Running head: WIKI USE IN PBL 1

Wiki Use in Project-Based Learning: A Collaborative Exercise

Mark DeFoor

Kennesaw State University

WIKI USE IN PBL 2

Introduction

Wikis are the new way for groups to collaborate and coordinate complex projects

(LeFever, 2007). Used in education, wikis make it easy for students to change the content of a

web page with one click of a button. It is as easy as edit, write and save. Wikis provide a

collaborative and constructive learning environment and are an effective tool for project-based

learning (PBL) (Parker & Chao, 2007). Although there are several definitions of PBL, critical

components of this instructional model are a driving question, or problem, and the production of

one or more artifacts as representations of learning (Adderley et al., 1975; Blumefield et al.,

1991). PBL actively engages students in a demanding process requiring the use of critical

thinking skills, collaboration with peers, and the ability to rely on past experiences to develop

and build competencies required of 21st century learners. Furthermore, PBL has been

demonstrated to improve students’ ability to reason and argue clearly (Stepien, Gallagher, &

Workman, 1993). Students in classrooms that incorporate PBL perform at least as well on

standardized tests as their peers in traditional classrooms (Thomas, 2000). Collaboration is

heavily emphasized because of its importance in group work. Group work is a trademark of PBL

and is a critical skill required of high school students as they become college and career ready.

A paradigm shift is underway in the workforce as employers place high value on prospective

employees who already possess skills necessary to solve problems in a collaborative

environment.

Enter the wiki. Wiki is a web site that allows users to easily edit content by creating and

editing web pages in a collaborative manner (Chao, 2007). Wiki is a highly valued tool that

helps students reach many of Bloom’s higher order thinking skills (Vanderbilt University, 2015).

Wikis serve several purposes in education. They serve as a repository for the documentation of

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student work and a place for teachers and students to post relevant course and/or project material.

The use of wikis in group projects is predicted to encourage equal participation from team

members since an electronic record is kept of every contribution to every wiki page (Elgort,

Smith, & Toland, 2008). Wikis are truly effective in a PBL environment when task instructions

are clear and concise, time is allotted for students to practice using them, and the complexity of

tasks start at a beginner’s level and progress in complexity over time. An advantage of using

wiki technology as a platform for conducting group assessment is that it can make the quantity

and quality of each group member’s contribution more transparent; potentially encouraging

participation (Barkley, Cross, & Major, 2005). Course work and assessments are designed in

such a way that the success of an individual is linked to the success of the group (Elgort, Smith,

& Toland, 2008). However, research exists that contradicts the collaborative nature of wikis

comparing them to email exchanges and posts on discussion boards (Elgort, Smith, & Toland,

2008). In addition, studies show that forgetting to close a page after editing makes the wiki

unavailable to others and leaves students frustrated (Johnson & Sims, 2013). This type of delay

causes tensions among group members (Johnson & Sims, 2013). Notwithstanding, wikis have

proven to support the construction of knowledge by students participating in wiki based projects.

Instead of engaging in conversation about concepts and their application, wikis create action as

students focus on applying what they already know and have learned (Gentzler, 2005).

This study begins with an assessment of technology literacy skills of third grade level

students in the Lafayette, Louisiana school district followed by an assessment of a mathematics

lesson using wiki technology in an intact third grade class. Practical applications of wiki

technology were studied and analyzed for the purpose of discovering how effective wiki

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technology was in promoting collaboration among participants as well as their contributions to

group work.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to examine wikis as an effective collaborative tool for

students and determine if this technology promotes group participation in a project based

learning assignment.

Research Questions

Research questions addressed in this study are:

RQ1: What wiki tools promote collaboration and interaction in a PBL environment?

RQ2: What characteristics of wikis motivate students to participate in group work?

Importance of the Study

In today’s society, groups routinely need to plan, organize and coordinate various

activities in an efficient way. The old way of communicating through emails and text messages

leaves critical information scattered and difficult to locate. Wiki technology enables groups to

coordinate their plans better by allowing users to edit, write and save information in one central

location (LeFever, 2007). Instead of communicating in a one-to-one relationship, wikis provide

a many-to-many communication method for maximum collaboration. Applying this same

approach to education, wikis have become an extremely useful tool in today’s classrooms. The

functionality of wikis make them an excellent tool for collaboration in an online environment

(Augar, Waitman, & Zhou, 2004). They can be used to facilitate ongoing, thought provoking

discussions about many topics over the course of an entire semester (Deters, Cuthrell, &

Stapleton, 2010). Instead of being customers of knowledge, students become consumers of

knowledge (Bullough & Gitlin, 2001).

