Grant Proposal: Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) Professional Development

Melissa McLendon Rana Powell Kevin Scheiwe Lauren Sinclair

Abstract Chattahoochee Elementary plans to use the bring your own technology (BYOT) initiative to increase achievement in reading and English language arts. The proposed professional development will help train teachers in grades first-fifth on how BYOT can not only support the curriculum, but teach digital citizenship and BYOT classroom management skills. Chattahoochee Elementary will show that technology is an integral part of the teachers and students daily instruction and will try to supply the necessary materials to help achieve the expected results. Demonstrated Need At Chattahoochee Elementary School (CES), we are striving to increase academic performance for all of our students. Technology integration is a key objective of our district, as proved by the recent addition of wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi) in all classrooms at CES, as well as Chattahoochee being one of the first schools in the district to pilot the bring your own device (BYOD) program during the 2012-2013 school year. Through the use of PTA funds, Chattahoochee has begun to purchase (limited quantities) of wireless devices, but the district will not yet let schools use district funds to purchase wireless devices due to compatibility and connectivity issues. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, teachers at Chattahoochee participated in the School Assessment Survey (Appendix A). Staff members indicated on the survey areas of need for technology training (professional learning). From these results, the Chattahoochee staff indicated BYOD as one of the top two areas they wanted more technology training in. Data from the 2012-2013 school year was also evaluated and it was found that overall, only 53% of first-fifth grade students exceeded on the end of year assessments (Benchmark and CRCT

tests) in the subject areas of reading and English/language arts. Specifically, only 26% of second grade students and only 50% of fifth grade students exceeded in the areas of reading and English/language arts on the end of year assessments (Appendix B). To achieve increased academic performance, technology integration is a vital component. Research shows that only when computing devices are used as essential tools for teaching and learning does that lead to increased student achievement (Project RED, 2013). Based on the identified areas: county/district initiatives, staff training survey results and end of school year data, it was determined that professional learning is needed to help train teachers to implement bring your own technology in their classroom, in order to help improve student performance in reading and English/language arts. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Increase academic performance in reading and English/language arts for all students, targeting specifically second and fifth grade students for the 2013-2014 school year. To exceed annual targets, teachers will learn different strategies that support BYOT and new technologies. Teachers will use collaboration, targeted interventions and direct reading instruction to support BYOT initiatives. Teachers will be able to use devices to access and implement online learning sites and ebooks. Teachers will identify ways BYOT can help increase academic performance. Goal 2: Understand digital citizenship and develop classroom management strategies that support acceptable monitoring, intervention and student consequences for the BYOT initiative. Teachers will create BYOT classroom management guidelines by the end of the training. Teachers will be able to identify digital citizenship areas that are most applicable to BYOT.

 Teachers will create classroom management guidelines that support the P.R.I.D.E. initiative (Appendix C). Teachers will identify potential problem areas and how to handle students without a device. Goal 3: Identify ways to use technology to enhance and transform instruction for reading and English language arts curriculum. Teachers will use the 4 Tiers of Educational Technology Intervention (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition) to support the BYOT initiative throughout the 2013-2014 school year. Teacher will understand and apply the 4 Tiers of Educational Technology Intervention: Substitution technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change Augmentation technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement Modification technology allows for specific task redesign Redefinition technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable (BYOD in GISD, 2013). Plan of Operation Timeline March 2014 Activity BYOT team selected by school Goal Based on established staff interest, BYOT team will be established by school administration. The team should consist of classroom teacher(s), school administration, media specialist,

administration parent-school liaison, PEC teacher, county IT and parent . representative. A member of this team will be placed on the school Leadership team as a liaison. Team will meet monthly during the school year.

March 2014

Begin BYOT

Rules and student procedures will be developed by the team

team meetings prior. Meetings will be ongoing until completed proposal is established. Proposal will include Student-Parent-TeacherSchool Compact. Deadline for completion will be May 2014.

