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Running head: CLASSROOM COLLABORATION VIA WEB 2.0 TOOLS 1
Classroom Collaboration via Web 2.0 Tools in a Special Education Classroom
Robert Kyle Johnson
Kennesaw State University
April 2016
Dr. Laurie Brantley-Dias
Spring 2016
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Capstone Project Proposal
The setting for this proposed project is Central Gwinnett High School. Central Gwinnett
has approximately 2,200 students in grades nine through twelve, and is located in the suburban
city of Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County, Georgia. It is a public school in which the students
and faculty are on a modified block schedule with alternating A/B days. Students have 4 periods
a day with a 25-minute advisement, totaling eight classes a semester. Central Gwinnett is a Title
I school having a minority enrollment of 84%. 40% of students move on to a four-year or
technical college after graduating from the school. The ethnic makeup of the student population
is 46% Black, 37% Hispanic, 16% White, and 1% other. 74% of the student population is on free
and reduced lunch (U.S News & World Report, 2013).
Central Gwinnett High School is led by one principal, one associate principal, and eight
assistant principals, each overseeing a specific department. The school is one of five schools that
are implementing an “Academy Model” in which the school has five Career Academies that
students are broken up into according to their interests. With this model, teachers are also broken
up into an academy, which helps to serve as professional learning communities as well.
Currently, the district oversees new policies and procedures which are voted on by community
members, business partners, district personnel, the superintendent, and the schools’ principals.
Most recently, the district as rolled out a new content management learning system called “e-
class” for teachers to post classroom materials for students to access from home. The student
portal has also been implemented to bridge the gap between teacher and parent communication.
With the implementation of the Career Academies, and the stress on using e-class and
project-based learning collaborative work, many teachers are still hesitant to use the e-class page
and the myriad of features it offers for students to interact with other students and the teacher at
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home. By using Google Docs and e-class to complete a PBL-based project, students would
increase their content knowledge while acquiring the 21st century skills needed to be productive
and functioning citizens in society. According Edutopia, PBL-based learning “Studies comparing
learning outcomes for students taught via project-based learning versus traditional instruction
show that when implemented well, PBL increases long-term retention of content, helps students
perform as well as or better than traditional learners in high-stakes tests, improves problem-
solving and collaboration skills, and improves students' attitudes towards learning” (Vega, 2015).
Statement of Problem, Need and Rationale
The amount of technology being implemented into classroom at Central Gwinnett is
increasing so rapidly that many teachers have either ignored the rollout of e-class, which is used
as an evaluation piece on teacher evaluations, or in the least have struggled to utilize the tools in
e-class which could potentially help students in increasing their content knowledge. Since e-class
and the academy model are only at year 2, many teachers have not pushed to implement the tools
needed for student-centered learning as quickly as the district and school has been wanting. Also,
one of the school’s main LSPI goals is to increase the graduation rate of the special education
population by 5%. In the past, many special education teachers have struggled with meeting this
goal and have attended many professional development sessions on how to help bridge the
graduation gap among these students with disabilities.
By using Google Docs and e-class in a special education classroom, students will be able
to collaborate while completing PBLs and other collaborative assignments which will help them
with their communication skills and increase their content knowledge. Also, using technology
and collaboration together “…also has great potential for improving learning skills, enriching
their contents, and enhancing knowledge development (Lin, Hsaio, Tseng, and Chan, 2014, p.
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162). In my own classroom, having students create presentations via Google Slides has had much
more positive impact than the standard lecture-based presentation. Students usually do research
on a given topic and get into groups to create a collaborative presentation based on that topic.
Students may break up the categories and work on that category while others do the same. Each
student then inputs it into the Google Slides. With this type of learning experience, students are
able to explore their own learning with research. They then explain and summarize what they
learned through the Google Slides and the other students do the same. In effect, students are
learning without really even knowing it.
Google Docs allows students to work collaboratively on a presentation or paper
simultaneously, and the edits are logged while the students work, providing the teachers much
needed data on how well the students are participating while doing collaborative work. Many
teachers at Central Gwinnett High School have voiced their concerns of students who “fall
between the cracks” when doing collaborative work because they do not know who contributes
to the work or if students just copy the work of others. Students are more engaged and motivated
when teachers integrate Google Docs into their lesson (Liu & Lan, 2014). By implementing this
tool, along with Google Docs to aid collaboration, teachers will see how these tools can be
beneficial to any classroom in increasing student scores.
