Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 1

Teaching Parents How to Use Technology

Jennifer Leclair

Kennesaw State University

January 2018

Dr. Jim Wright

December 2019
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Setting and Context

The setting for the proposed project is in an elementary school located in Acworth, GA.

Ford Elementary School (FES) was established in 1992 and has been a school of excellence

since 2013. Ford Elementary School is the first elementary school to receive a Science

Technology Engineering Math (STEM) certification in Cobb County. This STEM school is

surrounded by 40+ acres of green forest and is well known in the community for environmental

education practices and long-term projects in the learning gardens. In recent years, Ford

Elementary students have been recognized for dramatic gains in student achievement and

received the Green Ribbon School Award and is Advanced Ed Certified by the Georgia

Department of Education.

Currently, Ford Elementary student enrollment is 824 students in grades kindergarten

through fifth grade including two units of students with autism and one K-2 FOCUS classroom.

According to school digger (2006-2018), the student population consist of 79.1% Caucasian,

8.7% African American, and 5.9% Hispanic. Ford Elementary (2013) consist of one hundred

and three staff and faculty members. It has 53 full-time teachers, a new principal, two new

assistant principals, two counselors, support staff in special education classes, and cafeteria

personnel. In addition, the school has a highly organized Ford Foundation and Parent Teacher

Student Association (PTSA) with an executive board to help fund the many environmental

STEM projects that enrich student learning throughout the school year. Ford Elementary School

is supported by partners in education such as Cobb EMC, Smith Gilbert Gardens, and Atlantis

Hydroponics.
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According to Ford Elementary School strategic plan (2017-2018), parent educational

programs are scheduled this school year for parents to receive guidance and support in parenting

called Love and Logic, target a gifted program, and families with children who have special

needs. In the United States census (2012-2016) the projected median income in household’s

residing in Acworth, Ga is $55, 226. The Cobb County School District along with Ford

Elementary has a school priority to establish programs and practices that enhance parental

involvement and reflect the needs of students and their families. The new principal is looking at

ways that we can address the technology needs in our school especially since FES will be up for

renewing STEM certification. It is challenging for teachers and students to increase student

technology usage and practice when laptop carts are shared among grade levels, iPads are

minimal, and desktops are outdated. Classrooms are not equipped to accommodate charging

multiple devices for the equipment. Cobb County school district provides students and parents

access to many technology tools. FES mission to engage, enrich, and empower students through

latest technology and STEM project- based learning creates a need for a parent program. Parents

need to be guided and trained on the current technology tools that elementary children utilize in

their classrooms. Parent training at FES should exist for iPad apps, Cobb Digital Library

resources, and Seesaw to extend learning at home. Parents become their learning coaches at

home and can help students with creating projects and establishing a digital portfolio. I have

briefly discussed the proposal to the leaders at FES such as the principal, assistant principal,

specialist mentor, and STEM specialist about the need for digital resources. They collectively

agree this proposal could highly benefit families at FES with increasing student achievement.
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Statement of the Problem/Need and Rationale

Today’s classrooms are rich in technology! Students have access to devices, such as

iPads, laptops, and desktops across grades K-5 at FES. Teachers at FES use Smart boards,

Interactive Flat Panels, and many digital resources are available for enriching instruction. The

curriculum for instruction has also turned digital with online interactive lessons that engage the

21st century learner. The problem is that parents at FES have little knowledge about how to

effectively use the digital tools available and no training exist to support parents with usage of

the tools. Parents are interested in the technology that we use at FES, but no training exist to

educate them. FES needs to do a better job to bridge the gap between home and school and

provide technology support programs for parents.

Parents in Acworth who are more involved and confident to help their children with

technology will increase student achievement. It will take involvement from school leaders and

positive ongoing communication from teachers to share digital resources with parents to be most

effective. Olmstead (2013) did a study where data was collected through survey’s and focus

groups to determine whether emerging technologies facilitate better parent-teacher

communication and parent involvement. Olmstead states, “Home-based, rather than school-

based, involvement in supporting learning has the greatest impact on student learning.” She is a

former elementary school principal and found that increasing parent teacher communication

would lead to rise in student achievement. The experiences student’s construct is important of

the culture and context in understanding. The mixed methods used for the study answers three

research questions: 1. How does teacher communication through the use of technology promote

parent involvement in their children’s academic lives? 2. What are the perceptions of teachers

regarding the effectiveness of technology to promote parent involvement? 3. What are the
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perceptions of parents regarding the effectiveness of technology in promoting their

connectedness with their child’s teacher and school? The survey was distributed to 204 parents,

89 survey where returned and data was analyzed. The conclusions of the study revealed that

both parents and teachers perceived that technology is an effective tool to promote parent

involvement.

