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Problem:

Teachers in our building are not using their computers effectively. Many are afraid to use them, or have experienced problems that they have not been able to solve, which causes even more apprehension about technology.

It is my goal to provide teachers with tutorials and background knowledge to help them understand how their computers operate. If teachers are comfortable with computer basics, they will be more likely to integrate them into their curriculum.


My second goal is to encourage teachers to solve problems independently. Instead of waiting for tech support (namely ME), they should be able to do some basic troubleshooting on their own. This will create a more positive attitude towards technology, and hopefully will alleviate much of the fear that exists among teachers when it comes to computers.

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Analysis:

Goals

To serve as a resource for teachers to visit when they need technical support.
Increase background knowledge in order to become more comfortable with technology
Empower teachers to solve technical problems independently.


Objectives:


Audience:

The audience for this site will be members of our school Technology Committee and any other teachers that sign up for our after-school Professional Study Team. This website will be part of the course, taking approximately 1-2 class sessions to complete. If teachers are not able to get through the lessons during class, they will be expected to complete the lessons in their classrooms.


In order to make the lessons applicable to classroom situations, teachers will be asked to access the website tutorials only from school. This is because some lessons contain information and instructions that apply to our school computer setup (printing, accessing the school server). It is also a good idea to use school computers because the Quick Time movies will load and play much faster on our school’s T1 line rather than a 56K dial-up connection that may exist at home.


The audience consists of teachers who have already shown an interest in learning more about technology. Teachers know that by joining our school’s Technology Committee they are making a commitment to technology integration, as well as agreeing to attend classes and professional development to learn more. Some teachers that attend the Study Team classes may not be members of the Tech Committee, but would like to learn more about using their computers. The ability level among participates will vary from beginners to intermediate users. I plan on limiting the amount of participants to 20 or less, so I can provide individual assistance where necessary.


Analysis Data:

Last year a survey was given to teachers to help identify the technology needs of the staff. Based on the results of this survey, I tried to develop a website that addresses the most important issues for teachers. The most important items that I tried to address through this website are:

1) Understanding the basics of iMac computers
2) Access and save items on our school server
3) Printing


I added other topics based on the type of technical support that teachers requested most often. These involve changing color settings to run certain software, using Control Panels, memory issues, and using the Finder. Each lesson addresses one of these areas.

The website will continue to be a ‘work in progress’ as teachers express other areas that they’d like to be included on the site. It is my hope that teachers will use this site as a resource that they can visit based on the specific problem they are trying to solve.

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Rationale:

This site was developed with the rationale of assisting teachers in their use and comfort level with technology. During the development phase of this site, I asked for formative evaluations for two different areas:

  1. Design
    Feedback on the design of my site was gathered from Cari Hinton and Gina Flores, the district web/graphic designers for Cherry Creek Schools. They are known throughout the district as the "webmasters" whose design opinions I trust.
  2. Content
    Feedback on the content of my site was taken from several sources, both at the district level and my school level. The names and job titles from evaluators are included in the sections below.

DESIGN FEEDBACK | CONTENT FEEDBACK

Design Feedback

Comments from Gina Flores: Web Specialist, Cherry Creek School District
Comments from Cari Hinton: Web Specialist, Cherry Creek School District

My comments are highlighted in BLUE BOLD


1) What did you think of the navigation of this site?
The navigation is great. Use of the constant nav bar on the left makes it easy to move through the site.

The navigation was easy to follow especially since you could jump right to the lesson you wanted from the navigation on the left of each page or simply follow the navigation from one lesson to the next by using the links at the bottom of each lesson. So far so good!


2) What did you think of the usability of this site?
Great! Giving teachers another resource for learning how to use their computers is always useful.


The site is a great tool for beginner Macintosh users. Yay!

3) Was the order and sequence easy to follow? Why or why not?
Yes – beginning with the basics is always the best place to start. You can then take them into using the applications once they understand the machine itself.


Yes. As I stated in question 1, the navigation at the bottom of each lesson made it very easy to follow the lessons sequentially. It’s nice to know that experienced designers liked the navigation. Nothing to change here.


4) Please comment on the color scheme and layout of the site:
I liked the colors. The only suggestion I would have it to try printing the page on a B&W printer – this will test if the color scheme prints well in grayscale.


I thought the color scheme was very nice. The background colors of the table cells seem to have been selected based on the Mac OS icon. Again, the layout with the navigation menu on the left with the body of each lesson on the right with repeated navigation options was very well planned. This was done on purpose to give the site a ‘Macintosh’ look and feel.


