Examining the Effectiveness of
Curriculum-based Web Pages at Ukiah High School
Katrina Deliramich
(kdeliramich@yahoo.com)
Stephanie Farrar
(jcspixiepen@gmail.com)
Lisa Webster
(lmwebster88@yahoo.com)
LIBR 285-05/13
April 21, 2011
Abstract
Digital technologies are
increasingly saturating modern society, and as a result the teaching and using
of digital resources in high school settings are becoming more and more
important to a student’s education and success.
This study proposes that while a myriad of digital resources are
available to high school administrators, librarians, and teachers,
curriculum-based web pages are among the most effective way of incorporating
digital education into the classroom. Curriculum-based
web pages allow students to learn how to use digital tools while completing
traditional educational tasks such as homework, studying for tests, doing
research, and participating in in-class activities. By conducting a research study at Ukiah High
School, in Ukiah, California, this study hopes to show the educational benefits
that come from curriculum-based web pages when used within a high school
setting. Librarians and teachers at
Ukiah High School will build and promote curriculum-based web pages in the high
school library and classroom. Students
will be asked to use these pages when completing homework and in-class
assignments as well as when studying and doing researching exercises. Surveys of participants combined with raw
data such as grades, web page usage, and library statistics will help examine
the effectiveness of curriculum-based web pages in a high school setting.
Introduction
Background
The
twenty-first century is becoming an increasingly digital world.
Computers, the Internet, and mobile digital devices are gaining influence
in everyday society and culture. Because of this, educational
institutions of all levels are exploring ways to provide online resources to
students and acclimate them to the digital environment. With a variety of
digital sources available and digital strategies that can be followed, schools
must carefully select and evaluate digital resources to ensure that students
are getting the benefits they are meant to receive. Ukiah High School has
created a program where high school librarians work together with teachers to
provide online curriculum-based resources for students to help them study for
tests and complete assignments.
Ukiah
High School is located in Ukiah, California, within Mendocino County. Ukiah is
a rural town with a small population of approximately 16,000 people. Ukiah is a
diverse community with a racial makeup of 75% Caucasian, 19% Hispanic and 3%
Native American. Ukiah High School caters to students from Ukiah as well as
from the neighboring towns of Hopland and Redwood Valley. One thousand seven
hundred students attend the high school with a faculty of 74 teachers. Class
sizes on average are made up of 30 students. The entire school has
recently undergone new renovations, including a brand new library. Ukiah High
School Library contains a small café, a computer lab, a conference room and
many study areas. Thirty computers are accessible by students and teachers.
The library is open to all students a half-hour before school begins,
during lunch and up to two hours after school ends. During class time a note
from the teacher is required to access the library. Approximately 200 students
access the library on a daily basis.
Literature Review
As
digital technologies continue to permeate society in the twenty-first century,
the library and information science and education professions have taken an
active interest in learning how to promote digital literacy and prepare
students to enter and succeed in the digital world. High school is a
particularly critical educational juncture in an adolescent’s life as the
things taught and learned in high school often determine their success in
college or in the workforce. A survey of recent peer-reviewed literature
in the library and information science and education fields indicates that
understanding adolescent search behavior and the importance of teaching
technology in the classroom, as well as finding ways to incorporate that
technology into curriculum-based learning, are important factors in the
effectiveness of high school digital services.
Adolescent
search behavior.
In the twenty-first century, adolescents are
generally tech savvy and are accustomed to finding information in the online
environment. Most young people have access to computers on a daily basis (Florentino,
Sánchez, & Joyanes, 2010), and high school students are typically
comfortable using search engines to find information (Pors, 2008; Shenton,
2007). The first place students often look for information is online (Shenton,
2007), and in comparison to other search engines,
Google is one of the sites most heavily used by students (Pors, 2008;
Shenton, 2007). According to Pors (2008),
most students use the Google search engine on a weekly basis. Students are
usually attracted to searching online because the interactive environment
allows them to grasp concepts faster by absorbing smaller chunks of information
through text, audio, music, graphics, and moving images (Farquharson,
2009; Shenton, 2007).
While adolescents are usually comfortable in
an online searching environment,
at times they still need guidance in finding and evaluating relevant
information. Shenton (2007) and Todd (2003) highlight the difficulties students
encounter when searching for information, and these include too many or too few
search results, difficulty in managing large volumes of information, and the
occasional inability to accurately pinpoint the materials needed.
