Learning Design Project
The purpose of this project was to design an instructional program that effectively leveraged new technologies for learning. And although this instructional program is less focused on a specific technology, it is vitally important to foster collaboration between peers in both the digital and real worlds.
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“Educational technology is the study and ethical application of theory, research, and best practices to advance knowledge as well as mediate and improve learning and performance through the strategic design, management and implementation of learning and instructional processes and resources.”
- Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT)
Assessing the Need
Needs Assessment ​
A short needs assessment was conducted, and analysis based on:
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Survey Data 2​.​​
Needs Analysis
The recently conducted needs assessment for EDIT 5055 reveal some interesting trends in the thinking of educators. Since a majority of the respondent was primarily public and private school classroom teachers in core subjects, some of those responses were of no surprise. For example, it was not surprising to see that many listed technology as helping students maintain focus. It’s also true that using technology can help them use higher order thinking skills and develop deeper understanding in what they were learning, and nearly all of respondents agreed.
​What was particularly surprising was that over half responded saying technology causes a shift in learning, from passive to active social learners. In my experience, this was not always the case, as I found (especially with the younger students), that increased technology usage would seem to isolate students and diminish connections or cooperation. On that same note, it was interesting that over half also agreed that it allowed to build life soft skills, but my experiences with younger, elementary aged learners was different. However, this is primarily with social skills more than anything. Another interesting point was nearly all stated technology and strategies helps bridge school learning and everyday life. This is certainly true in that usually using technologies in the classroom requires using skills and strategies that correlate to soft skills in the workplace.
Based on the survey, it seems that technology is viewed in a positive light, where the real need is to focus on what is the best, and meaningful way to deliver that instruction in ways to help the students develop not only their academic intelligence, but emotional intelligence, social skills, and cooperation.
Understanding the Learner
The interview was conducted with a Curriculum Resource Teacher (CRT) that has been in education since 2012. She understands the value of a solid pedagogy and how it positively impacts education. But even this is not without its drawbacks, because she admits that avoiding true learning experiences happens in the real world (like “teaching to the test”), but it is a product of the systemic issues with the accountability system. Good pedagogy is almost equally as important as good educational technology, but Mrs. Larissa even admitted that nothing replaces good teaching.
Being a younger teacher, she has been familiar with integrating educational technologies during her career. In similar fashion, her concerns with educational technology are like her concerns with certain pedagogical approaches - focusing on addressing the issues that hinder student learning. She said that she sees it even more now that she is out of the classroom and supporting the other teachers. There is this over-reliance on technology (generally and in education) that creates a false sense of learning. She cautions that education and technology are only as good as the pedagogy they follow. To add to this, with the prevalence of artificial intelligence for educators and students alike, she worries what the coming years will bring for all of education.
Problem Framing
Original Problem Statement ​
Educational technologies offer transformative learning experiences, yet educators face numerous challenges with adopting and implementing digital tools with fidelity. Because of fixed mindsets, lack of funds, lack of time, and a plethora of similar tools and services, educators find it difficult to establish meaningful processes with good pedagogical practices that positively impact student learning using educational technologies.
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​ISTE Standards​
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards are a comprehensive set of guidelines for educators in order to encourage effective use of technology to enhance the educational process. There are many pertinent standards, but in relation to this problem, a single standard was highlighted.
​Highlighted ISTE Standard
2.4.a Collaborate with Colleagues - “Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.”
Key Points of This ISTE Standard
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Dedicate means to set specific time or effort aside to focus on a task.
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Collaborate with colleagues is about working together and sharing ideas. It’s a powerful tool that is not only beneficial for students.
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Create authentic learning experiences is sharing practical examples and guidance from peers that are already teaching with technologies using good pedagogy.
Developing Solutions
Revised Problem Statement
Educational technologies offer transformative learning experiences, yet educators face numerous challenges with implementing digital tools with fidelity. Because of fixed mindsets, lack of funds, lack of time, and a plethora of similar tools or services, educators find it difficult to adopting meaningful processes with good pedagogical practices that positively impact student learning using educational technologies.
ISTE Standard
The related ISTE Standard for this problem statement is found in the Educators section under Collaborators: 2.4.a Collaborate with Colleagues - “Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.” This standard connects to the problem statement because it addresses a significant factor in why educators are apprehensive about adopting educational technologies. Many educators are, or feel, isolated and “in their own world” when it comes to lesson planning and design. Collaboration not only addresses this but can also offer new perspectives and ideas that may not have been explored otherwise.
