Digital Assessment Project

Amanda Morris
EDIT 677

Incorporating Technology in the Classroom Using EdPuzzle

Amanda Morris

Coastal Carolina University

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INTRODUCTION

Teachers strive for similar things, however our primary goal remains to effectively

instruct students in a specified curriculum. Teachers not only want students to learn the set

curriculum and standards, but ideally to do so and enjoy the process. Students need to find the

material interesting and relevant within the context of their own lives so that they retain the

instruction for years to come. Good teachers research ways to incorporate new ideas,

technology, and methods to better instruct their students and create global learners. My partner

and I are no different. We both spend time searching online recommendations and reading

educational publications to gain insight on new ways to better instruct our students.

The research question posed for this project is, “Do videos incorporating EdPuzzle

questions result in higher understanding of standards/curriculum than videos with only

narration?” The basis behind this research question is two-fold. Our district has recently taken a

big step toward full technology integration in the classroom. The entire district is one-to-one for

grades 3 through 12. Some teachers are hesitant to embrace this technology in their classrooms,

so a few pioneers have tried to incorporate as much as possible in order to show how using the

technology can benefit the students. In the past two years, I have gone digital when giving

lessons in my Algebra 1 Honors class. I record myself giving the lecture with a screen-casting

application run through my Apple iPad. I then upload the video to my YouTube channel, and

place the video in Google Classroom. Students watch the video during class, but are also able to

rewind and review sections for personal benefit as many times as needed. This keeps me free to

walk around the classroom and answer questions as they arise. Distractions for students are at a

minimum and the students receive more individualized instruction. When deciding what
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question to pose for research, my partner and I decided that introducing EdPuzzle questions into

the videos might be a valid place to start. Videos created with EdPuzzle incorporate questions

that require a correct response before a student is allowed to continue watching the video. For

instance, after students watch as I work an example that illustrates the process of completing the

square to solve a quadratic equation, I can insert a question into the video that requires students

to use this formula to identify an appropriate response in a similar scenario. Questions can be

multiple choice or free response. The intended outcome of investigating this research question is

to gain better insight into the various ways that students learn. I am hopeful that the results will

show that students find having a few extra practice problems presented to them after learning a

small chunk of mathematics is helpful in learning the math and, more importantly, retaining the

math.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

In reviewing several articles to prepare for this research project, I came across a few that

looked interesting and contained material relevant to our research question. While no article

specifically talked about this particular project, several articles provided me with sound research

that benefitted us in our understanding of the implementation of a technology-based curriculum,

as a whole. One idea that permeated all of the articles was that students do not necessarily learn

more or learn better from/with technology. The technology needs to aid in creating meaningful

lessons so that students are engaged in the content and connections are formed to prior

knowledge.
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A study done by Ozerbas and Erdogan in “The Effect of the Digital Classroom on

Academic Success and Online Technologies Self-Efficacy” set out to see if students performed

better on assessments when they were involved in a digital classroom. Technology is fast

becoming a fixture in our modern lives. These authors wanted to see if there was any correlation

between having a digital classroom and achieving marked academic success. As they state, “The

main purpose of integrating many digital technologies into the learning environment is

increasing the quality and success of education” (Ozerbas and Erdogan, 2016). This is almost

exactly the reasoning behind our research project. Their conclusion was that higher scores do

result from the experimental or digital group versus those of the group who received a more

traditional approach to instruction.

“Changes to Teachers’ Practice when using Mobile Technology with One-to-One

Classes” (Lindsay, Lee, and Hope, 2016) outlines how teachers have a need to change their

pedagogy when incorporating technology in their classrooms. One statement that the authors

made clear to point out and reaffirm was the absolute necessity for digital literacy to serve as a

pillar of classroom success. This was particularly meaningful because it is not something that I

tend to focus on in the early part of the school year. As a direct result of this research, in the

future I will ensure that students have a full understanding of how to use their devices before

beginning to use them in the classroom.

In another article, “One-to-One Computing: What Does it Bring to Schools?”, Lei and

Zhao expound on the impact of one-to-one devices in the classroom, but also in the school

building. Students in this article reported that they liked the communicative aspect of having a

digital device on their desks, however teachers reported that students were more likely to get
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distracted due to the availability of non-academic items. This again reinforces the idea that

students need to be actively engaged and challenged in the lessons that teachers plan.

Still another study, this time by Crompton and Keane, hit closer to home for me. In this

article, “Implementation of a One-to-One iPod Touch Program in a Middle School”, several

similarities could be drawn between the school district in the article and my own. For instance,

the study focuses on a middle school in the southeastern United States. The authors were curious

how implementing a one-to-one program focusing on an introduction of Apple iPod Touch

models would change the school district. Teacher preparation is a main idea that surfaces in this

article. Teachers need ample training with the technology they are provided. Simply giving a

teacher a laptop and instructing them to create lessons for students is not a satisfactory means by

which to encourage and foster technology integration within the classroom. Teachers who are

not confident in their technological knowledge and skills will eventually lose interest and revert

to their original teaching styles. I find this to be the case in our district.

The article that resonated most with me, “Camtasia in the Classroom: Student Attitudes

and Preferences for Video Commentary or Microsoft Word Comments during the Revision

Process” (Silva, 2010), was more clearly aligned to the research we conducted. The article

discusses how English and language arts teachers adopted the practice of providing feedback on

papers and essays electronically instead of the standard paper-and-pencil means of disseminating

feedback. Although my classroom is math and not English, the gist is the same. I provide

lecture and commentary, rather than static feedback. The article reports that 8 out of the 17

students preferred the video critiques verses written comments on papers. Interestingly, six of

the students made clear that there was value in both methods. I, like the teachers in the article,
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find value in all student opinions and vary my methods in the classroom; using videos some days

and teaching traditionally from the board on others.

