1? till» ,3 ”‘9 . 9 ' w ,qmmw. 5...! 3. . J“. x uh...§d¢.ry!x ‘ r) s. n . I . Yv € A (LL \n THESIS I HIGAN STAT Ilimjmrumulmilllllltillllll 1293 01559 2524 \J U if)”. LIBRARY Michigan State University This is to certify that the thesis entitled TV the Internet and Education A marketing guide for local television stations presented by Bernard Rogers McCoy has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Master's Telecommunications Management degree in Major professor Date ,///[/' 424 /f7é 0-7639 MS U is an Affimative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution PLACE ll RETURN 30X to mouth!- Mum your record. To AVOID FINES Mum on or baton date duo. DATE [)qu DATE DUE DATE DUE TUE—Um l MSU IoAn Nflrmatlvo ActionEquIl Opportunity trunnion Mina-9.1 __._'.-— , TV, the Internet and Education A marketing guide for local television stations By Bernard Rogers McCoy A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fullfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master's in Telecommunication Management Department of Telecommunications I996 Lew: , Thc for lac; Project \irum \lidM, The prOJ imprm e ABSTRACT TV, the Internet and Education A marketing guide for local television stations By Bernard Rogers McCoy The explosive growth of the Internet has created unique marketing opportunities for local television stations. A program called the News-10 Computer Education Project is one example of a local television station's use of the Internet to draw new viewers by using the Internet to establish a strong partnership with several Mid-Michigan schools. The Project has also been shown to be a valid educational tool for teachers to use to improve the current events learning of their students. To my wife Joanne, Donald R. McCoy and Vivian A. Rogers iii " ‘x' Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the support, understanding, great patience and guidance of Thomas Baldwin, who helped still the waters when they rocked the boat, Thomas Muth, who kept me pointed in the right direction as I worked on my Master’s, Charles Atkin, who helped me delve the great mysteries of statistics and mass media research, Gilbert Williams who helped pave the way for my entrance into the MSU graduate school at Michigan State University, WILX-TV, all the fine Mid-Michigan school teachers and administrators who have helped make the News-10 Computer Education Project a successful partnership, and my wife Joanne whose love and beautiful inner-strength make living such a delight. iv g» P34» TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER I PURPOSE OF THESIS .................................................................................................... I The News-IO Computer Education Project ................................................................. 5 Who Watches TV? ..................................................................................................... 6 Implementation Considerations ................................................................................... 8 Management of the News-IO Computer Education Project ....................................... 10 Costs ........................................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER II . LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 17 Cable Television Internet Offerings ............................................................................ 17 Television Internet Offerings ...................................................................................... 26 Related Writings ........................................................................................................ 3] Studies on Schools and the Internet ........................................................................... 36 CHAPTER III TESTING THE NEWS-10 COMPUTER EDUCATION PROJECT .............................. 41 Attitudinal Questionnaires .......................................................................................... 41 Evaluation Research .................................................................................................. 45 School Administrator Interview ................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER IV TEST DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 54 Evaluation Research Responses and Analysis .............................................................. 56 Attitudinal Survey Responses from Students ............................................................... 73 Attitudinal Survey Responses from Teachers .............................................................. 78 Attitudinal Survey Responses from Administrators ..................................................... 85 Computer Education Administrator Interview ............................................................. 88 V C'i-‘lPTE FRESH (WP? 1- ‘ .ga Adk'sd. §‘v\ No- R‘)". II t (8'0; ‘ -, in“ Q. ,.. was... A ippi \fj'i .\_,\ Hui: (~T CHAPTER V PRESENT AND FUTURE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEWS-10 COMPUTER EDUCATION PROJECT ......................................................................... 93 Allocating Resources .................................................................................................. 94 Preparing Awards ....................................................................................................... 95 Responding to E-mail ................................................................................................. 96 Spreading the Word .................................................................................................... 96 Staying Current with Technology ................................................................................ 97 Providing Access for Schools with Limited Funding ................................................... 98 Future Growth Opportunities .................................................................................... 105 Ratings ..................................................................................................................... 103 Future Project Research ............................................................................................ 108 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 109 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. I I3 A--News-IO Perfect News Quiz Award ............................................................. l 15 B--Benton Foundation Educational Web Sites ................................................... lI7 C--THE Journal On-line Service Guide .............................................................. 124 vi I: bit 430 List of Tables Table Page 4.1-How many times a week do you discuss current events in your classroom? .............................................................................................................. 56 4.2-How many times a week do you discuss current events with your family or friends? ................................................................................................................... 57 4.3-Do you use the computer to study current events in your . class? ...................................................................................................................... 58 4.4-Do you use a computer to help you study at home? ..................................................................................................................... 59 4.5-Do you like using computers to help study? ..................................................................................................................... 60 4.6-When you study current events in class, what area do you find most interesting? ........................................................................................................... 61 4.7-Does your class use the News~IO Computer Education Project? ................................................................................................................. 62 4.8-How would you rate the News-10 Computer Education Project as a current events resource. for your classroom? .......................................................... 63 4.9-How would you rate your understanding of current events? ................................................................................................................... 64 4. lO-What is your favorite subject to study in school? ................................................... 65 4.] I-On average, how often do you take current events tests or quizzes to test your knowledge of current events? ....................................................................... 66 4. IZ-Compared to other subjects taught in your classroom, how would you rate the importance of learning about current events? ........................................... 67 4.13-Current Event Quiz Questions I3-22 .................................................................... 69 4.14-Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? ...................... 73 4. I S-What do you think about the News-IO Computer Education Project? .................... 74 4.16-Do you think other students would enjoy using the News-10 Computer Education Project? ................................................................................................ 75 4.17-Do you think you might like or dislike using the News-IO Computer Education Project in your classroom? ................................................................... 77 Rasher: 4. I 8-Have you ever heard of the News- I 0 Computer Education Project? ...................... 78 4.19-How does the News-lOComputer Education Project rank as a teaching tool at your school? .............................................................................................. 79 vii 4.20-Have you encouraged other teachers to use the News-10 Computer Education Project? ................................................................................................ 80 3 I . . r 4.21-Ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? .................................... 86 4.22-How does the News-10 Computer Education Project rank as a teaching tool at your school? .............................................................................................. 86 4.23-Encouraged other teachers to use the News-10 Computer Education Project? ............................................................................................................... 87 viii 1. 1.. t. . J- I. J. J. J- LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 4.1-How many times a week do you discuss current events in your classroom? .............. 57 4.2-How many times a week do you discuss current events with your family or friends? ............................................................................................................... 57 4.3-Do you use a computer to help you study at home? .................................................. 59 4.4-Do you like using computers to help study? ............................................................. 60 4.5-When you study current events in class, what area do you find most interesting? ............................................................................................................ 6 1 4.6-Does your class use the News-10 Computer Education Project? .............................. 62 4.7-How would you rate the News-10 Computer Education Project as a current events resource for your classroom? ........................................................... 63 4.8-How would you rate your understanding of current events? ..................................... 64 4.9-What is your favorite subject to study in school? ...................................................... 65 4.10-On average, how often do you take current events tests or quizzes to test your knowledge of current events? ................................................................ 67 4.1 l-Compared to other subjects taught in your classroom, how would you rate the importance of learning about current events? ............................................ 68 4.12-Current Event Quiz Questions 13-22 ..................................................................... 69 4.13-Rate your current events I.Q. vs. Quiz scores ........................................................ 71 4.14-Local/Experience Based Questions ........................................................................ 71 4.15-National-World Questions ..................................................................................... 72 4.16--Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? ..................... 73 4.17-What do you think about the News-10 CE. Project? ............................................. 74 4.18-Other Students enjoy using the News-10 C-E-P? ................................................... 75 4.19-Teachers-Ever heard of News- 1 0 Computer Education Project? ............................ 78 4.20—How does News-10 C-E-P rate as Teaching Tool? ................................................ 79 4.21-Teachers-Encouraged other Teacher(s) to use News-10 C-E-P? ............................ 80 4.22-Administrators-Rate News-10 C-E-P as a Teaching Tool ...................................... 87 4.23-Administrators-Encouraged Teachers to use News-10 C-E-P? ............................... 87 ix CHAPTER I CONCEPT AND MANAGEMENT: N EWS-10 COMPUTER EDUCATION PROJECT The purpose of this thesis is to explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of a local commercial television station using the Internet and World Wide Web as a way to foster improved communications and market share between a commercial television station and the viewers it serves. Specifically, this thesis focuses on an existing educational program between WILX-TV, Lansing, Michigan and several Mid-Michigan school districts. As the new millennium beckons, technology is rapidly moving our society into a era of multiple communications channels, multiple technologies and an explosion of communications services.This growing fragmentation of communications channels is filled with new and more cost-efficient opportunities for individuals and smaller organizations to create outlets for their messages that haven't been available in the era of mass media. The Benton Foundation, a nonprofit agency that works to realize the social benefits of communications put it this way: "Never mind the confident predictions of better living-the truth is, the future is up for grabs. We still have an opportunity to set high expectations for these new technologies, to stake out the non commercial public space in the new communications environment. It's an opportunity to make sure that these new media will Q A" 7‘ ‘ it's-1'- ..Ls \ v u 't‘. $033335 T; n 0".n-I‘ .