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Used in PBL, wikis promote social interaction among students in and out of the

classroom. This marriage between teaching strategies and technology is consistent with the

desire of educators to flatten classroom walls and provide students an opportunity to take control

of their education outside of school. The structure of PBL and the capabilities of wikis create an

environment that promotes group work. Today’s students must improve problem solving skills

and become more adept at working in groups to meet the needs of a 21st century workforce.

However, research exists that contradicts the effectiveness of wikis as a collaborative tool.

Students seem to be willing to post information to wiki sites but not so willing to share

information and exchange ideas (Elgort, Smith, & Toland, 2008). Students express frustration

over having to wait to use wikis while other students edit pages. Students encounter

inconsistencies in feedback from classmates and instructors. They are also hesitant to critique

each other’s work. Even though this research exists, there are significant gaps in the literature

that do not explore these contradictions in depth. Therefore, this study would add to existing

research by examining the features of wikis and how these features are integrated into PBL

assignments. This study could potentially uncover breakdowns in group structures that would be

crucial in redefining the role of wikis and eliminating potential obstacles to learning.

Definition of Terms

Blended learning – Blended learning are courses/classes where a portion of the traditional

face to face instruction is replaced by web based online learning. Blended learning is also

referred to as a hybrid course (UCF, 2015).

Jigsaw – A collaborative learning strategy that divides an assignment or topic into

segmented parts with all students from each group volunteering to become experts on one of the

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parts. The experts then reassemble in their groups where they teach the other group members

(Srinivas, 2015)

Project-based learning (PBL) – PBL is an instructional strategy that requires complex

tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, that involve students in design, problem

solving, decision making and give students the opportunity to work autonomously over extended

periods of time and culminate in realistic products or presentations (Thomas, 2000).

Web 2.0 – Web 2.0 refers to web based applications used for collaborating, creating and

sharing user generated content online. Examples of Web 2.0 tools include Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube, Wikipedia, and various blog sites.

Wiki – A website that allows users to edit its structure and content in a collaborative

manner.

Review of Literature

Introduction

Today’s students must learn and develop skills that will allow them to succeed in a

competitive business environment. Educators need to teach what wikis and other social software

may mean to business, not as phenomenon, but as a skill (Evans, 2006). Web 2.0 tools have

become more popular with the proliferation of applications such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook,

Flickr, Pandora and Google Earth. PBL is described as student-centered instruction that occurs

over an extended period of time where students select, plan and produce a presentation that

answers and/or solves a real world problem (Holm, 2011). This instructional approach has

positive effects on students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as their ability to

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collaborate and communicate with classmates. Today’s 21st century learner must master these

competencies in order to be college and career ready.

Wiki Technology in Education

The word wiki originates from Hawaii and means quick. Introduced by Ward

Cunningham in 1995, wikis were developed as a tool for collaborative learning (Leung & Chu,

2009). Wikis have since emerged to become a prevailing Web 2.0 tool for education that allows

students to take advantage of the Internet and engage in skills that are at the top of learning

taxonomies. Research suggests that wikis are ideal for knowledge creation and management

(Bruns & Humphrey, 2007). Due to an increasing presence of the Internet in education, a

paradigm shift to a student centered classroom is underway (Zafirov, 2013). Research suggests

that wikis involve students in their own construction of knowledge (Parker & Chao, 2007).

Studies also show that cooperative learning, a form of group work, leads to positive

interdependence of group members, face to face interactions between students and improved

collaborative skills (Schaffert, Bischof, Buerger, Gruber, Hilzensauer & Schaffert, 2006).

Studies show that whether working face to face, or online, students feel class projects using

wikis provide a valuable learning experience (Elgort, Smith, & Toland, 2008). Messages are

easily posted for discussion and peer feedback is quickly provided on work regardless of a

student’s physical location.

Project Based Learning

Today’s workforce demands that students develop better problem solving skills and

become more adept at working in groups. Project based learning is a solution to address these

issues (Zafirov, 2013). Notwithstanding, research exists that shows challenges in implementing

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PBL. In particular, students must take newly acquired knowledge and apply it to solving

complex problems. This creates cognitive overload for most students (Ching & Hsu, 2013).

