SMART Certified Trainer: Michael Place Date: 26/7/2017 Implementation point-of-view: As a reseller and provider of managed IT services we are supplying, installing, supporting and providing training on 11x Smart 6265v2 65 interactive screens into a Primary School. As a fully qualified, experienced teacher and IT specialist, I am responsible for providing training to our schools to develop their use of technology across the curriculum. I. Abstract: In this paper you ll learn how an IT reseller plans to supply, install and support a new SMART interactive screen solution into a Primary School. The school, Woodfield Primary in Doncaster, is currently supported by The ACS group on a weekly basis in the form of a technical engineer who manages and supports their entire IT infrastructure. The school currently have 55 CleverTouch S series installed in classrooms across the school and are wanting to improve this provision. They are wanting a solution that can offer larger screens, provide greater collaboration and can better utilize the mobile technology that they have. The solution we propose includes installing SMART 6265v2 s into every classroom, a five year provision for the SMART Learning Suite software and a comprehensive training plan for all teaching staff in order to maximize improvements in teaching & learning. We expect the installation phase to happen in the next 6 weeks, with the actual install taking two or three days. The initial training will take place immediately after the hardware installation, with subsequent training being spread across the first 12 months. It is expected that the school will procure regular training from us after 12 months, but this will not be discussed in this paper. II. Analyze: Perform a Needs Assessment Overview: The Analysis phase is the foundational step to a successful implementation plan. From your analysis, you will design learning goals which allow you to develop the resources necessary to move your team s knowledge, skills, and abilities to the next level of expertise with the SMART Learning Suite. System Organization: Woodfield Primary School is a growing school in Balby, a large suburb of Doncaster, with approximately 280 pupils. The school belongs to the Rose Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust comprising of three local schools. The school has a highly inclusive ethos and believes that, through the pursuit of excellence, every child can achieve great things. They describe themselves as a forward thinking school, which willingly embrace change and constantly strive to develop their practice. They key stakeholders include Helen Harrison, the Headteacher and Jack Wardle, the IT Coordinator. Jack is not only responsible for IT & computing in his own school, but leads on IT for the Rose Learning Trust. Jack will be the main contact in school; he will be responsible internally for ensuring that this significant investment will have a positive impact to the quality of teaching and learning. 1 P a g e
The school has two Deputy Headteachers, three Key Stage leaders, eighteen classroom teachers and an additional seventeen learning support assistants. Current State of the organization: An initial demonstration of the proposed hardware (SMART 6265v2) has already occurred. This demonstration was to all teaching staff. The key findings were: o Most teaching staff s knowledge of SMART notebook is limited to version 11. o Most teaching staff were happy at the planned roll out of SMART Learning Suite. o No member of staff had seen or used SMART lab or SMART amp previously. o No staff had seen or used the SMART iq module on a SMART interactive screen. o All staff were keen to combine the mobile technology they already have and their interactive screen at the front of the class to create one seamless collaborative experience. This knowledge will form the basis of my training plan. I will start with the features they already know and have used in Smart Notebook 11. I will build upon these and highlight newer features such as lesson recording, attaching documents, embedding websites or YouTube videos. This information also means I will have to start from the beginning when introducing SMART iq, SMART amp & SMART lab. I plan to use the SAMR model to highlight technology improvements in their classroom. SAMR stands for Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition and this model offers a method of measuring how computer technology impacts teaching and learning. It also shows a progression that adopters of educational technology often follow as they progress through teaching and learning with technology. This model will take their use of the SMART Learning Suite from merely substituting their existing interactive screen whiteboard software for another one, to redefining what they think interactive screen software should do. This could include things like embedding a range of engaging content, games and media types in their presentations and encouraging pupil cooperation by getting them to interact with large collaborative canvases. Assumptions and Constraints of your implementation plan: In a