Information:

Project Director:
Leigh-Ann Danley
Gwinnett Online School & University or West Georgia
Phone: 404-273-0026
Email: JDanley1@my.westga.ed
Co-Project Director:
Jennifer Poole
Administrator- Buford City Schools
Abstract:
This grant proposal focuses on the need for teachers in all core subjects to integrate visual and
media literacy through the use of technology into the classroom instruction. The project director, LeighAnn Danley, saw the need for a new PD for Language Arts teachers at Buford Middle School and other
Buford City Schools to broaden their knowledge of instructional technology in order to move more
students to the proficient and distinguished categories on the Milestones assessments. The anticipated
target group for the proposal will be the 58 core classroom teachers from 6 th-8th grades at Buford Middle
School. The teachers will have the opportunity to obtain 50 contact hours of professional development.
The summer workshop will consist of 35 hours of training on technology enhanced instruction with the use
of visual and media literacy strategies in the classroom. The participants will have two 5 hour Saturday
follow-up sessions in October and November and lastly, they will have a final 5-hour wrap up session in
March. The goal of the workshops is for teachers to gain deeper knowledge of visual and media literacy
strategies and practices in order to incorporate these strategies into the classroom instruction. The
Gwinnett Online Campus will partner with Buford City Schools to impart valuable knowledge and
expertise to the effective teaching of visual and media literacy skills and concepts. The expected
outcome of the workshop is that teachers will be able to create artifacts of instructional practices that will
influence current teaching pedagogy and foster student achievement.

Introduction
Middle school Language Arts teachers have an especially difficult challenge in front of them.
Over the past decade and longer the focus of reading education has primarily been on early literacy,
meaning reading in primary grades. According to Biancarosa and Snow (2006) in Reading Next: A
Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy even the most promising readers in
third grade will weaken in later grades if attention is not given on literacy in the middle and high school
grades. Therefore in order for students to be able to achieve the literary skills required to understand the
challenging texts they will encounter in middle and high school, teachers must acquire a new set of tools.
Many would go one step further and want to guarantee that teachers not only teach the literacy skills
required, but also instill the love for reading that is somehow extinguished between elementary and high
school. The elements of literacy are commonly described as reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Visual literacy is rarely mentioned and never mentioned as an in depth way to make connections,
synthesize information, evaluate and critique. In the 21 st century, the primary literacy of the learner is
visual. It is no longer adequate to be able to write and read text. Students must be taught how to
synthesize information that is introduced visually. By incorporating Visual and Media Literacy into the ELA
classroom, and giving students a visual picture by which to be able to remember concepts, we are not
only giving students an edge in testing, but we are also introducing them to a whole new world of literacy
and hopefully re-introducing them to a love they may have lost.
In order to give the students these skills, the teachers themselves must be armed with the tools
necessary to present learning in the most engaging and effective way possible. Teachers need
Professional Development (PD) in order to garner the skills needed to implement Visual and Media
Literacy in the classroom.
John Debes, a defining figure in visual literacy history, defines visual literacy as follows:
Visual Literacy refers to a group of vision-competencies a human being can develop by seeing
and at the same time having and integrating other sensory experiences. The development of these
competencies is fundamental to normal human learning. When developed, they enable a visually literate
person to discriminate and interpret the visible actions, objects, symbols, natural or man-made, that he

encounters in his environment. Through the creative use of these competencies, he is able to
communicate with others. Through the appreciative use of these competencies, he is able to comprehend
and enjoy the masterworks of visual communication. (Avgerinou, 2012)
The National Association for Media Literacy education defines Media Literacy as the ability to
access, analyze evaluate create and act using all forms of communication. (Lipkin, 2015). The ability to
discriminate and interpret are skills that many people havent mastered. The National Associate for Media
Literacy states that To become a successful student, responsible citizen, productive worker, or competent
and conscientious consumer, individuals need to develop expertise with the increasingly sophisticated
information and entertainment media that address us on a multi-sensory level, affecting the way we think,
feel, and behave. (Lipkin, 2015). In many ways we consume massive amounts of media each and every
day, but havent yet learned how to discriminate and interpret them. Clearly in order for us to become
responsible citizens this skill must be acquired so that we dont fall into basic media manipulation,
believing whatever it is that the media wants us to believe.
The idea of Visual and Media Literacy revolves around two theories: Dual Coding and Cognitive
Theory in Multimedia. The premise is that the theory of dual coding and multimedia is significant to
learning in that is helps solidify knowledge and skills for later recall. As human beings progress through
life, we are constantly soaking up more information and learning new things. More often than not, our
evaluation of this new information or ideas relies on the ability to activate prior knowledge. If you don't
have any prior knowledge, analysis is going to be very surface and evaluation very brief. Thinking
critically requires a certain level of awareness of the information, topic, or idea. This is where dual coding
and multimedia theory of cognitive learning come into play. The more information you can retain through
the use of visuals and verbal cues, the more prior knowledge you store for later use. These two theories
assert that presenting visuals in conjunction with auditory cues provides learners with "two-lanes" to longterm memory. Anyone who has sit in traffic knows that two lanes are far better than one! This is huge
when it comes to learning especially early academic learning. If implemented correctly, these theories of
cognition can aid in student achievement, grades, socialization, and real-world readiness.

