Computerized Collaboration: Multimedia for Middle Level Science Teachers
William J. McKinney, Ph.D.
Deborah Wooldridge, Ph.D.
Rebecca Hines, Ph.D.


Abstract

In January 1996, Southeast Missouri State University's College of Education was awarded an Eisenhower Professional Development Grant for the development and execution of a graduate level course in multimedia classroom techniques for middle level science teachers. This paper will discuss:

* the assembly of a cross-departmental interdisciplinary team for proposal development, course development and course instruction;

* the course, SE606 - "Multimedia in the Middle Level Classroom;"

* the classroom experiences of the instructors - university professors, with a class comprised of public school science teachers;

* the technical and pedagogical lessons learned from using "Authorware Star" as an authoring medium.

1.0 Introduction

Middle level education must meet the special needs of adolescents. Adolescence is a time of significant growth and change, and it is necessary that education place significant attention on children in the early "transescent" years. In order for schools to do this, they must cease looking at middle level students as "big" youngsters or immature pre-teens, and see them as humans at a turning point in their lives. Schools must reflect this attitude in working with these students and preparing teachers to teach at this level. Furthermore, they must assume the responsibility to match curriculum and the organization of the middle school with the intellectual, emotional and physical needs of the transescent student who is caught in a turning point.

Thus, as stated in the book Turning Points, (Carnegie Council of Adolescent Development, 1989, p. 8) middle level schools are "potentially society's most powerful force to recapture millions of youth adrift, and help every young person thrive during early adolescence . Middle level education has been identified as an essential element for systemic change. In order to improve academic achievement, staff and students' attitudes and behaviors, and instructional practices and procedures, middle schools have the opportunity to create smaller schools within schools, decrease the number of times student change classrooms and teachers, increase personal attention by team teaching and mentoring, reform grade retention policy, eliminate tracking, promote cooperative learning, revitalize the curriculum and improve the student-teacher relationship.

The recent changes in technology offer an important means for enhancing these educational improvements. The proliferation of inexpensive multimedia computers and interactive software has led to an increased use of computers in all educational levels. Middle level education is no exception.

This new technologically enhanced pedagogy will require technologically savvy teachers. In January 1996, Southeast Missouri State University's College of Education was awarded an Eisenhower Professional Development Grant for the development and execution of a graduate level course in multimedia classroom techniques for the professional development of middle level science teachers. The objectives of the project were four-fold:

i. to provide participants an opportunity to extend and enhance their knowledge and understanding of multimedia software and to develop multimedia software;

ii. to provide participants and opportunity to investigate available computer-based resources that can enhance the science curriculum;

iii. to provide participants an introduction to and practice using the basic skills necessary to build multimedia presentations for classroom use; and

iv. to provide participants an opportunity to enhance their skills in the area of staff development in the field of technology integration.

Too often, such professional development opportunities are out of reach to educators because of geography, high costs, timing, and the failure of programs to meet perceived needs. By providing training regionally, costs to participants are reduced and broader participation is encouraged at sites that are in closer proximity to the educators. As such, three sessions of the class were run at strategic locations throughout Southeast Missouri State's service region. The following pages provide a discussion and description of the project and offer some summary remarks on the lessons learned from this cooperative effort.

2.0 Assembling the project team

From the very start, it was essential that the planning and execution of the project employ the aptitudes and expertise of a range of individuals from the University and the region's public school districts. To maximize the potential success of the project, representatives from the following constituencies were utilized:

Middle Level Science Instruction
Special Needs Students
Administration
Educational Assessment and Planning
Curriculum Design
Technology
Multimedia Design

In this way, the project team was able to meet the needs determined in a professional development needs assessment conducted in 1995.
The needs assessment survey was conducted in the 24 county region of Southeast Missouri. The survey addressed 6 areas: instructional process, classroom management interpersonal relationships, professional concerns, student concerns and special education concerns. The topics under instructional process included: student motivation/teacher expectations, improving study/thinking skills, cooperative learning, student learning styles, active learning, coordination with special education, multicultural education, technology applications, performance-based assessment, and integrated learning. The analysis revealed that school districts were interested in professional development activities related to technology application, improving thinking skills, active learning strategies and student motivation (see Table 1 below). These four areas of concern formed the core of the multimedia instruction project.