Objectives & Deliverables
The goal of this proposal is to provide students an alternative learning environment
compared to the traditional lecture-based classroom by offering a blended, collaborative, project-
based learning setting that increases the rigor and accommodates higher-order thinking skills to
ensure the mastery of the content which in turn will lead to passing grade under a special
education classroom setting.
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Objectives.
Throughout the research, the following objectives will be achieved to keep students on
task throughout the process. I will first introduce students to the advanced features of e-class and
walk them through how to navigate a reading passage and post a discussion. Once students have
been exposed to the e-class tool, I will then introduce them to Google Docs and have the students
begin a short presentation on the Bill of Rights and its significance to today in small groups.
Once this tool is introduced, rigor will be increased with readings and discussions. Students will
be asked to provide a response to other students’ posts using the ABC guidelines: Acknowledge
what they wrote, Build on their thought, and Conclude with a kind word. In the process of doing
these discussions, students will then begin work on their final project on Government’s
Importance to My Life using Google Slides. Once the project and discussions have been
concluded, I will administer a survey to the students on the effectiveness of the tools used in
class. Improvements and adjustments will be made according to student feedback.
Deliverables.
In relation to the first objective, an e-class reading passage relating to Political Systems
will be uploaded to the discussion forum and a mock discussion will be started to give the
students a working example. When I introduce the Google Docs, students will log their Gmail
emails onto a spreadsheet for me log their collaboration throughout the project. As rigor is
increased, grades will begin to be taken based on the ABC rubric (out of 3 points). All work will
be saved on the e-class discussion forum. As students begin their final project, student
participation will be logged based on their Gmail email addresses. Grades will be evaluated
based upon the Project Rubric. The survey will be administered via Google Forms to provide
feedback on collaboration and its benefits to what they have learned and how they felt about
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using the tools. Also, content knowledge growth will be compared to other classes of the same
setting based on overall grades.
PSC Standards
Standard 3: Digital Learning Environments will be addressed through the creation of an
online collaborative learning environment. With the use of Google Docs and the Discussion
forum via Desire2Learn’s e-class, I will be able to take a facilitator role instead of a lecture role
which will help the students become problem solvers of their own learning. I will be able to
manage their learning and growth via e-class and the tracking capabilities of Google Docs. The
collaborative nature of the class will help students with their 21st century learning skills and will
give them the confidence they need to see their growth in learning the material.
Table 1.PSC Standards and Objectives
Project Objectives PSC Standards
1. Introduce students to the advanced features of e-class and walk them through how to navigate a reading passage and post a discussion.
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication and Collaboration
2. Introduce Google Docs to students and have them begin a short presentation on the Bill of Rights and its significance to today in small groups.
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
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3. Rigor will be increased with readings and discussions. Students will be asked to provide a response to other students’ posts using the ABC guidelines: Acknowledge what they wrote, Build on their thought, and Conclude with a kind word.
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
4. Students will work on final project on Government’s Importance to My Life using Google Slides.
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
5. Teacher will administer survey to students on the effectiveness of the tools used in class. Improvements and adjustments will be made according to student feedback.
3.5 Basic Troubleshooting
3.6 Selecting and Evaluating Digital Tools & Resources
Project Description
Students in a special education classroom at Central Gwinnett High School will
participate in an online collaborative setting to increase overall scores in Political Systems.
Students will be asked to read various documents and will then participate in discussions created
in e-class. Students will eventually respond to others using the ABC model. Students will also
use Google Docs, particularly Google Slides to create collaborative PBL-based projects
throughout the semester relating to Political Systems and their role as potential active citizens in
government. At the end of the semester, students will be given a survey reflecting on their
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experience using these tools and improvements/adjustments will be made reflecting their
opinions and comments.
First project item/activity.
During the first few weeks of planning for the first unit, I will find a document reading
that pertains to the origins of government and will upload the document to e-class. I will then
walk students through how to access the document and post a discussion. I will have students
then read the document on the student laptops and begin their first discussion in class. I will
facilitate their individual postings by walking around and reminding students of how to
summarize the document and how to answer the discussion question using supports from the
document. This will take close to an entire period to accomplish the entire task.
Second project item/activity.
