SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs...

SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs Assessment

What is the current reality in our school?

Name: T. Michael Rewis ITEC 7410, Semester: Summer 2014

ESSENTIAL CONDITION ONE: Effective Instructional Uses of Technology Embedded in Standards-Based,

Student-Centered Learning

ISTE Definition: Use of information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate engaging approaches to learning.

Guiding Questions:

How is technology being used in our school? How frequently is it being used? By whom? For what purposes?

To what extent is student technology use targeted toward student achievement of the Georgia Learning Standards (GPSs,

QCCs)?

To what extent is student technology use aligned to research-based, best practices that are most likely to support student

engagement, deep understanding of content, and transfer of knowledge? Is day-to-day instruction aligned to research-based

best practices? (See Creighton Chapters 5, 7)

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Teachers communicate

with parents using

Edmodo, Remind101,

and individual teacher

webpages

Teachers are provided

with teacher

workstation computer,

printer, data projector,

and fast-speed wired

and wireless network

connection to facilitate

daily instruction

SMARTboards are in

place in most

classrooms.

Teachers used online

learning systems such

as Edmodo

Students use

Usatestprep software to

Equitable access

SWD, ESL students

struggle with

implementing advanced

usage productivity

programs past word

processors

Bring Your Own

Device (BYOD) option

is available

Students are exposed

and learn more

technology in business

and computer science

based classes rather

than academic classes

Students are able to

recover credit through

APlus Learning

software

After school tutoring

available to offer

equitable access

Edmodo/D2L

implementation

Snap and Read (screen

reading software

available)

Classroom management

is an issue with the use

of technology

Misuse and broken

equipment from

students

Lack of funds to have

SMARTboards in all

classrooms

Achievement gap

Poverty



review for EOCT’s.

Students use APlus

software to recover

credit, remediate.

Common goals to

develop future ready

students and incorporate

21st century systems in

learning for all students

(Colquitt County

Schools Strategic Plan)

Academic teachers and

administrators have

access to Tablet

Technology

Standards-Based

Instruction

Workshop model

Backwards Design

Use of

Rubrics/exemplars to

guide student work

FIP (Formative

Instructional Practice)

Adaptive technology –

Fusions, large print for

visually-impaired

students

Advanced Placement

opportunities where

students can earn

college credit before

they leave high school

Georgia Virtual School

is available

Move on when ready

initiate

Summary/Gap Analysis: Academic teachers were issued IPads last year to provide instruction, keep attendance, grades, etc. Bring

Your Own Device (BYOD) has been an option for teachers but classroom management concerns are a threat. Business and Computer

Science classes offer students greater access and higher order thinking skills using technology, but students are not as exposed to

technology in their academic classes. Several opportunities for children are in place for every child to be successful (Aplus software

for students to recover credit, Georgia Virtual School to accelerate as well as Advance Placement classes). Adaptive technology is in

place in for any visually-impaired students.

Data Sources: Colquitt County Schools Strategic Plan, Technology System Committee, Leadership Meetings (personal conversation)



ESSENTIAL CONDITION TWO: Shared Vision

ISTE Definition: Proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among school personnel, students,

parents, and the community.

Guiding Questions:

Is there an official vision for technology use in the district/school? Is it aligned to research-best practices? Is it aligned to

state and national visions? Are teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members aware of the vision?

To what extent do teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other community members have a vision for how technology

can be used to enhance student learning? What do they believe about technology and what types of technology uses we should

encourage in the future? Are their visions similar or different? To what extent are their beliefs about these ideal, preferred

technology uses in the future aligned to research and best practice?

To what extent do educators view technology as critical for improving student achievement of the GPS/QCCs? To preparing

tomorrow’s workforce? For motivating digital-age learners?

What strategies have been deployed to date to create a research-based shared vision?

What needs to be done to achieve broad-scale adoption of a research-based vision for technology use that is likely to lead to

improved student achievement?


Plans aligned with

Georgia Performance

Standards, NETS-S

Standards, and NETS-T

standards

STEM vision that more

and more students are

using technology and

are comfortable with it.

