Running Head: IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITH TECHNOLOGY

Vanessa C. Gonzalez
April 5th, 2015
Dr. Anissa Lokey Vega
Cohort 12- Summer 2013
Improving Communication with Technology

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITH TECHNOLOGY

Introduction
During the summer of 2014, a Master of Education student at Kennesaw State
University, and acting part-time technology integrationist at The Country Day School
(CDS) in Escaz, Costa Rica, proposed a capstone project. The capstone, Improving
Technology with Communication, was developed to facilitate the implementation of a
myriad of technologies throughout the school that would subsequently improve
communication among faculty and students in the upcoming school year. Beginning in
the fall of 2014, the capstone project was implemented. High school teachers, throughout
the fall semester, attended workshops and one-on-one meetings with the express purpose
of improving technology usage. Administrators reviewed the capstone prior to
implementation, and it was developed throughout the first semester of 2014.
Description of Experience & Results
In the spring, a survey was distributed to staff in order to determine areas of need
within the school and subsequent focus for working with teachers. After collecting data
from faculty members, a meeting was held with school administrators in order to focus
the support of staff members in a meaningful way. Sessions for staff development and
initial meetings for technology support took place once a strategy and main drive for the
project was established and fully supported by administration. The main areas of focus
for the project were to adopt a new gradebook and train teachers and students on how to
use it; implement Turnitin.com in the classroom to increase student and teacher
communication regarding expectations and plagiarism; and facilitate teachers use of
technology in the classroom, particularly with their use of the newly adopted Learning
Management System (LMS). While these were the express and concrete goals at the end

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of the 2014 school year, they quickly shifted at the end of the first semester to reflect the
major decision made by the technology department to transition the entire school from
Outlook to Google Mail in response to a perceived threat to information safety. With this
transition, a significant amount of time and effort was required of the technology
department, and technology integrationist, to ensure that staff members were comfortable
and fluent in the basic functions of Google Apps. Certain focuses moved to the
proverbial back burner in an attempt to better facilitate the shifting priorities of the
school. However, the structure of reaching staff for development remained relatively the
same. In order to reach teachers in the most effective means possible, a series of
workshops were available to all teachers at the CDS High School. Additionally, with the
support of administration, one-on-one meetings were conducted with staff members in
order to meet individual technology needs. Each tool, or focus, for the project was
implemented individually to ensure efficacy and success. The goals for technology
support in the 2014/15 school year shifted to: adopt a new gradebook and train teachers
and students on how to use it; implement Turnitin.com in the classroom to increase
student and teacher communication regarding expectations and plagiarism; transition
teachers to Google Mail and ensure their fluency in the basic functions necessary to
conduct daily business and communicate with the community.
Teacher PLUS Gradebook by Rediker
In the second semester of the 2013-14 school year, CDS adopted a new Learning
Management System (LMS) and with this system, operated by Finalsite, came a new
gradebook. The staff underwent training for this new tool, and began using it in the
spring of 2014. However, at the end of the school year, it became immediately apparent

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that the gradebook and LMS did not sync together properly, and an entirely new system
for reporting grades from instructors to students and families would need to be adopted
for the upcoming school year. The school decided to go with the Teacher Plus Gradebook
by Rediker. The technology department and technology integrationist were tasked with
preparing staff, students, and parents for this transition.
Training. Considering the stark contrast between the Finalsite provided
gradebook, which boasted easy access and use for teachers (Major 2015), and Rediker,
which is significantly more complicated, the training for teachers would need to be done
with careful planning and forethought. Teacher Plus Portal, by Rediker, is capable of a
lot more than Finalsite, and it is for this precise reason that Rediker provides an intensive
two-hour Skype technology training session for support personnel and a subsequent live
chat sessions to flush out any remaining questions or concerns.
After taking the intensive training session, it was immediately clear to the high
school technology integrationist that the introduction of the gradebook to staff would
need to be done with a series of support systems and aids to ensure that no one became
too overwhelmed. The most obvious course of action seemed to be to utilize early
adopters. As Rogers (1983) notes, the role of the early adopter is to decrease uncertainty
about a new idea by adopting it, and then conveying a subjective evaluation of the
innovation to near-peers by means of interpersonal networks (p. 248). This is precisely
the help that was needed with such a complex and potentially worrisome tool.
Consequently, the technology integrationist met with one person from each department
individually and asked them if they were willing to become an early adopter, upon
acceptance, she then opened up the new gradebook to them to familiarize with the tool

