Assignment 8: Professional Learning Plan

Cynthia Adams

MEDT 7490: Visual and Media Literacy for Teaching and Learning

Dr. Adriana D’Alba

November 20, 2022

Cheatham Hill Elementary School is in West Cobb. The school has roughly 1,133 students.

According to the 2019 CCRPI report, the student demographics consist of 4.1% Asian/Pacific

Islander, 24.7% Black, 21% Hispanic, 4.4% multiracial, 45.7% White, 34.2% Economically

disadvantaged. 16.4% English Language Learners, and 15.9% Students with disabilities. There

are 79 classroom teachers on staff.

The media center is in the center of the building. It has a classroom space with tables in front of

an electronic whiteboard in one corner. It has 3 banks of student computers spread across the

media center. There is another teaching space in the center of the media center with a Smart

Board and seating on the floor surrounded by cushioned benches. There is an office for the

media specialist. There is a storage area behind the circulation desk and a room that houses the

guided reading collection for teacher checkout. The media center also houses an audio-visual

room where the morning broadcast is produced. Marla Buro is the certified media specialist and

Theresa Graham serves as the parapro.

The students and staff have access to Cobb Digital Library, as is the standard for all Cobb

County Schools. There are some resources that are a standard part of Cobb Digital Library and

others that are paid for out of the media center budget for schools wishing to include additional

resources. Cobb Digital Library includes an extensive collection of eBooks, reference resources,

and databases for student and teacher use. The collection consists of 22,637 items of which

19,588 are books. The fiction section has been genrified to make books easier for students to

find.

Cobb County Schools uses a learning management system called CTLS. There is a resource

library within CTLS that has been curated with various resources to support instruction of the

standards. There are images, videos, lesson plans to support teachers and students.
According to the media specialist, lessons from Common Sense Media serve as the main

resource to teach students digital citizen and media literacy. There are free lessons available for

all grade level bands to teach digital citizenship, as well as news and media literacy. There are

several print resources Mrs. Buro uses to teach visual literacy. Mrs. Buro referenced a particular

lesson she conducts with third grade. Third grade studies the branches of government. She uses

Woodrow the Whitehouse Mouse to teach about the executive branch. The book includes images

that are replicas of actual things in the white house. For example, the desk in the oval office. The

illustration is a replica of the actual desk. She shows images of the actual desk alongside the

illustration and has students compare them.

Within Cobb Digital Library there are some resources that can be used both by teachers and

students in creating multimedia presentations. Britannica Image Quest is a database of rights

cleared images that can be used in presentations. Safari Montage is a database of videos that can

be used to teach media literacy. Nearpod and Book Creator can be used to create multimedia

presentations to teach concepts or a final product to share what has been learned.

Ashley Costello works with her gifted students to do an activity called See Think Share in which

she has students examine images critically and share what they notice. She gave an example of

an image of lots of coins. The coins were stacked in groups of ten and there were ten stacks. She

was looking for students to notice that this image was a way to express 100. She told me that the

images are provided via SharePoint by the Target department. With the recent changes in

legislation, the county is requiring that all resources be vetted prior to use. If a resource comes

from the county or a specific department within the county, we can consider it vetted, safe, and

appropriate to use. Lynn Ralph, the art teacher, told me about tools that are being used with our

visually impaired students. To be able to express themselves through art, visually impaired
students are utilizing Tactile Doodle. It is a board with a spongy surface, covered by a clear

overlay. The art teacher can draw something on the board, and it makes indentations in the

board. The student is then able to feel the indentations and recreate the drawing after exploring

the lines and textures with their hands. Being able to explore visual literacy in a tactile fashion

allows all students equal access to this knowledge.

Mrs. Buro notes that there are some needs present in the science nonfiction collection. There are

many topics that have updated information available that include visual supports within the texts

that could address gaps within the collection or serve as an updated resource for older materials

needing to be weeded. Dual Spanish/English books are needed to meet the needs of our ESOL

students. Mrs. Buro also notes that video editing software is a current need. The software would

assist with the production of the morning news show and in the creation of multimedia products

for the upper grades. She also noted that a green screen app for the iPad would be useful in the

creation of student videos. After speaking with teachers within the building, I would also say that

professional learning opportunities are needed to learn more about visual and media literacy and

how these concepts can be incorporated throughout the curriculum.

Professional Learning Plan

Objectives

 Science teachers and the media specialist will form a collaborative team to identify and

address gaps in the Science nonfiction collection and resources needing to be replaced

with updated information

  ESOL teachers and the media specialist will form a collaborative team to create a list of

dual Spanish/English books on relevant topics that would best meet the needs of ESOL

learners across grade levels PK-5.

 The media tech committee will research options available for video editing software and

green screen apps and will prepare a proposal for administration requesting approval to

buy the best options.

 Using funds allotted for the learning commons, video editing software will be purchased

for student and teacher use.

 Using funds allotted for the learning commons, a green screen app will be purchased for

student and teacher use.

 The media and technology committee will plan and implement monthly trainings to

educate staff on visual and media literacy and support them in their efforts to incorporate

these concepts across the curriculum.

