Educational Technology Masters Program
Cohort #4
Graduates:
| Joseph Chipps | Don Foster: | Pavel Lieb | |
| Tiffanee Reynolds | Jane Foygel | Shirin Herrington | |
| Robyn Hauptman | Luz M Vasquez | Alan Hauser | |
| Sandy Geyer | Cynthia Moreno | Oscar Miguel Santos | |
| Ryan Thomas | |||
Ed Tech MA Abstracts and images:
Although the media is showering praise on the “flipped classroom” model, there is minimal research of its effectiveness on student learning. In a flipped classroom, students receive instruction at home, and the classroom is used for the development of skills and practice. In fall of 2012, two Advanced Placement Calculus classes were used to test the efficacy of the flipped classroom; one was taught by the traditional method and the other was taught using the flipped classroom model. In the flipped class model, students received instruction at home from videos on the website BeyondCalculus.com, and in class, worked in small learning communities to problem-solve. Although the two classes began with the same knowledge of pre-calculus, by the end of differential calculus, the experimental class scored dramatically higher on past AP exams, and was able to reason at a demonstrably higher level. Students reported that the flipped classroom individualized learning, provided more support than traditional classes, and emphasized content and understanding. Used effectively, the flipped classroom model has the potential to revolutionize the method in which students learn.
Opportunities to talk about science through student discourse and self-explanation have been shown to deepen understanding of science concepts. This study aimed to determine whether utilizing an active learning method, that focuses on student discourse, to submit and vote for science explanations, using Google Moderator (an online ranking tool), improves students’ understanding of science concepts, the quality of their explanations, and ability to build knowledge collaboratively with their peers. In order to test the use of Moderator, nineteen, nine- and ten-year-old elementary students engaged in the same active learning method prior to intervention and with intervention, which allowed them to submit anonymous, collaborative explanations to science concept questions with a partner. The pre-intervention explanations were submitted on paper, and the intervention explanations were submitted on Moderator and voted for online. During the pre- intervention period, the explanations were displayed under a document camera and discussed with the entire class. During the intervention, explanations were displayed on Moderator in order of popularity based on the voting results and discussed. Data analysis of the two sets of explanations revealed a significant improvement in the Moderator explanations, in comparison to the handwritten explanations, in terms of accuracy, words per sentence, and the grade level at which the explanations were written. The results of pre- and post-intervention test scores revealed a significant improvement in the post- intervention test scores suggesting improved understanding. Additionally, survey data revealed that a majority of students reported that opportunities for self-explanation (89%) and student discourse (83%) improved their understanding of the science concepts. The data also indicate that the students enjoyed the voting aspect of Moderator. Ninety-five percent of students reported that they liked receiving a lot of votes. Finally, the survey and interview data indicated that the students worked collaboratively to build their knowledge during the intervention.
This is an action research based study focusing on middle school physical education studentslearning invasion sports (such as soccer, basketball or ultimate Frisbee type games) conceptsthrough an online simulation game created in Scratch. The study compared two seventh gradeclasses’ knowledge and skills in invasion sports. One group played the online game, while theother group did not. Both groups received Teaching Games for Understanding lessons. Eachgroup increased their skills of getting open by changing speed, changing direction, and usingdeception, while both groups knowledge stayed the same, denoting there was no significantdifference in the group that played the online game and the group that did not.
Technical workers have many specific tasks and procedural instructions to learn and process routinely. To gain expertise within a given application requires time and training resources. Traditional classroom instruction and textbooks provide great value but are not the most cost-effective method for training or referencing specific task related information. The goal of this development research project is to determine if the use of video enhances task management during the learning process. An Adobe Flash application was developed that trained the research participants on the basics of an enterprise data backup application titled Symantec Netbackup. The research participants, aged 20 through 65, received the training which included 3 women, two of them with backgrounds in Social Work. The course content was presented in video with audio as well as text and graphics formats without audio. Participant learning preferences were also analyzed to determine their views on instruction methods through the use of surveys. A quiz was administered after the training exercise to test the participant’s comprehension of the material. Results indicated no conclusive evidence that video offered an advantage over instruction presented with text and graphics. The training application provided the necessary tools, instructions and specific server architecture information to assist technical staff with routine tasks. Although the training videos were acknowledged as a valuable training resource, the text and graphic illustrations provided the most benefit to comprehension of specific task management concepts.