In order to bridge the gap, FES teachers and school leaders must be willing to work

towards providing parental involvement programs. Parent involvement in education is the key to

students’ success. Erdener & Knoeppel (2016) conducted a mixed method’s study to examine

Turkish perceptions of their involvement in schooling at elementary grades in rural areas. public

school principals’ and teachers’ practices for improving parent involvement. The study included

participants of 64 public schools. The statements were collected by 55% of the parents whose

answers to the questions were anonymous which strengthen the study. The results of the test

shows that family income significantly affects the dependent variable of parenting, school

interactions, and learning at home. Educator attitudes are the most significant factor on parent

involvement in schooling. Teachers and parents need to work together toward a common goal of

communicating and breaking barriers. A technology parent program could provide parent

resources necessary for learning at home. FES has a strong and active parent foundation that

would participate in aa technology program that can increase student achievement. The literature

speaks to the importance of parent involvement as it correlates to student success and

achievement. Bessell & Sinagub (2003) are actively involved in a study where computers were

borrowed, and funds were used to train parents to increase student achievement. Family Tech

program was initiated by the South Florida Annenberg Challenge to engage families with

technology whose mission is to mobilize private and public resources to make changes in public
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schools to increase student achievement gains in the South Florida region. In this study, three

school districts were selected, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, and 10 elementary

schools to participate based on criteria that the majority of the school population be of minority

students and be eligible for free or reduced lunch. These students were at the greatest risk for

school failure and drop out. The teachers that were involved in this study had to be willing to

stay with the same students over a two-year period. Minority student participants were given a

refurbished computer on a long-term loan that was donated by a Family Tech business partner.

The funds were used to educate teachers on how to incorporate computer technology into

instruction, as well as train parents on the use of and maintenance of the computers and software

at home. The study concluded that participating students were more likely than non-Family

Tech students to score above the 50th percentile on math and reading of the Stanford

Achievement Test (Birnie 1999). Teachers reported that the quality of parental involvement

significantly improved.

Technology use in the home improves student achievement in math and reading. In this

peer reviewed longitudinal study, Espinosa, Laffey, Whittaker, Sheng, (2006) examines data

from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, to provide an

overview of the role of technology in the home and its impact on reading and math achievement

in the early grades. The method for the study was undertaken by the U.S. Department of

Education, Institute of Education Sciences, and the NCES. The sample included 22,782 children

enrolled in public and private kindergarten. These participants were children who were followed

through the fifth grade, to provide a detailed information on children’s early school experiences.

Children were administered a cognitive test in math and reading. Descriptive and correlation

statistics were used to examine the relationships among technology use in the home, SES, and
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school achievement. By the third grade, students reported using a computer at home. SES

shapes the access and use of technology in the home. The study investigates the relationship

between technology access and use and math achievement, relationship between home

technology access and use and reading achievement. In kindergarten, children in the highest

SES quintile were more than 4 times more likely to use computers in the home than those in the

lowest quintile. Access to computer technology and books in the home are positively associated

with reading and math achievement.

Parent involvement programs are lacking in schools and socioeconomic status is a factor

that must be considered when implementing programs. This journal explains the importance of

parent involvement in the quality of education. Kuru and Taskin (2016) examines the viewpoints

of administrators, teachers, and parents on involvement of the process of education in terms of

socio-economic status in public and private primary and secondary schools. The research design

method used in the study is a document analysis and interview. The study involved seven

teachers, three administrators working at seven public primary and secondary schools. The data

in the study were collected through semi-structured interviews. The forms used in the study were

prepared based on the studies in the literature that define the involvement of parents in the

education process and based on the factors that Epstein (1995) defined. The results found that 10

out of the 15 documents were activities carried out where parents are from a high-socioeconomic

status. In two private schools, parental trainings were seen and interactive systems which parents

could access information about their child. Other themes related are communication,

volunteering, and learning at home. In the theme learning at home theme, the results indicated

that opinions in the study focused on how parents were encouraged about learning at home and

what kind of support was provided for parents on this issue. The learning at home theme was
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“systematic” and “spontaneous”. From the data collected that schools are inadequately stating

how they can help parents prepare an environment for learning at home and how parents can help

students’ learning. FES has a reputation and support of the community to do a technology

program to raise students’ interest in school and enjoyment of learning. In order to do this, open

ongoing communication among both the teachers and parents is the key to forming a partnership.

