Using Online Collaborative Tools to Create a Co-Op for Home School Families

Staff Development: Technology Specialist

Meribeth Huebner Fell

November 1, 2010
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Title of Workshop Using Online Collaborative Tools to Create a Co-Op for Home School
Families
Participant 8 Home school parents of students ages 8-17 who want to collaborate in
Information an informal co-op
Curriculum Area All areas of Elementary-High School
Time Frame 1 hour + extended activity

Stage 1 – Desired Results

From Content Standards: NETS for Teachers
http://www.iste.org.Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments
incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S. Teachers:
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources
to promote student learning and creativity
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue
their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational
goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles,
working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
Understandings
Participants will understand that:
Collaboration is the key to success in any learning experience, especially home school
environments
Students can learn from each other as well as from their teachers/parents
Technology should be viewed as a tool to learning, not as an impediment or unobtainable skill
necessary only to get a job
Teachers/parents must model strong technology use if their students/children are goingto value
technology

Related Misconceptions:
Student centered learning is NOT part of the “unschooling” method”
Parents/Teachers do not have to be EXPERTS in technology to use technology effectively
Essential Questions
Overarching Questions: Topical Questions:
a. What is a home school co-op? a. How can students and teachers use
b. How can collaborative synchronous Wiggio to share content between home
and asynchronous tools help students school families?
learn (and teachers teach)? b. How can Wiggio be used to inspire
c. How can collaborative synchronous active student learning through student-
and asynchronous tools help students lead lessons?
become active rather than passive c. How can Wiggio be used to better
learners? assess student learning through activity
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d. How can collaborative synchronous monitoring, collaborative assignments,

and asynchronous tools help home and presentations?
school students retain their originality
and diversity in learning rather than
force them to conform to the group
model of public (group) education?

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge Skills
Participants will know the following about Participants will be able to do the following
using online collaboration tools: in Wiggio:

a. Collaboration, not isolation, is key to a. Create Groups

learning
b. Technology is a tool, not an obstacle
c. Diverse learning styles are well-
accommodated through collaboration
and technology
b. Invite participants to groups and
activities
c. View, Upload, and Modify Documents
d. Participate and Facilitate Video and
Chat conferencing sessions
e. Utilize the white board, video, and
screen sharing tools

Stage 2 – Evidence
Performance Tasks
Performance Tasks are essential for successful completion of this workshop and will be
assessed “acceptable” or “unacceptable” by the Workshop Facilitator.

a. Successfully accept invitation to join the group Wiggio Training

b. Modify and update Personal Settings Information
c. Modify Wiggio Training Document (add your name and contact information to the list of
participants)
d. Upload sample document to the document repository, select notify all.
e. Create a new group, choosing one of the following (no duplicates, please):
Elementary: Middle: High:
English / Language Arts English / Language Arts English / Language Arts
Math Math Math
History History History
Science Science Science
Religion Religion Religion
f. Invite others, including this workshop facilitator (mfell@jfell.com) to join your group,
accept invitations to join other relevant groups (if your children are all high school, only
accept invites for high school groups, etc).
g. Schedule either a chat or video conference session for a later date (with or without actual
students – make this a “planning” session)
h. Complete the Workshop Survey/Poll
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Other Evidence
Other evidence of successful participation in this workshop will be used but not assessed
and will include some of the following:

a. View Wiggio Training Document

b. Check email notification to confirm uploaded documents (should receive notification for
your own document as well as notification from all other participants who uploaded
documents).
c. Join the Chat Session “Training Chat” and post a comment. Exit, and then view the
archive.
d. Join the Video Conferencing session “Training Conference” and dial in to the conference
using personal cell phones. Participate through voice communication at least once.
e. Those with video capability will test their video.
f. Type “graffiti” in the white board.