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and explore. Furthermore, a great deal of thought and strategy went into the selection of
early adopters. Staff members who were both technologically confident and, at times,
more inquisitive and critical of new tools were selected. This was meant to ensure that
difficult questions and criticisms came about in the earliest stages of working with
Teacher Plus, and that competent and confident individuals were around to support the
rest of the staff. It was quickly apparent, that the early adopters needed some one-on-one
training on the interface, as it was not immediately intuitive. One-on-one meetings were
held with early adopters and the technology integrationist to review basic features,
practice necessary functions, and ensure their success in exploration of the tool. After a
week of practice, answering one-on-one questions and consulting Redikers live chat
consultant, all early adopters and the technology integrationist met to review the
upcoming workshop objectives (see Appendix A) and their role in the training of the
staff. All early adopters were confident, had their pertinent questions answered, and were
ready to aid in the workshop.
The introductory workshop of Redikers Teacher Plus Gradebook was held in
August of 2014, and many people regarded it a success. All high school staff members
were in attendance as were the director, deputy director, and high school principal. While
there were some connectivity issues, everyone was able to follow along with the
workshop, and a website (http://cdsgradebook.weebly.com/) was created to facilitate
individual learning and learners who preferred to go at a slower, or faster, pace.
Immediately preceding the introductory workshop of Redikers Teacher Plus
Gradebook, the high school technology integrationist met with teachers on an individual
basis as they emailed for questions, or as issues arose. Those questions and issues that

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were of particular difficulty to answer demanded further live chats with the Rediker
support staff and review of the online manual. As the quarter drew to a close in the
middle of October, communications were sent out to staff members from the technology
integrationist to aid teachers in the submission and finalization of their grades. Further
one-to-one meetings were held during this time to ensure that teachers felt comfortable
and confident as the first quarter drew to a close.
Continuing, both students and parents were in need of an introduction to the new
gradebook, as the features and method of access to grades had changed. In order to best
support the community, a communication from the principal, which included a frequently
asked questions document, was sent out via mass-community email to students and
parents. This communication included times in which parents could visit the technology
department to learn more about the features of Teacher Plus (see Appendix B). To ensure
that students knew where and how to access their grades, the technology integrationist
held a brief introductory session in a whole school setting. Additionally, in this setting,
information regarding the new live feature of Redikers Teacher Plus Gradebook was
discussed, as many students (and parents) were unaware that their grades would be live
and visible to parents with the new gradebook adoption. Overall, the facilitation sessions,
while not always whole-staff meetings, were frequent and on going.
Barriers & successes. The initial training of early adopters proved to be a bit of
a hurdle to overcome as all of the early adopters had detailed and complicated questions
regarding the new gradebook. Some of the answers to these questions were not easily
answered; Rediker did not address them in the initial training session. However, on the
bright side, these questions were better addressed prior to the whole staff introduction, as

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the answers took a few days to find. Another slight barrier to training staff members was
the perpetual connectivity issue that plagues the school due to its old infrastructure. This
barrier was preemptively addressed with the creation of a website for staff members to
review on their own time; however, it wasnt completely remedied and the technology
integrationist needed to visit a couple of staff members after the training to ensure that
they could, indeed, connect and use the program successfully. Another hiccup in the
process came from the technology integrationist learning the program along side staff
members. This led to a few issues as staff members had questions without obvious
answers, although, all questions could be answered with the help of Rediker support staff
and/or the technology integrationist researching the answer. The primary concern
regarding these barriers was the timing with which they all occurred. As the end of the 1st
quarter approached, more issues arose and many staff members needed support in
finalizing their grades.
Evaluations of the success of this process were measured through a survey that
was conducted of the entire staff. All survey participants were able to either meet the
objectives or, due to connectivity issues, felt that they had the necessary support and
information to meet the objective when they could connect (see Appendix C). As noted
in the survey results, a bit more time was needed before transitioning in order to make
certain that all staff members were prepared for the next step in the workshop. Those
respondents that were apprehensive regarding the new tool were met with on an
individual basis, and these sessions were quite brief, as many only had one or two basic
questions and needed a little reassurance.

