Online Instruction to Improve Math Instruction

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The Use of Online Learning to Improve Math Instruction

Kimberly Caise

A Capstone Presented to the Faculty of the Teachers College

of Western Governors University

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Education in Learning and Technology

Date: September 14, 2010

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Abstract

This capstone reports the design, development and formative evaluation of a Moodle course

created to provide professional development to teachers. Teachers often have difficulty

effectively teaching the skills necessary for students to solve word problems or equations in

mathematics. The Moodle course will target math teachers and demonstrate how to create video

tutorial lessons, called mathcasts to teach students to become better problem solvers. Teachers

and students will post mathcasts to the Moodle course and discuss effective ways to solve

problems with students. A formative evaluation will be conducted with reviewers critiquing the

Moodle course for improvements. The evaluation will consist of three phases designed to

identify weaknesses in the Moodle course and determine if the course objectives were met.

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM ...4

Introduction .....4

Problem Statement ..9

Description of Stakeholder Groups ...10

Formative Evaluation Questions and Goal Statement ...11

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..13

Introduction ....13

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ....22

Learner Analysis ....22

Formative Evaluation Instruments......27

Special Populations ....30

Materials .. ..... 31

Performance Objectives .....31

Learning Theories and Instructional Strategies .....32

Procedure ...53

Technology Used in the Curriculum .....55

Data Analysis ........56

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS......57

Report of Results ..57

Recommended Revisions .62

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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ..63

Discussion .63

Implications...66

Limitations,68

Critique .71

References .....73

Appendix A ...77

Appendix B ...82

Appendix C .......83

Appendix D . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..88

Appendix E . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .93

Appendix F. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 98

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

Introduction

What I Did

Teachers often lack the skills and knowledge necessary to implement lessons that

demonstrate how to strategically solve word problems. As a result, I created an online Moodle

course to provide professional development to fifth through eighth grade math teachers. The

course was designed to assist math teachers in acquiring the necessary technology skills to better

teach students to use technology tools and be effective problem solvers. The course was

developed based on the concept of mathcasts, by the creator Tim Fahlberg of

http://www.mathcasts.org, and is designed for the teacher new to integrating technology tools or

struggling to teach problem solving.

Why I Chose This Project

I have been in education and served as a campus instructional technologist teaching

teachers and students how to use and integrate technology for over 20 years. Much of the

collaborating I did with teachers was in the mathematics content area. I also taught middle math

for several years and could relate to struggling to find innovative ways to teach students to be

skilled problem solvers. It was important to me to develop a project that would benefit teachers

in the area of technology and mathematics. I am not teaching on a campus as I have been

working on obtaining a masters degree full time and needed a way for teachers to be able to

participate in my project course so I decided to create an online learning experience.

I co-host a weekly session in Elluminate called, Classroom 2.0 LIVE!. Our show

focuses on ways teachers can use technology tools with their students in the classroom. One of

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our guests was Tim Fahlberg, and he shared how and why he created mathcasts with and for

students. His website has a very large database of over 500 mathcasts for all levels of students.

Some of the mathcasts in the online database were created by teachers and some dby students. I

saw the value of having access to this large database as a classroom math teacher and wanted to

create a course where teachers created similar mathcasts and integrates technology tools into

their teaching.

Why It Is Important

When teachers lack the skills necessary to teach technology and problem solving,

students will not be adequately prepared for life after high school graduation. Teachers are busy

with families and teaching responsibilities and have difficulty getting to professional

development sessions after school and on Saturdays. Time is limited and an online course can

assist teachers in acquiring necessary skills to effectively prepare students for the 21st century.

Online courses allow teachers to access the course anytime, anywhere. Flexibility and

convenience in participating in course modules is crucial to success and meets a critical need for

teachers. Teachers can still take care of their families, focus on teaching responsibilities and be

able to participate in the Moodle course at a time that is convenient for them without having to

leave home or spend long hours after school and Saturdays for workshops.

Additionally, an area that students struggle in academically is mathematics. Students are

very weak at solving word problems and equations and mathcasts are great ways to visually

demonstrate complicated algorithms or math processes. Students can see the math processes

demonstrated in the mathcast and apply that knowledge to the current problems students are

completing. For teachers that struggle to help students understand math concepts, having access

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to the database of mathcasts can be a real lifesaver. Students can access the videos at home or

school and greatly improve their math skills. Having teachers and students understand the

process of creating mathcasts can enhance math instruction and clarify concepts for struggling or

special needs students.

Integrating technology into math instruction is one way to increase rigor and relevance.

Research has shown that when students create a product for others outside of their classroom, the

quality of student performance is increased (ebowenLitReview.pdf, n.d.). When students have

an outside audience, they become much more aware of the quality of their work and think much

more critically when completing assignments (What really motivates middle school students?,

n.d.). For this reason, I knew I wanted the online course to incorporate math and technology

components.

How It Relates To Appropriate Theory For Your Discipline

In 2007 and 2008, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

refreshed their national standards for technology. The standards are referred to as NETS for

National Education Technology Standards and have been developed to outline necessary skills

for students, teachers and administrators. The NETS focus on critical thinking, creativity, and the

skills necessary to be successful and help prepare students in the 21st century. Many of the NETS

for teachers and students are integrated into the Moodle course I designed.

Math is one of the areas that students express having difficulty and do not feel successful.

This is the reason that I strove to be an effective math teacher. I wanted to help make math

interesting, fun and successful for my students. I read an article about a study in England that

implemented new math programs and strategies. At the end of the school year, students

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expressed that they felt that they could be successful in math and were more confident about

their math abilities. The integration of technology was one of the key factors that were cited for

the boost in students self esteem and increase in math achievement (Prabhu, n.d.). The Moodle

course has both math and technology components that will help teachers teach students to be

better problem solvers and feel more confident in their math abilities. Students will be interested

and motivated to participate in the learning activities that feature an integration of technology

into math instruction. Student achievement will increase because of the skills learned from

participating in the Moodle course.

How The Project Fits Into Teaching And Learning In Your Field

The Moodle course was designed based on the best practices found when researching

articles for the literature review. The articles discussed strategies to incorporate that make online

learning effective for course participants as well as components of efficacious math instruction.

Technology is considered a key factor to assist in increasing rigor in math instruction and

improving the quality of student performance (Technology adds to students math

comprehension | eSchoolNews.com, n.d.). The course was designed to meet the needs of busy

math teachers by providing a way to acquire new skills anytime, an place. When teachers are

skilled at demonstrating math concepts and using technology tools where appropriate, students

are better prepared for life after high school graduation.

The Moodle course focused on emphasizing to students that there are multiple ways to

solve word problems. Technology tools are used to create mathcasts demonstrating ways to solve

word problems and equations. The specific skills or algorithms explained in the mathcasts will

be up to the participating teachers. Teachers will have flexibility in selecting skills and individual

math concepts that are meaningful and relevant for their particular students. The course provides

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specific step by step directions to create mathcasts using VoiceThread and Jing using the content

selected by the participating teachers. This allows teachers to create technology products that are

beneficial to their students and ones hopefully that the teachers will use repeatedly.

