DTTP


 * Table of Contents **toc



Using Pictures in Clicker 5 Grids lesson plan complete with handout and screencastOmatic Tutorial


 * District Technology Training Plan for Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville, MD **

**An Overview of Montgomery County Public Schools **
The Montgomery county public school system is the largest school system in the state of Maryland. It consists of two hundred schools and serves more than one hundred and forty seven thousand students from one hundred and sixty four countries. It has more than twenty two thousand employees; eleven thousand of them are teachers. (MCPS, 2011) Montgomery county public schools encourage teachers to use technology in their classrooms for teaching and provide teachers training and equipment to do so. It has a training center called the “Center for Technology Innovation” This is a top of the line facility and the school system uses it to conduct training sessions. This center houses four labs, two classrooms, a videoconferencing center, a conference room, and a cybercafé. Each lab holds 30 participant work stations. All the labs are equipped with a presenter’s computer and workstation, video projectors and screens, presenter’s microphone system, DVD and videotape playback, and a wireless control system. Also available are tele- and videoconferencing capabilities, video and audio recording capabilities, and interactive whiteboard technology. In addition to the computer labs the training facility also has two training classrooms. The Montgomery County Public School system (MCPS) is an advanced school system that promotes the use of technology to improve teaching and learning. The office of the chief technology officer budgets for innovative technology and technology upgrades for each school year. This unit consists of many departments to oversee technology integration in schools and to ensure success. The mission statement of this department is “ provide technology systems and services essential to the success of every student. The office is committed to providing the highest quality technology solutions to support teachers, engage students, and assist in the effective business operations of Montgomery County Public Schools” (MCPS, 2011).

