!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! · Throughout the OISE Mindshift...

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1 INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INQUIRY PROJECT “MINDSHIFT! RETHINKING EDUCATION FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY” FINAL SCHOOL REPORT – April 2012 SCHOOL: INQUIRY TEAM MEMBERS, GRADE(S) TAUGHT, SUBJECT, FOCUS (please list): SCHOOL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT: OUR ESSENTIAL QUESTION: * Helen Carayannis – Gr. 5 Technology; Social Media (Schoology.com) in a Mythology Unit Rosa Mastri – Gr. 6 Art; Social Media (wikispaces.com) use in a clay animation activity Lee Hamr – Gr. 10 Science and Gr. 11 Social Science; Social Media (Twitter.com) in reading awareness and sourcing information Trish Osler – Gr. 11 Art; Social Media (wikispaces.com) in Baroque Art Histoty activity Havergal’s main curriculum initiative is teaching for understanding, which guides our work in all areas. The implementation of technology is driven by curricular goals, and we seek to embed the use of technology as organically and as transparently as possible. In this project we wanted to explore how social media might enrich teaching and learning at Havergal across a variety of subject areas and grade levels. Its potential to provide asynchronous and differentiated learning opportunities, digital artifacts that evidence engagement and understanding, activity-relevant communication between teachers and students, (and among students), and opportunities to model good Digital Citizenship were particularly intriguing. Each of the four Havergal researchers was asked to focus on an individual aspect of a single overarching essential question: "How can we use social media to enhance student learning?" Havergal College Can the use of Schoology help Grade 5 students to develop a greater depth of understanding of Greek gods?

Transcript of !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! · Throughout the OISE Mindshift...

Page 1: !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! · Throughout the OISE Mindshift partnership, Havergal supported four different action research projects, each which explored

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INDEPENDENT  SCHOOLS  INQUIRY  PROJECT  

 “MINDSHIFT!  RETHINKING  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  21ST  CENTURY”  

FINAL  SCHOOL  REPORT  –  April  2012  

       

SCHOOL:    

INQUIRY  TEAM  MEMBERS,  GRADE(S)  TAUGHT,  SUBJECT,  FOCUS  (please  list):      

 

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL  BACKGROUND  AND  CONTEXT  FOR  THE  PROJECT:    

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR  ESSENTIAL  QUESTION:  

 

* Helen Carayannis – Gr. 5 Technology; Social Media (Schoology.com) in a Mythology Unit

Rosa Mastri – Gr. 6 Art; Social Media (wikispaces.com) use in a clay animation activity

Lee Hamr – Gr. 10 Science and Gr. 11 Social Science; Social Media (Twitter.com) in reading awareness and sourcing information

Trish Osler – Gr. 11 Art; Social Media (wikispaces.com) in Baroque Art Histoty activity

Havergal’s main curriculum initiative is teaching for understanding, which guides our work in all areas. The implementation of technology is driven by curricular goals, and we seek to embed the use of technology as organically and as transparently as possible.

In this project we wanted to explore how social media might enrich teaching and learning at Havergal across a variety of subject areas and grade levels. Its potential to provide asynchronous and differentiated learning opportunities, digital artifacts that evidence engagement and understanding, activity-relevant communication between teachers and students, (and among students), and opportunities to model good Digital Citizenship were particularly intriguing.

Each of the four Havergal researchers was asked to focus on an individual aspect of a single overarching essential question: "How can we use social media to enhance student learning?"

 

Havergal College

Can the use of Schoology help Grade 5 students to develop a greater depth of understanding of Greek gods?

 

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OUR  ACTION  RESEARCH  STORY:    

1. PURPOSE  AND  SCOPE  OF  THE  RESEARCH  AND  HOW  IT  MAY  HAVE  CHANGED:  

 

 

 

 

 

 2. FUNDING  AND  SUPPORT:  

 

 

 

 

 

3. PROJECT  PROCESS:  

Grade 5 Student Quote:

“Using Schoology for this project helped me to be more successful because I was only one god and other people were different gods, so it helped me to learn about the gods and goddesses through my classmates.”

I am grateful to Havergal’s administration for supporting my participation in this project. Resources included the use of class time and available technologies. The action research was conducted in close conjunction with Havergal’s Technology Integrator, Paul Shuebrook and Nicole Davies, Teacher Librarian & Technology Coordinator. Further, while no additional funding was required, release time was periodically requested in order to collate and analyze data. I also appreciated the opportunity to attend professional learning conversations at participating CIS and OISE sites.