Portable device in every

students hand and that

through the use of

technology students will

develop 21st Century

Teachers not familiar

and aware of

Technology standards

Veteran teachers have

little training with

technology

Professional

development is offered

to teachers to create

engaging standards

based authentic learning

experiences using

technology for students

Grant are available and

Superintendent has

offered incentives and

stipends to those who

write and are awarded

Teachers have no time

to keep up with growing

trends

Technology Equipment

not functioning properly

and in need of service



Skills and make them

employable to fulfill the

STEM jobs (T. Jackson,

personal

communication,

February 13, 2014)

Teachers,

administrators, parents,

school board members,

community members

are all aware of the

vision

Advisory council

meetings held to find

out what technology

community and industry

leaders require students

to know and be able to

do

Technology specialist

updates teachers of new

innovate ways to

incorporate technology

into classrooms

Mentorship

STEM partnerships

Local community that

cares

Teachers have been

chosen to operate to

pilot a learning platform

called D2L (Desire to

Learn) for students



Summary/Gap Analysis:

C. A. Gray’s vision for technology revolves around differentiated and individualized learning for students. The school seeks to

provide existing and emerging technologies to teachers and students to facilitate remediation, acceleration, and accommodation.

Ongoing professional development will be provided to teachers addressing both school and individual teacher goals. Students will be

encourage to use digital tools and become stakeholders in their individual education. The school’s goal for meeting or exceeding

district equipment standards is 80% by June 2017. School will develop school-specific appropriate policies and procedures to guide

the use and implementation of emerging technology to include, but not limited to social media, video postings, and Bring Your Own

Technology.

Data Sources: (T. Jackson, personal communication, February 13, 2014). Technology School System Committee

ESSENTIAL CONDITION THREE: Planning for Technology

ISTE Definition: A systematic plan aligned with a shared vision for school effectiveness and student learning through the infusion of

ICT and digital learning resources.

Guiding Questions:

Is there an adequate plan to guide technology use in your school? (either at the district or school level? Integrated into SIP?)

What should be done to strengthen planning?


Colquitt County has a

technology plan and

vision in place

Each school has a

technology planning

committee

All classes have equal

access to all labs on

campus (no content

specific lab restrictions)

School Shared drive

offers resources

Technology Specialists

Not enough time for

staff to train and

experiment with new

technologies

Technology Committee

Chair opportunities

Leadership Chair

opportunities

Attend Board Meetings

to voice opinions

Superintendent’s open

door policy

RESA Leadership

Program

STEM staff

development

opportunities

Lack of funding

Not having the device

in time for

configuration (IPad)

No leadership from

direct administration to

support plan in place



offers lessons, guides,

resources on district

webpage

Edmodo Professional

Communities to

collaborate and share

resources

School surveys teachers

regarding faculty and

staff opinion of

appropriate budgetary

allocations

System creates baseline

standards for classroom

technology and initiate

system wide purchasing

policies to harness

volume discounts.

System requires annual

school inventory reports


school needs

assessment


gap analysis to ensure

equality of technology

resources between

schools

Webinars available to

all staff


Colquitt County has a Technology Plan and C.A. Gray shares that vision about technology. School offers a teacher shared drive to

help aid the development of technology and other lesson plans. Technology is included in our local school strategic plan that is

aligned with the county plan. Revisions to plans will need to be updated/adjusted due to new initiates. For example, currently the



schools BYOD policy states students are not able to charge their devices in classrooms. Several students who stay after school after

using their device for instruction do not have the battery life needed to make necessary phone calls home for transportation. Plan is

currently being revised.

Data Sources: Colquitt County Systems Technology Plan, C.A. Gray School Improvement Plan

ESSENTIAL CONDITION FOUR: Equitable Access

ISTE Definition: Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and digital resources.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent do students, teachers, administrators, and parents have access to computers and digital resources necessary to

support engaging, standards-based, student-centered learning?

To what extent is technology arrange/distributed to maximize access for engaging, standards-based, student-centered

learning?

What tools are needed and why?

Do students/parents/community need/have beyond school access to support the vision for learning?


IPads for academic

teachers

BYOD Student/Parent

contract

Edmodo to access

assignment/curriculum

from home

Teacher’s webpages for

resources

School webpage for

resources

No Ipads for CTAE

teachers

Saturday school

Lunch and Learn

Study Skills Class

Before/after school

tutoring

Grant writing

opportunities

Poverty

Ipads not up to date, not

charged ready for class

No transportation for

children to/from school

to stay later or get there

early for tutoring



Summary/Gap Analysis: C.A. Gray Jr. High School as 12 stationary labs: 4 computer labs in the Business Education Department,

one Media lab, one Health Occupations lab, 2 instructional labs, and 3 mobile labs. As more funds come available, more access will

become available.

Data Sources: Colquitt County School Technology Plan

ESSENTIAL CONDITION FIVE: Skilled Personnel

ISTE Definition: Educators and support staff skilled in the use of ICT appropriate for their job responsibilities.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent are educators and support staff skilled in the use of technology appropriate for their job responsibilities?

