Curriculum Enrichment with Computer Software: Adventures in the Trade   By Selma Wassermann Taking on the creation of a CD-ROM to enrich the grade-11 social studies curriculum was a challenge. Ms. Wassermann describes both the process and the outcomes.

SOME 25 YEARS ago, when computers were the size of dragons and the Internet was a figment of someone's far-out fantasy, the director of Simon Fraser University's Centre for Educational Technology advised me to step away from my lectern and "put a little media" in my teaching. Neither he nor I could even have begun to imagine that, in fewer than two dozen years, advances in the use of electronic media would have the potential to reshape educational practice as we know it.

Beyond entertainment, business, and information processing, software in the form of CD-ROMs now offers basic instruction in a wide range of areas, including beginning reading, geometry, anatomy, introductory physics, foreign languages, geography, history, English, science, and career and personal planning -- to name a few. Reference materials -- almanacs, encyclopedias, the complete collection of National Geographic since 1888 -- are available for the school and home market at modest cost. The range of choices is staggering -- and it's only the tip of the iceberg.

While the reluctance of many teachers to use "machines" has been thoughtfully documented by Larry Cuban in Teachers and Machines,1 technological advances in the 14 years since that book's publication have shattered the notion that teachers any longer have a choice. Without access to and knowledge of sophisticated high-tech tools, students will be in danger of being left behind as the world proffers ever more rapidly expanding technological possibilities. The suggestion to "put a little media" in my teaching may be the most prophetic advice ever given. (Pardon me, while I spell check this paragraph.)

Curriculum Enrichment with CD-ROMs

I am in that group of teachers for whom the use of high-tech tools does not come naturally. Computer geeks dazzle me with their dancing-on-the-ceiling technological skills, and I do not fully understand the lingo of acronyms that is common parlance among sophisticated programmers. And so, taking on the creation of a CD-ROM to enrich the grade-11 social studies curriculum was a particular challenge. Yet it offered the seductive possibility of creating a comprehensive resource for secondary social studies teachers that weighed half an ounce, took up less space than a curriculum guide, and would place a wealth of information into a teacher's hand. While never intended to be a substitute for other reference material such as texts, journal articles, films, and primary resource documents, the resource materials that could be contained on a CD-ROM could make teachers' lives easier by making readily available much of what they might have to search out and gather on their own initiative.

A grant from the Vancouver Foundation2 provided the funding that made it possible for me to test the hypothesis that intelligently created educational software could enrich the curriculum, extend students' thinking about issues of consequence, engage students' interest in the content, and give teachers a valuable teaching resource. A group of secondary teachers with whom I had been involved in an earlier study using case-method teaching3 urged me to consider developing a CD dealing with the internment of ethnic Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans during World War II, which is part of the junior-year high school social studies curriculum in Canada and of many similar courses in the United States. If successful, the CD could provide supplementary resource material for teachers who wanted their students to go beyond the few paragraphs in the required text and to dig more deeply into the issues surrounding the internment. The CD would also have the potential of serving as follow-up material to "A Case of Injustice in Our Time," a teaching case about the internment written by two secondary teachers and now widely used in British Columbia.4 In the rest of this article, I address the development of the CD-ROM, its field test in 13 secondary school sites, the field test results, and the implications for using CD-ROMs to enrich the classroom curriculum.

Slouching Toward the Burn

The very first piece of business in the development of the CD-ROM was the hiring of a "techie" with the skills, understanding, and talent to help me work with the educational and technical aspects of the work. Jodi Wigmore has a master's degree in art history, she has done advanced work developing other CD-ROMs, and she is knowledgeable about the features of many different computer programs. With her Powerbook 1400c slung over her shoulder, she became a pivotal force in the creation of the CD. In fact, for anyone considering such an undertaking, it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of having such assistance.

