COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

CollaborativeToolsinK12Education
MatthewGreene,MeghanLittle,MatthewMisuraca,andKimberlyPatterson
NorthCarolinaStateUniversity

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

Introduction
FouremergentinstructionaldesignersfromNCSUpartneredwithLigonG.T.Magnet
MiddleSchoolinRaleightocreatelearningmodulesaboutusingcollaborativetoolsinK12
educationinordertoimprovestudentengagementandachievement.EAC581studentsworked
closelywiththeclienttoidentifycollaborativeonlineapplicationsandproducedawebsitewith
fourmodulesutilizingwebresourcestosupportstudentandfacultycollaboration.The
partnershipwasmodeledonleadingpracticesininstructionaldesign,andwhatbeganwitha
fundamentalneedsanalysisultimatelyresultedinanonlineresourcetobeusedattheschool
levelandbeyond.
Thepartnershipbeganwithanintroductorymeetingthatincludedteammember
introductions,adiscussionoftheinstructionaldesignerscompetenciesandareasofinterest,and
todiscusspotentialprojectsthatwouldadvanceteacherknowledgeanduseofnovel
technologies.Afteridentifyingtheareaofonlinetoolstofacilitatestudentandeducator
collaboration,theclientidentifiedthescopeoftheproject,expecteddeliverables,andnextsteps.
TheteamofinstructionaldesignersfromNCSUworkedcloselywiththeclienttoidentify
severalonlineapplicationsthatfacilitatecollaboration.Acontentreviewandanalysisofthe
clientsexistingprofessionaldevelopmentresourceshelpedtheinstructionaldesignersidentify
whattypeofresourcesandsupplementalmaterialsaremosteffective.Aftercraftingpreliminary
documents,theclientreviewedtheinformationandsupplementalmaterialsandprovided
constructivefeedback.Fortunatelytheclientunderstoodtheiterativenatureofinstructional
design,especiallyinthescopeofthisproject,andconstantopencommunicationbetweenparties
ensuredprojectdeliverablesmetclientneeds.
Craftingthefinalproduct,aresponsive,mediarichwebsiteandintegratedwiki,will
servethestaffandstudentsofLigonG.T.MagnetMiddleSchool,andhasthepotentialtoeasily
scaleinordertobeusedatthedistrictlevelandbeyond.Thesubsequentreportchroniclesevery
componentofthecreationoftheresource.

ProjectDescription

Thoughtheclient,LigonMiddleSchool,hasbothtraditionalcomputersandmobile
devicesavailableforfacultyandstudentuse,facultyoftenfacechallengesineffectively
identifyingandintegratingcollaborativetechnologytoolsintheirdailylessons.Recent
professionaldevelopmentfocusedalmostentirelyonimplementingtheCommonCoreand
EssentialStandards.Theschoolidentifiedtechnologyasanimportantcomponentoffuture
professionaldevelopment,andrecognizedthevalueofusingcomputerbasedtraininginorderto
meettheneedsofadiversegroupofstudentsandeducators.
Ouranalysisincludedaninterviewwiththeclienttobetterunderstandthespecificneeds
oftheteacherswithintheschool.Theinterviewrevealedthatthereisadisparitybetweenskills
studentsneedinordertobesuccessfulandactualinstructiondeliveredintheclassroom.
Academiaandindustrydesperatelyneedstudentsthatcollaborateandeffectivelysolveproblems,
yettherearefewresourcesavailabletoteachersonusingmoderntechnologiestoteachand
modelcollaboration.Thisledtheclienttoseekprofessionaldevelopmentfocusedontheuseof

