Running head: CLASSROOM COLLABORATION VIA WEB 2.0 TOOLS 1

Classroom Collaboration via Web 2.0 Tools in a Special Education Classroom

Robert Kyle Johnson

Kennesaw State University

January 2017

Ms. Borup

Spring 2017

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Capstone Project Experience and Results

Introduction

Long-standing research indicates that students who base learning on real-world

problems and issues have a better chance of retaining information that is learned in the

classroom. For many schools, the medium used to achieve this learning is through PBLs.

According to Edutopia, PBL-based learning “Studies comparing learning outcomes for students

taught via project-based learning versus traditional instruction show that when implemented

well, PBL increases long-term retention of content, helps students perform as well as or better

than traditional learners in high-stakes tests, improves problem-solving and collaboration skills,

and improves students' attitudes towards learning” (Vega, 2015). Furthermore, when

collaboration is used to answer a problem, as with many PBLs, students get the necessary

training to discuss and solve issues with peers that is used on a daily basis in the real world

among adults. At Central Gwinnett High School, the goal is to increase collaboration and relate

content to real world issues. This goal is even made more relevant to students through the

implementation of the Academy model, which places students into one of five different pathways

related to their career goals, including Law, Education and Public Service, Medical and

Healthcare, STEM, Fine Arts, and Business. This goal for many teachers is difficult under the

traditional model of teaching and learning. New strategies are needed to bridge the gap with

higher level learning through real world problems.

For the capstone, the goal was to leverage technology and use it in a way that would be

an impactful learning experience, but also deliver it in a way unprecedented in the school and

would challenge students to learn more collaboratively. By using technology and collaboration

together, “…[it] has great potential for improving learning skills, enriching their contents, and

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enhancing knowledge development (Lin, Hsaio, Tseng, and Chan, 2014, p. 162). The teacher

decided to come up with a way that Web 2.0 tools such as Google Slides and Google Docs could

be used to increase online collaboration among students. However, once the idea was in place

and the planning began, the teacher realized that more could be done to give the students a

unique experience that could be used to not only increase collaboration through the use of

technology, but prepare them for the type of learning that many colleges and universities are

implementing.

Initial Plans

Upon completion of the capstone project, slight changes were made to the original

proposal based on personal preference as the teacher began to build the assignments and based

upon the fluidity of the course the project was implemented in. Initially, the teacher proposed to

have a walk-through of what was expected within the learning management system that the

district provides teachers to use in their content areas. Furthermore, as students became more

comfortable with the learning management system, the teacher would implement more rigorous

assignments to include a collaborative activity using Google Slides and the discussion forum to

illicit more in-depth discussion about a reading that was assigned using the ABC model of

discussion responses. For the fourth and fifth activity that was initially planned, the teacher

would have students create Google Slides to create a presentation of the Bill of Rights and how it

impacts their lives today, followed by a survey instrument to provide feedback of their

experience in using Web 2.0 tools to learn collaboratively. However, as the building of the

activities began to be designed, the teacher wanted students to have more exposure to online

collaborative learning using Web 2.0 tools.

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In an age where technology is becoming more and more a part of everyone’s everyday

lives, the teacher felt as though it would be beneficial for high school seniors to be exposed to

the potential of what an online class would look like at the college level. The teacher planned to

create an online unit that would challenge students to think at a deeper level using videos,

readings, and discussions that would challenge their thinking with how politics and referenda

impact their lives.

Changes to the Capstone Project

In alignment with what Gwinnett County Public Schools regards as “Transformational

Teaching and Learning”, the goal for the collaborative online learning experience for students

was to “[Use] digital tools to provide students with meaningful opportunities to collaborate on

their learning and synthesize learning by creating” (Eclass – The Transformed Classroom).

Although the original capstone proposal was sufficient to get accurate data, the teacher designed

a collaborative learning unit using Web 2.0 tools that would strengthen the students

understanding of the Constitution and how it relates to the students’ lives. Instead of having five

individual projects, the teacher designed a seven-week unit that would be completely online.