-&. t-b-u’ t .m 4"- ‘ , m: 9.». u ' L s "._:"“‘.v hu- 5. s. g.‘ u D P“; “was: .n. "-§u‘; . ‘ I N ‘ ‘ 1' , _ n. K_". '~ r... ‘ u \‘.a V 1' Mn... ‘Toi. \ kv-‘l L ‘15.-} ' I! fish)“ ‘ I L r K recognize our roles not only as consumers but as citizens, our interests not only as spectators but as sources and our needs not only to be entertained but to be educated. It's the opportunity to define the public interest in the digital age." ' These tremendous opportunities also pose challenges. How do you reach an audience? Tim Gunn, director of National Video Resources says the public service media must "reinvent": themselves and learn how to use different tools to reach multiple audiences. Just as emerging and converging technologies are producing new business and commercial partnerships, there are also unique opportunities for new partnerships that promote civic engagement, education and enrich the cultural fabric of the cities and towns that we live in, work in and perhaps most importantly where we raise our families. Many of these initiatives have already been proposed between America's public broadcasting network and local schools, libraries and museums. Lawrence Grossman, former PBS chief and president of Horizons Cable Network has proposed linking public TV stations with libraries, schools and museums in a "cultural equivalent of C-SPAN." 5 One vital difference, suggests Grossman, would be the development of an advertising-supported public broadcasting system as a complement to PBS. "We have a concrete list of convincing proposals-to establish institutional innovations such as new networks and laboratories, to organize around shared values such as kids and community problem solving,” says Lan'y Kirkman, executive director of the Benton Foundation. ‘ F‘t’fii’Tff; in- This author would contend that beyond the realm of public television, there lies another vast, already advertising-supported and relatively untapped communications resource: America's commercial television stations. By virtue of a US. television stations F.C.C. license alone, it has a responsibility to the community it serves to provide public service programming. A substantial part of a television station's intangible asset value is predicated on it's "good will" value in the community it serves. Most of the time, a commercial television station's advertising revenue is tied to the number and demographic percentages of viewers (ratings) who watch its programming. The author believes the growth of the Internet during the past five years offers television stations a new and unusual opportunity to build viewership by firrther establishing a two-way relationship with it's viewers. This relationship offers the hope of doing several things: * It's a marketing tool that will increase the station's visibility and reputation with viewers in Mid-Michigan * It's a new, powerful, efficient and flexible interactive communications tool for viewers and WILX employees * It will help increase station viewership and ratings * It creates goodwill with schools * It's an educational tool for schools, students and teachers f1 - v \s m5 .\. .fl‘ A. .1. * It gives WILX a competitive advantage over the competition * It creates an impression that WILX is technologically with the times * It creates a means for fiirther information networking "' It reinforces loyalty and empowers viewers to access WILX via e-mail and the World Wide Web (www) * As more Mid-Michigan WILX viewers and potential viewers purchase and use computers with dial-up and cable modems, integrated services digital network (ISDN), advanced digital subscriber line (ADSL) and satellite networking capabilities, there will be greater use/demand for the WILX e-mail and web page service "‘ Helps create an alternative public relations link between WILX personalities and viewers This thesis will examine one such promising Internet based program called the News-10 Computer Education Project, that already exists at WILX-TV (NBC) in Lansing, Michigan. Background In the Fall of 1994, the author, a WILX-TV news anchor and reporter, asked for and was given the corporate assignment of putting together a cost effective Internet e-mail system for current and prospective station viewers to use. One of the system's primary objectives was its use as an educational outreach tool to help promote the station within :TJ". 3.....5. l The 3-: the community it serves. As is a standard promotional practice, we wanted to give students, teachers and parents a new external incentive to watch WILX-TV. The author first submitted the proposed concept of the News-10 Computer Education Project, to former WILX-TV General Manager Grant Santimore in the late summer of 1994. The author coordinated the project with Santimore, former WILX-TV Chief Engineer Sonny Reschka, News Director Cherie Grzech, former comptroller Pam Manor, and promotions director Pat Corfman. The News- I 0 Conlputer Education Project The News-1 0 Computer Education Project was originally designed to open a new line of communications with teachers and students in Mid-Michigan classrooms. It wanted to explore the idea of providing lntemet access for the growing number of Mid-Michigan schools that have invested in computer hardware, ISDN lines and modems for students and their teachers to use as educational outreach tools. It also wanted to improve the gathering of knowledge in the classroom. Linking schools to the emerging telecommunications network has become one of the hottest education topics of the 19905. Politicians fiom Bob Dole and Bill Clinton to Newt Gingrich and David Bonior campaign by proclaiming their commitment to it. More businesses are touting their contributions toward achieving it. And schools are spending substantial sums to accomplish it. All are energized by a vision of students across the United States engaged in authentic and challenging tasks, linked to vast stores of V3.85 C." . ‘1 ‘! “I n b ,9. I)” . .1 “ -\ 51 .. Vs re;';. . ‘n‘\\ -. .'. IL “ split-second information and so-called "real world" experts beyond the walls of the traditional school room, learning higher-order intellectual skills, and developing civic virtues on a global scale. WILX-TV believed that linking a broadcast TV infrastructure to the rapidly growing Internet has vast potential. Why? As significant as computer-based communications growth has been during the past 5-years, broadcast media still hold sway as a dominant influence in American life. Who Watches TV? 5 * 98% of US households own TV receivers. * 67% of US households own two or more receivers. * 63% of TV households receive 30 or more channels. * Average daily TV household viewing is 6 hours and 57 minutes. * Television is the main news source for 70% of the US. public. * There are more than 1,550 broadcast TV stations in the US. The broadcast media's dominance will continue for the foreseeable future, particularly as it relates to the emergence of computer technology availability in public and private schools. Here's why: In our pre-implementation surveys of other school districts in Mid-Michigan, ‘ (Jackson, Haslett, Bath, Lansing Catholic Central, St. John's, Okemos) we found financial outlays fa! " 2'"- t . s» ' "' 948?? 257 sign; it u )‘Ih;_ k‘ “3 -. '5‘ 2"~ K, F \r ah‘l‘m " Hi '3' ‘ r and '3' L‘ a. L1.~‘ for computers and communications networks for students, teachers and administrators were generally in their earliest stages. Slowly, upgrades are taking place. Probably too slowly when you take into account the following statistics regarding computers and the growing use of the lntemet: 7 * 40% of US. households had computers in 1995. * 14% of those computers have access to the Internet * lntemet host sites grew from 1.77-million in July 1993 to over IO-million by June 1996 * lntemet Websites grew fiom 130 in June 1993 to over 200,000 by June 1996 * Almost 50% of all US workers use computers on the job (Double the rate of 10 years ago) * Workers who use computers earn 37% more than those who don't. Conversely, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that the average student spends just two hours a week using a computer in school. Only 35% of America's schools and a mere 3% of all instructional classrooms were connected to the lntemet in 1994. On a more promising note, those figures jumped to 50% and 9% respectively by 1995. Another survey conducted for the National Education Association (http://wwwneaorgl)’ and other education groups, found that only 16 percent of America's teachers use the l""""’3. ”.5 .-\ . V61 30 r i‘~.‘.'£: DW'“ 5,... 1.. bk .L F“ , 16;“ lntemet and online services. In contrast, 58 % use cable television in their classroom. As yet, no single entity, government, industry nor the nonprofit sector, has come up with the resources to bring interactive connections like the lntemet to the majority of classrooms. As for the huge costs to underwrite interactive school technology expansion, 3 U. S. Department of Education study prepared by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates the cost of providing schools with up-to-date computers linked to the communications network could easily total $30 billion-plus operating costs that could run another $5 billion a year. ’ The Benton Foundation wrote: "While that may seem small compared to the $242 billion annual budget for K-12 public schools, it would require a substantial increase over the $2.7 billion the schools currently spend each year on technology. "Still," said the Foundation, " the rapid rate at which schools have been buying computers-there are an estimated 5.8 million computers in schools today, more than twice as many as existed just five years ago-and the exponential expansion of online services suggest this may be a propitious time to promote networking in the classroom. " The bottom line is that schools face substantial financial pressures, and winning taxpayer only financial support to connect America's classrooms will not be an easy sell. Implementation considerations WILX spent a month studying hardware, software and personnel costs for establishing the "News-10 Computer Education Project. It also researched trends in the 1.7237161 \82. no 5 regs-res - 0". 0’ .‘ AM: to 02"."- {]\, a. .. Ci'r‘z'w. -...1~.s leCfif lntemet and online services. In contrast, 58 % use cable television in their classroom. As yet, no single entity, government, industry nor the nonprofit sector, has come up with the resources to bring interactive connections like the lntemet to the majority of classrooms. As for the huge costs to underwrite interactive school technology expansion, 3 U. S. Department of Education study prepared by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates the cost of providing schools with up-to-date computers linked to the communications network could easily total $30 billion-plus operating costs that could run another $5 billion a year. ’ The Benton Foundation wrote: "While that may seem small compared to the $242 billion annual budget for K-12 public schools, it would require a substantial increase over the $2.7 billion the schools currently spend each year on technology. "Still," said the Foundation, " the rapid rate at which schools have been buying computers-there are an estimated 5.8 million computers in schools today, more than twice as many as existed just five years ago-and the exponential expansion of online services suggest this may be a propitious time to promote networking in the classroom. " The bottom line is that schools face substantial financial pressures, and winning taxpayer only financial support to connect America's classrooms will not be an easy sell. Implementation considerations WILX spent a month studying hardware, software and personnel costs for establishing the "News-10 Computer Education Project. It also researched trends in the . 4. ~ LINE U. S en'" ?*1 f'” ‘ I if :11 O 1 ll‘ ‘W. 1 a. ~ .4 B -5 I. e O HJ'V “wt. ‘ use of computers in education, ’0 home computing, networking and e-mail growth. These two primary considerations made it clear there was a strong potential for the TV station to gain new viewers, reinforce present ones and create a new asynchronous and synchronous communications alternative by making the proposed online computer system a reality. Other considerations included: * Whether the system would be compatible with WILX's move to fully computerize it's newsroom by the end of 1994. * Whether the station could selectively manage the time and cost of having WILX employees visit classes that used the News-10 Computer Education Project and respond to e-mail in a timely and efficient fashion The station's hope was and remains that it will attract new viewers to WILX and maintain current ones by offering them a new, ongoing interactive means of communication with their local TV station. This also underscores the TV station's public service mission of providing news, sports, weather, public affairs and entertainment programming to all our Mid-Michigan viewers. WILX-TV specifically targeted schools by: "‘ Providing lntemet access to some schools who didn't have lntemet links *Creating an e-mail mailing list of schools already on—line * Developing weekly news quizzes for students to stimulate their interest and knowledge about local, state, national and world events ‘ -re. : ”’8‘... 'Tl-‘v 'fl-M. ‘5 \. ~\‘~; “. N .‘ ‘5‘, . 3 I 1" w- ., “u. C )C Rimbk‘f‘ ~ _‘. 