THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WINDOWS:

Running Head: The Wonderful World of Windows

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WINDOWS:

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION SYSTEM
UTILIZING AGENT TECHNOLOGY
TO PROVIDE A LEAD-LEARNER
IN THE FACILITATION OF EDUCATION

A CAPSTONE THESIS/PROJECT

SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF

THE BUSINESS DIVISION OF CANDIDACY

FOR THE MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE

IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

RICHARD P. MISLAN

PROFESSOR FRED LOVGREN

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY

BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

DECEMBER, 1999

Abstract

The Wonderful World of Windows was created to develop an interdisciplinary information system utilizing Agent technologies and the Internet framework to provide a lead-learner for the middle school technology class helping students to realize the various ways they can use the computer in other classrooms.

Four objectives had to be completed in order to create the Wonderful World of Windows as a successful educational information system. The first objective was to create a nine-week interdisciplinary curriculum that allowed students to explore, exchange and express in a business simulation situation. This objective was achieved through multiple meetings with local technology and curriculum personnel as well as the intensive research of other world-renowned leaders in these fields. The creation of this curriculum also demanded the re-creation of the total classroom environment.

The second objective was to create an Agent information system that, as a human/computer interface, acted as a lead-learner for all middle school technology students. This objective was achieved through the use of Microsoft's Agent software. Creating the Agent as the lead-learner's allowed the instructor to become the learning facilitator as well as another expertise resource.

The third objective was to create the Wonderful World of Windows as a browser application for all middle school technology students. This objective was met by creating a Dynamic HyperText Markup Language Browser Application utilizing Microsoft's ActiveX components. Microsoft's Active Server as well as their Open Database Connectivity allowed for the passing and storing of Application Session Variables.

The final objective was to create a computer hardware and software system that would support the Wonderful World of Windows environment. The Fremont Technology Department installed one (1) Windows NT Server and thirty (30) Windows 95 Workstations with complementary Microsoft and Mirabilis Software. The computers were connected to the Internet through 3Com 100 Mb Switches and Cisco 10 Mb Routers.

The Wonderful World of Windows is a paradigm shift in the use of computers in educational curriculum. The program is not focused on the teaching of a specific piece of hardware or software, but rather on the learning of how to learn using the given technologies. These technologies can make students more effective learners, but only when used as tools and not as teaching machines. The added value is the ability for students to explore their world, express themselves, and exchange with others all while using the technological tools of their education.

Chapter One

Introduction

Technology in Education

Imagine a group of Doctors and Teachers are transported from the past, possibly the 19^th Century, to a modern day city. The group is taken to a hospital to see an emergency surgery in progress. One can imagine the view the doctors of the past are treated to. Some of the doctors don't even recognize where they are or what is being performed. The use of today's technological tools has transformed the medical field forever. The group is then taken to a school to witness a typical classroom. The teacher, standing at the front of the room, lectures to the students while writing similar information on the blackboard. The teachers of the past, shake their heads, agree that they feel right at home in this situation. The technology in the back of the room has not made significant changes to the learning occurring in the classroom.

This vision of technology in education is just beginning to change. I would like to call this change the three IN's: INvest, INfuse, INtegrate. We have just gone through a major 'Investment' in this country by expanding our technology networks to include all educational facilities. With this recent expansion of computer technologies, we are now 'Infusing' technology into the daily instruction of the classroom. These new curriculums are not based on the lecture-style instruction of point and click narratives. Instead, they are much deeper than that, encouraging the students to discover their own learning processes through the use of the technological tools provided. Albeit small instances of infusion, we are making bold steps toward the future of technology integration. It will be today's children, who later in life, will become the educators that 'Integrate' the technologies into their daily instruction.

The technology is not an end to itself. It is merely a means to an end - an evolving process and a communications network enabling learners to do things differently and usually more effectively. Consequently, "technology" is defined more by what it can cause than what it is. The electronically driven technologies of the current era - such as computers, VCR's interactive videos, satellite dishes, and laser discs - have emerged as significant educational tools. These tools not only enhance the productivity of the educational enterprise, they also provide access to learning itself.

