Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 28 Number 5

Edited by Diane McGrath

Volume 28 Number 5 Summer 1996

Multimedia Science Projects: Seven Case Studies, Data Teachers–Workshops

Kansas State University

Teachers and Classes

• sophomore biology
• 2 girls, 4 boys--together 'forever'
• community of < 400
• excellent, energetic teacher
• all were familiar with HyperCard
• 8 Mac SE's, scanner, 1 LC

HS-2: Teacher T2

• university community >17,000, large h.s.
• 3 field biology classes - sophomore & jr
• only volunteers - total 24 in 3 different classes, 17 G, 7B
• tireless, award-winning teacher
• teacher, students new to HyperCard
• 8 networked Mac LCs, scanner

T2 was an extremely competent and very good-humored teacher. She and T1, although from different communities, were good friends and colleagues. T2 liked her subject, loved teaching, enjoyed and teased the students, and was very serious about the quality of her and their work. She was tireless always out with her students looking for amphibians, snakes, measuring salt in the water, etc. She was committed to getting her students outside. T2 always had several things going on at once; this project was being done by volunteers ("older, better students") during three different regular classes, but as an independent-study, graded project. Students learned HyperCard through tutorial, handout, trial-and-error. Students worked in groups of 2-3 with separate topics. They did not get involved very much in other groups' work. At the time of the showing of these projects, they were all separate; by the time of the conference the teacher had unified them under one menu.

HS-3: Teacher T3

• 6 boys, 3 girls
• community >300
• sophomore biology
• competent, relaxed teacher
• teacher, students new to HyperCard
• 1 Mac IIsi

MS-1: Teachers T4 and T5

• seventh grade science & computer classes
• school has traveling computer coordinator
• community approximately 700
• 8 Mac LCs, scanner
• 6 girls and 3 boys
• T4 knew and taught HyperCard

T4 taught computer applications and was already comfortable with HyperCard. In the computer room other students wandered in and out. T4 handled this activity well, always aware of what was going on and in control. T5, the science teacher, was soft-spoken, easy-going, quite friendly to students; he too had people coming in and out of the room from other classes. On field trips, T5 got a few students involved in a science activity while he let the rest do what they pleased. These teachers did not appear to collaborate closely.

MS-2: Teacher T6

• 24 "unsuccessful" students (6G, 18B)
• field biology class, very hands-on
• mentored by T2, same community, large m.s.
• used HyperStudio; and second semester only
• students had done multimedia since third grade

T6 had been asked to teach physical/ chemical science to help out with over-enrollment in science, although she was usually a teacher of video technology, multimedia, and telecommunications. She started the project in the fall, but found that her class was not working, and discovered that there were many kids failing science in the school. She volunteered to take all those who were failing, and offer them a special field biology course in the spring, very much hands-on, with lots of field trips, which students loved. Of necessity (about 75% of her students were new) this teacher started over during the second semester and decided to switch to HyperStudio because she was more familiar with it. The students were unruly and did not seem to pay attention at least during staff visits, but students apparently thought highly of T6, and she liked them. Multimedia projects were a not a new idea to this class. Three boys worked on the HyperStudio project, the girls did the research, and the remainder of the boys drew pictures which were never used in the project.

MS-3: T7 and T8

• sixth grade science (5G, 6B) & eighth grade technology prep assistants (4G, 4B)
• T7, T8 collaborated well; both taking MS in Ed Computing
• not graded; volunteers
• 5 Mac LCs, no scanner

ES-1: Teachers T9 & T10

• third (13G, 9B) & fourth (1G, 5B) grades
• mentored by T1 from h.s., same community
• both were new to HyperCard
• 6 LC-lab in fall, 2 in class by May; B&W scanner
• plagued by equipment failures

Teacher and Student Reflections on Learning and Understanding

HS-2, Teacher T2

Student Journals

G15 & B6. We really did not learn much about the subject matter because we had previously learned all of the information on amphibians in Kansas.
B9. I considered it to be a learning experience by learning about the fish of BC that I didn't even know existed in such a creek.
B8. ... It was a good learning experience and taught us alot about HyperCard and the fish of BC. So overall the project was very worthwhile and I would do it again for an assignment.
G3: I did the Future of BC so I have learned ways to preserve BC and why we should. I also learned why it has been depleting.