April 2014

Establish IT needs with County Technology Department

Meet with County IT department to review hardware and software needs for BYOT. IT will make recommendations for purchase of any new technology needs and modifications of existing technology. IT will also recommend a professional consultant for staff and stakeholder training throughout the next two years.

May 2014

BYOT proposal plan presented to county Board of Education

BYOT team will present proposed plan to the board. Approval is needed prior to rollout to stakeholders. All other activities will be pending approval from the Board of Education.

May 2014

Purchase of technology

Purchase of technology as recommended by county IT. Hardware and software updates will be installed by county IT department as needed. All installations and updates will be completed by August 2014.

August 2014

Teacher Training

IT recommended consultant will present and train school staff as a part of pre planning. Teachers will be trained on apps and

Seminar

hardware that can be used in the classroom. Ideas and recommendations will be given to staff that are aligned with Georgia CCGPS. Sample lesson plans and student activities will also be shared. Teachers will be provided a student friendly presentation to introduce BYOT to students upon their return to school.

August 2014

Parent Orientation Seminar

IT recommended consultation will present an introduction to parents about BYOT. Seminar will include guidelines, policy, rules, procedures and research data. Examples of educational apps will also be shared as well as hardware to be used. Suggestions will be shared for parents interested in purchasing hardware.

August 2014

Student

Teachers will use consultant prepared presentations to introduce

introduction to BYOT to students. All students and parents will be required to BYOT sign a release for students to use the internet and apps on school grounds.

August 31, 2014

StudentParentTeacherSchool compact due.

Compacts covering all rules, regulations, procedures and releases to be signed by students, parents, teachers and school administration. Compacts must be returned completed to the school media specialist prior to the student using any school or personal technology.

Septemb er 2014 Ongoing

Begin BYOT

Students will begin to bring and use personal technology in classrooms. Team will be twice a month to discuss strengths and weaknesses of BYOT. Changes will be made as needed. Updates will be shared with all stakeholders.

Ongoing

Professional Consultant will return for training and updates for a period of 2 years.

May 2015

Data Review

Results from student testing data will be reviewed to evaluate gains from BYOT.

Evaluation Plan Evaluation of this grant will be done by the project staff. Teacher Input: Teachers will be given a survey before, during, and after incorporating the grant into their teaching. Teacher perspectives will be collected and presented throughout the year to the committee for the purpose of sharing successful implementation ideas and finding resolutions to concerns (Appendix D). Student Input: Students will be given a survey before, during, and after incorporating the grant into instruction. The survey will be administered to students to gain the students collective perspectives on how well the district utilizes technology in the classroom (Appendix E). Goal 1: Increase academic performance in reading and English/language arts for all students, targeting

specifically second and fifth grade students for the 2013-2014 school year. To exceed annual targets, teachers will learn different strategies that support BYOD and new technologies. Teachers will use collaboration, targeted interventions and direct reading instruction to support BYOT initiatives. Teachers will be able to use devices to access and implement online sites and e-books. Teachers will identify ways BYOT can help increase academic performance. Evaluation Plan All CRCT scores will be analyzed, recorded, and presented to the committee by the end of May 2014. CRCT scores from previous years will be compared to the 2015 CRCT scores. Program success will be determined by increasing scores. Students will participate in the AimsWEB (Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement) program to increase their reading skills. Several benchmarks will be administered throughout the school year to monitor for growth within students writing skills. Teachers will grade the students benchmarks to monitor writing skills progress. All 5th grade Writing Assessment scores will be analyzed, recorded, and presented to the committee by the end of May 2014. The scores from previous years will be compared to the 2015 scores. Program success will be determined by increasing number of students meeting or exceeding on the 5th grade State Writing Assessment. Beginning of Year, Mid-Year, and End-of-Year data to show growth that the students have made in Reading, Writing, and Literacy, as well as all content areas. Benchmark tests will be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Each subject will administer its own benchmark. The benchmark scores will be analyzed by teachers, administers, and the project staff. The purpose of analyzing benchmarks throughout the year is to implement new ideas and

