Email from Laurie
3-24-06
Preparation for VP (before site visit)
Hello everyone. Now that you have the final protocol and data sheets, I thought I would share some ideas for preparation before going out into the field. Below is a list of what I hope are helpful strategies to get things ready to go out to the schools and help create a smooth period of data collection.
1. Please forward your Task 1 administration schedule to Donna (<mailto:>) as soon as you know when you'll be in the field. If you can include researcher name, student name and school on this schedule, it would be most helpful. Donnawill serve as our central communications person. Shewill respond to IM posts from students for both SC and CT and save the IM logs as electronic files. Donnawill also receive an email copy of any blog posts that are made. These will be saved as electronic files as well.
2. Each researcher should do a trial run through the protocol from start to finish (including equipment setup) to ensure that they are familiar with the procedures before meeting with students. This can be accomplished with any available "bystander" (does not have to be a 7th grader). This can be a spouse, colleague, friend or anyone else who is easily accessible and can spare about an hour.
3. Prepare a student folder before reporting to the research site. This folder should include: signed parental permission, copy of child assent to be given to student, data sheets for recording field notes (Forms A-E; unless using electronic versions on a second laptop), copy of the Practice Think Aloud, copy of Task 1 Verbal Protocol, sheet of scrap paper, and anything else you deem necessary.
4. Print off a hard copy of the full Verbal Protocol for your reference.
5. Make sure you allow at least 30 minutes for equipment setup before your first student arrives. If all goes smoothly, this should not take more than about 10-15 minutes, however in the event that you need technical assistance, this should allow a large enough "buffer" to get the kinks worked out.
6. With our "on-site" technology test yesterday, we found two required sites were problematic with the school's filtering (AOL and Blogger). We sent an email message out to building administrators with a listing of all the websites that we would need to access and the date we were scheduled to administer the task. We requested that someone test and confirm access to each site so we would not encounter these problems. This often requires that filters are lifted or disabled during our data collection period. Don sent the message requesting the support with the following embedded:
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS EACH SITE BELOW. PLEASE RUN THIS TEST AND CONFIRM.
IF A SITE IS BLOCKED CAN YOU MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT IS ACCESSIBLE FOR OUR STUDY.
ON YOUR NETWORK, CAN YOU?
1.Access <
2.Access <
3.Access
4.Access <
5.Access <
6.Access <
7.Access <
8.With aim.com, we need to be able to logon to AIM Express (click button on right side of frame). Please test by logging in with username: "uconnvp1" and password: "sample" to ensure this interface will work for the researcher on site.
(I'm sure Don is happy to forward one of these emails that he crafted if you would like to see the way in which this was communicated to the schools.)
7. We are using an external mouse with our laptops here in CT. Some kids are not familiar/comfortable with using trackpads on a laptop. They will have the option to use whichever is most comfortable for them. The researcher will not make a statement in regard to the use of mouse or trackpad. It will simply be available on the desk if the student chooses to use it.
8. If you are using headphones with a built in mic and 2 prong plug (mic and headphone), leave the headphone prong "unplugged" and only plug in the mic prong. This will allow the microphone to pick up and record any external noise from the computer as well as the student's voice. (The headphones that I used picked up the student, researcher, and computer audio very clearly.)
9. The protocol states that you should add sites to My Favorites. The reason for doing this is so if I student accidently closes a browser window, you can quickly pull it back open and not lose too much time.
10. I completed a trial today with my son to practice the protocol and time how long things took after our changes. Here is the breakdown:
1. Equipment setup: 13 minutes (some difficulty with ePals loading slowly. This was corrected by closing the browser, relaunching, and accessing the site again.)
2. Pre-task Interview to start of think aloud video: 8 minutes
3. Think aloud video to end of practice think aloud session: 6.5 minutes
4. Explanation of Task1(read directions aloud and point our items on toolbar) to student start time: 3.5 minutes
5. Student completing Task1, preparing/sending written response, and follow-up questions: 20 minutes
*Note: Josh selected to use IM. This was great because it gave me a chance to test it out with Donna. After he posted his response in the IM window, I moved on to the follow-up questions straight away (while he was waiting for her response). This fit in very naturally with what he had just completed. It took Donna about 2 minutes to respond (she is often on the phone or away from her desk for brief periods of time), however having the follow-up questions worked out really well and filled what could have been an awkward void. He was just wrapping up with showing me on the Internet ways to prove the site was not reliable when Donna responded. So, make sure you move right into those questions at the end. Also, keep track of the time at this point. Josh was very excited to show me the Hoax Forum he found and spent quite a bit of time reading the posts. I think this is where kids will want to demonstrate what they know and time can easily slip away.
TOTAL TIME: 38 minutes to complete
I hope this helps!
Best,
Laurie
Laurie A. Henry
New Literacies Research Team
University of Connecticut
(860) 486-4634 Research Lab
<mailto:>
<