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

collaborativetechnologyintheclassroom.Whiletheschoolhasnofacultywiththeassigned
roleofInstructionalTechnologist,thecreationofonlineprofessionaldevelopmentwillallowall
teachersineveryacademicdisciplinetoapplytheirnewfoundknowledgeinauthenticlearning
environments.
Scope
TheteamofNCSUinstructionaldesignersbegantheprojectbyinterviewingtheclientto
determinetheclientsneeds.Ouranalysisfocusedontheprofessionaldevelopmentneedsofthe
teachersattheclientsschool.Itfocusedmainlyontechnologyandtheteachersabilityto
utilizetechnology.Theclientinterviewedworkscloselywiththeteacherandisacutelyawareof
theirclassroompracticeandprofessionaldevelopmentneeds.Subsequently,theteamcreated
digitallearningmodulesaboutonlinecollaborativetools,andworkedcloselywiththeclientto
ensuresuggestedactivitiesandexampleswereappropriateandauthenticinthecontextofthe
middleschoollearningenvironment.Themediarichmodules,includinggraphicsanddetailed
videotutorials,facilitatelearningandapplication,andtheintegratedwikifacilitatesongoing
collaborationbeyondthefinitescopeoftheproject.
Recognizingthelimitedtechnologicalcompetenciesofmanyeducators,andthelackof
ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentattheclientsinstitution,theEAC581teamidentifiedfour
universaltoolsthatcouldbeimplementedinamyriadofacademicandelectiveclasses.Though
therewasatighttimelineforplanning,creating,andimplementingthecomprehensiveproject,
theinstructionaldesignteamwasdeterminedtocreateadynamicresourcethatcouldbeupdated
andsustainedforyearstocome.Beyondthefourcollaborativeresources,EAC581members
onlycreatedabasicstructurefortheintegratedwikiwiththeunderstandingthatthewikiisa
resourcethatwillbeupdatedbyLigonstudentsandstaff.
Theanalysisdidnotincludeanyinterviewswithindividualteachersotherthantheclient.
LigonMiddleSchooloperatesonatraditionalschoolcalendar.Therefore,theteachersatthis
schoolarenotrequiredtoreporttoworkduringthesummermonths.Thismakesaccesstothese
teacherdifficult.
Assumptions
TheEAC581instructionaldesignteamoperatedunderseveralassumptionsduetoalack
ofaccesstoLigonstudentsandstaffasaresultofsummervacation.Withaninabilitytosurvey
LigonMiddleSchoolstaff,wereliedonourclientschargetoenhancecollaborationasthebasis
ofourproject.Fundamentally,weassumedthatschoolfacultydesiredtoimprovetheir
technology,pedagogy,andcontentknowledgerelatedtoonlinecollaborativetools.
Additionally,weassumedthatallstaffwillhaveaccesstotherequisitetechnologytotake
advantageofourresources,andthatLigonMiddleSchoolleadershipwilltakeanactiverolein
ensuringfacultycompleteassignmentsandassessmentsasprescribed.
AnalysisObjectivesandMethodologies

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

Ourgroupreliedprimarilyontheclientinterviewandcontentreviewtogainan
understandingoftheclientsneeds.JustinAbrams,gradelevelchairatLigonMiddleSchool,
alsoactsastheschoolsresidenttechsavvygototeacherforattendinganddelivering
professionaldevelopment.Theclientinterviewhelpedourinstructionaldesignersunderstandthe
clientsneeds,developatimeline,anddetermineprojectdeliverables.Morethananything,it
beganwhatwouldbeafluidexchangeofconstructivefeedbackandideasbetweentheclientand
designteam(seeAppendixforalistofinterviewquestionsanddiscussiontopics).
Acontentreviewwasconductedduringthedevelopmentprocesstoidentifygapsin
content,identifythebestinstructionaldesignforthetechnologicalresourcemodules,andto
determinewhatissuesrequiredclientfeedback.Thecontentreviewwasespeciallyhelpfulfor
designteamleaderswithcareersoutsideK12education,asthecontentreviewhelpedensurethe
learningmoduleswedesignedwerecomprehensive,authentic,andintuitive.
AnalysisDetailsandResults
Asadirectresultoftheclientinterviewandcomprehensiveneedsanalysisandcontent
review,theinstructionaldesignteamclearlyunderstoodtheclientsneedsandutilizedbest
practicesininstructionaldesignanddeliverytoproduceintuitiveonlinelearningmodules.
Method
Client
interview

Results
Determinedclient
motivations(enhance
studentandstaff
collaborationskills),
projectobjectives,
timeline,anddeliverables
Deliverables:
o Websitewithfour
learningmodules
demonstrating
innovativeuseof
webappsto
support
collaborationin
o Wiki/discussion
forumtoallow
LigonMiddle
Schoolteachersto
shareresources,
askquestions,and
forongoing
support

Value
Constraints
Notes
Established Challenging Matt
basicproject
totranslate
Misuraca
objectives
clientneeds
(NCSU)
and
into
interviewed
milestones
intuitive
Justin
thatwould
learning
Abrams
define
modules
(client&
subsequent
Required
teacherat
work
coordination
Ligon
Underscored
of
Middle
importance
schedules,
School).
ofasking
time,and
MattM
probing
resources
(project
questions
liaison)
andtaking
continuedto
meticulous
converse
notes
withclient
throughout
project

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

Content
review

Instructionalcontent
Contentand
flowsseamlessly
delivery
Contentalignedwith
mediumare
curriculum
consistent
Assessmentsclearand
with
effective
curriculum
Coursedesign(wikiand
standards
Weebly)allows
andclients
leadershiptoaddcontent
objectives
andadditionalactivities
Table1:AnalysisDetailsandResults

Those
reviewing
thecontent
areall
familiar
withthe
technology

Theteam
worked
togetherto
review
each
others
work.

