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Theory and Practice for Integrating Digital Resources into Learning and Teaching:

Change Agent Assignment

Joshua Marx

Towson University

ISTC 731

Dr. William Sadera

July 18th, 2023

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I. Initial Problem and Goal of Change Plan

Preparing students for their future college and career experiences is at the core of any K-12

educational institution. The faculty at these schools work tirelessly to guide students as they

master the concepts and practice the skills needed to be successful in their future endeavors.

However, one significant area lacking in this guidance is in the use of technology. While

education has always tried to catch up to the fast-pace nature of technological advances, many

teachers today still rely on many of the same tools and strategies that teachers used decades or

even centuries ago. As Peggy A. Ertmer and Anne T. Ottenbreit-Leftwich points out in their

article “Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture

Intersect,” while other professions have adopted more modern 21st century practices, education

has lagged behind and does not have high levels of effective technology use (2010). This failure

to adopt technology in relevant and purposeful ways does a disservice to students by not staying

in step with the technology students will encounter in their lives. ISTE CEO Richard Culatta

believes that now, more than ever, “We have to learn how to have better conversations about

using technology, especially with young people. It’s one of our weakest skills as a society”

(Krueger, 2023). With this in mind, the goal of this Change Plan is to institute a professional

learning community (PLC) opportunity for teachers at Towson High School to learn about and

leverage the capabilities of ChatGPT in their classes and, using the SAMR framework to

integrate this technology, ultimately redefine activities and assignments in their classes that

would not be possible without it. In the short term, the success of this goal will be measured

through teacher feedback in the familiarity and comfort level of using ChatGPT as an AI

planning partner in their lesson development. The long-term measure of success will be the
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eventual adoption of ChatGPT in teachers’ classes and how well they are able to redefine work

previously done in other ways.

II. Audience and organization

There are 95 teachers at Towson High school with a wide range of aptitudes and interest in

ChatGPT specifically and technology integration wholistically. Some of the late adopters among

this group reluctantly abide with the push towards technology integration, content with

continuing in the ways they always have and satisfied with the results they’ve always gotten.

Seymor Papert, in his essay “Computers in the Classroom: Agents of Change,” points out that

even when radical technology is accessible to educators, some choose to adopt it only to

demonstrate compliance and find trivial uses for it that require minimal change in their old ways

of teaching (1996). That is the primary reason why the SAMR model was selected, as it allows

teachers at different points in their journey to integrate a new technology at a level they are

comfortable with while still challenging them to do more than simply comply with technological

integration ideas that require minimal change. An achievable goal for a population with such a

wide range of skills is to introduce and measure the integration of ChatGPT as a teaching tool

across the school in all subjects. Being a Large Language Model, ChatGPT is truly suited for all

different instructional environments and is only constrained by the input of the user. As

mentioned earlier, the goal here is to develop this PLC for teachers to learn about and leverage

the capabilities of ChatGPT in their classes. Therefore, two objectives of this plan following the

initial meeting of the PLC are (a) teachers will be able to identify different ways of integrating

ChatGPT into class activities following the SAMR framework and (b) teachers will evaluate the

effectiveness of adopting ChatGPT as a teaching tool through monthly interdisciplinary

discussions and reflections.

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These two goals will help assess what has been learned for two reasons. First, if they can

identify ChatGPT’s various uses in their classes through the lens of SAMR, that will demonstrate

their understanding of its capabilities in developing curricular resources from the initial meeting.

Second, if teachers stay committed to implementing the ideas they develop through ChatGPT

and reflect on those practices collaboratively, they will demonstrate their thoughtful application

and revision of its uses.

III. Strategy and tactics of Change Plan

The change plan involves several components that all work to increase awareness and

interest in the use of ChatGPT as a teaching tool for staff members. The long-term vision of this

plan is to hold monthly meetings, beginning with an introductory meeting held the week staff

return to the building for the upcoming school year. Staff will learn about this first meeting

through an initial email sent out to inform them of this PLC opportunity (see artifact #1). At this

first meeting, teachers will be familiarized with ChatGPT as a teaching tool following the SAMR

model to showcase the different levels of adoption that can be achieved (see artifact #2).

Following that introductory meeting, interested teachers will meet monthly in interdisciplinary

groups to share results, get feedback on issues they face, and brainstorm ideas for future uses of

ChatGPT (see artifact #3). The push from these monthly meetings is for PLC members to go

back to their departments and share the work being done with ChatGPT themselves and amongst

PLC participants to show other members of their department how it can be used in many ways.