Richard Mayer (2005) succinctly stated that "instructional messages that are designed in light of
how the human mind works are more likely to lead to meaningful learning than those that are not." If
learning is maximized, students benefit. Because the human brain processes visual information separate
from auditory information, teachers can maximize the amount of learning that students retain when they
tap into both of those channels. If only visuals are incorporated into learning through reading texts or
analyzing pictures, teachers are squandering a true opportunity to enrich retention and application in the
future. The same is true if teaching consists of only "auditoraly represented material" such as lectures
(Mayer, 2005).
Because more than 65% of the population learns best through visual means, utilizing the dualcoding or multimedia theory to teach provides students with a learning approach that, more than likely,
best suits their learning needs, but it also brings a relevance and engagement to learning that may not
otherwise be included. 21st century students it seems are surgically attached to their iPhones, iPads, and
laptops. If they have a proclivity for and knowledge of these tools, why not strategically utilize them to
enhance learning and promote higher level thinking and critical analysis? The multi-media theory
promotes this type of learning. The various forms of media used to enhance student learning creates a
channel to help move the information from the sensory memory, through the working (short term)
memory, and cement it into the long-term memory. More information stored in the long-term memory will
enable students to process new information more quickly, but it will also allow future learning on a
particular subject, or topic, to a deeper, more analytical level.
Demonstrated Need
The Georgia Performance Standards in all core subjects require that students have critical
thinking and analysis skills that allow them to synthesize information and communicate how it affects the
world around them (See Appendix 4). Buford City Schools has consistently ranked above state and local
averages for the CRCT and now even in the 2nd administration they have scored above the state average
in the Georgia Milestones (See Table1) (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOC-System
2016) (2014 Testing Brief School Summaries 2015) (2014 Testing Brief State Summaries 2015).
These reports shows the high level of instruction already taking place at the district and school level in

Buford City Schools in the Reading and ELA categories. However the administration and staff at BMS are
looking for ways to improve the quality of education offered to all students. Based on this, teachers at
BMS give teacher created benchmarks every 9 weeks in order to measure student success and
understand where remediation or enrichment needs to take place. Based on these scores teachers have
found weaknesses in literacy as students emerge from the primary grades and enter into the more
challenging texts of middle school.
Table 1: % of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Categories
on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in ELA (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOCSystem 2016)
% of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished
Categories on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in ELA
% Beginning
% Developing
% Proficient
% Distinguished
Buford
14.1
31.1
42.7
12.1
Middle
School
State of
27.1
33.0
32.0
7.9
Georgia

Although the table illustrates a high percentatge of students (over 54% as compared to the State
at 39%) are in the Proficient or Distinguished category, the staff would like to see the gap closed in the
percentage of students in the Developing and Beginning categories and to see the % of students in the
Proficient category go up (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOC-System 2016).
Many of the common core standards require students to including visual images in order to
explain learning (see Appendix A for a list of those standards). In light of this, the staff at BMS wants to
look at not only increasing the Reading and ELA scores on standardized tests, but also looking at Math,
Science and Social Studies Scores as well. Below are the tables on Math, Science and Social Studies
scores on the Milestones as compared to the state (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOCSystem 2016). Although this aspect may not be the primary goal of the PD, it will be a side effect of
incorporating these skills into the Language Arts classroom.

Table 2: % of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Categories
on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Math (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOCSystem 2016)
% of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished
Categories on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Math
% Beginning
% Developing
% Proficient
% Distinguished
Buford Middle
9.9
22.1
43.3
24.8
School
State of Georgia
23.7
37.9
26.3
12.0

Table 3: % of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Categories
on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Science (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016 EOCSystem 2016)
% of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Categories
on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Science
% Beginning
% Developing
% Proficient
% Distinguished
Buford
16.6
27.1
41.6
14.6
Middle
School
State of
34.3
28.7
28.9
8.1
Georgia

Table 4: % of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Categories
on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Social Studies (Spring 2016 EOC-Schools 2016) (Spring 2016
EOC-System 2016)
% of Students Performing in the Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished
Categories on the 2014-2015 Georgia Milestones in Social Studies
% Beginning
% Developing
% Proficient
% Distinguished
Buford Middle
11.9
34.2
31.8
22.1
School
State of Georgia
27.1
37.4
22.3
13.2

A teacher survey was conducted at BMS. All 58 core teachers responded to the survey to
determine which factors could account for lower scores on the standards that adressed literacy. The
results revelaed that some teachers are illequipped to teach visual and media literacy in the classroom.