Problem Statement

Teachers struggle to effectively teach the skills necessary for students to solve word

problems and equations in mathematics. For students to be successful in school and as an adult,

students need experience collaborating, opportunities to share strategies for solving word

problems and think creatively. Technology can assist educators to design and deliver lessons that

effectively engage students in a variety of simulated real world and concrete experiences.

Professional development is the primary means teachers acquire the skills needed to

effectively integrate technology into their teaching. The people that design professional

development programs limit the growth and acquisition of technology integration skills of

classroom teachers by implementing ineffective programs that do not include best practices for

designing effective professional development. Many of the current professional development

programs available to teachers are inadequate in providing instruction for teachers on designing

and delivering instructional opportunities for students that seamlessly integrate technology into

their teaching. Thus, students do not receive adequate instruction or develop the skills necessary

for success as problem solvers in mathematics in the 21st-century.

According to the article written by Guskey (2002), evaluations of professional

development support the statement that teachers feel that most professional development

programs are ineffective. Guskey states two factors are needed for professional development

programs to be considered effective. The first is determining what motivates the teachers to

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actively engage in the professional development sessions and the second factor is to determine

the process by which lasting change in teachers occurs. These two factors are missing from many

professional development programs.

In the article written by Lee (2005), a teacher commented, Just once I wish our staff

development days could be used to meet some of my needs, there are so many areas where I

need help. Lee continues that this teachers comment is a typical response after an in-service or

workshop and reports that decreasing enrollment in professional development sessions and a lack

of teachers motivation for staff development was a result of the session not meeting teachers

needs. Improvement in instruction is difficult without effective professional development

programs.

According to Birman, B., Desimone, L., Garet, M., Porter, A., & Yoon, K. S. (2001),

teachers stated that professional development is more likely to be viewed as effective in

improving teachers knowledge and skills if the sessions are built upon previous skills and form

part of a coherent program for teacher learning. Effective sessions built on content teachers have

already learned or are familiar with, emphasizes content aligned to current standards already in

use and supports teachers in building support systems to communicate with other teachers also

trying to improve their teaching in similar ways presented in the professional development

sessions are viewed as effective professional development sessions.

Description of Stakeholders

The stakeholders for this project are the future teachers and their students as well as their

administrators. The students in the participating teachers classes and their parents are also

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stakeholders. Additionally, the members of the school boards of the teachers school districts are

stakeholders associated with the participants of the Moodle course.

Formative Evaluation Questions

1. Was the instructional goal achieved?

2. What features are lacking that the learners will need to successfully complete the

course?

3. Which activities need revision because they are incomplete or not clear?

4. Which directions were not clear?

5. What areas of the course might a learner need additional support beyond the items

included in the course help resources and documents?

6. What errors were found in the course?

7. Which learning activities were out of sequence?

8. Which course modules were too easy or too difficult?

Goal Statement

Based on the data gathered from the needs analysis the following goal statement was

written: Given an inclusive classroom setting, fifth to eighth grade teachers will use technology,

such as VoiceThread, to create video tutorial lessons, a mathcast, that will improve students

ability to solve word problems in mathematics. A mathcast is a screencast with audio

demonstrating mathematical processes or algorithms (Fahlberg, Fahlber-Stojanovska, &

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MacNeil, 2006). Responses on both the survey and questionnaire indicated the lack of

collaborative activities and experiences with technology as reasons for students weak and

ineffective problem solving skills. Additionally, literature review sources support this reason for

weak problem solving skills (Wilburne, 2006).

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Due to the nature of the instructional problem, current sources were needed to find timely

information about online courses and ways to structure effective online professional

development about technology integration. As an elementary and middle math teacher, math

teachers seemed to struggle the most finding ways to integrate and use technology tools in math

instruction. As a result, the desired content area to focus on for this capstone project would be

math instruction. Several aspects of online learning, math instruction and creating Moodle

courses to deliver professional development to teachers were researched.

Each of the sources listed as references and used for the literature review were

appropriate for later use in developing the instructional unit and writing the capstone project. All

of the articles were from credible and reliable sources supported with the authors contact

information and extensive reference lists or bibliographies. Every article accurately depicted

factual containing objective information with many articles listing the pros and cons of

delivering professional development online. The articles contained great insight into elements of

online learning that are necessary for learners to be successful and improve math instruction

using technology.

For example, articles listed in the reference list were selected from the prestigious and

reputable journals American School Board Journal (Rivero, 2006), American Educational

Research Journal (Birman, Garet, Desimone, Porter Yoon, 2001) and Phi Delta Kappa

(Christie, 2009).

Additionally, several articles were found in the Technology & Learning periodicals.

Many of the leading educational technologists write for this publication. Also chosen were two

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articles from a periodical published by the International Society for Technology entitled

Learning & Leading with Technology. Each article had information that contributed greatly to

some part of the process of the capstone project or research process (Van 'T Hooft, 2008) and

(Vanides, 2007).

Factors that Influence Human Behavior

Many factors influence the teachers behavior related to integrating technology. Teachers

are sometimes intimidated and embarrassed to admit to colleagues and students that they do not

know how to use technology, computer equipment or create learning activities that integrate

technology components.

Additionally, teachers often have negative attitudes towards using technology (Guskey,

2002). Technology is seen as something new or not doing things they way they have always

been done in the past. Early adopters are often met with great resistance from veteran teachers

who are ignorant of the potential and ways that technology can easily be incorporated into their

repertoire (Knobel and Lankshear, 2009).

According to Lee (2005), professional development is best delivered over a long period

with a longer amount of time to implement the skills learned in the professional development

sessions. Teachers need time to implement the skills learned and reflect upon their practice. They

need feedback and time to process what was learned. Effective professional development takes

time to fully implement. This will be one of the key elements for consideration when developing

the instructional unit for teachers.

Another factor that influences human behavior with regard to online professional

development is the structuring of the grouping of the participating teachers. Birman et al (2001)

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state, Professional development designed for groups of teachers has a number of potential

advantages. When teachers are grouped by grade levels, departments, campus or other designed

grouping, collaboration and conversations occur by the teachers that are much more meaningful

and relevant regarding the campus student population. Birman et al (2001) say that grouping

teachers who share the same students develop a common understanding of campus improvement

plans, objectives, goals and cultures and have greater influences over student achievement and

improvement in instruction. This factor is essential when creating online courses. Creating a

sense of community that fosters collaboration and sharing of ideas, resources and modeling of

how to implement the skills in the classroom is a key factor to designing effective online

professional development (Frederick, 2009).

Barriers to Success

There are several barriers that prevent successful online professional development

sessions and influence human behavior with regard to professional development. Effective

professional development requires connections built upon previous curricular activities and those

connections must be part of a cohesive program for teacher learning (Birnam et al, 2001). When

sessions are not created with content that is connected or aligned to the teachers current

curriculum, the effects of the professional development sessions will not be long lasting.

Additionally, teachers need be able to communicate with other teachers about their

learning. They need to be able to reflect and have extended time to implement and practice the

skills learned in the professional development sessions (Lee, 2005). Teachers have meetings and

parent conferences during the day making it difficult to meet collaboratively and practice

technology skills learned at workshops and training sessions. Travel to locations for workshops

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cost a loss of time and productivity (Pittinsky, 2005). Online professional development helps

meet the growing demand for technology training for teachers.