previous software roll-out, teachers were encouraged to use CleverLynx software. Staff were reluctant to change and those that did felt restrained through limitation and bugs in the software. Features were missing which they expected to have, e.g. Infinite cloning of objects. This roll-out could mean some learners resent having to change software packages again. Some learners could be motivated to return to a presentation software package they have always preferred. With reluctant learners, I plan to highlight shared aims and goals, typical shared goals include saving teaching time and improving outcomes for pupils. These goals are often powerful motivators for teachers. I will repeatedly demonstrate in training how these shared goals can be achieved using the combination of SMART software & hardware. The digital champion in the school will be Jack Wardle, the IT Coordinator. Jack will be key to ensuring the success of this implementation plan as he is a leading teacher in the school and is often looked upon to highlight best practice, particularly in relation to technology. The implementation 2 P a g e
plan will encourage Jack to create sharing excellence lessons, where best practice is shared through open classroom events. As the roll-out progresses, other confident teachers could be asked to share their excellent use of the SMART learning suite in further open classroom sessions. III. Design: Identifying Goals, and Objectives: Overview: Once the Needs Assessment is complete and there is an understanding of the organization s current state, it is time to determine goals of the future desired state. The goals created during this step establish a learning gap; our purpose is to create one specific goal and three objectives for that goal to help achieve our new desired state. Our objectives are meaningful learning opportunities to bridge that gap and achieve the goal which is the next level of implementation using the SMART Learning Suite. Establish the Learning Gap One year from now I would expect to see a fully integrated SMART solution at the school. All teaching staff will have had significant training on all aspects of this solution, including how to use SMART iq and the full Smart Learning Suite. With reference to the SAMR model (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition), I would expect to see these tools being used by teachers the classroom to redefine what they thought an interactive screen was capable of doing. There should be lesson delivery in SMART Notebook 17 using embedded YouTube videos, embedded websites, attached documents, smart lab games and response 2 assessment quizzes all delivered without leaving Notebook. Pupils should be working collaboratively in SMART amp, building large scale canvases collecting ideas, research, demonstrating knowledge and responding to stimuli. Arriving at this state requires a significant change in teacher s pedagogy; it will require change in their knowledge, skills, confidence, lessons plans, lesson delivery and assessment strategies. This change will be slowly scaffolded and developed over multiple training sessions and open classroom exhibitions over the course of the year. Design Instructional Goal: When designing specific goals think about your learning gap, think about the following items to guide you towards your goal: Consider what your instructional challenge is based from your above analysis. Consider why your students are facing this challenge. What you would like to see happen by integrating SMART Learning Suite into the instruction. Design Objectives to achieve your goal: Objectives help you close and/or bridge the learning gap that you have identified. The goal is the desired state and the objectives are the stepping stones to reach the desired state. In relation to your goal, where are your learner s current abilities? Consider where your learners need to be at the 3 P a g e
end of the year. Your objectives focus on how the SMART Learning Suite can help you close this gap. How will your objectives allow you to get to the desired state? Goal: To support the schools significant investment in technology by empowering participants to experience how the SMART Learning Suite can make a positive difference in their students learning engagement and attainment. Objectives for goal one: o o o Objective one: To regularly use a wide range of features in SMART Notebook in their lessons to increase pupil engagement. Objective two: To use gamification through SMART lab and SMART Response 2 in lessons to improve engagement and increase the instances of instant assessment of pupil s knowledge. Objective three: To use collaboration tools embedded across the SMART Learning Suite to increase pupil engagement and enjoyment in lessons. IV. Develop: Constructing activities to achieve the goal Overview: This may be the step that we, as trainers, are used to: Developing the process in which our learners will gain knowledge, and more importantly, change their behavior because of their new skill. When developing this process for adult learners, it is important to consider the most efficient path