Monthly Archives: September 2009

Study Results: Theoretical Framework

This post is part of a series inviting discussion, comments and reflection on the results of my dissertation.

Owston (2007) created a model that suggests components necessary for the sustainability of a technology innovation in schools. I used this model as the theoretical framework for my study. I included all of his essential and contributing conditions except for the student support. You can see how the two connect with this graphic. Click the graphic to see it larger.

Theoetical Framework Lim & Owston

What do you think?

  • Does your current implementation of technology (any technology) include these components? Do you agree that they are critical to sustaining the innovation?
  • Now that you’ve seen this, how might you improve your current technology implementation?

Please comment!

Reference: Owston, R. (2007). Contextual factors that sustain innovative pedagogical practice using technology: an international study. Journal of Educational Change, 8(1), 61-77. doi:10.1007/s10833-006-9006-6

Study Results: K12 Curriculum Videoconferencing Implementation Scale

This post is part of a series inviting discussion, comments and reflection on the results of my dissertation.

Remember as you review the results of my study that every variable was examined to see its relationship with how often the school was using curriculum videoconferencing and whether that variable could be used to predict the use of videoconferencing.

A major part of my study was the development of a scale for coordinators with questions related to their skill in coordinating VC and the staff attitudes about videoconferencing. For those interested in the details, the K12 Curriculum Videoconferencing Implementation Scale has good reliability and validity estimates. Cronbach’s alpha was .815, which means the scale can be used to predict a school’s use of videoconferencing based on an individual coordinator’s score. For full details, see p.55-59.

The K12 Curriculum Videoconferencing Implementation Scale has six subscales:

  • The quality of the videoconference (audio and video)
  • The coordinator’s ability to support videoconferencing
  • The coordinator’s ability to integrate VC in the curriculum
  • The coordinator’s ability to work with teachers
  • The coordinator’s perception of the teachers’ attitudes towards videoconferencing
  • The coordinator’s perception of the principal’s support of videoconferencing

To see the full scale, see Appendix A, and questions 27 through 51.

In this post, we’ll look at the relationship between subscales and the school’s use of curriculum videoconferencing.

Quality of the Videoconference

  • The quality of the videoconference was not significantly correlated to the school’s use of VC. However, when it was included in  multiple regression analysis with all the subscales (which hold all the other variables constant), the quality of the videoconference contributed negatively (b=-12.34, p=.002) to the prediction of the use of VC.

Coordinator’s Ability to Support VC

  • The coordinator’s ability to support VC was not significantly correlated to the school’s use of VC.
  • However, it was significantly correlated to the coordinator’s ability to work with teachers (r=.471), the teachers’ attitudes (r=.238), and the principal’s support of VC (r=.177). And these in turn were correlated with the school’s use of VC.

Coordinator’s Ability to Integrate VC in the Curriculum

  • The coordinator’s ability to integrate VC in the curriculum was not significantly correlated to the school’s use of VC.
  • However, it was significantly correlated to the coordinator’s ability to work with teachers (r=.688), the teachers’ attitudes (r=.296), and the principal’s support of VC (r=.176).

Coordinator’s Ability to Work with Teachers

  • The coordinator’s ability to work with the teachers was  positively correlated with the school’s use of videoconferencing (r=.139, p=.021).

Coordinator’s Perception of Teacher Attitudes

  • The coordinator’s perception of the teachers’ attitudes towards videoconferencing was  positively correlated with the school’s use of videoconferencing (r=.405, p=.000).

Coordinator’s Perception of Principal Support

  • The coordinator’s perception of the principal’s support of videoconferencing was  positively correlated with the school’s use of videoconferencing (r=.320, p=.000).

Recommendations/Discussion

  • Why do you think some schools with better quality of videoconferencing are using it less than some schools that have more pixelation and breakup in their videoconference? This was one of the surprising findings of my study. Have you noticed that? I have some schools that have awful quality and yet their need is so great (very rural; not very many opportunities) and they love VC!
  • Isn’t it interesting that the coordinator’s ability alone isn’t enough to get the school to use VC often? The teachers make a big difference! But… good VC coordinators find ways to encourage teachers to use VC. What are your most effective strategies to improve teachers’ view of using VC in the curriculum?
  • Seeing that the principal support is so important to the successful implementation of VC, how do you gain that principal support? What strategies do you recommend?