Learning about Greek mythology in Grade 5 has taken several different forms over the years. Part of the unit has involved assigning each Grade 5 student a specific Greek god to research. Once the research was completed, an afternoon was set-aside for the students to dress up and take on the persona of their Greek god. All students would get to know the various gods by interacting with each other through various activities. Although this was a very engaging activity, the students still seemed to leave the unit with a depth of understanding limited to their researched god. I hypothesized that the use of social media would allow the students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of other gods, while extending their knowledge of their own assigned god.

 

Throughout the OISE Mindshift partnership, Havergal supported four different action research projects, each which explored a different aspect of social media use in the classroom. The four teams met regularly, both formally and informally, to support each other’s projects, discuss our observations, and tweak the research process.

The focus of the action research project, Schoology in a Grade 5 Classroom: Learning About the Greek Gods, was to determine the benefit of using social media with grade five students to deepen their understanding of Greek gods. This project was designed for students to have an authentic experience using social media in a meaningful and purposeful way. Forty-six grade five students were the subjects of this study. Both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered and analyzed.

 

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4. ASSESSMENT  STRATEGY:  a) DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DATA  COLLECTION:  

     

     

     

     

     

     

   

     

     

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

My primary source of data is based on responses completed by each student who completed a baseline and culminating survey anonymously using Survey Monkey. During the process, I regularly recorded detailed observations of the students in the form of anecdotes. At several points throughout the process, time was taken to reflect on the anecdotes and data gathered. This reflection process helped to inform me about the status of my research and tweak the process along the way.

The baseline survey was administered in October to determine students’ knowledge of and experience using social media. The survey focused on student preconceptions regarding how they thought this technology tool could assist their learning and how they can share knowledge with each other.

Each student chose to research a specific Greek god. The goal was for each student to create a profile and biography about her god. Each student then transferred this information into an online Schoology profile. I explicitly stated the student code of conduct for the online activity and the expectations for the Schoology component were clearly established. I posted the first discussion topic, which required each student to post two truths and one lie about their god. This encouraged students to read each other’s profiles in order to determine which facts were true and which facts were lies. Students were encouraged to guess all of the posted “lies.” All online activity was monitored and documented.

Discussion between “gods” then evolved naturally. While working in Schoology, the students fully took on their Greek persona. For example, one early student posting was Aphrodite asking, “Does anyone have love problems?” Conversation and further questions followed quickly and “kick-starting” the conversation was unnecessary. I monitored the site carefully for any inappropriate conduct.

Time was allocated for this project during core and ICT class time, although posting outside of class was strongly encouraged. The online Schoology environment allowed me to easily monitor and track individual student participation. A rubric to assess student participation was created to measure both the quantity and quality of responses in the areas of participation, knowledge building, and understanding. Throughout the process, participation feedback and encouragement was consistently given to the students.

At the end of the project, a culminating survey was administered to all participating students. Specific questions were asked to determine the students’ perspective on the engagement, communication, and depth of learning using Schoology as the main vehicle for sharing and learning new information.

 

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b) MAKING  SENSE  OF  THE  DATA:    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c)  ARTIFACTS,  GRAPHICS,  IMAGES:    

 

 

c)  FINDINGS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the data was analyzed and categorized, all data was converted into an Excel spreadsheet according to the assessed level of each piece of data. I looked for patterns and trends in the data to determine the overall student effectiveness and productiveness throughout the duration of the project as connected to Schoology.

Qualitative

• Looking at the quality of student postings according to the knowledge and new ideas shared, questions posed, and ability to extend topics or introduce new ones

• Assessing contributions to determine individual student understanding of Greek gods • Anecdotal observations of student progress and engagement • Conferencing with core teachers to compare student understanding when Greek gods were studied in a non-

Schoology environment

Quantitative

Looking at the level of engagement by quantifying individual student participation as determined through the number of postings per student per assignment.

The following items are located in the appendix: • Rubric to assess qualitative and quantitative data (i) • Bar graphs that illustrate student thinking regarding

engagement using Schoology (ii) the usefulness of Schoology (iii) the enhanced ability to communicate using Schoology (iv) the enhanced ability to participate using Schoology (v) the enhanced ability to manage time using Schoology (vi)

• Screen shot of a sample Greek god profile (vii) • Screen shot of a sample Schoology teacher-generated discussion (viii) • Screen shot of a sample Schoology student-generated discussion (ix)

 

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 d)  FINDINGS    

   

 

     

     

   

 

HIGHLIGHTS  OF  THE  PROJECT:    WHAT  WERE  MAJOR  HIGHLIGHTS  –  YOUR  NOTABLE  

SUCCESSES  AND  CHALLENGES?  WHAT  WERE  KEY  RESULTS  AND  KEY  PROFESSIONAL  LEARNINGS?      

