template for Action research project

List several student learning outcomes related to content that you included in your lesson plan.

Learning outcomes / Method of assessment (data collection tool – please attach)
Student’s predictions included clues and support from the text using a comic creator. / Comic Creator Role Sheet and Presentation
Student’s Animoto movie or Location Maps depict the location and time period that the story takes place. / Animoto Animator Role Sheet and Presentation
Mapper/Tracker Role Sheet and Presentation
Students were able to show the theme from the story using Wordle and Glogster. / Wordle Wizard Role Sheet and Presentation
Glogster Guru Role Sheet and Presentation
Students were able to recap the main events found in the story using PhotoStory3. / PhotoStory Teller Role Sheet and Presentation
Students identify the physical and personality traits of the characters using Voki and Wordle. / Voki Vocalist Role Sheet and Presentation
Wordle Wizard Role Sheet and Presentation

List the 21st century skills you included in your lesson plan template.

21st Century skills / Method of assessment (data collection tool)
Analyzing Literary Elements / Chapter Summary
Literature Circle Role Sheets
Creating Digital Representations / Literature Circles: Role Sheet Scoring Rubric
Evaluating Presentation Content / Literature Circles: Assessment of Discussion
Baseline and Comparison/Control group
Will you conduct a baseline/ pretest assessment of student skills and outcomes? (an assessment that occurs before you begin the lesson) / Yes / No
Please describe the timing and the assessment method you will use to establish a baseline. What data will you collect and at what point in time?
After completing the first set of role sheets that did not include a technology element, students were given a pre-survey, exit slip, and were asked to answer questions about the literature role sheets and group discussion.
Will you employ a comparison group? (other students who are treated the same except do not receive technology – enhanced instruction) / Yes / No
Please describe the group of students you will use to compare to your group that participates in the technology enhanced lesson. What makes them a good comparison?
We can see the benefits of using two or more separate class groups for this comparison, but being in a small school district where we only had seven students in the sixth grade we used the same group of students but had them start out using the traditional literature circle role sheets, and then for a different set of chapters had them use the technology based role sheets. We gave the students a post survey exit slip after they completed the technology role sheets with the same questions as we asked them in the pre-survey. This comparison was good because it brought 21st century skills into the same novel unit and the students were able to see the difference between a traditional discussion and a discussion based on technology.
Present your assessment results / Mean score, % meeting criteria, other
Pretest / Treatment group: Assessment results for your technology enhanced participants / See Survey
Comparison group: Assessment results for group of students that did not receive technology enhanced instruction / See Survey
Posttest / Treatment group: Assessment results for your technology enhanced participants / See Survey
Comparison group: Assessment results for group of students that did not receive technology enhanced instruction / See Survey
Findings
Were the results for your “treatment group” of students different than the results for the comparison group? How?
Our results were hard to compare because we worked with survey questions and had the same students complete the two different sets of role sheets. Their comments were mixed. Some students really liked the technology aspect, while others found it frustrating and distracting. One student made the comment that she faced technology problems, but that taught her how to problem solve and get around those problems. She said that even though some parts of the project were frustrating, she learned about a lot of new websites.
Reflection.
Did the results show whether technology enhanced student learning among your students?
The technology enhanced student learning in many ways. Some students said that it helped them problem-solve they learned new computer skills. Some students found that when technology was included they were more excited and engaged in their learning. It reinforced the concepts from the story. This lesson helped with all the learning styles. Some students that didn’t feel comfortable discussing in class seemed more comfortable talking about their digital roles.
One outcome from this project that really surprised us was that the students were taking the sites they learned in class home to use not only for school but also for their own enjoyment. They came to class many days and were talking with each other about what they were doing on Glogster or Voki the night before. The class even uses Glogster to talk with each other on the chat feature. This brought up the topic of internet safety and they were very perceptive of these precautions and agreed that they need to be careful who they talk to and what information they give out.
What changes can you make to your instructional techniques that will enhance student learning?
The changes that we would make would be to try to include both traditional and 21st century skills into our lessons. We found that by doing this we were able to reach all learners and students were able to express their ideas in different ways.
If we were to do this again we would try to schedule class time with our technology teacher because there were many problems at first that we encountered with the computers, the programs, and the flash player installation. We would also try to experiment with the programs at school before starting the project so we would know some of the problems that could come up. We did some of this at home and then discovered that it was very different in the school setting because some sites are blocked, other programs are not installed, and then when you have multiple monitors connected to the same tower, there are many other problems that you don’t even think about. But it was a learning experience that we went through with the students and we learned to work together. Some students started helping other students with their roles because they knew how to use the program. What a great experience.
Copy of our survey results:
Pre-Survey - Questions about Literature Circles – Where the Red Fern Grows
Traditional Literature Role Sheets not using technology
  1. What are your thoughts about our Literature Circles?
  • Going Awesome
  • Everyone has something to say
  • Everyone participates
  • There are two people that could participate more
  • Very fun to share your part