Too often, teachers avoid using technology because they do not know how to use certain

software applications or pieces of computer hardware. As a result, teachers have great difficulty

creating learning activities using technology or computer equipment due to a lack of experience

and knowledge (Van 'T Hooft, 2008). Teachers quite often display ignorance and are intimidated

when integrating technology in the delivery of instruction in their content area(s).

Continued reduction of technology courses and personnel to train teachers continues the

problem of ineffective professional development (Pittinsky, 2005). Without qualified personnel

to train teachers, perpetuation of this negative cycle continues and teachers continue without

training and students graduate without 21st century skills. Attrition rates and layoffs are rising

and trained personnel that are skilled at effectively integrating technology are declining. To

combat this, online effective professional development can alleviate this burden if the sessions

are properly designed and delivered (Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, & Duffy, n.d.).

Teacher groupings need to be structured to foster a community and prevent isolation

throughout professional development sessions. Sessions need to be extended in length and must

be ongoing with feedback provided throughout the process (Bishop, 2006). In order for the

session to be successful, teachers need to be grouped in the sessions as a cohort or team to foster

communication and support for one another as well as implement the skills learned. (Appleton,

DeGroot, Lampe, & Carruth, 2009) Without this structuring, the sense of community will be

lacking and the cohesiveness needed for teachers to interact and have in-depth conversations

about the technology integration skills presented will not occur (Guskey, 2002).

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Best Practices

After reading through each of the articles, several things were presented as a means to

create an effective professional development session and presented as a best practice when

designing professional development sessions. The first was to begin with a clear idea of what

was to be presented in the session (Sawchuk, 2009). Clear, laid out plans of a professional

development session and knowledge of which teachers will participate, session objectives,

facilitators, groupings and course resources are important considerations and having those

planned out in advance are essential to the effectiveness of the session.

Several of the articles mention the importance of training mentors or facilitators on the

functions and duties of their role (Bishop, 2006) and (Vanides, 2007). Sawchuk (2009)

recommends, Provide training for online course facilitators so they know how to support

teachers learning, guide an online discussion, and follow up with those teachers who arent

engaging in discussions. According to Sawchuk (2009), the facilitated type of online

professional developed is the preferred method as it is most flexible and convenient for teachers

to access and allows teachers more opportunities to reflect on their practices with subject matter

experts, campus/district colleagues or fellow teachers participating in the professional

development session. Facilitated sessions were preferred over live sessions as a facilitated

session can be accessed at a time convenient to the teacher and a live session often limited the

flexibility of the online course.

The grouping of the participants is essential for success and is another best practice to

consider when designing professional development sessions. According to Rivero (2006),

Teachers should be in teams, working collaboratively around problems identified in their

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schools that are related to their students. Sessions should be developed around valued and

authentic real world problems focused on the organizations culture or student population. This

makes the learning more meaningful and relevant allowing in-depth conversations to occur with

a natural support system developing.

According to the article by Signer (2008), teachers need guidance and support to

effectively participate in online discussions about teaching and learning. It is critical that online

courses incorporate a discussion forum for teachers to share comments, ask questions and

interact with one another. This fosters a sense of belonging and community and is a necessary

element for courses to be successful and positively impact instruction in the classroom. Many

times students in face to face classes monopolize the discussion and do not allow everyone to

contribute as a participant in professional discourse (Groves, 2010).

Creating a welcoming environment that fosters a safe venue to share and comment on the

topic of discussion without fear of being judged or laughed at is a necessary component for

online learning. When the conversation gets out of balance and is dominated by a few students,

creativity and expression of ideas are thwarted. Successful courses that follow best practices

incorporate ways for the participants to interact with one another (Maikish, 2006). In the article

by Groves and Pugh (2010), the authors state the following about teachers participating in online

courses, Many have commented on the benefits they gain from learning from others in class and

everyone gets to join in the discussions. Effective online learning sessions structure learning

activities that allow everyone an opportunity to share and contribute throughout the course

(Branzburg, 2005).

Another best practice to incorporate in a professional development session is the element

of professional communication. Communication and feedback needs to be ongoing, structured by

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the facilitators by fostering a sense of community so the teachers feel comfortable responding to

one another and taking risks professionally (Calvani, Fini, Molino, & Ranieri, 2010). Within

these communities, when teachers feel comfortable, a professional exchange of ideas, curricula

and best practices for their classrooms occur (Fenton and Watkins, 2007). The quality of

instruction and student achievement increases and the efficacy of the professional development

sessions also increase (Pittinsky, 2005). Teachers can connect with other teachers around the

world any time of the day or night and participate in discussion forums as well as private

conversations. Carefully planned and structured professional development, with properly

constructed communities, allow teachers to try out classroom practices and new skills and return

to the communities to pose questions, leave comments, share work samples or reinforce

professional learning (Bishop, 2006). This best practice must be present in professional

development sessions to be effective and impact learning.

Engaging activities foster student satisfaction and retention of content when course

modules allow for interactivity among participants thus helping students to be successful when

applying newly acquired skills in new situations. In the article by Lewis and Hamid, Informal

conference areas allowed students the opportunity to build on interactions that were developed in

other areas of the course. The informal conference areas allowed students to interact and to get

to know one another. When concerns arose in an online course, students were more skilled at

seeking help and participating in discussions as a result of previously interacting with other

course participants (Good and Weaver, 2003). Whether the discussion was on topic or not was

not a concern among course participants. As long as students were engaged and interacting,

students were more satisfied and felt the online learning experience was more effective.

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A final best practice that must be present pertains to the content of the professional

development session. The content must be directly aligned to state or content standards. If the

content is developed by a third party, a requirement that the work be research based and aligned

to content standards must be present (Bishop, 2006). Connections must be made for each of the

learning activities featured in the professional development session. Learning activities should

build upon previous activities with follow up learning activities and feedback occurring in a

natural progression. Without the connections to current standards and the current curriculum, the

content will not be meaningful or relevant for the teachers and the sessions will be deemed

ineffective and poorly attended (Fontichiaro, 2008).

Participating teachers must find the course content meaningful, relevant and connected to

what they are learning in the online course as well as what they are currently teaching in their

classroom. For this reason, this best practice is a core component that is probably the most

important when designing a professional development session. If this element is missing, the

session will fall flat and be of little value. Therefore, when designing professional development,

it is best to design with the end in mind and ensure that the connections to current content and

standards are present before proceeding with the design of the session. Outlining the content with

specific objectives and ensuring that items are relevant and directly aligned to the teachers

current curriculum is an important first step to ensure that content will be relevant and

meaningful to participants (Lunenberg and Willemse, 2006). Once this has been established and

the foundation set with the content and connections, the rest of the best practices can be

incorporated in the design. This one best practice is extremely important in order for learning to

occur and for the professional development session to be effective and impact instruction in the

classroom.

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Conclusion

Online learning should not be just an extension of a face to face class or simply watching

a video posted online of a lecture session with no interactivity or engagement from the students.

The article written by Merrill (n.d.) states that, Effective online courses use interactive

instructional strategies and learning events that flow from and support course learning objectives.

The activities for students are engaging and relevant to course objectives.