find resolutions to any concerns. The BYOT program will be successful if students continuously increase their academic score throughout the year. Goal 2: Understand digital citizenship and develop classroom management strategies that support acceptable monitoring, intervention and student consequences for the BYOT initiative. Teachers will create BYOT classroom management guidelines by the end of the training. Teachers will be able to identify digital citizenship areas that are most applicable to BYOT. Teachers will create classroom management guidelines that support the school P.R.I.D.E. initiative. Teachers will identify potential problem areas and how to handle students without a device. Evaluation Plan Observations will be done throughout the year by administrators and project staff to evaluate teachers participating in the BYOT program. Observations will be done by scoring teachers on classroom management and digital citizenship. Observers will evaluate student interaction and behavior while using devices. Test scores will also be reviewed. Good classroom management indicates student learning. Student learning will be shown through test scores. Goal 3: Identify ways to use technology to enhance and transform instruction for reading and English language arts curriculum. Teachers will use the 4 Tiers of Educational Technology Intervention (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition) to support the BYOT initiative throughout the 2013-2014 school year.

 Teacher will be able to understand and apply the 4 Tiers of Educational Technology Intervention: Substitution technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change Augmentation technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement Modification technology allows for specific task redesign Redefinition technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable Evaluation Plan Unit plans will provide evidence for the 4 Tiers of Educational Technology Intervention. Unit plans will be reviewed for specific technology lessons. Lessons using the BYOT program will be evaluated by project staff. Technology should be used to enhance the lesson. Technology that does not serve a meaningful purpose in the lesson will not be accepted. Unit plans will be reviewed many times throughout the school year. Budget As teachers and administrators, we must understand the many types of technology which are available to us as well as understand how to implement that technology to see that student learning outcomes are improving and to help our students become successful. We all realize that integrating technology into the classroom and curriculum is important. Aligning technology with student learning and using it to engage our students is key to improving the quality of learning in the classroom. Professional learning is the strategy used by teachers, administrators, and system employees to enhance the skills needed to create and support the potential of all students. In order for all students to perform at high levels, the educators must also be learning. The purpose of professional learning is to ensure that the educators are learning at their highest

potential to allow the students to learn and perform at their own highest potential as they teach their learned skills. Using BYOT in the schools will allow students and teachers to always have their own personal devices at their fingertips. For those that are unable to provide their own personal device, the school can help to provide extra laptops and ipads for classroom use. Having mobile learning labs would allow this idea of students having technology in their hands to become a reality. Estimated Budget for BYOD Object Line Item and Calculations Salary / Wages Stipends for Professional Development: $7,500 50 participants/$300 stipend Salary for Substitutes: $4,000 $80 per substitute X 50 participants Contracted Services Consultants to provide Professional $600 Development Training Equipment / Software Software / Learning Apps $450 3 - Apps X $3 each X 50 Educators 6 Kindle Fire tablets Total: $1200 $13,750 $1200 13,750 $2400 $27,500 $450 $900 $600 $1,200 $4,000 $8,000 $7,500 $15,000 Year 1
Requested Amount

Year 2
Requested Amount

Total

References

Bring your own device student survey. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2013, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mS6Xontq/ph3ebu8Ps3rsw== Bring your own device teacher survey. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2013, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=qxAF1HfhJFKi+FIxH901Zg== BYOD in GISD. (2013). Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.georgetownisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001838/Centricity/Domain/1315/GISD%20 BYOD%20-%20Participant%20Copy.pdf Project RED. (2013). Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.projectred.org/about/research-overview.html Three-year technology plan. (2012). Retrieved October 21, 2013, from http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/cms/lib3/GA01000373/Centricity/Domain/33/20122015TechPlanforweb.pdf

Appendix A Performance Data

2012-2013 Chattahoochee Elementary EOY Assessment Data

Appendix B School Assessment Survey 2013 School Assessment Survey Results: Technology Training

