Concerns-Based Adoption Model Project

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Concerns-Based Adoption Model Project

Laura Kuhrts

ISLT 9475: Diffusion of Educational Innovations Summer 2015

July 29, 2015

Innovation: Use of Google Apps for Education

Part 1: Innovation Configuration Checklist

Part 1A: Summarization of Information Sources

For the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Project, I would like to focus on the use of Google Apps for Education. A few years ago our school district began to use Gmail for email communication, as well as the ability to use Google Apps on a daily basis in order to improve our communication and productivity among staff. Over the past years, individuals have begun adopting the use of applications such as Google Drive, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets. The adoption of Google Calendars has been used mainly for reserving shared resources, such as computer labs and other forms of available technology, but the use of other Apps has only been taken on at the individual level, and not something that has been reinforced as an expectation for communication. By using the CBAM tools, I will be able to collect additional informational data about colleagues’ perceptions and levels of use of a variety of Google Apps for Education.

I began Part 1B below, a first draft of an innovation configuration checklist based on my base knowledge of potential uses of Google Apps that include Google Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and

Talk/Hangouts. I continued researching at www.google.com/edu/apps to look at additional materials and demonstrations for using the various applications. This helped me to refine different aspects of my innovation configuration checklist.

Part 1B: Draft of the Innovation Configuration Checklist

Innovation Configuration Checklist (Draft #1) Innovation: Google Apps for Education

Component Optimal Acceptable Unacceptable

Google Drive Teacher utilizes Google Drive to create, save, and share documents, spreadsheets, and other resources for personal use and for use with other staff members

Teacher utilizes Google Drive to create and save

documents, spreadsheets, and other resources

Teacher does not utilize Google Drive for storing and sharing of resources Google

Calendar

Teacher utilizes Google Calendar for signing up for shared resources within the building, as well as for creating appointments for

meetings with other staff members or parents.

Teacher utilizes Google Calendar for signing up for shared resources within the school building

Teacher does not utilize Google Calendar

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Google Docs Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating documents for both personal use and for collaboration among colleagues, saving the docs within Google Drive

Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating documents for personal use, to be saved in Google Drive

Teacher does not utilize Google Docs

Google Sheets Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating spreadsheets for both personal use and for collaboration among colleagues, saving the docs within Google Drive

Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating spreadsheets for personal use, to be saved in Google Drive

Teacher does not utilize Google Sheets

Google Slides Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating presentations for both personal use and for collaboration among colleagues, saving the docs within Google Drive

Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating presentations for personal use, to be saved in Google Drive

Teacher does not utilize Google Slides

Google Forms Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to collect feedback for both personal use and to be shared among colleagues, saving the forms within Google Drive

Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to collect feedback for personal use, to be saved in Google Drive

Teacher does not utilize Google Forms

Google Talk/Hangout

Teacher utilizes Google

Talk/Hangout to communicate with colleagues as well as with students

Teacher utilizes Google Talk/Hangout to

communicate with colleagues

Teacher does not utilize Google Talk/Hangout

After researching at www.google.com/edu/apps, I felt as though I could make some revisions to the overall wording and detail in the innovation configuration checklist. In the initial checklist I included wording in each component area that said “to be saved in Google Drive” for the different components such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. I felt this wording was unnecessary and decided to omit it. It was too redundant, in the fact that the use of the Google Apps would mean that teachers will be saving this work within the Google Drive, so the wording was not necessary. I also changed all the wording that stated “personal use” to

“individual use” to not confuse members who are completing the checklist in thinking they were utilizing the Google Apps for use outside of the work/school criteria. I also refined and added to some of the criteria included in the “optimal” category for all components. I began to incorporate criteria that focused more on student use of the Google Apps, but I felt as though my main concern in completing the CBAM for this innovation was to focus on the teacher use of the Google Apps as an innovation.