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Follow up. Because Redikers Teacher Plus Gradebook is a new tool, many kinks
needed to be ironed out in the initial phases. CDS can confidently move forward with
this tool as these initial hiccups are overcome and a broad knowledge base is developed.
Furthermore, the technology integrationist is currently developing a process by which
new staff members are introduced and trained in this program. This process will include
the website that was created for the whole staff introductory training session, in addition
to a few more screencasts and how to forms to ensure their success.
Turnitin.com & Google Mail
In the spring of 2014 administration made the decision to subscribe to a new web
tool, Turnitin.com, in order to better educate students on the intricacies of plagiarism, the
impact it has on their education, and to support staff in their endeavor to hold students to
a high standard of integrity that CDS has for its students. Furthermore, shortly after the
beginning of the school year, the technology department made the decision to transition
the entire school to Google Mail from Outlook. Substantial support was needed in order
to facilitate this transition and ensure staff success with these new tools.
To best learn the needs of the staff at CDS an initial instructional technology
survey was given (see Appendix D). The results indicate that roughly 67% of staff
members were comfortable using technology in the classroom, which is a reassuring
number considering that CDS is a one-to-one school, meaning that all students bring their
own laptop to school everyday. 33% of teachers were interested in learning about
Turnitin.com, and 39% wanted to learn more about Google Apps (see Appendix E).
Unfortunately, this survey was given before the decision to move to Google Mail was
announced. Had the survey been given after this decision was made, and announced to

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staff members, the number of staff interested in learning more about Google Apps would
have undoubtedly increased.
Regardless, given the results of the survey, and the decision of school
administrators and the technology department to adopt new technologies, the role of
technology integrationist was to best facilitate these adoptions and ensure a positive
experience for all staff members.
Training. After reviewing the instructional technology survey results, a plan of
action was made for meeting with individuals to address their individual instructional
needs. Additionally, an initial workshop was scheduled to address the introductory topics
regarding Turn It In. Future workshops would remain tentatively scheduled as the
amount of interest and need for training on Turnitin.com was quite varied among staff
members. The first step was to gauge interest among staff, and then make a larger
workshop plan.
In the fall of 2014 a good deal of time was dedicated to meeting with teachers on
an individual basis in order to meet their individual needs and, as Knight (2009) suggests,
building a partnership relationship between instructional coaches and teachers can help
discover answers to classroom and school challenges. This process was slow at first.
Many teachers, despite mentioning their interest in meeting to go over technology use in
the classroom, were quite overwhelmed with beginning of the year preparations and
found that meeting to review technology integration was less important. However, a few
teachers who had expressed interest in using video and websites in the classroom asked
for one-on-one time with the technology integrationist in order to review these concepts.
This was a great opportunity to build partnerships with key teachers in the building.

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After the initial months of school passed, and much time was dedicated to
checking in on teachers and their needs, the first steps toward introducing the staff to
Turnitin.com were underway. A preliminary meeting was held with an early ally with
experience in Turnitin.com. She discussed her experience with the program, reviewed
the basic functions that she used the most, and aided in the process of how to best
introduce the web tool to staff members. Immediately following this meeting, the
technology integrationist underwent an intensive self-education on the program. While
there were a myriad of online resources for learning Turnitin.com, a great deal of
understanding came from simply exploring with trial and error. It was quite surprising to
learn how much Turnitin.com actually offers, which is significantly more than plagiarism
detection software. In fact, the functions of peer evaluation, online/paperless grading,
and standards based rubrics linked to assignments are powerful tools for any classroom.
However, the complexity of the tool is a bit too much for one workshop. With this in
mind, the first workshop (which was mandatory for all staff members and held during a
whole staff meeting) was designed with the express purpose of educating faculty on what
Turnitin.com is, what it can do, and then helping staff members create an account, set up
the program so that it was fully functional for their students and classes, and understand
the basic functions for detecting plagiarism and grading online.
It is important to note that Turnitin.com was quite helpful through this process as
they provided a great deal of suggestions for workshops and handouts for staff members
and facilitators (see Appendix F). These tools were used to walk staff through basic
information regarding the tool, but also they provided great documents for faculty to walk
away with and reference in case of future use. Many staff members remarked that they