Participant Self-Assessment and Reflection

Survey/Poll Questions: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DBH28BK
1. Rate your knowledge of Wiggio before this workshop (1 no understanding, 5 Expert
understanding)
2. Rate your pre-workshop expectations for how useful Wiggio might be (1 no expectations,
5 high expectations)
3. What aspect of Wiggio do you believe will be most useful to you and your
students/children? Document Repository
a. Chat rooms
b. Video / voice conferencing with Whiteboard and screensharing
c. Asynchronous Messaging
d. Other: Describe . . .
4. Describe one aspect of teaching and learning that you understood better after
participating in this workshop.
5. Describe one aspect of teaching and learning that you WISH you had learning more about
during this workshop.

Six Facets of Understanding:

After facilitating the first group meeting, participants will self-assess and reflect on their
understanding of the ideas presented in the workshop through the six-facets of understanding
rubric provided below. Feedback will be sent to mfell@jfell.com.
DATA RESULTS ARE IN PARENTHESES IN EACH RUBRIC BOX: TOTAL
PARTICIPANTS 8

After the workshop and related activities, I can (circle the appropriate rubric boxes below):
 Explain Wiggio and how to use Wiggio to create home school co-op groups
 Interpret or make meaningful connections between ideas (have deep understanding)
 Apply skills and knowledge related to Wiggio to my own learning/teaching environments
 Perceive changes in learning/teaching through the use of Wiggio
 Empathize with others’ ideas through collaborative activities
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 Understand self-limitations in personal understanding and how collaboration can expand

that self-understanding.
Concept Unacceptable Proficient Mastery
Explanation Provides inaccurate or Provides somewhat Provides accurate,
incoherent accurate and coherent coherent, and
explanation of the explanation of the thorough explanation
idea idea, but the of the idea (1)
explanation may not
be thorough (7)
Interpretation Does not make Makes somewhat Makes meaningful
meaningful meaningful connections between
connections in the text connections between ideas, revealing
beyond literal ideas, but come of significant
understanding their connections rely understanding of
merely on literal meaning deeper than
understanding (7) literal understanding
(1)
Application Does not make Attempts to make Makes appropriate
connections with the connections with the connections with the
outside world or with outside world or with outside world or with
themselves themselves, but some themselves (2)
connections are
merely surface
connections (6)
Perspective Does not see or reveal Provides somewhat Provides insightful or
insights through credible revelations unusual revelations
changes in perspective through change in through change in
perspective, but some perspective (8)
of the insights lack
substance or evidence
from the text
Empathy Lacks sensitivity to Somewhat Demonstrates
differences in others demonstrates sensitivity and are
and may even lack sensitivity toward open to differences in
tack when responding others but seem others (8)
to differences resistant to some
differences
Self-Knowledge Seems unable to Somewhat Demonstrates
reflect on their own demonstrates reflective and self-
understandings or reflective insight, but adjusting insight into
short-comings. perhaps lack the self- themselves (1)
adjustment necessary
to really grow and
learn about
themselves (7)
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Survey Results
1. Rate your knowledge of Wiggio before this workshop (1 no understanding, 5 Expert
understanding)
7 – no understanding
1 – some understanding

2. Rate your pre-workshop expectations for how useful Wiggio might be (1 no expectations,
5 high expectations)
5 some expectations
1 no expectations
2 high expectations

3. What aspect of Wiggio do you believe will be most useful to you and your
students/children? Document Repository
Chat rooms
Video / voice conferencing with Whiteboard and screensharing
Asynchronous Messaging
Other: Describe . . .
3 chose video/voice conferencing with Whiteboard and screensharing as the most
useful
2 chose chat rooms as most useful
1 chose the document respository as the most useful
1 chose Other and wrote “collaborative group environment” as the most useful

4. Describe one aspect of teaching and learning that you understood better after
participating in this workshop.
Only three participants wrote anything here, and the comments were:
 “I didn’t realize how easily the kids could collaborate in real time with something
like this! No more driving to group meetings! Yeah!”
 “I really like how student-centered this tool can be. I know we only looked at how
we can use it to “teach” our content to the students, but I think they could also use
this for other learning experiences, too .. . special interest topics and electives and
class projects within groups/classes.”
 “I thought tools like this would cost too much money. Why am I paying so much
money for my daughter to interact with virtual strangers in the GVS when she can
collaborate and learn with people she knows right here? Good tool.”

