commonwealth of knowledge teacher survey data analysis september 23, 2002 n=26 james madison...

Commonwealth of KnowledgeTeacher SurveyData Analysis

September 23, 2002N=26

James Madison University


Teaching Experience


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1-3 4-8 9-15 16+

Teaching Experience-Total (Years)

Question 1: How many total years ofteaching experience do you have?

TeachingExperience


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0 3-5 4-8 9-15 16+

Teaching Experience - Current Subject (Years)

Question 2: How many years experience do you have teaching your current subject? (If you teach more than one subject, please respond on the basis of the subject you teach primarily.)

TeachingExperience


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Grade Level Taught

Question 3: What grade level(s) do you teach? (check all that apply)

TeachingExperience


02468

10121416

Subject Taught

Question 4:What subject(s) do you teach currently? (check all that apply)

TeachingExperience



Computer/InternetAccess


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5

10

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30

Yes No NR

Internet access from classroom

Question 5: Is Internet access available from your classroom?



0

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0.4

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1C

om

pu

ter

Lab

An

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cla

ssro

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access

fro

msch

oo

l

Access from other than classroom

Question 6: If Internet access is not available from your classroom, from where else in your school do you access the Internet?



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Yes No NR

Internet access adequate

Question 7: In your opinion, is the computer you use to access the Internet adequate for this purpose? If not, please explain.



Question 7: In your opinion, is the computer you use to access the Internet adequate for this purpose? If not, please explain.

The modem connections are very slow and difficult to use with an entire class. Many times when the entire class attempts to access the same site, the network will freeze up.

We have very slow internet access and inadequate network wiring. Many times when the entire class attempts to access a website the network crashes or many students are unable to access the site.

The one computer has to be used for all things--AR, Internet, research...I want AR available at all times for children to self-monitor, so it makes it difficult to use this computer for anything else during the day. I have several computers in my room, but only one can be hooked up to the Internet/AR system as is.

It is too slow and has too many restrictions.




Awareness of Site


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5

10

15

20

Yes No NR

Awareness of COK prior to July 2002

Question 8: Were you familiar with the Commonwealth of Knowledge website prior to July 24, 2002 (that is, prior the time of the JMU 2002 SOL Content Academy)?

Awareness ofSite


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25

Yes No NR

Viewed COK site

Question 9: Have you ever actually viewed the Commonwealth of Knowledge website?

Awareness ofSite


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0 1-2 3-7 8-15 16+

Times viewed COK during past year

Question 10: How many times have you accessed the Commonwealth of Knowledge website during the past year?

Awareness ofSite



Existing Features


0

5

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20

Yes No NR

Ever used SOL Index/Search

Question 11: Have you ever used the SOL Index/Search feature at the website? For instance, have you ever searched for a Lesson Plan specific to a particular SOL?

ExistingFeatures


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5

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15

20

Yes No NR

Ever used SOL Index/Search

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2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Very Somewhat Not NR

How useful

Question 12: How useful is the SOL Index/Search feature to you?

ExistingFeatures


Question 13: How do you think the SOL Index/Search feature could be made more useful to you?

The first time I went on it was hard to read. The links are rather small and written lightly. Also, the labels were not very descriptive.

It would be easier to access the lessons for personal use if they were available as links to specific SOLs rather than just a list of lessons to go through. I realize that the corresponding SOL is listed after the lesson, but it would be more useful to search lessons by having a link from a specific SOL number.

The SOLs are very difficult to search through. You are given a list of all of them and then have to wade through all the lessons. It would be easier and more helpful if you could just search for specific SOLs rather than have to go through the whole list.

At the present time, it is difficult to wade through all the lesson plans available on the website. I have only been able to view one subject at a time which is not very helpful when I am looking for a lesson that correlates to a specific SOL.

ExistingFeatures

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Question 13: How do you think the SOL Index/Search feature could be made more useful to you?

Since I am looking for grade specific plans, I appreciate the order that the plans are put in. It might be helpful if you could go to a grade level as well as to a subject area.

Need more resources and organization

It would be great if more teacher sent in lesson plans or at least ideas for activities. This could be especially helpful for beginning teachers. Links to related websites for each SOL would be great too.

If the lessons were put in order according to grade level, it would be very helpful. Also, if you could group all of the lessons which apply to the same SOL together, it would expedite the searching process.

ExistingFeatures

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10

15

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25

Yes No NR

Ever used Lesson Plans

Question 14: Have you ever used the Lesson Plan feature at the website? For instance, have you ever viewed and/or used a Lesson Plan from the site?

ExistingFeatures


0

5

10

15

20

25

Yes No NR

Ever used Lesson Plans

0

2

4

6

8

10

12


How useful

Question 15: How useful is the Lesson Plan feature to you?

ExistingFeatures


Question 13: How do you think the Lesson Plan feature could be made more useful to you?