Although research is limited in this area, wikis are not always successful in education (Elgort,

Smith & Toland, 2008). For example, if collaboration is not required for a task, then using a

wiki is pointless. If the design of the task is not authentic, then the use of a wiki becomes

problematic. Further research suggests that wikis are limited with respect to students’ use of

collaboration to create knowledge (Elgort, Smith & Toland, 2008). Students seem willing to

post information to wiki sites but not so willing to share information and exchange ideas.

The review of literature supports PBL and wikis have similar characteristics and positive

contributions in education through collaboration, communication and group work. However,

limited research exists that explores the effectiveness of this technology in promoting group

participation among students conducting PBL activities. Even though wiki is considered an

effective tool for asynchronous learning in PBL and blended learning instructional models, the

benefits of this technology to education still remain unclear. By examining the use of wikis in

group work, additional research may determine how wikis can contribute to and improve

collaborative learning (Leung & Chu, 2009).

Research Methodology

This study was conducted using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design in a

third grade class. A wiki was used in a third grade classroom as an instructional tool to teach

students about fractions. Specifically, the lesson was about fraction halves, quarters and wholes.

All content related material, links to supplemental material, assessments, surveys and simulations

were embedded into a wiki hosted by Wikispaces.com.

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Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect and examine data. This data

was used to answer research questions identified as RQ1 and RQ2. Emphasis of this study was

placed on quantitative data. Data collected in phase one helped determine the volume of wiki

use and the attitudes of participants towards the use of wikis. This data was intended to be an

indicator of how students and groups contributed to the PBL assignment and if collaboration was

involved. Qualitative data helped explain patterns that developed in student to student

interactions and overall wiki use. The intent of the mixed methods design was that the

qualitative data would triangulate the quantitative data and provide greater accuracy for data

collected in the quantitative phase as well as uncover any unanticipated results.

A Technology Literacy Survey (Appendix A) was administered to all participants in an

effort to gather data and determine general levels of technology literacy. This survey provided

data about participants’ abilities to access and use technology to solve problems. Tracking

features in wiki software that show the volume of use and time students spend on the wiki site

were used to answer research question RQ1. Surveys using a Likert scale were administered to

students and faculty of the intact third grade class studied. These surveys were also used to

quantify the frequency and duration of wiki use. Finally, a post assignment survey was

administered to participants to measure their attitudes toward elements of wiki technology as

those elements were used in their mathematics lesson.

The second phase of the research consisted of student and teacher focus group interviews

to answer RQ1 and RQ2. Two focus group sessions were conducted during the study. One

interview session helped assess students’ opinions about wiki technology in a mathematics

lesson about fractions, and the second interview was administered to the teacher to obtain her

responses regarding the effectiveness of integrating wiki technology into a mathematics lesson

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about fractions. Attempts were made by the investigator to routinely monitor and track student

progress in real time. The monitoring process was designed to help determine success levels for

students participating in the PBL assignment.

Participants

Participants in the mathematics lesson about fractions were selected from an intact group

of third grade students. They included 17 students (10 females, 7 males) and one third grade

level teacher. The ethnicity of the students included 8 Caucasians, 7 African Americans, and 2

Native Americans. The age of the students ranged from 8 – 10 years old. The makeup of the

participants represented the overall demographic population of student body in the entire third

grade which consists of 128 students. The teacher is considered highly qualified in her field and

has twelve years of teaching experience in elementary grade levels. None of the participants

were compensated for their participation in this study.

Data Sources and Collection

Data collection for this survey took place over a 2 day period. Several data sources were

used for this study including a Technology Literacy Survey (Appendix A), post assignment

formative assessment (quiz), post assignment attitudinal survey and an assessment tool in the

wiki software. The Technology Literacy Survey (Table 1, 2 and 3) was administered to the

entire third grade class (N=128) to determine:

Students’ access to technology

Students’ attitudes towards the importance of technology

Students’ use of technology with school related activities

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The Technology Literacy Survey was administered before any research was conducted in the

classroom. Because the survey was given to the entire third grade class, teachers were given a

two week time frame to integrate the survey into a class period to ensure that all third grade

students had ample opportunities to complete the survey. All responses to the survey were

collected through Google Forms.

A multiple choice quiz consisting of 6 questions was administered to the intact third

grade class (N=17) to assess students’ abilities to understand concepts of fraction halves,

quarters and whole shapes. The quiz was administered at the end of the second class session and

prior to the post assignment attitudinal survey. All responses to the quiz were collected through

Google Forms.

Qualitative data was collected through focus group interviews during the second day of

classroom instruction. Because of the small class size (N=17) and the limitations on time,

students were randomly divided into two groups for their focus group interviews. Students were

randomly assigned numbers 1 – 17 and were chosen for 2 groups using the Random Number

Generator feature on a TI-84 graphing calculator. Students that were assigned the first 9 random

numbers between 1 and 17 were assigned to Group 1 and the remaining 8 students were assigned

to Group 2. It is important to note that these groups were created for convenience only and not

to create an experimental and control group. Students were asked open ended questions about

the mathematics lesson that was conducted using wiki technology to assess their interest levels

and overall attitudes towards using wiki software to learn about fraction wholes, halves and

fourths. Data from both focus groups was recorded in a notebook over a 30 minute time period.

The classroom teacher was interviewed at the end of the second day of onsite research. The

teacher was asked open ended questions about the integration of wiki technology into her

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classroom lesson and her attitude toward the value of using wiki technology as a tool to

supplement face to face instruction.

Data Results

Data collected before and after the mathematics lesson using wiki technology was

assessed to answer the following research questions:

RQ1: Which wiki tools promote collaboration and interaction in a PBL classroom lesson?

RQ2: What characteristics of wikis motivate students to participate in group work?

Technology Literacy Survey

Data obtained from a Technology Literacy Survey is contained in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 1 contains responses to questions about the availability of technology to students in and

outside of the school building.

Figure 1

Percent of Responses to Availability of Technology (N=128)

Survey Item Yes (%) No (%) Sometimes (%)

Is there a computer at your home? 76.6 4.7 18.8

Do you have internet access at home? 85.9 5.5 8.6

Do you own a smart phone, tablet, laptop or any other digital device that can access the school’s wireless network?

80.5 14.1 5.5

Do you participate in your school’s BYOT policy? 23.4 76.6 0

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Figure 2 contains responses to questions about the attitudes of students towards the importance

of technology to them.

Figure 2

Attitudinal Responses to Importance of Technology (N=128)

Survey ItemStrongly disagree

(%)

Disagree (%)

Somewhat disagree

(%)

No opinion

(%)

Somewhat agree (%)

Agree (%)

Strongly Agree (%)

Technology is important to my daily life.

0.8 3.1 5.5 14.8 17.2 30.5 28.1

Learning about technology will help me get the job I want.

3.1 9.4 7.8 10.9 15.6 26.6 26.6

I enjoy learning about technology.

1.6 1.6 2.3 1.6 11.7 24.2 57

I feel confident using technology to solve problems.

4.7 3.9 3.9 8.6 27.3 28.9 22.7

Figure 3 contains responses to students’ use of technology towards the completion of school

related tasks.

Figure 3

Percent of Responses to Technology Use for School Related Tasks (N=128)

Survey Item Never Almost Sometimes Weekly Daily

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(%) Never (%) (%) (%) (%)For school work, how often do you use a computer to send or receive messages?

32.8 9.4 26.6 7.8 23.4

For school work, how often do you use a computer to view or download digital media?

42.2 13.3 24.2 7.8 12.5

For school work, how often do you use a computer to send or share digital media?

49.2 13.3 13.3 12.5 11.7

For school work, how often do you use a computer to create a presentation?

43.8 15.6 26.6 7.8 6.3

For school work, how often do you use a computer to play games or run simulations?

3.1 4.7 21.9 25 45.3

Post Assignment Attitudinal Survey

Data obtained from this survey is contained in Figure 4. The survey contains data about

the attitudes of students towards the use of wikis in a mathematics lesson about fraction halves,

quarters, and wholes.

Figure 4

Wiki Reflection Survey (N=17)

Survey ItemCompletely Unhelpful

(%)

Somewhat Unhelpful

(%)

Somewhere in the

Middle (%)

Somewhat Helpful

(%)

Very Helpful

(%)How helpful do you think each of the following elements are to your learning?

Links to supplemental content 0 0 42.9 14.3 42.9

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Simulations or interactive animations 0 0 0 28.6 71.4

Review or prepare to test/quiz online 0 0 28.6 42.9 28.6

Taking test/quiz online 0 0 0 57.1 42.9

Working in groups with technology to solve problems 0 0 28.6 42.9 28.6

Assessment of the Wiki Assignment in Elementary Mathematics

Data collected from focus group interviews involving the teacher and intact class are

provided in Figure 5. The data was analyzed and coded using notes made during the focus group

interviews and from student observations made during the classroom lesson. Broad themes were

discovered from trending ideas that prevailed during data analyzed from notes recorded during

the focus group interviews and student observations.

