Morgan County Schools Case Study
THE DISTRICT
Morgan County, located just fourteen minutes outside of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and thirty minutes outside of Knoxville, is a rural district consisting of eight schools, twenty-eight hundred students, and two hundred and eighty teachers, alongside approximately the same number of non-instructional staff employees.
HOW IT STARTED
When Jessica Hastings took on Morgan County's Technology Coach position, it had been five years since the district had a technology leader. In her new role, one of her first initiatives was to offer professional development to their teachers on district tech tools, including Google for Education. Google training was the first thing that initially attracted the new Technology Coach when meeting MobileMind at the Tennessee Educational Technology Conference (TETC).
At the time, most Google training took place during the summer and was not mandatory for instructional staff, which led to a lack of comfort with Google apps like Classroom, Slides, Docs, etc. Jessica appreciated that the learning hub offered on-demand training and met the teachers where they were at with their Google skills. The district purchased MobileMind through Title funding and gained
Advance Access to the learning hub in March. This early access allowed admins to familiarize themselves with the platform, answer questions, offer guidance, and get buy-in from the principals before teachers began using the learning hub.
"We wanted everyone to already know about MobileMind before July 1. Our early access meant so much for us because we felt prepared. We [admins] were already familiar enough to be helpful to learners. With early access, we were prepared and ready before the teachers came back and started using it."
JESSICA HASTINGS, TECHNOLOGY COACH
A NEW WAY
After seeing success with Google training in MobileMind, they expanded their use that same year. The district scheduled an in-service day where teachers completed virtual learning paths during the designated day. "That went really well. The teachers learned a lot, and we were able to use our own training content," Jessica explained.
Initially, an administrative assistant was tasked with tracking the in-service day credits through a popular legacy HR solution, while Jessica was responsible for the training. However, when the admin retired, Jessica had to take on all the tracking responsibilities. Managing two platforms for facilitating training and tracking credits became a challenge, proving inefficient and frustrating at times.
Simultaneously, MobileMind launched the popular
External PD Tracking feature and MobileMind Backpack. These features allow the tech coach to track and report on all credit hours, both internal and external to Morgan County, while consolidating accomplishments in digital portfolios for each teacher. This enabled the district to drop the clunky, legacy HR solution and consolidate all PD efforts into MobileMind.
"Now we use MobileMind to track, report, and facilitate mandated training and in-person events like conferences. MobileMind now encompasses everything PD, in-service, on-demand training, all of the above."
JESSICA HASTINGS
Jessica noted, "Now with MobileMind, we give a six-hour learning path and provide our teachers with in-service where they could complete all of the required training from the state, like suicide prevention, bullying, bloodborne pathogens, over the summer. That went really well." This approach got teachers comfortable with the learning hub, allowing them to start identifying other training topics they needed on their own, giving them voice and choice in their professional learning journey.
"Attendance for in-person events has been higher since using MobileMind because it is so easy for teachers to go into the learning hub and RSVP. We canceled a lot of sessions in the past because we lacked participation; it was confusing in [legacy HR solution] before."
JESSICA HASTINGS
SURPRISING USES
Morgan County was impressed with the user-friendliness of MobileMind and how much their teachers enjoyed using it, especially when compared to the legacy HR solution previously used. "It was an actual nightmare. Teachers never knew where to find links to spreadsheets, never knew how to submit certificates, and could not find them once they were submitted. On the admin side, I could not find the certificates they uploaded; they had to email them to me separately," Jessica explained.
With MobileMind's External PD tracking, Jessica was surprised at how easy it was to track external credit hours through the learning hub. "A big surprise was how responsive the teachers were and how easy it had been for them to request credit. I love how I can just click on it, see their certificate, mark it complete, and it goes in their MobileMind Backpack, and I am done,” she explained.
The surprises didn't stop there. Once Morgan County discovered how easy it was to track attendance for in-person sessions through
MobileMind Events, Jessica was able to gain buy-in from other administrators in the district. "Everyone is so happy that they don't have to keep up with a sign-in sheet. Without even meeting or any training with them [other admins] they have been able to use Events. They have been able to pick it up and run with it."
THE TRANSITION FROM A LEGACY HR SOLUTION
After Morgan County discovered the surprising uses for MobileMind, they no longer needed to use the legacy HR solution. They were able to consolidate their efforts into the modern learning hub, eliminating frustration from teachers, admins, and Jessica as a Technology Coach. "I have not had any negative comments about MobileMind. With MobileMind, I know I'm not always going to feel behind because everything is so easy to take care of. Whereas before, I felt like I was stretched between my email and [legacy HR solution] and afraid I would miss something," she explained.
"I have not had one teacher say they could not find something in MobileMind. It has been a breath of fresh air."
JESSICA HASTINGS
CONCLUSION
Morgan County's transition to MobileMind has been transformative. The district streamlined its professional development processes and empowered its teachers with user-friendly tools that enhanced their learning experiences. The success stories from the initial Google training to the widespread adoption of MobileMind Events and External PD tracking highlight the platform's impact. Jessica and her colleagues now enjoy seamless, efficient, and engaging professional development, setting a new standard for tech integration and teacher support in the district.
KEY NUMBERS
as of July 23, 2024
646
digital badges earned
10,181
micro-courses completed
5,019
hours spent in MobileMind
106
micro-courses created
1,253
PD credit scheduled, earned, and tracked in MobileMind Events