Rather than having to scroll through all the lessons for a particular subject area, making the specific SOLs available as links would be very helpful.

Same as above. Undescriptive labels, small and light type

Sometimes the lesson does not show up in its entirety and do not give specific enough information as to how to present the lesson.

Under each subject, have another heading for each grade that a teacher can click on to produce lessons in that subject at the grade level they requested, rather than having to scan down the whole list.

Make sure the site is working properly and all links are functioning. Many times the lessons mention handouts, but I am unable to view them due to broken links or no link at all.

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ExistingFeatures



Add some more worksheets

Make sure that all the links work and that if a lesson has worksheets or other lists attached that they are accessible.

Please see my response to item 13. Also, I anticipate more third grade lesson plans in English/Writing--that seems weak.

More resources targeted at weakest area in passing the SOLs

High school subject material is very limited - need more - also, cross reference of math text books contents to SOLs would be fantastic!

A button to create a more printer friendly version of the pages would be helpful. The last time I used it, I needed to print the screen.

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ExistingFeatures



Add more lesson plans that are not only creative, but also differentiated.

I never found very good plans for the specific parts of each objective. I would love to see workable plans at the site.

Page 3 of 3

ExistingFeatures


0

5

10

15

20


Usefulness of Success Stories

Usefulness of About this site

Usefulness of Resource links

Usefulness of Site Map

Question 17-20: For each of these features, please indicate how useful each is to you.

ExistingFeatures


0

5

10

15

20


Usefulness of Volunteers

Usefulness of Calendar

Usefulness of Discussion

Usefulness of News

Question 21-24: Please take a moment to indicate whether these features should be included in thenew Redesigned site.

ExistingFeatures

(previously available)



New Featuresand Functionality


Question 25-27:Assuming that funding is not an issue, what features and functionality would you like to see added to the Redesigned website?

Information for getting grants that go toward SOL content teaching

Grants available to teachers

More worksheets for all activities

Direct links from standards of learning to suitable websites

Targeted resources for weak scoring areas of the SOLs test by school division and grade/course level

Links to SOL related websites.

Printer friendly versions of the lesson plans

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New FeaturesAnd Functionality



Co-teaching lesson plans

Lesson plans for each objective

If additional links are listed, only add ones that pertain to a certain SOL.

Special Education section. Changes in accommodations, teaching ideas, testing ideas...

Workshops and conferences

Copy of tests

Direct links from standards of learning to other resources like field trip sites

How to use this site feature

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A direct link to someone at the state level for question/answers and for comments related to the SOL's in general.

More computer websites to help in the classes

Links to resources

Would like SOLs and lessons listed by grade, and then SOL for that grade.

Regular site review to make sure links are still good

Perhaps a list of related field trip sites.

More information how as a special ed teacher I can learn more about areas I'm weak in to support co-teaching classes

Tests for each of the SOL objectives

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Resources to Support Teaching and Learning

Relative to SOLs


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Usefulness of Lesson Plans for SOLs

Usefulness of Teaching Materials for SOLs

Usefulness of Curriculum Guides for SOLs

Usefulness of Testing Materials for SOLs

Usefulness of Pro Dev Activities for SOLs

Question 28-32: Please indicate the usefulness of each of the types of resources below.

Support forTeaching and Learning

SOLs


Question 28-33: Comments

It doesn't seem that many people are contributing lesson plans to the site. Perhaps for of an incentive for teachers would be helpful in getting submissions.

...depends on clarity and practicality of the plan

Different perspectives

There are some SOLs that are very difficult to plan for. The lesson plans on the web site are a very good starting point. I have used several of them as I changed grade levels a few years ago.

Online links to classroom-ready websites

Very necessary for teachers new to a subject area or grade level. This should receive priority. Again, keep it USER FRIENDLY.


SOLs

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Question 28-33: Comments

Sometimes I forget my copy at school. Everything in our district must come directly from an SOL. I can log on and use the guides online to help complete my lesson plans.

classroom ready test materials that are FREE

As long as SOLs carry the weight they do now, it is imperative that sample items be available--we are no longer teaching children just our curriculum; we must teach test-taking skills as well.

My school is one that is in warning and has been identified by the state of VA as being "in trouble". The testing materials have helped raise the test scores in my class, which should help when those students take the 3rd grade SOL test.

Keep them FOCUSED and PRACTICAL.

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SOLs



Miscellaneous Issues


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5

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25

Yes No NR

Effectiveness of Recertification points as incentive

Question 34: Do you think this award of recertification points is a good incentive for encouraging teachers to submit lesson plans to the site?

Misc.Issues


Question 35: What other incentives do you think would be effective in encouraging teachers to use the site and/or submit materials to the site?

A financial incentive is always effective.