Technology is in the Ether

As technology continues to develop at its rapid pace, we are finding that it is becoming more "transparent" or "opaque" (Tapscott, 1998, p. 38). In describing the computer in terms of today's children, the technology is "completely transparent to them" (Tapscott, 1998, p.39). Coco Conn, cofounder of the Web-based Cityspace project says "It doesn't exist. It's like the air" (Tapscott, 1998, p.38). For students, using the computer technology is like using a pencil. "Parents don't talk about pencils, they talk about writing. And kids don't talk about technology - they talk about playing" (Harel, 1991, p. 39). It is this 'play' that seems to go hand-in hand with our understanding of what constitutes a traditional childhood (Tapscott, 1998, p. 7) allowing our students to discover the world around them. The only difference with this generation of children is that "they use the technology to play, learn, communicate and form relationships," (Tapsoctt, 1998, p. 7) accelerating their developmental "evolution of motor skills, language skills and social skills" (Tapscott, 1998, p. 7).

Computer Education

Education of computer technology is not something we can do, nor is it something we should try to do. The rate at which these technologies change is phenomenal and by the time the students graduate, the taught technologies are out of date. We can however, guide our students through various levels of projects, fostering ideas for them to see how they can use the given technologies to improve their school work and make computer technology more profitable to them as learners.

A common misuse of educational technologies is provided by educational software. Often times, educational software is based on the drill-and-kill format, treating the student as an "answering machine" (Papert, 1996, p. 38). The computer asks a question, the student answers, and the computer evaluates whether the answer was right or wrong. Naiveté would lead the teacher and parent to believe that learning is occurring, no matter that the questions are trivial and often times repetitive.

With the expansion of computer storage sizes and the integration of educators in the field of computers and programming, we are beginning to see applications developed by Dr. Seymour Papert, Dr. Idit Harel, Microsoft, and others. The software they are developing is based on the premises of "scaffolding," (Microsoft, 1999) a belief that children learn best when they are free to learn at their own pace.

As the child is exploring, the learner constructs a "scaffold" (Microsoft, 1999) of instructional support. This "scaffold" (Microsoft, 1999) provides support when the child has difficulty with a particular concept and a "leg up" (Microsoft, 1999) when the child is ready for the next level. Until they need help, children can "climb" (Microsoft, 1999) or explore in any direction. They are free to go as high as they can without being afraid of "falling" (Microsoft, 1999) or failing, because help is always nearby. This approach helps children develop the necessary critical thinking and problem-solving skills to progress to the next level of learning. It is also the development of these skills that promotes a students "confidence" (Glasser, 1992, p. 34) and "willingness to try" (Glasser, 1992, p. 34).

Goal Statement

The purpose of this project was to develop an interdisciplinary information system utilizing Agent technologies and the Internet framework to provide a lead-learner for the middle school technology class helping students to realize the various ways they can use the computer in other classrooms. In support of this, there were some necessary hardware, software, and environmental changes to be made to create the future vision of computers in the educational curriculum.

Objectives

General Objective

Specific Objectives

1. Create a nine-week interdisciplinary curriculum that allows students to explore, exchange and express in a business simulation situation.

2. Create an Agent information system that, as a human/computer interface, acts as a lead-learner for all middle school technology students.