5. Describe one aspect of teaching and learning that you WISH you had learning more about
during this workshop.
Only three participants wrote anything here, and the comment were:
 “I would like to know more about differentiated learning. How can we use this to
make sure all our kids are learning in the best way possible for each child?”
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 “Is there a way to incorporate outside material, like Susan Bauer’s Story of the
World Audio files in this tool? Or is that illegal?”
 “How can we use this for math? I don’t see how to do formulas on the
computer.”
Assessment Data
 7/8 participants successfully completed all performance activities during the workshop
 1/8 participants successfully completed all performance activities after the workshop.
 Six Facets Self-Assessment Rubric (data was collected within 24 hours of the workshop
via email sent to the workshop facilitator):
Explanation: 7 Proficient; 1 Mastery
Interpretation: 7 Proficient; 1 Mastery
Application: 6 Proficient; 1 Mastery
Perspective: 8 Mastery
Empathy: 8 Mastery
Self-Knowledge: 7 Proficient; 1 Mastery

Design, Development, and Delivery of the Workshop

The audience included 8 homeschool mothers of children ages 8-17 (8, 10, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17).
The 8-10 year old children have always been homeschooled, the 11 year old is on her first year
as a home schooled child, the 14 year old has been homeschooled for 5.5 years, the 16 year old
has been homeschooled for three years, and the 17 year old has been homeschooled on and off
since third grade. All mothers are “stay at home” except the mother of the 8 and 10 year old.
Their mother is a public school teacher (3rd grade), but still she has chosen to homeschool her
children. Her husband works from home and does part of it while she continues it when she gets
home in the afternoons.

The design of the workshop worked fine. The material covered seemed to give each participant
enough material to think about how she would use Wiggio for her own children. The desired
results were met, and each participant expressed genuine interest in using technology to enhance
their children’s learning experience. The 3rd grade teacher was excited about the possibilities of
“doing homeschool” outside the normal school time of 8-3 since her kids don’t follow that
schedule.

Although most of the participants seemed motivated to learn something new, their skills were at
such a varying level that it was difficult at times to keep them going. One participant had such
difficulty getting on the network with her laptop that she finally gave up and just sat next to
someone else. She is the mother of the 16 year old and claims she relies heavily on her child’s
technology expertise since she doesn’t know much about it. However, she did access the group
later (with help from her child) and completed her performance tasks.

Everyone brought laptops to my house and got on my wireless network for the workshop (except
for that one participant), so I didn’t have an overhead to show them anything. I had to adapt to
their “school environment,” and that wasn’t as easy as I had thought it would be. I’m used to
“smart” classrooms, and didn’t account for this issue. Had I thought about this, I would have
scheduled a church room with a networkable big screen television or used a home that had a
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television larger and newer than my 19 inch 1986 Hitachi. However, they are apparently used to
these strange technology glitches (lack of technology) and settled in on the sofa and even on the
floor without any issues.

At the end of the workshop, all participants but one had successfully completed the essential
performance activities, but to date, I have not observed their actual “meetings.” Most are
scheduled next week or the following week, but they are at a loss on what to meet about.
Obviously, they will need to create lessons that can be done in this environment. Since I teach
English, I should have created a sample lesson or volunteered to organize a lesson for one of the
English groups so that I could model the use of Wiggio in a situation that is “real” for them.

I do believe that Part B of this workshop might work well in conjunction to, not separate from,
this face-to-face workshop because the participants’ lack of technology experience, especially
using technology for tasks other than Google searches and social networking, kept them from
fully grasping the possibilities. With inserted video and audio that can be replayed again and
again, these participants would learn more. As home schoolers, they are used to self-
teaching/learning, and to ask them to sit in a “semi-class” environment was tough. They would
rather have access to the workshop resource so they can watch and learn at their own pace, on
their own time.