presented at TCEC 2010, describes the pilot program at Connally High School of an online BCIS course

1. Creating Your Own Online Business Information Management Course Renata Geurtz John B. Connally High School Pflugerville ISD, Austin, TX Renata.Geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net TCEC 2010

2. Fulfill the TEKS for BCIS I Introduce students to Online Education Provide the online student with a similar academic experience to the classroom course District and CTE Objectives Innovate and develop 21st century skills. renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Additional opportunities for elective courses

4. 14 students completed the online course.

5. District-wide offering

7. Virtual Classroom renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course The classroom is a secure website which can be accessed 24/7. Wikispaces.com was selected to be the virtual classroom for the course. It is a free, easy to use website which also includes a discussion component. Students logged in, at least once each week to get their assignment. Each week’s assignment was posted on Wednesday and due the following Wednesday. Students also post responses to prompts and participate in a brief online discussion with other students.

8. Book – A Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course This textbook is used in the district for all BCIS courses. Students completed one chapter every two weeks. In week one, students worked through the chapter by competing the practice activities, supported by Atomic Learning vodcasts. Students also used Quizlet.com to learn important terms. Other assignments may also be given to support the instruction, i.e. parts of the Excel workspace. In week two, students completed selected review questions at the end of the chapter. Students also completed the assigned exercises (about 3-4) at the end of the chapter. At the end of each application (MS Word, Excel, etc) students completed a capstone project using the application. For example, after learning MS Word, students created a dictionary of computer terms, including definitions, graphic elements, table of contents, etc.

9. Instruction – Atomic Learning renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course Students logged into the Atomic Learning subscription through PISD and watched assigned vodcasts as they worked through the chapter practices. Vodcasts were selected to enhance the information in the book. For each chapter, there was an “activities document” which listed selected vodcasts to watch and when to complete the chapter practices. Approximately 30 minutes of vodcasts were assigned for each chapter. Chapter 7. Creating Charts Practice: Continents – part 1 of 2 From the PISD webpage, find the Atomic Learning Videos. Watch the following videos about Microsoft Excel 2007- Charting Workshop Identifying the elements on a chart, key # 28885 Selecting chart data in adjacent cells, key # 28886 Selecting chart data in non-adjacent cells, key #28887 One step charting using the Chart Group buttons, key #28888 After watching the videos, review pages 291-293. Complete the Practice on page 293. Save the spreadsheet as: your last name_Continents. (this document continues…typically about 3 pages long)

10. Network Storage renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course File storage accessible through the Internet (network storage) was used by students to turn-in assignments as well as access data files (students were also given a CD of datafiles for their use). Students were taught to organize files by application as well as due date. Students also learned naming conventions for submitting files. We encountered technical challenges with network storage so some students emailed their assignments to the teacher.

11. Teacher – Student Relationship renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course The teacher-student relationship is vital at the high school level. It often is the determining factor for a student’s success and failure in the course. This is true even with online education. Developing a relationship becomes challenging when you don’t see the students everyday. It is the teachers responsibility to reach out. Ways to establish an online relationship: Have regular face-to-face meetings and be your best! Use name placards to link names with faces. Students (and teacher) post a personal introduction to the wiki discussion board. Respond to each one. Email students regularly; make the emails personal. Invite students to work in your classroom (before school, after school, lunch, during class periods). If there is a complication, talk to the student during your conference period. If there is a misunderstanding, trust the student. If there is problem, involve another teacher/administrator who has a stronger relationship than you do.

12. Student-Student Collaboration renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course Students who chose to take this course are expecting to work alone. While some collaboration is important, don’t spend too much time on developing a social cohort. At the same time, provide opportunities for students to get to know each other. Introductions, both online and face-to-face; Postings and responses to discussion prompts; Posting of exemplary work. Discussion question: What do you think are the challenges of finding records in a database and how can those challenges be overcome?

13. The Internet renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Parts of the Online Course Students used the Internet as a supplement to other course information. All students had access to PISD’s online gradebook which allowed them to see the assignments and the grades for submitted assignments. Some assignments were created based on content from various sites. For example, the lemonade stand business project depended on a simulation game from http://coolmath-games.com : http://coolmath-games.com/lemonade/ or the lesson on fonts came from: http://www.will-harris.com/use-type.htm

14. Student Selection Students submit an application for this course 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students Overall grade average of 3.0 or above A computer at home with Windows XP or higher Internet connection MS Office 2007 software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher) Access to printer supplies (ink and paper) Requirements renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Basic student information Student signature to follow course directions and manage time independently Signature from parents, understand the importance of computer and materials Answer two questions Why do you want to take an online course? What skills do you have that would help you to be successful in an online course? Application website: http://OnlineBIM.weebly.com

15. For 9 students, this was an “extra” class Larry Took robotics elective, won state robotics competition Justine Wanted to take 2 credit Teaching Internship Talya Senior enrolled in college Pedro Senior needed ½ credit computer app to graduate on time Vanessa Needed to work to help family A unique group of students About the 14 Students 18 students started the course, 14 completed it Average final grade = 85% 7 A’s, 2 B’s, 5 C’s renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net

16. This class is convenient and didn’t take up an extra class period of the day I enjoyed the fact that this class has been online instead of in a classroom because it makes completing the work very flexible which is a nice transition from sitting in class five days a week I liked, as a senior, being able to squeeze in my technology credit without having to take away from courses I wanted to take in my senior year I enjoyed being able to work at my own pace at home and not having to wait on a class to learn what I needed to learn I liked not having to sit in a classroom and be stuck typing for an hour. This online course was a lesson in time management and discipline in getting work done on my own time, but because of that, the class was very convenient and self enriching in a way I enjoyed having a week to do multiple assignments instead of a single assignment due every day because it allowed me to work ahead on the coming assignments One thing I liked about the course is that you have a lot of freedom when doing your projects. Another thing I liked about the course was all the different things I learned through the year, such as excel, access and more about PowerPoint and word The class was a good learning experience and it taught me how to use Microsoft in ways I did not know it could be used It was good that we were able to work at our own pace Teacher was able to help if we fell too far behind I liked how the book made it a lot easier to complete assignments Assignments/activities from book were helpful and easy to follow It was a fun way to experience new things on the computer. Student Feedback Positives, what worked Convenient, Self-paced, Time-management experience, Learning Microsoft, Teacher help, Book, New experience with computer renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net

17. I didn’t like that some weeks we got a lot of work and others the work was easier There isn’t much I would consider changing because I have enjoyed it Since it is an online course, getting direct help and communicating was harder than I would have liked it to be Change the website a little bit, it was difficult early on to find the actual assignments amongst the paragraph for the week. Change the due date to Sunday because Wednesday are inconvenient I didn’t like having to e-mail the work directly because the turn-in drive was often too crowded or not working. Make the face-to-face meetings optional. I didn’t like the formatting of the wiki space. The paragraphs were often confusing and sometimes it was hard to know what the actual assignment was. One thing I would change about the course is to have an example of how to do the chapter work so that you won’t be lost when doing it The assignments were repetitive Change the screening to determine who is eligible for enrolling. In my case, I thought I would be able to work proficiently outside of school but did not I would change teaching Access Student Feedback Negative, things to change No change needed, Number of assignments, Getting help, Directions on website, Due dates, Turning-in assignments, No face-to-face meetings, Student eligibility, Drop MS Access renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net

18. Lessons Learned renata.geurtz@pflugervilleisd.net Overall, great course for students , a forward thinking course for our high school, and seat generating for CTE department My recommendations: teach a face-to-face section of the course and don’t teach at multiple high schools