Wicked Problem Project- Final

Problem- The problem I chose to address is that I needed to find a better way to teach my students research and presentation skills.  I was having difficulty teaching these concepts and skills because I only see my students once a week for 40-50 minutes.  Each week, I was spending a lot of time repeating the same instructions, which wasted a lot of time and didn’t allow my students to continue working at their own pace and jump quickly back in from where they left off the previous week.    

Solution- I decided that I needed to find a way to create regular structure to the research and presentation process that would be easy for my students to follow independently.  My solution was to create a WebQuest template that I can modify for any research project.  Using this will allow my students to see regular structure to the research and presentation process and allow my students to work at their own pace, while giving all of my students the instruction and repetition they need.

Technology and Pedagogy- I made the decision to create the WebQuest template using Microsoft PowerPoint for several reasons.  First, using a slideshow presentation is a great way to provide my students with the entire assignment in an easy to follow, step-by-step format.  My students have access to everything in one place and also the ability to move back and forth between each part of the process as they need to.  Another reason I chose to use Powerpoint was because I already have it at home and at school- this makes it easy for me to work from anywhere and easy for my students to access.  PowerPoint is something my students have already been exposed to, so it is easy for them to navigate.

Technology and Content- Using the PowerPoint WebQuest format saves me a lot of time.  It eliminates the need for me to constantly repeat directions or to make and hand out copies of instructional materials and resources.  I am able to provide everything they need from the beginning, all in one place. 

Having instructions in an electronic format also makes it easy to for me to provide my students with online resources.  I like that I can include links for my students to click on that will take them directly to websites that are good resources for their research or to useful video tutorials.  My template includes links to two video tutorials about how to create PowerPoint presentations, which will help my students create presentations of their research. 

Pedagogy and Content- Having a template to work from when creating each research assignment gives me the opportunity to spend more time focusing on the content of the assignment, rather than worrying about how to get the information and instruction to my students.  Working from the template allows me more time to focus on creating a high-quality, intriguing assignment that encourages critical thinking from a problem-solving approach.  Having the ability to add electronic content, such as videos, also helps my struggling students and keep students interested in the assignment. 

Student Experience- In the future, my students will continue to benefit from the use of my WebQuest template for their research project.  They will benefit from having all of their instruction in one place, from being able to work at their own pace, from seeing regular structure to the process, from having electronic resources and videos available to them, and from being provided with high-quality problem-solving assignments. 

Wicked presentation

View more presentations from gawnelis.

Group Leadership Project

Below is the Group Leadership Project that I have been working on with my group for CEP 812.  We created a professional development slidecast to show others how to use Google docs and Google presenter.   A "Part 2" should be coming soon to show how to share these documents with others. 

 

 1. What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial?  Why?

Our group chose to use Microsoft PowerPoint to create our PD tutorial for a few reasons.  One was that we all had the program and knew how to use it.  It is also an easy program to use if you are working together because you can copy and paste slides from different presentations into one presentation.  It also seemed like a good idea to use PowerPoint because most people are somewhat familiar with its format and can focus on the content of the presentation instead of the program being used to deliver the information.

2. What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

As I was putting each of my group members’ parts of the project together, I realized that creating one project out of several parts can be very simple in some ways and complicated in others.  I appreciated that PowerPoint automatically updated the backgrounds of most of the slides so the entire project did not look like 4 separate presentations.  It was nice that the program allowed me to easily copy and paste slides into the correct order and also let me add additional transitional slides as needed.  I was surprised to find out that one of my group members had difficulty doing the recording of the voiceover because one section of slides was different from the rest.  Since the slides had embedded videos, I would have expected them  to automatically play while she left the voiceover of those slides without any sound.

3. What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I had to develop a similar project again, I would work harder during the planning stages to be sure that my group members and I all had the same understanding of the directions for the project.  Trying to coordinate a project between six people became challenging when I realized that the four parts submitted to me were slightly different. Some were different because group members were not all interpreting directions the same way, and some were different because group members had different levels of technology experience and wanted to create the project in slightly different ways.   

How to Use Google Docs - Part 1

View more webinars from lrothfeld

Professional Learning Plan

One of my main goals for the three CEP courses was to try to catch up with what my students know about technology.  I definitely feel a lot more confident now about my exposure to and understanding of many popular technology terms.  Before taking the three courses, I didn’t know much about blogs, wikis, Google Docs, podcasts, Webquests, or Stair projects.  Now, I feel comfortable using each of them personally or professionally.  Before taking these courses, I was also unaware of many of the free technology available on the web.  Now I know about many resources and programs, such as Slideshare, Delicious, Vyew, Glogster, Prezi and Wordle.  

Another one of my original goals was to create specific projects that I could use and re-use in my teaching.  I am happy to have created a Stair project that I will be able to use each year to introduce the parts of the library to my students.  I intend to use it in the beginning of the school year next year and also revise and edit it as needed.  I have also created a research project template in a WebQuest format using PowerPoint that will enable me to create and revise research projects for my older students for years to come.  I will use this template for upcoming projects this year and continue to use it in the foreseeable future.  

A third goal that I had at the beginning of these courses was to learn more about how to teach children about internet safety and copyright law.  Although I have learned some things that I did not know about before, this is a goal I am going to have to continue to pursue on my own.  Fortunately, another library media specialist in another district building is also interested in the same topics.  She and I have already started pulling some internet resources so we can develop lessons for next year.  Hopefully my new technology skills, such as creation of Stair projects and Webquests, will allow us to create some useful resources for our students.  I like that this will give me the opportunity to share some of my learning with another educator in a way that will benefit students in another building. 

