Introduction
The management team of the U.S. West Grant /Nuestra Tierra Project determined that it would be helpful to complete a formative evaluation for the first year of the grant. There were nine teachers , three from each of the three targeted schools that participated in the project. The university-public school management team consisted of two representatives from the Las Cruces Public Schools and three representatives from NMSU. NMSU had a representative from the Agriculture College, the Learning Resource Center, and Curriculum and Instruction.
Three areas of the research questions were addressed and are as follows:
1)Collaborative Curriculum Development
2) Multimedia and Learning and
3) Effective Training. The research questions identified in the grant
follow:
1. Collaborative Curriculum Development
2. Multimedia and Learning
3. Effective Professional Development
4. Teacher Education (pre-service and in-service)
The fourth research question dealing with Teacher Education will be addressed during the second year of the U.S. West Grant.
To obtain information regarding the project, participating teachers, students, and the university-public school management were surveyed (for surveys see the Appendix). On May 9th participating schools presented projects that their team had accomplished during the 1995-1996 school year for additional information. The following summarizes the results obtained.
Collaborative Curriculum Development
A survey was given to participating teachers and the management team regarding this issue. The following frequencies are in percentages of the total number of responses. The responses were assigned a number value as follows: 5-Always
4- Usually 3-Sometimes 2-Rarely and 1- Not Observed, then means were computed using the assigned number values.
Question |
Always |
Usually |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Not Observed |
Means |
| 1. Do team members engage in collaborative development? | 71% |
14% |
7% |
0% |
7% |
4.43 |
| 2. Is there collaboration and cooperation between team teachers and school administration? | 50% |
21% |
21% |
0% |
7% |
4.07 |
| 3. Is there collaboration and cooperation of team members between schools? | 21% |
36% |
21% |
0% |
21% |
3.36 |
| 4. Is there collaboration between the public schools and the university? | 50% |
50% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
4.50 |
| 5. Is there cooperation between Central Office and the Principals? | 25% |
42% |
25% |
0% |
8% |
3.75 |
| 6. Does collaborative curriculum development result in learning activities which are more relevant to the community? | 21% |
57% |
14% |
0% |
7% |
3.86 |
There seems to be collaboration in general, however, the lowest rating of collaboration was between team members between the different school sites. This issue was also addressed when team members developed projects to integrate across the curriculum. For example, Onate High School created a Walking Tour of Old Mesilla which incorporated many subject areas as well as having an activity about the local area. Sierra Middle School also created many projects that integrated the curriculum by using technology.
Multimedia and Learning
The following table illustrates what teachers and the management team felt about learning issues.
Question |
Always |
Usually |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Not Observed |
Means |
| 12. Has technology-based curriculum been developed which integrate different content areas? | 17% |
50% |
33% |
0% |
0% |
3.83 |
| 13. Are student's personal experiences, including cultural backgrounds, used in learning products? | 8% |
33% |
42% |
0% |
17% |
3.17 |
| 14. Are a variety of alternative assessments being used to demonstrate knowledge? | 17% |
50% |
25% |
0% |
8% |
3.67 |
| 15. Are opportunities provided for students to ask questions and discover answers? | 50% |
25% |
8% |
0% |
17% |
3.92 |
These issues are demonstrated in the type of projects the students created. All grade levels used hyperstudio to create stacks about the subjects they were studying. The students determined what was appropriate to place in their stacks. At the high school level, students created projects dealing with the local history of Old Mesilla and local area ghost tales. These students then had the opportunity to present the information in a variety of ways. The assessments used were creating a web page, a book, a documentary, and hyperstudio stacks. While completing these projects, students continuously asked questions and discovered answers with the help of teachers and peers.
Effective Training
This issue was addressed on the teacher/management survey and had the following results.
Question |
Always |
Usually |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Not Observed |
Means |
| 7. Do you have a more positive attitude about using technology and teaching about New Mexico? | 53% |
33% |
13% |
0% |
0% |
4.40 |
| 8. Has training been sufficient to encourage the use of technology in the classroom? | 64% |
21% |
14% |
0% |
0% |
4.50 |
| 9. Has sufficient time been given to develop curriculum for the Nuestra Tierra Project? | 39% |
39% |
15% |
8% |
0% |
4.08 |
| 10. Are you using expanded instructions strategies (questioning, cooperative learning, use of a variety of media for learning production) as a result of this project? | 39% |
46% |
8% |
0% |
8% |
4.08 |
The issue of sufficient time to develop curriculum was a concern of the elementary teachers in that they felt that they did not have a planning period to work together as a team everyday. On a open ended question about the change of knowledge and skills due to this project, 29% of the comments described the training as excellent. Increased enthusiasm for teaching and the spread of ideas received 14% of the comments. Questions about the first year of the project and recommendations for the coming year had 21% of the responses recommending keeping or increasing the time for curriculum development and planning. When asked for comments for the first year, 36% of the responses were in support of the time given for curriculum development.
Student Survey Responses
The following will be some of the results from the student survey which consisted of four open-ended questions. Some students made comments about several areas and thus were at times counted more than once. A portion of the eighty students who completed the questionnaire chose to return the survey by e-mail, a skill learned through the course of this project.
Regarding the question of how students liked using computers as part of this project, 79% of the responses were that it was fun, neat, and enjoyable. Another 39% said that it made accomplishing projects more efficient, easier and that it was very educational. Students also commented about what specific projects and programs they worked with. Most commonly used was hyperstudio and the internet.
When asked about the best aspect of the project, 64% stated that is was fun and easy, 5% said that it was great being able to look at a final product and to see results immediately. The most frustrating aspect reported by 50% of the students was that the computers often froze or were very slow or that they did not have the necessary equipment.
Student suggestions for the coming year were to have a wider variety of field trips and projects and to learn how to use more programs (44%). Some students, 21% felt that nothing needed to be changed for the coming year.
Similarities and Differences
All three school sites felt that much was accomplished with the help of this project in the areas of technology use and in curriculum integration and development. The program that was used consistently in all school sites was hyperstudio. The high school had access to the internet and e-mail from the beginning, but it took a bit longer for the other schools to get on-line. There were also a few more technical problems that had to be worked out at the elementary and middle school.
Summary
Overall, all teachers were very positive about the first year of the Nuestra Tierra Project and were looking forward to the coming year. The teachers felt that it was a great experience since bringing in technology encourages reflection on curriculum. Some suggestions that were offered were to have more planning time, perhaps in the summer, both with the school team and with the new partner schools.
On May 9,1996 all teachers that had participated in the U.S. West Grant for the 1995-1996 school year at Jornada Elementary, Sierra Middle School, and Onate High School, as well as the teachers who will be participating in the 1996-1997 school year at Desert Hills Elementary, Zia Middle School, and the Newcomers' Center were at a meeting in which student projects were discussed. The following will be a brief description of success and problems that each school encountered.
Jornada Elementary School
At Jornada Elementary school, much success was achieved by the students using hyperstudio. Initial training was done was given to two students who then trained two more, who then trained four more, until all students in participating classes were trained. Students then had to use hyperstudio to create stacks for specific projects assigned by the teachers.
In the Spring of 1996, these 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were paired up with the kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders to teach them how to use hyperstudio to produce a stack for their mothers for a Mother's Day project. This empowered the older children as mentors and boosted their self-esteem. During the project, each primary student was able to draw a picture and write a letter to their mother. Parents will be invited in to view their children's projects. Students also created and published a monthly newspaper using the Writing Center. The newspaper contained everything from student poetry to sports and was written by 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.
Parents were also brought into the U.S. West Project. Classes were held for parents to learn introductory level computer skills. Parents who had never worked with computers before now had the skills to create stacks using hyperstudio. They also now had a connection to the school and to what their children were doing.
As with any new project, there were of course problems. Most of the problems dealt with labs not working properly or in some cases the technology failed completely. This has been a learning experience and fortunately, it seems that most of these problems have been work out. Another problem, at the elementary level, is the lack of planning time for the "team". The teachers at Jornada felt that though they accomplished a lot this year, they could have done more if they had planning time available to them as a team.
The goals for the 1996-1997 school year for this team are to spend some of their own time this summer to write more curriculum about New Mexico. The lesson plans will be made available after completion. The team is also in the process of writing an acceptable use policy for teachers, students, and parents.