TABLE 1

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY RESULTS
 Instructional Process District Totals Rank
 1. Student Motivation/Teacher Expectations 1281 2*
2. Improving Study/Thinking Skills 1367 1*
3. Cooperative Learning 922 8
4. Student Learning Styles 989 5
5. Hands-on Learning/Active Learning 1106 4*
6. Coordination with Spec. Ed./Rem. Prog 872 9
7. Multi-Cultural Education 717 10
8. Technology Applications-Internet, etc. 1224 3*
9. Performance Based Assessment 935 6
10. Integrated Learing, etc. 933 7


The resulting Collaborative Planning Committee consisted of members from regional public schools, the Southeast Missouri State University Regional Professional Development Center, College of Education, College of Science and Technology, College of Liberal Arts and MAP 2000.

3.0 The course: SE606 - "Using Multimedia in the Middle Level Science Classroom"

The crux of the project was the development of a graduate level course in multimedia software use and development. This product-oriented course was designed for middle level science teachers interested in learning to integrate multimedia presentations into the content curriculum, so the course had no formal course prerequisites. Participants worked in cooperative groups to examine the state science curriculum frameworks and "Show Me Standards" and gather resources to supplement curriculum objectives. The participants were then guided through the process of developing multimedia presentations which incorporate a variety of video materials, scanned images, sound and other reference materials to supplement the science curriculum. The course was offered at three different locations (Jackson School District, Bloomfield School District and Giddeon School District), with participation limited to 22 students per site. The course syllabus is included below.

COURSE SYLLABUS
Southeast Missouri State University

THE TEACHER AS COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR

Dept. of Secondary Education Course No.: SE606

Course Title: Using Multimedia In the Revised: Fall 1996
Middle Level Classroom


I. Description and Credit Hours of Course:

The is a product-oriented course designed for teachers interested in learning to integrate multimedia presentations into the content curriculum. Participants will work together to produce a CD-ROM that includes multimedia presentations to be used with the standard middle level curriculum. Participants will receive a copy of the CD generated in class for future use at respective sites.(3)

II. Prerequisites:

Permission of instructor required; participants should have basic computer skills but extensive experience in working with computers is not a necessity.

III. Purposes or Objectives of the Course:

The participants will:

A. Examine and practice using two computer-based instructional models to enhance the delivery of content curriculum.

B. Read and analyze literature describing the social, vocational, and pedagogical rationales for using computers in the classroom.

C. Investigate available World Wide Web sites that can be used as resources to enhance the content curriculum.

D. Build multimedia presentations for use in the classroom.

E. Receive training on presenting staff development workshops in the field of technology integration.

F. Receive training in performance assessment using technology in order to give parallel training to a team of teachers in their home district.

IV. Expectations of the Participant:

A. To read and discuss literature examining technology integration in the schools.

B. To work in cooperative groups to examine the content curriculum and gather resources to supplement curriculum objectives.

C. To participate, individually and in groups, in activities to build multimedia presentations that incorporate a variety of video materials, scanned images, sound and other reference materials to supplement the content curriculum.

D. To agree to engage in continued staff development/presentations in the area of technology integration as a means to promote the Show Me Standards and implement the new assessment system.

V. Course Content: Class Hours:

A. Shifting Paradigms: 9
Moving from the Industrial to the Information Age
1. Discussion: National and Regional Implications
2. Computers in the Classroom: What's working,
What's Not--A Review of the Literature.

B. Show Me Standards: Technology as a Change Agent 12
1. Review of Show Me Standards/Objectives
2. Discussion: Show Me Standards Goal 1&2
3. Discussion: Changing Roles for Teachers
4. Guided Practice: Building Contest-Directed Presentations

C. Technical Skill Training 12
1. Working with Authoring Programs
2. Importing Text and Graphing from Other Applications
3. Accessing Information On-Line
4. Downloading Text and Images from the World Wide Web
5. Writing Computer-Based Quizzes
6. Using Projection Panels for Whole-Class Instruction

D. Product Development 12
1. Developing Lesson Plans for Technology-Rich Classrooms
2. Building Multimedia Presentations
3. Writing Computer-Based Quizzes
4. Organizing Staff Development Presentations

Total Hours: 45

VI. Textbook:

Merril, P.F., Hammons, K., Vincent, B.R., Reynolds, P.L., Christensen, L., & Tolman,
M.N. (1996). Computers in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

VII. Basis for Student Evaluation:

Students will be able to demonstrate the skills necessary to build a technology-based lesson plans.

Students will gather and utilize content materials needed to supplement the
curriculum and will demonstrate this by generating content-directed
multimedia presentations.