Communication is one of the key components that must be structured into online learning

activities. According to the article written by Merrill (n.d.), The facilitator needs to be able to

weave an effective learning experience from these interactive elements that is appropriate for the

specific online audience. The article continues to say that effective online learning is student

centered with clear expectations communicated to course participants. Activities that foster

communication among participants and offer opportunities to engage in course modules are

viewed as effective online learning experiences by course participants (Merrill, n.d.).

There are many articles about online learning and creating effective learning experiences

for students. Development of best practices is essential when planning and designing online

courses. Learning activities should enrich and enhance online courses (Padmanabhan, 2009).

Putting worksheets online is not a method for creating effective online learning although some

may view this as an acceptable learning activity. Adhering to the recommendations found in this

literature review and other articles similar to those included here will enable any course designer

to create a truly magnificent course with high student satisfaction and leave a lasting impact on

classroom instruction.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Learner Analysis

To obtain information about the background experience on the respondents that

participated in the needs analysis, two instruments were created and administered online. One

was an open ended survey and the other a questionnaire. After some of the respondents had

completed the survey or questionnaire it was recognized that initially questions that would

generate demographic information were not included. As a result, the demographic information

for each respondent is extremely limited. Requests for respondents to participate were solicited

through several microblogs and social networks allowing a large representation from all over the

United States.

Demographic Information

The first tool to gather data was a questionnaire made using Google forms. Twenty

teachers responded and each of the 20 respondents was a fifth through eighth grade mathematics

teacher in a public or private school. All respondents were from the United States except for one

teacher who was from Australia. Fifteen of the 20 respondents had 11 years of teaching

experience and years of experience teaching mathematics. Seventeen of the teachers use

technology with students and 18 of the 20 respondents indicated they use technology with

students for at least one to two hours per day or more. Eighteen of the 20 respondents indicated

they had participated in online learning to acquire technical skill(s).

The second instrument was a questionnaire embedded in a wiki page with four questions

asking about technology integration to teach problem solving. Six teachers responded to the

questions on the questionnaire asking about technology integration to assist teaching problem

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solving in mathematics instruction. Four of the six teachers used technology integrated into their

mathematics instruction to solve word problems and all six teachers have used technology to

support various parts of their mathematics curriculum. The teachers that responded taught sixth

grade math, PS-8th

grade math, 5th

grade math, 7th

grade math and K12 math with the number of

years of experience ranging from one to five years to 21 or more years. There was a great

variance of experience in the number of years of teaching with the six respondents.

Requisite Skills and Prior Knowledge

Participating teachers are expected to be able to navigate to a website on the internet.

They will need to be able to type a minimal amount of words per minute; probably around 20

30 words per minute. Access to a digital camera will be required for some parts of the

instructional unit. Prior knowledge of how to retrieve the pictures from the camera will be

helpful but not necessary. The process of importing the pictures will be demonstrated within the

course modules but with so many different camera models and cables the processes can vary a

bit and may look different possibly causing concern for those new to using this technology.

Various activities to support math instruction to strengthen student problem solving skills will

utilize the internet and digital pictures.

Target Audiences Prior Knowledge and Skills Related to the Topic

Not all of the respondents have participated in online learning to learn technology skills

or are well versed in integrating technology into their mathematics instruction. Most had

participated in online learning sessions about math. Supplementary resources explaining ways

the teachers could maximize learning in an online session about technology are available for

those who need it.

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The content of the technology activities will be mathematical skills or objectives self

selected by the participating teachers. This will allow teachers to focus on acquiring the

technology integration skills and create activities as resources that are relevant, meaningful and

applicable to the current courses the participants teach.

Attitudes and Motivation Towards Topic

As for the respondents motivation for learning, definitive answers for each persons

motivation are not available. Questions related to each respondents attitude or motivation to use

technology in their mathematics instruction were not asked on the online questionnaire.

Questions were asked on the needs analysis whether teachers were using technology in

their classroom and if they were willing to participate in online learning about integrating

technology to create a mathcast. Most teachers indicated they were using technology that

indicate they are supportive of technology integrated projects and that they would participate in

online learning sessions about creating mathcasts and are supportive of this online learning

initiative. Although the questions did not ask about teachers attitudes or motivations directly,

the questions can lead to certain presumptions by the respondents positive answers.

Additionally, teachers were asked why they felt students struggled when solving word

problems in math. On the Google form survey a question was asked of the respondents to

indicate why they believe students struggle solving word problems in mathematics. The answers

that received the most votes from the 20 responding teachers were lack of experience with real

world activities for students and lack of experience with real world activities for students

respectively. This leads me to believe that teachers attitudes about using technology to support

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math instruction is valued among the respondents and considered an important component in the

teachers classrooms.

Accommodations for Unique Characteristics of the Respondents

Each of the respondents that participated in the survey or questionnaire was a math

teacher that used technology to some degree. Although not all used technology to teach problem

solving to students, helping teachers to see the power of using technology to extend learning

activities and increase the level of critical thinking will be the ultimate outcome of the project.

The teachers will have different backgrounds, levels of technology integration, varying technical

ability levels and the process of creating learning activities that into account all of those variables

will be a challenge. The goal was to design learning activities that allow participating teachers to

add to their repertoire of instructional strategies and knowledge for teaching students how to

approach problem solving.

Teachers will learn ways to integrate technology into mathematics instruction to improve

student learning. Multiple ways to solve a word problem or equation will be shared as students

create a VoiceThread or a mathcast demonstrating their solution to a word problem or equation.

Ways to facilitate a discussion about multiple approaches to problem solving and creating

screencasts to visually display and narrate mathematical processes or algorithms will be

presented in an online learning experience in the Moodle course. Students will view, give

feedback about others problem solving strategies, discuss and reflect upon multiple ways to

solve a common word problem or equation after creating their own VoiceThread or mathcast.

Teachers will participate in technology integrated activities to assess and reflect upon items

presented in the online course and implemented with teachers students in their own classroom.

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These activities will be presented in a manner that all users can be successful regardless

of past experience and skill level using and integrating technology into math instruction. Moodle

allows for a variety of different types of content, media and information to be presented with a

vast number of activities and modules to implement. This allows for different ability levels and

learning styles to be addressed in the Moodle course fostering active engagement and successful

achievement of unit instructional goals.

Learning Styles and Orientations

Of the 15 questions that did not relate to demographic information for each respondent,

only one question asked about preferred learning styles. The question asked if the respondents

preferred online learning, face to face or a combination of both. Four of the 45 respondents

indicated they preferred online learning, five respondents indicated they preferred face to face,

and the remaining 36 indicated they preferred a combination of face to face and online learning

experiences. According to the research found in the literature review and conversations with

educators in preparation for this project, most people prefer the convenience and flexibility of

online courses. They also want to participate in conversations similar to those experienced in

face to face courses. For this reason, I included live online meetings in Elluminate to provide the

participating teachers an opportunity to interact with one another or ask questions about the

content of the course modules. Combining opportunities for participating teachers to participate

in synchronous and asynchronous learning activities will enhance instruction and enrich the

learning experiences.

29

Cultural Characteristics

None of the questions on the survey or questionnaire pertained to cultural characteristics

of the respondents.

Formative Evaluation Instruments

As a measure to ensure that the Moodle course units, content and format course were

accurate and meaningful for course participants, a formative evaluation was conducted.