to make the most impact. Depending upon the learning gap and factors such as the level of our learners, time factors, or distance between our learning groups, consider various options in your training and how it would best suit your organization. Is it best to focus on the whole group at the same time, the various levels of implementation, or subject specific groups to work together to achieve this goal? Remember, implementation takes more than one training session, and most likely, more than one person. Therefore: How will you extend or scaffold the learning? Can they learn at their own pace? Can they learn and practice on-the-job while teaching their own students? How can you involve your learner s students? How do you involve your stakeholders? To maintain a technology-rich environment, the frequency of technology use must be considered. Your development task is to align your learning objectives above with what type of activity you will develop to fulfill that objective. 4 P a g e
Workshop 1 - focus on Smart Notebook & Smart Ink Learning activities to fulfill the objective: To regularly use a wide range of features in SMART Notebook in their lessons to increase pupil engagement. Atmosphere Regularly invite learners up to interact with the screen, ask question, how would your pupils feel? Was it quick? Would it be useful in your learning environment? Regularly ask learners how they would implement these features in their classroom. Highlight less confident or skilled learners through questioning, ensure support is offered during activities. Encourage a workshop atmosphere where learners play along at the same time on their devices. Activities Ask teachers to fill out a baseline questionnaire of their understanding of using SMART Learning Suite. (See Appendix B) This will be repeated at the end to highlight key areas of improvement. Review the hardware that has been installed. Show the applications available on the SMART iq module. Model the whiteboard functionality and how to use a mobile device and Kapp app to collaborate together. Model the browser and screen share functionality. Explain that the workspaces, lessons and activities will be reviewed in later sessions. Recap the important features of Smart Notebook which are useful in the classroom. Demonstrate a range of features, one-by-one, discussing practical uses in the classroom with each feature. E.g. o Pen tools/shapes o Using pen ID to highlight how multiple learners can interact at the same time. o Screen shade o Using spotlight tool o Using magic pen, using the text pen o Attaching documents o Screen recording o Embedding websites o Using the Maths tools such as Geogebra. o Using SMART ink in other applications, such as annotating news reports in a browser or highlighting key points in PowerPoint files. End session using an embedded Shout it out activity in SMART lab. Collate favorite features and practical applications for the classroom. This list can then be disseminated to all of the learners. Post Workshop Provide each teacher with a different challenge card. E.g. o Use the screen shade or spotlight in an interesting way. o Use the Pen ID and Object Awareness features to enhance a Maths lesson. o Teach a whole lesson without leaving SMART Notebook. Encourage confident learners to swap their challenge card with a colleague after they ve completed theirs. 5 P a g e
Workshop 2 - focus on SMART lab and Response Learning activities to fulfill the objective: To use gamification through SMART lab and SMART Response 2 in lessons to improve engagement and increase the instances of instant assessment of pupil s knowledge. Atmosphere Buddy up less confident or skilled learners with more able partners to support them through the workshop and into the classroom. Activities Introduce an Ideas Wall, where at any point in the session, ideas for using SMART Lab and Response in the classroom can be added to post-it notes and collated on one, large ideas board. This can be left in the staffroom to be added to and referred to over the next few weeks. Briefly recap the important features of Smart Notebook from the previous session invite comments or questions from the teachers. Have they had any problems? Discuss, how did you get on with your challenge card from the previous session? Give each learner the opportunity to explain their approach to completing their challenge and the impact it had on the pupils in their classroom. Show how to find the SMART lab activities inside SMART Notebook. Briefly cover each of the activities. Highlight the activities where a mobile device is required. Go through the steps involved in creating a fill in the blanks activity. Write the sentence the The small brown cat jumped over the tall fence. Highlight the adjectives to be removed as blanks. Also demonstrate how the screen shade could be used to hide the answers to take more open ended answers from pupils. Search on the SMART Exchange for flip out. Download the Vocabulary flip out activity to show how many resources are already made on the SMART exchange and that these are very easy to download. Show this activity, which