Introduction - The actual implementation of the plan did not turn out as originally intended due primarily to scheduling issues and technology infrastructure issues. With respect to the scheduling issues, there was an unexpected change of benchmark testing with less than a day's notice. There were two more scheduling changes, which meant the AM class had testing during instructional time for 3 days, and on a fourth day, only 10 students were present because of "Take Your Child to Work Day." There was less than a week's notice for this event also. Due to the scheduling issues, and the lack of instructional time, the AM class data is not included in the final results. With respect to the technology infrastructure, during the course of the implementation, it became apparent the students were not connecting the lessons with a benefit as far as their grade, and there is a possibility some of the students did not access the online resources at home during Spring Break. Attempts were made at school to do demonstrations but on more than one occasion, the technology based resources would not load. Since the The full benefit of the implementation could not be realized, suggestions for modifications will be discussed in Phase 5.
Description of Technology Resources - As indicated previously, the technology on the campus is extremely limited and the intent was to create various online resources which could be launched from home. Only the first two resources were implemented, that is, WebMath and LearnZillion (c). The third resource, the student-created paperslide video could not be implemented since an administrator advised the students could not use cellphones on campus, and further, could not be alone in the adjacent classroom where they had been to film their paperslide video in a quiet environment.
Differentiation - The self-paced nature of all of the resources did lend itself to diverse learners, yet it appears the students may not have been motivated to complete projects when not in the classroom. The project could not be implemented for the reasons discussed above. Formative assessment did take place during the creation of the "copy" for the slides, where the students had to demonstrate they understood the difference between finding the area and perimeter of a rectangle.
Resource I - WebMath - This applet from Webmath (Reed, 2010-2014) could be used at home or in the classroom depending on access and connection. Through observation, the visual appeared to help the students get a clear representation of what area and perimeter look like. Saying "linear" and "units squared" is considerably different for the students, than being able to see and physically manipulate a figure to see they lines in perimeter lengthen and the squares in the area darken. The "playing" aspect, where the students were able to use the tool on their own without doing anything "wrong" was also a benefit.
The "inertia" aspect was a likely learning issue addressed, since the students could not previously connect the concept of area and perimeter to something they had experienced, and not just something they were told about. In turn, this likely addressed issues of "amnesia" and "fantasia," since students will hopefully not forget something as quickly when they have something visual and tactile to attach the learning to, and further, have clarified any misunderstandings confusing area and perimeter calculations (Shulman, L., 1999).
(Reed, J., 2014)
Resource II - LearnZillion - The LearnZillion resource provided the same benefits to the students as the applet, where they could look at the demonstration on their own without the fear of doing anything wrong. There was a demonstration of a LearnZillion video in class, which the students really seemed to enjoy and seem very engaged when discussing the lesson. However, the lesson which were assigned to be completed at home, may not have been watched by all of the students, since implementation took place over Spring Break. This is especially true of the students from the AM Class, since they did not have as may instructional days available due to testing schedule changes. This is in part why the data from the afternoon class will not be included in the finding.
(LearnZillion, 2014)
Resource III - PaperSlide Videos -Though the PaperSlide Videos could not be created by the students, the process of working collaboratively, and creating the copy for the videos was still beneficial. The students ,may be able to complete these on their own outside of class, which out of the scope of this study. I feel it will be a beneficial resource in helping the students understand math concepts and overcoming the pathologies of learning (Shulman, L, 1999)..