Other results showed that although teachers know there is available technology in the school they do not
feel confident to use it in the classroom. Lastly, some results showed that teachers feel they have a
limited amount of time to learn various technology resources to make them feel more confident in
technology implementation.
By teaching the teachers the strategies to incoporate visual & media literacy into the ELA and
other core subject classrooms, the teachers and staff at BMS hope to raise the score in of those students
in the Beginning performers of the GMAS into the Proficient and Developing catagories or higher.
The PD proposed will introduce teachers to new techniques in improving overall literacy scores
through the introduction of Visual and Media Literacy. The objective is to move students to the next level
of proficiency or exceeds category on the ELA portion of the GA Milestones, increase their ability to retain
information and process it into long-term memory, and improve students overall outlook on literacy.
Project Goals and Objectives:
In addressing the needs of Buford Middle School to increase student achievement in ELA
portions of the Language Arts CRCT and Milestones (and subsequently increasing on certain standards in
the Science, math and Social Studies portions), priorities would be to implement professional
development that focuses on instructional strategies for the use of visual and media literacy in the
Language Arts Classroom. This would be a more focused effort for the Language Arts department to
initiate more innovative strategies for teaching literacy in the classroom. Levin & Schrum (2012) provide
insight on effective PD when they discuss Chesapeak High School and Mooresville High School. In these
technology-rich schools, teachers are encourages to use new ideas and innovation to encourage student
success. Both schools also illustrate the need to conduct PD over the course of time rather than a single
PD for the integration of a new innovation. According to a study conducted by Theresa Redmond (2015),
21st century skills and literacies are enhanced when students participate in critical thinking and media
deconstruction activities. Similarly, a study conducted by Morris, Shang and Spires (2012) suggests that
new literacies and technologies will facilitate important communication and problem-solving skills needed
for participation in the global economy. They argue that teachers in the US need customized
professional development support to make important changes in their instruction that will facilitate new

types of educational experiences and learning for the 21st century. With the emergence of new
technologies, the need for visual and media literacy is in high demand.
S.M.A.R.T. goals and objectives are effective methods that will help focus and strategically
analyze the outcomes of the projected grant writing proposal. The acronym stands for Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused and Time-bound. The goals and objectives will support
professional development needs for implementing technology-enhanced instruction via visual and media
literacy strategies in the Language Arts Classroom. They include:

Goal 1: Teachers will demonstrate proficiency with using numerous strategies to enhance visual
and media literacy that will be used to enhance the literacy and critical thinking skills of the 21 st
century learner.
o SMART Objective 1: By the end of the week-long professional development, 100% of
Language Arts teachers present will acquire a deeper knowledge of the literacy standards
o

and the needs of the 21st Century Learner.

SMART Objective 2: By the end of the week-long professional development, 100% of
Language Arts teachers present will acquire deeper knowledge in utilizing visual and

media literacy strategies in the classroom.

SMART Objective 3: By the end of the week-long professional development, 90% of
Language Arts teachers will create 3 lesson plans utilizing visual and media literacy
strategies that fit into the Language Arts curriculum and meet the literacy standards

This goal of the grant proposal ensures that teachers have a deeper knowledge of the Language Arts
standards and needs of the 21st century learner in order to challenge students to meet the expectations
that have been set before them. Having a more thorough understanding of the standards will also
improve teachers focus on instruction and allow them to effectively implement new strategies into the
classroom while keeping the end goals in mind. This understanding will build confidence that will embody
them utilize technology in their implementation of the new strategies. Teachers will also gain knowledge
of the new strategies intended for visual and media literacy. These strategies will allow for new
understanding and building of critical thinking and deconstructing skills that will empower the 21 st century
learner.

Goal 2: Teachers will integrate effective visual and media literacy strategies into their own
teaching practices and pedagogy.
o SMART Objective 1: By the beginning of the second follow-up session, teachers will
o

implement one of the three lesson ideas into their own classroom practices.
SMART Objective 2: By the end of the second follow-up professional development
session, 90% of Language Arts teachers will collaborate to develop a visual and media

literacy unit to implement in their grade level appropriate Language Arts classroom.
SMART Objective 3: By the end of the third follow-up session, 90% of Language Arts
teachers will present successful instructional strategies utilizing visual and media literacy
strategies in their classrooms.