What do they currently know and are able to do?

What are knowledge and skills do they need to acquire?

(Note: No need to discuss professional learning here. Discuss knowledge and skills. This is your needs assessment for professional

learning. The essential conditions focus on “personnel,” which includes administrators, staff, technology specialists, and teachers.

However, in this limited project, you may be wise to focus primarily or even solely on teachers; although you may choose to address

the proficiency of other educators/staff IF the need is critical. You must include an assessment of teacher proficiencies.


Highly qualified

certified staff

Commitment to

excellence

Teachers passionate

about their subjects

Dedicated

Personally invested in

child’s future and have

relationships with them

outside the classroom

Teachers will little

technology skills are

unable to troubleshoot

problems with

equipment/software

Teachers need

professional

development to raise

LoTi levels on assigned

projects

Teacher mentor

program

Professional learning

opportunities on site, at

BOE, RESA

conferences (System

Professional Learning

Plan)

Common planning

periods to collaborate

with department

Vertical aligning

Some teachers avoid

using technology

Negative mindset of

new technologies



by coaching them,

advising clubs for them

New teacher orientation

during preschool

(technology component)

TKES-System/school

feedback

planning to collaborate

between schools

regarding content and to

plan lessons that

integrate technology

YouTube available to

learn how to

troubleshoot common

problems


C.A. Gray Jr. High employs highly qualified certified staff committed to excellence. Continuous ongoing professional development is

made available in house to offer support classes on technology integration. Instructional support technologist is always available to

assist any teacher anytime.

Data Sources: Colquitt County Systems Professional Learning Plan

ESSENTIAL CONDITION SIX: Ongoing Professional Learning

ISTE Definition: Technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas.

Guiding Questions:

What professional learning opportunities are available to educators? Are they well-attended? Why or why not?

Are the current professional learning opportunities matched to the knowledge and skills educators need to acquire? (see

Skilled Personnel)



Do professional learning opportunities reflect the national standards for professional learning (NSDC)?

Do educators have both formal and informal opportunities to learn?

Is technology-related professional learning integrated into all professional learning opportunities or isolated as a separate

topic?

How must professional learning improve/change in order to achieve the shared vision?


Systems supports

school’s continuous

improvement through

the encouragement of

Data collection, review

and analysis (SLDS,

CRCT, EOCT, 8th grade

Writing test, Attendance

Reports)

OAS

Teachers on the school

improvement committee

The system and school

share the mission and

vision through on-going

professional learning

and monitoring

Professional

development is ongoing

at the system level

(Effective Instructional

Practices, ESOL, Sp.Ed

traning as well as on

site RESA trainings to

target specific

deficiencies to support

teachers implementing

System spend too much

money on motivational

keynote speaker at the

beginning of every

school year

Current professional

learning course

specifically addresses

our major achievement

lags and gaps while

supporting practices in

our areas of strengths.

Online Professional

Learning Platform

PL courses offered to

teacher in house during

planning times as well

as after school that

addresses major

achievement lags

Webinars

Re-teach opportunities

at faculty meetings

where one teacher

attends workshops and

comes back to share

resources with faculty

Additional demand on

existing technology

staff

Budget cuts-limited

funding



interventions

Current professional

learning course

specifically addresses

our major achievement

lags and gaps while

supporting practices in

our areas of strengths.

All professional

learning courses are

aligned with the district/

school improvement

plans and must be

authorized through the

system’s central office


Professional development is ongoing at the system level (Effective Instructional Practices, ESOL, migrant, Sp.Ed. training) as well as

on site and through RESA trainings to target specific deficiencies to support teachers implementing interventions. Current professional

learning course specifically addresses our major achievement lags and gaps while supporting best practices in our areas of strength.

All professional learning courses must be aligned with district/school improvement plans and must be authorized through the system’s

central office.



Data Sources: (T. Jackson, personal communication, March 13, 2014), S. Smith, personal communication, March 27, 2014)

ESSENTIAL CONDITION SEVEN: Technical Support

ISTE Definition: Consistent and reliable assistance for maintaining, renewing, and using ICT and digital resources.

Guiding Questions:

To what extent is available equipment operable and reliable for instruction?

Is there tech assistance available for technical issues when they arise? How responsive is tech support? Are current “down

time” averages acceptable?

Is tech support knowledgeable? What training might they need?

In addition to break/fix issues, are support staff available to help with instructional issues when teachers try to use technology

in the classroom?