**Audience Analysis and Needs Assessment ** To get a better idea about the technology needs of this county to create a technology training plan I reviewed the technology inventory of an elementary school that is similar to other elementary schools in the county. This school has two hundred and eighty nine students. Each classroom at this school has at least two desk top computers with a monitor. Each teacher also has a desktop and monitor for her own use in addition to the two in the classroom for students. Teachers also have an ELMO (a visual aide device) to teach. This school has one promethean board in the media center. The media center is also equipped with a twenty five workstation computer lab. In addition to the computers in the classrooms and the computer labs, there are computers provided to the two secretaries in the school office, the health room nurse, the speech therapist, building services personnel, the media specialist and the resource teacher. The school also has laptops on a cart, called computers on wheels or COWS that can be checked out at anytime for student or teacher use. The school also has two projectors. All of this technology is recent and upgraded in the past five years. The computers are all connected to printers. Two to three teachers share a printer. The media center has two printers, one colored and one black and white and the computer lab has two black and white printers.  At this time, this school doesn’t have MAC computers, or i-Pads for their teachers to use. But it has many educational software titles such as Clicker5, Kidspiration, Inspiration, Pixie, MS Word Products, Natural Reader, Audacity, Kurzweil, Word Q and other useful educational software programs installed on all its computers. The school also has subscriptions to many educational websites such as Encyclopedia Britannica; Discovery Education, Pebble Go, School News Net etc. The school also has video conferencing and webcasting capabilities, video streaming capabilities, text reader software and Moodle tools. Teachers are able to use web 2.0 tools like wikis and blogs to teach with. The school has an Acceptable Use Policy, a copyright and plagiarism policy for students and teachers. It communicates with parents, teachers, staff and the community via monthly electronic newsletters, emails and the school website. The school has its own website and teachers have electronic grade books and personal email accounts. This school is well equipped with technology to meet the needs of its students and to enhance learning by integrating it in the curriculum. I observed that teachers were using computers and Internet to have students conduct research and to play educational games. The ELMO was the most used piece of technology in the classroom at this school. All teachers used the ELMO because they were well trained on it by the vendor and had developed a comfort level to use it well with little planning. Most teachers used the ELMO in the school to read a book, teach a concept, give instructions, and correct homework. Teachers were not using other technologies and the Internet fully in their classroom for teaching. None of the teachers at this school had a classroom website, Blog or Wiki. Teachers used the Internet to send and receive email and to communicate with parents and staff. This was the extent to which technology was being used at this school. I talked to teachers to get a sense of why they were not fully utilizing available technology for teaching, in spite of having access to it. The gist of their responses is summarized below.
 * Needs lot of planning
 * Lack of time
 * Lack of support at school level
 * Too much time spent on, test practice, re-teaching and testing
 * Doesn’t always work the way we want it to
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Not fully confident with the workings of the different programs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Not familiar with the programs on the computer, how they work and what the county has subscriptions for
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">It would help if materials were created for us and we just had to customize them to our needs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Some teachers also said “I am too old to learn to use technology, I prefer teaching the old fashion way”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Some said they would love to incorporate more technology into the classroom. They said they are quick learners and technology savvy and would like a little support at the school level to learn more.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lack of time to attend training
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Training is offered during the day. “I can’t go during the day”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A lot of the teachers I spoke with didn’t know that training was offered and didn’t know how to sign up for it.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Montgomery County Public Schools offers many training programs to its teachers at “The Center for Technology Innovation” to help them improve their technology skills and to enhance their comfort level with using technology for teaching. The High Incidence Accessible Technology (HIAT) team offers one and two hour webinars and three hour face to face classes for teachers during the school year on relevant technology topics to help them integrate technology in the classroom. In addition to the year round training programs, High Incidence Accessible Technology also offers summer technology training for teachers. However it is clear that teachers are not taking full advantage of these resources.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">I visited and talked to several teachers at other schools (elementary, middle and high schools) in the district and got similar responses. I found that very few teachers are fully using all the technology that is available to them. Most teachers in this county are using a few elements of technology for teaching. For example, some teachers use the ELMO, some use the promethean board, some use the electronic grade book, and some collect data and keep electronic records and some use software programs on the computers. But none of the teachers are using all or a combination of technologies to teach.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">I also discovered that teachers that are using technology only know a limited set of features and are not using it to its full extent. Teachers are not incorporating //e-learning principles// in teaching despite having access to all the technology they need to do that. For example, many teachers I spoke with use the promethean board to teach. But, they use it like an overhead projector. They are not using the interactive features of the board or incorporating universal design of learning principles in the lessons such as attaching voice to graphics or embedding a movie in the lesson to make the lesson accessible for special needs students and enriching for general education students. Most teachers I spoke with told me they didn ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">t know how to do that although they had been using the board for at least a year.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Even though the school district is offering training sessions, webinars, upgraded hardware and software to its teachers, teachers are struggling at the school level to incorporate technology in the classroom, because, most teachers are not able to attend the training sessions and take advantage of them.

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Prioritizing Needs **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Teachers need a comprehensive and multi faceted training plan to meet their needs. The training sessions need to take place at a more convenient time and location so that more teachers can attend them. The sessions need to be geared to the needs of the teacher based on the student population, teacher expertise with technology and their interest. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> When planning training for the teachers of this district, we need to offer classes for all levels of learners, beginner, experienced and expert. For example, if the teacher is comfortable with technology and uses its basic features, she would be considered “experienced”. A teacher that has her own website sends homework home electronically, maintains her classroom blog and knows at least 50 % of the programs on the computer at school and is the person other teachers go to when they need help would be considered an “expert”. The teacher who shies away from technology and sparingly uses email, and MS word products would be considered a “beginner ” <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Training needs to be offered at a convenient location during and after school, with substitute teachers provided to allow classroom teachers to attend the training sessions. The training sessions need to use a combination of strategies, hands-on lab work, modeling and practice to teach. Attendance to these trainings should be voluntary but should be recommended and incentives should be provided. Time spent on training should be counted towards professional development. “Teachers need to know that technology integration is an expectation and is relevant to their effectiveness as teachers (Smith, 2011) <span class="textblack" style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Training should be divided by teacher’s comfort level and expertise with computers and technology, the grade and subject they teach and what they want to gain from using technology. It is important to determine in advance if the teacher is using technology for communication, demonstration or presentations, to teach difficult concepts, for drill and test practice, for group projects and collaboration or to share and collect data so that workshops can be geared to the teacher ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">s need. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Allowing teachers to choose from different types of training would ensure most success of the training plan.”(Smith, 2011) <span class="textblack" style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> The next step in the planning process would be to decide what courses should be offered at the training that would most help teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. What would teachers benefit most from learning? <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">In order to find out this information, I put together a survey using the “[|survey monkey]” [] (Wilson, 2011). The results of the survey helped me develop a training plan that would most benefit teachers. Education technology experts have identified five characteristics of effective technology training programs for teachers. The best programs, they say, offer incentives and support, are teacher-directed, offer adequate access to technology, have community partnerships, and offer ongoing informal support and training opportunities. (Starr, 2011)

