strategies to help students learn vocabulary. The tutors discovered which techniques worked best with their students
and continued using them throughout
the sessions.
Chat Benefits Students and Tutors
Colonel Chat was an immediate hit
among the fifth graders. Students were
constantly asking when they were going to meet with their tutors again.
But the best indication of success
was how well students were doing on
vocabulary acquisition. Classroom
teachers began noticing that the fifth
graders were using vocabulary from
their reading when discussing the
stories. Naquin, who supervised the
Colonel Chat pilot program, said that
students acquired a real understanding of the vocabulary rather than
memorizing the definitions dictated to
them by the text. She gave all students
in the two participating fifth grade
classrooms pre- and posttests on the
subject matter. Students participating in Colonel Chat showed a 23%
increase in achievement after the eight
sessions of Colonel Chat, compared
with a 14% increase in achievement
for those not participating.
The preservice teachers got a lot
out of the experience as well. Kristen
Kenney, a junior majoring in middle
school education, put down her headphones after her third session and
exclaimed, “That just made my day.
He was so excited when he got the answers right that his face just lit up.”
Colonel Chat was also a good option for the classroom teachers, as
there were no interruptions. The program provided individualized instruction for struggling students with little
or no time taken away from other
students.
Technology Motivates Students
Part of the appeal for both students
and preservice teachers was the
element of technology. Technology
engages students and allows them to
take hold of their own learning while
giving them a platform on which to
work and grow.
Kenney said the kids loved using
Google Chat. “Even though we were
tutoring them through the computer,
a personal touch was added because
we could see and hear each other
through the webcam and microphone,” she said. “Using Google Chat
with the students heightened their
motivation while allowing us to provide a tutoring experience that went
much further than just paper, pencil,
and a textbook.”
Spreading the Word
In the spring of 2012, Colonel Chat
was extended to four additional classrooms. Although using the program
with kindergarten and first grade students presented additional challenges,
we observed similar positive outcomes
in motivation and achievement. Next
we want to buy kits to lend out to
K– 12 schools. The kits would contain
webcams, headphones, and a manual
showing the teacher how to connect
via Google Chat, use Google Docs,
and troubleshoot common problems.
Finding tutors and equipment has
not been a problem. In the state of
Louisiana, teacher education candidates are required to complete
180 hours of field experience before
graduation. Colonel Chat offers a way
to provide meaningful virtual field
experiences to our candidates.
The only “problem” is that the program has become too popular. As
more classroom teachers and university faculty gain interest, it’s become
too big for one professor to manage.
So we have written a small research
grant for a dedicated graduate assistant to help in the day-to-day tasks of
Colonel Chat.
Finding interested K– 12 classroom
teachers has not been a problem. As
word spread about the program, I received dozens of emails from teachers
and principals wanting to join. The
biggest barriers have been the quality
or quantity of equipment and lack of
bandwidth at the K– 12 schools, the
need to gain parental permission, and
scheduling limitations. But none of
those hurdles has been too high to
overcome.
As I sat in my office and watched
the final session of the Colonel Chat
pilot program, I was moved beyond
words watching my preservice teachers. Many were in tears or close to it
speaking with the young students.
Not only did this program nurture
learning, but it also helped build relationships. Perhaps the experience
was best summed up by Kenney,
who said, “Today was my last day of
Colonel Chat with my buddy. He was
so sad that he used one of this week’s
vocabulary words, linger, to tell me he
was ‘lingering’ because he didn’t want
to stop tutoring.”
—Cynthia Vavasseur, PhD, is an assistant
professor of educational technology and the instructional technology specialist at Nicholls State
University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. She
can be reached at cynthia.vavasseur@gmail.com.
—Courtney R. Hebert is a graduate of Nicholls
State University in secondary English education
and a member of the second cohort for the MEd
concentration in educational technology leadership.
—Tobey Naquin is a veteran fifth grade elementary teacher at South Thibodaux Elementary
School and a graduate of the first cohort for the
MEd concentration in educational technology
leadership at Nicholls State University.
