Teacher In-Service Multimedia Training: A View of Outcomes from a Situated Learning Perspective

This paper is based on observations of ten middle and high school science teachers in a multimedia workshop during the fall semester of 1997 in a large Northeastern public university. The workshop objective was implementation of multimedia technology in teachers' classrooms. The following methods were employed in this project: multimedia portfolio assessment, field notes, interviews, and questionnaires. Results were viewed from the situated learning perspective. Analysis revealed the following: teachers experienced positive conceptual change in their perception of PowerPoint, from it being a tool for teachers to it being a tool for students; goals of participants changed from more general to more specific; participants' confidence in video and computer skills improved; a collaborative environment developed among participants; participants showed emotional attachment to their workstations; teachers' reported understanding of the educational value of QuickTime movies improved; teachers' understanding of the educational value of PowerPoint presentations did not change; and teachers developed dependency on workshop staff. Nine tables illustrate the confidence decision tree from the information processing point of view, and results of selected questionnaire and interview responses. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/DLS) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Multimedia Training 1 Running Head: TEACHER IN-SERVICE MULTIMEDIA TRAINING Teacher In-Service Multimedia Training: A View of Outcomes from a Situated Learning Perspective Elena Znamenskaia, Yi Guan, and Michael F. Young University of Connecticut "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ' E. Znamenskaia TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). " U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) CI This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. CI Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. A version of the research described here was presented at the annual AECT National Convention, Houston, TX, February 1999. Direct correspondence to the first author, Elena Znamenskaia, Department of Educational Psychology, UConn, Box U-4, 249 Glenbrook Rd, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269-2004, elz94001@ucorinvm.uconn. edu. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Multimedia Training 2 Abstract This paper is based on observations of ten science teachers in a multimedia workshop during the fall semester of 1997 in a luge Northeast public university. The workshop objective was implementation of multimedia technology in teachers' classrooms. The following methods were employed in this project: multimedia portfolio assessment, field notes, interviews, and questionnaires. Results were viewed from the situated learning perspective. Analysis revealed the following: teachers experienced positive conceptual change in their perceptions of PowerPoint, from it being a tool for teachers to it being a tool for students; goals of participants changed from more general to more specific; participants' confidence in video and computer skills improved; a collaborative environment developed among participants; participants showed social attachment to their workstations; teachers' reported understanding of the educational value of QuickTime movies improved; teachers' understanding of the educational value of PowerPoint presentations did not change; teachers developed dependency on workshop staff.This paper is based on observations of ten science teachers in a multimedia workshop during the fall semester of 1997 in a luge Northeast public university. The workshop objective was implementation of multimedia technology in teachers' classrooms. The following methods were employed in this project: multimedia portfolio assessment, field notes, interviews, and questionnaires. Results were viewed from the situated learning perspective. Analysis revealed the following: teachers experienced positive conceptual change in their perceptions of PowerPoint, from it being a tool for teachers to it being a tool for students; goals of participants changed from more general to more specific; participants' confidence in video and computer skills improved; a collaborative environment developed among participants; participants showed social attachment to their workstations; teachers' reported understanding of the educational value of QuickTime movies improved; teachers' understanding of the educational value of PowerPoint presentations did not change; teachers developed dependency on workshop staff.