
digital experts may make less experienced students feel inadequate with
their profound use of the harder to navigate tech tools. This issue alone
should motivate me as a teacher to turn off the technology at times and just
see how interesting a lesson can be by just having the students use their
imaginations, grammar skills, and sharp minds to have an old-fashioned day
of learning. Giving each student a taste of the past is good because each
student should know the history of education before there was technology.
And while technology makes the classroom more diverse and interesting,
studies show that student achievement is not impacted with the
implementation of technology. This leads me to believe that students have to
have an inward desire to learn and the basis for learning does not make a
great impact on them. While the job of the classroom teacher is to provide a
safe, positive learning environment, and a duty to hold students to higher
standards, the students have a responsibility to themselves also. When
student learning is instructor- guided, some students may depict themselves

as being powerless (Abdelmalak & Trespalacios, 2013). And though teachers

have much greater proficiency and knowledge on the subject that is being
taught, student-centered learning shifts that power equally between the
student and the teacher. Student-centered learning focuses on what the
students do to learn and shifts the role of the teacher from a giver of
information to a facilitator of student learning (Abdelmalak & Trespalacios,
2013). This creates a balance of power because the teachers are no longer
responsible for making all the decisions about learning for the students.
Section Five: Technology to Support Assessment
Finally, to test the depth of learning from using technology in the
classroom as teaching aids, assessments have to be conducted periodically
throughout the academic year. As a teacher and as I get to know my
students, I will learn which technology assessment tools are most effective in
promoting learning for the class as a whole. From the many choices such as
Excel, Polldaddy, Questbase, clickers, Smart boards, WriteToLearn, and many
others, these technologies will be an asset to my classroom as a new
teachers and also the classrooms of my more experienced coworkers. By
using an Excel spreadsheet or a Questbase exam, I can reference the
technology and see where improvement needs to take place and also
identify the strengths of my students. Questbase is a web-based, crossplatform application that provides everything I will need to create and
manage my assessments, tests, quizzes and exams, both on-line and printed
(Software, 2015). As an educational tool, with Questbase, I can create self-

grading quizzes, assign them to students, assess their performance, and

analyze results. The results will show me how well the students understood
the lesson and if I need to re-teach it or move on to the next lesson.
Assessment technology is composed of two main types which are formative
and summative assessments. A formative assessment is an evaluation
based on a shorter time span that can be multiple ongoing assessments. A
summative assessment is evaluating a student(s) to see if they retained the
skills taught during the formative assessment periods. A formative
assessment is not included in a student grade nor used to judge a teachers
performance. On the other hand, a summative assessment does include
student grades and carries a high weight and can also mean the difference in
a promotion and demotion at the end of the school year for students who do
not score high enough on these assessments. One of the positives of using
assessment tools is that they while they are most often the tools used to
determine student grades, they can also be used to evaluate student
placement, student advancement, differentiated student instructional needs,
student curriculum, and school standing which can be a positive for the
teacher and students.(Gunter, Glenda A., Gunter, Randolph E. 2014). A
downside to using assessments is that they may be seen as a way to punish
poor performing students making this an equity concern for all involved.
Therefore, it is safe to say that a teacher should not only use technology for
assessment but other means also because student learning styles are
different, and/or he or she may be teaching in an inclusion classroom with

learners being at different skill levels. Despite this every effective teacher
should follow the ISTE skill standards which require teachers to design and
develop learning using contemporary tools to maximize learning. And in
essence, the last standard of ISTE, which is the teacher exhibiting positive
professional growth, will be achieved when he or she successfully
demonstrates exemplary proficiencies in using digital tools that actually
promote and show learning by all her students. I hope to live up to the
standards in my classroom.

Conclusion
As a future teacher, I can clearly see that technology is here to stay
and every student must be receptive to learning about the software, web
tools, devices, and everything that is related to non-traditional learning. From
the way I communicate with my students and parents, and to my choice of
technology tools, I must implement ways to keep the classroom exciting,
positive, safe for all, and an ideal spot for expanding and enhancing their
minds. The students must leave my classroom each day with the desire to
learn and learn some more. As I strive to differentiate instruction using
technology, and produce students who score high on assessments and retain
the knowledge, I will remember to always be ready for change because with
technology you never know where it will take you in the future.

Reflection Essay (250-500)

This document has been one of the hardest essays I have had to write
since enrolling here at Grand Canyon University. I grew up in an academic
age where computers were not part of the classroom environment. I was
introduced to an array of new digital devices, web tools, and web sites that I
never knew existed or even thought to research. After creating my mission
and vision statement, I had to ask myself, is this something I can really do? Is
teaching really for me? How can I handle the responsibility of a group of
hormonal, unpredictable teenagers, who are not my own. I know that I will
probably carefully examine my mission statement and myself in the process
of examining the vision statement. So to answer my previous question, is
teaching really for me? I say a resounding yes. I have taught teenagers at
Vacation Bible School, raised my own six children, have had the privilege of
touching the lives of my many nieces and nephews and look forward to
sharing more of my gifts with high school English students. I realize that
unless I try something, I will not really know if I am good at it. Since I think
teaching and the desire to learn and expand my knowledge has always been
in my heart, I know that the teachnology tools I use in my classroom will be
the right ones. Despite the fact that a few months ago, I knew nothing about
integrating technology in a classroom or differentiating technology through
instruction. This stuff literally made my hair stand up on my head and at the

same time, made me brave and confident. It was so difficult to navigate the
textbook because everything seemed to be a repetition of the previous
chapter and it made me think, why all this technology. I, however, realize
that we had to advance one day and technology is not going anywhere. I
realize now that I have concrete ideas in front of me and I need to start
implementing, planning, making notes, and practicing my classroom
techniques and using the technology that I will one day be presenting to a
group of inquisitive teens. Since I have knowledge in my hand, I know that I
will need to become friends with the technology teachers in my district, and
maybe invite coworkers and parents to form a technology club to research
the best tech tools for successful learning. One thing I do know is that I can
no longer be afraid.
References
Abdelmalak, M., & Trespalacios, J. (2013). Using a Learner-Centered Approach to
Develop an Educational Technology Course. International Journal of Teaching
& Learning, 324-332.
Cady, S. H., Wheeler, J. V., DeWolf, J., & Brodke, M. (2011). Mission, Vision, and
Values: What do they Say? Organization Development Journal, 16.
Dunn, J. (2013, August 20). The 10 Most Popular Teacher Tools Being Used This Year.
Retrieved from Edudemic: Connecting Education & Technology:
http://www.edudemic.com/the-10-most-popular-teacher-tools/

Education, I. S. (2008). ISTE Standards: Teachers. Arlington, Virginia, United States

of America.
Gunther, G. A., & Gunther, R. E. (2014). Teachers Discovering Computers:
Integrating Technology in a Connected World. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Prensky, M. (2001, September/October). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the
Horizon, pp. 1-6.
Software, S. (2015). questbase. Retrieved from QUESTBASE:
http://www.questbase.com/product/