The second goal focuses on the integration of visual and media literacy techniques and strategies
into the teaching pedagogy and practices. According to a study by Shanedra Nowell (2014) students
struggle to find ways to connect their media experiences with their educational lives. Through the
integration of visual and media literacy professional development, teachers will learn how to employ new
technologies in order to build relationships, extend the classroom learning online and tackle the digital
divide so they can teach 21st century literacies. The end goal after this professional development is to
have teachers seeking out relevant technologies that will engage students inside and outside the
classroom.
Plan of Operations:
According to Reid (2012), teachers are not given enough time to digest how to incorporate and
experiment with technology in order to determine its value in the classroom. They need more time to be
able to understand the technology, experiment in the classroom and return for more PD for deeper
knowledge once they understand how it looks in the classroom. As a result, teachers will have the
opportunity to refine their classroom practices. The program activities will focus on how to integrate visual
and media literacy techniques into the classroom. Teachers will learn techniques and ideas for
incorporating these strategies into the classroom.
The professional development sessions will be held during a five-day workshop in June 2017.
The summer workshop will consist of 35 hours of training on technology-enhanced instruction with the

use of new strategies for incorporating visual and media literacy into the classroom. The participants will
have 2 five-hour Saturday follow-up sessions in September and October of 2017. Lastly, they will have a
cumulative five-hour session in May of 2018.
Summer Workshops: On Day 1 of the five day workshop, students will be familiarized with the
presenters of the workshop. The goals and objectives will be reviewed and the participants will be
cognizant of the process for evaluating their knowledge of visual and media literacy and evaluating the
quality of the workshop. Participants will begin day 1 of the workshop by taking a pre-test to determine
their prior knowledge on the subject covered on visual and media literacy for that day: Creating Meaning
with Images and Coding & Decoding. Facilitators will use the Georgia Professional Standards and
Common Core Standards in literacy to present main concepts within the subject. In the morning the
teachers will be introduced to the concepts behind the strategies and how it can enhance student learning
and literacy. The participants will then be dismissed for lunch on their own. During the afternoon session,
the participants will work with technology and participate in activities that will reinforce their learning and
help them understand how the strategies on coding and decoding can be utilized in the classroom. At the
end of each day, the teachers will fill out a survey to reflect on their learning and how the strategies
introduced can be used in the classroom. The survey will be used to determine perceptions about PD
workshop.
Days 2-5 will follow the same format as day 1. They will begin with a discussion about the weeks
goals and objectives. Then the participants will take another pre-test covering the days content focus.
Each day the facilitators will be presenting the content strategies during the morning session and then
follow-up with experimenting on how to utilize the strategies in the classroom in core subject focus
groups.
On Day 2 the participants will be discovering the use of Comics, Cartoons and Graphic Novels in
the classroom. They will utilize websites like Comicmaster.com and Pixton.com to create their own comic
or graphic novel. On day 3 the participants will be learning about Infographics and Posters and how they
can effectively be utilized in the classroom. They will use websites like pictograph.com or others to create
their own posters and infograph for their classroom instruction. On day 4 participants will be learning how

to redesign their own instructional materials in order to better meet the standards set forth for visual
design. On day 5 participants will participate in analysis of video commercials.
Table 5: Summer Workshop Schedule

Content
Focus

8:00-9:00

9:0010:00

10:0011:00

11:0012:00
12:001:00

Day 1
Creating meaning
with images
Coding and
Decoding
Introductions
Goals &
Objectives
Pre-test of
Strategies in
Visual and media
Literacy
Content
Knowledge in
Visual and Media
Literacy
Strategies
Define Visual &
Media Literacy

Examples in
Visual and Media
Literacy
Strategies
Discuss Coding
and Decoding
Lunch on your
own
Introduction of
tools for use in
strategies in
Visual and Media
Literacy
Discuss how to
create meaning
with visuals

Summer Workshop Schedule

Day 2
Day 3
Comics,
Infographics and
Cartoons and
Posters
Graphic Novels
Review of Prior
days
information
Pretest of
Strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Content
Knowledge in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies
Discuss Comics,
Cartoons and
Graphic novels

Review of Prior
days
information
Pretest of
Strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Content
Knowledge in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies
Discuss
infographics and
posters

Examples in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies

Examples in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies

Lunch on your
own
Introduction of
tools for use in
strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Discuss tools for
creating
Comics,
Cartoons and
Graphic novels
(ex.
Comicmaster.co
m)