Each module would contain module objectives that would address the standards (see Appendix,

exemplar 1). Each module would contain learning activities that would encourage online

collaboration. For example, students were given a reading on the Federalists and Anti-

Federalists. After reading, students would engage in two questions that would promote deeper

understanding of the reading. Once students posted their original response, they would have to

respond to two peers (see Appendix, exemplar 2). Another activity that would encourage

collaboration among students was the Google Docs activity in which students were asked to look

through the US Constitution and answer twenty questions that would help them gain a better

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understanding of the various aspects of the Constitution, including what was contained within the

seven articles and what powers were given to each individual branch of government. Students

would be broken up and given a set number of questions to answer. Once they finished their

questions, they were required to look at a few peers’ answers and review them to ensure they

were correct. This would increase retention of the material due to the fact that students were

reviewing answers from peers and yet they were still working collaboratively.

As students continued through the online unit, the activities would begin to build on one

another. The culminating activity would be an essay in which they would have to reflect on

whether the Federal Government has too much power. Students were to use any notes from the

unit and what they learned to develop an essay. Once this was finished, a WebQuest was

developed to allow students the opportunity to explore various Supreme Court cases throughout

history and reflect on how it impacted the lives of Americans and how it might impact them

today. A worksheet would accompany the WebQuest and students would be asked to describe

the problem of the case, the outcome, and how it might impact them today. Once the worksheet

was completed, students were asked to illustrate the court case that they felt impacted them the

most. They were free to be creative when it came to how they illustrated it, as long as the

illustration included what the case was about and how it impacts them today. A rubric was

provided for them to ensure all aspects of the illustration were addressed (See Appendix,

exemplar 3 for details on the WebQuest.

Although the changes to the capstone were significant, the teacher felt as though they

were necessary to give the students a unique experience that was different than anything they had

ever experienced in the classroom before. The progress was slow at the beginning, as students

were adjusting to the new way of learning collaboratively online, but from classroom observation

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and student evaluations, it appears students enjoyed the experience and gained a better of

understanding of the Constitution and how it impacts their lives today.

Results and Obstacles

With any new teaching approach, one cannot guarantee that all aspects of the learning

experience would go without an issue or problem, however great or small. With this new

learning experience that no student had ever experienced before, there was bound to be a

learning curve.

Overall, students did a good job engaging in the material. However, the students did not

seem to engage in the discussions as desired or expected by the teacher. If time would have

allowed, the students would have been given a more thorough tutorial on what was expected

when engaging in a discussion post. Although the ABC protocol was linked and available for

students to access, the students did not fully understand the brevity of what was desired by the

teacher. If changes are to be made in the future, a rubric would be provided that gives students

explicit instructions on what is expected when responding to peer discussions (See Appendix,

exemplar 4 for discussion example). Furthermore, more time will be taken to walk students

through the process of how to engage in peer responses more effectively. Being that the online

learning experience has been done once by students, their work could be used as examples to

show what is and is not expected.

Throughout the capstone, students worked on the activities in their regular class period to

allow the teacher the time to walk around the room to answer questions for students. Although it

was in class, students were to work independently as if they were engaging in a virtual classroom

environment. As students were working, many did not put forth the effort to fully engage in the

online learning experience. Many students did not meet the deadlines per the unit calendar.

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Although this is reflective of normal classroom behavior as well, the teacher felt as though the

students would have performed at a higher level on their essay if they would have put forth more

effort. However, upon reflection, this was a new experience for students, so if students would

have been given more time to preview the material and given more directions on the expectations

of online learning, they may have been more engaged and involved.

Aside from overall involvement in the online learning unit, there were some navigational

and functional issues that took some time to overcome. Most students used Google Chromebooks

that were provided by the school for them to use. Google Chromebooks do not have a dedicated

hard drive for students to save Word Documents on their computer. The interface uses Google’s

suite of apps including Docs, Slides, and Sheets and all work is saved on a student’s Google

Drive. So the issue was two-fold: Students who did not have a Gmail would have to sign up for

one, which was not that difficult to do. However, the biggest issue involved students submitting

papers and other documents to the dropbox within the LMS. This issue took some time to resolve

and it was not very convenient for the students to do. Students had to open the document using

Google Docs and export the document as a Microsoft Word file. The document would then be

sent to their downloads folder within their Drive. It could only then be uploaded to eclass and

submitted. What would be more convenient, and the county is considering it, is if students could

just submit the URL to the dropbox of the Google Doc. Although this was one of the major

issues, students were patient and the issue was resolved quickly.