3. Create the Wonderful World of Windows as a browser application for all middle school technology students.

4. Create a computer hardware and software system that would support the Wonderful World of Windows environment.

Project Value

Chapter Two

Background

Federal Challenge Grant and Technology Bond Issue

In 1995, Newaygo County was awarded approximately 15 million dollars from the Federal Challenge Grant Program. This money was used to develop and maintain the fiber optic telecommunication network for the five school districts within Newaygo County. As well as the money from the Federal Government, The Fremont Area Foundation, the largest rural-based community foundation in Michigan, and the Gerber Companies Foundation provided additional funds to construct the fiber optic network and the video distance learning labs. The five school districts also committed funding to utilize this backbone fiber optic network for Internet Access and general-purpose computer network needs. While four school districts matched the Federal Governments Technology Purchase Allowance of $1,000,000 over 3 years, Fremont Public Schools levied a Technology and Construction Millage that provided approximately $4,000,000 for the new technology in the classrooms. This money along with the Federal and local foundation monies has built the telecommunications network that Fremont Public Schools now utilizes daily for such data traffic as Gradebook Programs, Attendance, Student Records, Library Systems, Food Service Payment Systems, Internet Access, and E-Mail Use.

Don Tapscott and the New Teacher

In March of 1999, at the annual Michigan Association for Computer-related technology Users in Learning (MACUL) Conference, Don Tapscott spoke about the future of the education and technology. In his speech Tapscott re-iterated the story of the new teacher, a passage from his book, growing up digital: The Rise of the Net Generation. In this tale, he tells of Richard Ford, the teacher of the Emerging Technologies Program at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate in North York, Ontario. The story begins on the first day when Richard tells the class that their first project was to design their own web page. His learning model is that everyone must rely on their own resources, and on everyone else's resources in the class, sharing their expertise. Richard also informed the class that if their pages weren't displayed by Friday, everyone got a zero. By the next day of class students were asking others if they needed help.

Realizing the importance of the deadline the students learned more than just web page design. The students learned the importance of collaboration with others, no matter who they are or what they represent. In the business world this is how most things are done. We must collaborate with other employees, clients, and sometimes competitors to get a final product out.

Richard Ford has a radical view of the role of the teacher, "I don't teach. If I teach, who knows what they will learn. Teaching's out. I tell kids that there are no limits. You can create whatever you want to create. If it's impossible, it will take just a bit longer. My main function is to get kids excited, and to consider things that they haven't done before. I'm working to create citizens in a global society" (Tapscott, 1998, p. 154-157). It is this new role of a teacher that leads Don Tapscott to profess in his speech to a room full of educators that "Teachers can't teach technology, students should teach teachers!" He then told these teachers that their "career is like a milk carton, it has a time stamp on it, and yours probably has expired."

Tapscott wrapped up his speech with the belief that we should "shift from one set of paradigms to a new set of paradigms." He emphatically stated that we should move "from instruction to construction, from absorbing materials to learning how to learn, from school learner to lifelong learner, from teacher-centered to learner-centered, from transmitter to facilitator, from synchronous transmission to asynchronous transmission." It was these closing thoughts that set my mind in motion and prompted me to hold an impromptu meeting for the next eight hours with my staff.

Opening the Windows

At the time, my staff consisted of two other salaried employees. Dianna Dakin is our Senior Computer and Phone Systems Technician and an employee of Fremont Public Schools for the past 19 years in several different teaching and technology-related roles. Rick Webb is a 19-year-old graduate of Fremont Public Schools, now serving as my Network Engineer. From the ideas sparked by Tapscott's speech and our current work with Microsoft Agent technologies, we felt we could build a program that would deliver such a medium for students to construct and discover, learn to learn, based on learner-centered activities, allowing the teacher to become the facilitator.

At around ten o'clock that night, the Wonderful World of Windows was created. Albeit not in the form as we know it today, the program was designed with the major components in place. An Internet application available anywhere in the world through a subscription service, a database for student personalization and record keeping, a group of Agents that guided students through examples of exemplary work and creative ideas, and a pre-determined opportunity to reflect on the current days learning activities.

My next step was to begin designing and creating the application with the Agents. Through numerous scheduled and unscheduled discussions with Dianna, Rick and John Krim, the future facilitator of the Project, and Jim Hieftje, our Curriculum Director, the Wonderful World of Windows began to take shape with our own deadline set for August 29, 1999 (the first day of school).