We began our project by creating a draft storyboard that attempted to put the events in and around the internment of Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans into historical context. This storyboard would serve as a template around which we would begin to gather resources -- illustrations, photographs, Japanese prints, primary documents, clips from newsreel footage and television documentaries, archival material from the Japanese Canadian and Japanese American communities, interviews with those who had lived through internment and deportation, and interviews with non-Japanese residents of British Columbia who had lived through the fearful times of World War II on the Pacific Coast.

We were determined that the CD should have conceptual integrity and educational value, be historically accurate, present a balanced view, and, most important, raise questions for students to consider thoughtfully. We were also determined that the final product should be elegant, sophisticated, and professional; that it not condescend to students or teachers; and that it exploit the medium as much as possible. We chose educational integrity, style, and art over "bells and whistles." We chose balance over indoctrination. We wished to present the issues surrounding the internment of Japanese, many of whom were citizens of their countries, within the larger context of racism, bigotry, and injustice, and this was to be the "big idea" around which the fabric of the CD-ROM would be spun.

Once the draft storyboard was created, we went to the Vancouver Public Library in search of resources, reading deeply and widely about Japanese history. The Japanese Canadian and Japanese American communities proved to be valuable resources by contributing material from their historical archives. Stock film footage and photographs and posters from the World War II era were easily obtained. As we gathered material, the storyboard was continually reshaped and modified to reflect new thinking and to capture ideas that we had not previously considered. The fluidity of the storyboard was imperative, since we could not know in advance what would be available or what we would be allowed to use.

Using Director, Photoshop, Premier, Freehand, and Sound Edit 16, we compiled illustrative material into a "working draft," and the visual story gradually began to take shape. Historical Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts from the 18th and 19th centuries were used to show Japan as a closed, feudal society governed by shoguns and to depict the forceful opening of Japan to commerce with the West through the military intervention of Commodore Perry's black ships. Scanned photographs, posters, and primary documents showing the beginnings of immigration to North America, incipient racism against Asians in Canada and the U.S., and the role of Japan in World War I set the background of events leading to the internment.

We included sounds to accompany the still illustrations and QuickTime videos to create more lifelike simulations of the events being depicted. We took most of the sounds from stock supplies that were available from local resources dealing in sounds for film, CDs, and other media. We engaged Mark Cohen, an exceptionally gifted sound editor, to do the final sound edits, ensuring that the narrative voice-over and background sounds were woven into the seamless fabric of a story line.

Since digital ink never dries, we had considerable range in changing, editing, and re-creating material as needed. As we viewed what had been put together, we wanted to be sure that the events were revealed and explained through a dramatic narrative. We looked for unity, integrity, visual beauty, educational value, and dramatic power. Only when we were very close to being satisfied with the visuals did we begin to write the voice-over narrative. We strove to achieve historical accuracy and balance of ideas and to maintain sensitivity to the people and the times.

The narrative of the CD-ROM, Presumed Enemies, told its story in five subsections.

1. Japan. From the 17th until the mid-19th century, Japan was a closed society, isolated from the West. During this time, the Japanese view of "foreigners" was antagonistic. Western powers, chiefly the United States, used "gunboat diplomacy" to open Japan to Western commerce. Japan began to emulate the West in culture, dress, and military aggression.

2. Immigration. The first trickle of immigrants from Japan began to arrive in North America in the late 19th century. The newcomers were met with strong anti-Asian sentiments in the U.S. and Canada. In spite of restrictions on the immigration of Asians to both Canada and the U.S., Japanese began to settle into cities on the West Coast and established thriving Japanese Canadian and Japanese American communities.

3. War. Japan became increasingly aggressive during the early 20th century; its repeated invasions of the Asian continent were marked by acts of barbarism. Japan was an ally of the U.S. and Canada during World War I, and Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians were, within limits, permitted to join the armed forces during that war. Seeking to strengthen its hold on Manchuria, Japan allied itself with Germany during World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor led to the almost immediate evacuation of Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans from West Coast cities, despite their citizenship.

