4.1 Digital Equity
Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. (PSC 4.1/ISTE 5a
Artifact: SWOT Analysis
Reflection:
The SWOT Analysis was completed as an assignment in ITEC 7410, Instructional Technology Leadership (Spring 2020), and selected to demonstrate mastery of Standard 4.1. The SWOT Analysis report, completed individually, provided an opportunity for me to look closely at the current technology situation at Gainesville High School. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and was paired with eight of the ISTE’s Essential Conditions for utilizing technology for learning to allow for a detailed analysis of technology integration at GHS. To complete the SWOT Analysis, I used information from our district’s school improvement plan, the draft for the Technology Plan, student and parent surveys, and the ISTE’s Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool. I used this information to summarize strengths and weaknesses for each essential condition and made recommendations for strengthening them.
Standard 4.1, Digital Equity, sets the expectation to model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. The completion of this artifact allowed me to demonstrate mastery of identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within my school, regarding technology integration. I completed the SWOT analysis by gathering data on each of the eight essential conditions, one of those being equitable access. With my analysis for equitable access at Gainesville High School, I identified opportunities for promoting equitable access and outlined recommendations for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources. This allowed me to model the advocacy of equitable access for all teachers and students. With the onset on a global pandemic, it became imperative to identify solutions for students who had limited access to devices and internet service at home. Our school was able to provide issue devices to students in need, including Chromebooks (previously class sets) and Kajeets (which our system purchased for mobile internet access to issue to students in need). Additionally, through supportive measures, I was able to model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. I volunteered to lead a professional learning seminar for faculty that allowed me to highlight strategies for communicating with and reaching out to students and to promote virtual resources that were easy for students to navigate, even with limited access, and for novice teachers to learn/use. I assisted many teachers with getting started with virtual resources and extended my assistance for future need. I also distributed a hyper-document to all faculty that highlighted virtual resources and tool strategies for transitioning to virtual learning, including for content delivery, video creation, google suite support, and assessments. These activities were inspired by my understanding of the equitable access gaps that were identified through the SWOT analysis.
I believed this experience fostered learning in a significant way for me. Shortly after completing the SWOT analysis, and identifying equitable access needs and opportunities, I was afforded an opportunity to make a difference. I was able to lead an initiative to help close a gap in our faculty’s usage of technology for learning. I offered ongoing support for faculty and promoted best practices for integrating technology and using virtual tools. I learned that a technology coach must be able to identify opportunities to address achievement gaps and be responsive as needs arise. I am proud of the way I responded and the experience I was awarded. To improve future results of a SWOT Analysis, I would recommend creating a stakeholder’s input survey to provide specific questions relating to the essential conditions. This would provide more valid and valuable feedback to assist with completing the diagnostic tool and SWOT analysis.
The creation of this artifact positively impacted school improvement and faculty development. By providing the results of the SWOT analysis to our administration and technology specialist, I feel confident that technology integration will be a focus in our Technology plan and school improvement plan, as well as in future professional developments. I believe that I was asked to lead a professional development seminar on virtual resources simply because of my understanding of the equitable access gaps that were identified in the SWOT analysis. This allowed me to directly assist many teachers with improving their technology-awareness before entering a virtual learning mode. If this impact needed to be evaluated, a faculty survey could assess equitable access and the other essential conditions, as well as the resources I promoted through my shared document and seminar. The SWOT analysis could also be repeated, and should, to continually provide current integration status and opportunities for improvement.
The SWOT Analysis was completed as an assignment in ITEC 7410, Instructional Technology Leadership (Spring 2020), and selected to demonstrate mastery of Standard 4.1. The SWOT Analysis report, completed individually, provided an opportunity for me to look closely at the current technology situation at Gainesville High School. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and was paired with eight of the ISTE’s Essential Conditions for utilizing technology for learning to allow for a detailed analysis of technology integration at GHS. To complete the SWOT Analysis, I used information from our district’s school improvement plan, the draft for the Technology Plan, student and parent surveys, and the ISTE’s Lead and Transform Diagnostic Tool. I used this information to summarize strengths and weaknesses for each essential condition and made recommendations for strengthening them.
Standard 4.1, Digital Equity, sets the expectation to model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. The completion of this artifact allowed me to demonstrate mastery of identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within my school, regarding technology integration. I completed the SWOT analysis by gathering data on each of the eight essential conditions, one of those being equitable access. With my analysis for equitable access at Gainesville High School, I identified opportunities for promoting equitable access and outlined recommendations for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources. This allowed me to model the advocacy of equitable access for all teachers and students. With the onset on a global pandemic, it became imperative to identify solutions for students who had limited access to devices and internet service at home. Our school was able to provide issue devices to students in need, including Chromebooks (previously class sets) and Kajeets (which our system purchased for mobile internet access to issue to students in need). Additionally, through supportive measures, I was able to model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. I volunteered to lead a professional learning seminar for faculty that allowed me to highlight strategies for communicating with and reaching out to students and to promote virtual resources that were easy for students to navigate, even with limited access, and for novice teachers to learn/use. I assisted many teachers with getting started with virtual resources and extended my assistance for future need. I also distributed a hyper-document to all faculty that highlighted virtual resources and tool strategies for transitioning to virtual learning, including for content delivery, video creation, google suite support, and assessments. These activities were inspired by my understanding of the equitable access gaps that were identified through the SWOT analysis.
I believed this experience fostered learning in a significant way for me. Shortly after completing the SWOT analysis, and identifying equitable access needs and opportunities, I was afforded an opportunity to make a difference. I was able to lead an initiative to help close a gap in our faculty’s usage of technology for learning. I offered ongoing support for faculty and promoted best practices for integrating technology and using virtual tools. I learned that a technology coach must be able to identify opportunities to address achievement gaps and be responsive as needs arise. I am proud of the way I responded and the experience I was awarded. To improve future results of a SWOT Analysis, I would recommend creating a stakeholder’s input survey to provide specific questions relating to the essential conditions. This would provide more valid and valuable feedback to assist with completing the diagnostic tool and SWOT analysis.
The creation of this artifact positively impacted school improvement and faculty development. By providing the results of the SWOT analysis to our administration and technology specialist, I feel confident that technology integration will be a focus in our Technology plan and school improvement plan, as well as in future professional developments. I believe that I was asked to lead a professional development seminar on virtual resources simply because of my understanding of the equitable access gaps that were identified in the SWOT analysis. This allowed me to directly assist many teachers with improving their technology-awareness before entering a virtual learning mode. If this impact needed to be evaluated, a faculty survey could assess equitable access and the other essential conditions, as well as the resources I promoted through my shared document and seminar. The SWOT analysis could also be repeated, and should, to continually provide current integration status and opportunities for improvement.