Students will analyze research in the area of technology integration and demonstrate an understanding of such by developing software appropriate for classroom use.

Students will synthesize information regarding technology integration and the Show Me Standards, and will develop a program for disseminating such information to their respective sites.

VIII. Knowledge Base:

Cohen, P. (1994). The On-Line Classroom. ASCE Update, 36(10), 1-6.

Conroy, M. (1994). TECH TRAUMA-The technology teacher's syndrome. Tech Directions, December, 38-39.

Dyril, O.E. & Kinnaman, D.E. (1994). Preparing for the integration of emerging technologies. Technology and Learning, May/June, 92-98.

Kinnaman, D.E. (1994). What it really means to integrate technology. Technology and Learning, May/June, 130.

McCarthy, R (1988). Making the future work. The road to curriculum integration. Electronic Learning, September, 42-46.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (1995). Show me standards.

Peterson, N.K. & Orde, B.J. (1995). Implementing multimedia in the middle school curriculum: Pros, cons, and lessons learned. Technological Horizons in Education, February, 70-75.

4.0 The classroom experience: Technical and pedagogical lessons

Once the course was designed and approved by the University's College of Education and School of Graduate Studies, the only the execution of the course and the production of the final product remained. As is the case with any new technological experience, there were lessons learned by all involved, most especially those who actually conducted the class.

First and foremost was the hardware lesson. The project was designed to afford middle level teachers the opportunity to develop their own multimedia software using the development platform Authorware Star for Windows (Prentice Hall/Macromedia, Inc.). While the software indicates minimal hardware requirements as a 286 PC with 8MB RAM, it was the experience of the authors that a minimum desktop requirement is a 486 PC with 16MB RAM. No such machines were available in the computer labs at the class sites. Authorware will run on a 286 machine, but only reluctantly. In addition, many of the operations required in developing a useful multimedia application with the Authorware platform require the cutting and pasting of large files, whether they be sounds or graphics. While all machines used on the project were superior than the minimum Intell 286 microprocessor, none had more than 8MB RAM, and most had only 4MB. This made cutting and pasting operations for large files extremely difficult.

The quest for content provided several intriguing challenges. A multimedia program does not deserve such a label unless it incorporates at least non-textual visual material, and optimally sound and video or animation. Most of the teachers who enrolled in the course had ample course content in terms of still images, yet very little of it was in electronic form. This left the on-site instructor with two choices -- scan the images or help the teachers to retrieve relevant material from the World Wide Web. At the one location where a scanner were available, the on-site instructor spent many hours after class scanning the images for 20+ students on the one available scanner. For the other 2 sites, the scanner at the University's Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning was used. In all cases, this method posed the logistical problem of file size, and image quality had to be limited due to the fact that the scanned images had to be transferred from site to site on floppy disks. Two of the three sites were networked, and so Internet access was relatively straightforward, with large image files saved directly to the author's hard drive. At the Jackson location, however, there was no networking capabilities and no scanner. As a result, one of the University's open labs was reserved for two days so that participants could retrieve useful graphic and sound files. In this case, however, the problem of file size remained, as all files had to be transported via floppy disk.

The issue of file size was ultimately the most troubling. Authorware files are large, and depending on content, a modest Authorware-designed application can require 2-8MB of storage. Each of the middle level teachers who participated in the course wrote an Authorware application, leaving the project staff with the task of transporting 20-25 files at a time from the class site back to Southeast Missouri State University, where the programs would be edited and copied to a CD-ROM for final distribution (see Section 5.0). While most of these files were less than 1MB, and could thus be copied to a floppy disk and easily transported, others (approximately 1/3) were not. Quite simply, not every public school in the state of Missouri is networked locally, let alone hooked to the Internet. At one location (Bloomfield), the computer lab was indeed networked, both locally and to the Internet, so large files were sent via electronic mail to the University. At another site (Giddeon), large files were stored on an FTP site, and retrieved accordingly from the University. Finally, at Jackson, no networking capabilities were available. As a result, both the students and the on-site instructor were faced with some difficult editing choices with respect to the content of the Authorware programs. All files were kept to a maximum of 2.0MB, and those which exceeded the capacity of a high-density floppy disk were compressed using WinZip, with the resulting compressed archive copied to floppy disk. Hardware problems were not limited to the classroom locations. The University has had its own unique limitations in the final execution of this project, and these will be discussed in Section 5.0.

In terms of teaching the cours