Learning the Unlikely at Distance Delivered as an Information Technology
Enterprise.
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From July, 1994 to April, 1995, the Department of Employment, Education and
Training (DEET) in Australia funded a professional development project run by
the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, Inc. (AAMT) to explore the
provision of statistics education for teachers separated by the great distances
in Australia. It was titled 'Learning the Unlikely at Distance Delivered as an
Information Technology Enterprise', known as LUDDITE. The project developed
multimedia professional development packages over three stages.
LUDDITE Stage 1
LUDDITE Stage 1 produced four satellite television narrowcasts to schools in two
states to test available television technology for introducing ideas and media
associated with teaching chance and data. The programs were interactive to the
extent that schools could reply by fax or telephone to requests made by
presenters during the program. Several other aspects of information technology
were explored during the series, including the telecast of pre-packaged videos.
Australian produced television news stories were purchased and two videotapes
were professionally produced for the project, one of a grade 5 class carrying
out a simulation activity and one of a demonstration of how to set up a
school-based computer network. A Ford motor company television advertisement and
excerpts from Statistics: Decisions through Data (Moore, 1992) were also shown.
While it was not possible, in practice, to show Microsoft PowerPoint 'slides'
from the studio computer over the narrowcast network, during the third session
it was possible to connect a laptop computer to demonstrate live the linkage to
a network and the ability to use bulletin boards and simulation software.
For two narrowcast sessions, four teachers came to the studio to carry out the
activities prepared for teachers; this assisted the presenters in judging the
amount of time to be off air for local interactive work. In the last session a
panel discussed curriculum issues and encouraged similar discussion in the
schools. Evaluation of the project was made not only by the presenters in the
studio (Watson, Baxter, Olssen & Lovitt, 1996) but also by a three-member team
at various receiving sites (Palmer, Probert & Brinkworth, 1995).
Although the reaction of teacher participants who viewed the narrowcasts live
and carried out activities in their schools was positive in terms of the
content, the presentation, and the limited interaction (Palmer, et al., 1995),
it was impossible to determine exactly how many schools viewed the telecasts.
This was related to several difficulties with using the satellite system. While
over 2000 schools possessed satellite dishes, only a small percentage of these
were operational. Difficulties with booking time by an outside agency, as the
AAMT was, meant that each of the four narrowcasts was transmitted at a different
time of day. This made planning in schools difficult. The lack of ability of the
presenters to see the participants was a further drawback and some schools were
reticent in using the telephone and fax lines of communication.
At the end of the LUDDITE project it was felt that a technology other than
satellite television needed to be trialled for the dissemination of professional
development and that a more complete set of support materials was required.
LUDDITE Stage 2
The two significant changes in the second year of the project were the use of
videoconferencing for dissemination and the provision of a set of multimedia
materials to be used for the equivalent of a 30-hour professional development
program. The video conferences introduced and motivated the use of the
multimedia package.
The multimedia package included the text, Statistics: Concepts and Controversies
(Moore, 1991), extracts from the Statistics: Decisions through Data video series
(Moore, 1992), software to carry out probability simulations (Konold & Miller,
1992b) and data analysis (Konold & Miller, 1992a), and a hypertext documentation
readable by Netscape or a suitable browser.
The hypertext front page included a table of contents and provided other
relevant administrative information and links to resources. As well there were
links to Australian and United States curriculum documents (AEC, 1991, 1994;
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 1989). The package was
intended to cover all aspects of teaching Chance and Data in the middle school
years.
The videoconferencing was conducted from a hub established through the Technical
and Further Education (TAFE) system in Australia based in Adelaide. A further
group operated between Hobart in the south of Tasmania and Burnie in the north.
Sessions were scheduled for between one and two hours at two-weekly intervals
beginning in February, 1996. Numbers of participants at the six mainland sites
varied from two to six depending on the week, while at Burnie 10 teachers in the
region were invited to participate.
Once frustrations with the installation of software were overcome, reactions to
the hypertext were generally positive. The text and video were thought
appropriate by teachers of grades 5 to 9, the target group for the LUDDITE
project. A colour-coded hard copy of the hypertext documentation was provided
and was considered a good backup for non-screen reading of content.
The participants and presenters became more comfortable with the
videoconferencing part of the project as the sessions progressed. One aspect of
the power of the system used is that the videoconferencing links can use
everyday telephone cabling, thus allowing access to over 3000 sites. The
counter-balancing weakness of the system however, is that video transmission is
reduced to approximately seven frames per second, only about 25% of the normal
television transmission rates in the Australian ~Pal-D standard. This meant it
was not realistic to show video material because of low frame rates. It was
possible, from Adelaide, however, to transmit directly computer screen images,
and hence software demonstrations were possible. Participants could work on
their own computers in the local studios in parallel with the presenters; this
was a particularly popular aspect of the video conferences. Overall it was felt
that videoconferencing was more successful than satellite television because of
this and the 'face-to-face' interaction. However, it still did not reach all
teachers in remote sites.
LUDDITE Stage 3
In the final stage of the LUDDITE project a CD-ROM called The C&D PD CD was
produced with improved or elaborated discussions based on feedback from
participants in the 1995-96 project . Expanded software documentation, revised
presentation of news media materials, and computer-based video clips were
included. At the same time electronic mail communication with the presenters was
established along with certification from the University of Tasmania for those
desiring a postgraduate qualification in statistics education.
At the end of the LUDDITE project a product was available to enable both a
multimedia presentation of materials accessible anywhere in Australia where the
computer facilities are available with a link to the presenters accessible
whenever desired by the teachers, rather than at fixed intervals in fixed
locations.
The Chance and Data Professional Development - CD-ROM was the product of the
third stage of the LUDDITE project "Learning the Unlikely at Distance Delivered
as an Information Technology Enterprise", a three year project run by the
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, Inc. (AAMT) during 1994-1997.
The project was funded by the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET)
under the Strategic Initiatives Element of the National Professional Development
Program (NPDP) to pilot various methods of providing professional development in
Chance and Data for teachers spread across Australia.
You can hear Jane Watson giving an overview of the professional development
package on this movie clip from the CD.
Movie - Content Overview (4,276 K)
A C&D professional development package was created which included materials from
three media:
a book
a video and
a CD-ROM.
The book by David Moore (1991), Statistics: Concepts and Controversies, was
chosen because it was accessible and appropriate for middle school teachers, and
because of its liberal arts view which focuses on a broad understanding of how
different aspects of chance and data fit together.
The video, containing extracts from Statistics - Decisions through Data (Moore,
1992), was also considered to be at an appropriate level for middle and high
school teachers and students.
The CD-ROM was the major development of the LUDDITE project; it was created in
hypertext, linking various aspects of the professional development package. A
help section addressed common problems and provided tips for browsing in
hypertext. A front/home page provided an introduction and main index to the
resources available on the CD-ROM, including QuicktimeŽ movies introducing the
developers. While much of the material in the ~CD-ROM was accessible directly
from this main index, all material was purposely linked through the five main
sections based on the curriculum.
Overview of 'The Chance and Data Professional Development
-CD-ROM'.
Faculty of Education
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 66 Hobart Tasmania Australia 7001
Phone: 61-3-6226-2570; Fax: 61-3-6226-2569
Jane.Watson@utas.edu.au
