WPP Final Project- CEP 812

Hello All!

I am proud to present my final WPP results video! I hope you enjoy it. You can find it located here.

You will find a few portions from my video below. The text from the problem, the text from the solution, and the TPACK questions and answers are listed in this section. Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments!

Text of the Problem:

Assessment is a major function of all classrooms and my classroom is no different. The curriculum in my school is intense and asks students to have a huge set of content knowledge. Not only must students know the content, but they must have skills that allow them to showcase their knowledge and use it to solve multiple types of problems.

Throughout my classes I constantly assess my student’s understanding of the material being presented. This formative assessment is mostly done orally, but is sometimes done using pen and paper. When completing the assessments by word of mouth I am able to instantaneously alter my instruction. If I notice that I have failed to clarify a certain point I will change the course of the lesson. The problem, however, is that I only receive information from a small sample of my students. When using pen and paper, the feedback is not instantaneous, and I fail to alter my lesson within the desired timeframe.

In order to provide better instruction that is moldable to my students needs, I wanted to find a technology that allows me to poll results from all of my students instantaneously.

Text of the Solution:

My goal was to address this issue with the use of CPS clickers. The clickers themselves integrate well with the SmartBoard that is installed in my room. I planned to use the clickers to formatively assess student understanding throughout my lessons. I gave students clickers at the beginning of each lesson and had them answer questions throughout. I had planned on quickly adding questions when necessary. Depending on the results, I had planned to change my instruction in a manner that would help students key in on topics that they were struggling with. I wanted to improve student understanding of my content by using the clickers.

I used this approach with one of my 9th grade World Studies classes. I teach two sections of this course and one class used the clickers while the other did not. The class that did not was my control. I ran the project for a total of five classes in my World Religion unit. The second class used predefined questions throughout the lesson to gauge how well my students understood the content.  I also used some instant questions for immediate feedback.

TPACK Questions and Answers:

TP- What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

As a teacher in an IB history classroom I strive to use inquiry throughout my lessons. I try to guide my students towards a better understanding of the content. When designing activities I often look to create lessons that provide frameworks for students and that push them to uncover the content. The clickers that I used for this project helped me to gain a better understanding of my students understanding of the material. Inquiry is not just giving a student a worksheet and letting them “research” the answer. In order to create great learning environments I must monitor my student’s success, and help guide them throughout the process. Clickers allow me to do this better and help me to provide only the necessary scaffolding for students. My understanding of their knowledge allows me to implement supports and remove them as necessary. I believe that students should be pushed to succeed and that they cannot do so without the right supports.

TC- What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The clickers that I used made content knowledge more accessible by allowing me as a teacher to alter my teaching based upon my findings. When students struggle with a particular topic I am not always aware of the problem. My teaching will never be perfect and I need to be aware of content gaps when then occur. No two students learn the same, and while I try to differentiate, there are times when I struggle. Using the clickers provided me with instant feedback of my teaching effectiveness. With this data in hand I was able to cover gaps of content knowledge in new ways. When teaching lessons without clickers I am sometimes unaware of my pitfalls until I assess my students in a more traditional manner. The clickers allowed me to see student understanding instantaneously.

PC- What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

My teaching often asks students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information. Doing so with inquiry can be a challenge for students and myself. Improperly scaffolding lessons can lead to misunderstandings and content knowledge gaps. Using the clickers allowed me to assess my own teaching on the fly and alter it to meet the needs of my students. Strong content knowledge cannot be accurately constructed without a solid knowledge base. Any misunderstandings need to be addressed. When giving students documents to analyze or problems to solve it is necessary for me to check for understanding. While doing checks it is possible for me to miss problems that my students may be having.

The clickers allowed me to make more accurate decisions. Using the clickers with my inquiry teaching method helps students to uncover the content in a more efficient manner. Using predefined questions, as well as instant questions, helped inform my teaching style or pedagogy instantaneously. Providing information to students without helping them decipher its intricacies can lead to poor understanding of the content. Inquiry is not useful when students are provided with skills and content that they do not really understand. The use of clickers in my classroom allowed me to become a better teacher of content through a more effective pedagogical teaching style.

Group Leadership Project- CEP 812

Hello! This is our final PD product for CEP 812. It is a great tutorial in how to use Windows Movie Maker across content areas to create engaging lessons. These lessons are all aligned with various standards. The video for our final product can be found here.

Below, you will find a description of our final product as well as some takeaways from the process itself. You may also want to read other posts about our production process here and here.

Tool Used:

For this tutorial, we recorded our use of Windows Movie Maker with Camtasia Studio. Windows Movie Maker is a tool that all people with a Windows PC can access. Because of this, we decided to use it as a tool to deliver content. Students are able to use it in a variety of ways to help foster deep student understanding of a topic. Many standards within the Common Core can be easily showcased. Each discipline that is highlighted uses it in a slightly different way. We used Camtasia Studio to record our “teaching” because it is easy to use and because it provides a seamless recording environment. In addition, it has a 30 day free trial that each of us could use.

