Personal Technology SWOT Analysis, Goals and Plan

Lisa Weaver

University of West Georgia

Issues in Instructional Technology – MEDT 8463

Dr. Leslie Moller

June 23, 2011

Personal Technology SWOT Analysis, Goals and Plan

When you look around at today’s society what do you see? You can see cell phones, computers, gaming systems, iPods, iPads, Smart Boards, and the list could continue on. Society is not lacking in the area of technology. Technology has found its way into almost every aspect of life. Technology is in our homes, businesses, and schools. Technology plays a major role in education in today’s society. As a teacher, I need to be more aware of the changes in technology as well as be open-minded about those changes.

In my personal and professional technology life, I have several strengths. I am very confident in the use of Microsoft Office or similar programs. I use word processing programs as well as data programs on a regular basis. Microsoft Word and Excel are two examples of programs that I know very well. I use these programs in my classroom to keep my grade book and produce newsletters, tests, labels, etc. These programs were self-taught. I am the kind of person that will sit down and figure out a program. I don’t necessarily know all the ins and outs of the programs, but I am able to produce quality work and troubleshoot when needed. I am also confident with the use of the Internet. I am able to use the Internet efficiently for networking and research. I am able to navigate my way around in order to accomplish my task.

Lastly, I am fairly confident in the use of a Smart Board and/or Promethean Board. I have had a Promethean Board in my classroom for two years now and it has been a great instrument to aid in teaching. As the Technology Committee Chairperson in my school, I am the “go to” person for any issues with the Promethean Boards. Again, it was a self-taught process. I experiment on my board, work through any issues that may come up on my own, and have kept contact with others that are able to assist me with any questions I may have. I then use that knowledge to help others in our building when they are troubleshooting their own issues with the technology.

I know from personal experience that with strengths also come weaknesses, no one is perfect. I feel that I have many weak areas when it comes to technology use in my life. There are two weaknesses that, if strengthened, could play a major role in my classroom. The first is integrating technology into every aspect of teaching. I am able to use my Promethean Board for interactive games, videos, activities, and more. However, I do not believe that is the best way to integrate technology in my classroom. There has to be more ways to accomplish integrating technology other than the use of a Promethean Board on a regular basis.

The second weakness is allowing my children more freedom to use the technology. I am very comfortable with allowing my students to interact with me at the Promethean Board and use the computers in the classroom for recreational use. They are on the computers all the time for inside recess or free time, playing games, and accessing the intranet for Accelerated Reader, STAR Math, and STAR Reading. They mostly play and test on the classroom computers. I have a difficult time letting go of control and allowing the students to use the computers for educational purposes. I know that there are many resources on the web that my students could use to assist in their learning. My weaknesses, integrating those resources and letting go of some control, keep my students from using technology as much as they should in this technology driven society.

What I love about being in the education field is that there are always opportunities for growth. Opportunities in a professional learning environment will help strengthen my weaknesses. I would like to attend more training on the Promethean Board and the software that accompanies it. I would also like the opportunity to visit a classroom that is moving towards School 2.0 and a technology driven curriculum. This would allow me to see what the teacher does and how the students respond. I think this would help ease my anxiety about students having more control in the learning process. Seeing a well-oiled machine at work will allow me to become more comfortable in that situation. Another opportunity I would really like to have is more training on implementing technology into the classroom other than an interactive board. I would like to see how others have used blogs, curriculum webs, webquests, and the like to integrate technology into their own personal classrooms.

I am aware that in order for me to fully use technology in an age appropriate, educational way in my classroom, there are obstacles or threats that I will have to face. A major threat that education faces on a regular basis is not just implementing technology, but funding. I am lucky enough to work in a school where having technology is stressed, but the training is not what it should be. The training is more about how to use the technology, or the mechanics, rather than how to implement the use of the technology into the curriculum. If there was more funding for training, I believe that technology use in schools would skyrocket.

Another threat to be aware of is the support, or lack thereof, from administration. I know that most administrators today are strongly encouraging technology use in the classroom. However, their definition of use and my definition of use may be completely different. I have found that in many instances administrators want the technology in the classroom and they want it used at a surface level, such as word processing and basic research. However, we need to start moving towards School 2.0, where the students are blogging, collaborating with students from around the world through the internet, researching their own information to learn the curriculum, and much, much more. In those situations the teacher is more of a guide than an instructor. That could possibly make administrators as well as some teachers very nervous.

I have two main goals that I would like to see achieved within the next year. The first goal is using my Promethean Board for more than just a glorified dry erase board. I would like to learn ways to incorporate the Promethean Board into instruction more effectively. The other goal is to start and maintain a blog for student use. I have researched blogging in elementary school classrooms, and I am very interested in learning more. I would like to use the blog as a way for students to journal about learning in the classroom as well as a place where they can express themselves. I would also like for parents to be able to access the blog and see what their students are learning on a day to day basis in the classroom.

To achieve these goals, I plan on doing much needed research. I would like to see how other teachers around the world implement the use of their Smart Boards and/or Promethean Boards. I would also like to research the resources that are available for the Promethean Board. I feel this will give me a better idea of how to implement the equipment. To achieve the blog, I plan on setting up the blog and allowing the students to learn with me. We will start at the beginning of the year with how to find the site, log on, and post. These should be simple tasks for my second grade students. Once we are comfortable with that process we will then begin posting blogs and comments about what we are learning in the classroom.

I believe that utilizing my strengths and improving my weaknesses will allow me to become a more effective teacher and technology user. By setting goals and implementing a plan to achieve those goals, I will be able to overcome the threats discussed previously. Technology in a classroom can be a very powerful resource if executed properly.