Plevyak (2003) focuses on the responsibility of people and organizations to get parents involved

in their child’s education,“teachers can provide parents an array of communication avenues to

help feel comfortable participating both at school and at home in their child’s education.”

Teachers and parents should work together toward collaborating to work towards a parent

training program. The students are the motivators, and it is up to the teacher to provide

experiences worthy of the child and parent’s time and effort. To open communication lines with

parents and teachers’ administrators must support the development of parental involvement and

give teachers time off from their duties to talk to parents.

Parent programs have barriers to consider when developing, implementing a parent

program. One of the most widely known family engagement frameworks, developed by Joyce

Epstein (1995) defines family-school involvement in six ways 1. Parenting to support children’s

education 2. Communicating with the schools 3. Volunteering in activities 4. Assisting with

homework 5. Participating in decision-making and 6. Collaborating between school and

community. These indicators are important for educators to remember when identifying how

family members are involved in their child’s education. Baker, Wise, Kelley, and Skiba (2018),

wrote and studied staff and family focus groups regarding parent and staff perceptions of barriers

to family involvement. These barriers are much to be considered when developing a parent

technology program in the school. The method of this study included families and staff in six
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schools, Midwestern state, that were involved based on their implementation of positive behavior

implementation system or PBIS. The focus group protocol for families consisted of 12 questions

about the school’s implementation of system-based disciplinary reform, communication, parent

involvement, and overall satisfaction with the school. The participants in the focus group

included teachers and families recruited by the principal who included varying races /ethnicities,

SES levels, students with IEP’s and grade level. The discussion and implementation of the study

suggests practices when working with parents from diverse backgrounds, to incorporate

strategies for interaction: empower the families to help their children in academics; use outreach

programs to reach families in the community; connect theme to community resources; and offer

resources to provide support for families. The findings of this study support that moving from

parent involvement to parent engagement, schools should include a shift that focuses on the

strengths and resources that families can bring to their child’s education. FES should utilize

parent involvement and use the resources given by the county to improve the quality of

education and student achievement. In classrooms, students are coached to use technology tools

for collaboration, research, and latest software accounts. The Cobb Digital Library accessed by

all enrolled students includes Biblionasium and Nettreker. Teachers report that they use SeeSaw,

Class DOJO, and Edmodo to communicate with parents beyond the classroom. FES students

participate in the hour of code through the website Code.Org as a primary tool to introduce

computer science to elementary school students. I used technology tools such as OSMO, Dash

and Dot, and Bee Bots to enrich students. It is important that public schools, like FES offer

parent training programs to communicate technology knowledge through different ways.

Student achievement is highly increased when parents are involved in learning. Parents

can be involved by supporting their children on research, having discussions about interesting
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topics to explore, and work together on using Microsoft Office 365’s presentation tools. In a

STEM school, teachers K-5 assign project-based learning projects. In second grade, teachers and

students study monarch migration in Citizen Science. In STEM class students learn about

Minecraft Education, programming robots, and Code.org. Many parents are eager to help with

projects and technology because so much responsibility is placed on the child to know how to

use the technology resources. FES should provide a technology program to educate parents on

technology resources that are essential for student success.

Objectives and Deliverables

Parents at Ford Elementary School need a technology parent program that all parents can

access as a resource to increase technology knowledge and be able to better support children at

home. The program will enable students to extend learning at home and be successful with class

projects. The project goal is to create a collection of instructional videos, created by the teachers

for parents to view at any time. The instructional videos will enable parents to be informed with

the latest technology tools that students are learning in school. The following project objectives

will be carried through toward achieving the goal of the capstone project.

Project Objective 1:

By the end of the school year 2018-2019, I plan to collect data from teachers and support staff by

sending a survey to 100% of the staff about technology programs and have 20% of teachers

respond that they would like parents to know about technology tools.

