Investigating%20Teachers

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Investigating Teachers Expectations For Using
Telecollaborative Project Work

• Barry S. Kramer
• Lehigh University

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Telecollaborative Project WorkObjectives

• Definitions
• The Problem
• The Need for Research
• Methodology
• Research Timetable
• Case Study Results
• Large Group Survey Results
• Review of Research Questions
• Implications for Practice
• Suggestions for Future Research
• Questions

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Telecollaborative Project WorkWhat Is
Telecollaboration?

• Telecollaboration is a structured activity in
  which students use Internet tools such as e-mail,
  chat, Web pages, blogs, podcasts, etc. to access,
  process and share data and to communicate,
  cooperate and collaborate.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkWhat Is
Telecollaborative Project Work?

• Telecollaborative project work is a term that has
  developed to describe online student project work
  that combines the use of telecollaboration and
  some form of a project-based activity.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkReasons Teachers
Should Use Telecollaborative Projects

• Student Centered Reasons
• Skill Development
• Social Growth
• Teacher Centered Reasons
• Professional
• Personal

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Telecollaborative Project WorkMotivating
Questions

• When teachers sign up their classes to
  participate in a telecollaborative project
• What are teachers expecting to happen?
• What actually happens?
• What would teachers do to improve the experience?
• Did teachers gain anything personally from the
  experience?
• Would teachers participate again? Why or Why not?

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Telecollaborative Project WorkLiterature Review

• Research Context
• Foundations of Telecollaboration
• Constructivist Learning Theory
• Constructivist Learning Environments
• Project-Based Learning
• Collaborative Learning
• What Should A Telecollaborative Experience Be
  Like?
• Global Learning Communities
• Telecollaboration
• Current Support
• Learning Circles
• What Are Teachers Expecting?
• ICT Use in Education
• Function of ICT in Telecollaborative Project Work
• Reasons for Teachers to Use This Methodology
• Criticisms
• Ethnographic Analysis of Telecollaborative
  Project Work

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Telecollaborative Project WorkLearning Circles

• This study centered around the investigation of
  a group of teachers participating in a
  telecollaborative project called Learning
  Circles.
• Learning Circles has a long track record of
  participation and a structured timeline of 16
  weeks.
• Teachers indicate the grade level of their
  students and their general area of project
  interest. There are four large topic areas
  Computer Chronicles, Mindworks, Places and
  Perspectives, My Hero. Teachers are then grouped
  by grade level and area of interest. Generally,
  not every theme and grade level runs. Teachers
  often get their second or third choice.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkCase Within Case
Study

• This Learning Circles project was comprised of a
  large group of teachers who were divided into
  smaller project groups called Circles.
• Case within - smaller group of 7 elementary
  teachers who participated in a specific project
  called Places and Perspectives.
• Investigation focused on the experience of the
  small project group to provide individual
  stories, and utilized the larger group of
  teachers to confirm and triangulate findings that
  emerged.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkSources of Data

• Surveys Message Analysis Interviews
  Document Analysis

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResearch Design
Large Group

• Online surveying of Learning Circle participants
• Initial Survey Open-ended questions
• Identify participants for case studies
• Establish list of initial teacher expectations
• Interim Survey 1 Likert type scale
• Evaluate initial list of teacher expectations
• Adjust expectations
• Evaluate progress during project
• Interim Survey 2 Likert type scale
• Evaluate initial or adjusted teacher
  expectations
• Adjust expectations
• Evaluate progress during project
• Post Survey Likert type scale
• Evaluate initial or adjusted teacher
  expectations
• Evaluate progress during project
• Evaluate future participation

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResearch Schedule

• September 2008
• Learning Circle Registration
• Learning Circle Phase Getting Ready Initial
  Survey
• Select Participants for Case Studies
• October 2008
• Learning Circle Phase Opening the Circle
• Learning Circle Phase Planning Student Projects
• Interim Survey 1
• November 2008
• Learning Circle Phase Exchanging Student Work

December 2008 Learning Circle Phase Organizing
Circle Publication Interim Survey 2 January 2009
Learning Circle Phase Closing the Circle Post
Survey January - April 2009 Analysis of
Data Completion of Dissertation
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Telecollaborative Project WorkSurveys

• Survey Questions

• How is Learning Circles meeting your
  expectations? How is Learning Circles meeting
  your expectations?
• Have your expectations changed since you began
  the project?
• How are the outcomes to students you anticipated
  meeting your expectations?
• How are the areas of personal growth you
  anticipated meeting your expectations?
• Please rate your overall experience with Learning
  Circles.
• Describe how your Learning Circle experience is
  going so far? What is working well for you? What
  is not working?
• Please use this space to share or express any
  information that you believe would be of interest
  or use to this research or the researchers.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question 1

• 1. What are the expectations teachers have for
  their students and themselves that motivate them
  to use telecollaborative project work in a K-12
  school setting?

• Expectations included providing a global
  education experience, improving language skills,
  adding telecollaboration as a new teaching
  methodology, improving students use of
  technology, and providing enrichment to the
  curriculum.
• Teachers believed Learning Circles would promote
  student global awareness and expose their
  students to other cultures.