Lunch on your
own
Introduction of
tools for use in
strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Discuss tools for
creating
infographics and
posters
(ex.
Piktochart.com)

Day 4
Analysis of
Video
Commercials

Day 5
Redesign of
Instructional
Materials

Review of Prior
days
information
Pretest of
Strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Content
Knowledge in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies
Discuss
persuasive
techniques in
advertising and
marketing
tactics
Examples in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies

Review of Prior
days
information
Pretest of
Strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Content
Knowledge in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies
Discuss the
importance of
visual literacy in
the classroom

Lunch on your
own
Introduction of
tools for use in
strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Discuss
commercial
analysis

Lunch on your
own
Introduction of
tools for use in
strategies in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Discuss
redesign of
instructional
materials

Examples in
Visual and
Media Literacy
Strategies

1:002:30

Teacher
exploration with
tools and lesson
artifact creation

Teacher
exploration with
tools and lesson
artifact creation

Teacher
exploration with
tools and lesson
artifact creation

Teacher
commercial
analysis

2:30-4:00

Core subject
collaboration for
lesson
implementation
with strategies
Post-Test
Wrap-up
Discussion
Reflection Survey

Core subject
collaboration for
lesson
implementation
with strategies
Post-Test
Wrap-up
Discussion
Reflection
Survey

Core subject
collaboration for
lesson
implementation
with strategies
Post-Test
Wrap-up
Discussion
Reflection
Survey

Core subject
collaboration for
lesson
implementation
with strategies
Post-Test
Wrap-up
Discussion
Reflection
Survey

4:00-5:00

Teacher
exploration with
redesigning
instructional
materials
Core subject
collaboration for
lesson
implementation
with strategies
Post-Test
Wrap-up
Discussion
Reflection
Survey

Follow-up Sessions- The first follow-up session will be held during the 3 rd week in September.
This will allow time for teachers to get settled into their classes and experiment with incorporating some
strategies into classroom instruction. The participants and the project team will meet at the Buford
Community Center. Participants will begin the session sharing how they have been able to incorporate
the strategies into their classrooms and the results they have been able to see already. Then they will
break out into groups based on their core content and attend a session on research on visual and media
literacy that is subject specific. After lunch the participants will engage in more course collaboration and
unit lesson planning incorporating the strategies learned in the summer workshop. Lastly, participants will
again engage in a wrap up survey that will help in determining PD perceptions.
The second follow-up session will occur in the last week of October 2017. By this time teachers
will have used a lesson artifact that they developed in the summer workshop or in the first fall session into
their classroom instruction. Participants will again participate in course collaboration to develop more unit
lesson plans that will incorporate strategies learned in the summer workshop. Teachers will also upload
completed lesson plans to the Buford City Schools shared drive. This will enable teachers, administrators
and program evaluators access to the archived plans to use in future years for comprehensive program
design.
The last follow-up session will be held during the fourth week in May 2018. It will entail teachers
sharing success stories on classroom implementation. This will also allow for data analysis on test scores

that should be back by that time. Teachers can then compare test progress on common core standards
that utilize visual and media literacy to the prior years scores. Lastly, teachers will again participate in a
final survey that will recap the goals and objectives that have been addressed throughout the program.
Project Evaluation:
There always needs to be cooperation between the primary stakeholders in a project and the
project evaluators. The evaluator is who will determine the success of the program and it is imperative
that he work closely with the primary stakeholders and is familiar with the goals and objectives of the
program. The evaluator must also be one who is experienced in using various evaluative tools and be
able to effectively analyze data that expresses whether the goals and objectives of the program are being
met. Our evaluator must also be one that displays great communication skill in order to be able to
effectively communicate shortcomings and benefits of the program with the project team. They must also
be able to accurately and fully disclose all information pertinent to the evaluation.
The long-term goals of the program are that teachers will integrate visual and media literacy
strategies into their classroom instruction so that the literacy rates of students will increase and milestone
scores will increase. In order to test the effectiveness of the program, the evaluator will look at surveys
conducted during the workshop, interviews, artifacts and eventually test scores.
The external evaluator for this project will be Dr. Adriana DAlba, assistant professor in the
College of Education at the University of West Georgia and teaches graduate classes in the use of
instructional technology and instructional design. She will be responsible for data collection and analysis
for the reflection surveys during the summer workshop and she will perform and analyze interviews with
teachers before and after the workshops. Dr. DAlba along with the Project Developer will discuss the
results with the Buford City Schools Board of Education and Superintendent. They will also submit the
Evaluation Reports to the Teacher Quality office at the conclusion of the program.
The professional development will be evaluated on whether the goals and objectives were
satisfied. Data will be collected based on the daily reflection surveys during the workshop to determine
the effectiveness of the workshop in being clear, coherent and applicable in the classroom. The surveys