Cleaning the Windows

The Wonderful World of Window Project was to be different. Surrounded by the new commercial messages of the born-again Apple Computer, we continued to "Think Different" in our design process. The first decision was to make the Agent a guide to the student's education through the use of the emerging technologies. The Agent was never meant to dictate to a student where to point the mouse and with which button to click. The Agent was solely a lead-learner who provided information as to what a final project product could look like and with what various skills it might take to get those final results. At no point would the Agent ever tell the student how to do a simple skill or inform the student under what menu a certain command could be found. The Agent's expertise was to be in guidance and in giving positive motivation and feedback. The students were constantly reminded by the Agents that, "they are all in the Wonderful World of Windows together and needed to help each other to be successful."

It is with that simple premise, that the Wonderful World of Windows is successful. It is application non-specific. In other words, a student can use any computer application that he or she may be comfortable with. For example, one project has the students creating a logo for a company that they have created. The Agent provides some information as to what programs could be used to design such a logo, but it is up to the student to find which application works best for them, whether it's pre-loaded on the machine or some freeware or shareware they download from the Internet. This open-ended quality of the Wonderful World of Windows allows the students to discover their own learning style and become more proficient at that style for their future in education.

In development of the Wonderful World of Windows, I wanted to help students learn several things besides how to utilize computer technology. This included learning responsibility, respect for others, acceptance of others, cooperative learning, and team building skills. Through the use of deadlines, projects with meaning, and the need for each other's expertise, the Wonderful World of Windows achieves the facilitation of all of these learning principles. Students realize that they are responsible for finishing their project, but nobody is really finished until everyone is finished. They also realize that they may sometimes have to ask for the help from a student who they either don't know or maybe don't like. This is sometimes a big hurdle for a sixth grader to overcome, but it most often turns into a new friendship or new respect or acceptance. This newly gained bond usually leads to several others and that's where the teamwork and cooperation really starts to flourish within the lab setting.

Painting the Windows

One side project necessary for the implementation of the Wonderful World of Windows was to change the environment. This environmental change concerned changing the current pale green walls to a more Wonderful World of Windows look. The walls were painted blue with clouds and then covered with the Agent characters of the Wonderful World of Windows along with many different icons from a typical Microsoft Windows desktop. Our goal was to make sure that the students felt a part of the Wonderful World of Windows and that this was no ordinary classroom.

Currently, the Wonderful World of Windows is beginning its second iteration. Two classes of approximately thirty sixth grade students and one class of thirty seventh grade students have run it through the nine-week course. The initial reaction has been overwhelming. Students have enjoyed working with the Agents so much that one student comment really hits home, "The Agents don't yell at me when I make a mistake." Obviously this student has made mistakes before in other classes and the teacher probably admonished him for his mistakes. The lead-learner helps the student learn to learn and does not criticize the student for choosing an incorrect path, for in the Wonderful World of Windows, there is no incorrect path.

Chapter Three

Methodology & Outcomes

Objective 1

The first objective was to create a nine-week interdisciplinary curriculum that allowed students to explore, exchange and express in a business simulation situation. The vision for this objective has been formed by my readings of Dr. Idit Harel, Dr. Seymour Papert, Dr. Michael Dertouzos, Dr. Nicholas Negroponte, and Bill Gates.

New Tools, New Rules

The Wonderful World of Windows is built around a corporate environment, which has the overall project of creating a Company Catalog. The students involved in the Wonderful World of Windows corporate environment will be producing various products that will lead to the eventual completion of this Company Catalog. These projects include:

1. Autobiography

2. Company Creation and Company Logo Design,

3. Catalog Cover,

4. Advertisements,

5. Table of Products,

6. President's Letter,

7. Calendar of Events, and

8. Color Catalog.

Each project was developed in terms of scaffolding. The projects will introduce new skills, practice old skills and eventually lead to undiscovered skills. To begin, students work on a simple Autobiography. This project actually is used to introduce them to the various Agents of the Wonderful World of Windows. It is also a useful tool for the students to introduce themselves to each other, while practicing some very basic skills of word processing. Such skills include creating a new document, using different typefaces and type styles, and saving, printing, and closing a document.

