8/06/2009

Survey Data Analysis

In order to organize this data, Norton (2009) presents a strategy called Thematic Analysis. This strategy is used to analyze qualitative information through a set of five steps. The surveys of this project present a different type of information because its analysis must be done using a quantitative perspective. In order to interpret this information Norton (2009) presents a strategy called Frequency Counts, which is a simple method of descriptive statistics useful to display results in a summarized form. The Data analysis of the surveys (pre and Post) were done using only the answers that demonstrated a drastic change of opinion. The following were the answers that demonstrated this:

1. I look for materials to learn in better way things that I consider difficult.


5. I learn better when I choose the topics of my tasks.


7. I learn better when my classmates help me.

8. I give suggestions to my classmates about how they can improve a task.

9. I enjoy learning from my classmates.

12. After I finish a task I do not correct it unless my teacher tells me to.

13. After I finish a task I think about how to improve it.

14. I check my tasks before I hand them in.

16. When I start a task I know what my learning goal is.

17. I know what the goals of this school period are for my subjects.

18. I usually achieve my goals.

20. I understand the goals that my teachers set for me.

25. I set specific goals before I look for information.
· Motivation for decision making in tasks.



With this information and the other data analysis I got the following Themes that guided the findings of this research project:

· Cooperation among peers.

· Self-assessment of the learning process.

· Recognizing and achieving learning goals.

· Organizing the learning process.

6/15/2009

Sharing the projects with the class

In order to do share the project we did with the community, we created a space where the students showed the videos, they were very excited to do this. I talked to a teacher from the school, and she agreed to invite her students to see this presentation. The students were very pleased with the results, and the development of the videos was enjoyed by everyone. Here are some pictures of this experience.





6/12/2009

Compilation of work

In order to do the final compilation of the work, the students were asked to put in a CD all of their work for this Project. In the CD they made a folder for each of the tasks and in each tasks they put what they did based on the following checklist:

Animoto:
Top ten interest list. (Word Document)
The Photographs used for Animoto. (Jpg files)
Link where the video is located on the Web, The feed back you received from your classmate, saying how was it helpful to you. (Word Document)

Xtranormal:
The script of animation. (Word Document)
Link where the video is located on the Web, The feed back you received from your classmate, saying how was it helpful to you. (Word Document)

MashFace:
The script of the character answering the question of task 2. (Word Document)
The photograph used to create the video. (Jpg file)
Link where the video is located on the Web, The feed back you received from your classmate, saying how was it helpful to you. (Word Document)

All of the students handed in their CDs on time, the only problem I found, was that many of the students created one word document with all the files. However, in this documents many of them responded positively about the use of feedback given by their classmates.

6/09/2009

Checklist and Sample for for Mashface

As I expected many of the students did not have a webcam in their computers at home, however, they took time from their recess to develop their task. I ask them if they were not happy about being recording this in recess, but they responded that they did not feel like it was homework, and for them they were just playing. The following checklist helped them develop their task and give feedback to their classmates:

Mashface Checklist

Aspect

Check

The video addresses what you wanted to know about your interest.

The picture you used is logical with your topic.

The voice recorded is understandable. (For this you need to check pronunciation and grammar)

The mouth recorded does not move too much.

The video uses different tools given by Mashface.

I sent the video to my teacher and to my peer corrector on time.



The following video is a sample of their work with Mashface



6/05/2009

Assigning Task 3 and Sample from Xtranormal

The work of the students with Xtranormal was great! They did not need extra-tools to create it, all they needed was their computers with Internet connection and their prewritten scripts. Even though there are still some punctuation mistakes they seem to know that they have them, but I must remind myself that this project is not for improving language skills, but for motivating an autonomous learning behavior. However, this does not mean that I am to forget my role as a language teacher. The following is an example of the students' work:





After talking with the students about their experiences developing task two, I gave them task 3, the last task of this project. This project was carried out using Mashface, for this task they'll need a webcam and a microfone, depending on the students availability to this I will lend them my computer ONLY during recess. I'll do this in order to test their autonomy and responsibility.

The following video is an example of what they are required to do.


For this task they are required to answer the question that they propose for their last task. What would they like to know about their interest? Then, they are to look for a representative character of their interest, E.g. if they chose music, they choose an important singer, or band. Then they will have to find a picture of this representative person of their interest, and add their voice answering the question they had.

5/28/2009

Check list for Xtranormal

For this tasks the students, trusted much more the guidance of their classmates, they looked for my help only when they could not find the solution to their problem. They demonstrated organization of their work by assigning a time to develop their videos. The following is the checklist they used to self correct and peer correct their task:

Xtranormal Checklist

Aspect

Check

The video addresses the four questions given for the task.

The video uses more than 4 cameras shots.

The video has logical pauses.

The video is understandable. (For this you need to check punctuation, spelling, and grammar)

The video uses different tools given by Xtranormal.

I sent the video to my teacher and to my peer corrector on time.

5/26/2009

Assigning the Xtranormal Task and example of Animoto Task

The following is an example of the first task, Where the students used Animoto. The example shown demonstrates that the students are able to work independently in order to achieve their tasks.


The students were very motivated to create this task, they showed a great ability using the tools provided by Animoto. After doing this I presented the next task. We worked creating a script for Xtranormal. The script contained 4 questions: What is your number one interest? Why is this interest important to you? What would you like to learn/find out about your interest? and Invite your classmates to get involve with your interest. The task is explained in the following Xtranormal video I created: