Introduction

"Technology will not replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational." - George Couros

The following report is an analysis of a finalized survey that worked in conjunction with Liberty Elementary School in Eagle Pass, Texas, in order to determine technology needs for their teachers. This school delivers instruction to its students through traditional and online instruction (by online instruction, we mean that students interact with a variety of technologies online). The school's mission is to gain teacher insight on what administration can do to support teachers in the classroom so they more confidently teach students and increase STAAR, TELPAS, and other testing scores for students. Our survey and report were created to help administration receive the anonymous voice of educators and better understand what possible measures could be taken to improve teachers' and students' incorporation and understanding of technology.

Analysis of the Results

Please click here to view the survey results as a webpage. You may also view the survey data in its entirety by clicking on the photo below.

Interpretation of the Results

Of the 20 teachers who completed the survey, each of whom has at least one year of teaching experience, the vast majority (75%) agree or strongly agree that they feel comfortable navigating Google Classroom and Eduphoria, the district’s chosen platforms for students to complete assignments. At least half (50%) agree or strongly agree that they can demonstrate what digital citizenship is to their students, while 30% are neutral on the topic. A large majority of teachers (60%) agree or strongly agree that they are comfortable creating lessons with technology for their students; this same percentage of teachers (60%) also feels that they are comfortable with modeling how to use technology for their students. A vast majority of teachers (70%) agree or strongly agree that students know how technology works. A majority of teachers (65%) agree or strongly agree that they utilize technology in a way that supports student learning.

According to the data collected, 60% of our participating teachers feel that in some way or another, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive effect on student ability to use and navigate technology. Even with a vast majority of teachers (70%) agreeing or strongly agreeing that students know and understand how technology works, teachers are still largely conflicted about having students work on complex projects involving technology. Only 30% agreed that they were comfortable, 35% were neutral about the topic and 25% disagreed or strongly disagreed with having students engage with technology to create complex projects. Alternatively, we collected data where the majority of teachers (60%) agree or strongly agree that they are comfortable with students directing their own use of technology in the classroom. But this poses the question, “to do what?” if not to create complex projects.

Creating complex projects is not the only thing the surveyed participants are conflicted about. The data captured reveals that our participating educators do not agree to have the appropriate equipment in the classroom to teach their subjects. A medium proportion of teachers (45%) agrees or strongly agree that they are equipped with the technology they need in order to teach their subjects in the classroom, while 40% are neutral on the topic and 15% disagree or strongly disagree with having the technology needed to teach effectively.

The topic of professional development surrounding technology is very important for the district and is one of the more critical needs to be assessed for improvement. Teachers surveyed were very vocal when it came to discussing their needs and wants for professional development in regard to technology. Of our surveyed educators, 40% said that they were aware of training about technology, but a large number of teachers (60%) said that they were either neutral, disagree, or strongly disagreed with knowing about training for technology. The numbers were largely similar for educators when polled about how they felt about their district encouraging them to seek professional development for technology on their own (45%) agreeing or strongly agreeing; and (55%) being neutral, disagreeing, or strongly disagreeing.

Currently, our surveyed teachers are utilizing a wide array of technologies to teach in their classes. These technologies are as follows: Clever, Google, Google Suites, Delta Math, MyOn, Learning.com, STEM Strategies, Education Galaxy, EdCite, Imagine Math, Microsoft Office, Canvas, Zipgrade, Typetastic, virtual brain breaks, switches, Dynabox, Ipevo, iPads, projector, XP-Pens, Tinspire Calculator, Blooket, Quizlet, and the most popular technologies being Google Classroom (7 surveyed users), Smartboard (4 surveyed users), Kahoot (3 surveyed users), Laptops or Chromebooks (2 surveyed users), EdPuzzle (2 surveyed users), i-Station (2 surveyed users), and BrainPop (2 surveyed users). Teachers were allowed to create lists of technologies used in their classes, therefore percentages were not curated for this data. The technology that the surveyed educators feel most comfortable using with students is Google Classroom.

Our surveyed teachers have a variety of technologies that they would like to learn more about, these include apps in general, Flocabulary, Google Classroom, Google, media technology, digital whiteboard, 3D art and imaging training, STEM, smartboards, educational online games, and “everything in general!” Our surveyed teachers feel that training would be most valuable to them if presented in the following ways: Google Certifications, Delta Math, Clever, programming, technology that students can use, refresher courses, apps, Schoology, Google Workspace, Google Assignments, and smartboard.

