CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 1

Capstone Report Part B #1

LaToya M. Morgan

Kennesaw State University

Spring 2019
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 2

Context

During the 2017-2018 school year, Banneker High School implemented the Personalized

Learning Initiative of introducing 1:1 technology for all students using Microsoft Surface

Tablets. This initiative is a part of Fulton County School’s Personalized Learning Program.

According to Banneker High School’s 90-Day Action Plan (2017), the 1:1 devices were to be

used in class to provide differentiated and personalized instruction. Unfortunately, the 1:1

devices were not used consistently throughout the building. There was not a solid plan to support

teachers in integrating technology into their lessons. Factors such as a lack of consistent

professional development, students not bringing devices to class, and inconsistent wi-fi all lead

to teachers being hesitant to integrate technology. As a school, there was one mandatory

professional development session surrounding technology integration and one optional

technology integration professional development session. With this lack of support, teachers that

were not comfortable or lack the skill to integrate technology, reverted to the method of teaching

with which they were most comfortable (Gorski, 2005). Because of the lack of teacher

comfortability with technology, the tablets were not utilized with fidelity. This project sought to

provide technology integration professional development to teachers to help address this lack of

teacher comfortability with technology.

Description of Capstone Experience

The original Capstone Project proposed five professional development sessions to be

offered to teachers to increase the comfort level of technology integration, the frequency of

technology integration, and the rigor level of technology integration. The professional

development sessions were to be offered monthly between the months of October to March. The

sessions would occur in departmental professional learning communities (PLC). By December

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2018, technology integration was to be increased by 40% and by March 2019, the rigor level of

technology integration would increase by 30%. The rigor of technology integration would be

measured by Bloom’s revised taxonomy. Teachers would require students to use technology on

the levels of analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Additionally, teachers would receive periodic

lists of researched-based technology tools that could be easily implemented in their lessons.

During the time of writing the Capstone proposal, there was the assumption that I would

transition from a classroom teacher to an instructional technology coach. The activities outlined

in my Capstone proposal would be the cornerstone of my work during the 2018-2019 school

year. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and I remained in the classroom. Also, the

school decided to give select teachers class sets of Microsoft Surface Tablets, instead of

distributing them to every student. The select teachers were teachers of Georgia Milestones

tested areas and the magnet program teachers.

The spirit of the Capstone Project was carried out, but due to the responsibilities of being

a teacher and teacher leader within the building, several things were changed. Instead of

providing the five professional development session within the departmental PLCs, “Super

Saturday” was organized. This was a professional development offered to the teachers on

Saturday mornings. Teachers could choose from four to five technology workshops to attend to

learn how to integrate technology into their classrooms. This was the result of a meeting with the

School Improvement Specialist. The purpose of this meeting was to figure out how technology-

based professional development could still provide to the teachers under the circumstance of me

still being in the classroom. We met in August and decided to provide sessions during “Super

Saturday.” Because the school is a recipient of the School Improvement Grant, the school had

the funds to pay teachers to come learn on Saturdays. After the meeting, a Needs-Assessment
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Survey (Appendix A) was emailed to understand the technology needs of the teachers. In the

survey, teachers indicated their frustration level with technology, the frequency of technology

use, their goals for technology use, and which platforms they would like to learn about

(Appendix B). Based on the data, the topics of the first Super Saturday, which took place on

September 22, 2018, were determined. Also within the survey, teachers could sign up to present

during the first Super Saturday. From the results, the presenters for Super Saturday were

gathered. Emails were sent, and flyers were passed out to advertise Super Saturday to teachers

(Appendix I). During the first Super Saturday, 4 sessions were offered, and 24 participants

engaged in the technology professional development workshops. Based on the evaluation survey,

the participants felt that the workshops were useful, and their time was well spent. Each

workshop was rated 4.92/5 or above (Appendix D). As a follow-up, many participants asked for

more sessions on the new topics learned. A newsletter was sent to teachers highlighting Super

Saturday and included participant reviews (Appendix K).