Provides adequate

replacement and

maintenance for

technology equipment

Provides teachers and

administrators

technology equipment

using system wide

purchasing

Provide system and

school administrators

with tablet technology

for mobile applications

that allow for

assessment and

documentation of

teachers and students

Provide parents access

to the homework

assignments and

Increase technology

trained staff members to

increase teacher training

and technical support

Larger classes sizes-not

enough working

computers for students

CPS units technical

issues of connection/

remotes need batteries

Service ticket system

for requesting service

Direct communication

with Tech Support staff

by phone/email and

always available when

needed

Remote access to

equipment/network for

immediate

troubleshooting

Grants available to help

fund more new

technology

Title I funds available

Dated network and

computer hardware

Waiting on

replacements can take

long periods of time

Computer damaged by

students

Larger classes sizes

Hackers



assistance through

teacher and standards

based websites

Involve parent

coordinators in all

technology training to

increase use of

instructional technology

after school hours

Provide LAN/WAN and

wireless access robust

enough to handle

streaming video, voice

over IP, and distance

learning applications


System plans to add one full time or part-time technology position. C.A. Gray Jr. High School provides a stable network connection

for students and teachers. There is one technology specialists assigned to our school and she responds to emails/text immediately and

is always there to offer quick fixes, advice or even comes in to your classroom and helps you teach a lesson using technology.

Technology support staff is great and always available when needed/called upon.

Data Sources: Technology Committee, CTAE Department Head personal conversation



ESSENTIAL CONDITION EIGHT: Curriculum Framework

ISTE Definition: Content standards and related digital curriculum resources

Guiding Questions:

To what extent are educators, students, and parents aware of student technology standards? (QCCs/NET-S)

Are technology standards aligned to content standards to help teachers integrate technology skills into day-to-day instruction

and not teach technology as a separate subject?

To what extent are there digital curriculum resources available to teachers so that they can integrate technology into the

GPS/QCCs as appropriate?

How is student technology literacy assessed?


Challenging and effective

curriculum

Students take a technology

survey

Classroom meeting baseline

standard for a 21st Century

classroom had the following

components

o 3-5 modern computers

o Data projector

o Interactive whiteboard

o Student response

system

IEP, 504, SST, and ESOL

accommodation plans guides

instruction

Technology resources are

continually added as funds

become available;

SMARTBOARDs in most

core subject classes, CPS

Students who are

identified as having

special needs to make

sure appropriate

assistive technology is

in place according to

students’ IEP.

Provide online professional

development opportunities

for faculty and staff;

Seek ways to utilize

technology in as many

aspects of instructional and

administrative programs as

is appropriate and feasible;

o Paperless initiatives

o Attend technology

conferences

Ongoing instructional

professional development

will be provided to teachers

utilizing

SMART boards

iPads and instructional apps

CPS

Google Docs

Student Learning

Management Systems

(Edmodo)

New standards

requiring

professional

development and

limited funds

Higher classes sizes

limits access

Lack sufficient

number of

computers to support

instructional goals

Outdated computers

to support

curriculum



units, BYOT policy, Wireless

Internet, IPads for teachers.

Trainings are recurrent and

the system provides

technology specialists that

serve all schools

The district provides support

and on-going training for

personnel and programs at

our school as follows:

o ESOL

o Migrant

o Homeless students

o Social workers

o Counselors

o Nurses

o Physical Education

o Fine Arts & CTAE ---

-- We’ve had no

programs cut.

o Fewer furlough days

than many systems.

o SRO’s

o One Call Now

communication

o System & Teacher

Websites

o Emergency plans &

periodic system

trainings – required

practices

o Special education

teachers and

instructional

paraprofessionals

Digital content creation and

storage

STEM webinars available

to all staff

Special Ed teachers use

TieNet, web based special

education program

designed to manage data



Summary/Gap Analysis: Results indicated that while students and teachers are able to use 21st Century equipment on a check-out or shared basis, most

classrooms were lacking some component of a 21st Century classroom. Exceptions occur in those classrooms that had participated in

grant initiates. To equalize access in academic classrooms, administrators need to continually assess technology equipment and

allocate funds to this purpose.

Students in the Business Education Department work on the latest technological tools and innovative curriculum in hands-on learning

authentic projects that include web page production, managing databases, creating spreadsheets, composing documents, write scripts

for programming code, create audio video productions, narrated screencast of PowerPoints and act as creators and publish work to the

web. All projects are aligned with the current Georgia Performance Standards.

Data Sources: Colquitt County Schools Technology Plan, CTAE Department Head, C.A. Gray Technology Committee

SWOT Analysis Template for Technology Planning Needs...

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