Wiki This Way: Harnessing the Potential of Wiki Technology in Elementary and Secondary Education Penelope Pereboom University of Hawaii at Mānoa March 31, 2009

Introduction Increased demands on teachers include: –Meeting state standards –Differentiating instruction –Effectively managing the classroom –Equipping students with 21 st century skills –Embracing digital literacy in the classroom.

Statement of Purpose The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Web-based instructional module with the instructional goal of encouraging Preschool through 12th grade (PreK-12) teachers to consider using Wiki technology to further their PD and to integrate Wikis into their curriculum.

Background

“Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” ~ Marc Prensky

Knowledgeable, skilled teachers can potentially help students to master communication, collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking skills vital to economic success in the global economy.

Unfortunately, the current top-down, lecture based, isolated workshop model of professional development has failed to adequately prepare teachers to meet the challenge of preparing students for the 21 st century.

Additional barriers to effective PD include lack of time, insufficient resources, and information overload.

Mandating high standards and tough tests is useless unless teachers have the tools, support, and training to help them change their practice and yet, the typical school district allocates less than 1 percent of the budget for PD. (Sparks, 2000).

Furthermore, No Child Left Behind(NCLB) legislation has put such an emphasis on content learning that schools have spent funds on instructional software that emphasizes drill and rote learning or computerized assessment tools instead of spending money developing more innovative instructional strategies (Stover, 2007).

Studies have shown that quality PD can yield dramatic improvements in student achievement and can influence student behavior more than any other factor (Sparks, 2000).

What is quality PD? Teacher-centered Self-directed Collaborative Allows for reflection and feedback Sustainable Addresses real concerns

Emerging technologies Emergent Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, Wikis, podcasts, and RSS feeds support a constructivist approach to learning (Jonassen, Peck, & Wilson, 1999).

Emerging technologies such as Wikis can be used to support PD programs which are –collaborative,

Emerging technologies such as Wikis can be used to support PD programs which are –collaborative, –allow for reflection,

Emerging technologies such as Wikis can be used to support PD programs which are –collaborative, –allow for reflection, –address authentic problems,

Emerging technologies such as Wikis can be used to support PD programs which are –collaborative, –allow for reflection, –address authentic problems, –and encourage peer observation and feedback.

What is a Wiki? A Wiki is a web page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content without any special technical knowledge or tools aside from a computer with an Internet connection.

Module Objectives Krathwohl’s affective domain taxonomy Being aware Being committed valuing certain ideas relate the value to own act in accordance with the values

Instructional Strategy John W. Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivational Design: –Attention –Relevance –Confidence –Satisfaction Principles of adult learning theory.

Formative Evaluation Three one-on-one evaluations – questionnaire and interview Two small groups solicited from –School teachers at a local private school –Post-baccalaureate students enrolled in teacher certification program Results from 15 participants were evaluated

Response to Module Objective Questions

67%-90% responded agree or strongly agree to questions regarding the module’s objectives.

Response to Module Objective Questions 27% responded they disagreed that they were motivated to willingly completed the module.

Response to module design and content questions

13 out of 14 questions had an 86% or better favorable response (agree or strongly agree)

Unfavorable responses (disagree or strongly disagree):

I would you participate in similar PD.

Unfavorable responses (disagree or strongly disagree): I would participate in similar PD. Navigation was easy.

Conclusions Low increase, 10%, in number of participants considering using Wikis to collaborate outside their school –Demographics show 30% never collaborate –Nevertheless, 100% said they would collaborate with colleagues within their school Future study: include more information on building collaborative communities

Conclusions 27% of participants not motivated to complete the module willingly –Module was presented in class 20% disagreed they would participate in similar PD –Comfort level with technology, access to technology, module design? Future study: Follow up questions

Further Study Action research – involve all stakeholders Administrator support – give priority to 21 st century learning opportunities for teachers Include a hands on face-to-face segment

Questions? Comments?

Thank You! ETEC Ohana… Advisor: Dr. Fulord Ari Eichelberger ETEC Master’s students