Instructional Design Project-BYOD and Google Docs: A Great Match

Dimitrios Karagiorgas

Abstract

Bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives have been around for quite a few years, and are being adopted at a very rapid pace. While instituting BYOD is a good idea because both teachers and students benefit from it, the initiative is not without its opposers. Specifically, teachers, especially veteran teachers, who because of their pedagogical beliefs and existing knowledge refuse to integrate mobile computing devices (MCDs) in to their classroom. The overall purpose of this Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is to encourage all teachers, especially hesitant or even opposing teachers, to embrace BYOD and begin integrating it into their curriculum. The means by which this will be accomplished will be through professional development (PD) that will be conducted in a basic, easy to understand format including many multimedia elements and plenty of time in which to complete the assignments.

Keywords: BYOD, bring your own technology, teachers oppose technology, classroom tech, classroom and mobile devices 

The Need

Based on current research, it has become evident that 9^th – 12^th grade teachers require more training for implementing a BYOD initiative. According to Ross (2013), teachers complained that their level of knowledge was not where they wanted it to be, and believed they needed more training in the form of PD. Moreover, Arnold (2015), says that in order for a BYOD initiative to be fully effective it has to be coupled with PD. Obviously, there is absolutely no doubt that in order to achieve a successful BYOD implementation, teachers must be properly trained through PD. Therefore, this ISD seeks to fulfill the obvious gap that exists in many schools by properly training teachers in how to use technology in a BYOD environment so they can integrate it into their curriculum.

The Goal

According to Bolkan (2013), 85% of educational establishments, K-12 and higher education, have a BYOD policy that allows teachers and students to bring their MCDs into the classroom. The goal of the PD sessions is to enable 9^th – 12^th grade teachers to use their personal MCDs in order to successfully utilize Google Docs. Teachers will be provided with effective PD in order to not only know how to use Google Docs on their MCDs but also to gain expertise in how to use Google Docs to create documents that will assist them with their teaching. 

Task Analysis

Figure 1.  Task analysis listing goal, steps and substeps.

Context and Learner Analysis

This instructional design module is intended for 9^th – 12^th grade teachers who may or may not have incorporated BYOD into the classroom. The learners' skill set will vary because some teachers, especially veteran teachers, have a low level of knowledge in using technology and resist it (Testa, 2014). Again, according to Testa (2014), many teachers do not believe that effective teaching can occur by utilizing technology because there is a lack of support from schools to help teachers integrate technology into the classroom.

Other teachers may have devices with which they are comfortable, and are able to incorporate them with some level of success into their classroom.  PD sessions will need to be differentiated for all levels of learners so as to help them gain insight.  The reason the PD sessions will need to be differentiated is that learners’ time to learn differs as do the pursuits they find appealing as well as their learning profile (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). Differentiation models may include mentor teachers, or small cohorts of teachers that include experienced users as well as inexperienced users.

This topic is likely to interest learners who are searching for ways to incorporate technology into their classrooms but are not certain how to begin as well as those who may be hesitant or even reluctant. According to Burns-Sardone (2014), teachers are quite interested and have a favorable attitude toward incorporating BYOD into their classrooms.  Unfortunately, there are some teachers who resist technology and as such have become a stumbling block to BYOD because, among other reasons, they see themselves as being transformed into facilitators (Kiger & Herro, 2015). However, as previously mentioned, to combat this problem school support in the form of helping teachers to integrate technology into the classroom helps to alleviate this issue (Testa, 2014).

Another issue that concerns teachers is that they want to see the use of devices aligned with the curriculum.  In other words, the effort is not technology for technology's sake, but purposeful integration of technology (Grant, et al., 2015).  When using MCDs, students are more engaged in content and as a result test scores, graduation rates, and report card grades all increase (Broussard, Herbert, Welch, & Vanmetre, 2014). Indeed, it is evident that when students use technology they are more satisfied and are academically successful. Therefore, a BYOD initiative, coupled with purposeful PD, makes sense. It makes sense because it helps teachers to be better instructors, encourages them to integrate technology into the classroom and students benefit as well. Overall, it is a winning combination.  
 

Instructional Objectives

Step 1: Teachers will be able to click on the Google Play store app or App Store app for iOS users, conduct a search and download, and install Google Docs on their MCD and register if they are not already registered.

SubStep 1.1 Teachers with MCDs that do not require apps, such as laptops, will be able to head on over to the online version, click on the Go to Google Docs button, and use the web version by registering for the service.

Step 2: Teachers will be able to save their Google Docs documents on Google Drive by unchecking the Keep Offline button and by clicking on the checkmark on the upper right—web users’ documents are saved automatically—and teachers will be able to retrieve their documents by going to the homescreen to locate them.

SubStep 2.1 Teachers will be able to save locally by checking the Keep Offline button and will be able to retrieve their documents by going to the homescreen to locate them. 

Step 3: Teachers will be able to share their documents by choosing Share & Export and then clicking on Send a Copy, selecting either PDF or Word (.docx), and then choosing the built in email app from the dialog box that will enable them to email the document—web users will click on share and follow the directions in the pop up dialog box and follow the same procedure. Once they are done, they will email a copy to their pre-assigned colleague for collaboration and then a copy to the instructor for assessment.

Step 4: Teachers will be able to select and use any of their existing lesson plans, and then create a new Google Docs document in order to create lecture notes and a homework assignment for their chosen lesson plan. Once they are done, they will email a copy to their pre-assigned colleague for collaboration and then a copy to the instructor for assessment.

Step 5: Teachers will be able to apply various formatting on their Google Docs documents using Bold, Italic, Underline, Superscript to at least one word for each formatting, and be able to change the font size to 12pt or 13px; change the font to Verdana, Arial, or Times New Roman; text color to red on one sentence; apply left alignment to 1-2 sentences, and center alignment to another 1-2 sentences.

Instructional Objectives Flowchart

Figure 2.  Instructional objectives flowchart steps and substeps.

Pre-Assessment

            In order to gauge any pre-determined biases, pre-conceptions and/or prior knowledge, there will be a short online survey that teachers will take prior to attending the PD sessions. The survey will be very short and consist of 6 questions in a Yes or No format. In addition, there will be an optional text box where teachers may include any other information they believe would contribute to a better PD experience.

Survey Questions

* required

*1.       Do you own any kind of mobile device e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.?
☐Yes ☐No

*2.       If you answered yes to question 1, please answer the following question: Have you ever installed or been prompted by your device to update an app or piece of software?
☐Yes ☐No

*3.       Have you ever heard of Google Docs? ☐Yes ☐No

*4.       If you answered yes to question 3, please answer the following question: Have you ever tried using Google Docs? ☐Yes ☐No

*5.       Do you send and receive email using your mobile device? ☐Yes ☐No

*6.       Do you believe mobile devices can be a useful asset in teaching? ☐Yes ☐No

optional

Please use the textbox below to contribute anything you believe will make the professional development seminars more beneficial.

Post Assessment

During steps 5 & 5.1, teachers will receive a pre-formatted Google Docs document from the instructor that will have examples of the required formatting. It will include everything that has been covered up to this point. The teachers must use a Google Docs document that has lecture notes and a homework assignment.

Table 1

Assessment Rubric