10 * Personal classroom visits by WILX-TV employees * Certificates recognizing perfect student quiz scores By accomplishing all of the above, WILX-TV hoped to create long-term relationships with students, parents and teachers that encouraged and reinforced their viewing of WILX-TV. Mgagemant of the Naws-IO Computer Education Prpjact While it's design has changed over the past two years, the News-10 Computer Education Project's concept has basically remained the same: To promote WILX within the community and build on our viewership among the students, parents and teachers who come into contact with the Project directly or indirectly. WILX has an informal agreement with America Online (AOL) that exchanges on-air promotion of the AOL name for complimentary America Online accounts with unlimited access time. Each subscription allows five different screen names. WILX believes America Online is a solid commercial online service. It is ranked first among major online services when it comes to subscriber growth. Further research 1: reveals that AOL is the only commercial online service in the world that has been able to increase its market share from l4-to-18% of the home PC market in the January-September 1996 time period. Compuserve, Prodigy and MSN were all down or flat in the same time period. Over the past decade, AOL grew from being a tiny start-up with a couple dozen employees to a global leader with more than 5,000 accents a the other: USE Of. 3 .'L 11 employees, 6,000,000 members, and $1 billion in revenue." Thus, we have two AOL accounts and a ten screen names to use.WILX-TV uses two screen names and allocates the other eight AOL screen names to needy Mid-Michigan area schools to use on a rotating basis as part of the News-10 Computer Education Project along with about 60 other area classrooms who have their own Internet links and receive the News-10 QuizzesEach week during the regular school year, News—10 uses a master e-mail list to send out to teachers and students a News-10 Pop Quiz. The Quiz takes about an hour to prepare and e-mail each week and includes ten questions for students about current local, state, national and intemational news stories which they may have seen on News- l O or read about in their local newspaper. The Quizzes (See examples below) have traditionally placed a greater emphasis on national and world events. WILX-TV also maintains a World Wide Web page for students and teachers to use at: http: *«members.aol.com/WilxN/index.html and we have an e-mail address at: Wilxtv/(ig' 01. com. Below: An example of the News-10 E-mail Quiz for 10-7-96: Quiz Time Anyone? Here are some questions from major news stories this week. 1. What big political event happened in Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday of this week? 2. Who went to court in a failed bid to be allowed to appear at that big political event? 3. The Pope is having what kind of operation this week? 4. Which team did the MSU football team lose to last weekend? 5. Who's ahead in the latest presidential poll? (r 11 hirh 7. 1‘ 110's Nosembe 8, I) ho's Noxembe 9. In the 10. In the Here are I. The fir 2. ROSS PI 3. He's hr 4. The I n 5.81” (Ir 6. The \r: '. Demon 8. Repuhl 9. Alaska IO “st3 rrrrr .‘l' i ._ “V‘s..." ‘\ amend, 12 6. Which team did the Detroit Lions beat last weekend? 7. Who's challenging Republican Congressman Dick Chrysler in the November election? 8. Who's challenging Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin in the November election? 9. In the United States, what state is the farthest point West? 10. In the United States, what state is the farthest point East? Here are the answers to this week's News-10 Quiz: . The first Presidential debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. . Ross Perot, the Reform Party candidate for President. . He's having his appendix removed. . The University of Iowa . Bill Clinton, the incumbent President, leads in the latest polls. . The Atlanta Falcons . Democrat Debbie Stabenow . Republican Ronna Romney . Alaska 10 Alaska (Really- look on the map) \OQQCKUI&UNt-t The quizzes are reinforced by classroom visits from the author and other WILX-TV on-air employees, field trips to the News-IO studios to watch a live newscast, the availability of News-10 staff to answer e-mail from students, teachers and classes that participate in the News-10 Computer Education Project and in-class News-10 Quiz competitions between students. Many teachers who give the weekly quizzes make them a regular part of their weekly classroom instruction. Students in grades 38 take the quiz. When they received a perfect score, WILX-TV News employees make visits to their school classrooms and present each student who gets a perfect score with a special certificate of recognition. (see appendix A) Several teachers and students, based on financial need, also use IC 3385) list. fax ‘\~."" F~1 \x......_, (A. 13 complimentary America Online accounts provided by WILX-TV as a powerful data base to access thousands of daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, the Internet, World Wide Web, fax and U.S. mail services, weather information, educational software, 50,000 software files to download, live conferences, message boards and much more. The accounts also allow each school to build and maintain their own World Wide Web page so they can tell the rest of the online world about life in their own school and community. If schools were to bear the costs of these complimentary AOL accounts they could cost upwards of $240 a year depending on usage levels. Teachers and students also use the News- I 0 Computer Education Project and the lntemet to ask e-mail questions of TV- 1 0 news staff, the White House, Governor and others in the U.S. and around the world. The number of schools, classrooms, teachers and students participating in the News-10 Computer Education Project fluctuates from one school year to the next but the trend has been towards more participants as more school districts come on-line during the school year. WILX-TV is running on-air promotions announcing it's Internet e-mail system for viewers with lntemet access. The author oversees the administration of the News-10 Computer Project. His duties include: * Preparing weekly News-10 Quizzes * E-mailing the News-10 Quizzes 14 * Responding to e-mail * Updating the News-10 WWW page * Making classroom visits * Having recognition certificates prepared for students "‘ Airing TV News reports about the program on a quarterly basis * Serving as a liaison between participating schools and WILX-TV * Working with the WILX promotion department to promote the Project * Coordinating communications and visits by other News-10 employees with Project schools Content Sources: Content sources for The News-IO Computer Education Project are as diverse as the information data bases it draws on and the people who participate in the program. With access to the lntemet, America Online, Associated Press, NBC, and CNN, the possibilities for content are quite broad and allow for substantive depth in both categories. 91mg. ” Fixed assets-Hardware! Software: C 386. a. Qi I}. -~ .. t.l\-uu\ fi""°-"' L‘- “‘»L T‘.. 'II 15 486 IBM compatible 66 MHz PC with 28,8000 fax/modem, 16 RAM, 1.3 Gigabyte hard drive, 15", .28 dot pitch super vga, non-interlaced color monitor, mouse pad, keyboard, expandable mid-sized tower case w. six external and five internal drive bays, two serial ports, 3.5" disk drive. Includes: Windows 95, WINFAX, WindowWorks version two software, black and white printer, surge protection strip. Other hardware: Black and white printer,cables- $329.00 4x CD-ROM, 32-bit sound card, sofiware- $300.00 Gigabyte Tape back-up- $259.00 America Online (2) subscriptions: Complimentary Phone line-local access- Printer Paper and ink- Electricity Personnel salary costs- (Talent, Photographer, Engineer) $1400.00-2000.00 $1616.00 Subtotal: $2,504.00 00 $240.00 yr.. $360.00 yr. $156.00 yr. mo. _,. 0 Ali w."- . Carera ‘ ,-~ -' r Shes-.1 16 Avg. cost estimate $1700.00 mo. £0,400.003r. Camera, tape, edit equipment, post-production graphics- $800.00-]200.00 mo. Avg. cost estimate $1000.00 mo. $12,000.00 yr. SM; $32 400.00 r. Annufl Fixfl and Opgpating gpgts/ Total: $33,156.00 A 1:... ...'. d "I (L ’t'. ‘ .9. cl 0- v- k ,‘ s‘~-.I"~'I." .5» ~-. . r, (U 0 I l .3 11' CHAPTER II A LITERATURE REVIEW OF CABLE AND TV EDUCATION EFFORTS A literature review of TV and Cable computer education efforts almost always took us to the Internet where there's a sharp distinction between the offerings by cable and broadcast TV. Cable TV has a fairly well developed series of national and local-based educational programs for schools while broadcast TV has put little if any effort into the development of educational offerings on a national basis and has left what little it is offering primarily to its local affiliates. Appendix B includes a listing of useful selected readings and educational-technology related Web sites compiled by the Benton Foundation. Appendix C is a reference guide of online service offerings for educators compiled by "THE Journal." Cab]; Cable in the Classroom (http://www.ciconline.com/home.htm) Cable in the Classroom's WWW page describes it as "a $420 million public service effort supported by 33 national cable networks and over 8,500 local cable companies." These networks and local cable companies act as a partner in learning with teachers and parents by providing a free cable connection and over 540 hours per month 1 of commercial-free educational programming to schools across the country. 17 .L a. 5 u s f 5A fit”. L's “\ .9 Ms. - V»: “n. \ 18 Cable networks, such as CNN, Discovery, A&E, and Nickelodeon, set aside a portion of their on-air schedule to air commercial-free programming on subjects as varied as science, art history, math, literature, and world events. Some of the programming is created specifically for a network's Cable in the Classroom offering (i.e. CNN's daily half hour CNN Newsroom/WorldView program), while other networks, such as A&E, often reformat documentaries or other programs from their regular schedule into "teacher-fiiendly" modules. All of the programs are copyright cleared so schools can build their own video libraries. Background Launched in 1989, Cable in the Classroom (CIC) programming is provided flee to nearly 75,000 public and private schools by 8,500 local cable companies—this means that four out of five students in the U.S. have access to this programming. 2 It started as a way to provide teacherswith another tool to enhance learning, today this programming is also used extensively by home viewers seeking "family-fiiendly" cable programs. In addition, the free cable connection given to schools often has the capacity to access many of the resources on the information superhighway, including the lntemet. Local cable companies provide a cable connection into every school in their service areas. A monthly magazine which lists the Cable in the Classroom programming by subject area is available to schools. Teachers can tape Cable in the Classroom programming at home or they can ask their school's media coordinator or librarian to tape programs on the school's VCR. By .~O .. .4» '. \iysk ”- op 9 -O 3' \ I...“ In F‘ A D < 5C.;.. V. 1"“ 5‘ 54 .$l’\.\,T(‘-‘ -,~~ l9 videotaping the program, teachers can keep the shows and use them when it is convenient and most appropriately fits into their curriculum. They decide what portions of a program they want to use in the classroom, they do not have to use the entire thing. Generally, teachers use short segments of a program, often pausing the video to ask questions of their students, thus using television in a highly interactive and engaging way. Because Cable in the Classroom programming is commercial-flee and intended to be videotaped rather than used in real time, most programs air off-hours. Increasingly though, parents who are concerned about what their kids watch on TV are using Cable in the Classroom programming to build a video library at home for their children. There is a regular programming schedule and detailed program descriptions are available in Cable in the Classroom magazine and Cable in the Classroom Online (http://www.ciconline.com). Additionally, Cable in the Classroom provides hundreds of teacher training workshops to help teachers learn how to teach with one form of technology. Many networks also participate in this training and provide curriculum guides that complement the programming. Cable in the Classroom has the support of the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. \n. g ..o COT." - :.H ..‘ '0 b4-vlb u. a- L” a . TF-e' . MAJ-— '3 ' .5..- J .I-“r \ "§.. 0. l ‘- m. v." ‘v e..- “‘5“ 20 in 1 vi i n (http://www.continental.com/pr/news.html) Continental Cablevision has is a good example of how one of America's largest cable companies is using Cable in the Classroom as part of it's own national media literacy effort. The Continental Cablevision WWW page proclaims: "Our goal is to improve children's TV viewing habits by providing teachers with resources to help schools start media literacy programs and to help parents take charge of their family's TV viewing." Continental believes that teaching children how to use TV must be a national priority, leading to a society that is literate not only in the printed word, but also in the use of electronic media. This year, and next Continental says it will provide every elementary and secondary school in its cable system with a free cable modem and high speed connection to an lntemet access provider. In many cities and towns, Continental will go beyond the industry commitment and offer training, additional wiring of classrooms, enhanced information services or additional equipment, based on the school's needs. "Today's installation of high-speed cable modems is just the first of many technological advances that Continental has developed to bring school, work and home closer together, " said Ron Cooper, Executive Vice President of Continental Cablevision. "Continental's advanced digital two-way network is the best technology to deliver the exciting and entertaining communications services of the future." 3 In addition to delivering high-speed Internet access, Continental's fiber-optic network has 'H'V‘ It... - (A- o n“ . jh.‘ OF ‘1' .,,. .-'\.. I 592"» (1. s. ~' ..