I think you may have better luck if you also offer a prize (similar to the one you are offering for this or money). Whoever submits a lesson plan is elible to win, make it a beginning or end of the year lottery.

Submission of units with a higher number recertification points

Money is always a good idea!

Some sort of discount to attend the SOL Academy

Money is always nice.

Money is nice.

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Misc.Issues



$

GIVE CLASSROOM MATERIALS(MANIPULATIVES)

Money or classroom teaching materials. Or, even more realistically, discounts at stores and attractions. Perhaps a ticket to Busch Gardens or King's Dominion for a certain number of plans submitted.

A thank you letter from the first lady...digital picture of the teacher (and class)

Money that can be used in the classroom for books and/or materials not supplied by the district.

More information about the site needs to be given to schools and/or teachers - - before I attended this conference I did not know this site existed

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Misc.Issues



More points need to be awarded for each plan submitted

Monetary rewards/gift certificates.

CASH

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Misc.Issues


Question 36: What other online resources are you aware of that might coordinate well with the services offered via the Redesigned COK website?

MarcoPolo

teachnet.com

Our school shares ideas between teachers and grades

Teacher recommended websites

PBS Instructional Television Links

abcteach. com

lessonplanspage

Misc.Issues


0

5

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20

Yes No NR

Usefulness of addressing national standards

Question 37: In addition to reference by SOLs, would it also be of use to reference materials by other standards, such as those offered by professional educational organizations?

Misc.Issues


Question 37: If yes [to Question 36], the standards of which organizations do you think would be most useful to address?

NCTM (listed 11 times)

NCTE (listed four times)

National Science Teachers Association

NCTS

NCST

All special education organizations

All National Standards that have been established

All curriculum organizations

Federal guidelines established by the new No Child Left Behind law

IRA

Misc.Issues


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Yes No NR

Aware of LOs

LOs hold promise

Find out more about/Become involved with LOs

Question 38: Prior to this survey, were you aware of the concept of and work in the area of Learning Objects?

Misc.Issues


0

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Yes No NR

Aware of LOs

LOs hold promise


Question 39: As described, do you think that Learning Objects might hold promise for enhancing your teaching?

Misc.Issues


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30

Yes No NR

Aware of LOs

LOs hold promise


Question 40: Would you be interested in finding out more about Learning Objects and possibly becoming involved in an effort to explore their use in Virginia in the K-12 classroom?

Misc.Issues


Question 41: Aside from Learning Objects, what other types of online instructional material do you think would be useful to include at the site?

Mathematics resources

Worksheets

Classroom-ready PowerPoint presentations

Background information for areas that may be new to "old" teachers, such as Mali.

HOW STANDARDS CORRELATE TO SKILLS IN THE WORK WORLD

Webquests

Pre-assessment tests on-line which permit quick look at student needs.

Misc.Issues

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Question 41: Aside from Learning Objects, what other types of online instructional material do you think would be useful to include at the site?

Mapping

Hands on activities

Classroom-ready webquests like "The Great Plant Escape“

New teacher guide - a summary of key information in the topicsharing ideas of special committees to support ideas developed to aid our students

Instructional materials that link directly from a resource or pacing guide

Misc.Issues

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Question 42: If you were Redesigning the Commonwealth of Knowledge website, what would YOU do?

Please make the links on the home page BIGGER and BRIGHTER, after grading papers all day we don't want to have to squint to use a web site. It may help to contact the school systems about adding your site to their technology web page. PS please don't go overboard on the emails. Smile

I would create a user-friendly pacing or resource guide that models the Virginia Department of Education guide. In the guide or pacing chart I will include links to classroom-ready activities that REALLY address the SOLs. For example, the fourth grade SOL on Life Processes and plants would have a direct link to a list of webquests that would include ""The Great Plant Escape.

Whatever is done needs to be looked at with the critical eye of "is it practical and useful in the classroom, or does it just sound good?" We are inundated with so much that we simply don't have time to winnow through all the material that comes our way

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Question 42: If you were Redesigning the Commonwealth of Knowledge website, what would YOU do?

Both in observing in some schools and in looking at the many web sites trying to pull lesson plans from the teaching community - it is very obvious by the lack of participation that at the high school level, the thinking is not by subject objectives, but instead a heavy reliance on the text book to cover the material. As such, having cross references between the SOLs and the text books would be a start in showing some how the objectives and text resource are linked.

I would continue to make the website very user friendly. I would try to make it very easy to go from one lesson plan link to another. Using the back button on my browser is very easy. I just hope that JMU continues the quality site that I have been used to using.

I believe we need to know in special education any new ideas, techniques, concepts, or any brainy ideas to help reach our students.

Not reduce it any way, only add to it (particularly materials that can be used in conjunction with the SOLs)

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Next Steps:Recommendations for

Redesign


commonwealth of knowledge teacher survey data analysis september 23, 2002 n=26 james madison...

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