Telecollaboration is a structured activity in
which students use Internet tools such as e-mail,
chat, Web pages, blogs, podcasts, etc. to access,
process and share data and to communicate,
cooperate and collaborate.
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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
1A

• 1A. How do these expectations change over time as
  teachers and students participate in a
  telecollaborative project?

• Teachers in the small research group did believe
  overall that the Learning Circles process was
  meeting their expectations. They were also able
  to reflect more on how their expectations had
  changed.
• Some of the larger group members were frustrated
  by the lack of responses by their Circle members,
  and they were not able to fully realize the
  expectations they initially had for the project.
• In the end, both groups seemed satisfied with
  their experience and it is possible that had
  individual stories been collected from the large
  group they would have displayed a more positive
  outlook on their experience.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
1B

• 1B. What do teachers believe they and their
  students have gained by participating in a
  telecollaborative project?

• Student Expectations
• 43.9 - promote student global awareness and
  exposure to other cultures, 22.0 - provide
  students with opportunities to improve their
  language and communication skills.
• Student interest, motivation, collaboration, and
  focus on telecollaborative project work were
  chosen by two-thirds of the teachers

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
1B

• 1B. What do teachers believe they and their
  students have gained by participating in a
  telecollaborative project?

• Teacher Expectations
• The case study teachers were more definite that
  their major area of growth was in developing
  skills to successfully implement a
  telecollaborative project.
• The large group of teachers was mixed among their
  areas of growth and was not definitive about what
  they had gained.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
1C

• 1C. What are the suggestions of teachers on
  changes that could be made to a telecollaborative
  project experience to improve their future
  participation?

• Case study group. The small case study group of
  teachers did not view their experience in a
  negative way and only one teacher offered a major
  suggestion for improving the process.
• Large group. The large group of teachers offered
  more suggestions on how to improve the process so
  that they could be more successful in their
  future participation.

• Real-time communication and Web 2.0 tools
• Teacher collaboration and support
• More time
• Specific concerns

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
2 - Technology Integration

• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods,and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?

• The roles case study participants fulfilled in
  the Circle matched their level of experience. The
  two experienced teachers clearly took the lead
  and provided direction and structure to the
  group. The other participants appeared to follow
  their lead and did not explore other ways to
  publish projects.
• The participants as a group were new to
  telecollaboration and this showed in their
  responses on what they were expecting from their
  participation for their students and themselves.
  The finished projects and general flow of the
  project did not show many standout participants
  and this was not a session that featured
  innovation.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
2 - PrBL

• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods, and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?

• The ratings and testimonies of the case study
  group indicated that they had some knowledge of
  how to organize students for project work, but
  they did not indicate a well thought out plan
  that would indicate the use of project-based
  learning or problem-based learning.
• The large group members also completed the PrBL
  Profile. Their Profile ratings and their years of
  experience indicated that this group had
  knowledge of PrBL methodologies and some
  experience, but they were not strong proponents
  or regular users. There was not strong evidence
  that the participants had given much thought to
  applying a learning methodology such as PrBL to
  their participation in Learning Circles..

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
2 - Collaboration

• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods, and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?

• The case study group struggled with how
  toincorporate collaboration.
• For the large group in general this session of
  Learning Circles was characterized by a major
  lack of collaboration or collaborative structures
  among the members.
• The opportunity to work together with students
  from other parts of the world was a major
  expectation expressed by the majority of
  teachers. Yet, when it came time to develop
  Project Ideas teachers struggled with how to
  incorporate collaboration.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
2 - Obstacles

• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods, and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?

• The obstacles did have an effect on the
  participation level and completeness of the
  projects, but they did not prevent the group from
  completing their primary goals and participating
  in the Circle process.
• Teachers in the large group who definitely
  experienced obstacles to their participation such
  a technical problems and an uneven level of
  participation.
• The biggest obstacle teachers faced was lack of
  time.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResults Question
2 - Enablers

• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods, and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?

• Teachers had high expectations that there would
  be enablers to guide them through the project and
  they seemed pleased that they were there.
• Teachers in the large group found many enablers
  during the process that helped them to achieve a
  level of success such as the structure of the
  project.
• Teachers requested more enabling structures to
  create more student conversation and dialogue.

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Telecollaborative Project Work Results Question
3

• 3. What are the experiences of teachers as they
  use telecollaborative project work in a K-12
  school setting that influence their future
  participation?

• Both the small case study group of teachers and
  the larger group of teachers were unanimous in
  their decision that they would participate again
  in Learning Circles in the future.
• The case study group seemed less deterred by
  their obstacles and lack of completeness.
• The group continued to move forward even when a
  few members were quiet for an extended period of
  time or had stopped their participation.
• By the end of the project everyone had met some
  of their expectations and this was enough to view
  Learning Circles as a project they would choose
  again in the future.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkImplications For
Practice

• Criticisms
• Are there unique attributes of
• telecollaboration
• Why is their low usage?
• What is the cause of the apparent silence in the
  
• literature regarding its practice?