4. Internment. Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians were held in internment camps in the interior of both countries for the duration of the war, although many differences existed between the two countries with respect to conditions of internment, time of release, service in the armed forces, deportation, and redress. Most non-Japanese Canadians and Americans at that time were only vaguely aware of the evacuation and internment of their neighbors. Some said afterward, "They just disappeared." Many also believed that these acts of removal were justified by the general fear of sabotage and betrayal.

5. Redress. Most Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans who were interned lost all their property and possessions. In Canada, this amounted to losses of more than $350 million (1945) dollars. In the postwar years, the internment of Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans was seen as governmental adoption of racist policies that had no justification in terms of the war itself. Redress to Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians took nearly 50 years and amounted to only a fraction of what was lost.

When the voice-over narrative had been edited and synchronized with the visual images, a set of higher-order questions was written for each section of the CD, requiring students to generate hypotheses that would enable them to reflect on events and deepen their understanding of the issues. In addition, a section containing suggestions for follow-up activities was included for those teachers and students who wished to expand their study of injustice and racism. When these final portions had been added, the material was ready for the first "burn." This is a process through which the actual CD-ROM is created by transferring the data from the computer to a blank CD, set up for both Mac and Windows operating systems. The CD was then ready to be field-tested. The developmental process took approximately six months.

Field-Testing

The original plan was for the CD-ROM to be field-tested in 10 secondary schools throughout British Columbia, allowing for data to be gathered from a range of student populations. However, colleagues at the Ava Gymnasium in Stockholm, Sweden, also expressed interest in the work. They asked if they, too, could become part of the field test. To my query about the appropriateness of this particular topic for students in Stockholm, they replied, "The issues of racism are relevant everywhere." Three classes of students at the Ava Gymnasium were included in the field test.

The teachers were not selected at random; rather, they were selected on the basis of their interest in conducting such a test, their interest in the topic, the relevance of the issues for their particular courses, and their access to the appropriate technology. Twenty teachers in British Columbia schools were approached, and 10 agreed to participate. Of those 10, three taught secondary English, two taught English in a junior secondary school, and five taught secondary social studies. All three teachers from the Ava Gymnasium taught social studies. I sought and obtained approval from the university research ethics review committee -- charged with policy and procedures for review of ethical considerations arising from research involving human subjects -- and written permissions were obtained from students, teachers, and school administrators. Although an eight-page "Teacher's Guide" in pamphlet form was included in the field test package, teachers were left to their own devices with respect to how they would use the CD-ROM, and no specific instructions were given about teaching strategies, pedagogy, or methods of implementation. All teachers were asked to conduct the field test within a certain time frame (March through April) and to ask their students to complete questionnaires by the end of April. The teachers were also asked to complete a questionnaire. All responses were anonymous, and student participation in all parts of the field test was voluntary.

There were four parts to the student questionnaire. Part I sought to determine the extent to which the material on the CD informed students' understanding of the historical events leading up to the internment. Part II sought to determine the extent to which the material raised students' awareness of the larger issues of injustice. Part III asked for students' responses to particular aspects of the CD, such as the visual images, the narrative, the study questions, and the follow-up activities. Part IV raised questions about the technology. Parts I, II, and III used a five-point Likert scale and provided space for comments. Part IV called for comments only.

The teachers' questionnaire asked about teachers' perceptions of their students' interest and understanding and about the nature of classroom discussion of issues. Specific information was requested about the perceived value of several aspects of the CD -- such as the images, narrative, study questions, follow-up activities, and teaching strategies -- and about the usefulness of the "Teacher's Guide." Teachers were also asked to specify what equipment they used to play the CD, to recount any problems they encountered, to offer suggestions for future improvement, and to share their perceptions of the value of the CD as a means of enriching the curriculum.

Nine sets of questionnaires were returned from the British Columbia schools, and two sets were returned from the Ava Gymnasium. The findings of both the students' and teachers' questionnaires are discussed below.

