The BrainBinder Project: Computer System Implementation in two Major School Divisions in Saskatchewa

1
The BrainBinder Project Computer System
Implementation in two Major School Divisions in
Saskatchewan

• A SIDRU Presentation

2
BrainBinder Pilot Project

• 2000/01 pilot year
• 4 school divisions, SaskTel and SunMicrosystems
• SunRay appliances and servers
• Specific applications Netscape, QLO e-mail,
  StarOffice, BrainBinder portal
• SR only vs SR and PCs

3
BrainBinder Evaluation

• Site visits by research team February 2001
• Survey of 485 teachers, 62 administrators, 30
  resource-center librarians, 13 technology staff
  March to April 2001
• Focus groups with teachers, administrators,
  students and technology staff May 2001
• Identification of promising classroom and
  professional development practices June 2001
• Reports produced for each school division July
  2001

4
Major Findings

• Increased access resulted in increased use of
  computers in both labs and classrooms
• Lab configuration preferred over classroom
  mini-labs (4-6 computers) but classroom use
  increased
• Most activity at grades 5-8 level internet,
  report research, report writing

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Major Findings

• Little evidence of sophisticated integration into
  curriculum WebQuests, web pages, learning
  stations, and presentations
• Major system problems downtime, file transfer,
  lack of peripherals, lack of help manuals
• Satisfaction with browser, word processing but
  not with BrainBinder portal, Learning Station,
  QLO e-mail and Typing Tutor
• SunRay system should be used in combination with
  a PC/Other system

6
Major Findings

• Project delay caused most dissatisfaction
  followed by lack of consultation
• More technical than pedagogical help initially
  required by teachers
• Teacher received most support from other teachers
• In-school technology personnel are highly
  appreciated

7
Quote

• the dramatically increased access to computers,
  particularly in classrooms, is creating a
  paradigm shift in teaching and learning. Most
  teachers indicated they had not used computers in
  the classroom in the previous two years on a
  regular basis. The pilot project demonstrates
  that having more computers not only improves
  students technological knowledge and skills but
  is also creating a paradigm shift in teaching and
  learning. Increased computer access to
  educational Internet sites and learning
  applications enables students to pursue their
  unique learning goals through resource-based
  learning. However, paradigm shifts take a
  considerable amount of time are not without
  severe growing pains.
• BrainBinder Final Report

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What students are saying

• Comments and quotes
• Computers different in labs (PCs) and classrooms
  (SR)different purposes
• Internet e-mail word processing research
• Data files symbols on screen easy to follow
• file manager should be closed Corel and Star
  Office dont work together The more people on
  the server the slower it gets. We need to lower
  the ratio of computers to a server.
• not much has changed just another way to do
  research

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What students are saying

• (were) headed in the wrong directionnew system
  should work with the old PCs are out of
  dategood to have new machines
• old teachers dont use them or like them
  younger teachers really like them and use them a
  lot those who knew computers before just use
  them like they used the PCs my teacher doesnt
  use them much he waited for the kids to figure
  it out and then they (kids) taught others

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What students are saying

• too many printing problems SRs freeze too
  muchwhen they do that I just walk away I just
  press ctrl-alt-halfmoon and restart the computer
  should have bigger rooms to fit the computers10
  in a roomone to every two students we need
  more programs to run on the computer difficult
  to log on something is (often) wrong with the
  server Corel and Star Office need to be
  compatible

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What students are saying

• I do assignments at school on the SRif they are
  small ones. At home I use quatro-pro files,
  slide show presentations, software, games, the
  Internet and other documents SRs are slower
  than PCs. At home I use the Lotus program and
  Internet sites. I can download stuff at home
  I cant at school We dont use the computers at
  school like we use them at homedifferent reasons
  to use them

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What students are saying

• We know what to do--we just wish the teachers
  would let us do it! Sure, computers are the
  futureyou have to understand many different
  types of computers.
• I learned by eavesdropping! (on the technology
  consultant teaching my teacherthen I showed my
  friends how to do it) I know how to FTP and I
  taught the technology consultant! It took me
  five minutes to figure it out on my own. I sit
  at the computer and play! Just learning
  things ourselves is easier. Teachers dont know
  enough. students helping students

13
What students are saying

• Tell MR SUNRAY to make the system able to
  download programs and tell MR INTERNET to make it
  more compatible
• A quote from a middle years student

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Response to the Students

• Enabling students to learn about (and with) the
  SR environment in a manner compatible with
  students learning styles and learning needs may
  demand a change in teaching style.
• This kind of massive computer implementation
  challenges school divisions to address issues of
  student learning and to provide adequate,
  appropriate, and just-in-time teacher inservice.