Evaluation questions were created to address the three phases of the formative evaluation process

that course reviewers will answer. The data collected from the reviewers was used to make sure

the course objectives were met and to improve the course before implementation.

Instruments Used for the SME Phase

Several questions were developed for the subject matter experts (SME) phase reviewers

to answer regarding the components of the Moodle course. The questions were posted on a

Google form and used to interview the SME reviewers. The reviewers responses were

transcribed onto the online Google form. A checklist was completed during the SMEs

interviews. The interview questionnaire contained six questions that asked for demographic data

and eight questions focused on the content of the Moodle. This was where the reviewers

identified course weaknesses and made suggestions to improve the Moodle course.

Instruments Used for the One-to-One Phase

Two instruments were completed for the reviewers of the one to one phase to complete.

A post test and questionnaire were created for the reviewers to complete. The post test was

administered once the reviewers were finished reviewing the course. The questionnaire was a

Google form and all reviewers were sent the link to the questionnaire and to view the Moodle

course. The reviewers completed the questionnaire and post test online. The online questionnaire

30

had six questions to gather demographic data from the one to one phase reviewers. There were

eight questions asking about the course content allowing the reviewers to make suggestions to

improve the course.

Instruments Used for the Small Group Phase

A post test and survey were created for the reviewers to complete. The survey had six

questions to gather demographic data from the small group phase reviewers. There were eight

questions asking about the structure, content, and sequencing of the items found in each course

unit. The following table demonstrates the evaluation questions that were asked of the reviewers

of each phase.

31

Table 1

Formative Evaluation Questions and Instruments

Formative Evaluation Questions Data Collection Source(s) of

Instrument(s) Information

1. Was the instructional goal achieved? Interview (I) SME Questionnaire (Q) 1 to 1

Survey (S) Small group (SG)

2. What features are lacking that will be I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

needed to successfully complete the course?

3. Which activities need revision because I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

they are incomplete or not clear?

4. Which directions were not clear? I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

5. What areas might a learner need additional I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

support beyond the items included in the course

help resources and documents?

6. What errors were found in the course? I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

7. Which learning activities were I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

out of sequence?

8. Which course modules were too I, Q and SE SME, 1 to 1, and SG

easy or too difficult?

Data Collection Instruments and Sources for Answering Formative Evaluation Questions

32

Table 1, shown on the previous page, indicates which questions each phase of reviewers

were asked to address on the Google form. The reviewers responded to the questions on the

Google form, except for the subject matter expert reviewers, and consented to share their

suggestions for improving the Moodle course with the researcher. The researcher completed the

online checklist while interviewing each subject matter expert.

Special Populations

Each of the course participants will be a math teacher that uses technology to some

degree. Although not all of the teachers will have used technology to teach problem solving to

students, helping teachers to see the power of using technology to extend learning activities and

increase the level of critical thinking will be the ultimate outcome of the project. The teachers

will have different backgrounds, levels of technology integration, varying ability levels and

creating learning activities that takes each of those variables into account will be a challenge so

that all participating in the capstone project add value to their repertoire of instructional

strategies and knowledge of teaching students how to approach problem solving.

Teachers will learn ways to integrate technology into mathematics instruction to improve

student learning. Discussions with students will occur in the teachers classrooms about multiple

ways to solve a word problem or equation after students create a VoiceThread or a mathcast

demonstrating their solution or explanation on how to a word problem or equation. Students will

view, give feedback about others problem solving strategy, discuss and reflect upon the problem

solving approach used to solve a common word problem or equation.

These activities will be presented in a manner that all users can be successful regardless

of past experience and skill level using and integrating technology into math instruction. Moodle

33

allows for a variety of different types of content, media and information to be presented in an

online learning experience with a vast number of activities and modules to employ to use when

implementing an online course. This allows for different ability levels and learning styles of

students to be addressed in the Moodle course fostering active engagement and successful

achievement of unit instructional goals.

Materials

To successfully participate in the Moodle course, a computer with internet access will be

essential. Teachers and students will need to use a digital camera or scanner to upload the

images for mathcast video or VoiceThread. The teachers will select a math concept of their

choice from their district/campus math curriculum for topics of the technology projects.

Additionally, teachers will create an account at VoiceThread and Screencast.com as well as

download the Jing software from the Jing Project site at http://www.jingproject.com.

Performance Objectives

1. Given the introductory materials located in the online Moodle course about using

VoiceThread, Jing software and websites to create a mathcast, the learner will review

and read the materials with a 100% completion rate.

2. Given the introductory materials presented in the online Moodle course, the learner will

write a reflection piece about and post it in the Moodle discussion forum with a

completion rate of 100%.

3. Given a live Elluminate conference, the learner will participate in the webinar to review

and share experiences about creating a screencast, or mathcast, with a 100% attendance

rate.

34

4. Given the use of the VoiceThread software and website, the learner will create a

VoiceThread demonstrating the problem solving strategy used to solve a word problem

with a100% completion rate.

5. Given the use of the Jing screencast software and website, the learner will create a

mathcast demonstrating the individual steps to a problem solving strategy used to solve a

word problem with a completion rate of 100%.

6. Given a VoiceThread video created about problem solving, the learner will post the link

to the VoiceThread creation in a new post in the Moodle lesson two discussion forum

with a completion rate of 100%.

7. Given a mathcast video that was uploaded to the Jing/Screencast.com website account,

the learner will post the link to the mathcast in a new post Moodle in the Moodle lesson

three discussion forum with a completion rate of 100%.

Learning Theories and Instructional Strategies

Since the Moodle course is online, I copied and pasted each unit below. At the end of

each unit/lesson is a discussion about one of the nine events identified by Gagne that applies to

that lesson. Much of the course exhibits traits of the constructivism and cognitivism learning

theories. The learning activities that I created allow participants to be creative and use critical

thinking skills when creating technology products based on a problem solving search or strategy

to a word problem or equation. In the article by Yang and Cornelios (2005), the authors state that

an online course, requires the instructor to design collaborative and problem-based projects

which will involve students to think critically, actively, and deeply. The introduction to the

exportable unit starts below.

35

Math Problem Solving Moodle Course

This Moodle course about Math Problem Solving was created to enable teachers to

acquire technology integration skills to assist students to become better problem solving in

mathematics. Teachers struggle to effectively teach the skills necessary for students to solve

word problems in mathematics. For students to be successful in the 21st-century, students need

experience collaborating, opportunities to share strategies for solving word problems and think

creatively. Teachers often lack the skills and knowledge necessary to implement lessons that

demonstrate how to strategically solve word problems. Technology can assist educators to design

and deliver lessons that effectively engage students in a variety of simulated real world and

concrete experiences.

Participants will learn how to create VoiceThreads and mathcasts to teach students to be

better problem solvers. Teachers will participate in weekly lessons featuring strategies for

students to create these items to explore multiple ways to solve problems in mathematics.

Reflection activities to summarize the learning that took place as well as ways to improve

student learning and teaching will occur through professional discourse via blogs and wiki pages.

Be sure to check out the News Forum for the course outline and overview.

News Forum

Welcome to the Math Problem Solving Moodle Course! This course will help you create

a VoiceThread video and 'mathcast' allowing you to enhance your mathematics

instruction with your students. When students know they have an audience, the quality of

their work increases. Students become motivated and excited about learning and more

critical in their analysis and thinking on classroom assignments.

