Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)

Posted Fri, 08/06/2010 - 2:07pm by lightle.16
Grant Number: 
DUE-0840824
Target Audiences: 
Middle-grades teachers and students, school administrators, staff developers, curriculum developers/coordinators, library and media specialists, technology coordinators, pre-service teachers and faculty, informal educators, researchers, STEM professionals
Partners: 
MSP2 is a project of The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, School of Teaching and Learning, National Middle School Association, and Education Development Center, Inc. The partners integrate resources, tools, and services across projects, and support multiple methods of resource discovery to meet the needs of this audience.


The MSP2 Ning portal was launched in February 2009; and, as of July 31, 2010 has 1,024 registered members with over 49,000 visitors in the last year.MSP2 logo The MSP2 social network is open (all content is viewable by anyone), but if users wish to participate in a conversation (i.e., a blog or forum discussion) they must register with the site. Project staff have experimented with the layout of the Main MSP2 page since its initial launch. Feedback such as metrics data, user comments, and help from other Ning community builders informed our decisions. All members are individually welcomed by project staff upon registering and oriented to the site's key features. MSP2 continues to leverage other social media networks (e.g., Twitter, Curriki, MagCloud, Slideshare, and Issuu) to communicate with and extend the community.

In its second year, the MSP2 project's evaluation goal (entire report) was to identify a profile of participation for its users. This work included quantitative and qualitative analyses of user participation in MSP2, Teacher Leader interviews, and member surveys. These data were collected from several sources including a member profile survey, an online MSP2 member questionnaire, Teacher Leader interviews, resource reviews, and participation assessments. Using demographic data from the Profile Questions Survey, respondents to the MSP2 Web site Questionnaire were rated on their level of participation on the MSP2 Ning. Evaluators developed and used the MSP2 Participation Rank Rubric. Participation rank (PR) scores were used to categorize MSP2 members and make comparisons between levels of participation and attitudes toward digital tools. Group and forum discussions were randomly selected and assessed for quality of conversation using the MSP2 Social Network Conversation Rubric.

We have been working to embed NSDL strand maps into our NSDL wiki-based resources guides and designing a wiki skin that will give the MSP2 pages the same brand as the portal. This work will be completed by August 15, 2010. We have started a series of blended professional development experiences for middle school math and science teachers on how to use Flip cameras and digital video in their teaching and with students. The MSP2 youth portal, SMARTR* is in beta-testing and will be officially launched September 1, 2010. We have been experimenting with new ways to reuse, repurpose, and publish MSP2 content - specifically through issuu.com and print on demand service MagCloud.

The SMARTR website, launched August 2010 and developed by Education Development Center Inc., is a series of math and science virtual learning experiences and part of the MSP2 project.  SMARTR was created by and for middle school aged youth.  Youth from around the country were involved in surveys, focus groups and ultimately a youth co-design team who worked with project staff to conceptualize and develop the learning experiences.  The site explores topics such as plate tectonics, 3-dimensional geometry and the solar system.  Other features of the site also include a searchable library of youth-appropriate resources,  Science News for Kids, and a Tech Tools section.