Renate Davis

Multimedia Design Project Assessment (MDPA) Report

Product URL: http://daviscarnivalproject.weebly.com/

AnalysisThe Renaissance Carnival Web Quest was developed for students in the accelerated math 6/7 class at McClure Middle School. The intended student population for the project includes 4 classes of approximately 32 gifted and high-achieving math students in 6th grade, but it is appropriate for any 7th grade math student. The classes are 70 minutes each and there is not much flexibility in the schedule. The school is open at 8 for students to be dropped off early, and at 8:20, students can go to the Media Center to work on the computers (which could be very beneficial for those students who do not have internet access at home). The Web Quest is intended to be completed in-class with little to no computer-based homework. All research and project development on the computer should be completed while in class or at school, though students are welcome to work on it at home, there will not be an at-home requirement for the project. There are not any assistive technology requirements for the intended classes, but the county does have a read-to program that special-ed students can use if they are below reading level.

The Web Quest is intended to help students solve real-world problems by using unit rates, discounts, tax, tip, and inequalities. Many of these skills are used on a daily basis, but students do not realize that they are internally performing these types of calculations and problem solving. Students by the end of the project will see how math is used to help solve these real-world problems that affect each of them on a personal level, since the carnival items that they are recommending are the items that will be rented for the students’ Renaissance Carnival at the end of the year.

The Web Quest includes both remediation and extension to meet the needs of all levels of learners. It was specifically developed for students in the math 6/7 course as the Web Quest contains multiple parts and students will have to synthesize their work from multiple sources as well as combine several math concepts to problem solve the Quest. Students need to be familiar with a computer, but they do not need to be experts as there are video tutorials to show them how to create the various parts of the project. Learners should have experience with problem-based learning, but project-based learning would be sufficient. Since this school’s teachers incorporate problem-based and project-

based learning into their curriculums, the students who complete this Web Quest should be sufficiently prepared for what the Quest will require for completion.

Reading levels for participants should be on grade level, but the Web Quest does have many video tutorials that will support lower-level readers with visual and audio supplementation of the material. Since the project is created with groups in mind, the teacher could group students in a way that would give lower-level readers a support system within the group to help them understand the Web Quest.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to correctly create an inequality that represents the cost of multiple rental items that meet specific criteria, after calculating the tax, tip, and discount. Students will combine knowledge from previous units to calculate the final cost for renting a list of carnival items 4 hours.

Standards

Mathematical Georgia Standards of Excellence

MGSE7.RP.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction (1/2)/(1/4) miles per hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour. 

MGSE7.EE.4b Solve word problems leading to inequalities of the form px + q > r or px + q < r, where p, q, and r are specific rational numbers.

MGSE7.EE.3 Solve multistep real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals) by applying properties of operations as strategies to calculate with numbers, converting between forms as appropriate, and assessing the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies.

ISTE’s Educational Technology Standards for Students

1. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression2. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work

collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems

3. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation

b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project

c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions 

d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions

DesignOverview

Introduction:

Students at McClure know that there is a carnival on the last day of the year for those who earn Renaissance (an academic enrichment program that encourages students to earn good grades, increase attendance, and maintain good behavior). Students are treated to a fun day of movies, games, and fun. To make the day great, our Renaissance committee rents various inflatables and items for students to play on and enjoy (like obstacle courses, slides, rock climbing towers, and dunk tanks). Our Renaissance committee would like to have the students’ input for what items they should include in the carnival.

Students will work in groups to navigate through the Web Quest together. First, they will research various items that are available by local companies to identify a list of potential rentals for the carnival. Once students have a list, they will survey their peers to see which items have the highest demand and create a graph of their group’s survey results. Next, they will put these findings into the class google spreadsheet so that they can use the class’ survey data identify the items that they will include in their proposal to the committee. The groups will then create an inequality that can be used to calculate the final cost of the items for a variable number of hours (they must include the calculations they used to find the total cost after any discounts, taxes, or tips). Finally, they will create a presentation to show the Renaissance Committee their proposal.

I have included various tutorial videos to help students learn or review how to use the various technology and programs that are required to complete the Web Quest. I have also included a listing of the various local websites that offer the items that they will be looking for.

Details

This Web Quest has many areas that are differentiated for students. I have included videos on the help page that students can visit to review one and two step inequalities as well as unit rates, taxes, tips, and discounts. The videos have visual representations of the math as the content is being explained. I am also allowing the students to pick their presentation format, either PowerPoint, Prezi, or another format that they are familiar with so long as they obtain prior approval from me.

The Universal Design principles that I have incorporated into this Web Quest are the multiple means of representation as I have various videos that contain transcripts to reach those who learn by watching, reading, or hearing the concepts taught. I also have incorporated the multiple means of engagement for this project. Students will be placed in groups, but if I have any student who prefers to work alone, I would allow him or her to do so. This project affects the students on a personal level which will increase the motivation to work through the project and see it through to the end. I have also included the multiple means of action and expression as students are allowed to choose their means of project delivery to the committee.

The multimedia elements that I used were the internet, iPads, Khan Academy app (if the students used the iPads), Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, ScreenCast, Movie Maker, and Weebly.

To extend this Web Quest for those who are above level, I would ask them to calculate how many students can potentially flow through the various items so that they can identify the number of students that the Renaissance committee could plan to accommodate.

To help those students with disabilities, I would use earbuds or print out the transcript for the videos for those students who have auditory deficiencies. For those with visual deficiencies, I would increase the screen size on the iPad or computer and make printouts (with an enlarged font) of any section that they need. For those who do not have a computer or internet access at home, I will open my homeroom computers up to them so that they could find the data online while not missing any content.