DM Interview with Students at Conference, 2G

D: So you think you learned as much?
G1: (nods)
D: And you?
G2: Yeah...I think that with our project we could have learned more, because what we did we went for a couple of days with getting all our research done, and we did like a big interview and stuff. But then after that it was more just the colors and the computers and stuff more than just the science.
D: One of the things I'd really like to know is, when you do a project like this you also get into history and communications and all kinds of different things. I wonder if you felt like you learned as much science as the other kids?
G1: I did. [inaudible] I had to go [inaudible] and collect data. Mine wasn't just looking at the research, mine was pretty much I had to go find my own data.

HS-3, Teacher T3

CC Interview with Teacher

CC: Ok. do you think the kids are getting something out of it? I mean in terms of having fun and learning stuff, and all that?
T3: Yeah! I do, mm... they've learned some skills outdoors you know with following tracks and making prints of them [animal tracks]...

[QT movie, 2.5MB]

MS-1, Teachers T4 & T5

Teacher (T5) on Video, Student Field Trip to Cheyenne Bottoms

The teacher explained on the field trip - with some amazement and delight: This week they made some life cycle posters of midges, mosquitoes, mayflies, dragon flies, crawfish. And one of the girls just was showing how she could get down in the mud, and she put some mud on her knee and rubbed around and found three or four bloodworms. Until that time I don't think it had sunk in that they were studying life cycles and that they made a connection between what they did on the poster and what they were going to see out here.{4/21}

Teacher (T4) Journal

May 6 The boys have several recipes which might have been used by pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The plant group got a pretty good lock on what plants are native and what has been introduced in the last hundred years. The water group is still having problems but did get some good information.

Video, Visit 2

Although their stacks were nearing completion, including work on aesthetics, pictures, movies and text, students did not appear to have a clue that what they were working on in computer class had anything to do with what they were doing in science class. The researcher asked one task-oriented girl directly if these HyperCard projects had anything to do with each other and she looked totally befuddled and said she thought not.

Video, Visit 3a and 3b

The only event caught on videotape was a boy showing the stack the three boys did on animals of the past, present, and future. For the most part the boy showed the stack silently and seemed reluctant to answer any questions, but he did say a few knowledgeable things about the effects of fire on animals. The boys had collected animal sounds from a CD-ROM and scanned pictures from a book.

On the field trip the next day, two girls were asked to take a water sample, and the others fooled around while this was going on. One had found a frog, two were harassing a snake. It was near the end of the school year and clearly they were mostly out for fun. The researcher asked the same task-oriented girl from the last visit what she was studying in the water, and she had some very good answers. When asked for the name of a microorganism, she was able to produce the name of the one she was personally responsible for studying. When asked if there were also algae, she was able to explain that one of the items she had mentioned was a type of algae.

MS-3, Teachers T7 & T8

Teacher (T8) Journal

4/10-Even though they have done hands-on activities to gather info - they have a tendency to run to a book to find information. We taped the learning Activities -- We did so much that day it was hard to remember all of it.
When the students watch the video, they are often surprised at the amount of info. they can gain from it. Some have forgotten ( I think ) the relevency between the field trip day and the project they are working on ---.

Teacher (T7) Journal

March 22-We had students use half sheets of paper to plan out their stacks. They are anxious to get started on the computer again. We are encouraging them to get it down on paper first. Some are struggling with too much information and can't get it simplified enough, others are doing more research to find enough information on their topics. Students sometimes seem to forget all of the things we did on our field day, I wonder if we tried to do too much in too little time. If we refer them back to the video of the day's activities they can usually make the connections.

Student Journals, 6th Grade

B2. March-This month my class went on a field trip. We had three activities on conservation. Two conservationists talked to us. We went to the new S__ Lake, and I learned about the water filtration plant.

B4. Mar. -We took a field trip to the New S__ Lake and heard a lot of interesting people talk about soil, terraces, and soil erosions.

Student Journal, 8th Grade

B9. Field trip - very interesting, and learning water plant was the best. learning how the water got clean.

ES-1, Teachers T9 & T10

Teacher (T9) Journal

[note: written from T9's memory on 3/17 - lost journal on hard drive crash]
After lunch [on Nov. 8] we continued to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Here our tour guide also took us on a bus tour but in addition took us to their educational building. There they have activities (touch and feel boxes; samples of animal parts like wings, claws)...
The next day back in class they journalled about what they learned on their trip about wetlands and we discussed it. Then we also began the research of plants and anmals of the wetlands. We used the library here to find books, encyclopedias, and made use of the CD Rom encyclopedia.
After they researched an animal for a week, we took time to share what they had learned orally in class. Then each student wrote about an animal that a fellow-student had shared about. This kept them interested and also helped all of them to profit from what the others had learned.

Additional Questions to T9, After end of Project

Did any of these things happen in your project? Describe.
10-6. students made connections between local & global, or between ideas
yes - impact of wetland destruction worldwide.
11. How well do you think they learned or understood the science associated with your project?
Not as well as I wished. They were researching so many different things & I was learning about wetlands with them.

Student Journals, 3rd Grade

B1. 11/7-Wetlands are places that are wet. Things like cat fish, base, trot, chalnalcat, sun fish, and parch. Plants like mose live ther. They are important because they water living things that live there.

11/14-I learnd that trot is one of the bigest fish that lives in a wetland. Wet lands are inportet. because birds can stop ther and lay eggs. Some birds stay all year long.
...
4/11- What I Have Learnd About The Wetlands
I have learnd, that there are not very many trees in the wetlands. Ther are manyt plants in the wet lands. Ther are lots of cattailes in wetlands.
I learnd that ther are many different kinds of animals in wetlands. I learnd mostly about mamals. Did you now the reason why beaveres have an extra layer of fat is so it ceeps warm? Or that coyots eat beavers?
Did you now that wetlans have lots of greatthings to see. Like the hopping crans or the great blue heron. Did you now that land can be exstingt to.
Will the wetlands are amd of we don't savethem, say good-by to all thes facts and things to see. Doing the wetlands project can help you get into the wetlands and maybe you will save the wetlands.

G1. 4/11- What I Have learned about the wetlands!
There are a lot of birds in the wetlands. The cranes have been dieing. The cranes have long wings. They are white.
There are mammals in the wetland like deer. There are rabbits too. Mammals have 4 legs. Some eat grass, some eat meat.
The wetlands are wet. Animals stay there to be safe. The people there make sure the animals are safe. There is a wetland by Great Bend. There are cat tails too.

B3. 11/7-Watlands are places ware it is wat a lot. A squille lives in the watland. They are important so trees grow and the trees gives us oxenge. [oxygen?]

11/14-A blue harin is big. A swan is white and big. Wetlands are at lest 4 to 5 feet deep. There are boxes in the water so birds land on it.

12/9-I did shorebirds there 49 cines of shorebirds. they are big as a fist. Thay but there beks in the mud.

4/11- What I Learnd
It was hard suding. [studying?] I hade to sude about shorebird. I hade to slude on cattails.There are 49 kind of shorebird in e Unied stats!.!!!!!! Shorebird have lon bekes. Cattails are 1 of the tallest plants in the world They are brown ate end. wopping cranes live in cattails. wetland is the same as

4/19-birds are one of the animals on Earth. cattiels can get to 4 feet tall. Marshes is the same a wetlane. water is not very deep

Workshops and Field Trips

Group I teachers arrived on campus for a Thursday noon through Saturday afternoon workshop in mid-January. During this time they worked in two small groups to produce a small version of a multimedia project they would consider appropriate for their students to do. They had the use of camcorders, videotapes, 5 Macintosh computers, 2 VCRs, a scanner, and the ability to make QuickTime movies on a sixth Macintosh. Group II teachers participated in similar events during two long days the following fall. The description of the workshop for Group I will convey the training and events for both.

