Case Study PowerPoint Unit 2

Media Utilization to Improve Academic Readiness Skills for Pre-Kindergarten Students A Case Study Brett Mahan, James De Lane & Melissa Smith

Introduction High quality early child care is a key factor in laying a solid foundation for school readiness for children from birth to 5 years of age. “ the learning experiences of the preschool years provide a foundation that guides children academically, socially, and emotionally” (Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, 2008) The field of educational professionals are currently trying to investigate a variety of methods to expand pre-kindergarten and early childhood programs, utilize effective instructional technology and provide resources for both funding and “professional development standards” (Early et al., p. 174).

High quality pre-kindergartens are explicitly intended to advance school-readiness. Provide solid foundation for later academic achievement success by utilizing logical and specialized technological advances.

Forever Growing Preschool Forever Growing is striving to continue to provide superior pre-kindergarten curriculum that aligns with the expectations that public education anticipates from its students. The school has experienced needed requirements for high levels of enrollment, economic demands, and costs for effective teacher training.

Background about the School Forever Growing 1990 in Alvin, Texas by Denise West Curriculum designed and integrated to include academic skills as well as social interactions devised for children ages 2-5. Taught academic and reading readiness through situational problem solving, phonological and phonemic awareness, and social dialogue.

Mission Statement Provide small class sizes Teacher as a guide Attainment of knowledge was a continuous process School’s symbol Caterpillar and a Butterfly

Specific (Functional) Area of Interest “ in a recent report on the portrait of American children entering kindergarten, increasingly large numbers of children enter school without the cognitive readiness skills needed to succeed” (Assel et al, 2007)

Analysis of the School’s History and Growth Challenges Funding to start the school Obtaining a larger facility Dropping the after-school program Redeveloping the curriculum to improve alignment with public school standards Achievements Remarkable results from students graduating from the program Acquiring support from local businesses.

History & Growth 1990 - Began with 5 students and grew to 12 students in just a couple of months. 1991 - School had to start turning away children. 1994 - After-school program terminated in order to support the future progress of the school. This choice would also transfer needed funds towards the pre-school program. Currently – A wonderful staff, a great facility and a prominent curriculum. Almost 100 full and part time students each year in their pre-kindergarten program.

Summary of the School’s Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Strong management system High quality curriculum Effective teacher training and staff development Weaknesses Obtaining financial capital Utilizing media instructional technology Developing effective marketing materials.

Responses and Results of the School’s Current Strategy Largest challenge is obtaining the financial capital which: Maintains the operations Supports the acquisition and implementation of resources Improve the educational quality of its programs Addressing these challenges Implements a mixture of initiatives to both raise funds and avoid costs. Obtain full and partial scholarships from local businesses to help off-set tuition costs Receives assistance with fund raising activities and donation matching Acquires one time financial gifts Teachers have voluntarily given up their pay

In spite of everything, there is not sufficient capital to acquire additional educational resources (technology implementation, training) Additional resources are needed to support the school’s over-all efforts Additional resources to help students especially from lower socio-economic family environments Additional resources will be leveraged to overcome the knowledge gap from pre-kindergarten readiness to kindergarten readiness.

The Specific Problem Forever Growing has 2 separate but ultimately intertwined problems. Leading problem is raising enough revenue to cover expenses and requirements for additional educational resources. Operating costs continue to rise Second problem is addressing and conforming to the increased academic standards in order to be competitive in the marketplace Case Study includes alternatives the school can incorporate to solve or mitigate the impacts of capital and learning resource insufficiency

Alternatives The following alternatives address media utilization and implementation that encompass possible solutions for the two problems of the school. Through the alternatives explained in this case study, we believe the school could both obtain media resources to be used in teaching the essential academic, reading, and social readiness skills needed for student academic success, and help raise some funds to improve the financial viability of the school.

Alternative One Have the director identify a list of specific academic, reading, and social readiness skills for which the students must learn and master Inquire about the possibility of having selected UHCL Instructional Design Technology (INST) graduate students design and develop instructional videos (DVD or web-based) on the listed topics Inquire about a cooperative design effort with the UHCL Digital Media Studies graduate students, to enhance the sophistication and complexity of the video products to include interactive learning modules.

