Connecting To Our TweensBy Leslie ProhaskaFlorida State UniversitySCE 5740Research Methods in Science EducationDr. Nancy DavisSpring 2010

INTRODUCTION

Initial Plan• Wanted to look at RenWeb• What is RenWeb?

Purpose of the Study• Students use of RenWeb• Tracking of students on usage of

RenWeb• Unfortunately, I found out that I

would not be able to track hits from my students

RESEARCH

• Our students’ vision for learning is dramatically different than the environment we are providing (Project Tomorrow, 2009)

• In order to facilitate student learning that is engaging and meaningful, middle grade teachers must bridge the gap between their students’ uses of technologies in and out of school (Lee and Spires, 2009)

• Ultimate Digital Textbooks – link to PowerPoints of class lectures, able to explore concepts through games, animations, or simulations, watch videos and create podcasts (Project Tomorrow, 2009)

CHANGE OF PLAN

Change of Plan• I decided to use a questionnaire to

survey the students on their usage of RenWeb.

• I could correlate this with last years grade because I teach these students for fifth and sixth grades so I have their averages from last year and this year. RenWeb was not enacted until this year.

• Gave out questionnaire to my sixth grade Science classes, 53 students, all of whom I taught last year.

DATA ANALYSIS

• 4 students were absent the day of the questionnaire and so data is presented of the 49 students present

• 100% have access to a computer at home

• 94% have their own email address• 70% have cell phones, 62% of these

are Smart phones• ONLY 55% use RenWeb and 100% of

these access it to check homework• ONLY 47% use Quizlet.com to study

vocabulary• Give RPDS a 4/5 on a Likert-type

scale on its use of technology

• When I looked at my averages of these students for 5th and 6th grades, I found an increase in their average.

• With only 55% of the students using RenWeb, I can’t really say that their increase is due to their usage of RenWeb.

• Looked back over the past several years, and the students always improved between 5th and 6th grades.

• I think this is due to our 2-year wheel where they keep the same teachers for 2 years. This puts them in a comfortable learning environment where they have already experienced each personal teaching style.

ACTION PLAN

• I asked a follow up question to the students orally “Why don’t you use RenWeb more?”

• The answer to this was that they had to use their parents email to get on it and their parents wouldn’t give them their password so they always had to get their parents before getting on.

• Set up accounts for every student using their own email address

• Train the students how to use it. It is not “Facebook” friendly. We train them on how we want them to use their laptops, so we need to write a training program for RenWeb.

• Increase amount of fun features, animations, game sites, not just post homework.

• New features including drop boxes and portfolios are supposed to become available soon on RenWeb.

• Once available, we need to take advantage of these.

• With these new features I should be able to track hits by requiring posts or peer comments. With this feature I might be able to see a correlation between usage and grades.

REFERENCES

Kamenetz, A. (2010, April). “A” is for app. Fast Company, 144, 66-77.

Lee, J., & Spires, H. (2009). What students think about technology and academic engagement in school: Implications for middle grades teaching and learning. AACE Journal, 17(2), 61-81. Retrieved from ERIC.

Project Tomorrow. (2009, March 24). The New Digital Advance Team—America’s K–12 Students (Rep.). Retrieved www.tomorrow.org/speakup/prfs/SU08_findings_final_mar24.pdf