For the second activity, students will create a Google Slide presentation on the
importance of the Bill of Rights and how it applies to their lives today. I will show them a short
25-minute video on what it would be like to live in a country where our basic rights are taken
away. We will discuss the effects of it and students will log on to their student laptops and into
their Google accounts to begin their presentation. Using a teacher-made rubric and guidelines for
the project, students will complete a presentation the most important Bill of Rights to them (3
total), why it is significant to their lives, and some examples of their use in today’s society. This
is an authentic PBL project. Students are given a real-world problem and they have to find
reasons to defend their choices of which rights are most important. This activity is what the
school administration and district are striving for all classes to emulate. Previously, an
assignment would be given just having them memorize the Bill of Rights, with no significance to
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their current lives. This activity expands on that experience by having them reflect and
collaborate with other similar-aged students. This activity will be concluded with a presentation
to the other groups in the class and addresses PSC Standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.7. The
rubric and guidelines will take around two hours to complete and the activity itself will last two
90-minute class periods.
Third project item/activity.
This activity will increase the rigor of the previous discussion based upon the reading.
Not only will students post original responses to questions based on a reading passage, students
will also post responses to other students using the ABC model. They will acknowledge what the
other student stated, they will build on what they stated, and they will conclude with a kind word.
Once the responses are reviewed, I may possibly have the students respond to another peers to
increase the collaboration piece. This pertains to PSC Standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.7. This
assignment will probably take a 90-minute class period after reading is done, original discussion
is posted, and 1-2 replies are logged.
Fourth project item/activity.
For the major project of the semester, I will have students reflect on the importance of
government and why it is important for young adults to participate in government. Using what
they learn throughout the semester, students will get into small groups and use Google Slides to
create a presentation combining all the elements of what is required by a teacher-made rubric and
guidelines. Students will conclude by presenting their presentations to the class. Not only will
this serve as their final, but students will collaborate with the other groups while presenting by
defending their stances on what is important when it comes to civic responsibility. This will
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increase the rigor of the assignment and allow students to use their higher-order thinking skills.
The principal may be invited to observe the growth the students have made. This activity relates
to PSC Standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.7. All together, this activity may take two 90-minute
class periods to complete due to the presentation piece.
Fifth project item/activity.
At the conclusion of the semester, students will be provided a Google Form survey on the
effectiveness of the class structure using Web 2.0 tools such as e-class and Google Docs. Any
feedback that is given will be taken as constructive criticism and will be used to make
adjustments and/or changes to the overall approach to these tools. This piece is crucial to the
results of the capstone project. This, along with student overall scores on the final assessment
will be used to provide conclusive data for the research assignment. Being that Political Systems
is a one-semester course, data can be gathered and analyzed before the next semester begins, so it
will be a great opportunity to make adjustments before a new semester of classes start.
Table 2. Project Activities Alignment
Project Item/Activity Project Objectives Deliverable
Initial design of discussion forum with a walk-through of expectations.
Introduce students to the advanced features of e-class and walk them through how to navigate a reading passage and post a discussion.
E-class reading passage of content from Political Systems will be uploaded to the discussion forum and a mock discussion will be started to give example.
Initial use of Google Docs with small presentation on Bill of Rights using
Introduce Google Docs to students and have them begin a short presentation on the Bill of Rights
Students will log Gmail emails on a spreadsheet to teacher for
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collaboration. and its significance to today in small groups.
collaboration purposes. Those who do not have a Gmail account will create one. Presentation will be created and shared with other groups.
Increase rigor of discussion by providing original post and 1-2 replies using ABC model for replies.
Rigor will be increased with readings and discussions. Students will be asked to provide a response to other students’ posts using the ABC guidelines: Acknowledge what they wrote, Build on their thought, and Conclude with a kind word.
Grades of discussions will be based on the ABC Rubric (out of 3 points). All work will be saved on e-class discussion forum.
Final project using Google Slides for collaboration and increased rigor to increase higher-order thinking skills.
Students will work on final project on Government’s Importance to My Life using Google Slides.
Student participation will be logged using their email address. Grades will be administered based on Project Rubric.
Provide evaluation measure to students for feedback and adjustments/changes for future use.
Teacher will administer survey to students on the effectiveness of the tools used in class. Improvements and adjustments will be made according to student feedback.
Student group surveys will also be administered via Google Forms to provide feedback on collaboration and its benefits to what they have learned and how they felt about using the tools.
Content Knowledge growth will be compared to other classes of the same setting based on overall grades.
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Evaluation Plan
This project will ultimately be evaluated by overall grades that are compared to similar
class sizes of the same subject. A final summative assessment will also be given that will be
compared to the pre-test given at the beginning of the semester. A survey will also be given to
the students reflecting on their experiences throughout the semester using the Web 2.0 tools.
Rubrics and Guidelines will be provided throughout the project and will serve as checkpoints to
student growth and learning.
First project item/activity.
