1

Diversifying Technology in the Classroom

Mykea Young

Department of Instructional Technology, Kennesaw State University

ITEC 7500: Capstone Experience & Portfolio

Dr. Judy Wright

Fall 2022
 2

Diversifying Technology in the Classroom

In my initial proposal, the goal of the project was to diversify the technology being

utilized in the virtual setting at, in an effort to increase student engagement and academic

achievement. Outside of major platforms such as USA Test Prep, Google Suites, or Illuminate,

most teachers were not using a variety of technology resources within the classroom. I wanted to

change this by providing teachers with a toolkit of other digital resources they could integrate

into the learning environment.

Due to the pandemic, Clayton County Public Schools decided to complete the 2020-2021

school year virtually. Using the platforms mentioned above, I noticed that some students would

complete the work, but they were not necessarily engaged with the material. I sought out

platforms that I could use to simultaneously teach and engage students. For this capstone, I chose

to teach teachers about NearPod, FlipGrid, and Teacher Desmos.

Description of Capstone Experience

In an effort to diversify the technology used within the learning environment, I wanted to

teach the staff members at Forest Park High School about different digital resources. When I first

proposed this project, I was only going to focus on NearPod and FlipGrid, but as time went on, I

decided to aso incorporate Teacher Desmos. Also, I wanted to teach the entire staff, but after

problems with the timeline and a conversation with my supervisor, we decided against this idea,

and to just focus on teachers within the math department.

In the video, “An Introduction to Technology Integration,” technology is described as

having the power to transform a classroom, with its integration serving as a great way to increase

student engagement and prepare them for the future (2012). The video also states technology is a

tool that can be utilized to make learning more interactive and better than without. The
 3

integration of technology allows the teacher to take the role of a facilitator, and work alongside

their students as they create problems and solutions (An Introduction to Technology Integration,

2012). Further, Foulger et al. (2017) reported that many teachers state that they do not feel fully

equipped to step into a classroom and effectively integrate technology into their lessons. This is

why I wanted to create professional learning sessions surrounding the integration of new

technologies.

Looking back on this project, one of the main barriers I faced was the timeline. It was

difficult to schedule time to meet with teachers due to testing schedules, inconsistent staff

meetings, and school shutdowns. At the conclusion of the project, I found that all the

participating teachers enjoyed the incorporation of Teacher Desmos the most, and FlipGrid the

least. I learned that teachers think FlipGrid is a resource they could use for certain projects, but

not necessarily a resource they want to use weekly.

Implementation

Originally, the project was intended for virtual classrooms as that is how Clayton County

Public Schools was operating. After the transition to simultaneous learning, the project was

completed with any classroom setting in mind. To complete this capstone project, I met with one

of the academic coaches and my supervisor. Together, we discussed the intended outcomes and

set dates for professional development. This is also where I changed the original plan of

providing professional development to all staff members. We decided that it would be more

beneficial to focus on a select group of teachers first, then introduce the idea to the staff in the

next school year. Next, I discussed my project and idea with the Foundations of Algebra (FOA) I

and Algebra I teachers. I explained my purpose and how I wanted to use technology to engage

students in the learning process while increasing their academic achievement.

 4

I also explained the feedback process I was going to use to evaluate the implementation.

Using Thomas Guskey’s model for professional development evaluation (Harvard Family

Research Project, 2006), I explained that there would be five stages for each technology

implemented. I explained to the teachers that I would try to make the process as seamless as

possible, making sure to hold the professional development sessions during their weekly

collaborative planning sessions, so as to not take up any more of their time. I gathered

information from teachers using program evaluation forms I created using Google Forms.

Project Outcomes

Based upon survey results of the Foundations of Algebra and Algebra I teachers (11

people), 100% of teachers reported that they use Teacher Desmos at least 3-5 times per week.

This was not very surprising as this platform is also one that the county encourages teachers to

utilize. For NearPod, 63% of teachers reported they use the platform at least once a week. This is

growth from the first survey reporting that only 18% used NearPod weekly. The least popular

technology seemed to be FlipGrid. Almost all teachers reported they use FlipGrid less than once

per week. While teachers enjoy it for reflective purposes every now and then, it is not a

technology they see as having a place within the math classroom on a weekly basis.

As far as engagement goes, 73% of teachers reported that their students seemed more

engaged when working with platforms such as Teacher Desmos and NearPod. According to the

feedback, this is due to the flexibility of interaction of the platforms (students can draw, drag and

drop, play match, etc.) and the game-like structure of the platforms. Of the 8 teachers who said

they tried to implement FlipGrid, only about half reported an increase in student engagement.

Some actually reported a decrease in engagement because students did not want to record

themselves answering questions and prompts.

 5

For academic achievement, nearly all teachers (81%) reported that their student’s level of

understanding increased when they used Teacher Desmos, as opposed to the other platforms.

This makes sense, as Teacher Desmos is a math-based program. NearPod and FlipGrid can be

used in the math setting, but the programs themselves are not designed based on math standards

and curriculum.

Barriers Encountered

Throughout the duration of this project, I encountered multiple barriers in the areas of the

timeline, audience, and tools. I created a timeline for this project in the spring of 2021 based

upon the county calendar of when we would be in school. Once school started in the fall, I had to

readjust the calendar. Changes to the timeline occurred often due to the uncertainty of testing

windows, called staff meetings and canceled staff meetings, and shutdowns due to the

Coronavirus.

