Running Head: TECHNOLOGY PLANNING PAPER 1

Technology Planning Paper: Plan for a Plan

Logan Elementary School

Gabrielle L. Antalffy

Loyola University Maryland

ET680: The Role of the Technology Leader

Technology Planning Paper: Plan for a Plan

E-Portfolios in the Classroom

In this paper, I will be introducing the idea of using of e-portfolios at Logan Elementary

School (LES). An e-portfolio is a place where students can “collect their work, reflect upon

strengths and weaknesses, and strive to improve” (Miller & Morgaine, 2009). Teachers are also

able to use e-portfolios to provide feedback, analyze student work, and track student

development as the year progresses. In this paper, I will analyze Logan Elementary School’s

openness to technological changes, identify and describe a group of allies to help address what is

missing in our school, and share a plan for implementing e-portfolios at LES.

Analysis of Current Situation

Perceived Attributes

Logan Elementary school is comprised of many teachers who are open and willing to

make changes. However, there are exceptions, therefore, all teachers, administrators, and staff

members are not always willing to adapt new technologies and adopt them willingly. With using

e-portfolios, teachers can use the program, OneNote, through which the students would be

collecting and organizing their work. Teachers can easily go through this program and

experiment with it, both through the teacher and student views. They would need to take

additional time out of their busy days to do so, however, they can explore the program and

become familiar with it. While using OneNote to create student portfolios, teachers would be

able to observe the results and work of the students immediately. They would be able to observe

the students using it, see their responses right away, and provide feedback as necessary. This will

help them see their students’ portfolios being developed as they create and add new assignments.
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Using e-portfolios would allow for students to upload and collect their work without

having to organize a variety of papers. In addition, OneNote saves automatically, making it less

hassle for teachers to have to deal with helping students save their work! Teachers may perceive

this as easier and more convenient than creating portfolios with papers, folders, bins, etc. This

makes it easier for the student, teachers, and parents to view their students’ work without having

to haul around huge files loaded with papers. It also makes it easier for them to share their work

with others, since they can share a simple link to the teachers and parents. Students can upload

and create documents, pictures, voice recordings, videos, etc. to track their progress throughout

the year. Using e-portfolios would be a simple place to keep track of their work throughout the

year and even future years of their education.

Learning this innovation would definitely be time consuming, making it less desirable for

teachers to use. It is a complex program that is confusing to navigate at times if one is not

familiar with it. In addition, teachers may wonder why it is worth their time to learn a program

such as this as technology and programs used by Baltimore County are continually changing.

Teachers may find it time consuming to teach both themselves and their students. However, once

the students and teachers understand how it works, they may see the positive qualities in

collecting student work through e-portfolios.

Since OneNote is already downloaded on all teacher and student devices, teachers may

perceive this program to be compatible with what they already have! It is only a click away,

making it easy to get to and use.

Ely’s Eight Conditions

The staff at Logan Elementary School notices that things could definitely be better with

the use of technology. Many teachers realize that the use of technology in the classroom is at a

bit of a standstill and change needs to be made to use it more effectively. In addition, this year

administration made a push to begin collecting student work so teachers can analyze their

progress throughout the year. This has always been the expectation, but this year it has been

taken more seriously with the emphasis on student accountability. This made it overwhelming

for teachers to create portfolios for each student and provide them with a portfolio that is easily

accessible for them to use throughout the year. With so many new programs, tools, expectations,

and technology that is presented throughout the year, teachers aren’t quite sure where to begin.

While interviewing teachers at Logan, many mentioned that they either aren’t familiar with tools

or programs that can be used or they are aware of many tools and programs, but there are so

many they do not know where to begin using them properly. They understand that these

resources are available, but the biggest problem is time.

Many teachers at Logan get to work early and stay late, yet still do not have enough time

to complete their day-to-day tasks such as planning, grading, miscellaneous paperwork, etc. If

they don’t have enough time to complete these everyday tasks, then they definitely do not have

time to explore new programs and tools to use with their students. In addition to not having time

for themselves to explore new tools, they feel like they do not have enough instructional time in

class to use new tools with their students. When using new tools, teachers must take the

additional time to show students how to use them and give them time to practice. This takes up

precious time that teachers feel they need in order to get through their content and curriculum

that the county pressures them to get through. Overall, teachers feel that there is just not enough

time in the days to implement new tools and programs.