LiteratureReview
Justasbakingacakerequiresarecipeandingredients,theteamofNCSUinstructional
designersrecognizedthatasuccessfulprojectwouldrequireacomprehensiveneedsanalysis.
Completingthetrainingsuitabilityanalysiswascrucialindeterminingtowhatextenttraining
wouldenhancefacultyandstudentcollaborationskillsatLigonMiddleSchool(HRGuide,
2013).Afterdeterminingthatonlinelearningmoduleswereaviablesolution,nexttheteam
conductedinterviewsandacontentreviewtofurtherunderstandtheclientsneedsandthe
intricaciesofthehighlightedcollaborationtools.
Initiallytherewasconcernthattheneedsanalysisincludedinterviewingonlyone
leadershipmemberoftheLigonMiddleSchoolteam.Ideallyonewouldwanttointerviewall
keystakeholders,includingstudents,staff,faculty,andevenpartnersinindustryandacademia
(Rowland,1993).Duetothenatureofsummervacation,thescopeoftheneedsanalysiswas
limitedsignificantly.Cognizantofthelimitedaudiencethatparticipatedintheinitialneeds
analysis,thedesignteamreferencedexemplarmodelsofonlineinstructionandreliedheavilyon
curriculumstandardsinordertoensuretheprojectwouldmeettheclientsneedsandcould
potentiallybescaledattheschoollevel,districtlevel,andbeyond.
Itwasimportanttoboththeclientandinstructionaldesignteamthatthelearningmodules
incorporatedbestpracticesindesignanddelivery,andthateachmodulefollowedaconsistent,
systematicdesignstructure.Thescreencastinstructionalvideos,thecenterpieceofeachlearning
module,requiredadvancedplanningandareconsistentwiththebasicprinciplesofmultimedia
design(Mayer,2009).Instructionaldesignersputconsiderableeffortintomakingsurethevideos
werelogicalandconcise,andtheclientappreciatedthecombinationofavisualwalkthroughs
withaudionarrations.
DesignRecommendations
Theclientrequestedamediarichonlineplatformthatwasintuitive,easytoupdate,and
ultimatelytransferrabletoatheschooldistrictslearningmanagementsystem.Itwasimportant
totheclientthatthewebsitecomplimentedprofessionaldevelopmentofferedintheschool

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

setting,andthatonlinepromptsandassignmentscouldbecompletedandsubmittedviathe
schoolsinternalmessagingsystem.TheinstructionaldesignteamdeterminedWeebly,adrag
anddropwebpublishingapplication,bestmettheclientsneeds.
Followingleadingpracticesinblendedinstruction,eachlearningmodulewouldfollowa
simplifiedversionofKellersPersonalizedSystemofInstruction(PSI)framework.Svenningsen
andPear(2011)notethatablendedPSImodel,wherestudentsbothmeetinpersonand
participateincomputeraidedinstruction,significantlyoutperformedparticipantsengagedin
solelyonlineorfacetofaceinstruction.ThemodifiedPSIframeworkwouldallowLigon
MiddleSchoolteacherstoprogressthroughthecollaborativetoolstrainingattheirownpace,
whilefacetofacediscussionsandassignmentcritiqueswouldhelpmeettheschoolleaderships
desireforstaffaccountability.
Itwasimportanttotheclientthatthelearningenvironmentwasmediarichand
scaffoldedtomeettheneedsofcourseparticipantswithvaryinglevelsoftechnologyknowledge.
TheNCSUinstructionaldesignersproposedtheideaofscreencastmoviesaslearningtools.
Sugar,Brown,&Luterbach,(2010)recognizedthevaluescreencastspresentinproviding
overview,describingprocedures,presentingconcepts.Basedontheirdocumented,synthesized
structureofcreatingeffectivescreencasts,theinstructionaldesignteamcreatedsuccinct
screencastmoviesforeachofthecollaborativetoolshighlightedinthisproject.
ExecutiveSummary
Taskedwithapplyingleadingpracticesininstructionaldesigntocreateonlinelearning
modulesoncollaborativetoolsinK12education,EAC581studentsworkedcloselywithLigon
G.T.MagnetMiddleSchoolfacultytoexaminetheclientsneeds,craftcomprehensive
elearningmodules,anddeliveraproductthatcouldbeusedattheschoollevelandbeyond.In
ordertodeliveracomprehensiveproduct,andmeetthetightprojecttimeline,theteamof
instructionaldesignersfromNCSUconductedaneedsanalysisandcontentreviewtogaina
moreprofoundunderstandingofprojectobjectivesandtoensurecoursecontentanddesignwere
effective.