Results of the Field Test

It was clear from even a cursory glance at the responses that the range of differences in classroom applications of the CD was great. Moreover, the range of technological resources available to the individual schools differed markedly. It should come as no surprise that the classroom situations in which students had more control over the "driving" of the CD received more positive responses from students and teachers.

Classrooms that had better computer equipment were also found to yield more positive student and teacher responses. For example, in a classroom in which the teacher did the "driving" and showed the CD to the whole class as if it were a film (viewed on a small screen), student responses tended to reflect the constraints they felt in being so locked into the process. Students who worked in small groups, around individual computers, and without headphones remarked that they had trouble following the narrative over the confusion of sounds from other computers. Students who were not given time to discuss the study questions did not have an opportunity to subject their ideas about the issues to further examination. Students who did not have a chance to do the follow-up studies could not be expected to put these studies of racism and injustice into a larger context. Negative responses on these questions understandably reflected more the conditions of the field test than the contents of the CD.

It is not possible to make an informed observation that explains the differences in responses between the Canadian groups and the two groups from Stockholm. However, it is clear that the Ava Gymnasium students did respond more extensively in the comment sections of the questionnaire and that issues of injustice appeared to have had more impact on them. Whether this can be attributed to pedagogy, to technology, to cultural or political differences, or to some combination of all of these cannot be discerned.

If the purpose of "curriculum enrichment" is to deepen students' understanding of issues, it can be said that the CD-ROM, Presumed Enemies, did the required job. In spite of idiosyncratic problems with technology in several schools, students in all the groups felt that the CD-ROM had increased their understanding of the events and issues presented. When asked to indicate on a 5-point scale the extent to which their understanding had increased, with 5 being "a great deal" and 1 "not at all," most of the students gave responses in the 3-to-5 range. One factor that tended to confound the numerical ratings was students' tendency to respond with negative numbers to a question about how their understanding had been furthered, accompanied by comments such as "I already knew this." Comments, therefore, became considerably more telling than the plain numbers. I offer a few here to give a sense of the students' responses to the material.

What students liked about learning with this material.

It was easy to understand and follow.

It gave me direct information on things I needed to learn.

I found learning easier if I could hear a voice and read along.

It was a nice change because it caught my attention more than a teacher or a textbook can.

It was a new way to learn; the information was new to me.

Seeing and hearing real facts on the CD-ROM.

I was able to take the time I needed to understand it.

You had to think about what you were taught and form an opinion; it's different.

 

The problems students encountered.

Technical problems (a variety were cited, including no working headphones, no speakers, volume that couldn't be adjusted, and computers that didn't work).

It was repetitive.

It was hard to hear the narration.

It was hard to figure out where to go; it needs a menu.

The questions on the screen were hard to read or too far away and too small.

The teacher did it and made it boring.

There was not enough time.

 

The skills students acquired in learning in this way.

I learned to discuss things and to formulate my own opinion.

I learned to listen to other people.

I learned that hatred is no solution and that the government can oppress even the most patriotic people.

I learned better computer skills.

 

What students said in their open comments.

This is a fine product overall. There are some small problems which need to be worked out still.

I enjoyed it and learned a lot of the information.

It was hard to read the subtitles, and there should have been more writing on the screen. Good idea; well done.

Narration should be accompanied by text.

Bigger captions are needed.

I can't believe this happened. How can people be so cruel to one another? I don't understand. Fear causes people to be ignorant and to panic so that they won't use logic to solve problems.

This was a very interesting way of learning.

This topic frustrated me because everyone wants to do the politically correct thing. Nobody has proper information from all the sides of the story. We can make sure the past doesn't repeat itself, but we can't fix it. Why should my parents pay for mistakes a government made before they were born?

Much better than the usual textbook work.

I needed a lot more time to work with this.