\_ 21 already begun to enhance customers' TV-based video services, such as expanded programming options and superior picture quality. Continental's network will also be able to deliver a wide variety of advanced and interactive video services as well as telephone service. Future applications might include teleconferencing between working parents and their children at day-care, participating in interactive distance learning courses from home, on-demand movies and information, and customizing camera angles during sporting events. In a recent national phone survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Continental, 59 % of 1,000 adults surveyed said that enabling their children to keep up with the latest technology is an important benefit of having cable services such as high-speed Internet access. " "Parents understand the link between quality education and access to information tools such as the Internet," said Linda Conneely, Director of Media and Technology for Needham, Massachusetts Public Schools. "By providing that level of high-speed access in the schools, Continental Cablevision is making a significant contribution to improving their community's educational system. " 5 In a recent Continental survey of 2,135 administrators and educators, 80% of educators with lntemet access report regular usage of the lntemet, although 30% reported access problems with traditional phone lines. In addition, 27% of respondents felt a lack of training was impeding the school's Internet use. 5 Continental's education initiative will include a national program to provide basic training .i at v. r-. .. .C o . v. x 9.. .»5 ‘h '4. It I .n‘ 5‘ ... ._ .. . . a p.- .L a: p33»; ‘- \ I-\‘s ‘ b ? O Y‘ .1» a as h. ... ..m in. a .L... h t A: on.\ p 22 to teachers on ways to incorporate the lntemet into the classroom. Based in Boston, Continental Cablevision, Inc. is the nation's third largest cable operator serving more than 4.3 million subscribers in 20 states, including Michigan and the greater Lansing area. T RED TI NAL ERVI ES IN . (http://www.cnn.com/) Here's another example of a cable programming company that has an active education outreach program much like Cable in the Classroom that is coupled with it's vast news gathering resources. CNN touts itself as the largest news gathering organization in the world. It's harnessed the power of CNN for classroom use with ready-to-use activities that teachers and students can access quickly and easily. A division of Turner Broadcasting, Turner Educational Services, I nc., TESI was created especially to develop educational materials to support a large CNN library collection. Curriculum materials, designed by professional educators, help teachers integrate TESI programming in schools. In the special CNN Newsroom area you can keep informed about the latest news, ask questions of CNN Newsroom guests, exchange ideas and chat about current issues, access CNN Newsroom and Turner Educational Services products, and explore CNN's new multimedia collections. Here's a partial listing of CNN's offerings as described by the CNN WWW page: \EO.‘ T‘LE‘ WED Fill ERIK) Wit .1; 3A 1‘ 4.- n\-.‘_\\ “‘1».(" 375:3 ‘\ 23 "* CNN NEWSROOM is a 15 minute television news program that highlights the top stories of the day, presents student interest segments and features special desks, including: MONDAY: FUTURE DESK TUESDAY: INTERNATIONAL DESK WEDNESDAY: BUSINESS DESK THURSDAY: SCIENCE DESK FRIDAY: EDITOR'S DESK" Each day's program is accompanied by a free Classroom Guide which provides teachers with video summaries, key terms, suggested discussion topics, short and long term activities, additional resources, and blackline masters for easy follow-up to viewing and discussion. Also, CNN Newsroom's latest addition is WorldView. CNN Newsroom's WorldView is a new 15-minute, commercial-free program devoted to international stories. Together, CNN Newsroom and Worldview make a complete 30 minute block of classroom news. They air together at: 4:30-5:00 am eastern time. In addition, Turner Educational Services, Inc. provides the following educational materials. This is how TESI describes them: 7 ”TURNER ADVENTURE LEARNING - Enroll your class now for a series of exciting two-day live interactive field trips. Let Turner Adventure Learning take you to places around the world, including Ellis Island, The United Nations and Costa Rica. Just click on the TAL button to find out more information. ’ TIT a "yn- . . .' .4 meta»: l.."\ .r. T r s I r . :i‘S-Cf‘: 24 * TURNER MULTIMEDIA - a new division of Turner Educational Services Inc. that specializes in repurposing Turner programming for classroom use. Each video also includes in-depth teaching materials produce by professional educators. * TURNER MULTIMEDIA - Video collections from based on CNN programming configured for classroom use. Topics include "Portrait of the Soviet Union" and "Portrait of America" and a wide array of cross-curricular programs supported by classroom guides. * CNN VIDEOLINK: SCIENCE ACCESS - a look at cutting-edge science and technology based upon CNN's SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY WEEK." TheTCIE inPr' TI- mm ' i (http://www.tci.com/) TC I is America's largest cable company and offers the National School Assembly's Back To School web site with additional information and resources for teachers and students about the themes and issues explored in a series of nationally televised addresses. The TCI Education Project provides educational programming and data services through cable television lines to public and private schools in TCI service areas throughout the country. Schools are not charged for the cost of the cable installation in a central location or for the monthly programming. The TCI WWW pages says: "over 500 hours of educational programming is produced each month for school; most are without advertising include lenient copyright restrictions so educators can use the materials at their discretion." The programs offered cover a wide range of topics and have been selected for their academic merit. Programming is available for all grade levels and abilities, ranging from preschool to the post secondary level. Many of the programs have teacher support u“ 5. ”.51 “v.8“. » un ehdkn X'C . a. w. . . r m”. as .21. TU -~\ ~._ 07'. 25 materials available that provide useful lesson plans and activities designed to facilitate critical thinking, class discussion, and suggest ideas for students to use in their learning. In addition, as part of the TC] Education Project, schools are provided the necessary equipment and software to connect their computers to the Ingenius (formally X*PRESS) X*Change cable-delivered news feed. Ingenius X*Change provides the latest national and international news as well as stock reports, weather data, and a world of information pertaining to education and business. Ingenius X*Change also brings support materials and lesson plans for educational programming right to the teacher’s desk. Although education primarily involves teachers, books, and classroom work, there is a complementary and supplementary role that cable delivered resources can play. Accordingly, TCI has made an ongoing commitment to education. At this writing, the TC 1 Education Project, according to it's web page: " reaches over 16,000 schools in this country; impacting the way learning takes place for more than 8,000,000 children." The TCI Education Project is has also opened in the past year the J. C. Sparkman Center for Educational Technology in California. TCI also maintains education links for students and teachers to use with its Ingenius Online homepage, the "Ask A.N.D.I.E. " homepage with a research link to the world's major news sources, and What On Earth (TM), a fully interactive way to explore world events. 26 Br t l ' ' n ii We. Service. Team (http://www.pbs.org/tconnex/abouttc.html#project) PBS Teacher Connex - a service of the Public Broadcasting Service and participating public television stations - offers information about programs from the PBS National Program Service schedule with extended videotaping rights for pre K-12 educators in the United States. These programs, while originally designed for the general audience, have cuniculum applications and are often used by teachers in the classroom. PBS Teacher Connex seeks to reach U.S. teachers with valuable program information, as well as cross- curricular applications, teacher resources, video offers and links to related resources on the lntemet. Teachers may reproduce PBS Teacher Connex information found on its Web site to share with other educators, provided the Teacher Connex credit is maintained. The print version of PBS Teacher Connex is available nationwide with national broadcast schedule times. Many public television stations offer Teacher Connex and Teachers' Digest as companions to local services, providing access to local broadcast dates and times in different ways- through calendars mailed to subscribers locally, online, or through member benefits or school services packages. PBS-http://www.pbs.org/, also offers electronic fieldtrips for participating classrooms across the country in both public and private schools. What is an Electronic Field Trip? ”.1. :1. is.‘ >4 11". ~. 27 Electronic field trips are "exciting learning adventures" that include live television broadcasts that "transport" students to locations of interest, a Web site with activities and resources, and a print Teacher's Guide. This electronic field trip allows students to travel back in time to experience several trials from the 18th century. In addition, students can speak directly to historical interpreters portraying 18th-century characters, vote on issues of historical importance, and discuss important issues with other students on the lntemet. To fully participate in this learning experience, schools must register by calling 1-800-761-8331. The cost is $99.95 per school. Some discounts are available. A recent electronic field trip included the live television program for Order in the Court: Juvenile Justice in the 18th Century. PBS' web page says, "It included a dramatization of three cases for which we have found documentation in the records that survive from colonial Virginia. These records are brief and tell us very little about the actual cases. Therefore, much of what is included in the broadcast is the historical interpretation of what might have happened. (At this Web site, the sections An Accidental Murder and Build Your Own Case are designed to allow students the opportunity to create their own interpretation of what could have taken place in the Brenaugh case, using a transcript of the original documentation that Colonial Williamsburg's historians have uncovered)" NB- -M D. .L .00. I [have '- r\ .. re 28 (http://nbc.com/) NBC, America's largest television network, has no ongoing education program for schools. It's homepage doesn't even list an education area. For a company as marketing and promotions savvy as NBC, this is an opportunity missed. NBC does have home page access for information retrievals on several education related topics, including feedback from students on issues such as the 1996 Presidential Campaign. The MSNBC homepage is the best of NBC's information retrieval resources at: http://www.msnbc.com/news/default.asp ABC -Capital Cities (http://www.abc.com/) ABC also has no visible education outreach program for schools. It does maintain a Channel One homepage for teenage students to speak out about political issues at: http://www.Politicsnow.com/resource/channelone/ ABC also maintains a "Kidzine" site on America Online that features some educational areas for students. Ironically, it doesn't offer access to the site fi'om its lntemet webpage. _BS. (http://www.cbs.com/) CBS has no ongoing educational outreach program for schools. It does have an Internet based program called Kidzone at: http://www.cbs.com/cbskidzone/ that provides a limited . D I 1". ‘\ 29 offering of the CBS children's shows and schedules, e-mail, a "Make a Match" game, KidTriv game, a poll that asks kids questions about current events topics and an after- school chat line on America Online about once every two weeks as part of "Project Geeker." F X RK (http://www.fox.com/) The Fox network offers "FOX KIDS CYBERSTATION" at: http://www.fox.com/. It's an entertainment oriented web page for children to learn mostly about Fox program offerings. Here's how Fox describes it's Fox Kids Cyberstation: "Through your viewscreen you are looking at the fleet of Fox Kids Ships you can visit in this website. There's a Show Ship, a Contest Ship, a Totally Fox Kids Ship, an Activities Ship...well, you can see 'em all for yourselfI And on different ships, you guessed it... you can do different things: like hear Fox Kids characters talk, watch movies, play games, create coloring pages...even request your fave song fiom our Countdown radio show! It's all happening here-well, out there-in those wild ships. So pick a ship and take a trip into the super cool world of Fox Kids! For a real surprise try pressing either of the turbo buttons-lightning or starburst-you never know where those will take you! " ni tN rk (http://www.upn.com/) MS RBI "if? KT} KT.) K'Cl MI W “U \\ R5 \KT' “2' 30 United Paramount Network. UPN has no official Internet page up an running yet. It has no educational outreach program for local schools. Some of its affiliates listed here have some of their own local educational offerings on their own local lntemet homepages: KASN UPN 38, Little Rock KBHK UPN 44, San Francisco KMSP UPN 9, Minneapolis KTFO UPN 41, Tulsa KTXH UPN 20, Houston KUTP UPN 45, Phoenix KYES UPN 5, Anchorage WKPT UPN 30, Tri-Cities WLMT UPN 30, Memphis WRBW UPN 65, Orlando WTTV UPN 4, Indianapolis. Warnar Brpthgrs Natwprk (WB) (http://www.tv.warnerbros.com/) WB, like UPN, is one of America's newest television networks. Unlike UPN, WB does have a very graphical lntemet home page for kids. It's called "Kids' WB." The focus of this page is program promotions oriented, not education oriented. Here's how WB describes it's "Kids' WB" home page: "Hellooo Fanimaniacs! !! Welcome to Warner Bros. Animation! Come with us as we take you behind the scenes of Warner Bros. Animation and the Kids' WB! Shows. There are games, GIFs, videos, sounds and much more awaiting you here. Come in and explore our virtual world of animation! " Superman, " "Road Rovers" and "Waynehead" are now in the Kids' WB! Shows pages! Come see the Man of Steel in cyberspace, to learn more about our new canine super heroes and to see Damon Wayans' latest creation. Kids' WB! has a NEW schedule for our weekend shows. Click on "What's Happening" to get the latest about "Big Kids Go First." Cast your vote for PRESIDENT in our virtual election poll! Bugs Bunny, The Brain \‘sifii' “‘3 - "y .W" . ... 