In addition to the specific knowledge I have acquired through these courses, I have also gained a sense of confidence and responsibility toward technology in education.  I joined the technology committee in my building and became a part of a group writing grants for document projectors.  I was lucky enough to be the first to get a DuKane projector and webcam for use in the library.  In order to make use of the projector, I had to set up a “technology station” in the center of the library.  Now, the station has a computer with an Epson projector and the Dukane, always ready for use.  Before, the extra computer and Epson projector were left sitting in a storage room.  

I have also been staying more aware of how technology is being used in my building and trying to find ways to adapt available technology to lessons in the library.  For example, I found out that we have digital cameras and video cameras available.  In the near future, I would like to have my students either read or act out stories while being photographed or videotaped.  I believe that if students know they are going to be recorded and that they will be able to see it played back, they will be more motivated and enjoy the assignment more.  Since my school also has Smartboards available for teachers to check out, I plan to learn more about how to use them from other teachers in my building and find ways to use them in the library.  

The biggest challenge I have to face in the future is to stay aware of current technology.  I plan to do this by staying involved in technology in my building and in my personal life.  By staying on the technology committee and having regular conversations with other teachers about how they are using technology in their classrooms, I should be able to continue learning and developing my skills.  I also intend to stay focused on technology in the news and in my everyday life and consider how it can be used in education.

Mobile Learning Labs

One technology I am considering trying to integrate into my library next year is ipods.  I would love to be able to create my own audiobooks for students to enjoy, and even possibly check out from the library.  I think that many of my students would also love creating their own audiobooks to share with other students.  I think that using audio versions of stories created by people students know, such as myself and other students, could really increase reading motivation.  I think that parents and other teachers may also be interested in creating audio versions of their favorite stories to share with students.  Having access to ipods could also benefit struggling readers throughout the school.  Teachers of students who have difficulty reading or staying focused on reading for extended periods may want to use the library ipods either create audio versions of what students are learning in class, or books they want their students to read.  

I am somewhat interested in the idea of using Kindles in school.  However, I am afraid that using Kindles can take a lot away from motivation to read regular books.  I am also skeptical about how much benefit Kindles could really have, in relation to their cost. 

I love the idea of using Flip Cameras in school.  I think that when students have the idea that what they say or do can be recorded and saved, it motivates them to put more thought and effort into their work.  

USB drives don’t seem very useful to me.  In my school, students all have their own space to save their work on the network.  I could see USB drives as somewhat useful when transferring a project from school to home and back, or when working as part of a group, but I think that just having a small number of them available in a school would be enough.  

I am definitely still skeptical of the use of cell phones in school.  I do like the idea of disabling calling and text functions so that students would have to focus more on classroom tasks, but I’m still uncomfortable with the idea of kids being so attached to screens.  I do appreciate that cell phones could give all kids equal access to the internet and other resources, but I worry that it takes children away from regular social interaction and physical tasks. 

Part D: Findings and Implications

For this project, I have been addressing the problem of needing a structured format for my students to do research. As a Library Media Specialist, a large portion of my job is providing students with research and presentation skills.  It was becoming challenging and overwhelming to start each new project from scratch, and also frustrating to be constantly repeating directions to students I only see once each week.   I decided to create a WebQuest template in Microsoft PowerPoint to be edited for each research project I create.  This provides structure to the research and presentation process for my students over time.  It also offers some differentiation for students who need review and repetition and the opportunity for higher-level students to move ahead more quickly.  Using the template saves me planning time and allows me to focus more on creating high quality assignments.  

After two partial implementations, the project has been successful.  At this time, partially implementing the WebQuest format to research and presentation was all that I knew I would have time for.  Even finding time during our once-weekly meetings was challenging without being able to plan well in advance.  As I look to the rest of this school year and into the next, I know I will find many opportunities to use my WebQuest template to create new research projects for my students.  I will definitely continue to use this format because, so far, it was very beneficial to my students and to myself. 

I know this project has been successful so far because my students were able to easily navigate the PowerPoint presentation and use it at their own pace.  During my 5^th grade implementation, my students were focusing on creating a bibliography and PowerPoint presentation of their research findings.  They were easily able to move between screens to find the directions and information they needed, instead of having to ask me for help and wait while I worked with other groups.  Even though they had already had a lesson in PowerPoint basics, several of my students followed the links I embedded to some basic PowerPoint instructional videos for review and further learning.  During my 4^th grade implementation, my students were focusing on beginning a project learning about the Underground Railroad.  The problem stated in the opening of the presentation gave them motivation to learn and they were easily able to use the link to the resource I wanted them to use.  

One thing I realized I would change would be to add some information and resources into the presentation about how to take notes during research.  I realized that young students often write down too much or too little from their sources.  I would move the parts of the presentation that review copyright and bibliography.  I realized that my students needed to have this information earlier in the process so they would not waste time at the end searching for the sources they already used.  

Given more time, something I would do differently is to create more audio in the WebQuest.  I would embed short recordings on each slide reading the text to my students.  Not only would this help struggling readers, but also my auditory learners.  I noticed that the students who chose to view the PowerPoint tutorial videos would have benefited from some more audio, and possibly visual, teaching. 

To see the PowerPoint presentations of my partial implementations and template, see my blog entry from Part C: Implementation.