The next Super Saturday was scheduled for October 27, 2018. Flyers were distributed,

and emails were sent to advertise the event (Appendix I & J). Five sessions were offered, but

only 12 participants showed up. The decrease in participants was the result an equally important

event happening at the school. During the first Super Saturday, there were no other programs

happening at the school. During the second Super Saturday, teachers offered Saturday School.

Saturday School is an opportunity for teachers to offer Saturday tutorial. Many of the teachers

who participated during the first Super Saturday chose to participate in Saturday School to have

extra time with their students. Even with low participation, the participants rated October’s Super

Saturday 5/5. The workshops offered earned a 4.83/5 or better (Appendix E). A newsletter was

sent to teachers highlighting Super Saturday, teachers who were embedding the new practices
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 5

learned during the first two Super Saturdays, and an easy technology tool that could be integrated

in their lesson (Appendix I).

To combat the issue of competing events, I spoke with the School Improvement

Specialist and administrators to see if Super Saturday and Saturday School could be offered on

alternating Saturdays. I understand the importance of offering Saturday School and did not want

to prevent any teacher, including myself, from participating in giving students more time.

Unfortunately, the administration team did not allow for the two events to occur on opposing

Saturdays because of funding and the logistics of supervision. A decision between the School

Improvement Special and myself was made to cancel the Super Saturday offered on December

8th to allow all teachers to participate in Saturday School. A new plan was developed to host the

last technology-based professional development during a teacher professional development day

on January 18, 2019. All teachers would be required to attend (Appendix J). I advocated for

teachers representing each department to attend Georgia’s Educational Technology Conference

(GAETC). The teachers attending the GAETC would be the presenters during the January 18th

professional development day.

As a baseline to gauge the mid-point progress of the usage of technology in classroom,

teachers were highlighted who were using technology. Data from a school visit from the Fulton

County School’s South Learning Community’s Area Executive Director cited the use of

technology in the classrooms of Banneker High School as a “glow” from his visit (L. Morgan,

personal communication, December 2018). The teachers who were highlighted not only

increased the use of technology in their classrooms, but the Bloom’s revised level increased to

“create” (Appendix K).

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The last technology professional development occurred on January 18th. To prepare for

this event, the presenters were gathered and emails were sent to advertise. January 18th was a

teacher professional development day, therefore, all teachers were required to attend. Teachers

could choose from two workshops, 55 minutes each. During the last 30 minutes of the day,

teachers were given time to explore and apply the new technology tools learned during the

sessions. There was a total of 9 sessions to choose from during each time slot. These sessions

ranged in difficulty level and Bloom’s revised taxonomy level (Appendix J). 75 participants

attended the first session. The number of participants tapered off during the second session, only

59 participants attended the second session. The reason for the reduction of attendants is

unknown. Based on the survey data, the participants rated the event 4.88/5, citing their time well

spent. Each session earned a 4.94/5 or better (Appendix F).

The last benchmark survey is the evaluation survey. Its purpose was to gauge whether

teachers believe the frequency of technology usage in their classroom and quality of technology

increased (Appendix G). The original capstone set the goals of 40% of teachers to increase the

frequency of technology usage in their classrooms and 30% increase in the rigor of technology

usage. This was changed because not all teachers participated in the technology professional

development. Because of this, the goals of 40% and 30% will be based on the participants, and

not the entire school. As a follow-up plan, teachers will continue receiving choice technology

professional development quarterly throughout the school year. This will occur as a result of

speaking to the Media Education and Technology Instructor (METI) at our school. Individual

teachers that indicated needing a follow up coaching session will receive tutorials during their

planning and tutorial videos. For example, one of the participants requested instructions on how

to upload and share a PowerPoint through the online Office 365 platform to Schoology so that
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 7

his students could access and interact with the PowerPoint. A video will be made and sent to him

to help him with that process.

Discussion/Reflection

Executing this capstone project has presented many lessons. Altering the project to fit my

teacher schedule, instead on an Instructional Technology Coach schedule took away some of the

key factors of the project, such as working one-on-one with more teachers, increasing the

technology professional development opportunities, and offering the technology professional

development opportunities to a wider range of teachers. One of the benefits of changing the

organization and logistics of the capstone project was spotlighting talented teachers within the

building to present technology tools and strategies to their peers (Appendix K).