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Goals and Objectives **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> The district technology training plan will work to attain the following goals and objectives for the teachers and school administration. //**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 6: **////<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Teachers will improve technology skills through professional development //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 1: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Teachers will integrate technology into the curriculum and instruction
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 2: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Teachers will use technology to improve student academic achievement
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 4: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> The school administration will improve school staff access to technology
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 5: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> School administration will improve technical support for teachers using technology in schools
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Objective 7 **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Teachers will use technology to enhance collaboration and communication tools

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Developing a Training Schedule **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The training schedule is developed based on feedback received on the survey; conversations with teachers and school administration and by making school visits and observing teachers using technology in the classroom. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The training committee also looked at available resources and existing technology at the school, school’s technology budget, the goals and objectives of teachers and school administration, and the student population. It also took teachers’ expertise and comfort level with technology into consideration, as well the subject, age and grade level they teach when developing this plan. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The plan is developed by a training committee. The training committee consists of teachers (resource teachers, special education and general education teachers), principals, media specialist, therapists, psychologist and members of the school board. The committee has a representative from all disciplines. It is diverse and made up of experienced members so that the training plan can be comprehensive to meet the needs of all teachers. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There is an advisory committee to this training committee that consists of parents, students (at the secondary level), members of the community and vendors. The advisory committee keeps the training committee informed about the efficacy of the training plan from the perspectives of students and their parents.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> The training schedule is a five day schedule of six hours of face to face training per day with an hour of lunch. This schedule is offered for two weeks; the first and last week of the month during the school year. Teachers are provided with substitute teacher time to be able to attend the training sessions. Funds for substitute teachers are allocated in the annual budget so that teachers can attend the trainings during the school hours. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Teachers sign up for the training sessions electronically on the schools’ website. When they sign up they are able to read a brief description of the class, find out where and when it is held, find handouts for the class and also see who is attending the class. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The course descriptions tell the teachers what the course is about and what they will learn in the course. It also tells them the subject area and the grade level it is most appropriate for. Most of the courses selected in this training session are meant for teachers who fall in the “basic” to “experienced “user category. Teachers that fall in the expert user category may also attend the classes if they want to learn about a particular program.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Training Schedule **


 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Time ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Monday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Tuesday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Wednesday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Thursday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Friday ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">9 am to 12pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Board Maker plus || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Flickr Photo Management || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Peeble Go Earth and Space || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">PowerPoint stories || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Photo Story 3 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">12pm to 1pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lunch || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lunch || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lunch || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lunch || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Lunch ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">1pm to 3pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Clicker5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Kidspiration || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Pixie 2 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Technology tools to support math || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Using ELMO across the curriculum ||

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Description of classes **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This class is good for any user that is interested in learning Board Maker Plus. But it is especially useful for special educators in grades K-12 to teach symbol supported literacy and to develop teaching materials such as visual schedules, tasks, communication boards, books etc for students on the autism spectrum disorder. To help them communicate and to reinforce daily skills, and good behaviors.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Board Maker Plus //**

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Is a multi media supported word processor to help students with spellings, vocabulary, reading and writing. It has clickable grids with whole words, phrases, pictures and more to help students write. Teachers attending this class will learn to use existing templates and to create their own. Teachers will also learn to create multimedia e-books with voice output for students. It is a good class for special education teachers in grades K-8 to support struggling students in reading and writing.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Clicker 5 //**