Deliverables

 Use Microsoft Office Forms to create the survey for teachers and support staff.
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 Include the essential question, What technology programs do you think parents could use

support on?

 Collect data and analyze results from 20% of the teachers and staff at Ford Elementary

School.

Project Objective 2:

By the end of the school year by May 2019, I would present the instructional video blog in a

Power Point presentation to the administrative team and create at least 3 instructional teacher

videos on the Ford Elementary School website.

Deliverables

 Create an engaging Power Point presentation that is conclusive of the research and need

for the technology program.

 Schedule to present the Power Point Capstone proposal to the administrative team

including teacher leaders at our school.

 Use screencast to create 3 instructional videos including, Raz-Kids, Cobb Digital Library,

and Microsoft Office 365 student account set up.

Project Objective 3:

By the beginning of the school year August 2019, I would announce the program by attending

Kindergarten Parent Orientation Night and Curriculum Night at FES (Ford Elementary School)

and produce a handout of instructional technology flyers with details of the program.

Deliverables

 I would plan to schedule an area where parents come to get more information about this

technology program at Kindergarten Open House.

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 I would plan to schedule an area where parents come to get more information about this

technology program at Curriculum Night.

 The handout will include a QR code and links to the Ford Elementary Website where the

instructional videos are found.

Project Objective 4:

By October 2019, I would include 5 additional instructional videos from other teachers across

the grades K-5 on the blog. These videos will use screencast and be published on the Ford

Elementary School website.

Deliverables

 Create a You Tube channel for FES (Ford Elementary School) video blog. This is where

I can place all the videos, that were created for parents to view.

 Connect parents to the video blog by reaching out to teachers to spread the news of the

instructional videos available.

 Talk with teachers willing to do a short video to instruct parents on technology programs

they use with students in their class.

 Schedule time to work one on one with teachers to download screencast on laptops and

create instructional videos to post.

 Compile the collection of videos into YOU TUBE, and create technology flyer with QR

codes to handout to teacher leaders, school administration, and parents.

PSC Standards

The PSC standards that I have listed below go hand in hand with my development,

implementation, and evaluation of my goal to create a video blog for parents to access

digital instructional materials. The PSC standards align with FES shared vision of
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promoting excellence in the school. The standard on teaching, learning, and assessment

integrates technology into teaching practices. The instructional design of the digital tools

in the video blog will have an abundance of resources that measure student learning.

This digital learning environment that is created will be managed effectively by teachers

at FES.

1. Visionary Leadership

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to inspire and lead the

Development and implementation of a shared vision for the effective use of technology to

promote excellence and support transformational change throughout the organization.

1.1 Shared Vision

Candidates facilitate the development and implementation of a shared vision for

the use of technology in teaching, learning, and leadership. (PSC1.1/ISTE 1a)

2. Teaching, Learning, & Assessment

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills , and dispositions to effectively integrate

technology into their own teaching practice and to collaboratively plan with and assist

other educators in utilizing technology to improve teaching, learning, and assessment.

2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills

Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of digital tools and resources to

support and enhance higher order thinking skills (e.g., analyze, evaluate, and

create); processes (e.g., problem- solving, decision-making); and mental habits of

mind (e.g., critical thinking, creative thinking, metacognition, self- regulation, and

reflection).

2.5 Instructional Design

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Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of diagnostic, formative, and

summative assessments to measure student learning, and technology literacy,

including the use of digital assessment tools and resources.

3. Digital Learning Environments

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to create, support, and

manage effective digital learning environments.

3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources

Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of

student learning experiences. (PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)

3.7 Communication and Collaboration

Candidates utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate

locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community. (PSC

3.7/ISTE 3g)

4. Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to model and promote

digital citizenship and responsibility.

4.1 Digital Equity

Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital

tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and

teachers. (PSC 4.1/ISTE 5a)

5. Professional Learning & Program Evaluation

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to conduct needs

assessments, develop technology-based professional learning programs, and design and

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implement regular and rigorous program evaluations to assess effectiveness and impact

on student learning.

5.2 Professional Learning

Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that

aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology

to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult

learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC

5.2/ISTE 4b)

6. Candidate Professional Growth & Development

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to engage in continuous

learning, reflect on professional practice, and engage in appropriate field experiences.