Day 1. The instructor started on Thursday with an introduction to the promises and expectations of the grant, the purposes of the project, some demonstrations of HyperCard projects and CD-ROMs, and an explanation of the features of HyperCard 2.2. Teachers learned how to make cards, buttons, and fields, and to use the art and color tools. They were given an assignment to practice these things, read a couple of chapters in HyperCard 2 in a Hurry , and then to make a decision by morning about a topic they would like to do a project on. Two graduate assistants were available late into the evening to help them to practice the beginning skills.

Day 2. The second day the staff reviewed the use of the camcorders and sent the two groups of teachers outside to the Tuttle Creek reservoir area to collect some video for their projects. Library materials from the Center for Science Education were made available in the afternoon to locate still pictures to scan and to provide information for their stacks. The major assistance was provided by two graduate students who stayed with them the entire time, late into the night and early the next morning. The graduate students showed the participants, as they were ready for it, how to add sound, make and edit the QuickTime movies, make still pictures from their movies, and so on.

Day 3. On Saturday morning the teachers and graduate students arrived early in the lab and worked furiously to complete their projects. In the mid-afternoon everyone gathered in the lab to show their final projects. The workshop concluded with a discussion about how to get started with their own students, how to order color HyperCard, and problems surrounding the setup of the VideoSpigot in their own Macintoshes.

First All-day Meeting. Two weeks later all five teachers (Group I only), the instructor/researcher, and the two graduate students met for a day in a more centrally located place to begin to talk about assessment issues -- how to assess a cooperative learning project, what was important (aesthetics? use of HyperCard techniques? science knowledge?). At this time additional information and assistance was provided on making QuickTime movies, and teachers began to discuss their plans for a project.

Second All-day Meeting. Three weeks later the teachers (again, Group I only) met again to exchange ideas about projects and assessment. On that day the group discussed assessment issues further. Each teacher was permitted to decide on an assessment procedure, although all were encouraged to consider using student input in both the decision about what to assess and in the process of assessment. Several other issues arose in the discussion the need for a different writing style as one switches from term paper to multimedia writing, the issue of getting students out of the tell-me-what-I-need-to-know-for-the-test mode, ideas about fitting the project into the curriculum, the notion of this project as a design project for the teachers (just as the science multimedia project is a design project for the students), the problem of teachers feeling competent in science but over their heads in technology. The research questions involved in this project were discussed, along with timelines for the projects, dates for researcher/technical assistant visits. Teachers were asked to have their students keep journals about what they were working on and how it was going, and to keep journals themselves so that we could look back and see what worked and what could be changed the next time. The teachers were told that it was extremely important to get their students outside, making observations. Finally, teachers all presented a description of the project outlines they were planning.

Teacher Field Trip to Cheyenne Bottoms Our final teachers-only meeting (Group I) was a trip to Cheyenne Bottoms with the expert on the nature preserve, Dr. John Zimmerman, who told about the history, politics, and science of this critical wetland area and took the group to the most interesting spots in the preserve. Zimmerman is the author of a book on Cheyenne Bottoms (1990). Teachers were given a copy of this book as a resource for the project. (In our original planning, Cheyenne Bottoms was to serve as a focus for the projects because it was both a regional resource and yet one of international significance in bird migration. However, none of the teachers chose to use this area as their focus of study; each preferred something closer to home).

Teacher and Student Field Trip to Cheyenne Bottoms

In April the students from three of the four schools went on another Cheyenne Bottoms field trip, this time with Jan Garton, an Audubon expert, who helped establish and save this wetland preserve. Garton was invited to help the students learn about the preserve and the creatures in it. The fourth school was unable to attend because the teacher had been quite ill for several weeks. Since she regularly took students to Cheyenne Bottoms, she promised to do it on her own.

Copyright © 1996, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.