Evaluating Internet sources is also an area where many adolescents
struggle, and Pors (2008) indicates that students have trouble identifying the
quality of information they find on the Internet. Shenton (2007) supports this
argument and notes that young people do not know how to effectively select the
best material from a set of search results. Todd (2003) builds on this point by
indicating that students often settle for information that is only partially
relevant. They are satisfied with low quality sources in order to avoid the
frustration that occurs with the lack of understanding for evaluation guidelines.
Incorporating instruction about navigating the online environment in education
will benefit students in multiple ways.
Importance of
teaching technology skills in the classroom.
Teaching
students to access and use online resources is increasingly important for
students to succeed in high school, college, and the future workplace. Research
shows an increase in student performance in multiple schools where technology
is being taught (Cunningham & Gonzalez, 2009; Williams, 2004). Williams
(2004) discovered a direct link between student access to technology and a
teacher’s ability to learn online resources. In schools that have library media
centers with online resources and Internet access, students and teachers are
more likely to access information for research (Cunningham & Gonzalez,
2009; Farquharson, 2009; Small & Snyder, 2010; Williams, 2004). Cunningham
& Gonzalez (2009) found that student collaboration was the key to creating
success with technology between teachers and students in an academic setting. In
contrast, Williams (2004) believes teachers’ attitudes towards technology are
what influence students the most.
Pors (2008) discusses the impact technology
has on students. According to Pors (2008), students need to learn how to
evaluate the sources they find online for accuracy. Teachers can show students
how to use technology, but they also need to teach students how to use that
technology to their best advantage academically (Pors, 2008; Shenton, 2007).
Frustration over results is evident in many studies conducted with
students (Shenton, 2007; Williams, 2004). Teachers are given access to
subscription databases and library resources, yet they do not always pass on
the information to the students (Pors, 2008; Williams, 2004). Teachers and librarians
need to find a better way to teach students how to access the information and
how to use it in academic and everyday life (Todd, 2003; Shenton, 2007;
Williams, 2004). Libraries remain an important part of teacher and student
research in an academic setting (Small & Snyder, 2010).
Incorporating
technology into the school classroom.
Putting
computers in classrooms does not create digital information literacy.
Tying technology to curriculum-based learning enhances study while
allowing students to develop technology skills (Florentino et al., 2010; Small
& Snyder, 2010; Tsuei, 2007). Curriculum-based studies in Taiwan and
Portugal indicate that when students observe teachers using websites as they
present class lectures or during in-class assignments, students will be more
familiar with digital resources and feel more comfortable accessing them
outside of class (Florentino et al., 2010; Tsuei, 2007). Further,
computers and digital technologies can replace the traditional blackboard for in-class
learning. Calling a student up to the blackboard to do a math or grammar
problem was never about teaching the student to use the blackboard, but the
skills he used in writing on the blackboard were indeed the same skills he used
when printing assignments with pen and paper. The same is true with a
computer. Students using in-class technologies will still be focused on
the curriculum, but the technology tools they use in-class will help them use
technology tools outside of it as well (Florentino et al., 2010; Tsuei, 2007).
Using curriculum-based technology in
classrooms can also build stronger educator and
student relationships and increase intrinsic motivation in student
behavior (Crow, 2009; Florentino et al., 2010; Small & Snyder, 2010).
Interactive learning exercises allow students and educators to connect in
new ways. Instant messaging and instant review technologies give teachers
new opportunities to offer praise and corrections directly to the student, and
it gives students the opportunity to ask questions or get help privately
without attracting class attention (Florentino et al., 2010; Tsuei, 2007).
Both Crow (2009) and Small & Snyder (2010) suggest that
curriculum-based technologies can increase intrinsic motivation (autonomous
learning that independently explores the inter-relatedness of various subjects)
because hyper-linking readings and exercises allows students to view, use, and
analyze various web documents in completing one task or assignment.
Conclusion.
With a variety of digital sources available
and digital strategies that can be followed, schools must carefully select and
evaluate digital resources to ensure that students are getting the benefits
they are meant to receive. Digital literacy is more than making computers
available or teaching basic technology skills. Technology must begin to
permeate everyday high school education just as it is permeating the society
and workforce outside school walls. By understanding adolescent search
behavior and the importance of teaching technology in the classroom, as well as
finding ways to incorporate that technology into curriculum-based learning,
today’s librarians and educators are better prepared to serve the students of
tomorrow and help them enter and succeed in the digital world they live in.
