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Jacqueline Segel

EDLP 6030

Module 7 Assignment

23 October 2022

Application Project

Technology is an important vessel for students to “strengthen their skills, acquire higher-

level proficiencies, motivate students, and increase fluency in subject” (Valdez, Nowakowski, &

Hawkes) More so now than ever, technology is at the forefront of our education. This school

training program will provide opportunities for staff to work collaboratively and work towards a

technology-focused environment.

Based on the current literature surrounding school improvement plans, I would create a team

of staff members interested in both technology, data, and school improvement. With this team, I

would gather schoolwide data over the recent years. This would include state test scores, reading

levels, and math scores. This data can help paint a picture of where this school is in relation to

other NJ schools. After reviewing our data and comparing it to the mean of all NJ public schools,

the team would discuss what areas we need to improve in. One way to improve almost all

subjects is implementing technology in an optimal way. Technology can help students become

masters at a subject, provides more kinesthetic learning, and often can provide real feedback

regarding their performance (Valdez, Nowakowski, & Hawkes). When technology is used

appropriately, we see that test scores can improve. However, when technology is used

abundantly, there may not be an improvement.

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I would suggest implementing a professional development training where teachers are

required to spend time with the technology department or media specialists to get hands-on

experience learning various technological programs. This could take the form as required

professional development hours or even as an office hour. I would also suggest a school wide

“technology skill of the month” where teachers can share what has been working in their

classrooms with the entire school. This can be something as simple as a google shortcut (i.e.,

closing a tab, shutting down chromebook, etc.) or could be an actual program or site (i.e.,

CODE.ORG, Freckle, etc.). This can in turn help teachers with their own data from assessments

and organizing it using excel or google sheets or can help foster a better learning environment for

their students.

I believe another important step for creating a more technology-focused environment would

be using our building media specialist more often. Our building media specialist is up to date on

all recent educational technologies and can come in to present this to students or team-teach.

Team-teaching can prove beneficial as the lead homeroom teacher can learn new educational

technologies and classroom management skills from having another teacher in the room.

For staff members who would fall under a more advanced technology category, I would

suggest using district grants or state grants to attend educational technology conferences. This

would provide staff members with a direct role in implementing new technology into the school

or district. This also provides them with an opportunity to work with like-minded teachers across

the country or world. This can foster professional relationships with other districts and teachers.

After attending a conference, those teachers can then present these findings to the whole school

during a faculty meeting. This also creates a collaborative environment for staff where we can
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learn from each other. Often, outside speakers come to schools to promote the newest technology

or brand so it would be refreshing to hear from someone within the walls that would understand

what this program would look like implemented here. This would also be a great opportunity for

staff members to be recognized by the school or district and could lead to other professional

growth opportunities.

Overall, I do not think there is one program or one shortcut that will save the day. Rather,

schools need to create a technology-focused learning environment for both staff and students.

When a principal creates an environment where both staff and students can flourish, academic

achievement will increase. This will also decrease teacher turnover rates which makes a school

successful. By creating an environment that respects sharing new tools, new ideas, and new

programs, the principal is creating a collaborative working environment for their staff. This helps

take the burden off just the technology department or the media specialist. This can become a

school-wide opportunity. This creates opportunities for professional growth for staff. Once

teachers have learned these new ideas and implement them in their classrooms, students will

flourish as well. Teachers do need to keep in mind that technology use should be optimal and not

forced. To conclude, this professional learning plan will create a better learning environment for

both staff and students with room to grow.

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References

Carlson, D., & Lavertu, S. (2018). School Improvement Grants in Ohio: Effects on Student

Achievement and School Administration. Educational Evaluation and Policy

Analysis, 40(3), 287–315. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373718760218

Carvalho, M., Cabral, I., Verdasca, J., & Alves, J. M. (2022). Strategic action plans for school

improvement: An exploratory study about quality indicators for schools’ plan

evaluation. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 13(1), 143–163.

https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/3910

Ilomäki, L., & Lakkala, M. (2018). Digital technology and practices for school improvement:

innovative digital school model. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced

Learning, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-018-0094-8

Karlsson, L. (2020). Computers in education: the association between computer use and test

scores in primary school. Education Inquiry, 13(1), 1–30.

https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2020.1831288

Mcnabb, M., Valdez, G., Nowakowski, J., & Hawkes, M. (n.d.). Technology Connections For

School Improvement Planners’ Handbook. http://www.ncrel.org/tplan/handbook.pdf

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