Responses from a questionaire to the Year-Long Project students

1. What type of computer did you use in preparing your Mini-Unit? 18Your Powerbook; 9 Apple Macintosh; 8 IBM or clone with DOS; 4 IBM or clone with Windows;
other? 1 PowerMac; 1 Brother 2400

2. What's the name of the word processing program that you use on this computer? Please include the version of the program (the number after the name, e.g., MSWorks V3.0). 11 Works / 2 Works2.0 / 5 Word / 3 Word4.0 / 2 Word6.0 / 1 Word3.0 / 1 Word5.0 / 1 Word5.1 / 1 Word5.3 / 2 WordPerfect5.1 / 2 WordPerfect6.0 / 1 WordPerfect5.0 / 6 other unique answers

3. If you used someone else's computer to write your unit, tell us whose computer it is, e.g., is it your roommate's, spouse's, friend's, 1 parent's, etc.
3 CCSO/university / 2 "N/A" / 1 boyfriend / 1 brother's / 1 student's computer

4. During the semester what did you use the Powerbook for? 27 Coursework, 31 telecommunicating --18 personal, coursework? other?__1 games_____ 1 Everything - I used it everyday._______________

5. During this semester did you use the following on the Powerbook?
Wordprocessor: 11 Never / 2 Once / 28 More than once
Database: 26 Never / 7 Once / 5 More than once
Spreadsheet: 34 Never / 4 Once / 1 More than once

4. How frequently did you read email this semester?
7 Once a week or less / 16 2-3 times a week / 8 4-5 times a week / 5 once a day / 4 more than once a day

5. How frequently did you send email messages this semester?
18 Once a week or less / 9 2-3 times a week / 7 4-5 times a week / 4 once a day / 1 more than once a day

6. What proportion of your email messages (received and sent) were
class assignments and interactions?
4 100% / 18 75% / 6 50% / 7 25% / 1 0%
2 95% / 1 5% / 1 1-2%
personal correspondence?
2 100% / 7 75% / 6 50% / 16 25% / 0 0%
1 95% / 1 5%

7. Did you read email messages from any Listserv lists? 18 Yes 22 No
If yes, which?___15 Presto_____3 other misc answers_________________
Approximately how many messages did you read?___2 >100___2 too many___
13 other unique responses_
(of the 17 responses, 14 could be interpreted numerically: Mean 40.9; Median 40)

8. How helpful was email/Gopher in the completion of class assignments and interactions?
6 Very helpful / 19 helpful / 11 not very helpful / 2 not helpful at all
2 no response; 1 "didn't use"

9. How frequently did you use Gopher this semester?
18 Never 9 Once 14 More than once

10. What was the most useful thing that you learned from the Technology Component of the C&I Block?
Answers that occurred in at least 2 students' responses
21 Learning about Email/Eudora
10 Learning about the variety of uses/software available
5 Learning to use Powerbooks
4 Gopher
3 Multimedia/CD-ROMs
2 Works/word processing
2 Spreadsheets/databases

11. What was the least useful thing that you learned?
Answers that occurred in at least 2 students' responses
7 ERIC
5 Listservs/PRESTO
4 Spreadsheets
3 Databases
3 Gopher
3 No time to use what was presented
2 Level was too basic

12. What suggestions would you make for changes for next semester?

• NOTE: This comment corresponds with question 6: I tried to send 2 personal messages (outside of YLP) and they were bounced back after it took forever to send it. The programs available for the children to use (CDROMs) like Artist and Dinosaurs
  
• Applications for student use in the classroom. How current teachers use it.
  
• Make the technology part optional in the beginning, or separate groups so we can begin with more advanced concepts.
  
• The component needs to start differently. Make sure everyone knows email before throwing everything else at them.
  
• Make this more explicitly relevant rather than let us come up with uses. It seem like info that I am not going to use at this point. Maybe I'm missing something.
  
• Don't give directions on use unless students have computer on which to follow along. People in the back of the room could barely hear and usually couldn't see.
  
• Make this more hands-on
  
• Possibly small group instruction - it was too hard to follow in a large group.
  
• Teach more about using computers in the classroom - the possibilities.
  
• Update the program on PB. Make it easier to print from them.
  
• More uses in the average classroom. Many classrooms do not have this advanced technology.
  
• Change the time and/or day. Friday PMs was long and difficult to concentrate after a week of teaching. More practical applications to our classrooms. I can see maybe using the CDROM lecture we had, but I will probably never use Gopher or Presto
  
• Open computer lab on Sundays soon. Let students work on computers in lab from day 1.
  
• Pre-assess to see what we know. I was surprised at the # of people who didn't know how to use a wordprocessor and email, but I didn't want to sit through the explanation. Some lessons were too simplistic and boring for me.
  
• Perhaps not to require attendance at these but have them as optional for those who are interested. Have workshops in the evening for interested people.
  
• I was offended by some of the presentations. I am not computer illiterate. I think that this should be an option requirement. I did not like being used as guinea pigs for a University study.
  
• Pace really too fast and complex. Keep technology simple where all students are sure to learn through means other than observation.
  
• Give everyone a PowerBook
  
• To include tech component before we are in the class. Maybe jr year of classes. This would give us more time to mess around with it.
  
• Introduce this stuff early so that we have time playing around with it - maybe before this semester
  
• Make sure that the things being taught can be used in the classroom. Take a survey of everyone's previous computer knowledge and then breakdown into groups. Too basic for most of us.
  
• More classroom connections.
  
• Hands on the entire time; that was a lot more relevant.
  
• Split the class into smaller groups. Preassess us before we started learning about the computer. Pass directions around with disk.
  
• Change class to Monday afternoons so YLP people are not so tired.
  
• Do more in the lab so that we can try things as we learn; I take notes, but I am still confused when I try things out by myself.
  
• More time in class to play with what we are taught, like we did at end with MSWorks. Put Works stuff at the beginning.
  
• Group students according to ability levels and interests. As one who knows little about computers, I would have liked to have learned more about word processing functions. The tech portions should be shortened - presented every other week.
  
• Go more slowly the first time through when explaining Email/functions of PB because many of us were very lost at first with all the fast computer jargon.
  
• If people already know how to do the things, then they should not have to sit through the explanations.
  
• Focus on how to make charts/tables. Have class in Room 10 for hands-on
  
• Only have these sessions for a month then have ERIC and Listserv later for those interested.
  
• I think this course had potential but, unfortunately, most schools are not networked so if we are going to learn all this maybe we should learn VIeditor so we can buy our own subscription to prairienet...
  
• The information was either too basic or way over our heads. It never seemed to be "just right".
  
• do not teach at such a basic and slow level
  
• Incorporate IBM activities within the tech. component of C&I.
  
• More opportunities for those whose computer skills are furthe along. Ex. Working with connecting to other computers and their db programs

for next year?

• Break us into groups next year so those who are more advanced can go on and those of us who know nothing about computers get slow, step by step instructions.
  
• We shouldn't be required to do assignments thru email.
  

There was a similar questionnaire of YLP students in 1995-1996.