1‘ '- L5. .q ‘ I "‘9 \l j V t . to .... "Kali K n“ (5h. ‘r (if: 31 and Tweety are running against the real candidates. Who will you vote for?" Ralatad writ'pgs While there are many proponents of using technology to improve the teaching of America's students, there are some who have guarded, if not pessimistic views of the claims that technology in the classroom will make America's students better learners. In "Separate Realities: The Creation of the Technological Underclass in America's Public Schools," author Charles Pillar traveled extensively to observe how schools were using computers in 1992 and came to the conclusion that "in most cases, computers simply perpetuate a two-tier system of education for rich and poor." Pillar found that the poorest school districts had the least amount of fiinds available to buy computers, wire school buildings for lntemet access and educate teachers on how to use the technology. Pillar concludes that the poorest schools, where students and teachers would benefit most from having computers and lntemet information access, were the least likely to have such technology. In a book called "Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway" (New York: Doubleday, 1995), author Clifford Stoll offers the musings of a disillusioned cybersurfer while raising some interesting and important questions about whether the lntemet can live up to its reputation in the world of education and in other spheres. Stoll has three primary observations: Computers offer plenty of data but cannot confer wisdom and they actually work against literacy and creativity. People who spend .. c. ”.1. 'Q'A 32 too much time using computers and surfing online networks would be better off having real-life experiences with people and natureThe overuse of computers and online networks is undermining social relationships and a range of institutions, including libraries and schools. Says Stoll on page 46 of his book: "The stiff-walled logic of computers rewards those who can rigorously follow strict-thought rules. These incentives include prestige and employment...our software and networks nourish drones. At the same time, computers punish the imaginative and inventive by constraining them to prescribed channels of thought and action." In "The Bad Option And The Good Option," Stephen C. Ehrrnann comments on the use of technology in teaching and wonders if some school districts and universities will spend millions of dollars creating technology for learning that only broadcasts a wide array of information, but never forces the student to think about and really understand what it is they're supposed to be learning. That would be the "bad option." The good option, says Ehrmann, would be to use technology to "devise assignments that force students to confront their beliefs and test their skills. These new questions and assignments could help both faculty and students understand the deep structure of ideas, not just their surface features. Electronic mail and computer conferencing could give students safer and more thoughtful means of discourse, whether students are on campus or studying at home; students may reveal more than they do when facing the faculty member behind the lectem. Students could get more and better feedback than ever before, fi'om their peers and from (’0 ~11 'I/ 33 distant experts as well as fi'om the instructor. A healthier academic community could develop, even among people who rarely see each other." For every author with reservations about technology in the classroom, there seem to be a dozen more who look at the topic with great optimism. In a June, 1996 review called "Why Technology?" by The Educom Review, ’ it asked a group of information technology leaders in higher education to give their thoughts on such basic questions as: "Why use technology at all? What will justify its cost? What value will it really bring to education? What will its adoption mean for the future of colleges and universities? And what will the future hold?" Laurence R. Alvarez, Associate Provost at the University of the South believes "technology can enhance communication between faculty and students. (Phone calls from students at 3 am. are unacceptable, but electronic mail at that hour is perfectly reasonable.) Technology can provide students with educational experiences, which they could not otherwise experience. (Models of molecules rotating in space on a computer screen convey much more information than pictures in a book or sketches on a chalk board.) Technology can open doors for students that they did not even know existed. Colleges that do not expose their students to the proper use of technology are cheating them, and their students leave college ill equipped for the society of continual learning into which they move. " o 2. .‘I. ..\J .fi.. .6. 34 On the issue of education decision making and technology, Carole A. Barone, Associate Vice Chancellor of Information Technology at the University of California/Davis ’ says higher education traditionally has been deliberate in its decision making, seeking consensus, and conservative in its approach to risk. "We tend to value carefill planning and, perhaps, to be overly critical of unsuccessfirl initiatives. Technology is a threat to these cherished values and habits. Moreover, we continue to have individuals in decision-making positions who are not at ease with the technology. This is not merely a skill-set deficiency; it is a mindset discordance. The questions we should be asking are, How quickly can we make the investment in the technological future of our campuses? How should we go about making sensitive and enlightened decisions regarding the nature of that investment?" Polley Ann McClure, Vice President and Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Virginia ’0 says the cost of investments and support for information technologies are high, probably significantly higher than most university presidents and trustees realize. McClure offers several explanations for this trend. "But, while we must be smart and careful about the choices we make for technologies to support, we really do not have the option of saying "no." Experimenting and developing ways to exploit technology to improve teaching and learning and the administration of our institutions is the price of existence at this particular time in human evolution. There are precious few examples (but there are some!) of significant gains in productivity in higher education due to 35 technological interventions. By and large, the results of investments in technology are improved quality, ease of learning and enhancements to service that would not be possible without technology. But I know of only a few examples, especially on the purely academic side, where the investments have been shown to be paid back and more through measurable improved outcomes. Part of this is due to the difficulty in measuring "learning," but the other part is because we are still in the "R&D phase," where costs are always higher than payback." John E. Stuckey, the director of University Computing at Washington & Lee University 11 talks about the necessity of investing wisely in technology enhancements for schools and universities. Says Stuckey in an article entitled "The Perils of Procrastination," "If my university refrained from making technology investments for the next ten years, it would slip into fiscal and intellectual jeopardy. The quality of the academic offerings would atrophy, administrative efficiency would stagnate, and students, noticing those effects, would choose to study elsewhere. Opting out may have rhetorical value, but it's not an available alternative." Thomas W. West, Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Resources & Technology at California State University ’2 says using technology and planning for it's inclusion is practically a process within itself. "It is not synonymous with any single form of teaching and learning, or with any single institutional type. Technology has a role in the traditional classroom as much as in a virtual university or distance learning environment." West says 36 that an educational institution, to be competitive has to make investments, "significant investments in technology." He goes on to say that colleges and universities have always been capable of meeting new social and technological challenges by developing new and innovative ways of doing business. "I do not think the issue is whether old forms will disappear as much as new ones will achieve prominence and even dominance in the next A small but rapidly growing number of studies are trying to assess the impact of new technologies in fostering learning. Margaret Riel, a researcher at the University of California at San Diego has conducted two interesting studies in this area. In one, Riel found that 4th graders in San Diego who had helped produce an online news service with students in Hawaii, Mexico, and Alaska showed marked improvement in reading and writing skills compared with students who had not participated. She theorized that editing another student's writing teaches a student more than looking for his or her own mistakes, and that students feel fi'eer to edit the work of distant peers than that of their own classmates. In a second study, Riel, found that judges scored articles that students wrote for their peers on the network significantly higher than the work they wrote for teachers. Riel says this suggests that the motivation to perform well is greater when students are engaged in if! 11 I]! f; L]! AI 37 authentictasks rather than in artificial exercises. Riel also points to 1992 research by S. Weir 1: indicating that both teachers and researchers find that students who work together on "real world problems show increased motivation, deeper understanding of the concept and an increased willingness to tackle questions that do not have easy or known answers." This focus on actual situations and experiential learning is reiterated in numerous articles. Three other research studies presented in the National Council for Educational Technology" conclude that computers can reduce the risk of failure at school for students, particularly adult learners and older pupils who feel they have been failed by the traditional educational system, will respond better to correction from the computer. Students enjoy working with computers and will concentrate longer than they would with pen and paper. Motivation and concentration on learning are key factors in acquiring basic skills. Some students who come from cultures which are different from those of their teachers are disadvantaged. Because the learning in school does not relate directly to their culture students find it difficult to make sense of it. The computer can present information in a variety of formats and can draw examples fi'om many sources. This can help these students to make better use of their learning. Once students appear to fail they are often made to work on low-level activities, giving and receiving the required information in order to get the right answers, until their basic skills improve. Computers can offer these students the chance to work on higher-level activities, seeking information and using ~\ 38 it to solve problems. They learn to communicate their ideas, to ask questions and be critical, and are motivated to acquire the basic skills which will support this kind of activity. Researchers, C. L. Dillion, K. M. Kincade, D. W. Hombeck, C Dickinson and J Wright, ’5 talk about the flexibility of computers and other information technologies (IT) for addressing the individual needs and abilities of each student. Their research finds that not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace. Good teachers have always sought ways of presenting teaching material in different ways for different pupils, but this is not always easy to do. "A computer: can be used to overcome physical disabilities and to open up learning opportunities for students: even the student who is unable to attend classes can share in education using distance learning can work at a speed suited to the student's needs, rather than at a common pace. This allows a student to go back over work, ask for clarification and make mistakes without being shown up in front of others. Computers can provide different entry and exit points, allowing the student to start and end work at different places can give immediate positive feedback, so the student knows that he or she is on the right lines; there is no need to wait for the teacher to mark the work before turning to a new task can be infinitely patient, is non-judgmental, infomring the student of success or failure without saying that the student is good or bad." Finally, these researchers say computers "can link to other learning resources such as CD-ROM and interactive video, allowing the student to find out information fi'om a variety of sources . a ' e- -. V? \«l I. ‘ 1.3:» .4. ' "‘ A 5153') l0? .[1tr .V-V' CELL"... 2:” {\r 'H «A . I '1 lb: K \Cr‘d"~.* ! 39 without having to consult the teacher. " A study by the The Software Publishers Association, (http://www.spa.org) cited similarly encouraging evaluations of the National Geographic Society Kids Network, in which 4th and 5th grade students shared data on acid rain that they had collected online with remote classes. The students showed significant gains in the ability to organize, represent and interpret data. They also demonstrated considerable achievement in geographic knowledge, in the ability to use latitude and longitude to identify map locations and in understanding environmental issues. Finally, the Council of the Great City Schools and Scholastic Network released an October 1996 study ”- that was was touted as one of the first controlled attempts to isolate the effect of online education. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt, said the study, proved the value of his agency's efforts to require access to such online services for schools and libraries throughout the nation. An independent research group known as the Center for Applied Special Technology conducted the survey of more than 500 students in fourth and sixth grade in Chicago; Dayton, Ohio; Detroit; Memphis, Tenn; Miami; Oakland, Calif, and Washington. A summary of the report said that students with online access showed "significantly higher scores on measurements of information management, communication and presentation of ideas." The findings ofl‘ered evidence that using online education-oriented sites and the lntemet .r’. (u 73: II' ‘ I1! 40 "can help students become independent, critical thinkers, able to find information, organize and evaluate it, and then effectively express their new knowledge and ideas in compelling ways." The FCC's Hundt, said the study confirmed a long-held belief that, "access to the world of online information and learning really does benefit the students. It enhances learning by encouraging students to explore, to think critically and to take an active role in their own educational adventure." v But he said that providing the online infrastructure to the nation's classrooms is only the first hurdle. "Teacher training and quality curriculum are the pillars that hold up the other side of the house, " Hundt said. "That is where the creativity, energy and contributions of educators, parents and the private sector are needed." ” Ironically, all this research appears to make it clear that more research is needed in the area of classroom computer use and other information technologies. Short and long-term studies on this area will continue to be in demand to supplement the broad base of research in traditional classroom theories. This research is something that classroom teachers could take an active role conducting because of their firsthand experience with teaching methods and knowledge of personalitieslust as importantly, research and readings also indicate that schools, universities and society at large must also hear from and learn more about those technology ideas that didn't produce positive results to eliminate the duplication of wasted time, productivity and cost. If ‘..¢--A l ....b... ~:n~-. ‘ . k - . . . kn .. ‘- ‘4 ‘ ~- .. 9 4 i. '- TA. 9.- ‘ ' ,. . \LT‘ L-4 5L 5 “h — 5'! ‘H'. P . ll I‘LJJ. CHAPTER III TESTING THE N EWS-l0 COMPUTER EDUCATION PROJECT This chapter is a continuation of earlier research conducted by WILX-TV and for class studies at Michigan State University ’ and examines and evaluates the impact of the News-10 Computer Education Project with: a. Attitudinal questionnaires of teachers, students and school administrators b. Evaluation research studies at one elementary school c. Interview with a school administrator who instructs teachers on classroom computer curriculum a. Attitudinal gpeatipnnaires The attitudinal surveys were designed to firrther explore the feelings of teachers, students and school administrators at three Mid-Michigan schools towards the News-10 Computer Education Project and the general use of computers as teaching tools. 2" Open ended, scaled and closed ended questions were asked to each of the respondents during the month of September 1996. Respondents at seven elementary and middle schools in the Haslett, Lansing, Okemos and East Lansing school districts were chosen for the attitudinal survey. The schools; Marble, Pinecrest, Donley Elementary Schools and MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing, Murphy Elementary School in Haslett, Cornell Elementary 41 ha] d 42 school in Okemos and North Elementary School in Lansing, have been using the News-10 Computer Education Project as an educational tool in selected 3-8 grade classrooms. Here's a look at questions asked by the attitudinal surveys: Adtm'nisttatpts This is a questionnaire for a research study at Michigan State University. It will take about 5 minutes of your time to complete. We greatly appreciate your assistance in filling out as completely as possible all the questions listed below. 1. Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? Yes ( If you answered "Yes" to question 1., go to Question 2.) No ( If you answered "No" to Question 1., go to Question 4. ) 2. On a scale of l-to-IO with 1 being "least important" and 10 being "most important," how does the News-10 Computer Education Project rank as a teaching tool at your school? Please circle the appropriate number below: (Least Important) 1--2--3--4--5-6--7--8--9--I0 (Most Important) 3. Have you encouraged other teachers to use the News-10 Computer Education Project as a teaching tool? No Yes 4. The "News-10 Computer Project" is a free service of WILX-TV, Lansing to encourage students to learn more about current events. Each week during the school year, it sends E-mail news quizzes over the lntemet to teachers to use in their classrooms. It also allows students and teachers to ask WILX-TV News employees questions about a various educational topics. Based on this description, describe any curriculum areas, ( Social Studies, Math, Science, etc.) in which the News-10 Computer Education Project might be a useful teaching tool at your school: Tmherg This is a questionnaire for a research study at Michigan State University. It will take about 5-10 minutes of your time to complete. We greatly appreciate your assistance in 43 filling out as completely as possible all the questions listed below. I. Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? Yes ( If you answered "Yes" to question 1., go to Question 2.) No (If you answered "No" to Question 1., go to Question 7. ) 2. On a scale of l-to-10 with 1 being "least important" and 10 being "most important," how does the News-10 Computer Education Project rank as a teaching tool at your school? Please circle the appropriate number below: (Least Important) 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--l0 (Most Important) 3. Have you encouraged other teachers to use the News-10 Computer Education Project as a teaching tool? No Yes 4. What are your expectations of the News-10 Computer Project? 5. How do you currently use the News-10 Computer Project in your classroom? 6. What do you LIKE or DISLIKE about the News-IO Computer Project? ( If you answered "Yes" to Question 1., STOP HERE! Thanks! ) 7. The "News-10 Computer Project" is a free service of WILX-TV, Lansing to encourage students to learn more about current events. Each week during the school year, it sends E-mail news quizzes over the Internet to teachers to use in their classrooms. It also allows students and teachers to ask WILX-TV News employees questions about a various educational topics. 44 Based on this description, why WOULD or WOULDN‘T you use the News-10 Computer Education Project in your classroom? 8. If you did use the News-10 Computer Education project in your class, HOW would you use it? End - Thank-you Students This is a questionnaire for a research study at Michigan State University. It will take about 5-10 minutes of your time to complete. We greatly appreciate your assistance in filling out as completely as possible all the questions listed below. 1. Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? Yes ( If you answered "Yes" to question 1., go to Question 2.) No ( If you answered "No" to Question 1., go to Question 5. ) 2. On a scale of 1-to-10 with 1 being "don't like" and 10 being "like very much," what do you think about the News-10 Computer Education Project at your school? Please circle the appropriate number below: (Don't Like) l--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (Live Very Much) 3. Do you think other students would enjoy using the News-10 Computer Education Project? No Yes 4. How do you use the News-IO Computer Education Project? ( If you answered "Yes" to Question 1., STOP HERE! Thanks! ) 5. The "News-10 Computer Project" is a fi'ee service of WILX-TV, Lansing to encourage students to learn more about current events. Each week during the school year, it sends (h 5’2 45 E-mail news quizzes over the lntemet to teachers and students to use in their classrooms. It also allows students and teachers to ask WILX-TV News employees questions about a various educational topics. Based on this description, do you think you might LIKE or DISLIKE using the News-10 Computer Education Project in your classroom? LIKE DISLIKE 6. What would you LIKE or DISLIKE about using the News-10 Computer Education Project in your class? End - Thank-you b. Evaluation research: studieLzrt one elementgagr school In late September 1996, students in two 5th grade classes at Haslett's Murphy Elementary School were given a group administered questionnaire with a series of open and close ended questions. Students in one class (experimental group) used the News-10 Computer Education Project to take current events quizzes on a weekly basis for a four week period. The other 5th grade class (control group) didn't use the News-10 Education Project. Before administering the group questionnaires, the author wanted to see if there was some pre-test measurement that might indicate how the control and experimental classes students compared in their combined knowledge or aptitude for current events. To do this, the author looked at last school year's 4th grade mean test scores for students in this "'3 46 year's control and experimental 5th grade classrooms. The author looked at two areas: W- This is a test of the individual students ability to read a passage and/or a story and apply the information learned from the reading of the text to a series of questions about the text. The Haslett school district administered this test to students in May, 1996. Using a 4-point scale, the mean score for the experimental class was 2.89. The mean score for the control class was 2.88. Social Stadiaa Ski! §- This area tested the individual students knowledge of social studies, including the ability to use a map to get information on the location of different countries, continents, oceans and rivers around the world. The Haslett school district administered this test to students in May, 1996. Using a 4-point scale, the mean score for the experimental class was 2.678. The mean score for the control class was 2.653. Comparisons of the two test means show no significant difference between the experimental and control classes when a t-test was applied. These mean scores were compiled by Faith Stevens, Instructional Coordinator at Murphy Elementary School, Haslett Public School District. Ms. Stevens says there are also no significant gender performance differences in either the Social Studies Skills or Acquired Content Knowledge test areas at this age level. The primary objective of this evaluative research was to see if there's any difference in performance between the classrooms who use the News-10 Computer Education Project on a regular basis, and those that do not use it at all. A secondary objective of this 47 research was to look further at the attitudes of students who have been exposed to the News-10 Computer Education Project on a regular, and "not at all" basis. The following is the Murphy questionnaire: Murphy Elementargy Students: Dear Student This is a questionnaire for a research study at Michigan State University. It will take about I 0-15 minutes of your time to complete. We greatly appreciate your assistance in filling out as completely as possible all the questions listed below. When you read the term "current events, " it means things that are happening in your town, the state, the country or world that you might read about in the newspaper, hear when you listen to radio news or see when you watch TV news. 1. How many times a week do you discuss current events in your classroom? Please circle one of the following: 3. Once a week b. Twice a week c. Three times a week (1. Each school day c. More than once each school day 2. How many times a week do you discuss current events outside the classroom with your family or fiiends? Please circle one of the following: a. Once a week b. Twice a week c. Three times a week d. Five times a week. e. More than five times a week. 3. Do you use the computer to study current events in your class? Yes No 48 4. Do you use a computer to help you study at home? Yes No 5. Do you like using computers to help study? Yes No 6. When you study current events in your classroom, what area do you find most interesting? Please circle one of the following: a. News with information about the Lansing area. b. News with information about Michigan. c. News with information about the rest of the United States. (1. News with information about outside the United States. 