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Telecollaborative Project WorkImplications For
Practice

• Implications
• In order for telecollaborative project work
  tocontinue and flourish there will have to be
  support organizations that support the practice
  at an affordable cost for teachers and schools.
• It is still a new practice to many teachers and
  usually appears to be something only a few
  technology-oriented teachers practice.
• Even though there is an increase in the use of
  technology in schools it still has not fully
  impacted curriculum or how teachers provide
  instruction.
• Telecollaboration for most teachers continues to
  be an add-on activity. Teachers continue to find
  it difficult to fit into the curriculum.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkImplications For
Practice

• Implications
• Teachers may be misunderstanding the goals of
  telecollaborative work and may be valuing the
  social and cultural value more than the value of
  the collaborative project work.
• There is clearly a mismatch between levels of
  technology use and development throughout the
  world.
• Participants in telecollaborative work also have
  different definitions of commitment.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkSuggestions for
Future Research

• Improved teacher training in telecollaboration,
  teacher social networking, or teacher
  instruction on the use of project-based learning
  and problem-based learning methodologies
• Further testing of the Project-based Learning
  Profile
• Investigation into enabling structures that
  support these phases of project work
• New Web 2.0 tools such as Wikis, blogs, Skype,
  and online collaboration Websites such as
  Elluminate
• What strategies can be developed to promote the
  use telecollaborative project work among teachers
  and students around the world?

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Telecollaborative Project WorkQuestions
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Telecollaborative Project WorkCase Study

• Test Survey Instruments
• Initial Survey
• Interim Surveys
• Post Survey
• PrBL Indicators
• Interview process
• Follow-up interviews

• Changes
• Adjust the language on some survey questions
• Addition of more questions investigating project
  approach and use of PrBL models

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Telecollaborative Project WorkCase Study

• Patterns of Behavior
• Teachers definitely developed or changed their
  expectations based on the how the project was
  going
• Teachers wanted more communication, but they
  wanted someone else to initiate it.
• Teachers were quick to follow someone elses lead
  - the first person often was the pace setter

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Telecollaborative Project WorkCase Study

• Information Gained
• Teachers do have definite expectations for
  students
• Global Education - exposure to other cultures
• Use of ICT
• Improve use of English as second language by
  interacting with native speakers
• Real audience for project work
• Teachers have expectations for themselves
• Add use of ICT to class - add some excitement
• Improve their own skills in use of ICT
• Make global connections with other teachers

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Telecollaborative Project WorkCase Study

• Emerging Areas of Interest
• The impact of the use of PrBL or project-based
  teaching approaches - Do teachers find more
  success when they use project based approaches?
• Is their a relationship between teachers
  discovering how to integrate PrBL methodologies
  and their decision to continue participation?
• Are teachers who use PrBL approaches less
  dependent on other participants for success?

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResearch Design
Small Group

• Data Collection Cycle
• Administer the initial information teachers
  survey
• Identify participants for case study through
  online survey information
• Conduct initial interviews
• Validity checks after each interview session
• Follow up interviews as needed
• Interim update interviews by email and phone
  every two weeks
• Larger group survey and open-ended questions at
  weeks 5 and 10
• Record observations of group interactions and
  patterns of behavior
• Collect examples of online postings, discussions,
  and email exchanges
• Collect examples of posted student work and
  finished projects
• Conduct post interviews and surveys

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Telecollaborative Project WorkData Analysis

• Analysis Cycle
• Assemble raw case data
• Organize, classify, and edit raw case data
• Analyze and code data for concepts, typologies,
  and themes
• Identify patterns, categories, and themes
• Identify consistencies and changes of
  expectations
• Draw conclusions and interpret findings according
  to emerging issues

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Telecollaborative Project WorkParticipants

• Large group 57 teachers who were members of the
  International Education and Resource Network and
  chose to participate in the Learning Circles
  project from September 2008 through January
  2009.
• Small Group From the large group, a Circle of
• seven teachers who chose the Places and
  Perspectives geography theme.
• Description of the case study group
• Elementary level
• Five classrooms from North America, one from
  Morocco, and one from Slovenia
• Five participants new to telecollaborative
  project work and two experienced participants.

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResearch Questions

• This study investigated the following research
  questions
• 1. What are the expectations teachers have for
  their students and themselves that motivate them
  to use telecollaborative project work in a K-12
  school setting?
• A. How do these expectations change over time as
  teachers and students participate in a
  telecollaborative project?
• What do teachers believe they and their students
  have gained by participating in a
  telecollaborative project?
• What are the suggestions of teachers on changes
  that could be made to telecollaborative project
  experience to improve their future participation?

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Telecollaborative Project WorkResearch Questions

• This study investigated the following research
  questions
• 2. To what degree do teachers level of
  technology integration, use of project-based
  learning methods, and collaboration, as well as
  the obstacles and enablers they work with affect
  their expectations and participation in a
  telecollaborative project?
• 3. What are the experiences of teachers, as
  they use telecollaborative project work in a K-12
  school setting, that influence their future
  participation?