Lessons Learned:

I learned a couple of things while working on this assignment. First of all, it was apparent that we each have a variety of interpretations when it comes to the requirements of one assignment. Each member within our group internalized the instructions differently. At times, this made it difficult for us to create a clear and consistent product. Additionally, I learned that there can and always will be problems when putting together a large assignment like this. When using video, people will use different codecs to encode their video and programs like Windows Movie Maker will crash on a variety of computers. Previews won’t show up and audio will fail to record. It is important to experiment far in advance with the technology to make sure that it works properly. In fact, we had so many problems that the final video was actually compiled within Camtasia Studio instead of Windows Movie Maker. While the videos that students would produce would be simplistic enough for WMM to handle, more advanced compilations would require a tool like Camtasia.

Things to do Different in the Future:

If I developed a similar product again, I would practice using the recording software far in advance. Most of the problems that occurred were do to the learning curve of Camtasia. I would also make sure that our group goals were more clearly outlined from the beginning. At times I was confused as to what my individual task was. Because of this I was concerned that the final product would not adequately show how helpful a tool like WMM could be in the classroom. 

Part D- Findings and Implications (CEP 812)

For my CEP 812 project I used the CPS clickers that work with my SmartBoard. This is the review that I did at the end of the project. 

Implementation of the Plan-

Using clickers for my WPP project has been a great experience. While not all of the things that I had planned to implement panned out, the overall project was a success.

For this project I had planned to utilize clickers more to help inform my instructional decisions. As I reported earlier in this post, I was able to adequately implement half of my plan.  I had hoped to inform my teaching using both predefined questions and instant questions through the Smart Response software. In the five sessions that I taught during this two-week period, I found that I struggled to utilize the instant questions in an effective manner. They were slow to add on my computer, and I found myself dreading adding them. Because of this, I often chose not to include them in my lessons. I believe that my students missed out on powerful learning experiences because of my inability to add these questions. The predefined questions, however, were implemented successfully. I was able to take responses from the multiple-choice questions that I provided to highlight certain topics that my students were struggling with. In the end, I am fairly certain that this modification to my teaching was beneficial and effective.

Summative Results-

When looking at the results of my classes, I believe that my students were successful. Throughout my religion unit I assessed my second class using the clickers. My first class did not use receive instruction using them. This process slowed down my teaching and made it hard for me to keep both classes on time. When assessing both classes, I did so with a traditional written quiz. Within my course, there are very few assessments that use multiple-choice questions, and I wanted to make this assessment as authentic as possible.  An example of this document can be found here.

When looking at the data, I found that the students in my second class performed slightly better than those in the first (the one without clickers). Each question on the quiz was worth two points. Students received one point for a basic understanding of the question and an additional point for mastery of the question. Most students in both classes did exceptionally well with the first point. However, there were some differences between the students in my classes based upon the second point. Those that were taught using the clickers, seemed to have a deeper understanding of the questions. My first section, which has 29 students, averaged a 15.2 on the quiz. My second section, which has a slightly smaller 24 students, averaged a 16 on the quiz.

There is an obvious correlation between the clickers and the improved quiz results. The question, however, is whether or not there is causation between the two. Based upon my classroom observations, I strongly believe that there is a correlation. The discussions that occurred because of my findings were great, and seemed to lead to better understandings of the topics.

Differences if Implemented Again-

If I were to complete a similar project in the future, I would make sure to put more time into planning each individual step of the process. While I had my questions prepared prior to each lesson, I was unprepared with the struggle that I would have adding instant questions. I am considering bringing in my laptop to use for future lessons. For some reason, it seems to add instant questions much easier and quicker. Also, I would make sure to think about the logistical concerns of a future technological implementation. While it was not overly problematic, it was time consuming at times for my students to initially log in and use the clickers. As the classes went on, however, students had an easier time doing so. The use of technology is ineffective if students cannot adequately use the software or hardware.

Recommendations for Uses of Clickers in the Classroom

• Create logins for each student. Doing so, allowed my students to streamline the process. After the first few classes, students logged in quite quickly.

• Make a concerted effort to add instant questions. While my preplanned questions were helpful, I believe that the instant questions would have been more beneficial. Regardless of the struggle that you may have adding instant questions, DO IT!

• Be willing to alter your instruction! Teaching isn’t helpful if the students struggle to understand what you are talking about! You can always modify your lessons later if time is needed. YOU MUST TEACH FOR UNDERSTANDING!