6.3 Field Experiences

Candidates engage in appropriate field experiences to synthesize and apply the

content and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in these

standards. (PSC 6.3)

Project Description

My capstone proposal project is to create a video blog of tutorials created by

teachers, technology leaders, and specialists at FES. I would begin with making

instructional videos of how to set up your child’s Office 365 account, instructional

features of RAZ-Kids, provide examples of reading levels and share digital tools that

can help any elementary child. These digital resources can increase student

achievement and can be especially useful for students who are struggling in reading

and math. I plan to involve any teacher willing to make a video tutorial in the capstone
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 17

project proposal and will include their video in the video blog. I would post

announcements for technology and parent sessions and communicate with our school’s

technology specialist about new digital resources that are upcoming in the school

system. My goal would be to increase parent technology education by increasing

communication among teachers and parents which will then result in student

achievement.

The video blog of resources will have participants such as parents, teachers,

principal assistant principals, and students at FES. I believe that the teachers who will

participate will have the knowledge to share. The parents will have immediate access

by scanning a QR code of the video to give them direct access to the instructional

video. The video blog can be available any time during the school year and can have

the flexibility of being on the FES website. There is a great need for connecting parents

especially early on to introduce resources and parents can utilize them at home. Since

technology tools are integrated into every day instruction and immersed in science,

math, and social studies the website will serve as a collection of short technology

training videos.

First Project Item/Activity

At the beginning of the school year, I would send a school wide email to

teachers to complete a questionnaire to help me to determine which technology

resources are most important to them. I would use Office 365 forms to create the

survey. In the survey, I would include questions about technology tools that teachers

most commonly use. I know that the Target Specialist teacher uses Edmodo in her

classroom, and this is a learning management program that is accessible at home.

Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 18

Also, I would ask the question, how do you communicate best with parents, and what

is their response to doing projects at home. Another teacher question would be, do you

think their projects would be of better quality if parents were able to support them at

home with technology tools. I would also ask if the teacher would be interested in

making an instructional video. Then, I would use the data from the teacher survey to

better understand what technology programs the video blog would contain. This

activity aligns with the PSC standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.6 Instructional Design, and

3.7 Communication and Collaboration.

Second Project Item/Activity

The second project item activity will be to present the survey, results, and

proposal to the administrative team. I would use a Power Point presentation detailing

the capstone proposal in a capturing presentation. The presentation will include various

slides such as graphs of the teacher survey, research on parent involvement as it

positively effects student success, and a detailed plan of communicating the video blog

to parents. The Power Point will be the official launch of the project and help me to

get started with working with teachers on creating videos. If the capstone proposal is

approved by the administrative team, I plan to create three instructional videos. I will

use screencast to make a video of about five minutes to explain, instruct, and educate

parents on RAZ-KIDS, Cobb Digital Library, and Office 365 account set up. RAZ-

KIDS reading program is widely used in our school and is a wonderful reading

resource to access at home. From my own experience, I know this would be beneficial

for parents to view a video created by the teacher who can specifically highlight which

pages to navigate and discuss how the program can help students become better
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 19

readers. This project item aligns with the deliverables and standards, 1.1 Shared

Vision, 2.6 Instructional Design, and 4.1 Digital Equity.

Third Project Item/Activity

The third project item activity will be to gather the videos and publish them on

the Ford Elementary School website as stated in the deliverables. The videos created

in screencast can be converted into a You Tube channel. Then, the video files can be

embedded on the Ford Elementary webpage under parent resources. This way all

parents can have access to the instructional videos created by teachers. In my research

on parent programs, it is important that the program is communicated to the parents

and staff at the beginning of the school year. I plan to attend Kindergarten Open House

to meet parents and share technology handouts that include a QR Code to access the

video files. Parents of first time Kindergarteners are often eager to learn about our

STEM school and will need knowledge of the technology programs that students will

be experiencing in the classroom. Also, I plan to attend Curriculum Night, and create

handouts with QR Codes for teachers to give to parents. This is especially helpful for

existing parents to know which technology tools from the start of the school year that

students in their grade level will be learning at Ford Elementary School. This third

project item aligns with the deliverables and standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.4 Higher

Order Thinking Skills, and 3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources.