Unfortunately, administration has made it apparent that they are not sure what rewards or

incentives to give to the staff to motivate them to try new things or attend after-school

professional developments and meetings. This has taken a toll on the staff in wanting to try new

things. They don’t feel like the rewards are great enough to take risks, try new things, or take the

extra time to learn new tools. Teachers have not been provided with extra pay or opportunities to

gain credits for attending these sessions (which I’ve learned through interviewing the staff this is

something that motivates them). If these incentives were offered (though they are difficult to

offer), teachers may possibly want to participate in trying new things. If e-portfolios were

presented to the staff, it may be helpful to allow teachers to attend these professional

developments at time where they would have to be at a meeting already, such as after school

Monday faculty meetings, professional development days, or at the beginning of school where

there are constant meetings. Or, this information could be sent out with the use of videos and

tutorials so teachers could learn on their own time.

Teachers should be able to give their input on how e-portfolios could be used in the

classrooms. Since they are the ones implementing this technology in their rooms, they should be

able to have a say in how the innovation would be used. At the beginning of presenting the

information, teachers should take a survey in order to give feedback on the program and use of e-

portfolios in order to drive future implementation. I would also keep an open communication so

teachers can provide feedback as they see fit.

Administration has already shown commitment, especially since it was their idea to

implement e-portfolios. Jill Bender, principal at Logan Elementary School, has stated that she

wants to switch to the use of e-portfolios for next school year. She should continue to show

commitment throughout this process to increase teacher buy-in. As this plan continues, I will be
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sure to become a leader that is available when help or assistance is needed. I also will attempt to

provide training and encouragement and be available for consultation whenever needed. This

will ensure that the innovation is being implemented as best as possible.

ACOT Model

Overall, most teachers at Logan Elementary seem to be at the adoption and adaptation

stages, and few are at the appropriation stage of the ACOT model. There are some teachers who

use technology at a basic level with their same routines and some who use technology with

increased efficacy and integrate technology into traditional practices. Many teachers at the

adoption stage seem to use their devices for math and reading programs such as Dreambox and i-

Ready or to display their presentations to their students through the use of ActivInspire. They use

programs like Wixie or Microsoft Word for students to publish their work, but only as a

substitution for pencil and paper. Sabrina Hergenroeder, a third grade math teacher, uses these

programs in her classroom. She isn’t very confident in incorporating any other tools in her

classroom other than Dreambox and ActivInspire, so she only uses a limited variety of

technological tools. She stated that she only uses these tools and not others because she isn’t sure

“how to use it in other ways besides the websites BCPS wants us to use” and wonders “how can

it be used for informal assessments” (S. Hergenroeder, personal communication, February 20,

2018) Teachers are comfortable with these programs and tools, but aren’t really doing anything

different with technology to enhance their instruction.

The teachers who are at the adaptation stage are a bit more comfortable with using

technology in their instruction. These teachers use programs like Voicethread so students can

present information in new ways, BoardBuilder where students can create interactive posters

with a variety of sources, and databases so students can conduct research independently. A fifth
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grade math and content teacher seems to be at this stage of the ACOT model. She uses tools such

as databases, Kahoot, padlet, Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, ActiveInspire because “students

can research, practice, and make presentations of their own. The resources that I use help me to

create lessons that help to keep students engaged in learning” (D. Kalfas, personal

communication, February 20, 2018). She seems to be using technology to work towards the

appropriation stage. Through her interview, she seemed very open-minded to learning more

about technology so she can make a real change in her instruction and classroom. There are

many other teachers like her at Logan that are in this stage.

Through interviewing several teachers, it seems like many are attempting to move toward

appropriation, where they want to make real change and shift their mindsets, practices, and

beliefs, but they just don’t have the knowledge or skills just yet. Very few teachers are at the

appropriation stage where their students are engaging in student centered learning, but they are at

the very basic stage of this level. A specific fifth grade English Language Arts teacher, Tracy

Stratemeyer, is at the appropriation stage. She uses tools such as Edmodo and TodaysMeet to

engage her students in student-centered learning. She uses these tools to allow for collaboration,

not only between the students in her classroom, but for them to have discussions with the other

fifth grade students, too. She uses ActivInspire to push out presentations with videos,

instructions, and learning material to flip her classroom instruction. She puts the students in

control on their learning and engages them with new material.

