Problem+Statement

Problem Statement
One of the many problems that teachers face as they try to teach twenty first century skills in their classrooms is how to cover the multitude of standards they are responsible for in a way that engages students in higher order thinking. The current body of educational research supports the notion that authentic learning is able to achieve this goal by bundling standards into thematic units (Rules, & Barrera, 2008). Additionally, Brown (2007) and Yang (2009) identify the benefits of students creating multimedia as an effective way to develop higher order thinking skills. Along with the current emphasis on authentic learning is the recognition of the need to maximize the learning experiences of each student by meeting them where they are academically and challenging them to their fullest. This is especially difficult in today's schools as most classes are comprised of students with a wide range of abilities, interests, and motivational levels. To accomplish this seemingly lofty goal teachers are increasing being required to differentiate their instruction to fit the level and learning styles of their diverse students. Thus, these two goals: creating technology rich authentic learning experiences for students and differentiating instruction pose very real problems for teachers.

The aim of this research is to test one method of differentiating instruction for elementary school students' who will be required to create a digital story to express their content and technology learning. Since whole group instruction forces students’ into lock stepped learning rather than learning at their own pace. One way to ameliorate this problem is to offer vodcast mini-lessons that explain how to use the software application (either Photostory or MovieMaker). This would allow students to progress at their own pace through their learning journey. Additionally, it would free the teacher to function as a facilitator of learning rather than as a manager of learning. The use of pod- and vodcasted instruction has been used for adult distance learning, but there is little research on its efficacy and use with elementary school students. Research Question

The research question this study will seek to answer is, "how does the ability to differentiate instruction via vodcasts and screencasts affect student achievement as compared to traditional direct instruction?" To assess this fourth (or fifth grade) students will create a digital story to share what they have learned about a (science or) social studies topic.