Innovation Configuration Checklist (Draft #2) Innovation: Google Apps for Education

Google Drive Teacher utilizes Google Drive to share resources for both individual and collaborative use with other staff members

Teacher utilizes Google Drive to create folders to save resources for individual use

Teacher does not utilize Google Drive for storing and sharing of resources

Google Calendar Teacher utilizes Google Calendar to schedule use of shared resources, to schedule meetings and events with

Teacher utilizes Google Calendar to schedule the

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colleagues and parents, to map out curriculum and instructional units, and utilizes the calendar invite option when scheduling meetings

use of shared resources within the school building Google Docs Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating

documents for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues, including use for keeping running records of meeting notes, creating and sharing curriculum resources and lesson plans

Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating

documents for individual use

Google Sheets Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating spreadsheets for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues, in order to track student data

Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating

spreadsheets for individual use

Google Slides Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating dynamic presentations for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues

Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating

presentations for individual use, to be saved in Google Drive

Google Forms Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to administer assessments, and to collect feedback after trainings/meetings. Teacher also utilizes Google Forms to track discipline referrals to be shared with other staff members

Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to collect feedback for individual use

Teacher utilizes Google Talk/Hangout to communicate with colleagues as well as with students. Teacher utilizes

Talk/Hangout to hold office hours and homework help for students.

Talk/Hangout to communicate with colleagues

After getting feedback from some of my interviewees, I modified a few of the optimal categories to give a more defined description of the exact types of uses people in these grade-level and building-level groups would be utilizing the Google Apps for.

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Part 1C: Final Checklist

Innovation Configuration Checklist (FINAL DRAFT) Innovation: Google Apps for Education

Google Drive Teacher utilizes Google Drive to create folders to save, and share resources for both individual and collaborative use with other staff members

Teacher utilizes Google Drive to create folders to save resources for individual use

Teacher does not utilize Google Drive for storing and sharing of resources

Google Calendar Teacher utilizes Google Calendar to schedule use of shared resources, to schedule meetings and events with colleagues and parents, to map out curriculum and instructional units, and utilizes the calendar invite option when scheduling meetings

Teacher utilizes Google Calendar to schedule the use of shared resources within the school building

Google Docs Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating documents for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues, including use for keeping running records of team meeting notes, committee notes, and creating and sharing curriculum resources and lesson plans across grade-levels and teachers

Teacher utilizes Google Docs for creating

documents for individual use

Google Sheets Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating spreadsheets for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues, in order to track student benchmark and discipline data

Teacher utilizes Google Sheets for creating

spreadsheets for individual use

Google Slides Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating dynamic presentations for both individual use and for collaboration among colleagues

Teacher utilizes Google Slides for creating

presentations for individual use

Google Forms Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to collect feedback for both individual use and to be shared among colleagues, to administer assessments, and to collect feedback after trainings/meetings. Teacher also utilizes Google Forms to track discipline referrals to be shared with other staff members

Teacher utilizes Google Forms for creating surveys to collect feedback for individual use

Teacher utilizes Google Talk/Hangout to communicate with colleagues as well as with students. Teacher utilizes

Talk/Hangout to hold office hours and homework help for students.

Talk/Hangout to communicate with colleagues

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Part 2: Data Collection Using Innovation Configuration Checklist

The Innovation Configuration Checklist for “Google Apps for Education” was used with three teachers: two Math teachers, and a Social Studies teacher. Math teacher #1 and the Social Studies teachers work in a middle school building, and math teacher #2 works in an elementary building, all working within the same school district. The data collection occurred as interviews with the Social Studies teacher and Math teacher #2, and an observation of Math teacher #1.

Math teacher #1 rated in the Optimal range for the components of Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. She rated Average for Google Calendar, and Unacceptable for Google Forms. As I observed her use of a variety of the Apps, she was able to navigate her way through the programs fluently, as she gave examples of the types of daily uses she has for things such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides within her classroom. The overall consistency for this particular teacher to rank in the Optimal range was not surprising as she embraces and incorporates a wealth of technology within her own classroom. This particular teacher is also the

chairperson for several committees within the building, and has experience using Google Apps for building- wide communication and feedback for committee work.

Math teacher #2 rated in the optimal range for the Google Calendar, in the Acceptable range for Google Drive and Docs, and in the Unacceptable range for Google Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Talk/Hangout. I was surprised that this teacher scored more so in the Unacceptable range.

The Social Studies teacher rated Average for Google Drive, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets, and rated

Unacceptable for Slides, Forms, and Talk/Hangout. It appears that the Social Studies teacher is comfortable enough in using Google Apps for individual use, but does not use them enough for collaboration with colleagues in order to move her ratings closer to the Optimal range.

When thinking about the ratings for the two middle school teachers, I was not surprised that they rated closer in the Acceptable and Optimal ranges, as they utilize more Google App features for communication about team information and student discipline data. I think the elementary teacher (Math teacher #2) rated more in the Acceptable to Unacceptable range as the elementary building does not share as much student data across teachers, since students typically remain in one classroom the majority of the time, and do not spend as much time switching between teachers.