Evaluations

Based on student evaluations, the online learning unit helped them to better understand the

material and how the Constitution relates to their lives today. One student’s responses indicated

that the videos and taking notes online was very helpful in her understanding of the subject

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material and the content contained within the online learning unit were directly aligned to the

standards (see Appendix, exemplar 5). However, based on the students’ grades, there was no

significant growth nor decline in their overall grade compared to other classroom assessments.

To test their overall understanding, a multiple-choice exam was given to the students at the end

of the online learning unit to assess their knowledge of the Constitution. The results from this

assessment are comparable to the other units in which a multiple-choice assessment was given.

As stated before, the grades students received were neither higher or lower than other

assessments (see Appendix, exemplar 6). With this indication, a more thorough analysis of the

causes of the grades should be taken into consideration. Perhaps student learning styles are

different; those who are more visual learners may have done slightly better than previous tests.

Other considerations for the lack of growth could be the layout of the course as a whole. Looking

forward, there are some changes that could be implemented to gain a better of understanding of

the effectiveness of the online learning unit. Additionally, changes can be made within the course

itself to make learning more engaging and make the layout of the course design more fluid.

Changes for the Future

Looking forward, prior to the students engaging in any content online, a more thorough

investigation into the learning styles of the students will be implemented. A survey will be given

to the students to identify their individual learning styles. The goal is for students to understand

how they learn more effectively and for the teacher to have a better indication of how students

learn. The survey results will be used to assess overall learning of the content in relation to their

learning styles. Additionally, more time will be given to allow students the opportunity to

preview the content before engaging in the online learning experience. The teacher will guide

students through the modules and explain how to effectively navigate the LMS. Exemplars will

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be shown to give students a better understanding of what is expected with the classroom

discussions and how to properly respond to peers’ posts. With these two goals in mind, the

teacher will have a better understanding of how students learn and students will have a better

understanding of how to successfully navigate the LMS and they will be able to use the survey

results to better understand the way they learn.

Technology Facilitation and Leadership

After careful reflection of the online learning experience, including the layout, design,

student evaluations, and overall implementation of the online unit, there are things that could be

considered to make improvements on the learning and the method of introducing the learning

experience to the students. When it comes to technology facilitation, it is important to always be

open to making changes to the way students learn based on their personal learning styles. For

example, one activity that a teacher may think would serve as a great way to present content on a

particular standard may not be suitable for the students. Many believe that technology alone will

solve the issues of differentiation. As a technology leader and facilitator, it is important to

remind teachers that “technology alone cannot accomplish this goal – only the proper application

of technology can truly accomplish it” (Fose, p. 1). Throughout the capstone experience, small

changes were made to the activities to make them more engaging to students. Additionally,

students provided input on how to make the online learning unit more relatable to them and more

engaging. As a technology facilitator, it is very important to tailor the learning to the students’

needs and provide any assistance or help that is needed when students are learning online.

As a technology leader, sometimes trying something new may seem daunting, but it is

critical to invoke change within a school setting or within the district as a whole. By

implementing the online learning unit, the teacher could show the results to the administration

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and give them hard evidence of the success of the online learning unit. Additionally, the success

of the online learning unit can serve as a precedent for an initiative that could be implemented

within the school system or county in the near future and the teacher could serve as the

instructional leader for this new initiative. To further influence the importance of online learning

and how it can address the needs of many types of learners, the teacher can show how the online

learning unit addresses the PSC standards of Instructional Technology, which is being pushed

heavily by the district. For example, Standard 3.3, Online and Blended Learning, is addressed

throughout the entire online learning unit. Students engaged themselves in various forms of

collaborative activities both synchronously and asynchronously. Through the use of discussions,

students were able to take a reading about a topic and post their thoughts and ideas to various

probing questions that were meant to invoke higher level learning. To expand on their

understanding, students were to respond to peers to share their insight and relate to something the

peer wrote in their original blog posting. With this model, even the shyest student is able to

express their understanding and this method of classroom discussion can ensure all students are

learning and understanding the content material.