Sierra Middle School
At Sierra Middle School, a team approach is used. Most projects using the technology involve integrated curriculum. Some units involving technology are the "Desert Southwest", "Inventors", "Native Americans", "Civics", "Pancho Villa". All of these projects involve using word processing and hyperstudio stacks. These projects have increased student interest and has helped bring out the culture of New Mexico and of the students. Students are so excited about learning that they are coming in before and after school and at lunch. Incorporated into these projects have been field trips which has also been a great motivator. The students at Sierra have also learned how to create web pages.
Two community volunteers have been working with two groups of at-risk students using technology. These students have been taught how to use hyperstudio to create stacks. This has proven to be a useful tool in that these troubled kids will tell the computer things that they cannot tell other people. This program has helped some students in academic achievement. For example, some students have raised their grades from D's and F's to mostly A's and B's.
Sierra Middle School also has brought parents into the for training on the computers. Bringing parents into the school is helping to build a better relationship with parents and the school community. Training sessions for teachers not involved in the U.S. West Project have also been held throughout the 1995-1996 school year.
As with the other schools, Sierra Middle School had some problems. The main problems dealt with equipment and the way it was set up. Some of the technology used had to be up-graded before it would run the necessary software. Another problem that some teachers encountered was the changing role of the teachers. Teachers had to learn how to become facilitators. By the spring of 1996, most of the technical problems were overcome.
Onate High School
At Onate High School, several projects were accomplished through integrated curriculum during the 1995-1996 school year. One project consisted of a group of students creating a walking tour of Old Mesilla. The students went on a field trip and took digital pictures as well as video footage of highlights of Old Mesilla. They also interviewed people from Old Mesilla to gain a better insight into the area. When the students returned to school, they used hyperstudio and hypermedia to create stacks of the area with a narrative. A web page was then created to illustrate a walking tour of Old Mesilla. This project is also being translated into Spanish and will also be made into a web page. This project was designed by the kids, which encourages the kids to take ownership, with the teachers acting as facilitators. The teachers were delighted to find that the students took the project further than they ever expected.
The students also did a similar project on ghosts of the Las Cruces area. The students took a field trip to the Old Mesilla area where they had local speakers talk about the local ghost tales. Students were then divided up and worked on one of four projects. Some students created a ghost story book. Each student wrote and illustrated their own ghost story which was then put into a book. Other students created web pages about the local ghosts, some created stacks using hyperstudio, and others created a documentary. Students that worked on the documentary gained experience with editing equipment as well as video equipment. These projects did get local news coverage which helped promote awareness of what the schools are doing in the community.
Another activity that students were involved in was called Project Launch. During this project, students toured White Sands Missile Range to gain information about rockets. They then built a seven and a half foot rocket that had a camera inside and equipment that measures the altitude reached by the rocket. The students involved in this project also created stacks using hyperstudio.
Other students were involved in creating web pages for the school. The students each have their own web page and have helped create web pages for the teachers, clubs, administrators, departments, and many other activities in the school. This group of students are also involved in creating web pages for other students in other classrooms. This group of students competed in Adventures in Supercomputing and won first in the state for the best web page.
Suggestions for next year:
A suggestion for the elementary schools is to provide more planning time for the team of teachers to get together for curriculum development. Perhaps additional time, in the summer could be provided for viewing and trouble-shooting software and hardware problems ahead of actual use. It was also suggested that the teachers from this year meet with the teachers from the partner schools for next year this summer to discuss the possible projects. It was also suggested that parents be included more by having parent workshops using the computers and the internet. Another idea was to have the high school students pair up with the other schools and create a home page for them. This exercise can also be used as assessment for the high school students.
Positive Aspects of the U.S. West Project:
The teachers felt that the most valuable experience was the opportunity to work and learn about technology and how it could be used as a tool throughout the curriculum. Bringing in the technology made the teachers rethink the curriculum and how they taught. It also provided the teachers an opportunity to become a team both at the school site and between the elementary, middle school, and the high school for a broader view of education. Teachers also found that it was extremely useful to have dial-up access from home.
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