Fourth Project Item/Activity

The fourth project item activity is to schedule time with teachers and design

and develop five instructional videos to post on the Ford Elementary website. I would

look back at the teacher survey and schedule a time to meet with at 5 teachers
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 20

interested in making a video. Then, I would connect with each of them by email about

their video preferences and offer a suggestion to use screencast for the instructional

video. I will send the directions to download screencast prior to me coming and

discuss the criteria of the video. I would like each video to not exceed 5 minutes. I

know that presentation tools in Office 365 are used by students, and teachers can take

One Drive, Power Point, Sway, One Note, and Forms. Each teacher can explain the

basics of creating presentations for projects that they will be doing in the school year.

For example, third grade teacher can create an instructional video on how to create an

online portfolio for your child to save work. This fourth project item aligns with the

deliverables above and standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.1 Content Standards & Student

Technology Standards, 2.6 Instructional Design, and 3.1 Classroom Management &

Collaborative Learning.

Figure 1. This table shows the project objectives and alignment to PSC standards.

Project Objectives PSC Standard

Project Objective 1 1.1 Shared Vision

By the end of the school year 2018- 2.4 Higher Order Thinking
2019, I plan to collect data from 2.8 Data Analysis
teachers and support staff by 3.7 Communication &
sending a survey to Collaboration
100% of the staff about technology
programs and have 20% of teachers
respond that they would like
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 21

parents to know about technology

tools.

Projective Objective 2 1.1 Shared Vision

2.4 Higher Order Thinking
By the end of the school year by May 2.6 Instructional Design
2019, I would present the instructional 3.2 Managing Digital Tools and
video Resources
blog in a Power Point presentation 3.7 Communication &
to the administrative team and Collaboration
create at least 3 instructional teacher 4.1 Digital Equity
videos on the Ford Elementary School 5.2 Professional Learning
website.

Project Objective 3 1.1 Shared Vision

2.6 Instructional Design
By the beginning of the school year August 3.7 Communication and Collaboration
2019, I would announce the program by 4.1 Digital Equity
attending Kindergarten Parent Orientation 6.3 Field Experiences
Night and Curriculum Night at FES (Ford
Elementary School) and produce a handout
of instructional technology flyers with
details of the program.

Project Objective 4 1.1 Shared Vision

By October 2019, I would include 5
additional instructional videos from other
teachers across the grades K-5 on the blog.
These videos will use screencast and be
published on the Ford Elementary School
website.
2.4 Higher Order Thinking
2.6 Instructional Design
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
4.1 Digital Equity
6.3 Field Experiences

Project Activities Alignment

Project Item/Activity Project Objectives Deliverables

Project Item Activity 1  Use Microsoft Office

 Use Office 365 Forms By the end of the Forms to create the
 Include teacher school year 2018- survey for teachers
questionnaire 2019, I plan to collect and support staff.
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY
 Use data from the data from teachers and
survey to gather support staff by
technology needs sending a survey to
100% of the staff
about technology
programs and have
20% of teachers
respond that they
would like
parents to know about
technology tools.
Project Item Activity 2 By the end of the school year
Use Power Point to by May 2019, I would present
create video slides on the instructional video
the research, survey, blog in a Power Point
results from teachers. presentation
 Create 3 videos for to the administrative team
the video blog and create at least 3
instructional teacher videos
on the Ford Elementary
School website.
Project Item Activity 3 By the beginning of the
 Create technology school year August 2019, I
handout with QR would announce the program
Code. by attending Kindergarten
 Share the handout Parent Orientation Night and
with the all teachers in Curriculum Night at FES
the school on (Ford Elementary School)
Kindergarten Open and produce a handout of
House and instructional technology
Curriculum Night
22
 Include the essential
question, What
technology programs
do you think parents
could use support on?
 Collect data and
analyze results from
20% of the teachers
and staff at Ford
Elementary School.
 Create an engaging
Power Point
presentation that is
conclusive of the
research and need for
the technology
program.
 Schedule to present
the Power Point
Capstone proposal to
the administrative
team including
teacher leaders at our
school.
 Use screencast to
create 3 instructional
videos including, Raz-
Kids, Cobb Digital
Library, and
Microsoft Office 365
student account set
up.
 I would plan to
schedule an area
where parents come to
get more information
about this technology
program at
Kindergarten Open
House.
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY
flyers with details of the
program.
Project Item Activity 4 By October 2019, I would
 Schedule time to meet include 5 additional
with teachers about instructional videos from
instructional videos. other teachers across the
 5 videos on grades K-5 on the blog. These
presentation tools in videos will use screencast and
Microsoft Office 365 be published on the Ford
Elementary School website.
23
 I would plan to
schedule an area
where parents come to
get more information
about this technology
program at
Curriculum Night.
 The handout will
include a QR code
and links to the Ford
Elementary Website
where the
instructional videos
are found.
 Create a You Tube
channel for FES (Ford
Elementary School)
video blog.
 Connect parents to the
video blog by reaching
out to teachers to
spread the news of the
instructional videos
available.
 Talk with teachers
willing to do a short
video to instruct
parents on technology
programs.
 Schedule time to work
one on one with
teachers to download
screencast on laptops
and
create instructional
videos to post.
 Compile the
collection of videos
into YOU TUBE, and
create technology
flyer with QR
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 24