5) Was the use of Cascading Style Sheets effective?
I would have to make an assumption here. Just by looking at a page, you cannot tell if CSS’s were used. All pages seemed to be consistent with font and size, so I guess it was effective.


I was not aware that CSS were used in the design when browsing the site. I suppose that if CSS wasn't’t noticeable, it was used effectively? I used CSS to format the headings, text, and questions.


6) Did the quiz questions function properly? Are there any design techniques that could be added to the quizzes?
Yes. The design was good. There are not a lot of options for multiple choice question design.


I thought the quizzes were helpful and yes, they functioned as expected.


7) Were the screenshots and Quick Time movies easy to read and follow? Please explain.
Yes. Great screenshots. It has been my experience that people always learn best if they have a picture of what they should be seeing on their screens to go along with their lessons.


The movies were a great addition. The audio is a little choppy, but that is not your fault. Maybe speaking a little slower would help with the audio quality.
Some of the screen shots were hard to read but that is to be expected. As a visual learner, I loved both the Quick Time movies and screen shots, they were easy to follow and understand. I addressed this issue in the ‘content’ document. I tried several things to improve the sound, but it didn’t get any better, so I am leaving it alone.


8) How could this site be improved?
I think you did a fantastic job. GREAT INSTRUCTIONAL SITE.


The only improvement I would suggest is to expand the site further for intermediate and advanced users! Great job. I plan on expanding this site to include application-specific tutorials and eventually OSX lessons. The home page will change to choosing between two separate sections: OS9 tutorials and OSX tutorials. It will probably take several months before I get to the OSX tutorials.

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Content Feedback

Evaluators:
Dave Craven: Director of Instructional Technology, Cherry Creek School District
Evie Harter: Retired Media Specialist, Sagebrush Elementary
Carole Martinez, Teaching/Learning Technology Specialist, Cherry Creek School District
Glenda Hayes, 4th Grade Teacher, Rolling Hills Elementary

My comments and responses are highlighted in BLUE BOLD
_______________________________________________
1) What was your overall impression of this website? Please explain.
Great organization and easy to navigate through. I particularly liked the use of still images and video.


My overall impression of this website is very positive. The website is informative, visually pleasing by not being gaudy, covers good topics, and is well organized.


It is very well laid out and easy to navigate. The color palate is pleasing to the eyes and the fonts are consistent and readable.


I like the looks of your web site, Joel. The color scheme is pleasing—bright, but not too bright. I felt like I was on a sight put together by Apple. The navigation is easy to find and use, which is important to the audience.


Not much to add here. I will keep the colors and design of the site as is.


2) Which lessons were most useful? Why? Which lessons were difficult to follow? Why?
I liked the explanation of RAM. Many teachers have a difficult time
grasping that concept. It was well presented and easy to follow…..
especially with the “real-life example.The lessons on the ILPs would be the most helpful to the target audience. This is a new use of the computers for teachers and they will have need of the forms where other lessons are more for their edification of computer use.


I didn’t find any which were difficult to follow, perhaps because I am already familiar with the operating system you are teaching.


I think your teachers will use the ILP lesson the most because that is a lesson they need in order to fill out their forms. I’m not sure that they care about how much memory they have or what operating system they are using. I found it very interesting. I just don’t know that they will care until they have a problem working back and forth between the two systems or until their computers freeze. I love all that stuff, so I read through all of your tutorials.


I don’t think anything was difficult to follow. Your approach was clear, concise and straightforward.


I included a first lesson on Operating Systems because there are two computers in each teacher’s classroom, each running a different OS. The new iMacs use OS 9.2 while the other computers are either a G3, 5400 or 5500. These older computers have OS 8.5 or OS 8.6. I felt it was important for teachers to recognize these differences since they will be using BOTH Operating Systems in the classroom.

3) What type of users would benefit most from this site?
Anyone trying to work his or her way through an understanding of OS9.
Computer users that would benefit from this site are those that have never really been taught the ‘ins and outs’ of the computer. They may be proficient with running several applications, including email, but not know many things about the computer OS.


I think that most teachers wouldn’t really care about the particulars of their operating system, unless they were experiencing problems. See above in response to this comment.sers familiar with the Windows operating system who are migrating to the Mac environment would find the information useful.


Teachers would be interested in the information about using the ILP’s because it pertains directly to their jobs.


