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Technology Planning Paper Title Page:

Sarah V. Buck

Loyola University Maryland

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Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to actively gain support for making a change to our school’s

current splash page. I feel that using this new technology piece will help support all our students,

as well as cutting down on wasted time spent trying to navigate the Chromebooks to get to

websites. If the students can spend less time navigating links and different pages, they will be

able to do more student-centered learning. I see many students become disengaged when using

the Chromebook because they feel limited on where they can go and how they can get there. We

need to consider what our students need on this matter. If we can support our struggling readers,

ELL students, and others with a splash page that is easy to navigate and has all the websites they

need one touch away, why wouldn’t we make this change to ensure every student soar to

success.

Analysis of Current Situation

Perceived Attributes

The innovation I want to bring to my elementary school is the use of Symbaloo. I want

to incorporate the use of Symbaloo webmixes instead of the current splash page that our schools

Chromebooks currently use. ​Symbaloo is a free ​application that allows users to organize and

categorize web links in the form of buttons​. It is easy to set up and make your homepage.

After analyzing the five perceived attributes, I can understand how well this technology

will be infused into my school. Using Symbaloo is a relative advantage because our current

splash page has a nice, clean layout but isn't geared towards the younger (or struggling reader)

users. The splash page is text rich, which for the younger and ELL students can be quite
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challenging. The students also have to click on several links and tabs to get to their destination.

Using a free website to house all our important websites can help alleviate frustration among the

students and the teachers.

In terms of compatibility, if we could have a Symbaloo splash page it would make it

easier for the student to get to their destination in a fraction of the time. Using Symbaloo would

make it easier for the students to navigate the websites they frequent with ease, which in return

would allow them to be able to navigate multiple websites to keep the students engaged. This

would also allow students to be able to have more choice while completing a lesson. If they had

access to multiple websites at their fingertips they will be able to explore more of the web

resources our county pays for.

Regarding trialability and complexity, ​teachers who are not far along in the

SAMR or ACOT model might feel a small amount of concern about setting up and incorporating

Symbaloo. ​I can host a PD for teachers to get them their own accounts and they can use their

own Symbaloo for their webpages they frequent the most.​ ​With the ability to add, change and

make their own links to pages the opportunities are endless to explore more technology

resources.

In terms of observability, teachers will be able to see the students taking a fraction of the

time to navigate from page and link after link. The students would be able to see an icon as well

as text to identify which site they need (or want) to navigate too. Teachers will be able to cut

down wasted time searching for text links for our younger/ ELL /struggling reader students. The

students will have all the important sites at their fingertips and will be able to use more sites to

keep them engaged and able to navigate wherever they please.

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Finally, I believe using Symbaloo will greatly cut down on the amount of time and

frustration the students spend getting to websites. It will also help teachers who aren’t

necessarily technology savvy to help guide their students to the right place with ease. Having

less time spent on finding the right link to get to the website needed, will allow more time for

student centered learning.

Ely’s Eight Conditions

When reflecting on Ely’s eight Conditions of Change, it is plain to see that our staff and

school meet some of the essential conditions. It is also evident, that we have some areas of

improvement regarding the conditions that are not being met. My school has some

dissatisfaction with the status quo of the current splash page. 74% of staff interviewed said that

their students struggle while navigating the current splash page and as for help while on the

Chromebook. Some might say the splash page is fine, its new. Yes, this is true it does work fine,

but with using Symbaloo we can save more time clicking links and tabs to find our most used

sites but having one place where all our links and websites are listed and easily accessible.

Of the surveyed teachers in my school, I feel that if I were to lead a PD on creating and

implementing Symbaloo, the staff would have sufficient knowledge and skill of the program.

Having available time devoted to learning the new technology will allow staff to be

knowledgeable and be able to create their own web mixes. Since Symbaloo is super easy to

navigate and create new web mixes I am confident that a group of teachers could create several

web mixes. Having time set aside to ensuring all staff are familiar with Symbaloo will also cut

down time trying to find a site for their students. This will save quality instruction time as well as
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keeping the students engaged in learning. Since Symbaloo is a free resource, we wouldn’t have

to have funding to implement the technology. There are also many pre-made web mixes that we

can utilize while we are in the making of our own web mix. My principal will allow time for me

to run a PD where I can help teachers set up their own Symbaloo, as well as create a web mix

with websites geared towards every grade level. During the PD, I would also serve snacks and

drinks as an added incentive for those teachers, food is a wonderful motivator for teachers as

well as morale booster.