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were happy to have something to reference when they were ready to start using the
program.
After the introductory workshop on Turnitin.com, a handful of staff members
sought out the technology integrationist to help answer a variety of questions and review
key information for integration in their classes. The primary concern of those who sought
help was that the program would not run when introduced to students; however, all staff
members that did use the program found that it was fairly simple to use. The basic
functions of having students upload papers, reviewing the originality report, and leaving
comments for grading on students papers composed the first level of understanding and
using Turn It In successfully. After this initial phase, and meeting with teachers
individually to recap basic functions, the semester ended.
A second workshop was intended for the second semester in order to familiarize
staff with the more advanced features of Turnitin.com, to include uploading rubrics from
the Common Core, and running online peer review sessions. However, when the staff
was verbally polled in January, no one expressed interest in learning these advanced
features. That is, not one person was interested in a next-steps workshop. After meeting
with the elementary school technology integrationist, and expressing concern regarding
the staffs disinterest, the high school technology integrationist invited middle school
faculty to a basic workshop and/or individual meetings on the basic functions of Turn It
In. While a couple of teachers obliged (see Appendix G), not enough people expressed
interest to justify a workshop for the faculty. These one-on-one meetings were a
condensed version of the original introductory workshop delivered to high school faculty,

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and many of the staff members that asked for this instruction wanted to understand what
the tool was and how it could work for them in their classrooms.
In February of 2015, a faculty member from the high school approached the
technology integrationist and asked for support with running a peer-review workshop in
Turn It In with her students. This process consisted of one-to-one training on the feature.
The functions of creating the peer review assignment, setting up dates and times for the
workshop, and working out the intricacies of student responsibilities were addressed.
Following this meeting, the technology integrationist and the instructor reviewed the
upcoming lesson in which the peer review would take place in class. They collaborated
on this lesson and co-taught the class in order to help students learn and work with the
tool. To date, she is the only staff member at CDS to have used the peer review function
of Turn It In.
It is around this time, in January of 2015, that the technology department made
the decision (with the blessing of administration) to transition the school from Outlook to
Google Mail. After a few meetings with administration, and the technology department,
it was understood that the technology integrationist for the high school would be
responsible for physically transferring all data from each teachers Outlook account to
their newly created Google Mail address. Additional responsibilities included educating
and supporting staff members in Google Mail to ensure that they felt comfortable in
basic, everyday, functions. These decisions were made just days before the actual
transfer of information was to take place, as there was a real concern for the safety of the
school and teachers information. A general meeting, led by the head of the technology
department, was held for all staff members, and the process for transitioning was

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reviewed. Following this meeting, the transfer of information began. Consequently,

there was little time to prepare a formal workshop or an initial survey of staff familiarity
of Google Mail and Apps. The plan was to transfer teacher information to Google Mail,
verbally check in with them regarding their comfort with Google Mail and ensure that
they could login and check their email, then send out a survey on what everyone could or
couldnt do. After collecting this data, a workshop, or informational session, would be
held with faculty members to aid in their use of Google Apps.
The process of transferring information from Outlook to Google Mail was
incredibly technical. In order to do this without error, a meeting was held between the
head of the technology department and the high school technology integrationist to
review the process. For each faculty computer, a program would need to be downloaded,
run, and a series of functions performed. Each computer took, on average, 20-30 minutes
to transfer all calendar information, archived and deleted emails, and notes from Outlook.
Some computers took more time as people had more data to transfer. All data was
transferred during a normal school day, and there was a significant effort made on the
part of the technology integrationist to meet with each teacher during their planning
period so as not to interrupt classroom time. As the transfer took place, a brief one-onone session was held with each teacher to ensure that they could login to their Gmail and
knew the basic functions of sending and receiving email. During this session it was made
immediately clear that some staff members were very well adept at using Google Mail
and Apps, while others had never used it before and were unsure of where to begin with
the program.