codes to handout to
teacher leaders, school
administration, and
parents.

Evaluation Plan

The purpose of this project is to implement the digital tools that will be available

on the Ford Elementary School website. I will use the deliverables listed above to meet the

project objectives and to comply with the PSC standards. If I were to conduct this evaluation, I

would interview parents face to face, teachers, and leaders of the school of how they have used

the online resources. The interview would allow me to evaluate the effectiveness of the

implementation of the digital resources and training videos created by teachers. It will be

interesting to note if students are more engaged in homework when parents are knowledgeable of

the resources needed to successfully complete the assignments.

First Project Item/Activity

At the beginning of the school year, I would send a school wide email to teachers to

complete a questionnaire to help me to determine which technology resources are most important

to them. I would use Office 365 forms to create the survey. In the survey, I would include

questions about technology tools that teachers most commonly use. I know that the Target

Specialist teacher uses Edmodo in her classroom, and this is a learning management program

that is accessible at home. Also, I would ask the question, how do you communicate best with

parents, and what is their response to doing projects at home. Another teacher question would
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 25

be, do you think their projects would be of better quality if parents were able to support them at

home with technology tools. I would also ask if the teacher would be interested in making an

instructional video. Then, I would use the data from the teacher survey to better understand what

technology programs the video blog would contain. This activity aligns with the PSC standards,

1.1 Shared Vision, 2.6 Instructional Design, and 3.7 Communication and Collaboration.

Second Project Item/Activity

The second project item activity will be to present the survey, results, and proposal to the

administrative team. I would use a Power Point presentation detailing the capstone proposal in a

capturing presentation. The presentation will include various slides such as graphs of the teacher

survey, research on parent involvement as it positively effects student success, and a detailed

plan of communicating the video blog to parents. The Power Point will be the official launch of

the project and help me to get started with working with teachers on creating videos. If the

capstone proposal is approved by the administrative team, I plan to create three instructional

videos. I will use screencast to make a video of about five minutes to explain, instruct, and

educate parents on RAZ-KIDS, Cobb Digital Library, and Office 365 account set up. RAZ-

KIDS reading program is widely used in our school and is a wonderful reading resource to

access at home. From my own experience, I know this would be beneficial for parents to view a

video created by the teacher who can specifically highlight which pages to navigate and discuss

how the program can help students become better readers. This project item aligns with the

deliverables and standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.6 Instructional Design, and 4.1 Digital Equity.

Third Project Item/Activity

The third project item activity will be to gather the videos and publish them on the Ford

Elementary School website as stated in the deliverables. The videos created in screencast can be
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 26

converted into a You Tube channel. Then, the video files can be embedded on the Ford

Elementary webpage under parent resources. This way all parents can have access to the

instructional videos created by teachers. In my research on parent programs, it is important that

the program is communicated to the parents and staff at the beginning of the school year. I plan

to attend Kindergarten Open House to meet parents and share technology handouts that include a

QR Code to access the video files. Parents of first time Kindergarteners are often eager to learn

about our STEM school and will need knowledge of the technology programs that students will

be experiencing in the classroom. Also, I plan to attend Curriculum Night, and create handouts

with QR Codes for teachers to give to parents. This is especially helpful for existing parents to

know which technology tools from the start of the school year that students in their grade level

will be learning at Ford Elementary School. This third project item aligns with the deliverables

and standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills, and 3.2 Managing Digital

Tools and Resources.