Another hurdle that compromised the fidelity of the original capstone project was

offering the technology professional development on the same day as other important school

initiatives. Through this process, I have learned the importance of involving multiple people in

the planning process to make sure important overlapping events do not happen. I also learned

that having the support of school administrators gave me the opportunity to plan the last

technology professional development on a teacher workday. These days are usually planned by

school administrators and the instructional leadership team. It was an honor for them to allow me

to plan that day.

Out of all the lessons learned, the biggest lesson was learning ways to get hesitant

teachers on board. Many of the teachers who came to the first two optional Super Saturdays

came because they wanted to learn about technology, but some came because of the relationships

that I built with them. Relying on flyers and emails alone did not prompt teachers to attend Super
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 8

Saturday. Being more intentional about building relationships with the teachers and staff would

help with getting them more involved in the technology professional development. As learned

previously in the program, building relationships is the cornerstone of good coaching (Knight,

2007).

The capstone project sought to address PSC Elements 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3.1, 3.6, 5.1,

5.2, and 5.3. PSC Element 1.1, 2.6, 3.6, 5.1, and 5.2 were addressed in the first phase of the

capstone project. Creating a shared vision with the School Improvement Specialist, which was

based on the needs-assessment surveys, helped when designing the professional development

offerings throughout this experience. Technology tools were evaluated based on what the

teachers stated they needed to help them integrate technology. PSC Elements 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, and

3.1 were addressed when developing the subject of the workshop offerings. I made sure that the

offerings ranged in rigor to address all teachers, those who were uncomfortable with technology

to those who wanted to increase the rigor level of technology use in their classrooms. I presented

during the last professional development workshop. During my presentation, I addressed

effective classroom management strategies needed to carry out the content of my workshop. PSC

Element 5.3 was addressed when synthesizing the data of the evaluation survey (Appendix H).

The data showed that, overall, the program was effective at its goal. According to teacher survey

responses, teachers’ skills improved, their content knowledge deepened, and the integration of

technology increased student learning.

If conducting the capstone again, I would recommend reducing the capstone to be more

manageable for a teacher to execute. As stated previously, it was written to be carried out by an

instructional technology coach. I would also recommend using a formal tool to gauge the

midpoint effectiveness of the technology professional development. I used anecdotal progress

CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 9

points, such as the feedback from the Area Executive Director’s school visit and the highlights of

a few participating teachers. I would recommend sending a survey during the midpoint.

Unfortunately, the data is not comprehensive because only 29 teachers and staff

participated in the survey. According to the survey, 72.4% of the teachers cited that their

technology integration increased, compared to the last school term. 82.8% of teachers cited the

technology professional development as the reason why technology strategies were integrated

more in the lessons this school year. 90% of the teachers who took the survey are using

technology in their classrooms at least once a week. 72.4% are using technology more than once

a week. According to the data, the technology professional development sessions were successful

in increasing the use of technology at Banneker High School (Appendix H). To improve the

participation of the survey, I would visit each professional learning community meeting to speak

with the teachers and encourage them to take the survey. This would give a true gauge on how

effective the professional development sessions were. Please see the appendices for detailed data

points.
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References

Achievement Zone. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2018, from

http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/learncomm/AchievementZone

Gorski, P. (2005). Education equity and the digital divide. AACE Journal, 13(1), 3-45.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional Coaching: a Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 11

Appendix A

Needs Assessment Survey Questions

(Google Form)