There doesn’t seem to be any teachers at the invention stage. I do not necessarily believe

it is because they do not want to, but because there is not enough time or support to do so. Many

teachers love the idea of using technology to recreate instruction and use technology as a

powerful instructional tool, but are not quite equipped with the knowledge or time to do so.
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Stakeholders

In order for changes to be made successfully, the key people potentially involved in this

plan are very important, though all stakeholders are considered. Most specifically, the teachers

and students would be the most important stakeholders to consider since e-portfolios are being

implemented in the classrooms. There are a few people at Logan Elementary that would really

help move our school forward with technology. I would also want to include students, parents,

and community members to play a role as well.

Key Players at LES and Groups of Stakeholders

Logan Elementary has a very knowledgeable, willing, and open-minded staff. Many

teachers have great ideas, yet they are not always shared with others. Therefore, I would like to

include a classroom teacher from each of the following sections: pre-kindergarten or

kindergarten, primary (first or second grades), and secondary (third through fifth grades). This

way teachers from each section can provide information and feedback and ideas can be shared.

These members would play the most important role, as they are in the classrooms teaching and

incorporating technology on a daily basis. If I could choose my committee (although this is not

always possible), there are specific teachers I would like to include based on their knowledge of

technology, background experiences, and use of technology in their own classrooms.

According to the Guidebook for Developing an Effective Instructional Technology Plan,

the teachers that I would include as allies are considered “faculty members.” My ideal team of

allies would consist of the following teachers. I would like to begin with Kelly Simms, a

kindergarten teacher. She is the science liaison for LES, where she is in charge of relaying new

science information and tools to the other teachers. She has also been a part of our STEM action
TECHNOLOGY PLANNING PAPER 9

team, where she has organized many events where she demonstrated how technology is

incorporated into new ways of learning. Kelly would also be a valuable team member because

she teaches kindergarten, where learning is very different than in the other grades. Having a new

perspective such as hers would be very beneficial to help create change. Next, as a teacher in a

primary grade, Ashley Cudmore would make an excellent ally. Ashley has been teaching for six

years and has had experience in both primary and intermediate grades. She is constantly

researching new information and innovations to incorporate into her classroom. She is very

open-minded and knowledgeable in regard to teaching practices; therefore, her background

knowledge would be valuable to our team. Another member I think would be an excellent ally is

Tracy Stratemeyer, the previously mentioned fifth grade English Language Arts teacher. She is

currently at the appropriation stage of the ACOT model. Her knowledge of technology, tools,

and open-mindedness would be more than helpful to support change in our school.

In addition to just teachers, there are several other “faculty members” that I would enlist

as allies to help make changes at LES. It would be extremely beneficial for a special area teacher

to be on the team. They do not necessarily teach core content and information, however, they do

have a different perspective on learning. They also are able to see many different students from

all different grades throughout the school. They have this advantage that classroom teachers do

not! The specials area teacher I would like to recruit is Amy Bugarin. Amy is our library media

specialist. She is enthusiastic about the use of technology and tech tools in education. She is

constantly using technology in her lessons that relate to the appropriate stage based on the ACOT

model. Amy was the first to receive information and instruction on the 3-D printer, Makerspace,

and other innovations in our school. She is extremely knowledgeable and enjoys working with

classroom teachers. Her knowledge and enthusiasm would enable her to be a valuable
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stakeholder. In addition to the other faculty members, our STAT teacher, Andrea Palmisano,

would be a great ally. She in constantly learning new tools, networking with other teachers

around the county, and researching new tools and programs. Andrea is great at creating screen

casts and video tutorials for other teachers. She is also an expert on providing professional

developments to teachers. Her knowledge about technology, teaching practices, and professional

developments are qualities that I would love to have in this group. The last faculty member that I

would like to have as a member of the group is one of our special educators, Erika Sorg. She is

extremely knowledgeable when it comes to modifying instruction for those who need, using

tools to provide scaffolds and accommodations, and going above and beyond for the students.

