richard morris etc evaluation paper

8/2/2019 Richard Morris ETC Evaluation Paper

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Running Head: TECHNOLOGY CENTER ANALYSIS 1

Technology Center Analysis

Richard Morris

Georgia Southern University

FRIT 7738


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TECHNOLOGY CENTER ANALYSIS 2

Executive Summary

This document is an analysis of the Education Technology Center at Dalton State College.

Included in this report are the methods of information gathering, goals of the center, center

activities, and an evaluation of the center. There were various methods used to gather

information on the ETC including interviews, observations, and reports. This report specifies the

goals and mission of the ETC along with various examples of how these goals are being met on a

weekly basis. The ETC has numerous activities performed on the Dalton State campus for

college students and professors as well as activities performed at local schools for k-12 teachers

and administrators. The evaluation of the center concludes the analysis, finding that the center

meets its goals and follows its mission well. Also, there are recommendations to improve the

operations of the center. Overall, I think the ETC at Dalton State College is a great place where

teachers and administrators have the opportunity to expand their technical knowledge.


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Organizational Chart for the ETC at Dalton State College


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Methods

To gather information on the ETC at Dalton State College, I used a variety of sources.

One of the most beneficial sources came from an interview with the ETC director Judy

McEntyre. The interview protocol can be found in the appendix. Along with the interview, I was

able to visit the site a few times and see the types of equipment they use for training. After my

observations at other centers, I was able to create a checklist that helped me identify things I had

seen before and I added some things that I thought were necessary as well. Other methods of

gathering information involved looking through the ETCs website atwww.dscetc.organd

interviewing other teachers who have used their services. One teacher I was able to interview

was Adam Williams who just last year visited the site and created his own report of the ETC. I

was able to collect that report from him and I used that valuable information to assist me in my

findings. One other method of information gathering is through my own personal experience

with staff development at my school taught by the staff from the ETC at Dalton State.

Center Context and Goals

According to Judy Mrs. McEntyre, the mission of the ETC is to work to provide

professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate

use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. The ETC has three main

goals: goal 1 is to Use research-based best practices and data analysis to improve instruction

through the use of technology, goal 2 is to Ensure the stability of school districts technology

infrastructure to support teaching, learning, and administration and goal 3 is to Provide

opportunities for future educators on college campus and higher ed faculty to participate in
http://www.dscetc.org/http://www.dscetc.org/http://www.dscetc.org/http://www.dscetc.org/


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hands-on training in the integration of 21stcentury technology tools. These goals are being met

through professional development plans in the schools they serve and at the ETC. The staff

conducts classroom observations on a monthly basis, and then they review the data with teachers

and administrators using eWalk software.

The center has many stake-holders and only a few staff members to reach out to those

stake-holders. According to the website, the center services twenty school systems; however,

McEntyre stated in her interview that there are twenty-six school systems in Northwest GA being

service. Also, the ETC provides service to North GA RESA and Dalton State College. These

stake-holders are serviced by four staff members at the ETC which include: the director, tech

specialist, grant coordinator, and instructional technologists. The director sets up the training

dates and types of training, handles all the clerical work including requisitions, purchase orders,

and initial meetings with school personnel. The tech specialist controls and maintains the daily

operations of all equipment. The grant coordinator checks on grant schools while also

coordinating specific training needs and evaluations. All staff members are instructional

technologists including the director. They develop and teach any type of professional

development linked to any technology too that schools purchase. They work in the classroom

with k-12 educators to build appropriate content specific instructional tools to be used with the

hardware in the classroom. Finally, they collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness

and use of the training by the participant.

Center Activities

The center has a large assortment of activities to offer to its stake-holders. The center

consists of a computer lab containing twenty-eight Dell computers, one Smart Board, one


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Promethean Board, two scanners, two printers, and one document reader, along with one

classroom and one resource room. The ETCs website offers a multitude of classes for teachers,

administrative staff, and tech specialists. The activities include iPad training, interactive

whiteboard training, and student response system training. The purpose of these activities is to

motivate teachers to use the technology available to them in the classroom. Also, there are pre-

service classes on photostory, podcasting, building webpages, and other web 2.0 tools. The staff

also offers administrator meetings to discuss and review the data and expectations of the desired

courses listed above. According to McEntyre, 99% of the k-12 training is administered at local

school sites while the pre-service and higher ed training is located at the Dalton State Campus.

Evaluation

Based on the observations, interviews, and other data collected, the ETC at Dalton State

College is fulfilling its mission to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for

Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning,

and leadership. They reach out to twenty-six different school systems across North Georgia and

provide detailed training on relevant technology. They fulfill their mission by having classes

taught at their center for pre-service teachers and by offering staff development at the schools

they serve.