Learning Outcomes & Original Prototype
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To reduced overlapping programs/processes, grade-level teams will prioritize their top three supplemental ed tech platforms to propose as their additional learning supports to complement the main curriculum. Teams will deliberate for two weeks, then present their proposals to administration by the end of the month.
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Educators will schedule time on a bi-weekly basis to meet and share planning updates, feedback on implemented strategies with their chosen ed tech platforms, and suggestions on improvements for themselves or the team.
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During weekly meetings, teams will review lesson plans and decide how to best share responsibilities on lesson design and implementation, including searching for or creating materials required for ed tech usage. The goal is for teachers to share responsibility of achieving curriculum goals by balancing time management and responsibilities for roughly half of the material creation/organization.
Revision to Solutions & Prototype
Feedback & Peer Review
Educator feedback from an elementary Curriculum Resource Teacher (grades 3-5):
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Objective 1 - I like that the goal to reduce program overuse. It’s realistic to prioritize a few tools that align best with our curriculum maps. Could we include criteria or a rubric for how teams will evaluate which platforms to keep? For example: alignment with curriculum, ease of use, engagement level, data tracking, or differentiation.
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Objective 2 - This is a great way to hold everyone accountable and share. However, I’m worried about the overload on teacher schedules. Could we suggest monthly meeting? Could we consider a shared digital space (like a OneDrive, Google) as a reference? Consider adding a timeline/checklist.
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Objective 3 – Since this is already something we are doing, I think it’s a good idea to standardize it so teams can be more consistent. It might be helpful to specify how that 50/50 split in responsibility could look in practice. For example, would one teacher take lead on lesson design while another sources digital materials? Rotating roles might also be a consideration.
Revised Learning Outcomes & Prototype
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Grade-level and content-specific (ELA, Math, etc.) teams will prioritize their top three supplemental ed tech platforms to enhance the main curriculum, with at least one for school-wide usage. Teams will deliberate for two weeks, then present their proposals to administration by the end of the month and all teams will conduct a vote.
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Once a month, educators will use their weekly team meeting to collaborate on lesson plans, specifically focused on ed tech implementations. Each educator will share at least one specific lesson/activity from the previous month, how ed tech is used, what went well, and what could improve.
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During weekly meetings, teams will collaborate with lesson plans and decide how to best share responsibilities on lesson design and implementation. The goal is for teachers to share responsibility of achieving curriculum goals by balancing time management and responsibilities for roughly half of the material creation/organization.
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Proposals and reference document and checklist for the learning outcomes will be stored on the shared drive.
Evaluation & Reflection
Evaluation Plan
The evaluation plan is meant to assist with improving the adoption and implementation of educational technologies in the classroom. The project aims to foster collaboration and improve pedagogy to benefit student learning. The chosen learning objectives would require evidence collection in the form of digital notes, documents, etc., with the criterion for success being measured by a majority adoption and implementation.
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Rationale Behind the Decision-Making Process
The best way to achieve efficiency (and peace of mind) is to prioritize the key aspects of planning. To do this, a new project design for educational technology was proposed, that ironically focused less on the technology and more on the implementation and accountability of it. The project idea was focused on addressing the core issues in educational technology – the people behind the planning. For all the different teachers that are out there, educators still tend to be cut from the same mold. They desire learning, changing and growing yet also crave routine and predictability. It’s a fantastic dichotomy that is ever present. Not only this, but educators tend to be isolated in their own little “world” (aka. their classroom) and so it is vital to nurture peer collaboration and support. It’s the same thing we would desire of our students, so why would we not desire it of our teachers?
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Takeways & Future Approaches
Looking ahead, improvements to the proposal could be made in the process or the timeline. A three-month span seems to be a good data point for evaluation, but sometimes a full school year cycle could present a more encompassing view of actual effectiveness. The process of shared, digital data collection and note-taking is beneficial in that they allow for collaboration in-person or while working from home after hours. There are ways to make this process better, for example by using the most convenient platforms (i.e. those already purchased within the school). Even though the project proposal was a bit idealistic, it was still practical. The idea was to create an achievable goal to address a typical issue with educational technology implementation while combating a common hinderance to teaching - isolation. It seems simple in practice but has profound implications on becoming an effective teacher. Cooperation, collaboration, and technology are all pivotal components to education, so it only makes sense that it would be leveraged just as much for educators as it would be for students.