My intended audience for this project also changed. Originally, I wanted to change the

way technology was being implemented throughout the entire school, so I wanted to hold

professional development sessions with the entire staff. This, however, did not happen. Due to

the difficulty of having entire staff meetings and after a discussion with my supervisor and

academic coach, I decided to hone in on the math department, and in particular, the Foundations

of Algebra and Algebra I teachers.

The tools I originally wanted to study were NearPod and FlipGrid. While I did still use

these, I often found myself having to incorporate other resources, such as Teacher Desmos. This

is due to the push in the county to utilize this resource and the number of teachers who were not

too familiar with how to navigate it or incorporate it into the classroom.

 6

While these changes were a little frustrating at first, I think it worked in my favor. By

changing the audience from the entire staff to just the math teachers who taught FOA and

Algebra I, I was able to have a consistent group of teachers at each meeting, and it was easier to

identify and correct issues on this smaller scale. Through this experience, I was able to make

improvements before instructing a group as large as the entire staff.

Follow-Up

As a follow up for this project, I plan to follow up with the teachers involved in the

professional developments to see how the resources are working for them or if they need any

assistance. According to the Essential Conditions (2020), teachers need ongoing professional

learning. By providing continuous professional learning, I can help teachers in any way they

need and I can provide them with any updates as it relates to the technology. Programs and

softwares are constantly changing, and by helping teachers through these changes, I believe it

will increase their chances of continued use of the resources.

Discussion and Reflection

From completing this capstone project, I learned that it takes a lot of effort and strategic

planning to effectively and consistently integrate technology into the learning environment. In

my years of experience as a teacher, I have learned that backwards planning is the best kind of

planning, and the same is true when it comes to technology facilitation. I first had to think about

the shared vision (PSC 1.1) of the school and the needs of teachers. From here, I had to think

about the skills of the teachers and the resources available to use. While I was familiar with the

resources I was introducing to teachers, I had to make sure I was knowledgeable enough to

answer any questions teachers may have had, even in the areas of troubleshooting.
 7

I also learned to be very intentional with the technology I choose to implement. The three

platforms that I chose to focus on could easily be aligned with content standards and student

technology standards (PSC 2.1), promoted authentic learning (PSC 2.3) and even allowed for

differentiation (PSC 2.5). I wanted to make sure the resources I was suggesting promoted good

classroom management and collaboration (PSC 3.1) whether for those students learning in

person or those learning virtually (PSC 3.3). This was very important as many teachers at Forest

Park High School had to teach virtual and in person students simultaneously.

Additionally, I learned that in order to be a good leader, I have to learn to listen to and

identify the needs of those I am trying to serve. For example, I mentioned that I added Teacher

Desmos as one of the resources to educate teachers on. This is due to the fact that many of the

math teachers were struggling to implement the program into their classroom and requested it. I

am glad I made this adjustment as this seems to be the program that garnered the most attention

and the program most teachers gravitated towards. According to the evaluation forms (PSC 5.3),

all teachers started using Teacher Desmos 3-5 times a week. I think this falls in line with the

adult learning principle that adults want to learn information that can be readily applied to their

everyday lives. As stated before, I focused on math teachers for this project, and Teacher

Desmos is a math-based program.

While completing this capstone, I believe I improved my disposition as an instructional

technology leader. Before this project, I really only led math content based professional

development sessions. Because I had been doing this for years, this was not necessarily a

challenge. Leading sessions surrounding technology integration, however, challenged me in the

sense that I had to make sure that not only were the resources something that interested those I

was trying to teach, but also that it was in their zones of proximal developments.
 8

Overall, I grew from this experience, but I think I could have done a better job at

accessing the needs of the teachers. I completed my proposal and this capstone based on

programs that I wanted to see utilized more in the classroom, and not necessarily what the

teachers identified as wanting to use. I think had I issued a needs or interest survey, this would

have yielded better utilization results, thus yielding better results for student engagement.

Recommendations

For others who might attempt to address a similar problem as I did, I would recommend

issuing a survey for the kinds of technology teachers would be interested in implementing in

their classroom. I completed this project based upon the resources I thought would accomplish

the goal of engaging students while increasing academic achievement. There were, however,

some teachers who did not necessarily want to use the particular resources I had selected to

implement. Looking back, I would have preferred to use resources they had an interest in

learning about.

Additionally, I recommend having control groups with pre and post assessments. While I

am confident that the implementation of these emerging technologies helped to increase student

engagement and academic achievement, I would have liked to have had more concrete data. I

suggest having all classes take pre and post assessments, but only some classes implement the

new technologies. This will provide teachers and the technology leader with comparable data to

determine the impact of the implementation.

 9

References

Foulger, T.S., Graziano, K.J., Schmidt-Crawford, D.A., & Slykhuis, D.A. (2017). Editor-Invited

Article Teacher Educator Technology Competencies. Journal of Technology and Teacher

Education, 25(4), 413-448.

Harvard Family Research Project. (2006). A Conversation with Thomas R. Guskey /

Professional Development / Issue Archive / The Evaluation Exchange / Evaluation /

HFRP - Harvard Family Research Project. https://archive.globalfrp.org/evaluation/the-

evaluation-exchange/issue-archive/professional-development/a-conversation-with-

thomas-r.-guskey

An Introduction to Technology Integration. (2012). Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/video/introduction-technology-integration

ISTE. (2021). Essential Conditions | ISTE. Retrieved June 14, 2021, from

https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-essential-conditions

Learning Forward. (2016). Gauge Impact with 5 Levels of Data. Journal of Staff Development,

37(1). https://tguskey.com/wp-content/uploads/Professional-Learning-1-Gauge-Impact-

with-Five-Levels-of-Data.pdf