The staff and my observations have convinced me that the staff is meeting their goals

consistently. One of their goals is to ensure the stability of technology infrastructure at schools

in their area. This goal has been and continues to be met by the four staff members of the ETC.

One such event was held over the course of last semester at my school, where two staff members

taught our teachers how to use the Promethean boards effectively in the classroom. The class


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involved hands on activities during our planning period as well as homework to master the

concepts. Before the class, many teachers were confused about how to use the board and its

software. Since the training from the ETC, I have noticed many of the same teachers using the

board on a daily basis for more than just a projector. Adam Williams, a teacher I interviewed at

CHS, stated they do a great job with the resources they havethey do not let obstacles such as

budget constraints keep them from developing teachers and improving the learning experience

for students. Another goal is to use research-based best practices and data analysis to improve

instruction. They meet this goal by performing classroom observations on a monthly basis and

review the data with teachers and administrators. Their third goal involves providing

opportunities for future educators on the college campus and higher ed faculty to participate in

hands-on training in the integration of 21st century technology tools. During observations at the

ETC, I have seen students from Dalton State College attend classes led by ETC staff on relevant

technology.

Based on the information I have gathered through interviews with the staff, other

teachers, and my own observations, I conclude that the ETC at Dalton State College is meeting

its goals and fulfilling its mission for the Northwest GA area. However, I think there are some

areas where they could improve. One recommendation is to expand their staff to reach more of

NW GA. This is one of the largest areas served through a technology center in GA. More staff

would mean more services provided to the counties in our area. However, in order to hire more

staff, they need additional funding. The staff already offers PD plans for teachers and college

staff, but it would help them financially if they could offer a graduate program in the field of

instructional technology. Offering such a program in our area of the state would get more


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teachers involved in the technology arena because the college is so close. They could offer on-

line and campus courses. This would create more funding and allow for expansion of the staff.


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APPENDIX

Interview Protocol:

The following questions were asked of the Director Judy McEntyre at the ETC in Dalton State

College.

Center Goals and Mission

1. What is the mission of Dalton State ETC?2. What are some of the goals of the center?3. How are these goals being met?

Personnel and Staff

4. Who are the stakeholders of the center?5. What are the job titles and brief descriptions for key personnel who staff the center?6. What is the current status of the center?

Activities

7. What are some of the activities being carried out at the center this semester?8. Who is the audience?9. Where do these activities take place? At Dalton State, other campuses, or online?

The following questions were asked of participants of activities performed by the ETC. Adam

Williams, a teacher at Cass High, answered these questions based on his interaction with the staff

and his participation in a staff development on Promethean board training.

1. What type of training did you receive from the ETC at Dalton State?2. Where did you receive this training? On campus or at your school?3. Do you think the training was beneficial to you and other staff members?4. Based on your experience with the ETC, is there anything you would like for them to do

differently?

5. What are your expectations of the ETC since you have had this training?


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Observation Checklist:

After visiting this site and others, I developed a checklist of things I thought I should see in an

Educational Technology Center. I used the following checklist the second time I visited the site.

ETC Checklist:

___ Offices for staff (list of staff members)

___ Computer lab consisting of:

___ Computers (enough for a classroom set?)

___ Promethean boards (Location?)

___ SmartBoard (Location?)

___ IWB (interactive white board)

___ document cameras (how many?)

___ Printers

___ Scanners

___ Classrooms for training

___ Resource Room

Website Review:

http://www.dscetc.org

This is the official website of the ETC at Dalton State College. I looked throughout the website

to see how it was set up and what the ETC offered that was not mentioned in the interview. It is a

user-friendly site that offers the typical information about a business including activities,

workshop training, information about the staff, and who is served by the staff.
http://www.dscetc.org/http://www.dscetc.org/http://www.dscetc.org/


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Part B: Monthly Report

This semester at the ETC in Dalton State College, they are offering some great classes that

educators and students will want to sign up for. Below are two lists of the different training

sessions offered on the campus of Dalton State and on-site at local schools.

Activities offered at Dalton State for students and faculty:

1. Adobe PhotoShop2. Beginning Dreamweaver3. Digital storytelling4. Podcasting and video podcasting5. iPad training for students and staff6. Web 2.0 tools including: Voicethread, Vokis, Blogs, Wikis, and RSS feeds

Activities offered at local schools served by the ETC:

1. Interactive whiteboard integration training including:a. SmartBoard Trainingb. Promethean Board Trainingc. Interwrite training

2. SRS training (Student Response Systems)3. iPad Training for teachers and administrators

The center also provides workshops and administrator meetings to review data and expectations

with local school administration.

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