Future Uses of Technology

If in the future I complete a similar activity, I will make sure to focus on the educational needs of my students. I chose not to implement a portion of my plan because it was slightly inconvenient and because it would take more time out of my plans. I must focus on being more fluid with my instruction. That was the overall goal of this project, and I was in part unsuccessful. No matter the technology, I must be willing to change my instruction to meet the needs of each of my students. Student understanding is the most important thing.

PART B- Storyboard and Script

Hello!

For our group CEP 812 project, we have created the following storyboard documents. One document provides the scripts with descriptions and details about how the Windows Movie Maker presentation will progress. The second document shows a better visual representation of the storyboard. I personally created my own section on WMM in the Social Studies elective and provided input to other sections.

I will be recording my own portion of the video from a Social Studies elective standpoint.  I will be highlighting the Common Core standards that highlight the comparison between authors and their viewpoints. I will also, most likely, be recording the concluding segment. We will each have at least one section to record. The final video files will be sent to one individual who will compile the videos into a final ten minute video.

Here is document one.

Here is document two.

PART C- Implementation (CEP 812 WPP)

Hello Again!

I've been working on my Wicked Problems Project for a while now. I have a few updates for how my project has been progressing that are in my podcast. I've also added some images for you to see how things are set up. Please leave any comments or questions below!

Here is my podcast

The CPS clickers in their case

The clickers that I use

My SmartBoard in use!

PART B: Application of TPACK

Using clickers, I am attempting to fix a problem in my teaching. The following writeup shows you how TPACK is influencing my teaching! Enjoy!

PART B: Application of TPACK: Basic description of each of these areas and important characteristics of these areas as related to this project

1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

As a teacher in an IB history classroom I strive to use inquiry throughout my lessons. I try to guide my students towards a better understanding of the content. When designing activities I often look to create lessons that provide frameworks for students and that push them to uncover the content. The clickers that I am using for this project help me to gain a better understanding of my students understanding of the material. Inquiry is not just giving a student a worksheet and letting them “research” the answer. In order to create great learning environments I must monitor my students success, and help guide them throughout the process. Clickers will hopefully allow me to do this better and help me to provide only the necessary scaffolding for students. My understanding of their knowledge will allow me to implement supports and remove them as necessary. I believe that students should be pushed to succeed and that they cannot do so without the right supports.

2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The clickers that I am using for my Wicked Problems Project make content knowledge more accessible by allowing me as a teacher to alter my teaching based upon my findings. When students struggle with a particular topic I am not always aware of the problem. My teaching will never be perfect and I need to be aware of content gaps when then occur. No two students learn the same, and while I try to differentiate, there are times when I struggle. Using the clickers provides me with instant feedback of my teaching effectiveness. With this data in hand I can cover gaps of content knowledge in new ways. Without the use of the clickers I would most likely be unaware of my pitfalls until I assessed my students in a more traditional manner.

3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

My teaching often asks students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information. Doing so with inquiry can be a challenge for students and myself. Improperly scaffolding lessons can lead to misunderstandings and content knowledge gaps. Using the clickers will allow me assess my own teaching on the fly and alter it to meet the needs of my students. Strong content knowledge cannot be accurately constructed without a solid knowledge base. Any misunderstandings need to be addressed. When giving students documents to analyze or problems to solve it is necessary for me to check for understanding. While doing checks it is possible for me to miss problems that my students may be having. The clickers allow me to make more accurate decisions. Using the clickers with my inquiry teaching method helps students to uncover the content in a more efficient manner. Providing information to students without helping them decipher its intricacies can lead to poor understanding of the content. Inquiry is not useful when students are provided with skills and content that they do not really understand. The use of clickers in my classroom will allow me to become a better teacher of content through a more effective pedagogical teaching style.

PART A- Brainstorm Session (CEP812)

Facilitating quality meetings over the Internet can often be a challenge. For our CEP 812 project we decided to use an Adobe connect session. It was a great experience that provided us with almost every tool that we could want to use. We took advantage of a notes tool, a document uploading tool, and the general chat features.

There were a great deal of other tools that we could have used during our chat. The screen sharing and polling feature would have allowed us to go more in depth when we shared our thoughts. Polling would have proved to be especially helpful.  At times, it seemed as if there was significant delay when trying to talk with a microphone. When asking the group to come to a consensus it would have been wise for us to use this tool.

Ultimately, the great deal of tools that you can use within Adobe Connect sessions are both its strength and its weakness. As a user you can create a wonderful collaborative environment that allows you share a variety of media. This same strength, however, can lead to feeling of anxiety for the novice user. I felt as if I wanted to use as many tools as possible help the chat flow smoothly. This was very challenging to do because of our lack of familiarity with the tools. Other services, like Skype and Google Hangout, could also have been used. However, they would not have provided the same quality of services that come with Adobe Connect.

You can view our recording here:

http://remc.adobeconnect.com/p51vvmadm4k/