will determine the participants attitudes towards the value of the workshop and the strategies in terms of
implementation and usefulness. The surveys will also provide feedback for how to improve the PD for
future implementation.
At the beginning of the day for each summer workshop, the participants will take a pre-test to
obtain their knowledge of the strategies used in visual and media literacy. At the end of each day they will
receive the same assessment as a post-test to determine if the workshop was effective in communicating
the information and to drive future days content. Participants will also be evaluated on the content that
they introduce into their classrooms which will be shared and uploaded to the BCS shared drive for
collaboration purposes. The artifacts and lesson ideas will be evaluated through classroom evaluations
that determine whether participants followed correct implementation of the strategies in the classroom.
Observations will look at the following criteria: Focused on standards and content, effectively
implemented, strategies were used, learning activities were engaging to students.
Table 6: Program Goals and Objectives aligned with Data Collection Instruments
Program Goals and Objectives aligned with Data Collection Instruments
Project Goals and Objectives
Data Collected
Timeline
Goal 1: Teachers will demonstrate proficiency with using numerous strategies to enhance visual and
media literacy that will be used to enhance the literacy and critical thinking skills of the 21 st century
learner.
Obtain a deeper knowledge of the literacy Pre & Post Tests
Summer Workshop Day 1-5
standards and the needs of the 21st
Century Learner.
Obtain a deeper knowledge in utilizing
visual and media literacy strategies in the
classroom.

Pre & Post Test

Summer Workshop Day 1-5

Language Arts teachers will create 3

lesson plans utilizing visual and media
literacy strategies that fit into the
Language Arts curriculum and meet the
literacy standards

Lesson Plans and Artifacts

Summer Workshop Day 5

Goal 2: Teachers will integrate effective visual and media literacy strategies into their own teaching
practices and pedagogy.
By the beginning of the second follow-up
session, teachers will implement one of
the three lesson ideas into their own
classroom practices.

Teacher Report and

Observations

Beginning of 2nd follow-up

session

By the end of the second follow-up

professional development session, 90%
of Language Arts teachers will collaborate
to develop a visual and media literacy unit
to implement in their grade level
appropriate Language Arts classroom.

Lesson Plans and Artifacts

End of 2nd follow-up session

By the end of the third follow-up session,

90% of Language Arts teachers will
present successful instructional strategies
utilizing visual and media literacy
strategies in their classrooms.

Lesson Plans, Artifacts

and Teacher presentations

3rd follow-up session

Partnerships:
Partnerships provide opportunities to connect with other organizations within the school district or
in the community. The community can be better connected with the schools and business relationships
can be made. Teachers and students can also utilize these partnerships to gain exposure to in the
community and provide networking opportunities.
Partners:
There are several partnerships that can assist in providing support for the PD in implementing
strategies for visual and media literacy. An internal partner includes the Buford City School District. The
Buford City Schools Professional Learning Network (PLN) provides professional learning for teachers and
staff within the district. PD leaders will meet with administrators, the district superintendent, school board
members and city leaders in order to gain approval to hold the staff development at the Buford
Community Center. District leaders will also offer guidance on leading a PD course, including scheduling,
sign ups and logistics.
Buford City Schools also have a partnership with the Gwinnett Online Campus. GOC serves as
an external partner in providing professional development in a variety of areas. For this PD GOC will
provide essential skills and content knowledge to the staff by helping them integrate visual and media
literacy strategies into classroom instruction.
Participants:

The grant proposal will benefit core subject (language arts, science, social studies and math)
teachers at Buford Middle School in Buford City Schools. Buford City Schools has 58 general education
core teachers in 6th-8th grade. BMS has 15 language arts teachers, 14 social studies teachers, 14 science
teachers and 15 math teachers. Buford City Schools are full of highly qualified teachers that desire to do
what is best for their students. At Buford Middle School (BMS) 25% of their teachers have a Med and a
stunning 49% of them are armed with an Ed.S. At Buford High School (BHS) 53% of the teachers have
their MEd while 28% of them have obtained their Ed.S and 2% have their Ph.D. Even with all of the
formal education there is still a need to improve instruction as it takes place on a day-to-day basis in the
classroom. As shown in the sections that follow, BMS has a proud history of exceeding the state average
on standardized tests, however the teachers and staff would like to see students move from the
Developing & Proficient Learner category to the Distinguished Learner category on the ELA portion of the
Georgia Milestones test. All participants that participate in the workshop will receive 5 PLUs in addition to
a stipend for participation and completion.