**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Flickr Online Photo Management and Sharing Tools to Support Instruction **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants will create Flickr accounts and use Flickr tools such as notes, groups, maps, and slide shows to explore ways to communicate visually. Participants will use digital content from Flickr to support instruction. This class is good for all educators and specialists in special education and general education to support teaching. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This is a good program for all teachers in grades K-5 in special education or general education. It helps support students with reading and writing skills and to develop numeracy skills. Kidspiration strengthens word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension and organization to improve the writing proces. New Kidspiration features include visual math tools, which helps students build reasoning and problem solving skills.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Kidspiration //**

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> MCPS has purchased a new subscription to Pebble Go. This is a wonderful multimedia support to help students learn science. Participants will review and learn this new program and other online services to support science instruction. This workshop is good for all teachers in grades K-8.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Pebble Go Earth and Space //**

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants in this workshop will learn to use Photo Story 3. They will learn to import, edit, crop and enhance pictures. They will also learn to add background music, captions and narration to the pictures and create a video. This will provide teachers an exciting alternative to create and present student projects.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Photo Story 3 //**

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This is a hands-on workshop for elementary school teachers. Pixie 2 is a drawing program and student’s drawings can be saved as individual pictures, movie or a web page. The pictures can be enhanced with clip art, sound, music and background. Drawings can also be exported to be used in other programs. It is a good presentation tool and a tool for students to express their creativity.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Pixie 2 //**

**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">PowerPoint Stories: Making Accessible Talking Stories with PowerPoint **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This hands-on computer lab training session will introduce the basics of PowerPoint, how to create a talking book, and how to set up the book for single switch access. Participants will learn to create PowerPoint Talking Storybooks with features such as text-to-speech, recorded sound, and sound effects. Presenters will show how to import animated clipart and photographs and share suggestions for incorporating curricular topics. Participants will learn how to differentiate their PowerPoint Talking Story for a variety of student needs. (Wilson, 2011)

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This workshop is designed to familiarize teachers with math tools that are available to them in MCPS. The math tools support the MD state math curriculum. The workshop is designed to provide hands on training to teachers to use the math tools in a variety of ways to enhance student learning and engagement in math. It will also provide them with strategies to meet the needs of students with different learning styles. The content will include hands-on exploration of the math features in Graph Club, Discovery Education STREAMING, Kidspiration, Inspiration and Excel. The workshop is appropriate for teachers in grades K-8.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Technology Tools to Support Math //**

**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Using ELMOs across the Curriculum **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This workshop is designed for all teachers using the ELMO for teaching. The workshop will focus how to incorporate the use of the ELMO in the classroom. We will demonstrate how to use the different features of ELMO to support Universal Design of Learning. Lessons using the ELMO to teach all subject areas will be modeled. We will share resources on the MCPS website and the Internet that support teaching with the ELMO.

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Training Process **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The courses selected in the training session cover a wide array of tools and technology integration strategies for the classroom. The aim of the training is to equip teachers with tools to use in their classroom and orient them to software programs Montgomery County Public Schools has purchased licenses for and are available on their computers to use free of charge to improve learning. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">All training classes are held at a computer lab. Schools are given a choice to hold the class at their school computer lab or at the “Center for Technology Innovation labs” and lab is booked according to the schools’ requests. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> The format of the training is a combination of modeling and hands on practice. For some programs the format of the class is a lecture and a PowerPoint presentation in the classroom followed by demonstration and hands-on practice in the lab. In the feedback provided by teachers it was evident that they wanted time during class to practice skills they were learning. Thus, every training class has time built in it to allow teachers to practice. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Before each training class, handouts are made available on the school’s website for teachers that want to review them before coming to class. The handouts help teachers that haven ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">t signed up for the class know what the class will encompass if they want to sign up. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Each class has one instructor and an assistant for every thirty participants. The instructor presents the program and shows some features of the program then she allows teachers to practice it on their own. Each participant has her own computer to practice what she is learning. The instructor and the assistant help participants if they experience difficulty when they are practicing own their own. During the presentation the instructor uses the promethean board to demonstrate the workings of the program so that all participants can watch simultaneously and follow along. She shares success stories, instructional ideas and samples created by other teachers who are using the program successfully for teaching. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The instructor shows two to three steps at the time and then asks the participants to do them on their computers. Each participant is given handouts to follow along. (See appendix A for a sample of the handout) After class, the handouts and a video of the class is loaded on the schools’ website for teachers to use as a guide. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of class participants are asked to fill out a survey. This survey provides the training committee with information about future topics teachers are interested in learning and what they liked and didn’t like about this class so that changes can be made to the training session. The end of class survey looks like this.