I queried teachers about their perceptions of how the CD-ROM contributed to students' interest and understanding, about the ability of the material to promote deeper reflection, about how the higher-order questions contributed to more meaningful classroom discussions, and about the helpfulness of the follow-up activities. I also asked teachers to describe the teaching strategies they used and to reflect on what strategies might have been more effective. And, of course, I solicited "other comments" from them as well.

Eleven teachers responded to the questionnaire. Of these, 10 gave high ratings (4 or 5 on our scale) to questions about interest, understanding, and the ability of the material to promote deeper reflection. Those who gave lower ratings (1 or 2) in response to the question about "more meaningful classroom discussions" indicated in their "other comments" that students were not given an opportunity to discuss the material in class, as "we did not have enough time." The same pattern was true of the responses to the question about the follow-up activities. One conclusion that can be drawn from these responses is that the field test was not considered an integral part of the curriculum, so the time expended on the CD-ROM was limited.

The teachers' comments indicated that the visual and sound elements of the CD-ROM were a "welcome supplement" to written information and that the ability of the CD to promote student reflection was high. Comments suggested that "students were highly engaged" and concerned that such events could have happened. The teachers saw the treatment of the Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans during World War II in its relationship to the larger issue of "mistreatment of minorities." And they found the images to be "powerful and attention getting." However, the teachers also saw the wide scope of the junior year social studies curriculum -- with "so much content to cover" -- as militating against more extensive discussion of these issues. A majority of teachers complained about the limitations of their computer resources.

In some instances, technology constrained teachers' use of the CD to "whole-class presentation." This was seen as considerably "less effective" as a pedagogy, and the majority of teachers indicated that several computers, around which small groups of students could work, would have been greatly preferred.

The teachers found the ability of the CD-ROM to "enrich the curriculum" to be a positive contribution of this kind of resource. Although follow-up activities were scarcely used at all in the field test, the teachers commented that such activities generated many possibilities for delving into the issues more deeply.

Revising the CD-ROM

The responses provided by the students and teachers to the questionnaires led to several important revisions in the CD-ROM. The difficulties students had in finding material led us to create an accessible index, which now makes navigation much easier. We also included additional material to make certain points clearer, and we enlarged some of the textual material so that it could be more easily read. The "Read Me" text file was improved for easier understanding of how to navigate through the program. The "Teacher's Guide" was rewritten to take account of teachers' responses, and more information was provided on how to use the CD as a resource for curriculum enrichment.

These modifications were made on the Mac Powerbook version of the case study. Several volunteers were then asked to review them before we proceeded to burn a new CD.

Implications

A cursory glance at any software catalogue will reveal that a vast range of CD-ROMs is currently available for home and school use. The software field is wide open, and new resources are proliferating like the brooms in Disney's "Sorcerer's Apprentice." At the very least, such a multiplicity of choices puts a great burden on teachers to select from the dazzling array what is good, relevant, educationally sound, and of enduring value. At present, we do not have clear criteria for making such choices.

Much "educational software" is replete with "bells and whistles." Patterned after the omnipresent video games, visual images and elevated sounds are used primarily to entertain. The technology is pushed to its limits in an effort to dazzle, with small regard for the technology actually available in many schools. Nevertheless, a vast number of the CD-ROMs are still conceptually impoverished. Jane Healy has written that 90% of current educational software is not worth buying -- crowded with extraneous and time-consuming effects that accomplish little beyond distracting children and distancing them from real learning.5

In selecting material that is appropriate for classroom use, teachers might begin to apply the same sort of criteria that they use in choosing other resources. Does the material enhance students' thinking and learning? Does it contribute to enriched understanding? Is it relevant to subjects/topics/issues being studied by the class? Is the material attractive and elegant? Will I be exposing my students to a resource of high quality -- or is it junk? Does it have a guide for the teacher that can inform thinking about the most effective use of the material? Does it have a searchable index that allows for easy access to important information?