Of the teachers surveyed 100% said they would regularly use a Symbaloo web mix if one

was made and put in place for our Chromebooks. That kind of commitment and participation

from our teachers is amazing, I really wasn’t expecting a result like that, but it would seem that

very little incentive would be necessary to persuade my co-workers into using Symbaloo. Not

only will the teachers be rewarded by less interruptions while students are on the Chromebooks,

but the students will feel more confident finding the sites on their own. Since I didn’t get to

speak with every staff in our school (about 19 out of 27 classroom teachers) I would hope a

within work hours PD plus snacks would help boost buy-in and participation with all the other

teachers I didn’t get to speak with.

I am very lucky to have a super supportive principal. She has met with me about my new

technology innovation for the Chromebooks. We have discussed my results of the staff survey as

well as possible challenges to my ideas. We have also discussed how she felt if we could gain

the support of all the staff and even the students. With a strong leader at our school I am

confident that we can gain the necessary support from staff to help support and implement this

new technology innovation.

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ACOT Model
Apple developed the ACOT model in 1986 to see the results when teachers and students

have constant access to technology in the classroom. They realized that teachers went through a

five-phase model. The five phases are: Entry, Adoption, Adaptation, Appropriation, and

Invention. According to Dwyer, Ringstaff, and Sandholtz (n.d.) “in this model, text-based

curriculum delivered in a lecture- recitation-seatwork mode is first strengthened through the use

of technology and then gradually replaced by far more dynamic learning experiences for

students” (p. 4). It is important for teacher to understand where they are on the ACOT model. As

teachers reflect on their teaching they can refine their ways to include technology to understand

that today's learning is tomorrow reality.

The first stage of the ACOT model is the entry stage. In my school there are only a small

handful of teachers who are in this stage. Most them have been teaching for 20+ years and seem

to have no desire to incorporate new technologies to enhance the teaching and learning in their

rooms. I am hoping that incorporating a new splash page on our Chromebooks will allow for

these teachers to also be able to easily navigate their students to the right websites for learning.

The second steps in the ACOT model is the adoption stage. This stage is where I would

see most of our staff once the new splash page is up and running. During this stage teachers and

students will be working on learning how to navigate Symbaloo as well as making new web

mixes to really focus on the needs of their students in their classroom.

The third stage of the ACOT model is the adaptation stage. There are several teachers at

this level of the ACOT model incorporating technologies daily. I feel we could get several

teachers from the adoption stage to this stage after the students and teachers have become
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familiar with the Symbaloo splash page (I would say within a few weeks of using the new splash

page). I could see a most of the staff at this point very shortly after the splash page is up and

running. The new splash page will allow the students to navigate the web faster and allow them

to do more student-centered learning. I had a bunch of students this year yearning to learn more

complex skills, far above the normal first grade standards. If I could have had them using a

school wide Symbaloo that would have allowed them to search out topics that interests them and

challenge their thinking.

The appropriation stage of the ACOT model is the fourth stage. In this stage teachers

have more mastery of the technology. There are not many teachers in my building that I would

say are to this point in the ACOT model just yet. I think by the end of the first year implementing

the Symbaloo splash page, almost all the teachers would be to this stage. Symbaloo is an easy

application to understand and use. With some push in from our technology team I am confident

that almost all (if not all) teachers can be to this point after the first year. I would like to think by

this time of the year many of the students will be able to navigate between several Symbaloo

webmixes and even help compile new web mixes.

The final ACOT stage is the invention stage. I have been striving to make it to the final

ACOT stage, and I think if we can get more technology innovations into our school with

trainings and push in availability I could make it possible. I think if we are successful with

implementing Symbaloo as our splash page then I am sure after a year of using Symbaloo most

of the teachers will be phasing into the invention stage. During this stage the teachers and

students can implement more fundamental changes in the way they use the Chromebooks.
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Teachers will be actively engaging our students to becoming more creative and having them

investigate beyond their prior knowledge.