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More data was definitely needed. A brief meeting was held with the head of the
technology department and the two technology integrationists and a strategy for polling
staff abilities was formed. A survey (see Appendix H) would be created by the high
school technology integrationist and sent out to the entire staff. The survey had to
include all skills from the very basic (logging in) to the very complicated (video
conferencing) to ensure that the spectrum of abilities was addressed. Based on this
information the technology department would know where the staff fell in terms of ability
and need.
The results of the Google Apps Survey data proved to be challenging (see
Appendix I). While 94% of staff members could login to their account, and 90% could
send an email, the remaining few 6-10% could only sometimes, or never, login and email
others. Furthermore, when asked about Google Drive, 37% had never been able to create
a Google Document, which is a major way in which CDS asks its faculty to communicate
professional goals and documents with administrators. The disparity was huge. And, it
was quite difficult when reviewing the information as a technology department on how to
properly address individual needs. A workshop that reviewed basic functions of Google
Mail and Apps would be a waste of time for upwards of 90% of the staff. However,
leaving staff members who could never access their email to fend for themselves was not
an option.
Compounding on this challenge, high school administration notified the
technology integrationist that the only time that would be allotted for teacher training
during school hours was one hour a couple days after the initial transition of information.
So, the survey was sent out on a Tuesday, and the dedicated one-hour time slot for staff

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training was on a Wednesday. Of the fourteen high school staff members, the survey
results indicated that about four or five people needed individual help and the rest were
simply interested in the variety of tools that Google Apps could offer them in addition to
the basic functions. In order to best support everyones needs, a general sign up sheet
was created for the hour-long faculty time and communication was sent to the staff that
anyone who was interested in meeting should sign up (see Appendix J) and indicate at
least two areas in which they would like support or more information. Of the five that
signed up, four were identified in the survey as needing further support. One person, who
did not sign up, requested time with the technology integrationist anyway, and he was
also identified as needing further support. For those who did not sign up, a few key
How To documents were emailed out to ensure that those who wanted to could access
some further information (see Appendix K). Since this initial transition and training
session, various one-on-one sessions have been held with faculty members and the
technology integrationist on Google Forms, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Calendars.
Barriers & successes. The administration initially purchased Turn It In with
some interest from the staff. In fact, in the initial survey of faculty indicates that about
33% of teachers were interested in using Turnitin.com in their classroom. However,
when the technology integrationist met with administration, it was made clear that the
entire staff was expected to attend the introductory training on the tool. Fortunately, this
allowed for the entire staff to be educated on an otherwise unfamiliar tool; however, a
few staff members verbally expressed frustration at not being able to see the relevance of
the tool to their course. It is possible that the obligatory nature of this training left a bad
taste for faculty. Reports on Turnitin.com indicate that out of seventeen teachers at the

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high school, seven teachers actively use Turn It In (see Appendix L). Interestingly
enough, math and science teachers make up almost half of those teachers that use the
tool. This can easily be counted as a success, as those were the very disciplines that
failed to see how the tool applied to them. Unfortunately, none of the teachers in the
social sciences department use Turn It In. This is quite troubling considering social
sciences, at the high school level, require just as much composition work from their
students as English. And, of the three middle school teachers that requested one-on-one
sessions on Turn It In, none of them have active classes. On the other hand, it is a true
testament to the success of the current use of Turn It In at the high school that the
principal, Miguel Gonzalez, noted that there havent been any reports of plagiarism this
year. The high school deals with at least one or two reports of plagiarism a year.
The challenges regarding the Google Apps transition were plentiful. Overall,
timing seemed to be the biggest hurdle to overcome. Not only was there the challenge of
a significantly rushed process for training staff in the essentials of the tool, due to
extenuating circumstances, but there was also a significant challenge in finding time to
address the needs of all staff members in one hour. However, after meeting with key
members of staff who indicated that they could not complete basic functions of Google
Apps, it is apparent that 100% of the high school staff can check and send email, access
Google Drive, and create events in their calendar. Not only that, but also those teachers
who wanted individualized help and demonstrations on tools, as the need arose, contacted
the technology integrationist at their convenience. The individualized approach to
answering staff questions, while time consuming, is a great opportunity to build