Fourth Project Item/Activity

The fourth project item activity is to schedule time with teachers and design and develop

five instructional videos to post on the Ford Elementary website. I would look back at the

teacher survey and schedule a time to meet with at 5 teachers interested in making a video.

Then, I would connect with each of them by email about their video preferences and offer a

suggestion to use screencast for the instructional video. I will send the directions to download

screencast prior to me coming and discuss the criteria of the video. I would like each video to

not exceed 5 minutes. I know that presentation tools in Office 365 are used by students, and

teachers can take One Drive, Power Point, Sway, One Note, and Forms. Each teacher can explain

the basics of creating presentations for projects that they will be doing in the school year. For
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 27

example, third grade teacher can create an instructional video on how to create an online

portfolio for your child to save work. This fourth project item aligns with the deliverables above

and standards, 1.1 Shared Vision, 2.1 Content Standards & Student Technology Standards, 2.6

Instructional Design, and 3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning.

Project Timeline

The following project timeline will be implemented in the school year 2018-2019. The

project will take place at the end of this school year and the beginning of next school year 2019-

2020. The project timeline follows the objectives and deliverables listed above. Parents who

utilized the digital resources can expect to see the teacher made videos on the Ford Elementary

School website on the following timeline. The hours needed for each project item are included

and total 100 hours for this capstone project. Please refer to Table 3 and Table 4.

Table 3 Project Timeline

Month Project/Activity Hours

December I will use Office 365 forms to 5 hours

create questionnaire. I will
gather questions for the
survey. The survey will be
sent to the teachers and staff
at the school. Follow up with
teachers with personal emails
about questionnaire.

January Collect responses from 5 hours

teachers and analyze data.
Use form groups responses.

February Create a Power Point 10 hours

presentation in Office
365 to create slides on
research, survey and
results. The slides in
the presentation will
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 28

be used to
communicate plans to
the administrative
team.

March I will create three 10 hours

instructional videos for the
video blog. The first video
will be on RAZ Kids. The
second video will be on how
to set up an Office 365
account, and the third video
will be on Cobb Digital
Library.
April Create technology handouts 10 hours
for each of the instructional
videos created with QR Code.
Share the handout by
distributing it in teacher
mailboxes.
May Prepare a video presentation 10 hours
QR code for teachers who
might be interested in
creating an instructional
video.
June Schedule video appointments 5 hours
with teachers and send
tutorials on Screencast.
July Schedule video appointments 5 hours
with teachers and specialists
to send tutorials on
Screencast.
August Make copies and schedule a 10 hours
place to talk to parents about
technology resources at Ford
at the school Kindergarten
Open House and Curriculum
Night
September Schedule collaborating time 10 hours
with Media Specialist
webmaster of the Ford
Elementary website. Assist in
migrating videos and working
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 29

on website location on the

home page.
October Gather materials and 10 hours
resources needed to make 5
instructional videos created
by a lower grade K-2 teacher
doing an instructional video.
Make packets on directions to
make a video and post to the
You Tube channel. Follow up
with teachers with support
and face to face instruction.
November Gather printed materials and 10 hours
resources needed to make 5
instructional videos created
by a lower grade 3-5 teacher
doing an instructional video.
Make packets on directions to
make a video and post to the
You Tube channel. Follow up
with teachers with support
and face to face instruction.
December Update administration on 5 hours
progress and implementation
of the instructional video
blog. Ask questions and seek
advice for contacting parents
to continue further
acknowledgeable and
evaluate success of the
resources. Make a plan
toward next steps with
evaluating project.
Total 105 hours

Table 4 Resources
Proposed Resources Specifications
Web Resources Office 365 Online
Power Point Presentation
Sway
RAZ Kids
Cobb Digital Library
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 30

You Tube Channel

Screencast
See Saw
Edmodo
Weebly
Cobb County School District
Ford Elementary School Website
QR Code Reader

Physical Space Classroom Space

Reserved Meeting Space
Foldable Table

Technology Tools High Speed Internet

Laptop Computers
Ipads with video recording features
Keyboard
Charging Station
Running Head: PARENTS AND TECHNOLOGY 31

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