This final step will hopefully spur more late adopters into trying it and seeing its potential.

Finally, this plan specifically addresses UDL by asking participants to consider UDL

guidelines as they use AI in their instructional planning. As seen in artifact #3, participants are

asked to consider which guidelines of UDL are targeted in their AI usage and are provided with a
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resource to review that can assist them in finding appropriate checkpoints, which ensures

teaching and learning in their classes are improved and optimized (“The UDL Guidelines,”

2023). Adding this consideration will not only ensure that UDL is at the forefront of their

planning, but will also help push participants towards redefining lessons and activities in their

classes following the SAMR framework.

IV. Samples (or examples) of PD products or instructional artifacts

Below are artifacts utilized in this project to introduce teachers to AI as a teaching tool:

Artifact #1 – Introductory Staff Email

Dear Towson Staff -

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to invite you to participate in a Professional
Learning Community (PLC) focused on exploring the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
tools, specifically ChatGPT, as a valuable teaching resource in our classrooms. This initiative
aims to empower educators like yourself to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes
through the effective use of AI technology.
We recognize the tremendous potential of AI in education and the impact it can have on
transforming the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this PLC is to collaboratively
explore how AI, such as ChatGPT, can be integrated into our classes, and to ensure that its
adoption aligns with the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition)
framework.
While you will be given a more in-depth introduction to the SAMR framework, in short it
provides a useful lens for educators to evaluate how technology can be integrated into their
teaching practices. By understanding and applying this, we can analyze how AI tools like
ChatGPT can be used beyond simple substitution of traditional methods and drive
transformational instruction. Through our PLC sessions, we will collaborate in the following
areas:
 Exploration of AI tools in education: We will examine the potential of ChatGPT and
similar AI technologies to support student learning, foster creativity, and promote critical
thinking skills.
 SAMR framework and technology integration: We will learn how to evaluate the
adoption of AI tools using the SAMR framework and explore ways to move towards
redefinition, where technology allows for new possibilities and experiences that were
previously unimaginable.
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 Best practices and instructional strategies: We will share successful examples and
strategies for integrating AI tools effectively in various subject areas, enabling you to
implement them confidently in your own classroom.
 Collaboration and support: The PLC will provide a collaborative space for sharing
ideas, challenges, and resources. It will facilitate professional growth through
discussions, peer feedback, and hands-on activities.
Your expertise and insights will greatly contribute to the success of this PLC. Your
participation will not only enhance your own teaching practice, but also inspire and guide others
in your department and schoolwide in understanding and embracing AI as a powerful tool for
enriching the educational experience at Towson High School.
The introductory PLC session will be held on Wednesday, August 23rd, in room 306. Please
confirm your participation by Monday, August 21st, so plans can be finalized accordingly. If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Thank you for your interest in fostering innovative and meaningful learning experiences for
our students. Together, we can explore the possibilities that AI offers and make a positive impact
on education.
Best –
Joshua Marx
AVID Site Coordinator
English 
Towson High School
he/him/his

Artifact #2 – SAMR Model

Because the write up for the SAMR framework would be too much to include here, I’ve

linked the model here that would be shared with participants in the PLC. During the initial PLC,

participants would read this write up and share their takeaways on how the SAMR framework

can help guide the work of adopting ChatGPT as a teaching tool.

Artifact #3 – PLC Collaboration Resource

This resource will frame the conversations the interdisciplinary groups will have

regarding their adoption of AI into their instructional practices.

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AI Integration PLC Meeting Date:

Use of ChatGPT Issues Faced / Questions Peer Feedback &
Next Steps
Summary: Briefly summarize
how ChatGPT was used in your
instruction.

SAMR Framework: Briefly

explain how your use of
ChatGPT fits into the SAMR
framework. For a refresher on
SAMR, click here!

UDL Considerations: How

does this use of ChatGPT reflect
considerations for UDL in the
classroom? For a UDL
reference guide, click here!
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References

Ertmer, P. and Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010) Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge,

Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. JRTE, 42(3), 255-284.

Krueger, N. (2023). What Educators — and Students — Can Learn From ChatGPT.

https://www.iste.org/explore/artificial-intelligence/what-educators-and-students-can-

learn-chatgpt.

Papert, S. (1996). “Computers in the Classroom: Agents of Change.” The Washington Post

Education Review.

“The UDL Guidelines.” (2023). CAST. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/.