 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Did this course address the objectives it said it would address? //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Will you be able to use the information in your classroom? //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Was the format of teaching helpful? If not what do you suggest we change? //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Did you like the pace of the workshop? //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">In the future what topics would you like training on? //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Any additional comments you may have. Please provide here. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Was the time and location of the workshop convenient? //

<span style="display: block; font-family: serif,serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: justify;">The above training schedule was followed for several months. Based on the feedback received from teachers, we saw that there is a lot of interest in learning Clicker 5 in greater detail so we designed a two week workshop on Clicker5.

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Developing a Training Workshop **
<span style="display: block; font-family: serif,serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: justify;">Clicker 5 is a writing support and multimedia tool for students of all abilities. Clicker can be used to support teaching and learning in any subject area but is most appropriate for special needs students in grades K-8. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The key learning objectives of the Clicker 5 workshop are to:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve written output and writing ability of students.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Help diverse emergent literacy learners acquire and practice initial reading and writing skills.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve ability to write independently.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve reading and spellings in young students
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve speed of writing for struggling writers and students with poor handwriting.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The best way to teach Clicker 5 is in a computer lab using modeling and hands on training. We begin teaching the Clicker 5 workshop using a classroom discussion and sharing ideas to use Clicker 5 in the classroom. Next we have the participants move to the computer lab where we model and have them practice using the program. We do this on the promethean board so that all participants can watch what we were doing at the same time. The promethean board also allows us to demonstrate to teachers, how e-learning principles (like adding voice to a graphic) can quickly be incorporated into the lesson for teaching. After demonstrating, we have the participants practice the same on their own computers and ask questions if they get stuck. Each participant is provided with detailed handouts that include screen shots and steps to follow listed in clear and simple language. There are also [|video tutorials] ( [])<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> with screen shots of the processes uploaded to the school website for teachers to access after the training session.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants have to sign in at the beginning of class. The sign in sheet looks like this:

<span style="display: block; font-family: serif,serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: justify;">The schedule for the two week Clicker5 workshop is as follows.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Name ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Name of school ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Subject you teach ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Grade level you teach ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Where did you hear about the training ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">John Smith || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Mary Bell ES || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Science || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Learning center grade 4-5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">staff meeting ||


 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Week 1 Clicker 5 training schedule ** ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Time ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Monday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Tuesday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Wednesday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Thursday ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Friday ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">9am to 12pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Introduction to using Clicker5 as a talking word processor. || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Using Pictures in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Adding cells to forced order grids in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Using audio in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Learninggrids.com overview for Clicker 5 ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">12pm to 1pm ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">lunch ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">lunch ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">lunch ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">lunch ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">lunch ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">1pm to 3pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Managing Clicker writer word processing documents || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Making Word banks in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Making e-books using Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Using video in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Creating talking word banks in Clicker 5 ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Week 2 ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">9am to 12pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Managing Clicker word processing speech and picture settings || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Adding pictures to grids in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Printing grids in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Converting videos for Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Teacher guest speakers will share how they use Clicker 5 in the classroom ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">12pm to 1pm ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">1pm to 3pm || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Linking multiple grids || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Saving and opening grids in Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Downloading Clicker 5 files from UDL share space || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Reducing photo size for Clicker 5 || <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Time to work on a Clicker 5 assignment & complete end of course survey. ||

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of the session we share samples of materials created by teachers that have attended Clicker 5 two week workshops and are now using the program to support their students. We also invite teachers or media specialists to speak to the class and share instructional strategies and tips with the participants. Personal experiences of what works and doesn’t work are always very useful for participants.