1. Rate your general feelings toward integrating technology in your classroom.

(1 = Technology is very frustrating, and I do not use it in my class – 5 = Technology is an
integral component of my classroom)
2. If you selected a 1 or 2 in questions 1, expound on your experience or frustration with
technology.
3. How often did you use technology in your classroom during the past school year (2017 -
2018)?
 More than once a week
 Once a week
 Once a month
 2-3 times a semester
 Once a semester
 Never
4. What goals do you have for integrating technology in your classroom?
5. Which technology tools/platforms did you use with your students during the past school
year (2017 - 2018)? (Check all that apply)
 Formative Assessment Platforms (Quizizz, Kahoot!, Socrative)
 EDpuzzle
 Online Websites
 Nearpod
 Learning Management Systems (Schoology, Canvas, Edmodo, etc.)
 Student Blogging
 Google Suites (Slides, Docs, Drawing)
 Edgenuity
 TurnItIn.com
 Padlet
 QR Codes
 Other:
6. Which technology tools/platforms would you like to learn about? (Check all that apply)
 Formative Assessment Platforms (Quizizz, Kahoot!, Socrative)
 EDpuzzle
 Online Websites
 Presentation Tools (Nearpod, Screencast-o-matic)
 Learning Management Systems (Schoology)
 Student Blogging
 Google Suites (Slides, Docs, Drawing)
 Edgenuity
 TurnItIn.com
 Padlet
 Online Mindmaps (popplet/coggle.it)
 Remind (Communications App)
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 12

 Microsoft 365 Hacks

 QR Codes in the classroom
 Illuminate
 Infographic (Canva, Piktochart)
 Other:
7. Saturday, September 22 is the first SUPER SATURDAY workshop. Would you be
interested in attending to learn about different ways to integrate technology?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure.
8. Are you interested in leading a technology workshop during one of the Super Saturday
workshops?
 Yes
 No
9. If you responded yes, please respond with your name and the title of the workshop you
would like to lead. If not, reply N/A.
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 13

Appendix B

Needs Assessment Survey Results

Question 1:

Question 2: If you selected a 1 or 2 in questions 1, expound on your experience or frustration

with technology.
I am frustrating on the lack of
technology available for my
subject area.
Evolving more into a student-
centered classroom
This current year I'm working
the Pit Stop; and I would like
to use technology with the
students that are there all day
with their assignments. I'm not tablets is a hassle.
sure how or if it’s possible.
SELECT RESPONSES
I wish to utilize it more
however I need to sharpen
my understanding with
technology.
N/A
It takes a lot of time to
implement and dealing with are few concerns I have. 1. I
handing
out/collecting/charging
I try to use as much
technology, but I am old
school and I would like to use
it more often.
Need more experience
I answered a three...but there
would like more reliable
internet. 2. I'd like better
training on the bells and
whistles of Office.

Question 3:
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1
Question 4: What goals do you have for integrating technology in your classroom?
To increase student
engagement
I want to become more
familiar with new and
different platforms to ensure
that all students are flexible
and knowledgeable with
technology
I want my students to be able
to use technology
independent of the classroom
to become life-long learners
I want to put on my work on
schoology and have students
to access it as well as using
illuminate for testing and
using the online textbook.
I want to create an
environment for blended
learning.
Using edgenuity for
remediation
SELECT RESPONSES
To use technology 75% of
class time
I'm hoping to go more and
more paperless. I'd be more
interested in participating in
the Saturday events if I knew
exactly what was going to be
covered ahead of time. I don't
want to sit through material
that I don't find helpful.
Utilizing more technology for
students to create and present
project and project ideas;
student blogging; creating
personalized teaching videos
for flipped classes
I will be flipping my
classroom this year, so the
more I can do with the tablets
in class, the less copies I have
to make!!!
To increase my students
exposure to online resources
that will enhance and
supplement the information
that I present to them.
My goal is to help the student
learn in a fun and different
way from the norm.
14
maximizing my students'
learning experiences
I would like to use
technology as a tool to assist
my CTI students with lesson
completion, extension
activities to support their
growth. When I was in the
classroom I used quizlet,
edmodo, kahoot. As
department chair I would like
to expose our new teachers to
some of the tools to enhance
their classrooms as well.
I want to use technology as a
way to enrich my student's
learning and use it in
conjunction with my teaching
instead of just using it as an
assessment tool or as a place
to house relevant information.
Create engaging activities
that will stimulate learning,
facilitate collaboration, and
individualized instruction.
time management,
differentiating instruction,
instant feedback to students
etc...
To make life easier for me!
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 15

