Students Trained in Creating Kid-centered Individual Electronic Showcases
I. Project Rationale:
STICKIES is a project that I developed in the summer course EdPsy 387 at the University of Illinois instructed by Jim Levin. The project stands for Students Trained In Creating Kid-centered Individual Electronic Showcases. This idea was suggested to me by Nancy Brown-Smith. She introduced us to the Power Point program during our first face-to-face meeting at the University of Illinois summer of 1998. I wanted to create something that could be used at Parent-Teacher conferences for showcasing student's work and progress made thus far. I wanted the students to be able to have a project they could present at Parent-Teacher conferences and be proud of. The portfolio was created in the beginning to be a project that could be added to as the year progressed. I had also suspected that it could be a tool that would move from one grade level to the next. The aim of my project is to develop a system of storing student information to be used at parent teacher conferences in order to show progress. My project involves the creation of student electronic portfolios. The evaluation portion of my project involves using the PowerPoint portfolios to structure a Parent-Teacher conference with the student's participation.
II. Audience:
The audience members for my project are both the students who will be creating the portfolios and their parents when we present at parent-teacher conferences. The setting or context of my evaluation centers around the use of STICKIES to structure a parent teacher conference, as well as the student presenting the portfolio and playing a major role in the conference.
III. Evaluation Plan and Questions
Focus for Evaluation: The Use of STICKIES to Structure a Parent-Teacher Conference
Quantitative data was retrieved from the two surveys and qualitative data gained from the interviews and focus group discussion.
a. parent surveys
b. parent focus group
c. student surveys
d. student interviews
Criteria for Evaluation Purposes
The questions below were areas in which I felt this project would produce evidence that I could use in for evaluation purposes. I created these questions and revised them as the project was developing. The issues and ideas represented in these questions will be the focus for the analysis of data collected.
1. How helpful was using the STICKIES format in guiding the parent-teacher conference?
2. Did the inclusion of the student help or hinder the parent-teacher conference?
3. Did the graph representing each student's grade help the parents visualize their progress?
4. In comparison to the "usual" 15 minutes conference, how beneficial were the half-hour time slots?
5. Did there appear to be enough student-parent-and teacher interaction during the parent-teacher conference?
6. Are there significant differences in responses from parents who have computers in the home as opposed to those who do not have computers in the home?
7. Is there a significant difference between male or female responses?
8. Did the students feel comfortable with the teacher discussing their educational experience in front of their parents?
9. Were there any other areas not covered in the questions above?
Time Line for Sources
The parent surveys were completed the three nights of conferences: November 3rd, 4th, and 5th. This representation includes 16 viewpoints but possibly 32 if both parents attend.
The parent focus group was conducted November 9th at 6:30 p.m. and involved five parents which is about a third of my students represented.
The student surveys and interviews were conducted on November 6th during the school day.
Components for Each Source
Parent surveys were completed by each parent after the parent-teacher conference. The survey was structured to answer questions pertaining to these topics:Use of electronic portfolios; participation of the student during the parent-teacher conference; Structure of the conference using portfolio;Time allottment; Graphing Slide; and Use of technology at this age level.
Demographic information was also collected such as gender of child and gender of respondent, as well as if they have a computer in their home. This was placed at the top of the survey form for them to complete. The surveys were completed after each individual conference.
Using the Likert scale the questions were rated as follows: strongly agree= 4 points; agree= 3 points; disagree= 2 points; and strongly disagree= 1 point. The parents were asked to place an X in the box that corresponded with their opinion regarding each question presented.
To analyze the Likert scaled questions I used the excel program and set up a table like the one shown in the example below:
Parents Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 P-1 4 3 3 3 4 2 3 4 1 3
The parents(respondents) are labeled 1-32 (depending on the number
of respondents), and the questions correspond with the number on the
survey. Each answer is worth from 1-4 points and will be calculated
at the bottom to analyze results.
The questions below are open ended in order to produce descriptive information concerning my project and its use to structure the parent-teacher conferences. The focus group was held on November 9, 1998. All five parents attended and the session was tape-recorded with their permission. The questions generated a lot of useful information regarding the topics of portfolio usage and presentation; conference structure and involvement of the student; as well as improvements or suggestions for next year.The information gathered at the focus group is written in a descriptive format considering all sides represented during the discussion
The students completed a yes /no survey of questions that was read aloud by the teacher. Demographic information was also completed. The yes/no format was used due to the age of the students completing the survey. The information was plotted on a scale and rated using 2 points for a yes response and 1 point for a no response.The Yes or No questions are plotted much like the Likert scale questions using a chart and room for analysis at the conclusion.
Student interviews were conducted to get a wider array of information. The student interviews were completed on Monday, November, 9th. The questions were asked in order to gain information regarding topics such as: computer use in the classroom; portfolio completion;and whether the student likes using the computer.The information gathered during the student interviews are also written in a descriptive manner considering all sides represented during the interview.
IV. Preliminary Findings
The preliminary findings are only those that were completed by the time of the progress report. The parent-teacher conferences did not take place until the week after this paper was completed, therefore I chose to focus on the technology used.
