Survey 'Cumulative' Scores Disagree/Low/Less     Agree/High/More      1        2         3        4         5 (Maximum score is 5 x 21 = 105)

Additional Feedback from Respondents:
(Each paragraph below is from a different subject. My intention was to remove all identifying details. If anything remains you would like removed please contact me. jfuller@southwest.com.au)

I like the idea ... Distance Ed might be interested in the concept. My kids cheat in class - how would I stop them cheating on this

... the Chemistry lessons look really good. What sort of onus does it put on the marker ?

I put all the CAF material and course ware on a intranet site for my upper school students. When the moderator wanted to see the documentation I had to print it off. Students are ready to use netlessons but I doubt teachers are yet.

I think you hit the nail on the head with number 9. The other consideration is also obviously PD or expertise to create them. Our school is basically a consumer society and anything akin to primary industry where something must be produced requires a steep learning curve. :-)

Its a whole new area for us in England - teaching kids from 4 through 11on a networked online classroom is incredibly exciting BUT we have no experience to draw on. We're learning from international (OZ & US) experiences. Our real problem is lack of money to buy software licences, & lack of primary teacher knowledge about the possibilities of online lesson work. As usual in the UK, the equipment arrives 2 years before the teacher training! I'd be very interested in the other responses - I'm not worried about anonymity (more about my spelling).

We use xxxx which was developed by staff from xxxx - now a private company. Has limitations which I am concerned about. I am also creating web pages with links and exercises for some classes.

I've already bookmarked your chemistry lessons for other teachers in my school (I'm the English teacher). We have a need for students who wish to specialise in viticulture to have a specialist chemistry course and for those students with an interest in chem to continue it at a vocational level. Teachers expressed an interest in the Net Lesson approach - but I think I am actually going to have to take each of them by the hand and walk them through it as though I've bookmarked it for them, neither of them have yet had time to look at it. We also find ourselves in the situation where we can only offer MIPS as a maths course, but have some students who should be given another option. Net lessons seems the way to go. Though our network will not be ready for another month or so - after that, hopefully such possibilities will become real.

Whilst I personally can see the benefit of NetLessons in some instances, I can not see individual schools spending limited funds on them at this stage. For example, students who are sick, pregnant or unable to attend school may benefit but they represent less than 1% of the school population. An initiative such as Net Lessons would need to be funded outside of schools to be cost effective.

Having recently used some of ...  online materials on Internet and Digital Composition with my students it is clear that they need to be interactive and motivational for success (...  material is not interactive like yours). They are great with the disciplined students but weak students or poor readers seem disadvantaged by the NetLessons concept (ie. they help the good kids get further in front!) Now I believe hard work should be rewarded but I also like to inspire the weak students to improve themselves.

As a Primary School Deputy(with the SAER focus), not a class teacher, my use of Net Lessons would be limited, however I do see a role for them, particularly if sound can be attached and they can be shaped along the line of SRA type reading tasks for struggling readers, who like the access of a computer. This would enable more layers to be added to a remedial program. It is an area that would be great to explore, also for those kids who cannot engage in learning in the normal class structure. The high level learners who can be taken on journeys beyond the classroom.

This is a concept I must admit we have not considered at this stage, although it is interesting that it came up twice in the one day. ... (of) ... was talking about a project he is working on, and .... also seem to be investigating. Issues of intellectual property/copyright were the main issues raised. Good luck.

As Information Technology support at my school, I can not only see this as being valuable in curriculum areas, but also in the LIT PD area. It would be very valuable as a tool for teaching staff members the advantages they can gain from their new classroom technologies, thus providing further advantages for the children.

My General Comments:

It is doubtful that the 'Cumulative' scores are all that informative. With a maximum possible rating of 105 (21x5) some general statements are possible where scores are well above or below the 'mean' of around 50 (Late Note: As one of the commentators below pointed out, the 'mean' is closer to 60 than 50 - I forgot there are no 'zero' responses.), but it would be unwise to make too many generalisations. It is best to look at the individual ratings of each response as in Table 1. Each vertical column contains the set of ratings of one respondent.

