Effect of One-Day Training in Digital Storytelling on Teachers

1
Effect of One-Day Training in Digital
Storytelling on Teachers Anxiety Toward Computers

• TCEA Research Symposium
• February 5, 2007
• Janice Wilson Butler
• Juan Chavez, Jr.
• Rene Corbeil
• University of Texas at Brownsville

2
Overview

• Yada, yada, yada
• Anecdotal evidence
• Study
• Methods/Results
• Q A

3
Background

• Historical background of research
• Anecdotal credence in Photo Story 3
• Wide-appeal (ages, expertise)
• Price is right
• Learning curve is right
• Usability
• Powerful fun factor

4

• Changing world and technology literacy
• Infrastructure in place
• But many computers gathering dust
• Technology in room of teacher has not translated
  into technology in hands of students

5

• Technophobia, fear of computers,
• inhibits willingness to use
• Age sometimes determines anxiety level

6
Natives and Immigrants

• Marc Prenksy coined these terms
• Students think and process information
  differently
• Native speakers of the digital language
• We are Digital Immigrants we retain accent
• Big discontinuity
• Digital Native methodology needed
• Will require technology usage at student level
• http//www.marcprensky.com

7
Method/Results

• 16 elementary teachers
• 100 female
• 87.5 Hispanic
• Experience less than 1 year to gt20 years
• Early childhood fourth grade
• Send us the worst and we will convert them
• All expressed anxiety - friendly, scared, hostile

8
Method/Results contd.

• Pre-assessment administered in morning
• Training for full day
• Post-assessment administered in afternoon

9
Method/Results contd.

• Computer Anxiety Rating Scale
• Validated in the late 80s by Rosen Weil
• Created to identify technophobics
• Yields Total Anxiety and three factors
• Interactive Computer Learning Anxiety
• Consumer Technology Anxiety
• Observational Computer Learning Anxiety

10
Method/Results contd.

• 20 questions Likert scale rating nervousness
• Not at all, a little, a fair amount, much, very
  much
• Anxiety about computers
• Role of computers in society
• Computer programming
• Computer use
• Consumer uses of technology
• Problems with computers

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Method/Results contd.

• t-test for paired samples
• Total score - combined results of all 20 items
• Factor score generated for three factors
• Ninety-five percent confidence level (p lt .05)
  for statistical significance
• Effect size exceeding one third of a standard
  deviation considered educationally meaningful.

12
Method/Results contd.

• Total Computer Anxiety was statistically
  significantly lower after completing the one-day
  training in digital storytelling (p .030).
• The obtained effect size was almost
  three-quarters of one standard deviation (d
  0.72), inferring that the difference favoring
  Total Computer Anxiety after one-day training in
  digital storytelling was also educationally
  meaningful.

13
Method/Results contd.

• Interactive Computer Learning Anxiety was not
  statistically significantly lower after
  completing the one-day training in digital
  storytelling (p .053).
• However, the obtained effect size (d 0.68),
  infers that the difference favoring Interactive
  Computer Learning Anxiety after one-day training
  in digital storytelling was educationally
  meaningful.

14
Method/Results contd.

• Consumer Technology Anxiety was statistically
  significantly lower after completing the one-day
  training in digital storytelling (p .014).
• The obtained effect size was slightly more than
  one standard deviation (d 0.52), inferring that
  the difference favoring Consumer Technology
  Anxiety after one-day training in digital
  storytelling was also educationally meaningful.

15
Method/Results contd.

• Observational Computer Learning Anxiety was not
  statistically significantly lower after
  completing the one-day training in digital
  storytelling
• (p .111).
• However, the obtained effect size was greater
  than one-third of one standard deviation (d
  0.41), infers that the difference favoring
  Observational Computer Learning Anxiety after
  one-day training in digital storytelling was
  educationally meaningful.

16
Limitations

• No control group
• Small sample size
• Short duration of training
• Lack of longitudinal perspective
• Self-reporting errors
• Half-life of instrument

17
Summary

• Using digital storytelling for training teachers
  may decrease anxiety
• Decreasing anxiety may increase willingness to
  use
• More studies needed

18
Q and A

• http//gemini.utb.edu/jbutler