Needs+Assessment+&+Identification+of+Focus+Area


 * II. Needs Assessment & Identification of Focus Area:**

As teachers we are often faced with a battle of differentiating our instruction to meet the needs of all our students. We also face a battle of making our lessons exciting and engaging. This can be a challenging task when you are teaching students of so many different backgrounds, levels, interests, cultures, and learning styles. I decided to look for an initiative that can help teachers differentiate as well as make their lessons more engaging for their students. Through my research I found an online program called BrainPOP. BrainPop is an animated curriculum based content that supports educators and engages students.
 * __ Proposal: __**

__ **Technology Initiative Survey Link:** __ Below you will find a link to the survey that was sent out and used to collect data that supports my reasoning for such an initiative.

[|Technology Initiative Survey]

__ **Survey Results:** __

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10.) Are there any other interactive software programs that you are aware of that would be a benefit in your lesson planning and instruction in your classroom?
 * Not that I can think of at the current time. ||
 * No ||
 * No ||
 * No ||
 * N/A ||
 * SMART Board ||
 * It is only for math, but the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is great to use. [] ||
 * Mimio and Kidspiration ||

** __ Reflection: __ ** Based on the data results from the above survey questions, I have realized that most teachers find that they do have to adapt their own teaching styles and lessons to meet the needs of many different learning styles for their students. I have also learned that teachers believe that technology in the classroom can be a huge benefit for student engagement and success. The idea of having interactive lessons that can engage their learners is very important to many teachers. Although my results show a mixture of teachers who teach multiple subjects and those who teach just one subject, my results still show that the use of interactive software could help improve student achievement, as well as student engagement and excitement towards learning. As teachers we are constantly trying to keep in contact with our students’ parents, and trying to keep them updated on what their child is learning. My results have shown, 100% of the teachers surveyed would like for their students’ parents to have access to resources at home that can help their child with their schoolwork. In conclusion, my survey results show that although most teachers agree that the use of interactive software to enhance their lessons and to increase student achievement would be a great resource, given the appropriate training, most teachers would use such software frequently in their classrooms, but many teachers are not aware of interactive software programs that can be used in the classroom. With all of this in mind, my proposal is to introduce an interactive software program called BrainPOP. According to research by SEG, the following statements have been made in regards to multimedia learning: “..when information is presented using both the visual and auditory channels, working memory can handle more information overall”, “Research tells us that when learners are able to control the pace of the presentation they learn more.”, “The use of onscreen characters can increase student engagement.”.(SEG 2009) SEG also says “Students in classes using BrainPOP made significant improvements compared to students in classes not using BrainPOP.” (SEG 2009)

__Links: __ ﻿Technology Initiative Table of Contents Next Page (Initiatives to Address Needs)