  • I want to do one where you can draw a new book cover
  • Everyone does their part
  • Cool to compare how you completed a role sheet as to how someone else did it
  • Do them less often
  1. What do you think about the different role sheets?
  • They are great and awesome
  • Some roles are better than others
  • They are ok
  • I like only a few roles – some I don’t like and some I don’t understand
  • Some roles could be done differently, like the plot person – the questions could be harder
  • They are fun, easy, and help us understand the story more
  1. How do the role sheets help you?
  • They open my eyes to the deep story
  • They make it better to understand and they make me like it better
  • They help me understand it in more depth
  • It reminds me of reading last year
  • I don’t think they help me at all – I understand the book very well
  1. What was your favorite role sheet? Why?
  • Read Aloud Master – you get to pick any passage from the chapters
  • Story Tree Teller – I like to describe and I want that role next
  • Map Master – I want to do that one. I liked Advice Columnist because I get to be creative in both of those.
  • Map Master or Story Tree Teller – I like the Story Tree Teller because it was easy and I would like the map role because I like to draw
  • Read Aloud Master – you could express yourself in it
  1. What was your least favorite role and why?
  • Story Tree Teller – seems very boring
  • Map Matters – I hate drawing
  • Story Tree Teller – too easy and odd
  • Advice Columnist
  • Story Tree Teller – you don’t get to put yourself into it
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Post Survey - Questions about Literature Circles – Where the Red Fern Grows
Digital Role Sheets were used
  1. What are your thoughts about our literature circles?
  • I thought that it was fun, but I also think that since it is with technology people have been slacking, just a little tiny bit
  • I sort of like them because you can catch up with the stuff you forgot about the story.
  • You can go at it any way you want
  • I guess ok
  • I thought last time we did them they went bad because not everyone got to show theirs and that makes it less fun and now we have to listen to ones that aren’t up to date. But it’s fun to make them when they are not frustrating
  • I really liked doing the technology roles and then sharing them with the whole group
  • I really don’t like the comic creator. I think it would be more fun if we had to find a comic that is an example of the book. Everyone is opening up and being more descriptive. We are getting to know each other more because there are two students we need to get to know more.
  1. What do you think about the different role sheets?
  • I know I said this before, but I think the comic creator could use some work. Animoto Animator could also use some work to make it run faster. Maybe if we had the flash players installed we could get this done a lot faster
  • The ones I had, I really liked. They are different and it is fun to try different roles out, but I think I will like all of the other ones because I like working with technology
  • I would like them more if they WORKED!!! I like Wordle, Voki, and Glogster, but I was praying not to have Comic Creator, and Mapper Tracker.
  • I think that they are somewhat hard, but easy, and they are fun
  • They all seem exciting, but the technology doesn’t work at this school
  • I mainly only like a couple of them and some I hate
  • I like these role sheets a lot better. They are fun, new, creative, and also a lot more interesting than the last writing ones. I like these way better
  1. How do the role sheets help you?
  • They help me understand the book better and also help me with technology problems/learning
  • Mainly only the ones I like help because I would like to really put a lot of detail and effort, but the ones I hate I can’t really put a lot into it because THEY DON’T WORK
  • They make me more technology smart (I think that’s how you say it) and I can talk to my cousin on Glogster so that is good.
  • The role sheets helped me further understand the chapters and get different perspectives off of it than what you normally would because you get to see everyone else present their role.
  • The technology role sheets help me by bringing all of us closer together. I feel we help each other more in this project. They also kind of help us to explore the World Wide Web! We also get to see what’s all out there.
  • The role sheets helped me remember how the book went like the main theme and the main ideas that happened in the book.
  • I think they help me a lot because they tell you what to do in detailed info instructions
  1. What is your favorite role and why?
  • Wordle and Glogster – I really like them and I can really get into them
  • Glogster – you can go all out and put anything in it such as videos and sound.
  • Wordle – because I got to make word clouds and make different styles
  • Glogster – I liked designing my own background and I liked doing it because it was different
  • Voki – It helped us express ourselves more in this project. You get to say and dress your Voki to whatever you want.
  • Voki and Wordle – They were the most interesting
  • Voki – I would like to do Voki, but I am glad I got to do Wordle
  1. What was your least favorite role and why?
  • Comic Creator – I don’t know why but it does not appeal to me
  • Comic Creator – It seems hard and frustrating
  • Comic Creator – Because of how we don’t have the right flash player. It doesn’t give you the best variety. I think we could make it better by finding a comic that looks like the book.
  • Voki – it is kinda hard to use the role, but I might like it because I never did the role yet
  • Mapper Tracker – I’m bad at making things
  • PhotoStory – We already did that in a different project this year.
  • Animoto Animator – It doesn’t work on our computers. It takes forever to load, and I really hate it.
  1. How did technology change the way you think or learn?
  • Made me hate some of them more, and I didn’t learn much
  • I actually wanted to learn. The teachers are becoming more technology cool
  • It changed the way I learn because I learned new and different things that are exciting. And the way I think I can now have higher percents and much better grades
  • The technology made me learn different technology on the computer and it really helped me by what we learned in the book.
  • Technology helped me learn more but now I hate and frustrated at it
  • I thought the technology would make it super fun but not really. I get very frustrated with school computers!!! It has taught me a lot of more websites.
  • Technology makes me mad a lot. It doesn’t ever want to cooperate, but it did teach me valuable lessons. Because every time something went wrong, I had to figure out how to work around it. It did help me with my computer skills.