Appendix 1: Budget Summary:

Appendix 2: Budget Narrative:

The budget consists of a salary for the Project Director (Leigh-Ann Danley) of $6,500 that is
equivalent to 10% of her salary of $65,000. The Co-Project Developer (Jenny Poole) will receive a salary
of $10,300 that is 10% of her salary of $103,000. The Project Developer is responsible for the structuring
of the staff development and will be spending many hours outside of her daily job requirements to make
sure that the professional development runs smoothly and is beneficial to the participants. The budget
will also consist of a stipend for the consultants (Jenny Cody and Laura Herring) and the facilitators
(Kristin Sokol and Randi Hill). The consultants will be paid a flat rate of $500 per day for the 2 days that
they consult prior to the summer workshop. They will work with the facilitators on concepts to be
discussed during the week long workshop. The facilitators will also receive a flat rate of $400 per day for
the 8 days of the five-day workshop and the three follow-up sessions. All personnel are knowledgeable
about visual and media literacy in the classroom and are experienced in presenting new information to
teachers.
The Project Developer and Co-Project Developer will also have fringe benefits from preparing the
workshop and follow-up sessions. The Project Developer will receive $1,625 (25% of salary) for the
summer session and $2,275 (35% of salary) for the September, October and March sessions. The CoProject Developer will receive $2,575 (25% of salary) for the summer session and $3,605 (35% of salary)
for the September, October and March sessions.
In addition, 3 students in the Teaching as a Profession pathway classes at Buford High School
will assist in running errands, distribution, and packaging of materials and supplies used in the program.
They were chosen because of their behavior, grades and desire to one day be teachers. They will be
paid the hourly minimum wage salary of $7.25 per hour for 40 hours of $290.00 each. This totals to
$870.00.
The external evaluator, Adriana DAlba, will also be compensated based on flat rate of $4000.
The external evaluator will be responsible for data collection, analysis and presentation of findings. She
will work closely with Leigh-Ann Danley to make sure that the mid-year and final summative evaluation
reports reflect adequate findings.

Each participant (58 general education teachers) will receive a stipend at the end of all 8 sessions
of $500. They cannot get any of the money until all sessions are over and it will be paid in their June
paycheck. The total for this is $29,000.
Since all personnel, support staff and participants live within 30 miles of Buford City Schools, the
travel cost are at a minimum and will be covered in the salaries and stipends provided. The facility, a
room at the Buford Community Center, is also free of charge.
In February of 2017, the Project Developer and the facilitators will present their Teacher Quality
grant proposal and Professional Development program to the Georgia Council of Teachers of English at
their annual conference in Jekyll Island. The grant will also pay for conference registration costs of ($100
x 3) $300 and for hotel accommodations of ($84/ night/ per teacher) $504 and a food stipend of ($50/ day/
teacher) $300.
Lunch will be provided on the two follow-up sessions from Chick-Fil-A and McAllisters. The boxed
lunches from CFA are approximately $6.83 per person ($423.46) and boxed lunches from McAllisters are
approximately $8.10 per person ($502.20) totaling to $910.73. Four 48-count cases of water will also be
furnished at a cost of $80.00.
Seeing as all materials and tools related to the Professional Development will be in digital format
the only necessary tools for the program will be 60 laptop computers and a projection screen. The Buford
Community Center already has a projection screen available for use and the Buford City Schools already
provides all of their teachers laptops that can be used during the workshop. Notebooks and writing
utensils will be provided for each of the participants. Notepads can be purchased for $1.05 (x58 + 2
extra) totaling to $63. Pens can be purchased for $14.98 (for 100 pens)

Appendix 3: Capacity:
The project team is integral in determining the success or failure of the PD. Consequently all
members of the project team must have an understanding not only of the content involved in the
strategies to visual and media literacy, but also have the communication skills necessary to convey the

information. They must be able to adequately predict and answer the questions that are asked by the
participants. In this way they can anticipate any problems associated with the websites and anticipate the
teachers problems and give knowledgeable and experienced feedback when issues arise. It is also
helpful that they have a good working relationship with the teachers in order to establish a trust with them
and be able to relate to the frustrations that they may face in the classroom. Lastly, the project team
members need to have knowledge of how to use the strategies in the classroom so they can give tips on
how it can be done in each core class.
Leigh-Ann Danley is qualified for the role of Project Director. She is currently enrolled in the
educational Specialist program in Instructional Technology at the University of West Georgia. She has
taken several classes in visual and media literacy, instructional design and program development. She
has been teaching in the brick and mortar classroom for 12 years and in the online classroom for 2. She
currently teaches 11th Grade Language Arts at the Gwinnett Online School in Lawrenceville, GA. The has
previously taught 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th & 12th grade Language Arts at Creekland Middle, Mill Creek High and
Peachtree Ridge High schools. She received her B.A in English from Georgia State University in 2001
and her M.Ed. in Secondary English Education from Georgia State University in 2004. Her years of
experience have aided in her understanding of teaching literacy at multiple levels. She is a technology
leader at her school and helps others in integrating technology in their classrooms so she can easily
relate to the daily difficulties that come with new technology. She has excellent communication skills
which are needed to correspond with the rest of the project team and participants in the program.