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Evaluation **
<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of class, participants are asked to complete an assignment. It is a simple assignment to demonstrate their understanding of what was taught in class. For example for the “Using Pictures in Clicker 5” workshop participants have to make a word bank (grid) with words and pictures taken from the picture library and from the Internet to demonstrate their understanding of the workshop. Time is provided for teachers to work on this assignment at the end of the workshop so that teachers wouldn ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">t have to work on it at home on their own time. However; if a teacher wants to leave the class a little early then she has the option of working on the assignment at home and submitting it to us within a week in electronic format. This assignment is required but is not graded. Participants receive five points for completing the assignment. Accumulated points are maintained electronically by the training department. The purpose of the assignment is to evaluate success of the workshop and the participants ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> understanding of the content.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants with twenty five points receive a prize. Participants with fifty points receive a price and a piece of technology for the classroom. Teachers with one hundred points receive a certificate and their name is published on the school website. They are also considered for a technology team leader position at their school to provide school level support. The point system provides incentives for teachers to attend the classes.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of year there is a reception to recognize teachers who have collected one hundred points during the school year. The reception has door prizes and a guest speaker. Teachers share their success stories and anecdotes at the reception to motivate other teachers to attend the trainings. Participants also fill out an [|electronic survey] on “survey monkey” at the end of class. Feedback from the survey helps us improve the quality of the trainings.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">I look for what works and what doesn ’ <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">t work. How smoothly the class runs, did it run on time, was there enough time to cover all the objectives for the class or was there too much time and little content to cover? Were there technical glitches? Was all the equipment working properly? Did teachers have trouble logging in and out of the computers using the temporary user name and password? Was the pace of the work shop appropriate for the technical ability of participants attending it? Were they able to follow along and practice?

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The success of the workshop is judged by the number of participants attending it, by the survey results and by the quality of the assignment the participants complete.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">This district technology training plan is comprehensive and detailed. It is developed based on a through needs assessment, the goals and objectives of the district and its technology budget. It is put together by a diverse, experienced and competent training committee. It addresses training needs of the whole district in all areas, using an array of instructional strategies. It has a good evaluation process so that training can be improved as the needs of the district change. It is multi faceted, meeting the training needs of teachers of all levels of expertise. Implementation of this district technology training plan would lead to successful technology integration in the classrooms of this district.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Wilson, L. (2011, September 22). //High incidence accessible technology//. Retrieved from http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xByYlr0t7JdKVrVdRClx7Q== <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Starr, L. (2011, September 14). //Technology training programs that work//. Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Smith, R (2011, September 14). //Technology training programs that work//. Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Image source for sample handout <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]


 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Appendix A **

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">A Sample Handout for **
**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Clicker 5: Using Pictures. ** <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">When you make a new word bank in Clicker5 (File→New Grid Set) it will open up a set of cells that have words, pictures or both.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There are two ways to add pictures when using Clicker 5.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">1. Type the word in the cell **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Type the word in the cell and hit TAB. If the picture for that word exists in the Clicker library it will appear in the box.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">If you don’t want pictures to automatically appear in the cells as you type the words you can turn off the function by going under ( File→Settings→Picture and sound Libraries)

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Another way to add a picture in the cell of a Clicker grid is by using the Clicker 5 picture library. You have to be in the EDIT mode to do this. (Edit →Edit mode)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">2. Browse in the Clicker 5 library **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">You open the picture palette from the floating tool bar and browse through the pictures.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Drag the picture to the cell in the grid.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> **Clicker 5 Technology Workshop Lesson Plan** <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> **Name:** Beena Raichura <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Clicker 5 is a multi media supported word processor to help students with spellings, vocabulary, reading and writing. It has clickable grids with whole words, phrases, pictures and more to help students write. Teachers attending this class will learn to use existing templates and to create their own. They will learn to add pictures on the grid from the Clicker library, the Internet and Files on their computer. Teachers will also learn to create multimedia e-books with voice output and will learn to add pictures in the e-book they create. This is a good workshop for special education teachers and general education teacher in grades K-8 to support students struggling in reading and writing and students that don’t speak the English language. <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The key learning objectives of the Clicker 5 workshop are:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Workshop Title: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Using Pictures in Clicker5
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Subject of the days’ workshop: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Using pictures in Clicker 5
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Prerequisite knowledge: **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> None
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Content: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">List the objectives of the lesson: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve written output and writing ability of students.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Help diverse emergent literacy learners acquire and practice initial reading and writing skills.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve ability to write independently.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve reading and spellings in young students
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Improve speed of writing for struggling writers and students with poor handwriting

