Collaborative Unit on Digital Citizenship Ergonomics Summary Report Kecia McGouirk

Online Classroom Impact Overview This Learning Module was designed to help eighth grade students at Banks Stephens Middle School complete an Ergonomics Unit in Business Education. This unit was centered on students understanding Digital Citizenship and recognizing the elements of Digital Health and Wellness. In order to do this, the students created a Prezi and completed assignments related to the unit. At total of twenty-two students participated.

Planning for this module was based on the material and resources that were currently used in the course. However, the activities and learning experiences were adjusted to reflect the delivery of the material. I collaborated with the Business Education teacher, Racine Dorsey. Mrs. Dorsey encouraged me to utilize website resources that she uses for this unit; however, I created a summary PowerPoint for the hook or introduction of the subject material. The delivery of the instruction was presented to students under the supervision of Mrs. Dorsey through NetSupport Services and Edline (a Blackboard delivery method). NetSupport is a platform that allows remote screen control and systems management from the instructor, Mrs. Dorsey. It was used to deliver all materials and assignments were submitted by email or saved in the students L: drive school network. Twenty hours of instructional planning and mentor planning was included during this Learning Module.

McGouirk Page 2 Challenges with planning this module included: the timing of how long it would take students to complete the various sections and making sure students completed all instructional steps in order. The process of planning was evaluated and changed during the module to allow a sufficient amount of student work.

Students were given assignments in a variety of ways to allow for all types of learners. There were multiple-choice quizzes, writing assignments, and a Prezi creation. The information was provided in several ways as well. Students were all given written detailed instructions. However, they also received website resources and a PowerPoint explanation for additional understanding. Students were also encouraged to email questions to me regarding any assignments.

The students selected for this course were ranked as average. Each student willingly volunteered and a consent form was signed by their parent. Having well-behaved and responsible students was vital for this module because the students were expected to work self-sufficiently. Students independently accessed each lesson daily by using desktop computers in Mrs. Dorseys Business Education class. Mrs. Dorsey monitored the students and collaborated with me daily of any issues or suggestions for modifications throughout the Learning Module. The first problem I encountered was wireless accessibility. Some students were unable to access website resources due to congestion of wireless use; therefore, the suggestion of changing browsers from Internet Explorer to Firefox was the answer. Another problem occurred when six students did not have accessibility to save documents and spreadsheets on the school systems student drive. This was a system issue

McGouirk Page 3 that would take some time to answer so, students saved assignments on a USB and then emailed me their final work. One last issue arose when I discovered that students habitually skirted around assignment directions rather than choosing to follow step-bystep. This was disappointing since the instructions were written to be followed easily with extra details. In conclusion, students scored average on the pretest and above average on the post-test for the module. And even though there were a few technical issues it is in my opinion that the students showed a high interest in online instructional delivery.

Pre-Test and Post-Test Data

Table 1: Assessment Individual Data

Student Identifier Pre-test score in percentage Post-test score in percentage

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5 Student 6 Student 7 Student 8 Student 9 Student 10 Student 11 Student 12 Student 13 Student 14 Student 15 Student 16 Student 17 Student 18 Student 19 Student 20 Student 21 Student 22

70 50 20 50 80 90 40 40 70 90 90 50 60 80 30 50 60 20 90 40 50 70

90 90 80 80 100 100 80 80 80 100 100 90 90 100 70 80 90 90 100 80 90 100

McGouirk Page 4 Table 2: Assessment Group Data

Group Pretest Mean score in % Group Posttest Mean score in % Percent Change (+ or - %)

58 Analysis and Interpretation of Data

89

+31

Data results proved that students showed a 30% growth between the pre-test and post-test during this two-week module. Therefore, it is my opinion, that the module was a success with few technical issues. Students willingness to perform well during the module was quite evident. They also demonstrated enthusiasm when designing and presenting their Prezi creations.

Recommendations for Revisions There are a few areas that would benefit from revision in future implementations of this module. First, it would be helpful to students to include student exemplars of a Prezi on Ergonomics. Second, it would be more likely for students to create a digital movie of their Prezi instead of physical class presentations. Though, for this to occur, Mrs. Dorseys classroom (lab) would need to be equipped with the appropriate hardware and software. Since, I was not able to view the student presentations; I was not able to give proper feedback either. Therefore, another way to help increase student achievement is to provide consistent feedback throughout the module so that students will be aware of understanding. But, this was difficult since the students were under Mrs. Dorseys supervision. Testing and evaluating all technical issues before hand is probably the biggest advice to offer but sadly this sometimes cannot be discovered until after implementation has begun.