Teachers who choose to use CD-ROMs as enrichment material might benefit from the teachers' and students' responses to the questions in our survey. First, it seems imperative that the hardware to drive the CD-ROM be adequate. Are the computers that are available in the school up to the task? Do they have adequate sound? Will the class have to rely on a single computer that drives the CD for the whole class in a lockstep format? If groups of students are going to work at several computers, are headphones available?

It seems, too, that any supplementary resource -- a CD-ROM, a film, or a video -- can be used more or less effectively. It can be used to enrich the curriculum, or it can be used as "filler" for those times when things get a little dull in the classroom. A quality CD-ROM that has the potential of deepening students' understanding of such important issues as injustice, racism, and bigotry should at least provide a forum for extensive classroom discussion and follow-up activities, so that students will have considerable exposure to the exchange of ideas about issues that have direct relevance to their lives.

For teachers who are considering taking the giant step of "putting a little media" in their teaching, the possibility of creating a CD-ROM is not far-fetched. In fact, in some schools, students themselves are involved in such activities. When this can occur, the learning possibilities for students and teachers are rich and provocative. In fact, developing your own CD allows for the creation of a resource that is directly relevant to your own curriculum needs, provides a creative and technological challenge that puts you on a steep learning curve that is endlessly fascinating, and gives you insight into the inner workings of the process. For teachers who wish to pursue such a route, we offer the following suggestions:

• Select an area of study that has the potential to further students' understanding of issues of consequence. It is helpful if the area of study has visual potential that can be exploited in this medium.
• Begin with the identification of the "big ideas" -- those concepts that are going to be put under examination in the content. Big ideas serve as springboards to the development of the storyboard.
• Be prepared to do extensive research to gather the materials you will need and to ensure factual accuracy. When material is copyrighted, make sure you obtain copyright clearance for any material you use.
• Write a draft storyboard that allows you to see the way the content will be evolving. Keep the storyboard fluid to allow for changes in thinking, focus, and resources throughout the process.
• If you do not have advanced technological skills, find someone who does and who is willing (or can be paid) to undertake the technical aspects of development.
• Don't be frightened away by horror stories about production costs. With access to equipment, a Mac Powerbook, and appropriate software, the costs can be considerably less than you might imagine. If the resource is going to be used to enrich curriculum in a particular subject or grade, perhaps professional development funds can be allocated to the project.
• Ensure that you have one or more resource people who are willing to serve as guides, advisors, editors, and critics throughout the process.
• Have many critical viewings while the work is still on the computer and can be easily revised before you undertake the initial burn.
• Finally, it is worth remembering that, if all proceeds smoothly, you will have a resource that is original and innovative and that adds to the curriculum of your class. If the project bombs, you will still have learned more about creating educational software than you had ever dreamed possible.

Conclusion

In response to one of the follow-up activities in a field-test site, students voluntarily submitted papers. The following excerpt from one of them highlights the possibilities for curriculum enrichment.

Imagine being taken from your home, your family, and all of your belongings. Imagine having your life turned upside-down in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, this was reality for many Japanese Canadians during World War II.

"They shot our pets, took away our things little by little," an elderly Japanese Canadian lady remembers with a terror-filled expression on her face. Fear and terror were the emotions displayed during the time of war hysteria resulting from the bombing of Pearl Harbour. During this time, Japanese citizens of Canada and America were treated badly because of the so-called threat they posed as potential spies and traitors. In other words, we were scared -- a feeling that sometimes causes rational people to make unjust, irrational decisions.

Whatever the reason may be for our unjust actions, there will always be a price to pay for both sides involved. But until we learn to act from knowledge, instead of from fear and hatred, persecution and prejudice will continue to rule our power-hungry world. Our need to always be "in control" of the situation sometimes backfires, as it did in the Japanese Canadian situation. If we could only begin to learn from our mistakes of the past, we would not have to be so fearful of the future.

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Last updated 19 April 2001
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Copyright 2001 Phi Delta Kappa International