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1CAPSTONE REPORT OUTLINE AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

CAPSTONE REPORT OUTLINE AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

Part B #1

ITEC 7500

Stephen Rahn

Summer 2017

Steven Wilson


Description of the Capstone Experience

The Capstone Experience was based on the needs of my school, Griffin Middle School,

for using technology as a differentiation tool in the mathematics classroom. With the transition

into a BYOD school and the need more innovative math practices in a technology driven world,

it was my goal to host professional development classes for the staff to educate on best practices

for differentiating in the math classroom. With students being constantly connected to

technology by cell phones, tablets, gaming devices, etc., I found it necessary and beneficial to

fuse learning with technology and I believe we can see the most growth in the mathematics

classroom.

With the Milestone test scores at Griffin being the lowest in mathematics and coming up

short in both state and local comparisons, I found it necessary to open the door to the exploration

of new practices, especially with the use of technology, and to pass this knowledge on to my

colleagues to improve overall morale in the mathematics department. Parents, students and even

teachers have become increasingly frustrated with mathematics programs in public schools and

by the assessments that gauge their learning. Last year about 60,000 parents nationwide held

back their child from taking the end of the year math test because of a frustration on how the

subject is taught and assessed (TimesUnion, 2015).

To start the process of providing an informative and beneficial professional development

course, I first asked the mathematics staff to complete a needs assessment based on their current

implementation of technology in their classrooms. This was done by providing a link to a survey

to the entire mathematics department and asked questions based on digital landscape, teacher

perception, school climate, standards-based instruction, and use of resources in the classroom

(Appendix A). Once I received the survey from the mathematics department, I began to analyze


the data and determine areas that needed to be addressed. This was done by looking at areas of

common concerns, which was overwhelming the absences of resources that can be used in the

classroom to differentiate instruction and assessment for the students. Once the topic for the

professional development was narrowed down to “technology tools used to differentiate

mathematical instruction” I began to research and plan the development course. From the

research, I determined that there would be three resources that teachers would enjoy using and

also would be beneficial to differentiate instruction and assessment and ultimately increase

student scores. Those resources were: Promethean Planet software, Khan Academy, and IXL

which differed from my proposal. Originally Khan Academy was the only resources I was

providing professional development for but after completing the research I found many useful

resources and narrowed it down to three.

Once the needs had been determined and the content of the professional development

decided on, I began the development process. During this process I designed learning materials

and collected resources to distribute during the presentations. It was also during this phase that I

decided on having three separate professional developments, one for each resource, which would

last 45 minutes a piece. Once approved by the principal, a date was arranged and an invitation to

the math department was sent out. This was a mandatory professional development decided on

by me and the principal. This differs from the original plan of providing one professional

development course that addressed just one resources. Because of the variety of great resources,

we found it necessary to have several professional developments.

The next step was to conduct the professional development courses. Each course was 45

minutes long and allowed the participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with each

resource. I provided handouts the outlined step-by-step directions on how to operate and


troubleshoot each program (Appendix B,C,D). I then gave a brief tutorial, followed by allowing

the teachers to setup their accounts and play around with each program.

As a follow up to the Professional Development teachers were encouraged to use any and

all of the programs that were offered. I acted as a technology coach and would model, facilitate,

or observe implementation when asked. To evaluate and monitor progress I used data from

student scores and mastery of standards. With both IXL and Khan Academy the student’s scores

will show progress and mastery from beginning to end. These numbers were used to determine

the effectiveness and growth for each student. To monitor teacher effectiveness, we provided a

post survey at the end of the school year. This survey was similar to the first one and was used to

observe teacher growth. The majority of the teachers who participated were satisfied with the

results of the professional development and believed it helped them differentiate instruction in

their math classroom.

Overall the Capstone went to plan, with a few exceptions of adding additional material to

my presentation. The biggest challenge I found was teacher participation. Although, they

identified having a need for resources that could be used to differentiate instruction, I still found

some pushback on wanting to attend the PL and wanted to change practices that they have

become comfortable with in their classroom. I believe this is because of the negative connotation

that surrounds Professional Development within my school. Teachers feel like they are

continually being forced to implement programs that they do not feel comfortable with. Once the

math team attend my professional development, I think the overall attitude changed. Teachers

began to see that these programs were resources that could really help them and their students.