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relationships and ensure comprehension. And, it proved to be incredibly effective given

the situation.
Follow up. Just last month, the technology department met to discuss
subscriptions for next year. One of the tools that came up in the conversation was Turn It
In. The head of technology and the elementary school technology integrationist wanted
to know, Does the high school actually use Turn It In? It is a complicated question to
answer, and an even more complicated decision to make. Based on the data presented,
almost one teacher from each department is actively using Turn It In in their classroom.
This, being just the first year, indicates that there is a lot more growth for the tool in the
high school. The decision to continue the subscription was made; however, a great deal
of time and energy will need to go into working with those staff members who could
benefit greatly from the tool yet dont use it, particularly the social sciences department.
Furthermore, an effort to create resources and handouts for incoming staff will need to be
put forth, as next year the high school expects upwards of six new teachers. Educating
them on the benefits and uses of Turn It In will be time consuming but very much worth
it in the long run.
Google Apps is a hugely complex and powerful tool. And, despite the decision to
adopt it for the entire school, no one at CDS is trained in Google Apps, technology
integrationists included. Considering the complexity of Google Apps, a significant
amount of training and professional development will be needed to further support staff
members. Yes, basic functions can be taught and learned rather easily; however, it is the
complex applications and functions that make Google great for collaborating and using in
the classroom that should be explored further. The positive news is that CDS recently

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hired a staff member who is a Google Educator, and who will hopefully be able to
educate others on these features. Regardless, at the end of this school year, data will need
to be collected on the abilities and comfort of staff with Google.
Reflection
A great deal can be learned when a goal is set, the path is laid, and then the
journey begun. While the destination is not necessarily a set moment in time or place, the
growth and development through the process make the endless journey worth it. In the
process of proposing a capstone project, and implementing it, a significant amount of
growth occurred in learning about what it takes to be a technology integrationist. A
strong foundational knowledge of digital tools and professional development is crucial
but, beyond that, a slew of skills and dispositions are needed in order to effect meaningful
change in a school. All of this, of course, is made much easier with the support of
administration, particularly when they elect an individual to be a part-time technology
integrationist for the high school, a position that did not previously exist. Nothing quite
suggests that administration trusts an individual than providing him or her with such an
opportunity. It is with this vote of confidence that this journey began, but it was
undoubtedly successful because of so much more. The necessary skills, dispositions and
knowledge in order to be a successful technology integrationist can only be taught and
fostered to a certain extent. It is after the book learning and pep talks that knowledge is
put into practice and where the lion-share of learning occurs.
Establishing and developing a positive working relationship with administration was
one key lesson that was made immediately apparent in this journey. While their vote of
confidence was appreciated, it was essential to establish a sense of ethos and credibility

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in order for administration to continue their support of the newly developed technology
integrationist position. The decision to poll staff immediately, comb through the results,
and then set up a consultation meeting with administration was crucial. This is something
that was taught in the Masters of Education program at Kennesaw State University
(KSU); however, the preparation and dispositions needed to meet and collaborate with
administration required putting that knowledge into practice. Recommending strategies
for staff development in order to initiate change in schools, as noted in ISTE (2011)
Coaching Standard 1.4, was made easier when the relationship with administration is
strong, and there is fresh and very clear data to support suggestions. The initial meeting
with administration and the technology department influenced purchasing and staff
development choices for the entire year, and established the position of technology
integrationist as a serious role. Not only did meeting with administration aid in
influencing the direction of professional development, but reviewing data from the
beginning of the year survey helped begin difficult, but necessary, conversations with
administration about the perceived needs of faculty members. As noted in ISTE (2011)
Coaching Standard 5.1, data from the needs assessment should inform the content of
technology-based professional learning. Without buy in and support from administration,
this point of data and subsequent suggestions for focusing on professional growth would
have fallen on deaf ears. The data was also a huge support in determining what the best
course of action was for professional development given challenges such as mixed
abilities of staff and limited time. Education at KSU was fundamental in building on a
broad knowledge base of online tools, but relying on know-how in order to learn new