DevelopmentTo create this project, I took an activity that I had my student’s complete last year and made it into a multimedia Web Quest adventure for them. I expected the project to take several weeks to complete: 2 weeks for the concept design, 2 weeks for the actual design of the Web Quest (with all of the resources and links checked), and a week to tweak any bugs or problems with the Web Quest. I used

the movie maker tools that we learned in class to create some of the videos for the Web Quest. I also used Weebly to create the Web Quest in a way that would be engaging and fun for my students. Flickr was used to identify the creative commons photos I used on the website. I had family members and some of my students use the website to ensure that all links were working at the time of the Web Quest’s creation.

Implementation

I will implement this project at the end of this school year as an extension for my math 6/7 students. The students will use the school iPads and we have a few days scheduled in the computer labs. We have enough computers in the labs for each student to perform their own research. We have enough iPads for each group to have at least one iPad per group. The only technical support we will need is if the school’s internet or Wi-Fi goes down. If this happens, then I have the data stored on my hard drive and will be able to put it out on Office 365 or the student drive at school. I have two students who have extended time for their assignments, so they will be allowed to work at their own pace if they work alone. If they work with a group, I will monitor the group to ensure that their work pace is not impeding the work of the rest of the group (which has not been the case so far this year.)

The timeline for this project is about 1 week from start to finish. Students will be given 4 days in class to work on it and one day to present their projects to the committee. A majority of this project will be completed at school with the only section being completed outside of class being the surveying of peers. For those students who do not have access at home, I will be sure to let them know that they can come in and use my classroom computers or use their homeroom teacher’s classroom computers if needed. Since most of the project will be completed in class, I do not foresee any disadvantages for those without tools at home.

Since I am the only math 6/7 teacher at my school, I will work this project with my students only. I will offer the project to the 7th grade math teachers to use next year when they work on this unit. To help those teachers I put the following notes on my Teacher Notes page:

This Web Quest has many ways that you can differentiate for your students.  I have included videos on the help page that students can visit to review one and two step inequalities as well as unit rates, taxes, tips, and discounts.

To extend this Web Quest for those who are above level, I would ask them to calculate how many students can potentially flow through the various items so that they can identify the number of students that the Renaissance committee could plan to accommodate.

EvaluationStudent Learning –

Students will be expected to produce a proposal for the Renaissance Committee which includes the following:

1. Calculate the cost of each item after any discounts, tips, fees and taxes are applied

2. Input information in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for other students to use the collective data

3. Use Excel to create a graph of the group’s survey data 4. Create an inequality to find the total cost of the carnival items based on

how many hours the school needs the items.5. Create a PowerPoint or Prezi (or other approved tool) presentation to

deliver the proposal to the Renaissance Committee.

I will use a rubric to assess their final product. For ongoing assessments, I will have the students show me their work after each step to ensure that they are on the right track and limit the number of mistakes on the final product. Student will complete a peer-assessment at the end of the project to rate their group members’ contribution to the project.

Rubric:

Peer Evaluation:

Quick Peer Evaluation FormName: ___________________

Write your group member's names in the table and then assign you and your peers a value for each listed attribute.

Scale: 5=Always 4=Mostly 3=Half Way 2=Seldom 1= NoneAttribute Myself 1 2 3 4

Participated in group discussion          

Helped keep the group on task.          

Contributed useful ideas / solutions          

How much work did they do?          

Quality of Completed work          Total:          

Comments:          

Student Survey:

To help me make the Web Quest even better for my next group of students, I asked my students to fill out this survey on the Web Quest site:

Product Design –

I had a few of my students from both my current class and last year’s group test this Web Quest. I had them make notes of areas that were difficult for them to understand or areas that needed more information and clarification. I also asked them to identify any areas that could use improvement.

After talking with the test group, I made some minor

adjustments and added a video to help explain some of the tools that they could use and how they work. I also had a few peers look over the Web Quest to see how they liked the layout and different parts of the project. I had great feedback and did not receive any suggestions from them on

any changes that needed to be made.

Reflection

I enjoyed developing this product for my students to use in my math classes. The project took quite a bit of time to create, but I believe as I do this more often, the time per project will drop as I become more familiar with the various aspects. I had my students do this project last year on paper and pencil. I am eager to see how engaged the students are with this layout versus a plain paper and pencil assignment. I expect that it will increase their motivation and engagement while making it fun and more meaningful as they get to create a presentation that will be used to make a decision by the committee.

The things that worked well were the Weebly website and the videos that I embedded into the website. Weebly was easy to navigate and it contains many tools that I was familiar with as well as others that I enjoyed experimenting with to create my Web Quest. The hardest part of this project was finding time to work with my students to field test the Web Quest – as my curriculum is already packed full to the end of the school year.

What I learned about myself is that I can make projects that integrate multiple facets of technology while making the learning meaningful for my students. I feel

that technology is another tool that we need to use in the classroom to better prepare our students for life after school. By creating this Web Quest, I feel like I am better prepared to help my colleagues integrate and create like projects into their classrooms. The only frustration I had was with the time it took to learn and make the project – this time of the school year is packed with so much going on both in the school and outside school.

For anyone who wishes to make a project like this, I would suggest that they allow ample time to research and create the links and various components to the Web Quest. I think that the minimum time would need to be about 10 hours to create it if the problem and research is already identified. If the research and problem needs to be created or identified, I would prepare to give at least 20 hours to get the project ready for the students. Those who want to create a project like this would need to be familiar with what is available on the web and how to work with one of the web-based tools (like Weebly) to create the Web Quest site. The more familiar a person is with the tools he wants to use, the shorter amount of time will be required to create the finished product.