The problem with teaching an Algebra2 class in high school is that teachers are required to cover too many topics too quickly. Students don’t have time to “digest” material. Many topics covered in Algebra2 are straight-forward procedures that require a lot of practice time and support. Generally the student population in Algebra2 is made up of 9 and 10th graders. 9th and 10th graders are often less mature than older students, which makes it more difficult to teach them and to hold their attention during lectures. The purpose of the research study was to prove that since the flipped classroom model gives more time to practice within the classroom and more time for discovery lessons, helps students process and retain information it will increase student motivation and give students greater control over their education, leading to an increase in student achievement. The findings of the research study didn’t prove the hypothesis. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the flipped classroom model is very effective if students are responsible and motivated. The findings of the study don’t support the hypothesis that the flipped classroom method increases student motivation and achievement. If students are neither motivated nor responsible, the flipped classroom method actually decreases student’s achievement.
In this project I aimed to investigate whether creation of comprehensive and collaborative websites is a viable learning modality as it provides a number of multiple intelligence learning opportunities. Five groups of students enrolled in Biology Honors course of a Los Angeles independent school participated in the study. 2 of the groups were taught using a traditional curriculum, while 3 other groups were given an additional project that involved selecting a disease to research in order to create an informative website. Throughout the duration of the semester students were asked to populate their website with the information relevant to a specific unit covered in class. My aim was for students to produce an educational website that could also serve as a portfolio of their learning. I hypothesized that students’ achievement will improve as a result of this activity, and the results showed a sight improvement as indicated by the test scores. Post-project surveys also indicated that students enjoyed such project-based approach and found them to be a meaningful use of time. While further studies are required in order to understand the specifics of this kind of a learning modality, the data from this project show that project-based website creation might be a valuable avenue of teaching in the contemporary classroom.
The purpose of this study was to determine if giving students access to teacher created videos of worked examples would increase student learning in high school algebra classes. Forty-one high school freshmen in two algebra classes taught by the same teacher took part in the study. The experimental group (N=23) was given access to teacher created videos of worked examples, while the control group (N=18) was not. Analysis using T-test on students’ pre- and post-test gain scores suggest that there was no significant difference in students who had access to the videos and those who did not. However, further analysis suggests that there was a significant difference between students within the experimental group who viewed 25% or more of the teacher created videos and those students who viewed fewer than 25% of the videos. These findings suggest that giving students access to teacher created videos of worked examples might not effectively increase student learning, but making viewing of the videos a requirement of the class, could have a positive effect on student learning.
This study investigated the effect of online tutoring on students within a Biology Science department of an urban community college. Educators are using technologies such as online tutoring to enhance their courses. Is online tutoring effective by helping students learn. The data from two consecutive semesters along with some surveys and interviews from faculty and staff were gathered and evaluated. The findings were reflective of their success (pass/fail) and class retention (completed/not-completed) rates. Survey results represented their satisfaction levels as well as their preference between face-to-face and online tutoring. Results suggested that tutoring in general was very effective in student success and retention rates. Online tutoring however didn’t affect their success rates significantly, but it helped with their retentions rates. Online tutoring as was a great supplement to other existing forms of tutoring, therefore it could be beneficial in an academic performance. Although the students were highly satisfied with the online tutoring concept, they still preferred the face-to-face tutoring over online tutoring. The findings call for further research into online tutoring.
Educational games can be highly motivating, but development costs and limited classroom technology present issues for classroom teachers to implement. This development project created a website called SciCademy to incorporate highly motivational aspects of video games into a low cost online component to a traditional face to face classroom. The game aspects incorporated include a narrative where students are cadets working to save the world, clear incremental goals by dividing subjects into levels, and badges as rewards for achievements. SciCademy was created with Moodle, various free plugins, CertificatesWall.com, and other free or low cost software. Through the development process it was found that these motivational aspects of games can be reproduced and utilized by traditional classroom teachers, but the technological troubleshooting presents a rather high barrier to implementation and widespread adoption. Significant work is still needed to create easy to use software that will be more intuitive to install and integrate into the traditional classroom environment.