Components to consider:
a. PowerPoint Templates- The templates were very helpful in allowing first grade students to work with the PowerPoint program. The templates allowed as much or as little participation as the teacher felt appropriate for each slide.
b. Keyboarding skills- This component showed the restrictions of a six year old regarding finger-span and fine motor skills when maneuvering the mouse and locating necessary keys.
c. Clip -Art feature- The students enjoyed this component and became quite experienced at using the insert feature for clip art additions to their slides.
d. Digital Camera- We used a Sony digital camera with a built in disk for ease. The students adapted quite well to the tool. The first time we used it we only had one picture that included a large finger in front of the object. The second time we used it they just "took over" and acted as if it was a tool they used everyday.
e. Zip Drive and TV Connections- These "teacher" components were easily used and very beneficial. I purchased my own external zip drive so that I could store all of the student's portfolios on one disk for accessing at home and at school. I used the TV connections to view the portfolio contents as the parents will view them next week. The students practiced their presentations using the TV.
V. Evaluation Findings
The parent survey was completed after each individual conference where the student presented their electronic portfolio. The students sat at the computer by me and the parents viewed the television screen from seats located at the table. After the electronic portfolio presentation the student and I moved from the computer to the table across from the parents in order to discuss further information regarding their child's educational progress. The room was set up like the chart below.
Results Section: The links provided below will access the actual data collected by each source.
VI. Analysis of Data Collected
After careful examination of all the information, I have chosen to analyze by letting the criteria questions be the guide. I will then do more of a narrative description of other areas not covered by the initial questions.
1. How helpful was using the STICKIES format in guiding the parent-teacher conference? Was it helpful as a structuring tool?
Parents generally felt that the STICKIES format enhanced the parent conference (3.76/4). One parent strongly disagreed and stated that she did not like watching the tv screen and listening to her son at the same time. She said, " I can't do two things at once." The focus group felt that it was a good "icebreaker" for the beginning of the conference. They liked that the portfolio contained both academic and fun information. They also felt that the portfolios helped to structure the conference (3.8/4). As the survey also shows the parents thought the structure provided a lot of interaction between the parent and teacher (3.8/4). During the focus group it was reported that the portfolio provided a good format. They also liked being shown their child's work for discussion purposes. The "my favorites" slide was mentioned because the parents discovered things about their child that they didn't know. They felt that presenting the portfolio in the format chosen helped their child with public speaking skills. They responded that it is great to see them learning these skills at such an early age.
2. Did the inclusion of the student help or hinder the parent-teacher conference? Did the students feel comfortable with the teacher discussing their educational experience in front of their parents ? Did there appear to be enough student-parent-and teacher interaction during the parent-teacher conference?
The parent survey shows that parents felt very comfortable having their child present during the conference (4/4). According to information gleaned from the parent focus group all parents felt that the inclusion of the student was a strength. Many noted that it helped with communication because the student heard first hand the areas of needed improvement. A few parents even commented that the night of conferences their child went home and started working on the areas that were mentioned. One parent noted that having the student involved makes them feel that they are a part of the process. Other parents noted that having the student involved was a great esteem builder. The student's surveyed also liked being involved with the conference (1.9/2). The students also felt that they were comfortable having their educational experience discussed with their parents (1.9/2). According to the parent survey, parents felt that their child actively participated during the conference (3.72/4). The one parent that strongly disagreed, allowed her son to "play" with their three year old after he presented his portfolio.
3. Did the graph representing each student's grade help the parents visualize their progress?
The parents surveyed felt the graphing slide did help visualize the progress made by their child (3.8/4). One parent during the focus group commented that her son thought the graph slide was "cool". The other parents responded that visualizing grades in a graph helped show the areas of weakness better.
4. In comparison to the "usual" 15 minutes conference, how beneficial were the half-hour time slots?
Both the focus group and surveys (3.88/4) parents felt that the time allotment was very beneficial in discussing the progress of their child. Many of the parents commented that the usual fifteen minutes is not long enough after nine weeks of instruction time. It was also noted that the extra time allowed for flexibility.
5. Are there significant differences in responses from parents and students who have computers in the home as opposed to those who do not have computers in the home?
The students interviewed and surveyed showed no significance difference between those who have computers and those who do not. The parents surveyed showed a .6 point difference higher in the respondents who had a computer at home. Average of Responses: Comparing Those with Computers at Home and Those Without Computers at Home
6. Is there a significant difference between male or female responses?
The students surveyed and interviewed show no significant difference of responses by gender. The parent's survey showed a .10 difference higher in response from the males than the females surveyed. Gender Analysis
7. Where there any surprises?
The major surprises that I encountered came during the focus group and student interview sessions. I was reminded of the extent to which I had impacted my students by exposing them to technology at this age. I did not realize how much the students were retaining until I heard them verbalize how we "did" the portfolios. The parents also surprised me with the amount of information the students told them about using technology. I was also surprised at how well the students could insert clip art and reshape it after being shown once. They really took over with the mouse and loved it!
***This evaluation was done as part of my masters program through the University of Illinois. I created the project STICKIES during my summer course C&I 335 then expanded and evaluated during my fall course C&I 490 -Evaluating Informational Technologies. This course was instructed by Chip Bruce.
Michele Jacobs
mjacobs@springfield.k12.il.us