NAEP

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is our country's way of letting us know how our students are performing in subject areas such as math and reading. This assessment is used to measure what students should know in grades 4, 8, and 12.  After the assessment is given in these grades, the results are sent out with the other state test results. The West Virginia Department of Education then determines where West Virginia falls in comparison with other states in the country. In this assignment, we were to explore and analyze the data, then using the Excel program, create a table and a graph that represents the information.
I found this assignment to be much easier than the first because the information was right there for us. The challenging part seemed to be just navigating the Excel program, although my daughter is a great help when and if she has the patience to deal with me. Referring to the APA format is simple enough, however it can be time consuming referring to it because it is unfamiliar each time a different type of reference is cited.
NETS Technology Standards:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

b. engage students in solving real problems using digital tools and resources

c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to clarify students’ understanding thinking, planning, and creativity

d. model collaborative knowledge by engaging in learning with students and colleagues, in face-to-face and virtual

environments

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

a. design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity, and assess their own progress

aligned with content and technology standards and use that data to inform learning and teaching

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer  that  knowledge to new  situations

d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools  and resources to support research and learning

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright and the appropriate documentation of sources

b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning

d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.

APA Action Research

When I first began working on this assignment, I thought it was, once again, like trying to read another language. However, with the assistance of the discussion postings and Google, TGFG-Thank God for Google.... (What is a t-test, APA Guidelines, etc., I was finally able to figure it out, I think! Well...I'm not planning to bid on a TIS job anytime soon, that's for sure.
So I took the data from the surveys, created a table, found the results, and published the findings in a Google document.
The technology standards for this assignment include:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

a. model creative and innovative thinking

b. engage students in solving real problems using digital tools and resources

c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to clarify students’ understanding thinking, planning,and creativity

d. model collaborative knowledge by engaging in learning with students and colleagues, in face-to-face and virtual environments.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer  that  knowledge to new  situations

b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources

d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools  and resources to support research and learning.

Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.

Excel Data

t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances
	Variable 1	Variable 2
Mean	72.875	85.6
Variance	562.9821429	174.8
Observations	8	5
Pooled Variance	421.825
Hypothesized Mean Difference	0
df	11
t Stat	-1.086800809
P(T<=t) one-tail	0.150182972
t Critical one-tail	1.795884814
P(T<=t) two-tail	0.300365944
t Critical two-tail	2.200985159

This proved my hypothesis that gender did have an effect on age difference.

This assignment was possibly more frustrating than the Audacity project! I am still playing around in Excel and trying to figure out what exactly I am to do with this data. So far, this has been what I have figured out but I am still having problems with my second hypothesis.


NETS T Standards:
Standards the activity would fall under include:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

a. model creative and innovative thinking

b. engage students in solving real problems using digital tools and resources

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

a. design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

b. provide students with multiple formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use that data to inform learning and teaching.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

d.model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools  and resources to support research and learning

Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.

Data Analysis

Research Question 1: Does gender have anything to do with a quiz average?
Independent Variable: Quiz Average
Dependent Variable: Gender
Hypothesis: Quiz averages are dependent on gender.
Null Hypothesis: Gender has no effect on quiz averages.

Research Question 2: Does teaching status have anything to do with the number of blog posts?
Independent Variable: Teaching Status
Dependent Variable: Blog Posts
Hypothesis: If teaching, a person will have fewer blog posts.
Null Hypothesis: Teaching status and the number of blog posts have no correlation.

NETS T Standard #5.

Excel Basics

To begin this assignment, I used the "Find/Replace" tool to replace "Male" with "1" and "Female" with "2." The "Find/Replace" tool was under the "Home" tab on the far right side. Once I was able to locate the function, it was a pretty simple tool to use.

There are multiple ways to sort the data. The fastest way is to click a small box on the right side of a column and you can choose various ways to sort the data. The other way is to select the "Sort & Filter" function directly beside the "Find/Replace" tool. (It's all together...how convenient!)

Lastly, I was able to calculate the sum, average, max, etc. of the data in individual columns.

Not having used excel in quite some time, it took some catching up to do and playing around with it to figure out where everything was again. I attached a picture of what the data looked like after using the "Find/Replace" function, sorting, and calculating the sum of ages.
Standards the activity would fall under include:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

a. model creative and innovative thinking

b. engage students in solving real problems using digital tools and resources

c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to clarify students’ understanding thinking, planning,

and creativity

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

a. design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

d. provide students with multiple formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use that data to inform learning and teaching

c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools  and resources to support research and learning

Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.

Research Review

The first part of this Action Research assignment was to download the date analysis toolpack. The directions were for the 2003 version of Excel, and as we have all found out, the 2007 version is much different. Before I ran to Google to find an answer, I looked around Excel to see if I could figure it out myself. After some searching, all I had to do was click on the main "File" option, and then "Excel Options." After that, I chose "Add-Ins" and selected "Data Analysis Tool Pack." After selecting "OK," it prompted for me to download the tool pack, and Excel automatically did so for me. I was then able to download the needed file.

We also had to read "The Rant." It was worth noting how far behind West Virginia is in our educational standards compared with the rest of the country. We need to begin out-teaching others, going beyond what is expected, and teaching our students beyond the norm. Because "education is a research-based enterprise," we should treat it as such.

NETS T Standards

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer  that  knowledge to new  situations
c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools  and resources to support research and learning

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

 d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.

Pew Millienial Test

Your Millennial score is 91!

The higher your score, the more you have in common with members of the Millennial generation.

I was surprised my score was this high! I tend to struggle with technology; it only causes me headaches. Perhaps the reason is because I am forced by "life" to become familiar with many forms of technology. 
By using my birthday, I am considered "Gen Xer," but from my score, I have more in common with the Millenials! Way to go, me! I never would have thought!