Figure 5

Fractions – Equal and unequal parts, halves and fourths

Trending Idea(s) Occurrences Themes

TeacherLiked the openness and accountability of wikis 6 Wikis are transparent

Easy to add content 4 Basic wiki features are easy to use

Easy to store material for reoccurring use 4 Wikis serve as a repository

for storing data

Like ability to link online assessments 3 Assessments can be

integrated into wikis

Blogging features are difficult 5 The blogging features of

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to incorporate into lessons Wikispaces are difficult to use

Not practical for elementary age students to use outside of class

5Wikis are more practical for middle school and high school ages

Students were curious about working in groups using technology

3 Students are interested using technology for group work

Students

Like Prezi presentation 15 Audio visual presentation engages students

Like YouTube video 12 Audio visual presentation engages students

Like the idea of communicating with peers outside of school

17Students are interested in learning outside of the classroom

Like the online assessment 10 Students feel comfortable taking online assessments

Like using technology 11 Self-efficacy in using technology to learn

Discussions of Findings

Limitations

There were limitations in this study that should be mentioned. Time was a limiting factor

that prevented participants from learning more about wiki technology. There was not enough

scheduled classroom time to integrate blogging into the assignment as a tool for participants to

push their own thinking (Saka, 2007). Blogging is an essential feature of wikis in today’s digital

age where students’ voices can be heard without cost (Ferriter, 2009). Blogging is a part of wiki

technology intended for collaboration among groups and is a key component in determining

students’ willingness to participate in group work (Thomas, 2009). Limited time also played a

critical role in introducing the ability for participants to access the wiki outside of the classroom.

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Not being able to assign individual usernames and passwords for all participants made it

impossible for them to access the wiki at home.

Another limitation to this study was the assessment tool in Wikispaces that tracks

participants’ use of wikis in real time. Wiki users with proper permissions can use this tool as a

real time formative assessment to track the contributions of students based on 4 actions.

No activity while participant was logged into the wiki

Participant(s) reading a wiki page

Participant(s) were writing and/or editing a wiki page

Participant(s) were saving content to a wiki page or creating and saving a new wiki page

The major limitation to the assessment feature is that it only tracks the most recent 30 minute

segment of participant activity and does not archive usage beyond the most recent 30 minutes.

There are also no provisions within Wikispaces to print an activity report showing usage during

or beyond the 30 minute time period. The teacher has to make a conscious effort to routinely

monitor the wiki assessment feature to accurately evaluate participant and/or group activities

during an assignment. Ideally, the wiki assessment tool would work best with a co-teacher

monitoring and recording data in real time as participants used the wiki.

Summary of Key Findings

Wikis Allow Users to Easily Add and Edit Content

Throughout the notes recorded during the teacher focus group interview (Figure 5),

repeated mentions were made of how easy the wiki was to use with regards to adding and editing

content. Specific statements made by the teacher suggested the wiki was easy for users to add

content:

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“It was as easy as copying and pasting things in a word document.”

“All I had to do was cut and paste the url to the YouTube video.”

“I found the file I wanted and clicked the upload button.”

“It was easy to add and store content.”

There are no findings in this study that indicate ease of use for students regarding adding or

editing content because the mathematics task they were given did not require them to add or edit

content to the wiki.

Wikis Encourage Collaboration

Data obtained from the Technology Literacy Survey (Figure 3) suggests the majority of

students (67.2%) of the entire third grade class have communicated with classmates by sending

or receiving messages electronically for school related activities. This demonstrates a level of

technical literacy and ability to use collaborative tools associated with wiki technology.

Furthermore, data collected from the post assignment attitudinal survey (Figure 4) suggests the

majority of participants of the intact class (71.5%) believe that working in groups with

technology to solve problems is important to their learning. To further support this belief, an

emerging theme from focus group interview (Figure 5) indicates participants like the idea of

communicating with other students outside of the classroom. It is important to note that during

the mathematics lesson, participants did not use technology to communicate with other groups

and/or students in or out of the classroom. The data collected in this study simply indicates a

propensity for participants to adopt wiki collaboration tools such as blogging, if those tools were

made available to them in their instruction.