7. The "News-10 Computer Education Project" is a free service of WILX-TV, Lansing to encourage students to learn more about current events. Each week during the school year, it sends E-mail news quizzes over the lntemet to teachers and students to use in their classrooms. It also allows students and teachers to ask WILX-TV News employees questions about a various educational topics. Does your class use the News-10 Computer Education Project? Yes No 8. (If you answered "Yes" to the last question) On a scale of 1-to-10 with 1 being "not important" and 10 being "very important," how would your rate the "News-10 Computer Education Project" as a current events resource for your classroom? Please circle one number below. ' (not important) l--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10 (very important) 9. On a scale of l-to-IO, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you rate your understanding of current events? Please circle one number below. (worst) 1 --2--3 --4--5--6--7--8--9-- 1 0 (best) 10. What is your favorite subject to study in school? Please choose one of the following: a. Math b. Science A '- DRDu Do a .5 ~ 5L 49 c. Social Studies (including current events) (1. English (reading and writing) e. Something else 11. On average, how often do you take tests or quizzes to test your understanding of current events? Please circle one of the following: a. Once a month b. Twice a month c. Three times a month d. Four times a month e. More than four times a month 12. Compared to other subjects taught in your classroom, how would you rate the importance of learning about current events. Please circle one of the following: a. Most Important b. More important c. Important d. Less important e. Least important 13. Who is the Governor of Michigan? Please circle one of the following: a. Connie Binsfeld b. Al Gore c. John Engler d. Bob Dole 14. Who is the President of the United States? Please circle one of the following: 3. Ross Perot b. Bill Clinton c. Bob Dole (1. Al Gore 15. What's the name of Lansing's new minor league baseball team? Please circle one of the following: a. Lansing Lawmakers b. Lansing Lugnuts 50 c. Capital City Cruisers d. The Michigan Whitecaps 16. Which one of these persons is the leader of Iraq? Circle one of the following. a. Anwar Sadat b. Saddam Hussein c. King Fahd (1. Benjamin Netanyahu l7. U.S. troops have been in this European country this year to help restore peace? Circle one of the following. a. Liberia b. Russia c. Northern Ireland d. Bosnia 18. Which of the following is referred to in Michigan as "Dr. Death?" Circle one of the following. a. Jack Kevorkian b. Goeffery Fieger c. Richard Thompson (J. David Jaye 19. What U.S. city played host to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games? Circle one of the following. a. Atlanta b. Los Angeles c. New York (1. Chicago 20. Who's this year's Republican Party candidate for U.S. President? Circle one of the following. a. Ross Perot b. Dan Quayle c. Newt Gingrich (1. Bob Dole 51 21. Who is Ross Perot? Circle one of the following. a. A famous inventor b. The Reform Party's 1996 presidential candidate c. A former U—S military general (I. A famous Hollywood actor 22. The County seat of Ingham County is which city? Circle one of the following. a. Mason b. Lansing c. Holt (1. Okemos Thank-you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Schppl Adminiatrator Interview c. Interview at least one school administrator who instructs teachers on class computer curriculum's to find out what they do with teachers who can't be motivated to use computers as a teaching tool. Bill Lang is the elementary school computer education administrator in the East Lansing Public School District. For the last three years, Lang has been responsible for assisting K-5 teachers in implementing our district's technology, student objectives. This included model lessons within the classroom and teacher in-service outside the classroom. Lang is also a teacher at Donley Elementary school in East Lansing and has taught in public schools for the past 24 years. Our primary objective was to ask Mr. Lang how to motivate teachers who are less than enthusiastic about using computers as a teaching tool. The following is an interview questionnaire with opened ended questions sent to Lang via 52 e-mail. Dear Administrator: The following questionnaire is going to be used in Roger McCoy’s Thesis at Michigan State University. The thesis is about the "News-10 Computer Education Project." We appreciate your taking the time to respond as completely as possible to the following brief questions. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. You may return this questionnaire via e-mail to: Wilxtv2@aol.com Name: Title: Briefly describe your job duties: How do you motivate teachers to learn about using computer technology as a teaching tool in their classrooms? What do you do when a teacher can't be motivated to use computer technology as a teaching tool in their classroom? 53 Describe what role, if any, that available outside computer-based teaching resources play in educating students in your school district. End of questionnaire- Thanks for your cooperation. CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS This chapter will analyze results of the collected data and present profile information on the number of schools, classrooms, teachers and students who participate in the News-10 Computer Education Project. The author rounded fractional percentages to the nearest whole number. (Example: 65.5% becomes 65%, 65.6% becomes 66%) A thumbnail look at this section will reveal that those students teachers and administrators who use the News-10 Computer Education Project in their schools have very positive attitudes towards the Project. They give it a high rating as a usefirl learning and teaching tool. (On a l-to-IO scale students, teachers and administrators gave it an 8 or higher average rating) Likewise, these same respondents said they'd recommend it to a fellow student or teacher by significant (83% student, 82% teacher, 72% administrator) margins. In an experiment featuring experimental and control classrooms, the author discovered a significant difference in the number of times the two groups took current events quizzes or tests each month. The experimental class that took twice as many monthly current events quizzes as part of the News-10 Computer Education Project (Question 11) scored better than the control class on identical current events quizzes (Questions 13-22) and 54 55 significantly better than the control class on current events questions that were national and international (Questions 16,17, 18,21) in content. This was an event made even more interesting since the control class reported that it discussed current events more in the class (Question l)and outside the class (Question 2) than the experimental class. The control class also had wider access to computers at home for learning. Section A is a question-by-question breakdown of the survey responses by the control and experimental classes at Murphy Elementary School in Haslett, Michigan. It includes 3 analysis comparison of performance between the two classes involving independently conducted Chi-square and t-tests for several specific questions. Section B is a breakdown of attitudinal survey responses to the News-10 Computer Education Project by 68 students in the Haslett, Lansing, East Lansing and Okemos Public School Districts. Section C is a breakdown of attitudinal survey responses to the News-10 Computer Education Project by 28 teachers in the Haslett, Lansing, East Lansing and Okemos Public School Districts. Section D is a breakdown of attitudinal survey responses to the News-10 Computer Education Project by seven school administrators in the Haslett, Lansing, East Lansing and Okemos Public School Districts. Section E includes responses from one East Lansing school administrator who instnrcts teachers on classroom computer curriculums. 56 Section F includes profile information on the schools, grades and number of students who participate in the News-10 Computer Education Project i AzEv inR R ones dAnlsis This section includes a question-by—question breakdown of the survey responses by the control and experimental classes at Murphy Elementary School in Haslett, Michigan. It is followed by an analysis comparison of performance between the two classes involving independently conducted Chi-square and t-tests for several specific questions. Where statistically significant differences are detected between the experimental and control groups these differences will be noted with their stated Chi-square or l-test values in the relevant tables. Question I. How many times a week do you discuss current events in your classroom? Table 4.1 How rmny timeia weekflyou discuss current events irL your classroom? Exparimental Class Control Clag Frequency 11 % _N_ % Once a week 15 54 I6 64 Twice a week 8 28 3 12 Three times a week 2 7 0 0 Each school day 2 7 3 12 More than once each school day 0 0 l 4 NR. 1 4 A 8 Intel 28 100 25 100 Avg. Times/Week 1.74 1 .87 Figure 4.1 57 How many times a week do you discuss current events in your classroom? .‘A,i ¥ , a .77 .A E Experimental Group= 1.74 I Control Group= 1.87 How many times a week do you discuss current events outside the classroom with your family or friends? . Ex erim n I la Cpntrpl Cla§§ Frequency N % LL % Don't discuss at all 6 21 0 0 Once a week 25 8 32 Twice a week 5 18 4 16 Three times a week I 4 3 12 Five time a week 3 I l 3 12 More than five times a week 3 I l 4 16 NR 3 l l 3 12 Total 28 100 25 100 Avg. Times/Week 2.12 2.90 Figure 4.2 Times a week you discuss current events outside class w. family or friends? 3' .77 . w, <fl=OCQOHTI E Experimental Group= 2.12 I Control Group= 2.9 58 Question 3 Table 4.3 D h r rr n v n sin our lass? Experimental Class Control Cla_5§ Response N % N % Yes 0 0 0 O No 27 96 25 100 NR. 1 4 0 0 Total 28 100 25 100 4. Do you use a computer to help you study at home? Many children have a computer at home and there are some interesting gender differences in this area that may be resolved as more parents buy home computers across the board. Studies by Kirkman and Martin 1 show that boys are more likely to have a computer than girls and spend more time playing games on computers than girls. Girls are thirteen times less likely than boys to have access to a home computer. Using a computer at home helps children at school. Children who use a computer at home, are more enthusiastic users of information technology (IT) at school, get more time on computers in schools, are more confident at using IT in school, see computers as useful and consider themselves better at using IT at school. These effects are found in both boys and girls but the attitude of girls towards computers is affected more by having a computer at home. If girls use a computer only at school they become more confident about IT but they do not feel that computers are useful or that they are any better at using IT. Using a computer at home has a positive effect on girls' attitudes towards computers in all areas. Studies also show that boys are far 59 more likely than girls to use their computers for games, often exclusively. Girls are more attracted to software which they see as usefill, such as word processors. Giving girls software tools such as word processors and databases for them to use at home can greatly increase their enthusiasm and capability. It can also help redress the imbalance which has developed between how girls and boys use IT in schools. Table 4.4 Do 0 u acom tr hl o t thorn? Ex rim nt 1 l 5 Contra] Class Response N % N % Yes 9 32 13 52 No 19 68 I2 48 NR. 0 0 O 0 Total 28 100 25 100 Figure 4.3 Do you use a computer to help you study at home? El 23:??? Experimental Group= 32.1% I Control Group= 52% OQOHDOORO'U It's worth noting here that with a larger sample the difference between the control and experimental class (52% vs. 32%) would be statistically significant in a Chi-square test at 60 the p<.05 level. Figure 4.4 Do you like using computers to help study? lOO'fi’” 7* 7 ' i! iA—f‘ I Experimental Group=71.4% I Control Group= 88% Olflflflaflft‘o" 5. Do you like using computers to help study? Table 4.5 Do you like using computers to help you study? Experimental Class Control Class Response N % N % Yes 20 71 22 88 No 6 21 1 4 NR. 2 7 2 8 Total 28 100 25 100 6. When you study current events in class, what area do you find most interesting? This survey question showed the experimental group to be much more interested in national-world current events than the control group by a 78.5%-to-44% margin. Conversely, the control group was much more interested in local-state events by a 52-to-21.5% margin. A Chi-squared test 3 was administered here and found a 61 significant difference between the experimental and control groups. (p<.05, X2=6.3. df=2) Below is a table breakout of question # 6 Table 4.6 When you study current events in your classroom, what area do you find most intpresting?* Experimental Class Control Class Response N % N % Local/ State 6 22 13 52 National/World 22 78 I I 44 N. R. 0 0 1 4 Total 28 100 25 100 *(p<.05. x2=o.3. df=2) Figure 4.5 When you study current events what area do you find most interesting? 80"“ ______ _ ALWCL. $3 Experimental Group I Control Group QQDnSOO-IOV Local/State U.S.NVorld N.R. 62 7. Does your class use the News-IO Computer Education Project? Figure 4.6 Does your class use the News-10 Computer Education Project? p e r': B Experimental Group=89.3% : l Control Group= 4% t l l 3 J I Table 4.7 Does your class use the News-IO Computer Education Project? Expgnmantal Cla5§ Control glass Response N % N % Yes 25 89 1 4 No 2 7 24 96 NR. 1 4 0 0 Total 2L 100 25 100 8. How would you rate the News-10 Computer Education Project as a current events resource for your classroom? This question was asked to the experimental class and reflects a relatively high rating of the News-IO Computer Education Program. This rating was also reflected in attitudinal survey results fi'om students, teachers and administrators at other Mid-Michigan schools 63 that use the Project and reflect positive attitudes towards the Project. Table 4.8 H ww I r te theN ws-IO Com ter Edu ' n Pr ' a current events WW Expap'mental Class Rating N % 1 Not Important 0 0 2 O O 3 O 0 4 I 3 5 l 3 6 O O 7 3 ll 8 8 29 9 2 7 10 Very Important 8 29 NR. 5 18 Total 28 100 Avg. Rating: 192/23 = 8.35 Figure 4.7 How would you rate News-10 Computer Education Project? P _. - w e f C O n t I 9 e r t 4 One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Not lmportant----Avg.= 8.35--»---Very Important 9. How would you rate your understanding of current events? Table 4.9 H w I r r n r in f rren v n 5? Experimental Class Control Class Rating N % N % 1 Worst 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 O 3 1 3 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 2 7 5 20 6 3 11 3 12 7 4 l4 0 O 8 2 7 2 8 9 6 22 4 16 10 Best 8 29 5 20 NR 2 7 6 24 Total 28 100 25 100 Avg. Rating: 209 /26= 8.04 130/19: 6.84 Figure 4.8 How would you rate your understanding of current events? E Experimental Group= 8.04 I Control Group= 6.84 oun-aon-o‘u 65 10.What is your favorite subject to study in school? It was interesting to note here that more students in the control group liked to study social studies than students in the experimental group, even though the experimental group performed better on current events. The experimental group had a higher preference for mathematics. Table 4.10 What i§ yppr favprita appjagt tp study in aphpgl? Experimemalflass _C_QntLQLClass Subject N % N % Math 13 46 6 24 Science 7 25 6 24 Social Studies 0 0 3 12 English 5 l9 3 12 Something else 1 3 5 20 NR. 2 7 42 8 final 28 100 25 100 Figure 4.9 What is your favorite subject to study in school? are I--- 4 Expen'mental Group I Control Group 20‘ ODDDSOOHQU 66 11. On average, how often do you take current events tests or quizzes to test your knowledge of current events? Another area of statistical significance was measured with a t-test (i=3 .2, p<.01) involves question eleven. t-tests were applied to determine significance between group means. The question asked students how many times a month they took current events tests or quizzes. The experimental group took current events tests or quizzes more than four times a month (4.11). That is more than twice as high as the control group which took current current events tests or quizzes less than two times a month (1.83). Table4.ll Onver hwnoo"c.o o rrn --vn - orr-r es 0 3 our knowledge of current events?