Course Outline:

36

Lesson 1 - Course Overview/Elluminate Conference

Lesson 2 - Using VoiceThread to demonstrate how to solve a word problem

Lesson 3 - Using Jing to create a video to explain how to solve a word problem

Elluminate Conference

Lesson 4 - Teach students how to use VoiceThread to demonstrate how to solve a word

problem

Lesson 5 - Teach students how to use Jing to create a video to explain how to solve a

word problem


Lesson 6 - Analysis of student technology video products and student discussion

You will have the opportunity to participate in live Elluminate web conferences to share

experiences and concerns throughout the course. During each conference you can also

share the products you and your students created to teach students how to solve word

problems and how to be more effective problem solvers.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected]. I

appreciate any feedback you can give me regarding the outline or lessons of this course.

Thanks,

Kim Caise

Unit One

Performance Objectives:

1. Given the introductory materials located in the online Moodle course about using

VoiceThread, Jing software and websites to create a mathcast, the learner will review

and read the materials with a 100% completion rate.

37

2. Given the introductory materials presented in the online Moodle course, the learner will

write a reflection piece about and post it in the Moodle discussion forum with a


3. Given a live Elluminate conference, the learner will participate in the webinar to review

and share experiences about creating a screencast, or mathcast, with a 100% attendance

rate.

Unit 1 - Overview of Technology Integrated Activities in Mathematics Instruction

Lessons that integrate technology can be great motivators and visually stimulating to

students. Many times students struggle with word problems in math as they have difficulty

conceptualizing and visualizing the problem. Lessons that incorporate technology can assist

students see the problem solving approach used to solve a word problem. As you watch the

videos and listen to the podcast below, keep in mind how technology impacted the level of

instruction.

Math VoiceThread Example

Mathcast Video

Mathcast Presentation

Podcast: "Mathcasts, Clickers and the Future of Education" (interview between Jon

Udell and Tim Fahlberg)

Mathcast Article

"What is a VoiceThread?" Video (optional resource)

Week 1 Reflection

38

In your opinion, why do lessons that incorporate technology increase student

achievement more so than lessons without technology?

Procedures

Direct the participating teachers to the following link:

http://caisefiles.edumoot.com/course/view.php?id=11 and click on Math Problem Solving.

This will take teachers to the main page of the Caise Files Moodle Course.

There are several courses in

the Moodle course and

teachers needs to click on the

Math Problem Solving course.

They will need to do this each

time they login to the Math Problem Solving Course.

Inform the teachers that they will need to create an account for the course. After clicking on the

Math Problem Solving course for the first time, the teachers will be taken to the following

39

screen.

The steps to create a new account are listed above the button to Create new account. An

email will be sent and will require the teacher to confirm by clicking on the link in the email.

Once confirmed the teacher will need to

enroll in the course. The teachers will need

to scroll down the page until they see the

heading Administration in the left menu.

The teachers need to click on Enrol me in

this course (The person who designed

Moodle is from Australia and their spelling

is a bit different from ours in the USA). Once this has been completed, the teachers will be back

at the main view in the Math Problem Solving Course.

Participating teachers

will review and watch the

40

instructional videos and documents in Unit 1. Upon completion of reviewing the introductory

materials, teachers will respond to the Week 1 Reflection topic by clicking on the Week 1 link.

They will then click on Add a new discussion topic to open the text box to create and write

their reflection post as shown below. When finished, they teachers click on Post to Forum.

Teachers will have the opportunity to participate in a live webinar in Elluminate

(http://www.elluminate.com) to discuss the course objectives, expectations, materials and

reflection posts. The exact date and time will be shared with participants upon completion of

Unit 1.

Unit Two

Performance Objective:

1. Given the use of the VoiceThread software and website, the learner will create a

VoiceThread demonstrating the problem solving strategy used to solve a word

problem with a100% completion rate.

Unit 2 - Creating a VoiceThread

The focus this week is to create a digital product to demonstrate how to solve a word

problem or equation for your students. You can draw a picture, write out the equation,

take a digital picture or scan in multiple images to demonstrate the solution to your posed

math problem.

41

Steps to create a VoiceThread video:

1. Create an account at the VoiceThread website. You will want to create an education

VoiceThread account. See directions below.

2. Create the images you will use in your VoiceThread video.

3. Scan and upload the images to your VoiceThread account.

4. Add the audio explanation for each step of the solution to solve the word problem or

equation. (Note: Be sure to add narration for each image if you are using more than one

image.)

5. Copy the URL to your video and post in the discussion forum for others to view.

6. Be sure to leave comments via text, voice or cell phone on other participants'

VoiceThread videos.

Educational VoiceThread account creation directions PDF document

Geometry VoiceThread Example (VoiceThread Examples posted in the online

course)

VoiceThread video in the Classroom - Will Richardson

VoiceThread YouTube Tutorial

Adding Comments to a VoiceThread

VoiceThread Discussion Forum

Please post the link to your VoiceThread video with your reflective response to

the discussion question of: "How can using VoiceThread enhance math instruction?"

Digital Product Wiki

42

Procedures

Participating teachers will set up a VoiceThread account (http://www.voicethread.com)

and review the steps to create as their first VoiceThread. Teachers will select a math

concept/topic of their choice to demonstrate in the VoiceThread.

After creating an account at VoiceThread, teachers will create a VoiceThread and upload

images/illustrations to demonstrate how to solve a math word problem or equation. Once the

images are uploaded, the teachers will record an audio narrative comment explaining each step to

solve the word problem or equation.

Upon completion of the VoiceThread, the teachers will post a reflection piece to the

discussion forum and share their link or embed their VoiceThread on the Digital Product wiki.

Unit Three



mathcast demonstrating the individual steps to a problem solving strategy used to

solve a word problem with a completion rate of 100%.

Unit 3 - Creating a Mathcast

The focus this week is to create a digital product to demonstrate how to solve a word

problem or equation for your students. You can draw a picture, write out the equation,

take a digital picture or scan in multiple images to demonstrate the solution to your posed

math problem.

43

Steps to create a mathcast:

1. Select the word problem or equation to use in the mathcast.

2. Create an account at http://www.jingproject.com to post recordings.

3. Install Jing.

4. Plan the storyline tone of images and script for the explanation demonstrating the

problem solving approach.

5. Record your mathcast using Jing.

6. Copy the URL to your video and post in the discussion forum for others to view.

7. Be sure to view one other participant's mathcast and leave a positive comment.

Mathcast website

Creating a Mathcast Tutorial

Pencasts

"Let's Make a Mathcast" Presentation = MACUL 2009

Mathcasts Tools

Mathcasts Examples

Mathcast Discussion Forum

Please post the link to your mathcast with your reflective response to the discussion

question of: "How can using mathcasts enhance math instruction?"

Procedures

Participating teachers will set up a Jing account (http://www.screencast.com) and

review the steps to create their first screencast or mathcast. Teachers will select a math

concept/topic of their choice to demonstrate in the mathcast.

44

After creating an account at Screencast.com, teachers will create a mathcast and upload

images/illustrations to demonstrate how to solve a math word problem or equation. Once the

images are uploaded, the teachers will record an audio narrative explaining each step to solve the

word problem or equation.