Alternative Two Establish accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn which will allow the school to disseminate its purpose to the world, as well as connect with potential sources of academic and financial assistance Create a marketing campaign to significantly extend the size of its current community Increase social network would help in identify and obtain needed educational resources Create audio or video podcasts about the school, building community platforms of shared interests, and create a blog

Alternative Three Employ an instructional designer to construct a school website Utilizes social media Is another connection with the community A channel for all school communications with parents, supporters, etc. Forever Growing currently has very little visibility. A website will help expand school visibility well beyond its current reach becoming world wide.

Recommendations for Future Changes Through the power of media and the internet, the Forever Growing School will be able to: Increase awareness of its existence Increase its educational mission By increasing its network of contacts through use of electronic gateways it will be able to: Create opportunities to acquire resources for students and teachers Improve the instructional quality of the resources it has available and simultaneously reduce the costs of supporting print based curricular material

By expanding its network and social media connections and marketing the mission and value of the school the school will be able to: Improve access to individuals and entities that offer potential solutions to the school’s financial frailty By pursuing a mutually beneficial relationship with UHCL, Forever Growing will: Acquire instructional resources Enhance the school readiness of its students while simultaneously freeing up money needed for other operational purposes By utilizing and implementing the power of media, the school will significantly help solve their major problems

How the Alternatives and Recommendations Relate to AECT 3.1 The following slides are included to help delineate how the case study relates to AECT’s standard 3.1 “ Media utilization is the systematic resources for learning (Seels & Richey, 1994, p. 46). Utilization is the decision-making process of implementation based on instructional design specifications” (AECT, 2001).

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.1 The instructional design process, which will be used by the UHCL graduate students in developing the learning modules noted in the alternatives section, will include an analysis of the appropriate technologies for the learning needs that exist in the Forever Growing School. This analysis and the instructional design specifications, will guide the selection and use of technologies for the respective projects.

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.2 In recommending the development of DVD and website instructional materials that addressed learning and school readiness needs of the students, we anticipated that the school director would identify a variety of learning contexts. As noted, the school program focused on developing reading, problem-solving, social awareness, and other school readiness skills in its students.

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.3 The instructional design process undertaken by the UHCL graduate students developing the learning modules for the school will, if necessity, include consideration of the curriculum needs of the students. In the analysis and design phase of the project, the mission, goals, and objectives of the school will be considered.

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.4 During the coordination meeting with UHCL, and during subsequent interactions with the student developers, the school director and staff will exhibit strong communication skills in order to accurately and completely convey the instructional needs of the students.

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.5 The alternatives and recommendations involving development of a school website and use of social media resources to extend the breadth and depth of school’s network of contacts and connections, is directly related to this sub-standard. By using the noted electronic gateways, the school can acquire needed resources for students, teachers and the school.

Media Utilization Sub-Standard 3.1.6 Through the alternatives and recommendations noted, the school will collect high quality, standards-based curricula resources which support the learning needs of its students. These resources will be maintained and used to meet the educational mission and goals of the school, and to assist with the generation of revenue.

Conclusion This case study demonstrates the possibilities that media utilization has in addressing a variety of problems. In this study, the Forever Growing School faces financial concerns impacting its operations, and challenges for meeting the increasing academic standards mandated for improvement of early childhood preparation for school. The alternatives and recommendations of the study, utilizing media in a variety of formats, provide possible solutions to solve the main concerns exhibited by the school.

References Assel, M. A., Landry, S. H., Swank, P. R., & Gunnewig, S. (2007, July). An evaluation of curriculum, setting, and mentoring on the performance of children enrolled in pre-kindergarten. Reading and Writing, 20(5), 463-494. Retrieved from http://www.hwwilson.com/Documentation/WilsonWeb/howtocite/howtocite.htm Early, D., Bryant, D., Pianta, R., Clifford, R., Burchinal, M., Ritchie, S., et al. (2006). Are teachers' education, major, and credentials related to classroom quality and children's academic gains in pre-kindergarten? Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 21(2), 174-195. Smart Beginnings (Producer). (2007). The benefits of early education [video]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/b7cd3j_Ix5Y Smith, M (Producer). (2011). Forever growing: Interview with Denise West [video]. Alvin, Texas. Welcome to the Texas prekindergarten guidelines. (2008, May). Revised Texas prekindergarten guidelines [TEA release]. Retrieved October 19, 2009, from University of Texas System and Texas Education Agency website: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/pkguidelines/PKG_Final_100808.pdf

Case Study PowerPoint Unit 2

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Case Study PowerPoint Unit 2