2. Nutrition Link Program Overview
Nutrition education program that began in 1999
Focuses on 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
7 schools in the Lemon Grove School District
1 school in the San Diego Unified School District (Rosa Parks
Elementary)
Affiliated with the University of California, San Diego’s
(UCSD) Division of Community Pediatrics
Supported by the Network for a Healthy California, and the
San Diego and Imperial Counties Regional Networks for a
Healthy California.
3. Nutrition Link Program Overview
Curriculum designed to meet California Core Content
Standards
Based on USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as
Healthy People 2010 Objectives
Lessons grouped by subject area, taught by UCSD Health
Educators supported by classroom teachers
Program being implemented in all 4th and 5th grade classes
for the 2007-2008 school year
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE EVALUATION
General
*Feasibility of incorporating emerging technology
into the online curriculum
6. DESCRIPTION OF THE EVALUATION
Emerging Technologies
The working definition was newer technologies that have potential
for instructional use.
Explored new and emerging technologies being used for instruction.
The feasibility of incorporating these technologies into the Nutrition
Link program.
Findings will be used to help the program:
become more engaging to its audience by incorporating new technology that
will allow the users to share and collaborate ideas and knowledge
become more sustainable as they grow by incorporating new technology to
reduce the need for staff to visit the classrooms
Ideally the program would be entirely web-based in a collaborative
online environment.
7. EVALUATION APPROACH
Interactive
• …has a strong formative purpose – that is, the findings are
normally expected to contribute to organizational and program
improvement (Owen, 2006).
Responsive
…orients more directly to program activities than to program
intents (Stake, 1980).
Consumer oriented
Consumer Oriented evaluation is concerned with providing
information about products to aid decisions about purchases or
adoptions (Bober, 2008).
8. EVALUATION QUESTIONS
•What technologies are being used for similar programs?
1. How can emerging •What technologies are useful with nutrition
technologies enhance the instruction/similar material?
Nutrition Link lessons? •What new technologies will make the site more
engaging?
2. What emerging •What emerging technologies are teachers familiar with?
technologies do teachers •What are teachers currently using at home?
•With what constraints or enablers will teachers contend
feel would enhance the by integrating new technologies into NL lessons
Nutrition Link lessons? (technical, conceptual, logistical, etc.)?
3. Will teachers be
willing to learn more
about using emerging •How will they learn these technologies?
technologies to enhance •How much time would they be willing to devote?
Nutrition Link
instruction?
9. DATA GATHERING: AN OVERVIEW
A survey was created by the evaluators
The Nutrition Link team sent the online survey
to all 52 participating teachers
28 teachers participated in the survey, but only
26 teachers completed the survey in its entirety
12. FINDINGS
1. How can emerging •What technologies are being used for similar programs?
technologies enhance •What technologies are useful with nutrition
the Nutrition Link instruction/similar material?
•What new technologies will make the site more engaging?
lessons?
In the literature review we researched:
Podcasts
Wikis
Blogs
Games
Similar programs
13. FINDINGS
1. How can emerging •What technologies are being used for similar programs?
technologies enhance •What technologies are useful with nutrition
the Nutrition Link instruction/similar material?
•What new technologies will make the site more engaging?
lessons?
Similar programs
USDA’s website.
o “Perhaps the most exciting part of the site is the
educational game included.”
Bilingual computer based nutrition program in
Colorado.
o “The fifth grade students who completed the software
program enjoyed the games and songs, while
demonstrating an increased awareness about nutrition.” –
Serrano, 2005
14. FINDINGS - VALUE TO THE NUTRITION LINK PROGRAM
Podcasts Wikis Blogs Games
•Offer educators •Students can •Allow students to •Can help motivate
opportunities to collaborate share more freely students to learn
have their voices without being in •Teachers can •Intrinsic
heard without the same monitor work motivation to
being there classroom. •Parents can see learn is driven by
•Parents can see what their child is finding learning
what their child is doing in the sources and
doing in the classroom rewards through
classroom their own exercise
•Teachers can (Malone, 1987).
monitor progress
15. FINDINGS
2. What emerging •What emerging technologies are teachers familiar with?
technologies do teachers •What are teachers currently using at home?
•With what constraints or enablers will teachers contend by
feel would enhance the integrating new technologies into NL lessons (technical,
Nutrition Link lessons? conceptual, logistical, etc.)?
Games, videos, possibly podcasts and blogs
63% feel podcasts could be useful for instruction
88% feel online games would be useful
96% feel online videos would be useful
Constraints
52% feel they would be constrained by a lack of time
None of the teachers selected lack of interest as a
constraint
16. FINDINGS – USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
Teachers are using some of the technologies in the classroom
89% use online videos in the classroom at least occasionally
81% use online games at least occasionally
80+% have never used any of the other technologies in class
17. FINDINGS – TEACHER FAMILIARITY
Teachers have some familiarity with most of the technologies
40% have used podcasts (20% regularly), and 40% have used blogs
44% have used message boards
72% have used online games, 92% have used videos (60% regularly)
18. FINDINGS
3. Will teachers be willing
to learn more about using • How will they learn these technologies?
emerging technologies to • How much time would they be willing to
enhance Nutrition Link devote?
instruction?
19. FINDINGS
3. Will teachers be willing
to learn more about using • How will they learn these technologies?
emerging technologies to • How much time would they be willing to
enhance Nutrition Link devote?
instruction?
20. FINDINGS - ADDITIONAL
The teachers regularly use the internet in class.
61% of those who responded use the internet as part
of their instruction 3-4 times a week or more
79% use it at least twice a week
The teachers feel there is value in the site and the
material.
85% said they complete at least one Nutrition Link
lesson per month
100% of the teachers feel that the material is at least
somewhat valuable
21. RECOMMENDATIONS
Take steps towards incorporating new technologies into
the online material:
Find out the overhead cost of adding these new learning tools
o Start with videos and possibly games, and then move on to
podcasts and blogs.
o Interview IT personnel
Conduct further research on age appropriateness
o Further literature research
Further assessment of the level of training the teachers may
require, and level of interest
o Focus groups