Working with Secondary Teachers

Linda McDonald and I have been having a great discussion on reaching secondary teachers to use VC, which you can read here. In case you’re not

Participating in a small group lesson planning session @ Jazz 2009.
Participating in a small group lesson planning session @ Jazz 2009.

subscribed to comments, I wanted to pull out these great tips so you don’t miss them.

Clearing the path into secondary classes:
1. Invite secondary folks to go to JAZZ
2. Follow up one-on-one with JAZZ participants and help them implement their great ideas.
3. Mention video conferencing potential to all teachers/admin. when you are out & about….and locate other potential champions.
4. Follow up, follow up, follow up with your champions.
5. When developing projects….Listen to their needs and address areas where teachers and/or students are struggling.

I love #5. LISTEN!!!

So, how are you meeting the needs of your secondary teachers?!

Study Results: Tech Support & Equipment Location

This post is part of a series inviting discussion, comments and reflection on the results of my dissertation.

Remember as you review the results of my study that every variable was examined to see its relationship with how often the school was using curriculum videoconferencing and whether that variable could be used to predict the use of videoconferencing.

In this post, we’ll look at the relationship between the school’s use of curriculum videoconferencing and some more support variables.

Who Supports You?

  • The choices were: a technical support person in my school, at my district, at my ESA or the vendor.
  • Each of these answers was not significantly correlated to the schools’ use of videoconferencing. However, when using all the administrative reports in a multiple regression analysis to determine which variables predict use of videoconferencing, tech support from my ESA contributed positively to the regression model (b=67.06, p=.011).

Speed of Support

  • The speed of support that the coordinator received was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Location of Equipment

  • Only two of the equipment locations were significantly correlated to the school’s use of videoconferencing.
  • Schools with a mobile cart are using videoconferencing significantly more than the average of all the others (r=.156, p=.009).
  • Where the coordinators support multiple systems in multiple locations, their schools are using videoconferencing significantly less than the average of all the others (r=-.159, p=.008).
  • The schools that have mobile equipment are the only ones that are significantly satisfied with the location of the equipment (r=-.151, p=.012).

Reasons for the Location of Equipment

  • None of the reasons for the location of the equipment were significantly correlated to the school’s use of videoconferencing.
  • However, two of the reasons were significantly correlated to the coordinator’s satisfaction with the location of the equipment.
  • Schools who placed the equipment based on ease of use for teachers were more satisfied with the location of the equipment (r=.278, p=.000).
  • Schools who placed the equipment based on the only available room were less satisfied with the location of the equipment (r=-192, p=.001).

Recommendations / Discussion

  • Do you receive tech support from your ESA? It seems like this is an important piece, and could be because it is hard for overworked district tech coordinators (at least in smaller distrcits) to have the detailed knowledge necessary to make IP videoconferencing work on school networks. What do you think?
  • Do you think there is an ideal location of equipment in a school using VC for curriculum enrichment?
  • Are you satisfied with the current location of your equipment? Do you wish it was somewhere else?
  • Do you agree with these results in your situation? why or why not?

Please comment!

Study Results: Time and Funds for VC

This post is part of a series inviting discussion, comments and reflection on the results of my dissertation.

Remember as you review the results of my study that every variable was examined to see its relationship with how often the school was using curriculum videoconferencing and whether that variable could be used to predict the use of videoconferencing.

In this post, we’ll look at the relationship between the school’s use of curriculum videoconferencing and some administrative support variables.

Hours Spent Supporting VC at Work

  • The hours the coordinator spent supporting VC at work was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing. However, when using all the administrative reports in a multiple regression analysis to determine which variables predict use of videoconferencing, this variable contributed negatively to the regression model (b=-3.400, p=.050). This could be because full time VC coordinators are spread too thin supporting multiple units.

Hours Spent Supporting VC at Home

  • The hours the coordinator spent supporting VC at home was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Amount School Spent on Programming

  • The amount of funds that the school spent on programming was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Grant Funds for Programming (yes/no)

  • Whether or not the school had grant funds for programming was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Grant Amount Spent on Programming

  • The amount of grant funds that the school spent on programming was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Recommendations / Discussion

  • Aren’t these results interesting? I think they are one of the more interesting results of my study. Why is the amount spent on videoconferencing not significant? Is it because some schools receive so much free programming (either from their ESA or from collaborative projects or both)? What does this say about the future and sustainability of content providers? What do you think?!
  • As much as videoconference coordinators want more time to support videoconferencing, this isn’t significantly correlated to the school’s use of VC. Why do you think that is? What else do you think is more important in predicting the use of VC in schools?

