Week 14 Update

This past week, our group accomplished a lot. With our level two flowchart finished, we were able to start working through level three. We spent a lot of time this past weekend getting two of the different math concepts (money and time) completed. We were able to work through both of them and begin to see patterns between the different pages, which made our work go a little smoother and quicker. After finishing 2 of the 5 areas, we broke and decide the split up the rest of the work. Patrick took the responsibility of finishing the other three areas (measurement, fractions, and probability). Angela was responsible for getting a final draft of the critique ready to hand in and produce a screen layout to paste into our level three pages. Ryan was responsible for finishing any of the scripts that would be needed and be ready to label them in reference to what is written on our level three. We are seeing an end in sight to all our hard work this semester. We have another week and a few days to finish everything up and get it in our binder.

Health Status: We are feeling good. We are in the homestretch of completing our binder and got a lot of the work out of the way this past weekend.

Week 13 Update

In the past week, we finally finished and updated our level 2 flow chart. From there, we took our level 3 template and began to set up the pages with the navigation IDs and page titles. This will make it easy for us to find our place on the level 2 flow chart when going back and forth between the two levels. We took one chunk of the level 2 flow chart and created 37 different level 3 slides in PowerPoint, using one file. This made it easy for use to see the number of slides we will need in each section. The next step was to copy that file, with all of the navigation IDs and page titles, and change them to reflect our next section. Since all five of our sections are consistent with each other, the task of creating the slides was fairly easy. We also began writing scripts for the different testimonials and advanced organizers that we are going to use. Again, because each section is very similar to each other, except for content, our script writing went very smoothly. Our next step is to create the rest of the level 3 templates and start filling in the rest of the needed information over the weekend. Here is the template that we will be using for level 3:


Health Status: We have a lot of templates to fill out and at this point is seems very overwhelming. I think that we have a good plan on how to accomplish this, and hopefully it will go very smoothly. Since most of our scripts are written, we feel comfortable with the work we are doing.

Week 12 Update

This week we continued planning. We met with Dr. Abed to look over our level two and take suggestions and comments to incorporate into our design. We were able to map out a flow that would be beneficial to the viewer. This would help them navigate in a way that they had some control our viewing the content, but at the same have to view each topic in order. We came up with a way to incorporate a password in our flow chart that would block students from not going in the order we wanted them to. Another piece that we changed in our level two flow chart was the process of obtaining the password to move onto the next topic. Instead of having the choice of scenarios to choose, they would be required to complete the first one, followed by the second one, and then come to a screen to wrap up the content and congratulate them with a password.
Our logo has been completed and has been placed in our level 3 template. Today the level two flow chart will be updated to reflect our changes and coded in a way that we are able to match up the level 3 with the level two. When we meet later this week we will begin to create files for level 3 and start to place our information. We have some scripts for our videos that we will be using and are ready to start putting our binder together.

Health Status: We are anxious and nervous about going into level 3. We see a lot of different elements that need to be placed, but at the same time see things that certain pages will have in common. We have a big task ahead of us.

Here is our company logo that will be used on our level 3 template:

Week 11 Update

We have a level 2 flow chart ready for inspection. Much of the last week was spent mapping out what we felt was a good structure for our program and converting it into a flow chart form. Much of what we can up with is consistent throughout the program with each of the five different concepts. They will be broken down into the four sections that we came up with and each section and concept will be preceded with an advanced organizer (video) to help the viewer understand what they are supposed to get out of each section. This is very important for a motivational program because it will let the view know the important points to pull out of the content they will be viewing. We also spent time creating a Gantt chart for when we are ready to put our binder together. We have also begun to review a past project and go over the list in the syllabus to critique it.

Health Status: We are doing okay. By getting the small pieces out of the way (critique and Gantt chart), we can focus on level three after level two has been checked and marked up.

Week 10 Update

This week we split up the responsibilities and planned on coming together during class to discuss and put our information together. Ryan was in charge of looking at levels one and two for our project. During the processing of the flow charts, it was decided that we should compare and contrast our flow charts with other groups to see how theirs were laid out. Angela was responsible for creating a sample script to bring to class so that we can keep our content consistent throughout our program. With the sample script, we will be able to maintain a certain length and focus within the different categories. Much of our content has been collected and is now beginning to be planned for use in our program. Videos, text, and animation are being planned so that we can really take a look at where our content is being used and how. Patrick has been working on a template for our level 3 so that once our content is ready and the flow charts are made, we can begin work on our binder. Patrick also has been working a Gantt chart template so that we can plug in information when we are ready.