Question 5:

Question 6:
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 16

Appendix C

Super Saturday Evaluation Survey Questions

(Microsoft Forms)

1. My time was well spent. (1 is the lowest rating)

2. Which session did you attend first?
3. (Session 1) The presenter was well prepared. (1 is the lowest rating)
4. (Session 1) I feel that my time was well spent during the session. (1 is the lowest rating)
5. (Session 1) The materials, content, and strategies presented today will be useful for me in
the future. (1 is the lowest rating)
6. Which was your second session?
7. (Session 2) The presenter was well prepared. (1 is the lowest rating)
8. (Session 2) I feel that my time was well spent during the session. (1 is the lowest rating)
9. (Session 2) The materials, content, and strategies presented today will be useful for me in
the future. (1 is the lowest rating)
10. What was the most valuable thing you learned today?
11. Would you like any follow-up support in anything learned? If so, what kind of support
would you like? Please include your name in your response.
12. Are there any additional technology strategies or technology tools you would like help
with?
13. Are there any sessions that were offered today that you would like to attend again?
(Reasons: Because you need more time or because you did not get a chance to attend the
session.) Check all that apply.
14. Was there anything from today that was done really well? (Organization, Session
Selection, Time Allotment, etc.) If so, please let us know!
15. What improvements or suggestions would you give to make this time more efficient?
(Organization, Session Selection, Time Allotment, etc.)
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 17

Appendix D

Super Saturday (9.22) Evaluation Survey Results

Question 1: My time was well spent. (1 is the lowest rating)

Session Results:

Question 10: What was the most valuable thing you learned today?
SELECT RESPONSES
I loved how Ms. Lang The Microsoft Hacks I learned how to incorporate
showed how to utilize the QR workshop is going to help me DOK levels on Illuminate
code in an actual lesson plan. send out documents to my when selecting test questions.
Rather than just teach us how students that they can edit and I also learned how to BCC
to MAKE a QR code, she send back to me in real time, people, and what that means.
showed how to use it all without the use of paper. I also learned what the
effectively in a lesson. Not Also it will make parent Immersive Reader feature is
just the what....the how! communication easier. and how to use it.
There were several things that The most valuable thing I The analysis of data using
I will use. Both sessions were learned is having the Illuminate. Mr. Carlisle is an
very helpful. :) opportunity to incorporate Amazing Teacher. Attending
QR codes in my work and his session was well worth
utilizing Microsoft forms. I the price of admission.
am too excited.
How to keep the class How to use Microsoft In Edgenuity Class I learned
engaged through the use of Outlook to contact parents to add groups and I was able
QR codes more efficiently Popplet to see the classes that were
Using QR codes to aid with already set up. The ones that
understanding were already set up gave me
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 18

cutting edge ideas to teach

my class and find lesson
objectives for the weekly
lesson plans. Also there are
exams for each unit. This site
is a Goal Mine!!!!

Question 11: Would you like any follow-up support in anything learned? If so, what kind of
support would you like? Please include your name in your response.
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 19

Question 12: Are there any additional technology strategies or technology tools you would like
help with?
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 20

Appendix E

Super Saturday (10.27) Evaluation Survey Results

Question 1: My time was well spent. (1 is the lowest rating)

Session Results:

Question 10: In the next two weeks, which new tech-related strategy or tool will you be using?
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 21

Question 13: Would you like any follow-up support in anything learned? If so, what kind of
support would you like? Please include your name in your response.
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 22

Appendix F

AZ Day | Super Saturday (1.18) Evaluation Survey Results

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Appendix G

Program Effectiveness Evaluation Survey Questions

1. Please rate your experience based on the following statements.

a. The Technology PD was well worth my time.
b. Because of the Tech PD, I have implemented more Tech strategies in my lessons.
c. The Tech PD sessions were relevant.
d. Compared to last year, my tech integration has increased.
e. Because of the Tech PD, I feel empowered to integrate new tech strategies.
2. Describe your experience with the Tech PD offered during Super Saturday and/or
January's AZ Day. Include highlights and improvements.
3. How often do you use technology in your classroom?
4. What obstacles or challenges have you experienced while integrating technology this
year?
5. Moving forward, what type of support do you need to help you integrate technology for
the upcoming school year?
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 24

Appendix H

Program Effectiveness Evaluation Survey Results

Question 1: Please rate your experience based on the following statements.