     

 

 

 

 

Several highlights were noted during this project The ability for me to easily view and evaluate student participation, contributions, and thinking in an on-going and documented format, was excellent for informing student progress and tweaking the project along the way. Although this aspect of social media was realized at the earliest stages of the project, it provided me with a wonderful insight into a new way that evidence can be gathered for further assessment.

A wonderful unexpected aspect of this project was the student-initiated conversations that took place within Schoology outside of class time. The high level of student enthusiasm for this project resulted in students conducting further research to develop a deeper understanding of their original chosen Greek god. This contagious motivation allowed all students to further deepen their knowledge and understanding of many gods. The social media environment gave all students a voice. Students who may not contribute often during face-to-face class discussions felt included and safe in the online environment to share their thinking and understandings with their peers. The task of taking on the persona of a Greek god also may have contributed to an increased level of participation.

The challenge of this project was found within the few students who were more difficult to motivate and engage. Upon reflection, I would modify this project to allow for more flexibility and differentiation in an effort to increase their enthusiasm and contributions.

 

Qualitative and Quantitative Findings

After evaluating each student posting it was determined that the quality of student postings were highly positive. Over 90 per cent of students participated actively and enthusiastically. Students were keen to share their thinking, pose meaningful questions to each other, and respond sincerely. This encouraged good discussion and led to a deep understanding of all Greek gods researched, not just their own chosen god. Students consistently extended the conversations outside of class time. Often, students were motivated to continue their research in order to answer questions posed by peers. Again, this led to an increase in knowledge and understanding of Greek gods. The teacher anecdotes also revealed that the use of Schoology created student excitement, interest, motivation, and engagement throughout the project. Many students described the experience as “making their learning fun.”

 

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 CONCLUSION:  HOW  DID  YOUR  ACTION  RESEARCH  PROJECT  IMPACT  YOUR  INSTRUCTIONAL  AND/OR  ASSESSMENT  PRACTICES  TO  REFLECT  EDUCATION  IN  THE  21ST  CENTURY?:    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES  WE  RECOMMEND:      For  Professional  Learning  Teams:    

 

 

 

 

Team Quote

“This project gave us the opportunity to experiment with the integration of Social Media into the junior curriculum. Our conclusions helped to inform our teaching practices to further develop projects that incorporate Social Media for the purpose of extending and deepening student learning and understanding.”

After observing the enthusiasm of the students during this project, documenting the participation level of the class, the interaction between the students and the quality of posts that were made throughout the two months, using Schoology did in fact help the grade 5 students to develop a greater depth of understanding of the Greek gods. It allowed the students to communicate easily with each other outside of class time, share their knowledge and learn from each other in a different and fun way that they had not experienced in the past.

This project was very successful and I will continue to use Schoology in the future for the Greek mythology unit. I feel that now that I am comfortable using this program I can integrate it even further into the curriculum for other units as well.

It is important to use social media in the classroom, as the classroom should reflect the world kids live in today. By incorporating social media tools into their work, students will enjoy learning and learn more in the process. We need to design projects that allow students to have authentic experiences using social media in meaningful and purposeful ways. As the principal of the Science Leadership Academy, Christopher Lehmann stated, “It is incumbent upon schools to teach smart digital citizenship. Social media is part of kids lives. Either we acknowledge it exists and allow ourselves to be part of the conversation, or it’s one more way school becomes irrelevant to kids.”

 

Schoology  https://www.schoology.com/home.php  

Your  Digital  Classroom  http://coe.winthrop.edu/jonesmg/LTI/2010Fwhitepapers/Nicole_Gaillard.pdf  

Schools  and  Online  Social  Networking  http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues423.shtml  

Social  Networking  in  Schools  http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0ac7c029-­‐0fd4-­‐4db2-­‐be39-­‐1133d028ab02  

3-­‐5  Social  Networking  http://www.sd25.org/isafety/k5/network/3-­‐5/  

 

 

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Appendix

(i)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I would use it again because it was really fun. Also, it was an easy way to communicate with other people.”

“I would use it again for future work because you can use Schoology to communicate with your friends in a different way.”

“I would use it again because it helped me work outside of class.”

“Yes, I would use it again because it was a ‘funner’ way of doing work.”

 

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(iii)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I feel that it helped because you learned about other people’s gods and you would go on and always learn something new.”

“I could communicate with other people easily. If you were sick one day and couldn’t go to school, then you could just go on Schoology and use it to ask some questions that you had.”

“I think it helped me because I learned a lot more information than I knew before, but in a fun way.”

“It let you share your knowledge with other people so in the end everyone knew a lot about each god.”

(iv)               (v)  

   

 

 

(vi)  

 

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(vii)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(viii)    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ix)