Health Status: Still alive and going. We are working hard to get our content useable and our plans laid down.

Week 9 Update

After meeting during the week, our group has hatched out a good instructional sequence that will motivate students to see the importance of math in the real world. Our plan is to have advanced organizers in place to introduce the each piece in our sequence. These organizers will get the viewer ready for each different category. Once our instructional sequence was developed, we began to look at our content and continued to build and collect information. We thought about the best ways to deliver the content and decided on a few things that will be consistent throughout the program. Each math concept will have testimonials about how this particular math concept has become important in maintaining a job, a definition and real world application, examples of positive occurrences and negative occurrences, and scenarios for the viewer to apply what they have found. Over all, we are making good progress and are going to continue to build content and start placing it appropriately within our program.

Health Status: Doing well. We are working hard and continuing to make progress on our planning and data collection.

Week 8 Update

This week we started to do a lot of the planning for both our level 2 and level 3, as well as completing our design plan. Much of our time in our last class was spent looking at the binders from previous semesters to get an idea of how to come up with a template and make our flow chart readable. We tried to navigate through another project by following their flow chart to see the connection between the two. We also took a look at how the other groups stayed organized by looking at how the level 2 and level 3 compared to each other. We came up with some good ideas to organize our planning and drew a rough draft of our level 2 to be checked. Our level 3 template is completed and we are ready to begin utilizing it once our level 2 is finished. We are still collecting content and sorting through what will be useful to us. We also have to take a look at what content would motivate students and raise their level of interest. It is important that students are able to make several connections to our content in order for our program to be successful.

Health Status: We are doing all right. No major problems or road blocks yet. We are building content and doing some rough planning to see where things will begin to fit in.

Week 7 Update

Most of the past week was spent preparing our design plan in hopes of fine-tuning it this week and having it ready next Tuesday. Each of us has taken the responsibility of getting specific information from each of our schools about the learners that will be using our program. This data will be combined to depict an overall view of the learners. We also spent time looking at all the various media that our project will utilize and began to plan out where that media will be used. We created a media strategy grid and began to plug in all the different types of media and which of those we will use and where. We rationalized the fact that students will have limited choice in our program. Although they will be able to have choice within the sequence of subtopics in each category, however the categories must be viewed in a particular order (concrete to abstract). Since our program is motivational, the way to test success would be through a Likert Inventory to test student behaviors both before and after. We are still working on both the treatment and interfaces. It was decided that the overall mood of the program would deal with searching out information and having the program set in a detective agency. This would cause our treatment to lean toward a Carmen Sandiego-like appearance with each aspect dealing with searching for clues. The interface will also reflect our decision.

Health Status: Stable. We are still moving along well. There is minor pressure on getting all the information together for our design plan next week.

Week 6 Update

This week we began to think about how we need to chunk our content for maximum effectiveness. We needed to figure out what different categories and main headings would fit best within our program. For example, the focus of motivating students will take place in five different categories; money, time, measurement, fractions, and probability. We arranged these topics in this order because it shows a natural progression from concrete to abstract thinking. In order to have consistent media, we began to think about what we want to have in each category, whether a testimonial will precede each page as an introduction or how text and video will play a role. Our next step is to map the whole project out by working on our media strategies and how they will fit into our flow chart consistently. Since our project is one that is motivational, we need to come up with a plan on how to measure whether or not the students’ motivation has been increased. We will need to begin researching motivational strategies and how researchers have measured whether or not students have become more motivated.

Health Status: Although we are still itching to work on our theme and treatment, we are still gathering content and moving along. No major problems or difficulties have occurred yet. Stress levels are low, but as the planning and development stages begin, we will have an increased workload that may push the stress level up.

Week 5 Update

This week we realized that we needed to take a step back from our thinking. We were so excited about the theme that it took over most of our project and we were not focusing on the content. Thus far, we have narrowed down our focus and what we would like to include. We are currently searching for content to fill those areas and plan on how the content will be communicated in our project. In order to show real word uses of math, it would be beneficial to use a mix of video and photos. The use of tutorials will also be important to communicate attitudes and misconceptions. After collecting the content in the areas that we have chosen, our next step is to come up with a consistent use for the media and map out a flow chart to show how our project will be navigated.