Please comment!!

Energy with LearnNCO

This morning one of our middle schools has four sessions of Energy with Andy Campbell at LearnNCO. Andy’s videoconferences are some of our favorite videoconferences. He mixes hands-on activities with lots of thinking and predicting what might happen if…

Andy has a great sense of humor and really engages the students in the conversation. For each activity, a couple volunteers come up to demonstrate the experiment. All the students are involved in predicting what might happen during that experiment.

Andy models how to set up the experiment with the tennis ball on top of the basketball.
Andy models how to set up the experiment with the tennis ball on top of the basketball.

Students are learning about kinetic energy, potential energy, sound energy, light energy, transfer of energy, chemical energy and more. One of my favorite activities involves the basketball and tennis ball to show the transfer of energy. It’s always fun to hear what students predict will happen “the tennis ball will roll off the basketball”, and their reaction with the result: “whoa, wow, ahhhh!”

What makes the bubbles in the water?
What makes the bubbles in the water?

In another experiment, batteries are hooked to pencil lead in water, which creates bubbles in the water. After hooking it up, Andy asks the students how it works. What is it doing? What makes the bubbles? Students draw on their prior knowledge to figure it out.

From the sounds in the classroom, you can tell students are engaged, enjoying the activities, and expanding their understanding of science principles. Great programs, Andy!

Study Results: Educational Service Agency Support

This post is part of a series inviting discussion, comments and reflection on the results of my dissertation.

Remember as you review the results of my study that every variable was examined to see its relationship with how often the school was using curriculum videoconferencing and whether that variable could be used to predict the use of videoconferencing.

In this post, we’ll look at the relationship between the school’s use of curriculum videoconferencing and support from an educational service agency.

Support from an ESA

  • Whether the school has ESA support or not was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing. 

ESA Creates and Facilitates VCs for the School

  • Where the ESA creates and facilitates VCs for the school, the school was using videoconferencing significantly more often (r=.120, p=.046).

ESA Subsidizes Programming from Content Providers

  • Whether the ESA subsidizes programming or not was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

Percentage of VCs Provided or Facilitated by ESA

  • The percent of VCs provided or facilitated by the ESA was not significantly related to the schools’ use of videoconferencing.

ESAs that Facilitate/Create are also Subsidizing VCs

  • Interestingly, these variables were interrelated. There was a strong positive correlation between ESA’s that create and facilitate VCs for their schools and if they subsidize programming for their schools (r=.591, p=.000).
  • In addition, there was a strong positive correlation between ESA’s that create and facilitate VCs for their schools and the percentage of VCs provided or facilitated by the ESA (r=.506, p=.000).

Recommendations & Discussion

  • What recommendations would you draw from these results?
  • Schools: If you receive support from an educational service agency (or in a big district, your district VC office), what services do you see as essential?
  • Schools: What types of programs do you receive from your ESA?
  • ESAs:  What services do you think are essential to provide to your school districts?
  • What types of programs should ESAs facilitate and provide?

Please comment!

Get off your RSS reader and get a reality check!

Just finished watching Stand and Deliver (again). Been spending time out in my schools upgrading VC carts. Listening. Hearing about new curriculum. Untangling wires from summer cleaning. Dealing with twisted wires. Too many technologies, not enough support. Hearing about tighter and tighter budgets; having to do more with less. Gratefulness for free programming we offer.

Watching students check out books in the library; remembering some blog post that we don’t need books. The contrast between reality in a book-celebrating (but also technology using) media center and what some ed-tech big names are saying was too great. Ludicrous.

If you’re not regularly in a school, I challenge you to get out there. Get on the ground. Listen to the teachers. Listen to their challenges. Realize the big picture; so you know what else is going on in teachers’ lives besides the technology tools you’re encouraging them to use. See it from the other side!

Watch Stand & Deliver again. See first hand again what’s happening in schools. Let that knowledge temper and revamp your work! Think from the teachers’ perspective! I challenge you!