My schools staff tends to be on the younger side. Since most have grown up with some

sort of technology, I feel they are more open-minded when it comes to incorporating more

technology strategies into their classrooms. To show the staff where I would like to see many

staff members with technology, I could hold a PD where I can show the ACOT model and have

the staff gauge where they feel they are. After getting an idea of where most of the staff stand, it

would help me help gain a better idea of where many of the staff fits into the ACOT model. For

those staff members who feel are at the entry or adoption stage, I would be able to help them

gain more confidence as well as walking them through the technologies they already have but

maybe aren’t very comfortable using. We could have a separate PD where we can talk about why

they haven’t been using technology and we can come up with some strategies to help get them

further up the ACOT model. I believe with a little guidance I could get the teachers from the

entry and adoption phase to the adaptation or even the appropriation stage by the beginning of

the following school year.

Discussion of Stakeholders

During the planning process there are several groups that I would have be representatives.

I would include the school’s administration, the technology team, tech support technician,

teachers, students, parents and some board members in the county’s technology division. The

stakeholders who I would enlist to help move our project along would be my principal and vice
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principal, our school’s tech support technician, primary and intermediate grade group chairs,

special educators, media specialist, parents, and students.

The school’s technology team and the tech support technician would play a

crucial part in putting this new technology into the works. This team is a big part of our school,

they run PDs with new technologies, help classroom teachers, they fix broken technologies, and

they make schedules. With the support from the administration and the technology team, we

would have a strong, enthusiastic, and supportive stakeholder which is essential for success.

Grade group chairs and teachers are the key component to the stakeholders. Since

the teachers are the ones who use the Chromebooks a majority of the time with our students,

their support is crucial to the entire project, if they aren’t on board then this won’t happen.

According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013), “school leaders make significant

contribution to the teaching and learning process (p. 40).” The teachers can provide feedback on

how much time and effort will be saved with having a more kid-friendly splash page. The

teachers be open and transparent about what works and what doesn’t to ensure that learning is

obtainable. With this splash page, teachers can provide more learner-centered environments that

use technology to meet the individual and diverse needs of learners (Whitehead, B. M., Jensen,

D., & Boschee, F. A., 2013, p. 51). The students will be able to take control of what they want to

learn about as well as having the ability to easily navigate to the sites they wish to visit.

Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. A. (2013) found the following:

When all is said and done, it will be teachers who determine the success or failure of a

technology plan. They are the people who connect technology with curricular practice in a way

that will enhance student achievement. (p. 100)

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The parents and students are the final key component of the stakeholders. Parents are also

advocates for the students. Our parents want their children to have a successful future having the

parents as stakeholders they can have a voice to share their thoughts about their children's

education and skills needed to survive in today tech-savvy world.

Having the students as stakeholders will also allow them to share their frustrations with

using the current splash page, and the struggles they encounter while navigating the currents

splash page. Students are the reason for this technology plan, their needs are to be put above all

other factors. We need to make decisions that will help our students be successful while using

technology to ensure they can get good jobs.

To get stakeholders involved, I will promote the technologies to enhance and support

instruction and standards-based curriculum which will lead our teachers to higher levels of

student achievement. I will share my vision for the comprehensive integration of the new splash

page. I will communicate my reasons and ultimately know it is for the benefit of our students.

Having a new splash page will ensure that instructional strategies and the learning environment

will be maximized for teaching and learning. I will also provide a demo of what the current

splash page is and having stakeholder navigate it, then after they have gotten a feel for the splash

page I would have them test out the new Symbaloo splash page, so they can see and experience

the difference between the two. Once stakeholders have had experienced the two splash pages, I

will give surveys, or hold a discussion forum, to gain insight about what their findings were.

During this meeting I would have some snacks to boost morale as well as an incentive for being

a part of the discussion.

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One of Ely’s conditions is based on having the knowledge and skill to utilize the

technology. To ensure all staff understand how to use the Symbaloo splash page, I will provide

and ensure that the staff take advantage of quality professional learning opportunities for

improved learning and teaching with technology (Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F.

A., 2013, p. 51). The teachers need to know how to use this new technology to enhance their

instruction methods, so they can help their students develop higher-level thinking, decision

making, and problem-solving skills.

Plan of Action

Vision and Mission

Having a vision and mission related to my innovation of a new splash page can be helpful to help

guide our school during our project. I believe that a mission statement that would align with the

overall goal of the county.

A vision statement for my innovation could be as follows: At Edgewater Elementary we

will create a challenging learning environment that encourages our student to become lifelong

learners who are responsible, productive and engaged citizens within the global community. Our

school promotes a safe, orderly, caring, and supportive environment. Each student’s self-esteem

is nurtured by positive relationships with students and staff.