Health Status: We are doing all right. After taking a step backward we are starting to see how the content we collect will impact the overall design. Once the content is gathered, flow-charted, and a consistent media is decided on, we will then be able to work with the theme.

Week 4 Update

This week our initial proposal was reviewed with Dr. Abed. After the feedback, we began to think of a different way to present our content and devise a better theme for our project. In the beginning, we were thinking about being a detective in a house and trying to find evidence for math through the different rooms. Our revised plan now includes a detective agency that was hired to find evidence of math in the world. This would allow our content to not only include things that are found around the house, but also throughout the world. We began to think of the different elements that each concept would have in our program so that they would be kept consistent throughout the program. Our next step will be to create the different media strategies for each section and give them a purpose.

Our proposal is begin revised with the changes made from last week.

Health Status: We are very excited about our new ideas and are looking forward to continuing with our plan.

Week 3 Update

This week has been one of preliminary planning. We took a look at the different projects that were handed in during previous semesters and began to think about what our program should include. Some of the basic similarities between all the projects were the logo, and the introduction video followed by a main menu that led us into the program. From there the projects began to vary. One of the things that we realized that would be an essential part in both our designing of the video and assessment was the use of the student handbook. We felt that since our program will be designed to motivate students, having them write reflections and observations would be a good way to assess what they take away from the video.

From there, we started to think about content and what types of information our program should include. We came up with a very rough draft of some of the topics and navigational points we would like to see. We listed the different math areas that we thought students would be able to relate to and constrict meaning from. We also started to think about a very tentative flow chart, which includes the ideas from paragraph one as well as different navigational points throughout.

Health Status: We are feeling okay at this point. We are still eager to hear what Dr. Abed will say about our proposal and anything we can do to focus our intent. It seems that we have a long way to go in such a short period of time, but once we get feedback we can begin to think about all our paperwork for our binder.

Week 2 Update

This past week there has been discussion over completing our proposal and all the elements that are required in it. The first thing we did was create a title that represents what we want our product to show. Keeping with the theme of Math in the real world, we created a subtitle to help further explain our purpose. Some of the basic elements were discussed as to what we wanted to display visually. In order to show Math in the real word, video would be essential to our multimedia presentation. Before we broke off on our own, the project manager collected the rest of the needed information for our proposal due at the end on the week. One of the things that we talked about was setting aside some time to look at the presentations that pervious classes have created. We felt that this would be important to see how other groups went about making their projects.

Health Status: We are experiencing less stress than last week as we work out what we would like to do with our project. Some stress still exists in the unknown factor of whether or not our focus is correct or how Dr. Abed will receive it. We believe that once we sit down and hatch out the proposal with Dr. Abed, with some guidance, we will feel much more comfortable in what we plan on doing.

Concept Statement: Math in the Real World

After discussing the needs of most of our learners, we decided that designing a CD ROM that allows students to experience math in the real world would be an important motivator in the internalization of math. Many students are more open to learning when they see a need for the information in the context of their lives. Why do they need to learn it? How is it useful? When do you need to use it? Math is all around us, but this program will help students make connections to when these skills and concepts will be useful to them in their every day lives.

After researching "math in the real world" online, I found that while there are some interactive sites that offer one or more math concepts, our program will stand apart. Our program will offer multiple concepts in correlation to the Connecticut Framework's Mathematics Strands assessed on the Connecticut Mastery Test. It will also provide students with exposure to CMT language and item format. It has been said that many students scoring below the proficient range may understand the skill or concept, but have difficulty with the CMT language or item format which causes them to misunderstand the question resulting in a wrong answer.

Another way our program will stand apart is that our CD ROM will include extensive video. These videos will reinforce real world math by helping learners to make meaningful connections to math by seeing math in action. Video will be a major component to our program and will also aid in the motivation of learners.

Creating a motivational program that not only shows students how and when we use math in our everyday lives, but also reinforces CMT weaknesses is a benefit to both teachers and students. We hope that not only will our CD ROM motivate learners, but it will also allow them to internalize math, bringing both a better understanding and new appreciation for mathematics into their lives.

Opening Blog

This is the first blog for Ryan, Angela, and Patrick.