According to the teachers surveyed when asked “To what extent are our teachers utilizing technology to increase the depth of student understanding and learning engagement?” The responses were conclusive in that teachers across the campus are certainly using technology in the classroom to teach. However, the data collected varied drastically from each participant in regards to how much time is being used by teachers daily for instruction via technological means. Answers ranged from “they use tech 30 min per day” to “90%”, therefore the information collected was vague and inconclusive. The participating teachers surveyed were decisive in wanting ways to increase their knowledge of technology applications so they can be more effective in the classroom; they would like to receive training on the technologies they use in the classroom.

Recommendations

We see two focuses for training. The first is hands-on training. This includes using specific software and online tools in the classroom from the basics of setting up a class and delivering a lesson to the collection and use of data to improve learning. This may also include a range of certifications that staff can earn from new users to expert users. The second is going beyond using technology as a tool to deliver learning to a tool for engaging students in higher-level thinking. This aspect of technology integration is intertwined with instructional coaching than simply providing technology training. This would require fewer hands-on training activities and more discussion and reflection activities. Different from training, this instruction would be ongoing and will vary depending on the district's involvement as a facilitator.

Ongoing professional development is essential for teachers to effectively teach in a digital-learning environment. While some teaching strategies are relevant for both traditional and digital learning, teachers will need professional learning opportunities to enhance the use of unique strategies and tools in the digital learning community.

Our recommendations for a professional development plan would be as follows:

1. The physical use of digital learning tools, including hardware devices and software. Teachers should receive an allotment of time allocated by Eagle Pass ISD in order to master the desired software and devices that should be used in the classroom (Herold, 2015).

2. Use age and developmentally-appropriate pedagogical practices for digital learning within teachers’ content areas instead of generalized training for all teachers, i.e. Delta Math training is not necessary for English or Reading teachers, similarly, Blooket training would not be required for Math teachers.

3. Professional practices for digital learning such as workload management, scheduling, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance to meet the needs of socioemotional learning (Gonser, 2021).

4. Create a certification system, such as microbadging so that teachers and administrators can track what they have learned and what level of expertise they have (Greene, 2019). This will also allow Ed Tech Leaders to build a system of concurrent learning, which allows staff to choose what PD to learn based on their professional needs.

5. Implement a set of Digital Mentors and or Instructional Coaches that allow learning more nuanced pedagogical topics.

Summary

We’re living in an information-rich, technology-enhanced world. Our students need technical and digital literacy skills to thrive and our teachers need to be able to teach those skills to them. Overall, the surveyed teachers from Liberty Elementary School in Eagle Pass, Texas, are generally positive about the role of technology in their teaching styles. Teachers surveyed see technology as a way to make learning engaging for students, and they want to continue to grow their skills on new types of applications to use with their classes. Teachers credit the transition of daily use of technology to the COVID pandemic and want to continue its implementation in their instruction in ways that are practical. With the survey results, we can interpret that technology and information literacy are critical for students' and teachers' future success.

Link to PDF

Click the image below to access the full PDF of the report. You may also click here to access the report directly.

References

References

Determining Your Technology Needs. Part 2: Determining your technology needs, forum unified education technology suite. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/tech_suite/part_2c.asp.

Gendron, B. (2022, August 26). Elearning needs analysis. The Training Associates. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://thetrainingassociates.com/elearning-needs-analysis/.

Gonser, S. (2021, February 11). Schools, not teachers, must reduce stress and burnout- here's how. Edutopia. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from www.edutopia.org/article/schools-not-teachers-must-reduce-stress-and-burnout-heres-how.

Greene, P. (2019, February 18). Education Micro-Credentials 101: Why do we need badges? Forbes. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/02/16/education-micro-credentials-101-why-do-we-need-badges/?sh=105ae0202419.

Herold, B. (2020, December 28). With patient approach, Houston sets bar for Digital Transformation. EdWeek Leaders To Learn From. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/leaders/2015/with-patient-approach-houston-sets-bar-for-digital-transformation/00000173-5d5e-db84-a7f3-ff5edb2e0003.

How to do an elearning needs analysis: Boords. boords.com. (2021, September 17). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://boords.com/blog/how-to-do-an-elearning-needs-analysis.