A potential mission statement could be:

Edgewater Elementary will enhance student learning, improve the efficacy and productivity of

staff members and facilitate communication among students and staff. Every student will

actively use technology to develop 21st Century skills within a safe and secure digital
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environment. We will instill a professional development program, which includes time for

planning, collaboration, and in-services, which will support ALL employees to provide a

nurturing, inspiring, and rigorous educational program.

Purpose

The purpose of my innovation would be using Symbaloo as the main splash page. With

our current splash page, the students need to click on several links and tabs to get to their

destination. I feel if we could have a Symbaloo splash page it would make it easier for the

student to get to their destination in a fraction of the time. Using Symbaloo would make it easier

for the students to navigate the websites they frequent with ease, which in return would allow

them to be able to navigate multiple websites to keep the students engaged. The students would

also be able to have more choice while completing a lesson. If they had access to multiple

websites at their fingertips they will be able to explore more of the web resources our county

pays for.

Involvement

Some people that I would like to involve in this process would be the technology team as

well as team leads. I want these specific people involved to help decide which web pages would

be most beneficial to our students. I am thinking we can make 2 web mixes, one for the primary

grade levels and the other for the intermediate grades. Having this separated will also allow for

more bookmarked pages. We can then create the web mixes with the preselected webpages. I

would also take suggestions from all staff members which could be done with a simple survey

via good form. Another important person I would need to include would be our principal. Having

the principle involved will allow us to gain access to websites that may not already be approved
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by the county. Getting websites approved can be a lengthy ordeal, but having a principal being

able to contact the board to get these sites approved would be a huge help.

Implementation and Timeline

The way I would like to implement my innovation would be to sit down with the tech

support technician, a representative from the county’s technology division as well as the

principal and set a game plan for the innovation to be put in use. I believe we could create a

simple timeline that would run about two months. The first thing, and most likely the hardest

thing that we would need to do is get the county’s technology division on board. I would like to

hope this part would take no longer than a month. While we are waiting for the go ahead, the

technology team and teacher volunteers could start putting together web mixes. After we get the

go-ahead from the county’s technology division, we would need to make the finishing touches

on the web mixes, I would allow two weeks to complete them. During that time, we will also

work on gaining the links of the websites that allows the students to not have to login. After we

have created the web mixes the second hard part will come into play, setting Symbaloo as the

home page. This will be a time-consuming task due to the number of Chromebooks we have in

the building. (I believe we have nine carts of thirty Chromebooks) I would like to think I can

have the technology team and any teacher volunteers help with this step. I would work on one

Chromebook cart at a time. Each cart has about thirty Chromebooks in it. We would also need

our tech support technician to gain access to the administrator settings on each Chromebook

prior to setting the homepage. Once the first cart is complete we could move to the next cart. I

would allot three Chromebook carts of thirty per day (roughly ninety Chromebooks). This
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process would take three days if we are efficient and have a big enough room to spread out the

Chromebooks. After all the Chromebooks are set, then we will be able to implement the new

splash pages. Once this is complete I would have a brief PD to show the staff the new splash

page and how to navigate it. Each staff member will get a Chromebook and the technology team,

and I will be able to help staff navigate and answer any questions they may have about the

innovation.

Resources

● Chromebooks

● Internet access

● A Technology team to compete tasks.

● Tech support technician

● PD to implement the new splash page to staff

● Supportive Administration to help the process.

Outcomes and Undesired Directions

The expected outcome would be that the county’s technology division will see that this

change will benefit every student in elementary school. Our country is very diverse and using

Symbaloo will help every child succeed. This change will also ​support a technologically literate

school culture. The goal of incorporating this innovation would be help those students who may

struggle with reading or language and to provide them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and

dispositions that will help them to be healthy, informed, and productive citizens.
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I could also be seeing this process going in an entirely different direction. If the county's

technology division denies the request, then the current splash page stays. Which would be

disappointing considering how much more beneficial the Symbaloo page can be for our students.
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References

Dwyer, D., Ringstaff, C., Sandholtz, J. (n.d.). ​The Evolution of Teachers’ Instructional Beliefs
and Practices in High-Access-to-Technology Classrooms: First–Fourth Year Findings.
Retrieved from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T0Zn4WLNud2A2-8n_ymR8F-2bXXmCsUO/view

Ely, D. (n.d.). ​Conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational

technology innovations. Retrieved from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tXQUy2l--C427T9XLrqYNfm8KxLB3Jxu/view

Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. A. (2013). ​Planning for technology : a guide for
school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com