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tools to teach the staff was a crucial disposition for implementing successful change at
CDS.
In addition to meeting with administration and reviewing key data to make
informed decisions regarding professional development, implementing effective and
meaningful professional development was a critical component to effecting change at
CDS. The process of planning and implementing professional development opportunities
for staff members regarding web tools was a key component in addressing ISTE (2011)
Coaching Standard 5.2 and 2.6, both of which note that candidates develop and
implement technology-based professional learning with online and face-to-face
components as well as using technology to enhance learning. Creating websites,
developing online surveys and functional means of communication with staff, as well as
supporting staff needs in a one-on-one setting all aided in the accomplishment of
formerly noted tasks. The process of collaborating with staff to influence their
instruction and the use of digital tools in their classroom particularly demonstrates the
skills, dispositions, and knowledge gained in order to meet ISTE (2011) Coaching
Standard 2.6. Along the journey, when challenges arose, the ability to fall back on online
and face-to-face professional development to support all staff needs was priceless, but
more effective was the skill of troubleshooting that was fostered at KSU and the put into
practice during the capstone process. As ISTE (2011) Coaching Standard 3.5 notes,
troubleshooting and addressing common problems in the technology-based learning
environment is a vital skill. Without proper online planning, careful craftsmanship of
effective professional development, and the preparation provided by KSU, this skill
would have been underdeveloped and success would have been minimal. Furthermore,

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pre and post surveys and interviews ensure program effectiveness and positive growth in
classrooms as noted in ISTE (2011) Coaching Standard 5.3 and 3.6. The ability to select
and evaluate digital tools and the overall effectiveness of professional learning was made
possible with skills and a broad knowledge base that was developed early on in the KSU
ITEC Masters Program. Certainly these skills and knowledge base aided in the
successful implementation of pre and post surveys to staff members, the design of
complex and, yet, easy to follow professional development, and subsequent impact on
teacher efficacy.
While administration and a solid education of providing effective professional
development is fundamental in positive growth as a technology integrationist, none of
this would quite fly without tested and weathered communication skills. And that, really,
was the goal all along, to work with teachers to help them use new technologies in their
classrooms in order to foster better communication among teachers, students and parents.
However, change first comes from within, and the act of building relationships, whether
with early adopters, administration, or any teacher who was open to talk and work
collaboratively was the foundational piece to effecting change at CDS. Certainly, by
designing and implementing whole staff trainings, teachers who would otherwise miss
out on growth opportunities learned new tools, but working with individuals to effect
change in their classroom was far more effective. It is through the one-on-one meetings
and collaborative projects that true change was effected. Of course, an online gradebook
inherently helps with communication between students, teachers, and parents, and online
grading with Turnitin.com allows for instant and in depth feedback with students
regarding their writing, and Google Mail is in and of itself a powerful means to

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22

communicate with colleagues; however, it is through individual meetings, one-on-one

staff development, and peer coaching that great strides in teacher growth were made.
If this project were to be undertaken again, in any other school, the key areas to
focus on for improvement would be timing. With the new gradebook rollout, many
issues came up at the end of the quarter. Teachers needed further support on how to
finalize and submit grades, and they didnt realize they quite needed this support until
they actually had to submit their grades. Pre-emptive training on this piece would be
beneficial for all. Additionally, the timing of Google Mail was challenging. With a little
more time, certainly, a series of leveled workshops could be provided to target a myriad
of groups of learners at their ability level. And finally, with Turnitin.com, a great deal of
time is needed in order for teachers to establish the habit of use. Without significant time
to work with the tool, the need for more complicated uses is unnecessary and excessive.
In the same breath, certain things should remain consistent if one were to implement this
project again. One should be careful to adhere to regular meetings with staff,
administration, and the technology department to ensure that all are comfortable,
confident and supportive. With a positive relationship among staff members, willingness
to collaborate and grow is natural. While workshops and large training sessions may be
more effective in a larger school setting, the faculty of CDS resoundingly preferred onon-one meetings before trying a new online tool. This is time consuming, but the benefit
to faculty and community is resoundingly worth it.
It is no easy task to take on a brand new position as technology integrationist at a
school and work with the agendas of faculty, administration, and the technology
department to effect positive change. In fact, it is quite difficult when new technologies