Technology is changing the modern-day classroom and opening the doors to many new possibilities for the interactive delivery of educational content in all levels of education. Open source course management systems and software as well as mobile and wireless technologies have made online learning environments possible and dynamic. Many states facing budget uncertainties are turning to distance learning or online learning environments in an effort to reduce educational costs. Colleges and universities are increasing online course offerings to meet the needs of their students. My interest and the focus of this research paper is in the hybrid model of online learning to help at-risk continuation high school students recover credits, stay engaged in school and ultimately graduate. The dire consequences of dropping out of high school are well documented and every drop-out pays a high price as does society as a whole. Every year I see students drop out of high school and I wonder if I could have done more, if my school could have done more. This research project was created out of a desire to learn whether a supplemental online class would benefit the at-risk students I teach. The study started in October 2012 and ended in December 2012. Eighteen students participated in the study. An analysis of data obtained from Moodle, the Course Management System I used to create and manage the online class, as well as the results of pre- and post- surveys and informal interviews with students, showed students, when absent, felt more connected to the classroom and more engaged in classroom activities, students recovered practical arts/general elective credits at a faster rate, students improved their digital literacy skills, and students believed they were more prepared for online college courses as a result of completing at least one online assignment.
There are countless studies and research papers written about pedagogical and andragogical theories and information and communication technology’s relationship with those theories. However, very little has been done to examine the role information and communication technology play in professional sales people’s learning process and the impact it may have on team collaboration and sales production. While adult-learning principles may be applicable to a general population of adult learners, professional sales people present challenges to these basic principles. It would seem that only now as the “net generation” makes a larger impact on society; technology and social collaboration has finally caught up to adequately satisfy the needs of a sales person. However, organizations have been slow to recognize, not only the societal shift, but also the need to approach sales training in a manner consistent with this shift. This study aims to determine if sales production of sales people can be improved when there is an increase in collaboration and social learning among them. Sales people will work collaboratively to create short, educational sales videos, for the benefit of themselves and their peers. It is through this process that sales people will learn socially and collaboratively with the goal of retaining specific skills that will enhance overall ability and induce an increase in sales production.
The goal of this development project was to create a website that contains resources for developing critical culture and a social justice pedagogy in an art classroom. The site provides California Visual Arts Standards-based lesson plans, discrete strategies for performing classroom critiques and resources for exploring issues of racism, sexism, and history in visual culture. Inspired by the work of Pauolo Freire and bell hooks, the project describes a social justice pedagogy as one that names injustice, posits social progress and develops a classroom community. The project seeks to honor the voices and experiences of people of color, women, poor people, members of the LGBTQ community and others that have been historically silenced and marginalized. The ultimate goal is that these resources be used by teachers and students to create art, foster discussion and develop critical culture in the art classroom through critical examination of various visual media and documents. The completed site can be found at http://www.artsandjustice.org.
In the fall of 2012, 62 students participated in a six-week writing unit that used Google Applications in order to improve writing perceptions and develop writing skills. This paper presents a case study investigating education and student writing development using Collaborative Google Applications. The study considered: How does implementing collaborative Google Applications improve student writing perceptions and writing skills? The purpose of this study was to see whether a collaborative Google Applications classroom would be more effective in changing student perceptions on writing, while further developing their writing skills. A Google Applications classroom allowed students to efficiently collaborate together on writing assignments and further develop their writing skills. Students engaged in the writing process with their groups using Google Documents. At the end of the six weeks, students reported in increase in writing ability. Student essay development was significant as well as grammar and mechanics scores improved. Student writing perception also improved at the end of the six weeks. Students reported an increased interest in writing using Google Documents. They also reported an overall improvement in perception toward writing in the classroom and collaborating with others.
Last modified: Thursday, 23 May 2013, 3:47 PM