From the results I believe it would be reasonable to suggest:
- that most respondents believe their school has an adequate number of computers (statement 1),
- that in most schools computers are concentrated in laboratories (statement 4),
- that there is a perceived need for something like NetLessons (statement 5),
- that respondents believe their school administration would support them in a NetLessons venture (statements 7 and 8),
- that respondents see the time required to develop NetLessons to be a problem.

Statement numbers 5, 6 and 10 all relate to perceived 'need' for NetLessons. It would be reasonable to expect some consistency in these responses. Statement 6 relates to the perceived need in "my" school whereas statement 10 focuses more on "schools" in general. Some difference in responses could be expected between these two.

With a sample size of 21 it would not be a good idea to make too many generalisations from the data. The respondents are all subscribers to "echalk" and therefore heavily involved in educational computing (most are computing 'co-ordinators' in their schools). The results are interesting and show support for the NetLesson concept. Any wider conclusions are on shaky ground.

I welcome others to interpret the data and email comments. I will post them here for others to see. jfuller@southwest.com.au

Comments about the Survey results from other Teachers:

(I have maintained the formatting of the original emails. Different colours are used for each person's comments.)

The single most difficult point for some students is the transition from reading material in books, to reading material on screen. It is not easy, especially if the material is even slightly abstract. The students have difficulty with concentration and comprehension. Probably the best strength of computer based learning is in the use of graphics to illustrate information. We are no longer limited by the pictures created and printed by someone else, we can now take and create our own. I am also often concerned about posture in classrooms. Too often I see monitors jacked up on the computer case, leaving the student looking upwards most of the time. Teachers need to focus very carefully on posture and physical size of their students to make sure they sit correctly.

Interesting survey but I would interpret the results a little differently. The minimum possible score for any one question is 21, whilst the maximum is 105. This means that a cumulative rating greater than 63 (the actual mean - if enough random scores were entered) is in the "Agree/High/More"category, and those lower are in the "Disagree/Low/Less" category.

Only 12 out of 21 stated that their schools have an adequate number of computers (a response of a "4 or 5"), and this was the only response to go reasonably above the 63 mark.

Almost all other responses were between 50 and the mid 60's indicating a rough 50/50 split on the ideas/questions posed. The only response that appears significant is to "I see no need for the NetLessons concept in schools"; a result in the low 40's indicates almost all respondents do see a need.

Definitely shaky grounds to deduct too much from a small survey, from a biased sample.

Your summary comment "The single most difficult point for some students is the transition from reading material in books, to reading material on screen. It is not easy, especially if the material is even slightly abstract."

We have been using what I call net-lessons at Newman College for almost 4 years now. Refer http://www.newman.wa.edu.au/technology/ and http://members.iinet.net.au/~myself/vb/index.htm The thing to remember is that students are not necessarily reading but referring to the material, especially in a teacher directed learning environment, like the courses taught at Newman College - as opposed to systems with no direct teacher intervention, or Research activities. Although difficult to use at first, the students soon become accustomed to using the system and it works very well.

Something to think about.

All ... students from Years 5 to 10 inclusive have compulsory laptop ownership, hence points 3. and 4. above do not really apply. We also have a lab of desktop machines, and "islands" of desktops in the Resource centre and other strategic locations. A committee of interested staff (primary, middle and secondary schools) is currently exploring the logistics of preparation and delivery of NetLessons, with the aim of eventually making coursework available outside of school hours to absent students etc. PD is being undertaken in the use of Frontpage 2000 for key staff.

NetLessons are an excellent idea. They will add increased flexibility to classroom delivery, and will allow for student-centered learning. Students will be able to communicate with their teacher in a more personal manner since non-interactive emails can be responded at convenience. Learning will not be restricted to the classroom if students have access to the Internet from home. The limiting factor is access to Internet-enabled computers. The student/computer ratio must be addressed in schools to make this possible. NetLessons will not succeed without large numbers of computers in every classroom. Modern technology is making this easier to achieve, so do not give up hope!

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