Purpose and Rationale of the
Study
The
purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of Ukiah High School’s
curriculum-based web pages in helping their high school students get better
grades. Curriculum-based web pages are web pages designed by school
librarians in conjunction with high school teachers that provide resources,
study materials, and homework aids directly related to topics being taught in
high school classrooms. They are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days
a week, and are accessible at school, in classrooms and the school libraries,
at home, and at any public computers, such as those at a public library or
Internet cafe. As high school students become more tech savvy and high
schools are searching for new ways to incorporate digital resources, it is
important to gauge which digital resources help students learn best and result
in better grades.
By
examining the effectiveness of these web pages it is anticipated that Ukiah
High School teachers and librarians will understand how often students are
using their web pages, how they are using them, and if the web page resources
provided to students are actually helping them complete assignments and get
better grades. It is also anticipated that students will gain a better
understanding of these web page resources as they are promoted through the high
school library and in high school classrooms, and that they will understand how
to use these resources to study and raise their grades. By extension,
this study will inform the larger community of school librarians and educators
of the effectiveness of curriculum-based web pages in contributing to student
success.
Method
Participants
Participants
will include Ukiah High School librarians, the teachers and students of three
ninth grade English classes (approximately 90 students), and the teachers and
students of three twelfth grade English classes (approximately 90
students).
Data Collection Instruments
A
web-based survey will be used to ask students about their use of
curriculum-based web pages, how accessible the online resources are, if the
teachers or librarians provide sufficient and relevant information on the web
resources, and if the web pages are helpful in doing homework and studying for
tests.
A
web-based survey will also be used to question teachers about their opinion of
the curriculum-based web resources, whether they use the resource pages in
class, how often they update the web pages, how they choose what material to
incorporate in the online tools, how they inform their classes about the web
pages and encourage students to use the resources, and whether students mention
things they learned from the resources during in-class discussions.
Finally,
a web-based survey will be used to ask high school librarians about the types
of questions students ask, if the answer is already on the online resource
pages, if the student has ever looked at it, or if the librarian refers the
student to a part of the online resource he or she has never noticed before.
Examinations
will be done on the grades for various homework, assignments, and tests.
Examinations
will also be used to discover the number of reference interactions recorded
where the student is referred to the online curriculum-based resource.
Procedure
The first step in conducting an examination
of the effectiveness of high school library resource web pages at Ukiah High
School is receiving permission from the school principal to perform an active
research study on the campus. Agreement of participation will then need to be
received from the high school librarians. Next, three ninth grade English
teachers and three twelfth grade English teachers who use curriculum-based web
pages will be selected and asked if they will be willing to allow their classes
to take part in the study. Once the teachers comply, students under the age of
eighteen will be required to obtain written permission from a parent or
guardian allowing them to access online resources over the course of a
semester. However, in order to receive accurate results, neither the
students nor the parents will be aware that a study is being conducted in the
classes. After permission is granted by all parties, the teachers will be
responsible for setting up the web pages, introducing them to the class and
explaining how to use them, and ensuring that each student creates a username
and password to log in and access the web page.
Once the preliminary steps are arranged,
the guidelines for the study will be set up. The examination will take
place over the course of one semester, and data will be recorded and compared
after the first quarter, or grading period, and then again at the end of the
second quarter. Data will include how many times each student logs on to the
curriculum-based web page, the amount of time spent on the page, and the
student’s grade in the class at a given time. Surveys will also be administered
to all participants at the time of data collection at the end of each quarter,
however, the students will not be aware of the actual reason they are taking
the survey. A comparison will then take place to identify if there is any
correlation between students who use the websites and the kinds of grades they
receive in English, and students who rarely or never use the websites and their
grades.
References
Crow, S. (2009). Relationships
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91-112.
Coughlin, E. (2010). High schools at a crossroads. Educational Leadership, 67(7), 48-53.
Cunningham, J. & Gonzalez, L.
(2009). Collaboration: The library media center and educational technology. Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 33-35.
Farquharson, M. (2009). The power
of high quality school library programs. Teacher
Librarian, 36(5), 85-86.
Florentino, T., Sánchez, L.,
& Joyanes, L. (2010). New technologies in Portugal: Regular middle and high
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