The teacher could also argue that the online learning unit would produce a Level 4B of

Technology Implementation, or LoTi Level 4B. With this level, student products emphasize

complex thinking skill strategies, and the learning is student-centered. The learning can be

applied to real-world issues and the students are asked within the online learning unit to relate

their understanding of the Constitution and Constitutional amendments to their lives today and

reflect on how it impacts them. Lastly, to address the learning needs of those in a special

education setting, the online learning unit addresses PSC Standard 3.4, Adaptive and Assistive

Technology, in many ways. Being that the capstone was implemented within a resource

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classroom, steps had to be taken to ensure students were accommodated effectively. As students

worked on the activities, they were able to ask for assistance from the teacher to help them

understand the instructions or elaborate on what they were working on. As students would ask

questions, the teacher would take note of any instructional changes that would need to be made

in the future. What would make accommodating students difficult with online learning is if

students were not in the classroom and were required to engage in this type of learning at home.

This is an ongoing issue and more research would need to be done to help bridge this gap.

However, within the blended learning model, students were as independent as they desired. The

teacher was available when necessary. Additionally, the activities accommodated those students

who had read-aloud accommodations. Reading passages could be read-aloud by the text-to-

speech widget that is downloaded on the student Chromebooks. Additionally, for more in-depth

instructional activities, the instructions were pre-recorded and students could play and pause as

they desired.

Recommendations

In retrospect, for those who would aspire to do something daring that would challenge the

status quo of teaching and learning, the online learning unit would be a very challenging, yet

rewarding, project. There cannot be promises of student growth due to the fact that online

learning is not for everyone and there is no set formula for success with technology integration in

a classroom. All students learn differently. Much like a teacher explains content in several

different ways in a face-to-face learning environment, the mediums through which content is

delivered in an online setting needs to varied. Although the creation of the online learning unit

was a little daunting and took a long time to design and implement effectively, one has to realize

that any new teaching strategy takes a while to understand, let alone master. What makes this

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opportunity unique, however, is the fact that it is not very common in school districts. Sure they

may be dedicated online schools within districts and states, but the fusion of online learning

within a brick-and-mortar classroom is very unique. With this blended setting, students get the

opportunity to engage in their own learning in a more collaborative setting and the teacher truly

serves as a facilitator to student learning and serves an assistance role to those who need special

accommodations or further explanation of instructions. Although the results from the online

learning experience were not what the teacher would have desired, the experience for students

looks very positive and as a technology leader, it is important to continue to reflect on what can

be done to improve on the experience to further invoke improvement on student learning through

an online blended learning experience.

References

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E-Class – The Transformed Classroom [handout]. Retrieved from

https://instruction.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/d2l/le/content/221504/viewContent/14661029/Vie

w?ou=221504

Fose, L. E. (n.d.). Exploring Technology to Address Student Multiple Intelligences and Learning

Styles. Retrieved January 21, 2017, from

http://www.calpoly.edu/~lfose/articles/Exploring_Technology.pdf

Lin, C., Hsaio, H., Tseng, S., & Chan, H. (2014). Learning English Vocabulary collaboratively in

a Technology-Supported Classroom. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational

Technology, 13 (1), 162-173.

Vega, V. (2015). Project-Based Learning Research Review. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from

http://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes

Appendix

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Exemplar 1:

Exemplar 2:

Exemplar 3:

http://kylejohnson112991.wixsite.com/constitution

Exemplar 4:

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Exemplar 5:

Exemplar 6:

Student Name Constitution Test

Civic Responsibility

Test

Executive Branch Test

Legislative Branch Test

Student 1 70 70 63 63

Student 2 73 73 80 73

Student 3 61 51 55 70

Student 4 50 50 67 60

Student 5 82 57 70 70

Student 6 62 60 60 83

Student 7 63 53 53 66

Student 8 78 65 65 86