* Experimental Class Contrpl Class Frequency N % N % a. Once a month 3 1 1 13 52 b. Twice a month 0 0 6 24 c. 3 times a month 0 O 1 4 d. 4 times a month 19 68 4 16 e. 4 plus times/mo. 4 14 0 0 NR. 2 7 l 4 Total 28 100 25 100 Avg. Times/mo. 4.1 1 1.83 * (t=3.2, p<.01) 67 Figure 4.10 Each month. how often do you take current events quizzes or tests? 5.———-——-- —— — - E Experimental Group= 4.11 I Control Group= 1.83 <0=O=flflfi1l 12. Compared to other subjects taught in your classroom, how would you rate the importance of learning about current events? Table 4.12 Compared to other subjects taught in your classroom, how would you rate the importance of learning about current events? Experimental Class Control Class Rating N % N % a. Most important 3 ll 5 20 b. More important 5 I8 5 20 c Important I9 68 14 56 d. Less important 1 3 0 0 e. Least important 0 0 l 4 M 2_8 100 25 100 68 Figure 4.1 1 Compared to other subjects, rate importance of learning current events? 30! E Experimental Group I Control Group OQDWSDONO‘ Less Imp. Least Imp. Current Event Quiz Questions 1322 This will examine the percentage of correct answers the experimental and control classes received on each of the 10 current events quiz questions they were given, the overall average class quiz scores and statistically significant differences between the classes performances on individual quiz questions and grouped quiz questions. A look at overall performance on the news quiz indicates the experimental class scored 80.7% correct answers versus 72.4% for the control class That's a 10.285% difference. If applied to a straight 100% grade scale that would be the difference between a "B" grade and a "C' grade as conventionally used in educational systems. The experimental class was also 23.8% righter on correct answers than the control class. The Chi-square tests were applied to the individual Current event questions as a measure of observed versus expected frequencies. 69 (Experimental- n=28: 16 males/ 12 females) (Control-n=25: 11 male/ 14 female) Table 4.13 Experimental Class Control Class Sigpificant? # Topic N % N % 13. Mi. Gov. 22 79 22 88 n.s. 14. US Pres. 27 96 23 92 n.s. 15. Local BB. team 27 96 25 100 n.s. 16. Iraq leader 23 82 13 52 sig.,p<.05(X:=4.5,df=l) I7. U-S Troops 22 79 16 68 n.s. 18. Dr. Death 26 93 II 48 sig.,p<.05(X2=6.2,df'—‘l) 19. Olympic Town 25 89 22 88 n.s. 20. GOP/Pres. 24 86 21 84 n.s. 21. Ross Perot 23 82 16 64 n.s. 22. Ingham seat 7 25 10 40 ns Avg. 807/ 10= 80.7% 724/10 = 72.4% 72.4/ 80.7 =10.285% difference between experiment and control classes The graph below serves as an illustration of the differences between the two classes. Figure 4.12 Classes current events test scores for questions 13-22 fl Experimental Avg. = 80.7% I Control Avg. = 72.4% 0 510152025303540455055606570758085 Percentage Correct Applying the Chi-square test, we found a significant difference (p<.05(X3=4.5,df=l )) between the experimental and control groups for quiz questions sixteen (Which one of these leaders is the President of Iraq?) and eighteen (Which of the following is referred to 70 in Michigan as "Doctor Death?) It's important here to qualify the performance differences between the experimental and control classes by foremost acknowledging the relatively small sample size, its inherent limited statistical power, the individual teachers emphasis on different study areas in their classrooms and the limited exposure period (4-weeks) of the experimental group to the News-10 Computer Education Project. In some instances a larger sample would have given statistical significance to survey questions where no statistical significance is currently found because of a relatively small sample. There are some interesting trends that should be noted. In question nine, the author asked students in the experimental and control classes to rate themselves on a l-to-IO scale on their knowledge of current events. On question nine the attitudinal gap between the two groups (experimental=8.04, control =6.84) was coincidentally 8.5%. That 8.5% gap on question nine was fairly close to the 10.285% performance gap measured in the cumulative average news quiz scores (questions 13-22) between the experimental and control classes. This may suggest that students have a relatively good feel for predicting their performances on current events tests or quizzes based on how confidently they rated their own knowledge of current events. The next graph compares the two measurements on a l-to-IO scale. 71 Figure 4.13 Rate Your Current Events 1.0. vs. Quiz Scores 10% . u- ;-—- ~~7t 1 . l - E l-Q Experimental Avg: 8.04 3 I l-Q Control Avg.= 6.84 E! Quiz Experimental Avg: 5.07 S I Quiz Control Avg.= 7.24 I l e ’f‘ ” f Expl-Q Ctrl.I-Q Exp. Qui cm. Quiz When we examined questions numbers 13, I4, 15, 19, and 22, (see Figure 4.14 ) that involve more "local/experience based," questions students may be more likely to know because they're a regular part of discussions with classmates, teachers and parents, there was little difference between the experimental and control groups in the percentage of students who got correct answers. 78.5% vs. 82% It is also worth noting again that on survey question six, the control group was more interested in local-state current events than the experimental group by a 52%-to-21.5% statistically significant margin. Figure 4.14 Local] Experience Based Questions 100— --—¥- 2.522 Experimental Avg: 78.5865 I Control Avg.= 82% Oalflaflfl‘flv 72 On the other hand, when we looked at questions l6, 17, 18, 21, (see figure 4.15) that involve a broader and more specific knowledge of "National/ World," based current events questions, we observed a much larger and significant performance gap between the experimental and control groups in the number of students who got correct quiz score answers. When the four items are averaged the difference is 83.9% vs. 58%. The mean score summing for the four items is 3.36 for the experimental class and 2.32 for the control class. By running a t-test to determine significance between group means we found a significant difference (t=2.5, p<.05) between the experimental and control groups. Figure 4.15 National-World Questions E Experimental Avg. = 83.9% I Control Avg. = 58% annuannuo'u Troops Iraq Or. Death Perot It is of note that survey question six showed the experimental group to be more interested in national-world current events than the control group by a 78.5%-to-44% margin. This was statistically significant: *(p<.05, X2=6.3, df=2) It is also worth mentioning again that both the control and experimental classes had nearly identical pretest mean scores in 73 two areas, Acquired Content Knowledge (experimental=289, control=2.88) and Social Studies Skills (experimental=2.678, control=2.653), in which they were tested by the Haslett Public School District in May of 1996. Both these areas would appear to relate to the students knowledge of current events and are meant to establish a testing baseline fi'om which comparisons for the ten question news quiz that was administered in this survey. Seetion B: Attitudinal Survey Respensee fiom Students Attitudinal Surveys: Students N=68 1. Have you ever heard of News-10 Computer Education Project? Most of the 68 students surveyed have heard of, or currently use the News-10 Computer Education Project. Table 4.14 five you ever hflfd of News-10 Computer Educzgion Project? Response N % Yes: 58 85 No: 9 13 No Response: 1 2 Total 68 100 Figure 4.16 Have you ever heard of the News-10 Computer Education Project? 74 2. What do you think about the News-10 Computer Education Project? Table 4.15 hink u h N ws-lO m rE u i nPro'ect? Response N % 1. (Don't Like) 0 O 2. O 0 3. 0 0 4. l 1 5. 8 12 6. 3 4 7. 7 10 8. 11 16 9. 12 18 10. Like Very Much 15 22 NA. 11 16 Total 68 100 Avg. Rating: 457/57=8.02 Figure 4.17 What do you think about the News-10 C.E. Project? 1 25 —~ ——7 ——*V~* ———v — 7 ; 2° 0 is s to? ooooo *i— iv A" - c . a 5 v — —— fiv—u— ~— ,7 r I o; -77A7W‘L—,_,wr_, 7m” . , . .. -.-- 7. .." . "1 . - , ° One Two Three Four Five ' Eight Nine Ten 3. Do you think other students would enjoy using the News-10 Computer Education Project? Not only do students who use the Project rate it highly, 83-percent of the surveyed students said they would also recommend it to a fellow student. 75 Table 4.16 Do you think other students would enjoy using the News-10 Computer Education Midi Reeppnee N ‘Vg No 3 4 Yes 57 84 8 12 Total 68 100 Figure 4.18 Do you think other students would enjoy using News-10 C-E-P? 60-- | 1 F r40' , - e q u e n C20.- ,-, , Y Yes: 57 4. For those who use News-10 Computer Education Project: "How do you use the News-10 Computer Education Project? Respondents were 4th and 5th graders at elementary schools in the Haslett, East Lansing and Okemos School districts. Most of them equate watching the news with taking news quizzes as a standard part of the News-10 Computer Education Project. Here are some key responses: "To see what's going on in the world." 76 "I use it for studying current events and just for the fin of it. " "I watch the news every night and I answer the questions on Monday (we review the questions) and on Friday we do the quiz." "I copy down the questions and try my best to watch the news and read the paper and get the answers." "You watch the news, read newspapers and answer the questions on the news quiz." We get the questions from our teacher and study for it (quiz) then later in the week we take a quiz." "They give you the news quiz and you study the news for about three days then you put down the answers that you get from the news." "Our teacher gives us a question sheet every Monday and we study on the computer, ask our parents or watch News-10. Then we test it on Friday." "I watch the news and use the computer to find out interesting facts about our community." "You watch TV and read the newspaper and get all the information you can then answer the questions." 5. (After a description of the News-10 Computer Education Project) Do you think you might like or dislike using the News-10 Computer Education Project in your classroom? This question was asked to the small sample of student respondents who had never heard or used the News-10 Computer Education Project. 77 Table 4.17 Do you think you might like or dislike using the News-10 Computer Education Project in yppr eleeerppm? Response N % Like 6 66 Dislike 1 1 1 NR. 2 22 Total 9 100 6. (For those who have never used News-10 Computer Education Project: "What would you LIKE or DISLIKE about using the News-10 Computer Education project in your class? Most of the respondents seemed open to using the Project even though they'd never tried it before as the responses indicate: "lt's confusing." "lt's encouraging and pe0ple, or should I say "kids" are learning more about the world and news around us, currently speaking." "I would like students to learn more about current events and news quizzes. I think News-10 is a good project to do." "I think I would like it because 1 like to know what's going on in the world. " I like to do and learn about current events. I also like the quizzes." 78 Seetipn Q: Apitudinfl Survey Responses from Teechers Teachers: N=28 Teachers taught 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grades in the Lansing, Okemos, East Lansing and Haslett school districts that use the News-10 Computer Education Project in some classrooms at their schools. 40% of the respondents were teachers who do not currently use the Project in their classes. 1. Have you ever heard of News-10 Computer Education Project? Table4.18 Haveo evrher wa-lOCm erEd inPro' ? Resppnse N % Yes 17 60 Ne 11 40 Total 28 100 Figure 4.19 Teachers- Ever heard of News-10 Computer Education Project? W__. 3155? Yes: 60% No: 40% GOD’SOO‘O'U Yes= 60% No: 40% 2. How does News-10 Computer Education Project rank as a teaching tool at your school? For teachers who responded to this question, the Project ranked very high on the importance list as a teaching tool at their schools. The N.A. levels are very high here 79 because many teachers used a student attitude survey to record their responses and we tossed those responses out. Table 4.19 Hw 10‘ NW ~10 o ,o- rE .2 ironPr'uq r S «_ ‘2 him 001-. I r 11H]? Resmnse N % 1. (Least Important) 0 0 2. O O 3. 0 O 4. 0 O 5. 2 12 6. O 0 7. 3 18 8. l 6 9. 4 24 10. (Most Important) 7 42 NR. or ne. 11 Total 17 100 Avg. rating: l45/l7=8.53 Figure 4.20 How does News-10 C-E-P rate as a teaching tool at your school? (030380“?! 41— One Two <1 =Least Important-------Avg.= 8.53------Most lmportant=1 0> 80 3. Have you encouraged other teachers to use News-10 Computer Education Project? The responses speak for themselves. Again the NA level is high because many teachers filled out responses using student response forms. Table 4.20 Have you encouraged other teachers to use News-10 Computer Education Project? Resppnse N °/g No 2 18 Yes 9 82 NR. 17 Total 1 1 100 Figure 4.2] Have you encouraged other teachers to use the News-1O C-E-P? g game-r3 ~ Water/haw ...... Sig”? ‘ .'. 4 I. l.'.'.;:.;.'.'. ..... ~ 3. Have you encouraged other teachers to use News-10 Computer Education Project? Table 4.23 Hveoun r hrt hr N -10 m rE inPr' ? Response N % No 1 14 Yes 5 72 NR. 1 14 Total 7 100 Figure 4.23 Have you encouraged teachers to use News-10 C-E-P?