Upon completion of the mathcast, the teachers will post a reflection piece to the discussion

forum and share their link or embed their mathcast on the Digital Product wiki.



1. Given a live Elluminate conference, the learner will participate in the webinar to

review and share experiences about creating a screencast, or mathcast, with a 100%

attendance rate.


It is time for an Elluminate web conference! The link to the designated Elluminate room will be

posted here just prior to the conference with proposed dates and times.

Procedures


(http://www.elluminate.com) to discuss the course objectives, course expectations, reflection

posts and experiences using VoiceThread and Jing. Teachers will share the VoiceThread and

mathcast videos created. The exact date and time will be shared with participants upon

45

completion of Unit 3.

Unit Four


Given the use of the VoiceThread software and website, the learner will create a

VoiceThread demonstrating the problem solving strategy used to solve a word problem

with a100% completion rate.

1. Given a VoiceThread video created about problem solving, the learner will post

the link to the VoiceThread creation in a new post in the Moodle lesson two

discussion forum with a completion rate of 100%.

Unit 4 - Students Create and Share VoiceThread Videos

The focus of instruction for this unit is to have students create a VoiceThread

demonstrating their problem solving approach to the same word problem or equation.

1. Select problem for students to solve.

2. Group students into pairs or trios.

3. Show students VoiceThread examples.

4. Demonstrate to students how to create a VoiceThread and leave a text, audio or

cell phone comment.

5. Post the URL to each group's VoiceThread emphasizing multiple problem

solving approaches to the word problem or equation.

VoiceThread Discussion Forum

46

Procedures

Teachers will now demonstrate to their students in their own classrooms how to create a

VoiceThread. Students will be divided into groups and all assigned the same math word problem

or equation to explain in the VoiceThread. Student groups will decide the best way to solve,

explain and demonstrate in the VoiceThread. The students will upload images and then add their

audio comments to explain each step of the problem/equation just as the teachers did. Upon

completion, student groups will share their VoiceThreads and discuss the various ways the

student groups chose to solve the word problem or equation. Discussion with students should

focus on the fact that each student group had the same problem but may have used a different

problem solving approach or oral explanation to solve a common problem.

Upon completion, teachers will create a journal entry to the topic of, Share your experiences

about your students creating VoiceThreads.

Unit Five



mathcast demonstrating the individual steps to a problem solving strategy used to

solve a word problem with a completion rate of 100%.

2. Given a mathcast video that was uploaded to the teachers or class

Jing/Screencast.com website account, the learner will post the link to the mathcast

in a new post Moodle in the Moodle lesson three discussion forum with a


47

Unit 5 - Students Create and Share Mathcasts

The focus of instruction for this unit is to have students create a mathcast demonstrating

their problem solving approach to the same word problem or equation.

1. Select problem for students to solve.

2. Group students into pairs or trios.

3. Show students mathcast examples.

4. Demonstrate to students how to create a mathcast using Jing.

5. Post the URL to each group's mathcast emphasizing multiple problem solving

approaches to the word problem or equation.

Mathcast Discussion Forum

Procedures

Teachers will now demonstrate to their students in their own classrooms how to create a

mathcast. Students will be divided into groups and all assigned the same math word problem or

equation to explain in the mathcast. Student groups will decide the best way to solve, explain and

demonstrate in the mathcast. The students will upload images and then add their audio narrative

to explain each step of the problem/equation just as the teachers did. Upon completion, student

groups will share their mathcasts and discuss the various ways the student groups chose to solve

the word problem or equation. Discussion with students should focus on the fact that each

student group had the same problem but may have used a different problem solving approach or

oral explanation to solve a common problem.

48

Upon completion, teachers will create a journal entry to the topic of, Share your experiences

about your students creating mathcasts.





attendance rate.


It is time for an Elluminate web conference! The link to the designated Elluminate room will be

posted here just prior to the conference with proposed dates and times.

Procedures






Unit 6 - Course Culminating Activity

The Math Problem Solving Course is coming to a close. Throughout the past units, you

have learned to create and comment on a VoiceThread and demonstrate to students how

to create their own VoiceThread video. After creating VoiceThread videos, you created a

49

mathcast using Jing and guided your students to create their own mathcast using a

common word problem or equation. Lastly, you discussed with your students how word

problems or equations can be solved multiple ways. As the final activity, you will embed

one of the mathcast videos into a wiki page within the Math Problem Solving Course

Wiki.

Steps to embed the mathcast into the Math PS Course wiki page:

1. Copy the embed code from the selected mathcast video from your Jing account at

http://www.jingproject.com.

2. Click on Wikis under Activities.

3. Click on the Digital Product Wiki.

4. In the textbox of the wiki page entry, type the title of the mathcast and your name.

5. Press the enter key to go to the next line.

6. Type the letters 'aaa'. This will serve as a placeholder for the embed code.

7. After typing 'aaa', click the '' icon in the toolbar at the top of the wiki textbox

window.

8. You will now see the HTML code instead of the plain text of the title you just typed.

9. Locate the 'aaa' in the textbox.

10. Highlight the 'aaa' and paste the embed code over the 'aaa'.

11. Click Preview or Save when finished. Make sure you click Save when finished with

the process.

12. You should see the title of the mathcast, your name, and the player to play the

50

mathcast.

13. Congratulations!

Procedures

This is the final activity of the Math Problem Solving Moodle Course. Teachers will

embed each of their students VoiceThreads and mathcasts to the Digital Product Wiki. The steps

to embed each video is listed in the Moodle course and pasted above. Teachers can create class

wikis or blogs and embed the technology videos on those websites in addition to the Moodle

Digital Product Wiki. Teachers can share the steps with students and have the students embed

their videos on designed websites if they choose.

The teachers will then lead the final discussion with students stressing the process of

developing a step by step approach to problem solving when solving word problems or

equations. Emphasize the key point that there is more than one way to solve a word problem or

equation but all problem solving strategies must yield the correct answer. Have students share

their experiences creating a VoiceThread and mathcast to solve problems and question students

if the technology helped them to solve problems more effectively.





attendance rate.

51


It is time for an Elluminate web conference! The link to the designated Elluminate room

will be posted here just prior to the conference with proposed dates and times.

Procedures






Learning Theory

Using Gagnes nine events of instruction, unit one was designed to set the stage for the

learners and get the students ready for learning. The students and the participating teachers will

review the introductory materials in the online Moodle course to prepare them for the

assignments in the course. After gaining their attention by reviewing the introductory materials,

the participants will be informed of the course objectives through a post in the news forum wish

is the second event of instruction of Gagnes nine step process. The participants will be directed

to review and read the news forum post to help them become familiar with the forum and other

features of the Moodle.

In the first unit, students will view documents and videos that inform students and show

examples of the two technology products they will be creating in upcoming lessons in the

Moodle course. After viewing the documents, students will participate in a live web conference

52

to discuss concerns and ideas for the upcoming technology participating teachers and their

students will create.