I know this site is intended for your teachers, but I could also see your “Tech Spurts” getting into this. They may be the ones that really enjoy learning about operating systems, memory, etc. That learning would transfer into support for the classroom teacher. The district may also be interested in offering your site to teachers in the district who need these technology aids.This is a good point! I will have students participating in ‘tech-spert’ training use this site as a review of what I’ll be teaching them.


4) Did the quizzes reinforce the content of each lesson? Why or why not?
Yes, I liked the immediate feedback. However, I got a Java error when I tried to do the quiz in Safari. It worked fine in IE.


The quizzes reinforced the content of each lesson. Questions covered the most important information presented. The only exception is Question #5 in Lesson 2B. I feel this question is not pertinent to the target audience and is also subjective. The question is not necessary. Teachers use their computers they are given, and when they buy new ones for home they will have the latest. Upgrades could be handled on an individual basis.
I would have to disagree with this comment. The purpose of question #5 is to help teachers understand that RAM is easy to upgrade while Hard Drive space is much more difficult. This is why I made the differences in HD space so drastic. I’m curious as to how teachers answer this question.


I found the quizzes to be very relevant to the content of the lessons. They provided a bit of entertainment value to the site.


Quizzes were fun, humorous, but also appropriate. Yes, they do reinforce the content and require the viewer to actively participate in the learning.

5) What did you think of the movie tutorials? Were they easy to follow?
I loved them. I noticed you’re still getting a little echo on some words. I wish I knew what was causing that.


The movie tutorials were great. Even though the sound is not terrific, it is understandable. The tutorials were short and to the point.


The movie tutorials were great content-wise. You need to figure out a better way to get the sound across, perhaps an external mike. It was also smart of you to include download instructions for Quick Time.


Movie tutorials are my preferred way of learning new software and operating systems. I use Atomic Learning on a regular basis. I noticed an echo in the audio track, but could still understand what you said.

I realize that the sound quality of the movies is not the greatest. I’ve tried changing the export settings, using different computers to record my voice, and asking Dave Craven for recommendations. Nothing seemed to improve the sound. However, it’s clear enough to understand so I will leave it alone for the time being until I discover a better method for recording.


6) What topics/lessons should be included that would help teachers get to know how to use their computers better?
I think a natural “next step” would be a comparable work for OSX.

This was my feeling, too. As our school begins the migration to OSX, I will add lessons to help teachers understand this Operating System.


Choosing a printer. I’ve added a lesson on this topic.


As OSX becomes more prevalent, it would be good to include those types of tutorials.


Have you asked the teachers what they need to know how to do or what they always forget when they sit down to the computer? Sometimes you can tell by observing them. My kids always have trouble finding their work—especially when they don’t save in their folder. So I think I’ll need to do a tutorial on how to find work if it isn’t where it should be. So maybe you could survey your teachers and direct their thinking with some questioning. This is a good idea. I will add a future lesson that addressed this topic of finding files with Sherlock.

7) How could this site be improved?

Lesson 1:
- After “A new OS…” add new operating systems usually take more computer power to run so you do not automatically use the newest operating system (something like that).


- Home button is not linked I fixed this broken link.


Lesson 2:
- You say “The more RAM your computer has, the more things it can do at the same time.” I want to say, “Like what?” Even though you explain this later in the lesson, it leaves me wondering. How about “…The more RAM your computer has the more running power it has.”I think the phrase “running power” is confusing. Running power consists of processor speed and RAM. I tried to be consistent in my vocabulary so teachers would become more familiar with these terms.
- Use FirstClass instead of Outlook Express
Lesson 2B
- Don’t think it is necessary to put in the sentences “While it is possible to replace a hard drive etc.” and “You’d most likely etc.”Why not? Sometimes people realize that they don’t have enough HD space and need to consider trashing files, upgrading or purchasing an external Hard Drive


Perhaps a statement about why teachers need to be familiar with the operating system and when they might need this information. I will add some text that relates to this comment. Teachers need to know that their classroom computers each have a different Operating System, so it’s important to recognize these differences.
Also, you might think about programs you use in your school like Perfect Copy or Accelerated reader and give teachers tips about how to use them effectively. Eventually I’d like to add some application-specific tutorials. However, since our district also subscribes to Atomic Learning, teachers can use this site to find out more about certain software. Accelerated Reader and other Renaissance Learning software would be a good one to include, since it’s not on Atomic Learning.


All in all, a great job and a great service to your school!


This is an awesome site, Joel! Your work shows a planned and thoughtful approach to training your staff. Congratulations on a job well done!

