1.

4 Diffusion of Innovations & Change

Candidates research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining
technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. (PSC 1.4/ISTE 1d)

ARTIFACT: Individual Teacher Technology / Needs Assessment

The Individual Teacher Technology / Needs Assessment was completed in the ITEC 7460 PL &
Technology Innovation course. This artifact showcases the process of collaborating with
teachers, assessing their understanding and comfort levels of meaningful technology integration,
and developing a plan to support them with implementing the strategies. Components of this
artifact also assess the teacher’s ability to change when it comes to transformational technology
usage. This assessment was completed individually, however, its contents was based on
observations, personal interviews, and survey data from the teacher noted within the assessment.

Prior to developing a plan for coaching support, the teacher completed a research-based survey
that addressed her understanding of the Levels of Technology Innovation (LoTi) as it pertained
to her use of instructional technology with her students. Based on the assessment data, the
teacher was identified as an Innovator/Early Adopter of technology integration. She possessed an
interest in transformative practices, but was sometimes reluctant unless she could see the strategy
in action to make it relevant for her own classroom environment. With limited knowledge of G
Suite Tools for Education, it was recommended that she worked to integrate Google Classroom
to align tasks and resources with the research-based adaptive software that the school already
used. Google Classroom would provide this teacher with a digital space for her to share
resources and directives that can support personalized learning. In order to provide on-going
strategies and feedback to support her implementation of these tools, observations through the
research-based Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) was also used to provide additional
recommendations. Recurring coaching sessions were scheduled to aid the teacher with
implementing tools to ensure that she was able to sustain the newly introduced strategies and to
pivot, as needed. Although each coaching session was scheduled in advance, they were solely
based on the needs and interest of the teacher and geared towards student achievement.

Even as an instructional technology coach, I was still able to gain insight on how to improve my
craft through the completion of this artifact. The most beneficial component involved completing
the coaching cycle based on the Levels of Technology Innovation (LoTi) framework. LoTi
“represents how a teacher plans, delivers, and evaluates instructional episodes during the school
day” (Moersch, 2017). Working with this teacher allowed me to hone in on what Jim Knight
identifies as the Partnership Philosophy. Through this assessment, I was able to have
collaborative discourse and establish a plan of action that involved support for this teacher. If I
were presented with the opportunity to complete this assessment differently, I would plan our
recurring coaching sessions closer together. With scheduling being inconsistent, some of the
skills and strategies that were discussed were not implemented as strongly as they may have been
if we were together more than a few times throughout the week. Having additional time together
would potentially present future opportunities to gain more insight and work on other
instructional technology goals, as well.
The coaching cycle of support embedded within this artifact serves to impact student learning.
As the teacher is provided with strategies, a plan for implementation, and a variety of coaching
support the impact on student learning would reveal the teachers strengths and other areas where
support may be beneficial. Acting as reflective practitioner, the teacher will become more
comfortable with adjusting her classroom setting and instructional lessons to create a space for
transformative learning experiences.

References
Knight, J. (2007. Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction.
Corwin Press.

Moersch, C. (2017, September 27). Teaching Innovation On the Rise [Blog Post]. Retrieved
from https://www.loticonnection.com/single-post/2017/09/27/Teaching-Innovation-On-the-Rise