could be useful to come up with a list of synonyms, or match descriptions with this week s spelling list. Have an already prepared Game show lab activity. Split the room in half and play the game as you would in the classroom. Remind teachers to keep adding their ideas for practical classroom uses on to their post-it notes. Show teachers the label reveal. Ask teachers to go and create their own, using a flower image. Now move into the mobile device games. Ask teachers to play along with a monster quiz. Use the Solar system quiz from SMART Exchange. Create a Response 2 quiz on shapes to show how quick and easy this is. Play the game and show the assessment data available at the end. Ask participants to spend some time searching the SMART Exchange on their devices to find SMART Lab activities for their upcoming topics/themes/lessons. Post Workshop Encourage teachers to plan one SMART lab activity per day over the next week. Encourage them to think about the impact that it has had on the assessment of their pupils learning and the impact that this has had on subsequent learning. 6 P a g e
Workshop 3 - focus on SMART Amp Learning activities to fulfill the objective: To use collaboration tools embedded across the SMART Learning Suite to increase pupil engagement and enjoyment in lessons. Prior to the session Ensure the school has a Google Apps for Education account created. Ensure that teacher user accounts are created. Create test pupil accounts for the demonstration and add those users into a class. Create a demonstration workspace. Activities Recap the challenge from the last session. What has been your most successful lesson using SMART Lab activities? Did you face any challenges? Model how to log in to SMART Amp and show how set up a class. Remind participants that this will only need to happen once at the beginning of the year. Encourage teachers to log in to SMART Amp at http://www.smartamp.com using test credentials. Give each teacher a number to sign into so each learner is logged in separately. Open up a test workspace. Start in follow me mode. Explain how this works. Briefly show the different tools including adding pictures, text, drawings and YouTube videos. End follow me mode and encourage the teachers to work through the example activities as if they were a pupil. Model integration with Workspaces on the SMART IQ module. Brainstorm possible uses of SMART Amp in the classroom. Give teachers time to create a workspace for a lesson in the next week. Teachers to fill in questionnaire attached to Appendix B once again to highlight the development of skills. Post Workshop Encourage teachers to teach their planned lesson. Feedback from this lessons could be fed back in the following staff meeting, led by the key stakeholders. 7 P a g e
Additional Professional Development Opportunities: I will teach at the school in an initial open classroom event where the tools can be seen first-hand in a classroom environment. Encourage a regular timetable of open classroom events, initially developed by Jack Wardle the IT Coordinator in the school. Send regular Smart Learning Suite tips via email to each staff member. This could be sent via Jack if they feel it would have more impact. Ideally, this role will be handed over to Jack after 12 months. Webinars and other video content could also be sent. Encourage Jack to set up staff meeting tips, with himself and other emerging expert teachers offering one quick tip at the start of each weekly staff meeting. This could be a favorite lesson or activity they have got from the SMART exchange, or a new tool they discovered through watching a webinar. Teachers with lessons which have been graded as outstanding in their use of the SMART Learning Suite can share all of their lesson files either locally, or on a public portal such as the SMART Exchange or TES resource website. Encourage all teachers, but specifically the key stakeholders, to enroll in SMART s online training & Professional Development portal. Encouraging them to work through the SMART Digital Educator (SDE) and SMART Digital Champion (SDC) programs. 8 P a g e
V. Implement: Putting your plan into action Overview: It is time for action within the implementation plan. During the actual implementation, don t expect everything to go as you have planned. As trainers we all have the abilities to execute this implementation plan and assign people their tasks and deliver training sessions. In this section, we will focus on being flexible. If the process starts to go off track this does not mean that we should just stay the course. Time is precious and we want to ensure positive results for this implementation. Slight adjustments during implementation ensure that we don t abandon the plan all together. How will you ensure that your plan will work? After each workshop is created I will rehearse it in full and time it to ensure it matches the allocated time. Extra time will be added to accommodate any unforeseen delays and additional activities planned for, should the session run quickly or an activity fails to work and I m forced to make a quick change. One