Also providing that assistance and support of a technology coach which could assist and model

for them helped them become more comfortable and willing to participate in the new programs.


Appendix

A. Technology Needs Assessment

Technology QuestionnaireDigital Landscape1.How frequently do you use technology to enhance student’s education (PowerPoint or similar presentation software is not included).

a) A few times a month because technology is unavailable b) A few time a month because I am unfamiliar with my options for using technologyc) A few times a monthd) Once a weeke) Twice a weekf) 3 or more times a week

2. Which statement describes your technology skills? a. I am very good at using many technology toolsb. I am aware of technology tools that could benefit my class, but have not learned to use

themc. I am unaware of technology tools that could benefit my class, and I am unsure how to

use technologyd. I have a few worthwhile technology tools/skills that I use well. Please

list______________

Teacher Perception3. I am comfortable using data to modify my technology integration in the classroom based off of individual students’ needs.

a. Strongly Agreeb. Agreec. No Opinion d. Disagreee. Strongly Disagree

School Climate

4. I feel like my voice is heard and respected in terms often decision-making process when choosing technology for instructional use.

a. Strongly Agree b. Agreec. No Opiniond. Disagree


e. Strongly Disagree

School Climate5. The technology mission statement is well known and utilized at my school by all teachers

a.Strongly Agreeb. AgreeC. No OpinionD. DisagreeE. Strongly Disagree

Standards Based Instruction6. My lessons and assessments are designed to teach and evaluate student mastery of the the Georgia Performance Standards for my course.

a.Strongly Agreeb. AgreeC. No OpinionD. DisagreeE. Strongly Disagree

Use of Resources and Classroom Practices7. My students use digital resources to remember, understand, or apply the content taught in my classroom.

a. Dailyb. Weeklyc. Monthlyd. Never

8. My students use digital resources to analyze or evaluate information related to the content they learn in my classroom.


9. My students use digital resources to create content that demonstrates their mastery of the content they learn in my classroom.


10. I use digital content to demonstrate, present, or reinforce content in my classroom.



Teacher Adopter Category Survey1. I am generally uncomfortable using new technologies

a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Never

2. How frequently do you use social media (personal/professional)?a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Never

3. How comfortable are you with Online Assessment, Web-Based Presentation Tools, and Instructional Webpages?

a. Very comfortable, I am excellent at using all these toolsb. somewhat comfortable, I can use most of these tools wellc. uncomfortable, I only use these tools when I have to

4. How comfortable are you trying new devices as part of your instruction (iPads, iRespond units, smart phone apps)

a. very comfortable, I try new devices oftenb. somewhat comfortable, I try new devices when I see their benefit in other teacher’s instructionc. uncomfortable, I rarely try new devices unless it is mandated

5. How comfortable are you trying new software as part of your instruction (Kahoo, Socrative, NearPod, Flocabulary, USA TestPrep)

a. very comfortable, I try new software oftenb. somewhat comfortable, I try new software when I see their benefit in other teacher’s instructionc. uncomfortable, I rarely try new software unless it is mandated

6. How would you describe yourself in terms of lesson planning? a. I am an innovatorb. I am cautious


c. I am fairly adventurous d. I have plans that work, so I tend to stick with them

7. Which of the following best describes the way you identify new technology tools to use with your existing lesson plans?

a. I read peer-reviewed literature related to technology toolsb. I ask for recommendations from peers who I observe using technology tools I am not

familiar withc. I use links from educators that I follow on social mediad. I use resources presented during professional learning sessions

8. Which of the following are you most likely to use to teach your students to use a new technology tool?

a. Whole group instructionb. Station instructionc. Blended instructiond. Peer-to-Peer instruction

9. Which of the following describes the way that you are most likely to determine if a new technology tool is an effective addition to your teaching routine?

a. Student Surveyb. Teacher Reflectionc. Peer or Administrator Observationd. Class Discussion or Written Student Observation

10. How often do you add new technology tools to your instructional routine?a. Weeklyb. Monthlyc. Each Semesterd. Each School Year

B. Promethean Planet (eBeam) Directions


C. Khan Academy Directions


D. IXL Directions

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