METHODOLOGY

In deciding upon the best way to test this research question, my partner and I determined

that we would introduce the videos that had EdPuzzle questions inserted into them to one group

of students. The experimental group had 14 students, while the control group that received

traditional videos had 12 students. The rationale behind putting the students into groups was

purely alphabetical. Kids with last names starting A-N were in the group with the traditional

video. The students with names starting M-Z were in the group with EdPuzzle videos. The

students in the test group received an invitation electronically to join the group on the EdPuzzle

website. After joining the site, students had access to videos that were enhanced with interactive

questions issued at random intervals. Most of the videos averaged no more than 15 minutes.

The videos contained between two and three questions. I received feedback from the students

verbally and through a digital survey using Google Forms. I examined the grades on a quiz that

the students all took after the research was completed. I also observed students watching the

EdPuzzle videos in my classroom and listened to their comments. The research for this project

was collected over the course of several weeks’ instruction.

An example of an original EdPuzzle video:

https://edpuzzle.com/assignments/5a7b49e504307040ddef7f47/watch

Google Form Survey: https://goo.gl/forms/tsVjrzEzxgN8rQ622

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ANALYSIS

Throughout the research period, I questioned students verbally about their preference for

EdPuzzle videos. Most students verbalized that they did not like the videos featuring EdPuzzle

modifications. When asked why, they responded, “Because I can’t skip through the video”.

Using traditional videos placed on YouTube, students can fast forward through sections of the

footage if they choose to. Upon further research on EdPuzzle, a setting that allows students to

skip through the video does exist; however, I do not believe this is a valid option for my students.

I want them to watch the videos in their entirety to receive the instruction rather than selecting

bits and pieces.

At the conclusion of the research period, students took a quiz on the material presented.

The following table shows how the students in each group performed, giving a breakdown of

letter grades along with an average for the two groups.

A B C D F

EdPuzzle 3 3 3 2 1

Group

Traditional 2 3 3 3 3
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Video Group

Assessment Average

EdPuzzle Group 74%

Traditional Group 66%

In addition to using quizzes as the sole barometer of student performance, my partner and

I conducted an electronic survey of the students in the EdPuzzle group, using Google Forms.

The twelve students were sent a survey (copy above) that asked questions such as, “Do you think

using EdPuzzle was beneficial to your learning the Algebra content?” This survey was untimed

and students were encouraged to give their honest opinions of the videos with the EdPuzzle

questions inserted. Given below are the questions and a pie chart of the answers students gave.
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Digital Assessment Project
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FINDINGS

This action research project provided many insights. Reading the articles to get

background information was enlightening and provided substantial material to mull over. Even

though technology is being implemented in classrooms all over the world, there is a common

theme among teachers and students: simply having access to technology in the classroom is not

enough. Teachers need the training required to produce effective, meaningful lessons for their

students. Students will not learn material any better simply because it is provided digitally. The

lessons students receive need to gain their interest in order for them to want to participate and be

engaged.

As stated before, my district is one-to-one. For the most part, our teachers have had

training on the hardware and devices that are available in the classroom. In addition, some

training has been provided to help teachers use the learning management program, Google

Classroom. However, we do not have the manpower to provide teachers with ongoing training

on new and upcoming software and/or programs to implement in their classrooms. This is one

reason why I strive to stay up to date on new technology and initiatives. I am interested in using

these things in my classroom with my students and sharing ideas with my fellow teachers.

Incorporating the EdPuzzle videos into my classroom had one fatal flaw. I started this

research project during the 3rd 9 weeks of the academic year. My students were already used to

watching my videos on YouTube and having the flexibility to fast forward through unneeded

sections at their leisure. Introducing the EdPuzzle videos created a bit of a dilemma. Students in

the experimental group harbored hard feelings because they had to participate in something new
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and different. They did not like that some classmates got the “easy way out” by watching the

traditional videos. I attempted to explain to them that having the added EdPuzzle option was a

benefit to them. Alas, they are teenagers and do not readily believe everything I say. I think if I

tried to incorporate the EdPuzzle videos in the opening of the academic year, I would receive

different responses. This is what I plan to do in the future.

As always, striving to balance creating lessons that engage students and manage to teach

the mathematics required is a daunting task. Given the added stress of other responsibilities,

teachers can become bogged down in the day-to-day. However, teachers have to recognize that

incorporating technology into meaningful and engaging lessons may be just the thing that

reaches students. For me, it is worth it.

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References

Crompton, H., & Keane, J. (2012). Implementation of a One-to-One iPod Touch Program in a

Middle School. Journal Of Interactive Online Learning, 11(1), 1.

Jing, L., & Yong, Z. (2008). One-to-One Computing: What Does It Bring to Schools?.

Journal Of Educational Computing Research, 39(2), 97-122.

Lindsay, L., Lee, K., & Hope, J. (2016). Changes to teachers' practice when using mobile

technology with one-to-one classes. Waikato Journal Of Education (2382-0373), 21(2),

57.

Mehmet Arif Ozerbas, a., & Bilge Has Erdogan, a. (2016). The Effect of the Digital Classroom

on Academic Success and Online Technologies Self-Efficacy. Journal Of Educational

Technology & Society, (4), 203.

Silva, M. L. (2012). Camtasia in the Classroom: Student Attitudes and Preferences for Video

Commentary or Microsoft Word Comments During the Revision Process. Computers

And Composition, 291-22. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2011.12.001