Part 3: Stages of Concern Information Interview

I used the open-ended statement for assessing concerns about this innovation. I questioned the same teachers as mentioned above. I began with the open-ended statement “How would you feel about being required to use a variety of Google Apps for documenting and sharing information as a building-level staff?

(Examples could include: team meeting notes, faculty meeting notes, building committee notes and resources, shared folders for instructional plans/strategies, discipline info, office referral info, and collection and sharing of data.)

Math teacher #1’s responses indicated that she is very in favor of utilizing as many Google Apps for Education in order to foster more collaboration and sharing of information with her peers. Most of this teacher’s

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concerns fell into Stage 3 (Management) concerns, as she expressed concerns about the time demands in having an entire staff not only be trained in the innovation, but also having time within the day to utilize all the components of Google Apps. Some of her responses also applied to the Stage 4 (Consequence) category as she relayed that she would like to have more information about the use of the innovation would impact and have direct relevance in student performance. Not surprisingly though, most of her responses addressed the Stage 5 (Collaboration) category, as she expressed concerns in wanting to help other faculty use the innovation and familiarizing others with the new approach to communication and collaboration.

Math teacher #2’s responses overwhelmingly indicate that her concerns would place her at Stage #1

(Information). Her responses indicate that she would like to have more information about the requirements for use in the building as a whole, and is curious to know what other faculty members opinions are about the use of the innovation. She also indicated that she would like to know what future requirements would be needed, in terms of training in the use of the Google Apps, or when the new approach would be put to use.

The Social Studies teacher’s responses centered on wanting more information regarding the direct impact upon students, including how the use of the Apps would impact students and what changes or modifications need to be made in the use of these Apps to fit with the types of data the teachers collect and share regarding students. These concerns fall into the Stage 4 (Consequence) category.

Part 4: Level of Use of the Innovation

For the Level of Use, I conducted an informal interview with Math teacher #1 about her use of Google Apps for Education. Math teacher #1 is going into her fifth year of teaching, and overall she implements high uses of technology within her classroom. She is responsive to trying new innovations across the board. She

successfully implemented a “flipped classroom”, she utilizes “clicker” technology within her classroom to gain immediate feedback from students during lessons, she has a classroom set of laptops available for daily student use, and she serves on several building committees, one of which she is the committee chairperson, which requires her to routinely plan for meetings, create and share meeting notes, and collect and share student data.

In terms of her level of use of Google Apps, she reported that she consistently utilizes Google Drive to create folders for her classroom curriculum, divided into units, which allows her to access folders both at school and home. She utilizes Google Calendar to reserve access to technology within the building. She would like to increase her use of Google Calendar to create events, such as team meeting times and committee meeting dates to share with and invite colleagues. As chairperson of the PBIS committee she creates and documents all team agendas and meeting notes in Google Docs, to be shared with the entire staff. At her team level, she utilizes Google Sheets on a daily basis for tracking student discipline data which includes behavioral data, office referral data, missing materials, and late or missing work documentation. The use of google sheets in this instance allows for the teacher, as well as her grade-level teammates to access and edit discipline data in real-time. She has for the past year been creating presentations using Google Slides, instead of using

PowerPoint, so that she again has access to these in her Google Drive to work on at any time, any place where technology is available. She has also recently within the past year attempted to start using Google Forms as a way to receive feedback from colleagues in terms of the work the PBIS committee is completing. She has yet to experiment in using Google Talk/Hangout, but expressed that she likes the idea of having a designated

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after-school time in which students could access her through the App, especially as a Math teacher who often receives a lot of parent and student emails with questions or concerns regarding homework.

Based on my interview and the information I received from this teacher, I can say that her Level of Use of the Google Apps innovation has reached Decision Point D1, Routine. She has passed the point of orientation, preparation, and mechanical use as she has been routinely utilizing a majority of these apps for several years.

Currently her level of use has stabilized, and she could potentially be in the process of moving forward to Decision Point D-2, Refinement, as she indicated that she likes the idea of improving upon her use of Google Calendar and potentially adapting the use of Google Talk/Hangouts. She would be refining her use of these particular apps in order to better meet the needs of assisting her students with homework help through Talk/Hangouts, and also increasing her organization and preparation for committee work by committing more effort to using Google Calendar. After interviewing Math teacher #2, I can see that she is definitely a member of the organization that has the willingness and drive to continue forward with her own use of this innovation, and also inspire others to adopt use of the Google Apps for Education.