The next group of people I would like to enlist from our stakeholders is administration.

There are two administrators at Logan Elementary. It would be great to have both involved,

however, it is difficult to get administration to commit to a group on a consistent basis.

Therefore, I would choose to recruit Jill Bender, our principal. She would be an excellent ally

because she is new to our school and is trying to move our school in a new direction. She has a

lot of new ideas she has been trying to implement with the staff, so this would be a great time to

address some of those changes. This would include the use of e-portfolios in the classrooms, as

she wished-for. Administration participation would be essential in order to implement changes.

The participation from the biggest leader in our school would be needed in order to advocate for

change in our school.

Students are the ones being impacted the most by innovations in schools. In order to help

advocate for change, students should be part of the group of allies. I would like one to two

students to be involved. If there are too many, then the group would be too large. Once the group
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is too large, then the focus and vision can be easily lost and misinterpreted. I would choose

students from the intermediate grades since they are able to more easily voice their opinions.

Last but not least, I would like to include parents, community members, and/or business

persons. Parents from our school aren’t often involved with events and meetings at our school. If

we offered them a chance to share their voice and opinions, they may want to help advocate for

change. Logan Elementary School is located in Dundalk, which is central to many local

businesses and operations. A police station and a firehouse are around the corner. There are also

several small businesses close by, including restaurants, grocery stores, etc. I would like for one

to two community members, parents, or business persons to become a part of the group. One

reason is because these people are in the community and have a different view of the community

and what the children need. Another reason they would be great allies is because I imagine these

people helping to assist in implementing technology in our school. For example, while using e-

portfolios in the classrooms, students would be asked to read and record themselves for a variety

of reasons (fluency, assessments, writing assignments, etc.) and there are not enough teachers or

resources in the building to help assist with this. There are many voices and noises in the

classrooms which makes it difficult to record in the classroom, so if there were additional people

to assist with this, it could help the innovations more successful. Also, students get excited to

share their work with new people, which would add a motivating factor.

Involvement

It seems as if getting people involved is a difficult task. Most often people complain that

there is not enough time to add things to their plates. Due to the time required in order to run a

committee and the large amount of work necessary to complete, people find that extra

duties/groups are difficult to join. In order to get stakeholders involved, I could send out surveys,
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hold meetings (when time is permitted), and maintain an open line of communication. I would

get their input and allow them to voice their opinions so their thoughts, concerns, and questions

would be addressed. I would try to ensure that meetings would be scheduled and on a regular

basis at a “time that is convenient for the majority of members.” To keep the stakeholders

involved, I would try to maintain an open line of communication so they feel included and can

give input when necessary. I could also keep them involved by assigning jobs to different people

so they feel needed and included. This would also help with delegating to help maintain

organization and participation.

This list of representatives from the stakeholder groups differs from the “ideal” listed in

the Guidebook because I have left out laypersons, librarians, and technology professionals. The

reason for leaving out laypersons is because they are not relevant to our public school system. I

have included a “librarian,” which is our library media specialist, but I did not include a

traditional librarian because this is not necessary for the success of our group. Amy Bugarin’s

position acts as a librarian and would suffice for this group of stakeholders. This group also

doesn’t include technology professionals because our group is more focused on technology in

education. Although this type of person would be helpful, I have not included them because it is

another person added to the group that would take away the intimacy of the group. However, if

in the future it is found that this position would be helpful in our group of representatives, then I

would reach out to someone who could represent the role of the technology professional.

These group of allies would help address some of Ely’s Eight Conditions. As discussed

previously, time is an issue. Many teachers see that time is not available for implantation of new

tools, planning, meetings, etc. This group would be helpful in helping reduce the amount of time

it takes for teachers to learn new tools. The people in this group would help communicate how
TECHNOLOGY PLANNING PAPER 13

and why new tools, specifically e-portfolios, should be used in the classroom. We would provide

teachers with resources and tools that are easily accessible to help them learn new information

more quickly. I cannot provide the rewards that most people want, such as monetary

compensation or credits for classes, but I can provide information to allow teachers to see why

change should be made. In turn, teachers may find the intrinsic reward for using technology in

new ways.