PLP Summary

Activity Stakeholders/Participants Timetable

A collaborative team of one Grade level teachers, Media Post planning, one day
teacher from each grade level Specialist
and the media specialist will be
formed.
The media specialist will Grade level teachers, Media Post planning, 1 hour
present the status of the Specialist
Science nonfiction section to
the team and will have each
grade level teacher fill out a
survey of perceived needs.
The media specialist will analyze Media Specialist 2 weeks
Science nonfiction survey
results and will determine what
topics need to be added and
which topics should be updated.
An order will be placed to
address the needs uncovered.
A collaborative team of ESOL ESOL teachers, Media Specialist Post planning, one day
teachers and the media
specialist will be formed.
The media specialist will ESOL teachers, Media Specialist Post planning, 1 hour
present the status of the dual
Spanish/English section to the
team and will have each ESOL
teacher fill out a survey of
perceived needs.
The media specialist will analyze Media Specialist 2 weeks
the dual Spanish/English section
survey results and will
determine what needs to be
added to the collection. An
order will be placed to address
the needs uncovered.
The Media Tech Committee will Media Tech Committee 1 month
research options for video members, Media Specialist,
editing software and green Administration
screen apps and will prepare a
proposal for administration
requesting approval to purchase
best options.
The media specialist will Media Specialist 1 day
purchase video editing software
and green screen app for
student and teacher use.

The Media Tech committee will Media Tech Committee, Media 1 hour
meet to create a survey to seek Specialist
information about the impact of
the purchase of these items on
student learning. Teachers will
be asked what they used these
tech tools for in their
classrooms and clubs. The
committee will distribute the
survey.
The media tech committee will Media Tech Committee, Media 1 hour
meet to create a survey for staff Specialist, Instructional Support
members to gain information Specialist, TTIS
about professional
development needs regarding
visual and media literacy and
how to incorporate it across the
curriculum. The committee will
 distribute the survey.
The media tech committee will Media tech committee, Media Two 1-hour sessions
meet to analyze survey results Specialist, Instructional Support
and plan a calendar of monthly Specialist, TTIS
professional development
about visual and media literacy
and ideas about how to
incorporate these concepts
throughout the curriculum. The
media tech committee will
create a survey to be
distributed to staff upon
completion of each professional
development session to
evaluate the content and
delivery of instruction.
Professional Development will Media tech committee, Media 45-minute sessions once per
be delivered during grade level Specialist, Instructional Support month for 9 months, September
planning times once per month Specialist, TTIS, Various Content through May.
for 45 minutes. Experts in the Building
Staff will complete a survey Media tech committee, Media 5 Minutes
after completing each Specialist, Instructional Support
professional development that Specialist, TTIS, Various Content
will evaluate the content and Experts in the Building,
delivery of instruction. Teachers/Participants in the
Professional Development

Timetable for Evaluation

The evaluation instruments for this professional learning plan will be in the form of surveys.

There are a total of 3 formative evaluations and 2 summative evaluations to measure the progress

and success of the plan.

Evaluation Evaluation Details Evaluation Type Responsible Timetable

Method Stakeholder
Survey Teachers will fill Formative Media Specialist, 5 Minutes
out a survey of Grade level
perceived needs in teachers
the Science
nonfiction section,
based on grade
level curriculum,
 gaps in the
collection, and
resources that
need to be
updated.
Survey ESOL teachers will Formative Media Specialist, 5 Minutes
fill out a survey of ESOL Teachers
perceived needs
for the dual
Spanish/English
section, based on
the learning needs
of their students in
grades PK-5.
Survey Teachers will fill Summative Media Specialist, 10 Minutes
out a survey Media Tech
detailing the Committee, CHES
impact of Teachers
purchasing video
editing software
and a green screen
app on student
learning. The
survey will ask
what the two
items have been
used for in the
classroom and
clubs.
Survey Teachers will fill Formative Media Specialist, 10 Minutes
out a survey that Media Tech
will gather Committee, CHES
professional Teachers
development
needs regarding
visual and media
literacy and how
to incorporate
these concepts
across the
curriculum.
Survey Teachers will fill Summative Media Specialist, 10 Minutes
out a survey after Media Tech
each professional Committee, CHES
development Teachers
session to evaluate
the content and
 delivery of
instruction.

Reflection

The needs assessment began with researching the precise demographics of the school. A

cataloging of the physical space of the media center, as well as the resources, both print and

digital, was undertaken. After gathering this information, interviews with key stakeholders took

place. I thought it was important to try and reach out to an assortment of stakeholders to see what

was needed by different parts of our school community. We have many identified resources to

address visual and media literacy. I think where the greatest need exists, is in the knowledge of

how to use those tools to enhance student learning. In speaking with teachers around the school,

the need for professional development in the area of visual and media literacy and how to

incorporate it throughout the curriculum was high on the list of perceived needs. The objectives

on the professional learning plan reflect this. The acquisition of science nonfiction books and

dual Spanish/English books both offered supports with visual images to enhance the text.

Mayer’s Media principle tells us that “people learn better from words and pictures than from

words alone” (Mayer 2009 p. 223). There is an emphasis on visual supports in nonfiction today.

This is something that has changed over time. Nonfiction of the past was largely text with few

images. Visual and media literacy are important for being able to interpret the world around us,

but it is also important for students to become creators, to apply their knowledge to original

multimedia projects. The purchase of tools such as editing software and a green screen app

encourage creativity and offer students a way to showcase learning in a different way. Finally,

the monthly professional development for teachers regarding visual and media literacy provides

teachers with the necessary skills to prepare students for a quickly changing world in which they
must be adept in multiple literacies. A needs assessment, followed by the creation of a

professional learning plan offers the unique opportunity to really get to know your school and the

specific needs of your community. There is great value in this activity, and it should be done

periodically to ensure that teachers and students have what they need to impact student learning.
 References

Georgia Department of Education. (2019). 2019 College and career ready performance index (CCRPI).

http://ccrpi.gadoe.org/Reports/Views/Shared/_Layout.html

Mayer, R.E. (2009). Multimedia Learning: Vol. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.