Upon conclusion of unit one, the teachers reviewing the documents and videos, the

teachers will participate in a live webinar in Elluminate (http://www.elluminate.com). Teachers

will be able to ask questions about the course objectives, my expectations as the course designer

or course activities. I will also give feedback as well as solicit feedback from the teachers as I

would like to be able to offer this course to additional teachers outside of this core group of

participating teachers. Teachers will write a reflection piece in the discussion forum of Unit 1

and will serve as discussion starters in the Elluminate conference as well.

Unit Two includes several examples of VoiceThread videos are included in Unit Two to

stimulate prior recall of how to create a VoiceThread and what a VoiceThread and how

VoiceThreads are structured. New content is presented for those who do not know how to create

a VoiceThread as well as learners are guided in creating a VoiceThread with lots of examples

and help resources representing the fourth and fifth events of instruction identified in Gagnes

theory of learning. The participating teachers also put into practice what has been presented in

the Moodle course by creating their own VoiceThread demonstrating how to solve a math word

problem or equation. This depicts the sixth event of instruction.

Unit Three contains resources and examples of the process to create a mathcast video.

The resources include in the unit are there to stimulate prior recall of how to create a mathcast

and what a mathcast video consists of including how the mathcast is structured. New content is

presented for those who do not know how to create a screencast, or mathcast, as well learner

guidance is provided to the participating teachers as they create a mathcast with examples and

53

help resources representing the fourth and fifth events of instruction identified in Gagnes theory

of learning. The participating teachers also put into practice the new learning presented in the

Moodle course and create their own mathcast demonstrating how to solve a math word problem

or equation. This depicts the sixth event of instruction.

In between some of the course units I have scheduled an Elluminate web conference.

This is the only synchronous event scheduled throughout the course. Participation in the

Ellluminate sessions are an opportunity for me, the Moodle course designer, to give feedback to

the participating teachers and answer questions in a live webinar held in Elluminate. The

teachers will receive specific feedback as to whether they have met the course objectives so far

and with additional guidance or support provided to the learners as necessary. Providing

feedback to the learners is the seventh event of Gagnes nine events of instruction.

The fourth and fifth units require the teachers to teach their students how to create a

VoiceThread and mathcast. The teachers will apply what they have learned in the previous units

of the course. Performance will be elicited from the teachers and their students to create a

technology product similar to what they created emphasizing the comparison of problem solving

strategies used by students. The teachers will guide their students to elicit performance from their

students. Feedback will be provided to the students and teachers and performance will be

assessed using a rubric and discussion question post in the Moodle course discussion forum for

units four and five.

Unit six serves as the culminating unit of the Moodle course and is the most important

unit. This unit is where all of the puzzle pieces fall into place for the students. The mathcast

videos and VoiceThreads have been shared in the teachers classrooms with different ways to

54

solve a common word problem or equation discussed after viewing the technology products. In

the discussion with students, teachers present the idea that there are multiple ways to solve

problems and discuss features of the different problem solving strategies that were particularly

effective. The main purpose of this unit is for students to take what they learned throughout this

course as means to enhance the retention of the skills learned and transferring those skills to

new problems or settings (TIP: Theories, n.d.).

Procedure

For the purposes of conducting this formative evaluation, three phases of reviewers were

selected and asked to complete questionnaires sharing suggestions to improve the Moodle

course. The content, course structure, and learning activities were examined for areas that need

revision.

SME Phase

For the subject matter expert phase, colleagues were contacted that are experts in

technology and familiar with math standards at fifth through eighth grades. The main focus of

the SME phase was upon the technology tools and learning activities. Each reviewer was invited

to complete an online questionnaire after viewing the Moodle course. This was one of the first

things done as part of the formative evaluation process. The formative evaluation began the first

part of May 2010 with the expectations that the reviewers would respond within a week on the

Google form. Each reviewer was interviewed and responded to each question on the

questionnaire. The researcher completed the interview checklist during the individual interviews

with each subject matter reviewer.

One to-one Phase

55

For the one to one phase, colleagues were contacted that were experienced in teaching

math and using technology. The researcher desired participants that were representative of the

target audience for the Moodle course. The main focus of this phase was to determine if the

actual teachers participating in the Moodle course will be able to successfully complete the

course and use the technology tools featured in the learning activities.

Reviewers were asked to complete the online questionnaire after viewing the online

course. The questionnaire asked the reviewers to focus on specific aspects of the supplementary

materials, sequence of learning activities and thoroughness of the content and directions. Upon

completion of the Moodle course, the reviewers completed a post test based on the content of the

course.

Implementation of this phase was one of the initial things done to begin the formative

evaluation process. The start date of the formative evaluation was originally scheduled for the

beginning of May 2010 with the expectation that the reviewers would respond within a week on

the Google form. The timeline was not adhered to as hoped by the researcher and the evaluation

was delayed several weeks.

Small group Phase

In the small group phase, colleagues that were math teachers and relatively new to

integrating technology were asked to participate as a reviewer in the formative evaluation. This

is the target audience for the actual course. The teachers that will participate in the Moodle

course in the future will be expert math instructors at fifth through eighth grades.

The main focus of this phase was about using the technology tools in the learning

activities. Each reviewer was asked to complete the online questionnaire after reviewing the

online course. The questionnaire asked the reviewers to focus on various aspects of the course

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paying particular attention to the learning activities and clarity of the course content and

directions. This part of the formative evaluation began around the middle of June 2010 after

making some of the changes that the SMEs and one to one reviewers suggested. The timeline

was delayed several weeks while waiting for reviewers to agree to evaluate the course and

complete the questionnaire and post tests. Eventually reviewers responded resulting in only six

small group reviewers. As with the one to one phase, upon completion of the Moodle course, the

reviewers completed a post test based on the content of the course

Integrity of the Data

The questionnaires were online and the reviewers responded and submitted their answers

online. The researcher was the only person that viewed the responses from each phase of

reviewers. The reviewers did not view one anothers submissions thus preserving the integrity of

the data and responses from the reviewers.

Permissions and Anonymity

The reviewers of the small group phase responded to a final question on the Google form

asking if they consented to share their comments and suggestions with the evaluator by

indicating consent with a yes or no answer and typing their name in the last field on the

questionnaire.

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Timeline

Below is a tentative timeline indicating when each task will be implemented.

Activities May

2010

May

2010

May

2010

June

2010

June

2010

June

2010

SME review and Informed

Consent period

Data Analysis and Revisions

One-to-One Evaluations

Data Analysis and Revisions

Small Group Evaluation

Data Analysis and Reporting

Figure 1. Projected Timeline for the Formative Evaluation

Technology Used in the Curriculum Description and Rationale

The Moodle course is itself a technology product. I added several Portable Data Format

(PDF) documents of instructions and supplementary resources for the participating teachers to

use for help, clarification or further explanation. The PDFs and course units contain graphics and

images that explain the expectations for each unit and the process required to successfully

complete the learning activities. Short videos and VoiceThread examples were added to the

course to serve as a model for the technology products the teachers and students will create.

Several websites were included as resources along with a podcast of an interview with the

mathcast concept creator, Tim Fahlberg. The teachers are able to select any or all of the

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resources they deem necessary to successfully complete each learning activity. The inclusion of

synchronous live web conferences in Elluminate will allow participants to interact, engage and

discuss the resources or learning activities found in the course units.

At the end of ea

Documents

Online Instruction to Improve Math Instruction