PART D - Findings & Implications

I was able to implement my project mostly as planned. I encountered some problems finding a site that would allow me to upload many video files. I was able to resolve the issue by subscribing to a Pro account with Weebly. This allows me to upload multiple Jing videos each week as tutorials for teachers to review. It also allows me to share my training with teachers that are unable to attend the face to face meetings. It has been difficult to find a time that works well for many individual teachers, so some of the most valuable training opportunities have happened when I am able to work with colleagues individually. I am able to help them trouble shoot right away and answer specific questions they are having.

The original problem of practice I identified was a lack of training for teachers in my district so they are able to effectively use the technology tools provided. I wanted to increase their knowledge, confidence, and ideas for incorporating technology into their planning and for use with their students. There have been several success stories from the training sessions I have implemented so far. Two teachers have established classroom websites to share with students and parents. Several others have designed differentiated instruction to use with their students during their weekly computer lab times to help them gather data and track student progress. Finally, two teachers in the building are now comfortable enough with the toolbar and features of their SMARTboards to use it effectively for daily instruction.

Tackling this project has taught me a lot. I have realized the importance of having a clear timeline for events and setting aside time to develop each component. For another project I would again use surveys to gather data about my intended audience in order to provide information that fits their needs. Time has been the biggest constraint for my implementation the variety of schedules and asking teachers to add one more thing to their plate has limited the extent to which some of my colleagues can participate. Using a website to post information has been helpful, but planning ahead to block time during a professional development day might be a more effective way to reach a larger audience. 

A valuable lesson I have learned is to separate the information into manageable installments. Being familiar with the software I dove right into the features I thought teachers would want to use without realizing that some people didn't even know how to log in and access their account. Be sure the information does not overwhelm your audience. 

I am planning on continuing my Technology Training Tuesdays for the remainder of the school year. This will allow me to continue to share resources and ideas for incorporating technology. The more teachers are using the programs they encounter questions or are ready to learn about additional features they didn't use in the beginning. I plan on maintaining the website as a resource for all teachers in our building and possibly sharing it with a larger elementary audience. In the future, I also think it would be very beneficial to partner up with a colleague to have another person help with the trainings, answering questions, and sharing resources. As corny as it sounds, two heads are better than one!