Question 2: Describe your experience with the Tech PD offered during Super Saturday and/or
January's AZ Day. Include highlights and improvements.

I had no idea that Newsela
included math articles!
Experience was good. I
learned new technology I
didn't know about.
I love the digital book. I have
not used it yet with the
students because we do not
have full access for everyone
of my students to benefit
from it
SELECT RESPONSES
Newsela is going to help me
incorporate STEM in my
everyday classroom routine.
My knowledge and comfort
level for using technology in
the classroom has increased
tremendously
It was worth my time. I have
been playing with the
different technologies shown
to get more comfortable using
them.
Motivated to use more
technology.
Tech pd’s are helpful and
great reminders to continue
incorporating technology in
my lessons
I really enjoyed attending the
Super Saturday sessions.
They were informative and
tailored to the technologies
that I was interested in
learning about. Each
instructor was knowledgeable
and made their sessions easy
to follow. It was also really
helpful to have time built in
to actually practice what
we’ve learned so that we can
see it in action.
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1
The PD sessions were
informative and innovative.
Question 3: How often do you use technology in your classroom?
Question 4: What obstacles or challenges have you experienced while integrating technology this
year?
Learning curve.
Limited technology for the
students
It has been much smoother
for me this year because I
have worked through the
kinks
25
I was exposed to many great we ask for classes but the
tech options for my classes we ask for are never
classroom. I have begun the offered
implementation process but
have not introduced it fully to
my classes.
SELECT RESPONSES
I'm not always consistent Some students don’t have
internet access at home.
Learning curve with new Sometimes the surface pro
technology and incorporating will to spin too long when
it into my existing course. students log in.
It hasn’t been a huge Some of the students have no
obstacle, but sometimes the access to technology outside
tablets would malfunction or the school, therefore we must
give student error messages start and finish during class
which would make it difficult period.
to implement new strategies
using technology.
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 26

Question 5: Moving forward, what type of support do you need to help you integrate technology
for the upcoming school year?
SELECT RESPONSES
Continue to have a class set Nearpod is something I'm Just a little more lead time to
of surface pros!!!! They are going to look to implement better incorporate it into my
amazing! during the summer. classes.
Time to practice it would be nice if they Devices
offered the classes we ask for
Time Continued support from Additional workshops
SMEs and IT
If we could be able to go see Would like to find an easier
a teacher use technology in I would love to learn how I way of using the technology
the classroom or have a can use social media to my to track my data for my
teacher model it for us in our advantage rather than fighting Activating Strategies and Exit
classroom, I think that might against it in my class. ticket so that it is not so
be helpful for those that need cumbersome when you have
extra support. a high number of students
CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 27

Appendix I

Super Saturday Invitations/Flyers

CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 28

Appendix J

Super Saturday Schedules

SUPER SATURDAY | 9.22.2018

9:00 – 9:20 am Introduction (Auditorium)
9:30 – 10:25 am Basics of QR Codes + Microsoft 365 Assessing with
Edgenuity (1203) Mindmapping Hacks (1205) Illuminate
(1411) (1209)
10:30 – 11:25 am Basics of QR Codes + Microsoft 365 Assessing with
Edgenuity (1203) Mindmapping Hacks (1205) Illuminate
(1411) (1209)
11:30 – 12:30 pm Application + Survey (This will take place in the classroom of the last session or
participants can go back to a previous session for more help.)

October 27, 2018

CAPSTONE REPORT PART B #1 29

Appendix K

Super Saturday Newsletters (9.22 + 10.27)

https://www.smore.com/1wf4j-super-saturday-10-27
https://www.smore.com/fwyqp-super-saturday-9-22