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The best way to teach Clicker 5 is in a computer lab using modeling and hands on training.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">How will you teach the lesson? **

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">I will begin teaching the Clicker 5 workshop using a classroom discussion and sharing ideas to use Clicker 5 in the classroom. Next I will have the participants move to the computer lab where I will model and have them practice using the program. I will do this on the promethean board so that all participants can watch what I am doing at the same time. After demonstrating, I will have the participants practice the same on their own computers and ask questions if they experience difficulty. Each participant will be provided with detailed handouts (a sample shown below) that would include screen shots and steps to follow listed in clear and simple language. Time would be provided for teachers to work on this assignment at the end of the workshop so that teachers wouldn’t have to work on it at home on their own time. However; if a teacher wanted to leave the class a little early then she would have the option of working on the assignment at home and submitting it to us within a week in electronic format.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of the session I would share samples of materials created by teachers that have attended Clicker 5 two week workshops and are now using the program to support their students. I would also invite teachers and media specialists to speak to the class and share instructional strategies and tips with the participants. Personal experiences of what works and doesn’t work are always very useful for participants.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of class, participants will be asked to complete an assignment. It will be a simple assignment to demonstrate their understanding of what was taught in class. Participants will have to make a word bank (grid) and an e-book using words and pictures taken from the picture library, their own computer files and from the Internet to demonstrate their understanding of the workshop. This assignment would be required but would not be graded. Participants would receive five points for completing the assignment. Accumulated points would be maintained electronically by the training department. The purpose of the assignment would be to evaluate success of the workshop and the participants understanding of the content.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Evaluation strategies: **

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants with twenty five points receive a prize. Participants with fifty points would receive a price and a piece of technology for the classroom. Teachers with one hundred points would receive a certificate and their name would be published on the school website. They would also be considered for a technology team leader position at their school to provide school level support. The point system would provide incentives for teachers to attend the classes.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">At the end of year there would be a reception to recognize teachers who have collected one hundred points during the school year. The reception would have door prizes and a guest speaker. Teachers would share their success stories and anecdotes at the reception to motivate other teachers to attend the trainings.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Participants would also be asked to fill out an electronic survey on “[|survey monkey]” (Wilson, 2011) ([]) at the end of class. Feedback from the survey would help me improve the quality of the trainings.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">I would look for what worked and what didn’t work. How smoothly the class ran, did it run on time, was there enough time to cover all the objectives for the class or was there too much time and little content to cover? Were there too many technical glitches? Was all the equipment working properly? Did teachers have trouble logging in and out of the computers using the temporary user name and password? Was the pace of the work shop appropriate for the technical ability of participants attending it? Were they able to follow along and practice?

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The success of the workshop would be judged by number of participants attending it, by the survey results and by the quality of the assignment the participants complete.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Additional Materials: a sample handout **

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">A Sample Handout for ** **<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Clicker 5: Using Pictures. ** <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">When you make a new word bank in Clicker5 (File→New Grid Set) it will open up a set of cells that have words, pictures or both.

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">There are two ways to add pictures when using Clicker 5.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">1. Type the word in the cell **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Type the word in the cell and hit TAB. If the picture for that word exists in the Clicker library it will appear in the box.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">If you don’t want pictures to automatically appear in the cells as you type the words you can turn off the function by going under ( File→Settings→Picture and sound Libraries)

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Another way to add a picture in the cell of a Clicker grid is by using the Clicker 5 picture library. You have to be in the EDIT mode to do this. (Edit →Edit mode)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">2. Browse in the Clicker 5 library **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">You open the picture palette from the floating tool bar and browse through the pictures.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Drag the picture to the cell in the grid.

**<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">[|Sample Video Tutorial] ( **@http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/clenqJz8l)

<span style="font-family: 'Serif','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Reference <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Wilson, L. (2011, September 22). //High incidence accessible technology//. Retrieved from []==


 * <span style="font-family: serif,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Table of Contents **