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Report on Results:

Based on the problem statement, analysis, and rationale for assisting teachers, I created a site entitled:

"How Do I? A Tutorial for Macintosh Users"

This site was used as part of a Professional Study Team that I started at our school called "Technology Integration Workshop for Teachers." I am conducting this course for the purpose of training teachers to utilize technology in their classroom more effectively. This 10-week course features a different topic each week. Week #1 was called "Get to Know Your Computer" and I used this site to introduce teachers to computer basics.

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Evidence of Value:

Indicators of Success:

Orientation of Evaluation:

Design of Evaluation:

Teachers will be expected to complete the online quizzes to help them assess their learning. Teachers will also complete a sheet that asks them to record the serial #, OS, RAM, and HD Memory on their classroom computers. This will provide an authentic task that supports lessons in the website.


Evaluation Measures:

Teachers will be expected to incorporate what they are learning into their classrooms.
Success will be measured informally by the amount of assistance that teachers are requesting. Basically, the less help they need, the more successful the website.


Formally, teachers will be measured by their online quizzes and homework, which will require them to apply learning from the website (record serial #, OS, RAM, HD space available, and be able to change settings on their computer).


Collection of Data:

Data will be collected in the form of homework assignments and self-assessment surveys that will be completed throughout the course.
When the course is over, a questionnaire will be given to teachers to determine the most beneficial aspects of the course, as well as determining areas for improvement.


Report on Results:

The success of this website will be determined by the comfort level of the teachers involved. If they gain a basic understanding of computers, then they should be able to troubleshoot problems independently.


Teachers’ confidence will grow by applying their knowledge to help others in the building. The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else, and it is my hope that the teachers who complete this website will be able to apply what they’ve learned in order to help others.

To review feedback from the actual users of this site, CLICK HERE

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Reflections:

I have thought about this project for quite some time, even before I enrolled in the ILT program. Teachers at my school have  struggled with technology in their classrooms, and I wanted to help teachers understand how to use their computers more effectively. This project was the perfect way to solve technical problems in my building by showing teachers how to solve problems on their own, as well as becoming more comfortable using technology.

One of my professional goals is to help teachers learn to integrate technology with their students, and I believe that this project is a first step in that direction. When I implemented this site with an after-school Study Team of teachers in my building, they were engaged, involved, and enjoyed going through the lessons, movies, and quizzes. I heard several "Ah-ha's" as teachers read through the lessons and quizzes.

I am very happy with the results of this website. Future plans include adding more tutorials based on teacher feedback. Also, I would like to add an entire set of lessons dedicated to learning OSX as soon as our district moves toward full implementation of this new Operating System. There are tutorials on this subject on Atomic Learning's website, so I will focus future tutorials on specific issues related directly to our school and staff.

Throughout the year, I will track the number of technical support issues that teachers request, as this will address the 'evidence of value' for my site. If teachers are able to solve problems on their own as the result of using this site, then I should see a decrease in the amount of technical support they require. It is my hope that other schools in my district will use this website as a resource for teachers in their building.

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Responsibilities Met:

Responsibility #3: Uses a variety of media to deliver instruction to students and to engage students in learning
I fulfilled this responsibility by purposefully using different media to deliver lessons to users. I used Snapz ProX and Quick Time Pro to create online movies, advanced Fireworks techniques to label screenshots, and Dreamweaver Coursebuilder tools to create interactive quizzes that provide immediate feedback. The combination of these elements helped to reinforce the content of each lesson.

Responsibility #4: Understands how to capitalize on the capacities and abilities of each learner
I was aware of the various abilities of teachers in our building. Since a majority of staff consider themselves to be 'novices' when it comes to computers, I created a site that includes easy-to-understand language. I also addressed various learning styles by creating movies that reinforce each lesson, as well as quizzes to check for understanding. This way, teachers have more than one method available to be sure they understood the content.

Responsibility #5: Manages complex projects and resources in support of learning
This website was developed as part of a larger staff development project I conducted with teachers. Participants agreed to attend 30 hours of instruction to earn one CDE credit. The title of my workshop was “Technology Integration Workshop for Teachers.” The purpose of this staff development was to show teachers the variety of education technology resources available at our school. This website was introduced during our first session, so I could provide teachers with a resource to help answer common questions, and to promote independent problem solving techniques that build confidence and familiarize teachers with common terminology. I used advanced web design techniques (online movie tutorials, cgi scripting to receive feedback, Dreamweaver behaviors, Fireworks graphics, etc.) to meet the individual learning styles of the participants.

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