Appendix C School-wide BYOT Policy: P.R.I.D.E. In the Classroom P Purpose for using device is always educational R Responsible use of devices is always expected I Instructions for device use will always be followed D Devices must always be using the schools WiFi network E Everyone will always conduct him or herself responsibly online

Appendix D BYOT Teacher Survey

1. In which of the following grade groupings do you teach? Primary Intermediate Middle Secondary Other 2. I have been teaching for: 0 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 to 15 years 16 to 20 years More than 20 years 3. What is your comfort level using computer technology? Beginning User, uncomfortable, need a lot of assistance Average User, comfortable, need a little assistance Above Average User, very comfortable, provide some assistance to others Expert User, extremely comfortable, coach and mentor others 4. I use the following technologies on a daily basis for personal and/or school related use Personal Use or School Use: Smart Phone (e.g.Blackberry, iPhone, other) Cell Phone MP3 Player iPOD Touch iPOD (other than the Touch) iPAD EReader (e.g. Sony Reader, Kindle Reader) Laptop computer Document Camera Tablet Computer (Playbook, Xoom, etc.) Netbook Desktop computer Smartboard Other 5. On average, I use technology for: Daily Weekly Monthly Never Whole group instruction Small group Individual instruction Presentations Word Processing Assessment Attendance Report Cards Inputting Marks Email with other staff

Email with students Email with parents Collaboration with peers Collaboration with students Course documentation and updates for students Teacher Web page Entertainment 6. What is your current ability to integrate technology into your teaching and learning? Beginning, uncomfortable, need a lot of assistance Average, comfortable, need a little assistance Above Average, very comfortable, provide some assistance to others Expert, extremely comfortable, coach and mentor others 7. Do you have an LCD projector in your classroom all the time? Yes No but I can sign one out or borrow it No and there are none available for my use Other (please specify) 8. How often do you use an LCD projector as part of the teaching and learning that happens in your classroom? Use it throughout the day Use it once a day Use it a few times a week Use it once a week Use it a few times a month Rarely use it Never use it 9. Do you have an interactive whiteboard (i.e. SMART Board) in your classroom all the time? Yes No but I can sign one out or borrow it No and there are none available for my use Other (please specify) 10. How often do you use an interactive whiteboard (i.e. SMART Board) as part of the teaching and learning that happens in your classroom? Use it throughout the day Use it once a day Use it a few times a week Use it once a week Use it a few times a month Rarely use it or Never use it

Appendix E BYOT Student Survey

1. I am in: Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 2. How often do you have access to a school-owned computer (desktop, laptop or tablet) at school? Less than once a week Once a week More than once a week Once a day More than once a day All the time 3. There are school-owned computers at school that are available: Yes No Sometimes WHERE I need to use them WHEN I need to use them 4. The school's Internet access speed is sufficient for my needs. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 5. Which best describes the computer that you use most often at school: It is a school owned computer It is a computer that I own 6. My teachers are comfortable with technology. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 7. My teachers use technology to engage me and enhance the learning experience. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 8. Which of the following devices do you personally own? (Check all that apply) Desktop computer Laptop computer Android tablet iPad iPad Mini iPod Touch Smart phone Other

9. I might not bring a device I own to school for the following reasons: My parent or guardian will not let me bring it to school I am afraid it will get lost or damaged I am afraid it will get stolen I don't know why I need this device at school I am worried about carrying it around and finding space to store it when not in use The battery is too old and won't stayed charged long enough to use it The device is too old to be useful at school I don't know how to connect to the wireless I already have full time access to technology in my school The school's network is too slow and unreliable Other 10. I would bring my device to school for the following reasons: (Select all that apply) Communicate with my friends Take notes in class Do research for a project Do research/use web resources for activities we are completing in class Communicate with my teacher Collaborate with other students on a classroom assignment Create projects / complete assignments Access class resources on the teacher's website or Learning Management System (i..e D2L, Moodle, etc.) Hand-in assignments on the teacher's website or Learning Management System