such emergency/impromptu activity might be a discussion with a colleague on a lesson they have taught recently, which might have benefitted from the last feature taught in the session. Another activity might be to challenge the teachers to use SMART Notebook to create an engaging lesson starter involving at least three of the following features: text pen tool, shout-it out activity, embedded YouTube video, an embedded website, infinitive cloner, shape tools or Bing image search. Having impromptu activities, relevant to the session, at the ready can really help you out in an emergency and I always ensure I have several ready for each workshop. The initial workshop will take place during the morning of a full-days teacher training. This will be the first day back after all of the SMART 6265 interactive screens have been installed. The subsequent sessions will take place after-school as part of their regular staff development meetings. These twilight sessions will be kept under one and a half hours. After each session I will use a feedback form embedded in SMART Response 2 with a redundant paper copy for anyone without a device. The feedback questions are included in Appendix A. The information from this feedback will inform any changes required in the content or delivery of the subsequent session. The sessions planned above are not set and should develop constantly in response to the teacher s needs. 9 P a g e
VI. Evaluate: Measure the impact made on your goals Overview: This step in the implementation process may seem like a final or summative assessment of how the implementation was carried out, but we also need to think about evaluation in every step of this model. Continuously monitor and evaluate so you can be ready to adjust the timetable or rescue the plan from an earlier miscalculation. This plan is intended to encompass one year, and the evaluation stage is time for reflection and a time to begin considering the Analyze Step again. Some questions that you may want to think about during the evaluation stage are: Did you accomplish your goal? What worked? What didn t work? Who was most successful with their implementation of the SMART Learning Suite and why? When do we start again? Evaluate your plan: The Conclusion I believe this robust training plan will be successful because it follows internationally recognized models for training and development; builds on my experience as a classroom teacher who used the SMART Learning Suite to enhance teaching & learning; uses the tools and resources created by SMART for this purpose; highlights effective practice using this technology, backed up by research; it utilizes the skills and influence the internal stakeholders have to enact change from inside the organization; it builds confidence slowly over a period of time, allowing time for teachers to reflect on their practice and finally the plan sets up a framework which allows teachers to share best practice between themselves. At the end of the process there will be an evaluation of the whole implementation, alongside the key stakeholders in the school. Using the data gathered from teacher s questionnaire (Appendix B), filled in at the start and at the end of the process. I would hope this data will prove that the implementation plan has been effective in achieving the main goal of empowering teachers to understand how the SMART Learning Suite can make a positive difference in their students learning engagement and attainment. 10 P a g e
Appendix A Workshop Feedback Form Workshop objective: Name: School: Email: Please use this evaluation form to provide your initial response to the seminar Did you find the seminar useful? Yes No Please provide details below How will this seminar help you to improve your work in school? Immediately: In the future: Is there any support you would like to see provided in the following session? 11 P a g e
Appendix B Teachers Questionnaire: SMART Notebook We will run workshops to introduce the new hardware which will replace your whiteboards. This questionnaire's goal is to capture some information about you: Your teaching methods, your current knowledge and usage of Notebook and other software and the pedagogical models you employ in your daily lessons. Name (optional): How often do you use Notebook software to deliver your lessons Rate your skill level for lesson plan creation using Notebook, Lab & Amp Does your current interactive screen technology engage your pupils? Every day Expert Pupils are highly engaged Most days Proficient Moderately engaging Once a week Average Occasionally engaging Rarely Poor rarely engaging Never Never engaging Do you believe co-creation can influence learning outcomes in certain lesson types? Yes No Don t know Approximately, your current pedagogy as a percentage of the week is? Whole class instruction Differentiated instruction Student-led instruction Small group instruction other % % % % % How effective do you believe an interactive screen solution can be at improving pupil learning/attainment? Highly effective Somewhat effective A small amount No impact Any other comments: 12 P a g e