Her

role as a Project Director would be to oversee the ins and outs of the workshop, define the parameters of
the content presented, develop the budget, finalize the schedule, and create the hands on activities for
the professional development. In addition, she will work with the evaluator to create all the surveys,
interview questions and rubrics associated with artifact and lesson review. Lastly, she will work with the
facilitators and the consultants to create the assessments, content presentation and exercises.
Jennifer Poole will be working as the Co-Project Director. As assistant principal of Buford
Academy she has a direct stake in seeing the project succeed. Ms. Poole graduated from the University
of Georgia with a degree in education, the University of North Georgia with an M.Ed in Curriculum and

Instruction and from Brenau University with a Specialist in Leadership. With her astounding leadership
and focus on quality instruction in Buford City Schools, the program has a visionary leader who looks at
the long term goals.
Jenny Cote and Laura Herring will be working as the consultants to the project. Jenny Cote
works with Video Production and Design program at the Gwinnett Online Campus. She is involved with
the training of new teachers in technology and digital design. She works with the strategies employed in
visual and media literacy in order to make learning effective for students in the online platform. Laura
Herring is a member of INACOL and PAGE and has presented at the D2L Fusion and ISTE Conferences
in 2013-2015. She currently serves as the Technology Integration Coordinator at the GOC and works
closely with Jenny Coe in incorporating digital design into the online platform.
Randi Hill works as the LSTC at the Gwinnett Online Campus and is very experienced in
presenting new technology and strategies to teachers. Previously, she has served at the GCPS HS
TOTY, ISTE Presenter, Kaltura Connect Presenter, Kaltura Customer Advisory Board and a D2: Fusion
Presenter in 2014 & 2015. She fully embraces helping teachers implement technology into their
classroom with new and innovative ways of providing technology-enhanced instruction to students.
Kristin Sokol will be another facilitator. She is an LSTC and has worked closely with Ms. Hill for a number
of years. She too has been the GOC TOTY and a presenter at several conferences including the D2L
Fusion conference and the Kaltura Connect conference. As a former math teacher she is familiar with
implementing technology into the math classroom and with a degree in Instructional Technology also
understands ways to incorporate visual and media literacy into the math classroom.

Lastly, the three BHS students working with the program will bring the student aspect to the
Project Team. In an effort to make lessons engaging and effective, their feedback on the classroom
activities and lessons will prove to be invaluable.

Being a part of the workshop will also provide them

with valuable experience and instructional strategies that they may implement in their classrooms in the
future. They will have knowledge of how to use the visual and media literacy in the professional
development.

The external evaluator is Adriana DAlba, assistant professor in the College of Education at the
University of West Georgia and teaches graduate classes in the use of instructional technology and
instructional design. She will work with Ms. Danley and be responsible for creating the surveys, interview
questions and rubrics associated with artifact, lessons and observations. She will also review data
collection and analysis for the reflection surveys during the summer workshop and she will perform and
analyze interviews with teachers before and after the workshops. Dr. DAlba along with the Ms. Danley
will discuss the results with the Buford City Schools Board of Education and Superintendent and turn
them into the Teacher Quality office at the conclusion of the program.
The summer workshop and all subsequent follow-up sessions will be hosted at the Buford
Community Center. The facility is being used free of charge as a part of a contract between Buford City
Schools and the Buford City Council. With a seating capacity at 300, the ballroom is equipped with
projection equipment and the conference facilities feature smaller classrooms complete with projection
screens, whiteboards and desks with electrical outlets for small group break-out sessions.
Appendix 4: State Common Core Standards That Require Visual Representation
Math: (Grade 6-8 Mathematics Standards 2016)
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3
Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about
tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.C.8
Solve real-world and mathematical problems by graphing points in all four quadrants of the coordinate
plane. Include use of coordinates and absolute value to find distances between points with the same first
coordinate or the same second coordinate.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.4
Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to
find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and
mathematical problems.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.4
Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.
Science (Grade 6-8 Science Standards 2016)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are
used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
(Grade 6-8 Science Standards 2016)
Social Studies (Grade 6-8 Social Studies Standards 2016)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information
in print and digital texts.

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