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23

are adopted without the buy in of staff, or their ability to see the perceived need of it
all. However, these hurdles are overcome through, among a whole host of skills,
knowledge, and dispositions, by sound communication and relationship building on all
levels. Without this strong foundation and persistent effort to collaborate and work with
staff, administration, and the technology department, success in such a position would be
minimal. And, while one may be hard pressed to ascertain the growth in communication
between staff, students, and parents, it is worth noting that through the effective
communication of staff, technology faculty, and administration, growth in important
communication-based online tools was exponential. The residual benefits will make
themselves clear in time.

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24

References
Iste.org,. (2011). ISTE Standards for Coaches. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from
http://iste.org/standards
Knight, J. (2009). Instructional coaching. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin.
Major, M. (2015). From the Finalsite Blog. Finalsite.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from
http://www.finalsite.com/page.cfm?p=779&eid=1128
Rogers, E. (1983). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press.

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITH TECHNOLOGY

Appendix A

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Appendix B
Gradebook Communication from High School Principal to Families

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Appendix C
Gradebook Survey Results

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Appendix D
Instructional Technology Survey Questions

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Appendix E
Instructional tech survey responses
E1

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E2

37

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E3

38

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E4

39

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E5

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Appendix F
Turn It In Handout

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Appendix G
Turnitin.com Training Correspondence with Middle School Faculty (truncated)

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Appendix H
Google Apps Survey Questions

GoogleAppsSupportSurvey
*Required

1. Whatisyourname?*

2. Whatdivisiondoyouworkin?*
Ifyouworkinmultiple,pleaseselectthedivisionyoumostfrequentlyworkwith.
Markonlyoneoval.
EarlyChildhood
Prep.
ElementarySchool
MiddleSchool
HighSchool
Administration

GoogleMail,Calendars,&Drive
ThesequestionsareallrelatedtoyournewGmailaccountforwork.

GoogleMail
3. Canyoulogintoyourgmailaccount?*
Markonlyoneoval.
Never
Sometimes
Always
4. Canyousendanemail?*
Markonlyoneoval.
Never
Sometimes
Always

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Appendix I
Google Apps Survey Results (truncated)
J1

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J2

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J3

52

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J4

53

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J5

54

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J6

55

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Appendix J

Tech Support Sign-Up Sheet: February 4, 2015

TimeSlot

Name

2 Topics to Cover

Example

Vanessa

Google Drive
Gmail attachments

3:05-3:15

Marlene

Google Drive

3:15-3:25

Holly

outlook on mac

3:25-3:35

Marcela

Google Drive

3:35-3:45

Ileana

Google Drive new version

3:45-4:55

4:55-4:05

4:05-4:15

4:15-4:25

Paul

Google Drive uploads

Email signature

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Appendix K
Google Apps How To Sheets

Change or setup Calendar Time Zone

Open your calendar from the All Apps menu or type calendar.google.com on your preferred internet
browser.

On the Calendar page, go to Settings (Gear icon at the top right corner)

On the drop down menu, Click on Settings.

On the General tab, look for Your current time zone and be sure that yours is setup in Costa Rica. If it is
not, please click on the Display all time zones and then look for the correct option. Then click save

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How to create groups or Distribution lists on Google web mail interface.

1- Open your internet browser and go to your mail screen

2- Look for the dropdown menu on the Mail Link (the

small triangle at the right side of the word Mail)

3- Click on Contacts

4- You will see your All contact list. On the left column
menurlook for NewGo up option (Generally this is
located almost at the end of the list).

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Appendix L
Turnitin.com Usage Report for CDS High School Faculty

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