Students will be given a walk-through of what is expected for the classroom discussion
forums based on the readings. I will evaluate students as they write to ensure they are engaging
in the reading and into the discussion. Grading will be more lenient due to this being their first
experience. A discussion will follow on expectations once all students have completed their first
discussion post.
Second project item/activity.
Students will be shown what is expected and how to navigate Google Slides. A rubric
will be provided, along with guidelines, on what is expected of them for the presentation. As
long as students follow the rubric, they should do well on the project.
Third project item/activity.
A more rigorous discussion forum will be given and students will be required to provide
replies to 1-2 peers using the ABC model of responses. Acknowledge what others found, Build
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on what they are stating using what you found, and Conclude with a kind word. This will ensure
that students are engaging in the material.
Fourth project item/activity.
A final project will be given for students to complete using Google Slides. A rubric will
be provided along with guidelines on what is expected for students to get a passing grade on the
project.
Fifth project item/activity.
The survey instrument will be created by myself and will be checked for reliability and
bias by the school’s Local School Technology Coordinator. This will ensure that all questions
are fair and equitable. Results will be evaluated and taken into consideration when thinking
about changes and/or adjustments to the class structure.
Project timeline.
This project will take place over the course of the fall semester 2016. It will take a few
weeks for the rubrics, guidelines, and discussions to be created for the assignments. Being that
there are six units to the Political Systems course of study, there will be a collaborative activity
around once a month that will provide students with the consistency that they need to become
comfortable with using the Web 2.0 tools. A survey will be given in December to the students to
provide feedback of their experience and to provide me with constructive feedback that I can use
for future classes.
Table 1. Project Timeline
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Month Project Item/Activity, or Evaluation Item Hours Standard
August 2016
Creation of Discussion Questions and Reading Assignment, Rubrics, and Guidelines.
20 hours
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
September 2016
Begin first discussion by having students read and respond to discussion question.
2 hours
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
October 2016
Have students use Google Slides to create presentation of Bill or Rights and its significance to their lives.
3 hours
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
CLASSROOM COLLABORATION VIA WEB 2.0 TOOLS 15
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
November 2016
Have students engage in reading by posting an original discussion post and responding to 1-2 peers using the ABC response model.
2 hours
3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
3.3 Online & Blended Learning
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
3.7 Communication & Collaboration
December 2016
Have students complete survey instrument providing feedback and experience of using Web 2.0 tools. Data analysis will be used to compare growth or digression of student scores.
6 hours
3.6 Selecting and Evaluating Digital Tools and Resources
3.7 Communication and Collaboration
Note: Month = the month during which activity or item will take place. Project Item/Activity, or Evaluation Item = statement to describe what learners or evaluation plan will do to meet the objective. Hours = hours necessary to create and implement, or evaluate content.
Conclusion
At the conclusion of the research process, the data that is gathered via the Google Form
and the work that is submitted via e-class and Google docs will be shared with the faculty during
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a professional learning session after school. I will share what my findings were and whether or
not collaborative learning increased special education students’ scores, whether the scores
decreased, or whether there was no significant change to the scores in response to collaborative
learning. Whatever the results, the teachers will get a good picture of how to use e-class more
effectively and how to use Web 2.0 tools in the classroom to hopefully increase student learning
through collaboration.
Resources
Table 4.Resources
Resource How it will be secured
Google Docs Account I will create the site and maintain it
Discussion Forum E-class is currently provided by the county. I will just have to create the Discussion Forums.
Student Laptops The principal has purchased 5 student laptops to be used for my Master’s research. These will be returned to the school upon completion of the research project.
Survey Instrument I will create the form using Google Forms and will administer it to all students.
References
Central Gwinnett High School. (2013). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/georgia/districts/gwinnett-county-
public-schools/central-gwinnett-high-school-5944
CLASSROOM COLLABORATION VIA WEB 2.0 TOOLS 17
Lin, C., Hsaio, H., Tseng, S., & Chan, H. (2014). Learning English Vocabulary collaboratively in
a Technology-Supported Classroom. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology, 13 (1), 162-173.
Liu, S. H. J., & Lan, Y. J. (2016). Social Constructivist Approach to Web-Based EFL Learning:
Collaboration, Motivation, and Perception on the Use of Google Docs. Educational
Technology & Society, 19 (1), 171–186.
Putman, S., Ford, K., & Tancock, S. (2012). Redefining Online Discussions: Using Participant
Stances to Promote Collaboration and Cognitive Engagement. International Journal of
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 24(2), 151-167.
Vega, V. (2015). Project-Based Learning Research Review. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes
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Appendix