Wikis Promote Group Work

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Data collected from the post assignment attitudinal survey (Figure 4) indicates

participants like the structure of wiki pages by having access to content, simulations, assessments

and surveys in one central location. This is important because the structure of the mathematics

lesson made it practical for the teacher to use a jigsaw cooperative learning strategy and easily

divide the assignment into equal parts for participants. The jigsaw approach was used to

demonstrate the process of participants solving problems using strategies associated with group

work by having them work individually on parts of a task then re-group and share knowledge to

complete a culminating assessment. Emerging themes in data collected from focus group

interview (Figure 5) indicates participants liked the individual components of the wiki site. It

would seem to make sense that if they liked the individual components of the wiki, such as

watching a video and/or Prezi presentation, then they would be willing to share knowledge they

acquired from those presentations with group mates. Does this necessarily mean that this type of

interaction among participants should be considered the formative stages of group work? It

cannot be determined that participants would have arbitrarily participated equally in the

mathematics assignment if the teacher had not used a collaborative learning strategy. As

suggested by Elgort, Smith, & Toland (2008), it cannot be determined that the mathematics

assignment and assessments were designed in such a way that the success of the individual was

linked to the success of the group. Although the mean score for the mathematics quiz was 96.9,

it is difficult to determine how these individual scores are linked to the success of the groups.

Directions for Future Research

In general, the results of this study support the idea that wikis are likely to promote

collaboration and group work among students in a third grade elementary class. However, at the

WIKI USE IN PBL 20

third grade level much responsibility falls on the teacher to effectively structure assignments that

require students to use wikis in a sequential manner thereby missing out on opportunities to

make decisions on their own and exercise critical thinking skills with classmates to solve

problems. Future research in the K-12 realm of education should focus on wiki use in middle to

high school grades where students are better prepared academically and socially to work on their

own, access technology away from the classroom, blog in an effective manner, and work in

groups where the structure of the group is formed from within; with little guidance from the

teacher. It is important for these students to transfer the knowledge they obtain from working

with wikis to how this technology, as well as the act of working in groups, can be used to solve

problems in real world scenarios.

Conclusion

As Tapscott and Williams, (2008) write, a power shift is underway and a tough new

business rule is emerging; harness the new collaboration or perish. Those who fail to grasp this

will find themselves ever more isolated, cut off from the networks that are sharing, adapting, and

updating knowledge to create value (Tapscott & Williams, 2008). This philosophy not only

applies to businesses and individuals, but more importantly, high school students that are

preparing themselves to become college and career ready. Wiki technology serves as a tool that

when integrated with PBL is a strategy educators need to teach students as a skill and not as

some phenomenon. There are deficiencies in wiki technology, but prior research indicates these

deficiencies are more technical in nature. As wiki technology improves, it is expected that many

of these deficiencies will be eliminated for users. The majority of existing research focuses on

wiki technology in PBL and blended learning environments in post-secondary education. The

demands of college and many career paths for high school graduates are focusing on those who

WIKI USE IN PBL 21

can effectively collaborate with colleagues and contribute to groups to take advantage of pooling

resources (Root, 2015). The inclusion of wikis in the workplace increases the attachment of

employees to companies and as a consequence, productivity and product quality (Tapscott &

Williams, 2008).

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WIKI USE IN PBL 26

Appendix A

Technology Literacy Survey

1. Which one of the following best describes you? Select only one choice.

o Whiteo African Americano Latino/ao Asiano Native Americano Other

2. Is there a computer at your home that you use?

o Yeso No

3. Do you have Internet access at home?

o Yeso No

4. How often do people in your home speak to each other in a language other than English?

o Nevero Occasionallyo Half of the timeo All or most of the time

5. Do you own a smart phone, tablet, laptop or any other digital device that can access the school’s wireless network?

o Yeso No

6. How much do you disagree or agree with the following statements about technology? Select one circle in each row.

Strongly disagree Disagree No

opinion Agree Strongly agree

Technology is important to ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

WIKI USE IN PBL 27

my daily lifeLearning about technology will help me in the future ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Learning about technology will help me get the job I want

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

I enjoy learning about technology ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

7. For school work, how often do you use a computer or other digital technology for the following activities? Select one circle for each row.

NeverRarely during

the year

Rarely during the

month

Rarely during

the week

Daily or almost daily

Send or receive messages (e-mail, text, instant, blog) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

View or download digital media ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Create, edit or organize digital media ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Send or share digital media ○ ○ ○ ○ ○Create a presentation ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

8. Away from school, how often do you use a computer or other digital technology for the following activities? Select one circle for each row.

NeverRarely during

the year

Rarely during the

month

Rarely during

the week

Daily or almost daily

Play games or run simulations ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Search for information on the Internet ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Maintain a website or blog ○ ○ ○ ○ ○Participate in online discussion forums or social networking sites

○ ○ ○ ○ ○