Personal Technology 1
Running head: PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY SWOT ANAYSIS
Personal Technology SWOT analysis, Goals, and Plan
Amy Cannady
University of West Georgia
Personal Technology 2
I cannot imagine how teachers ever motivated students before the advent of
technology. Since I have only been teaching middle school English for six years in
Fayette County, I have always had the luxury of using technology to enhance student
learning. However, I need to spend more time contemplating the future and thinking
about how to prepare students for the world of tomorrow. Are my current instructional
techniques helping students become future scientists, technologists, or service workers?
Are my classroom techniques preparing students for the 21st century? What technology
will the young people of today develop and use? I need to keep these questions in mind
when identifying my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, goals, and plans.
Most importantly, I need to respond to the needs of the “Nintendo Generation.”
Strengths
Knowing that the computer as a tool for students, parents, and teachers is not
going to disappear from our world, business, home use, and school is one of my greatest
strengths. I welcome technology with open arms. While many of my coworkers received
their master’s degrees in administration or curriculum, my degree is in technology
integration. I have a strong desire to integrate technology into my English curriculum
and teaching strategies. I understand that to live, learn, and work successfully in an
increasingly complex and information-rich society, my students must be able to use
technology effectively. I know that within an effective educational setting, technology
can enable students to become capable information technology users; information
seekers, analyzers, and evaluators; problem solvers and decision makers; creative and
effective user of productivity tools; communicators, collaborators, publishers, and
producers; and informed, responsible, and contributing citizens.
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I am proficient in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and use both frequently when
teaching writing. I use technology to more effectively teach writing and to hook my
students with warm-ups on PowerPoint. My classroom may not be equipped with a
Smart board, LCD projector, or Inter Write Pads, but I know where to find them; I am not
afraid to learn how to use them.
Weaknesses
How do I make time to work technology into the curriculum? What if I break the
computer? How can I learn this application well enough to help my students? How can I
start an educational blog? Without hesitating, I know that a weakness of mine is that I do
not know enough about technology and available software. At times I lack the
confidence necessary to create and deliver technology enriched lessons. I am intimidated
and overwhelmed by its complexities and jargon. During my short time in this class I
have been introduced to terminology such as twitter, Web 2.0 and open source software
to name a few.
Overall, I think my weakness in the area of technology is analogous to the child in
the candy store. There are so many available opportunities to incorporate technology into
the classroom. How do I find and institute the applications most appropriate to my
subject and students’ abilities. Another weakness I have identified is a potential inability
to keep pace with the rapid advances made in technology. When I become comfortable
with one application, it seems that it has then become obsolete and a new application
needs to be learned.
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Opportunities
This week I collaborated with the math teacher on my team to discuss establishing
a wiki on CRCT math review. Opportunities such as this can only increase my
confidence in using technology to enhance student learning. Furthermore, we discussed
finding a grant that would help us in this endeavor. I believe grants are available; I
simply need to find them!
I am also registered to take an Acrobat Photo Shop professional learning class in
April. Other PLC (professional learning class) classes that are available for Fayette
County teachers include beginning and advanced PowerPoint, Photo Shop, Excel, and
Microsoft Office. Opportunities exist to train educators like myself in the basic
fundamentals of computer literacy, the application of technology in the workplace,
curriculum integration, and classroom management with technology. Fayette County
technology professional development courses address core technology areas, from
operating systems, Internet, multimedia and graphics, to word processing, spreadsheets,
desktop publishing, database, and applied technology.
Threats
I work in at Whitewater Middle School in Fayette County. WMS is not identified
as a Title I school; therefore, the school does not receive special monies that would help
with purchasing technology equipment as other less affluent school systems in Metro
Atlanta receive.
Even if I do take a staff development class or PLC, I am often not told or given
clues as to how to incorporate the technology into a lesson plan. Decision makers don't
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often consult teachers on what technologies would be best for them and assist them with
incorporating the technologies into the classroom. We as educators must use oldfashioned trial and error when time is a valuable commodity.
Another threat at my school concerns blocked Internet sites. I cannot access
Teacher Tube or You Tube. I once found several potentially beneficial classroom video
clips but was unable to open the clip at school. When discussing this with coworkers,
they said, “Why bother. There are so many exciting web pages and activities out there,
but we are not able to access them at school.”
Goals
My goals have been determined with my students in mind; my students are the
reason I have a career. I want to focus on student learning and achievement by
developing and adjusting instruction and curriculum by implementing technology into my
daily lessons. From warm-ups; essays; grammar exercises; graphic organizers; student or
teacher created PowerPoint presentations; newsletters; brochures; and web pages,
technology can easily be implemented. In order to prepare my students for the world of
tomorrow, I have to make a goal of using technology daily. I want my students and me to
be able to use technology tools such as word processing, database, design, and graphing
software in the same ways as do professionals in business, communications, and research.
Plans
To achieve my goals, I will continue to learn from my course work at the
University of West Georgia. I am not ashamed to say that I’ll tap into my students’
strengths or even into my own children’s strengths. Without a doubt, each year I have a
few students who excel in technology. I will also continue to enroll in Fayette County
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Professional Learning Classes. My plans also include remaining connected with other
English teachers not only with those in my school but also in other counties or states to
share successful teaching activities, strategies, tools, and technologies. Teachers teaching
teachers can be a powerful experience. I can find the perfect video clip, create digital
presentations, find online books, create Web Quests, and find grammar sites and Pod
casts.
I plan on spending time during the summer creating technology enriched lessons.
During the summer I am not grading papers, conferencing with parents during a planning
period, or teaching five periods of English. I will have the time to find the perfect video
clip, create digital presentations, find online books, create Web Quests, and find grammar
sites and Pod casts.
Technology cannot become a meaningful support for students' work if they have
access to it for only a few minutes a week.
I should not be asking myself, “How can I
include more technology enriched lessons, but rather, “How can I afford NOT to include
more technology enriched lessons.” All the technology in the world will not make a
difference in student achievement without well-trained teachers who know how to use it
effectively.