TheClient
LigonG.T.MagnetMiddleSchool,anurbanmiddleschoolinRaleigh,wasfoundedon
thebeliefthatallstudentshavegiftsandtalentsthatneedtobeidentified,nurtured,and
rewarded.Theurbanschoolhasbothtraditionalcomputersandmobiledevicesavailablefor
facultyandstudentuse,butahistoricallackofprofessionaldevelopmentfundsandcapacity
haveresultedinnonexistentPDfocusinthecriticalareasoftechnologyandcollaboration.
JustinAbrams,gradelevelchairatLigonMiddleSchool,alsoactsastheschools
residenttechsavvygototeacherforattendinganddeliveringprofessionaldevelopment.Mr.
Abramsactedastheprimarycontactforthisproject.

TheInstructionalDesignTeam

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

MeghanLittlefunctionedastheteamleader,facilitatedcommunicationamongst
groupmembers,ensureddeadlinesweremet,actedasthegroupliaisontoDr.
Bartlett,createdacomprehensivewebmoduleonusingtheVoiceThreadapp,and
workedcloselywiththeclientandinstructionaldesignteamtoproducethefinal
websitebasedongroupmembercontributions.
MatthewGreenecreatedacomprehensivewebmoduleonusingGoogle
Hangoutsasacollaborativetool.
MatthewMisuracaactedastheliaisonbetweentheclientandteammembers,
conductedtheneedsanalysis,andassistedMeghanandtheteamintheproduction
oftheelearningmodules.
KimberlyPattersonconstructedmeetingminutesforourweeklymeetings,
wroteandsubmittedregularstatusreports,andcreatedacomprehensivelearning
moduleonusingVokiasacollaborativetool.

AnalysisMethodsandResults
Theclientneedsanalysisinterviewwasinstrumentalinunderstandingtheclientsneeds,
developingatimeline,anddeterminingprojectdeliverables.Morethananything,itbeganwhat
wouldbeafluidexchangeofconstructivefeedbackandideasbetweentheclientanddesignteam
Thecomprehensivecontentreviewwasconductedduringthedevelopmentprocessto
identifygapsincontent,identifythebestinstructionaldesignforthetechnologicalresource
modules,andtodeterminewhatissuesrequiredclientfeedback.Thecontentreviewwas
especiallyhelpfulfordesignteamleaderswithcareersoutsideK12education,asthecontent
reviewhelpedensurethelearningmoduleswerecomprehensive,authentic,andintuitive.
Deliverables
Theteamcreatedawebsitewithfourlearningmodulesdemonstratinginnovativeuseofweb
applicationstosupportcollaborationintheK12environment.Eachmodulemeetstheclients
exactingspecificationsandincludesavarietyofmediarichcontent.Theinstructionaldesign
teamalsocreatedanintegratedwikitoallowLigonMiddleSchoolteacherstoshareresources,
askquestions,andtoactasamediumforongoingsupport.

Resources

Theinstructionaldesignteamutilizedavarietyofresourcesinthedesignanddevelopmentof
learningmodules:
GoogleHangoutfacilitatedweeklyteammeetingsandclientdesignercommunication
GoogleDocsusedtocommunicateandcreatecollaborativetextdocuments
Weeblyasarudimentaryplatformforcoursecontent.
BlackBoardtheclientwilltransfercontentfromWeeblytothedistrictsBlackBoard
learningmanagementplatform
MicrosoftPowerPointusedtocreatefinalclientpresentationandgroupdebriefing

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

References

HRGuide:TrainingandDevelopmentNeedsAnalysis.(2013).Retrievedfrom
http://www.hrguide.com/data/G510.htm.

Mayer,R.E.(2009).MultimediaLearning(2nded.).Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Sugar,W.,Brown,A.,&Luterbach,K.(2010).Examiningtheanatomyofascreencast:
Uncoveringcommonelementsandinstructionalstrategies.InternationalReviewOf
ResearchInOpenAndDistanceLearning,11(3),120.

Rowland,G.,(1993).Designingandinstructionaldesign.EducationalTechnologyResearchand
Development,41,7991.

Svenningsen,L.,&Pear,J.J.(2011).Effectsofcomputeraidedpersonalizedsystemof
instructionindevelopingknowledgeandcriticalthinkinginblendedlearningcourses.
BehaviorAnalystToday,12(1),3339.

COLLABORATIVETOOLSINK12EDUCATION

AppendixA:ClientInterviewPrompts

Whoistheclient?
Whataretheclientsgoals
Whatdoeshehopetoaccomplishwiththistraining?
Whatistheaudience?
Whoarethekeystakeholders?
Whattoolsshouldwefocuson?Forexample,ifthedistrictalreadyhasawiki
subscription,thatmaybeafocus.
Whatsortofprofessionaldevelopmenthasthestaffreceivedoncollaborativetech.tools?
Whatmedium/platformwouldtheclientliketobeused?
Whatdoestheclientexpectintheformofdeliverables?
Whatistheclientstimeline?
Howwilltheclientdeterminewhethertheprojectissuccessful?