Plan of Action for Technology Planning

Vision and Mission Statements

opportunities and tools to accompany them in order to develop lifelong learners. We strive to

continuously innovate instruction based on the modern technologies and needs of our learners.

Teachers will facilitate learning opportunities in order to allow our students to flourish and grow.

Our goal is to utilize a variety of technology in a multitude of ways to help students acquire the

skills they will need in order to succeed as throughout their schooling and careers.

At Logan Elementary school, teachers will provide students with a variety of

personalized learning opportunities. With these personalized opportunities, students may use a

variety of technologies to showcase their learning. Throughout their schooling at Logan, students

should become responsible and accountable for their learning. By implementing e-portfolios into

all classrooms, Logan will transform the way students and teachers collect, organize, and reflect

on their data. By creating e-portfolios through OneNote, teachers and students can organize

assignments and assessments throughout the year, allowing students to become more responsible

and accountable for their learning. E-portfolios will provide teachers with student assignments in

an easily accessible manner. Students will be able to showcase their learning and reflect upon
TECHNOLOGY PLANNING PAPER 14

their learning and progress as the year goes on. Teachers will be able to provide feedback,

analyze student development and growth, and share information with parents and administrators.

Possible Resolutions for Issues

The teachers at Logan Elementary, along with other teachers in Baltimore County, are

expected to maintain and organize student work so they can analyze and track student data and

progress. Teachers who teach all subjects have a large number of students in their class and they

have multiple types of data to collect and organize (such as assessments and information

regarding both math and reading). Teachers who are departmentalized have multiple groups of

students where they are expected to maintain information and assessments on students. This

makes it extremely difficult to file, organize, and keep track of information that should be

included. Not to mention, so many assessments are completed with technology (such as voice

recordings, online tests, and projects online) that it is difficult to include these assignments into

their portfolios! In addition to being difficult to manage, maintain, and organize, it is difficult for

students to access. Many teachers have student files in a bin or in their desks, making it tough to

share these files. Students aren’t able to look back at their work and really reflect and understand

their progress.

The use of e-portfolios would alleviate a lot of extra time organizing and maintaining

files and papers. Students would become accountable for uploading their work to their portfolios,

which would not only take the task of organizing the folders away from the teachers, but allow

students to become responsible for their work. E-portfolios would also allow for teachers to

provide quick, accessible feedback to the students. Planning for the use of this technology in this

building will allow teachers to change the way they collect student work. Administration wants
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teachers to provide feedback and analyze data, so using e-portfolios would make these tasks a lot

easier and manageable.

The use of technology allows students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

Students are able to record and track their fluency and hear their expression. Younger students

can record themselves reading sight and high-frequency words along with tracking their reading

speed. Students are able to create presentations online, type up assignments, and present

information through technology. These are examples of products that you cannot analyze

through portfolios organized with paper, so e-portfolios would expand the amount and types of

information that is analyzed throughout the year.

Action Steps

The plan to implement this technology would take place over the course of at least a year.

To begin, I would gather more information on e-portfolios. One way to do this is to e-mail

people who are familiar with them, use them, and have personal experience with implementing

them. I would also research ideas for implementing them in education. I would also research

more information about OneNote and explore how to use this program and the features it offers.

Once I retrieve new information, I will gather and record information so I can use it whenever

needed. This would take place prior to any implementation with the staff so I can be

knowledgeable and can provide people with information they may want to know.

As the year gets close to ending, in April/May, I would send out a survey to teacher to

assess their prior knowledge of e-portfolios and OneNote. Their surveys would be summarized in

order to assess knowledge of these tools and resources. This data will help me analyze which
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information I would still need to learn about in order to meet their needs. It will also help me

understand where the staff is in regards to these tools.

Near the end of the year during the end of May/beginning of June, I would establish a

committee and determine which stakeholders would be able and willing to help with the planning

process of implementing e-portfolios. I would send out a survey to the school to ask for

representatives as volunteers for the planning committee. In addition to this survey, I would send

a personal e-mail to the teachers who I would like to be on the committee (as mentioned in the

previous section). To build the team with members outside of the building, I would ask the

administration for permission to send out flyers to parents to ask for volunteers. Then, I would

reach out to community members (via e-mail, phone calls, in-person) to ask for volunteers to

become stakeholders. Once I receive all of the surveys and responses back, I will use this

information to gather the team.

Before school ends, I would plan to hold a meeting with the new group of volunteers to

gather background information. I plan to talk about the technology (ways to use, ways it may

already be used, helpful tools, etc.) to brainstorm where to start for implementation and use.

Stakeholders’ ideas, information, and feedback will be used to plan and gather new information

over the summer.

Over the summer, it would be ideal for the team (or at least most of its members) to get

together to become familiar with OneNote and set up trial portfolios. We would use feedback,

research, and new information to create and explore the most effective ways to implement e-

portfolios in the classroom. The trial portfolios would bet set up with sample assignments and

other information. We would look at this from both the student and teacher views to explore how

this program can be used most effectively.

As the summer comes to an end and teachers are back to work in August, I would like to

meet with the committee (mostly faculty members at this time) to set up a professional

development for the remainder of the staff. At this meeting, members will share new

information, ask any questions that have risen, and brainstorm ways to share information with

the staff. Then, we will create a professional development from the information discussed. Once

this meeting is over and the resources have been created, then within the next few weeks, we

would plan to share information with the staff through a whole group professional development.

This is the best way to begin so the teachers are all given basic information and reasons for

implementing e-portfolios in their classrooms. This gives them time to set things up for their

classrooms and explore the program before classes are in session. I would like to send surveys

out to gain feedback from the staff on ways they like to learn best, any questions or comments

they may have, etc. Depending on ways teachers prefer to receive information and professional

development, future professional developments will be set up to deliver information on e-

portfolios (ways to use them, directions to set up, directions for student use, etc.).

As the year goes on, I would like to check in with teachers, hold small group sessions,

and send out more information to teachers as they become more comfortable with using the e-

portfolios. To assess the use of the e-portfolios of the teachers, I would provide surveys, ask for

samples, and (hopefully) go into classrooms to observe the use of them.

Exemplar Plans

The first exemplar plan I hope my plan will look like is the technology plan from

Harmony Hill School. I thought it was great that they clearly listed their overall goals, then listed

their specific goals to reach their objectives. I liked that they included how they were going to

achieve each goal and whether or not it was completed or when it will/should be achieved. I
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found this checklist to be useful to know if their goals have been met or not. I also thought the

timeline for tasks was useful so you could see all of the tasks laid out to see when/how the goals

were met.

The plan mostly refers to hardware and the installation of technology, which is very

helpful and useful for teachers (obviously so they can implement technology!). However, it

would be helpful to have a future plan on how to utilize tools and programs to make the

technology useful and effective. In addition, taking six months for the committee to meet and

“evaluate the progress of projects and to set new goals and objectives” is a large amount of time

in between meetings. Almost half of the school year is over at that point, so it makes it less

useful to meet so infrequently. I think it would be more useful to reevaluate sooner and more

frequently.

Bill Childress Elementary had a technology plan that I would like to replicate in the

future as well. Once again, I thought it was easy to follow their goals since they were well-

organized and set out along with sub-objectives and goals. I liked that they connected these goals

to “teaching and learning” and “educator preparation and development,” which is the whole

point of integrating technology into a school! I thought their table that includes the goal, strategy,

responsibility, and evaluation to be valuable since it shows what is to be done and how the

goal/task will be assessed. However, the timeline could have been a little clearer to follow. I

think this should have been made clear so the readers understand when things will be

implemented. I would like my plan to have clear goals and objectives, how it will be useful in the

educational setting, and evaluations such as the technology plan from Bill Childress Elementary.
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References

Guidebook for developing an effective instructional technology plan, version 2.0. (1996). Mississippi

State, MS: Mississippi State University. [Online] Available:

[Link]

Miller, R. & Morgaine, W. (2009). The benefits of e-portfolios for students and faculty in their own

words. Peer Review: Emerging Trends and Key Debates in Undergraduate Education, 11(1), 8-

11.