The next project introduces the students to the creation of a company and the company logo. In creation of their company logo, students may use such tools as Microsoft Paint, Microsoft WordArt, or other such tools found as freeware or shareware on the Internet. Again, the projects are to let the students find what works best for them.

The catalog cover project has students creating a cover for their company's catalog. The skills used here may include the incorporation of the company logo, other graphics from various sources, different typestyles and typefaces, color schemes, borders, and the use of digital cameras or scanners.

The advertisement project lends itself to many of the same skills as the catalog cover, but at the same time gets into actual determination of correct sizes for such advertisements. Students explore examples of advertisements, seeking the information they include and incorporating those ideas into advertisements for their company.

The table of products project introduces the skill of creating tables. Resourceful students will use various applications to create their tables. They may choose the insert table option in Microsoft Word, the mathematical tables in Microsoft Excel, or even a database program like Microsoft Access to actually create an inventory of products for their table. Again, there is no wrong answer.

The company president's letter incorporates the skills of building a formal letter. Formal letter writing in the digital information age may seem a bit old-fashioned, yet students of today are still being required to write these formal letters to get into colleges and careers. The skills introduced through this project include alignment, justification, tabs and page margins.

The calendar of events project is a rehearsal of the table of products, this time lending to more creativity as well as the introduction of graphics and positioning inside a table. Students are persuaded to include graphics that relate to the different dates in the calendar. Working in the confines of each of the cells requires students to pay attention to the details

The final project is the color catalog, which basically is the collating of the previous six projects. This is a chance for students to go back and re-work some of their products since their skills have increased since the initial creation of each separate product.

One project that hasn't yet been introduced, but can be inserted near the end of the nine weeks is the company web page. Created in print form only, this is a great opportunity for the students to apply their newly gained skills of technology towards something they know increasingly more about. It is also a great lead in for the seventh grade curriculum, which is still in development. The plan for the seventh grade curriculum follows a similar path, introducing real corporations, e-mail and student-created corporate presentations.

Along with the various projects, students are encouraged to keep a TechLog or a journal of their daily activities. This TechLog accomplishes several different important aspects of the curriculum. At the end of the class period, it is a great chance for a student to review the work they have just accomplished. Robby the Robot, a Microsoft Agent, prompts the student with a question about the current day's activities. The student then goes into Microsoft Word and answers the question or questions in complete and detailed sentences. This is also a chance for the student to spend some time to practice real keyboarding skills. As technology in voice recognition increases, the need for keyboarding instruction K-12 decreases. Based on the rapid advances in this research, my philosophy was to create the TechLog, giving the student a chance to practice keyboarding through actual honest work.

In the corporate atmosphere of the Wonderful World of Windows, student attendance is an important factor. The students will often here from the facilitator, "if you're not here I can't pay you." The goal is to make sure that students realize that good attendance is important in whatever they do, even if it's in the Wonderful World of Windows.

In the Wonderful World of Windows, there is an opportunity for students to do Overtime work. This work is a chance for students to excel in other areas of their education after learning what they have learned in the previous projects. For example, a student may have just finished their company catalog cover and want to do a similar cover for their Science project. Totally acceptable in the working environment of the Wonderful World of Windows, the student is now making a link towards the integration of technology elsewhere.

Throughout the Wonderful World of Windows, students are reminded to visit the Resources section. This area of the program is a place for students to see various examples of quality products. Some are created internally while many others are pulled from real-life examples. Many times students don't need to be taught. By showing examples of quality work, and reminding them of what it takes to reach that level, the students learn by emulation.

The Wonderful World of Windows corporate environment, just as the real-world corporate environment is dictated by money. Constantly students are reminded of their Current Earnings. The students earn money by the quality of their work. If they meet the requirements of each project, as explained to them by the Agents, they will be paid accordingly. Again, we remind the students that honest work earns an honest paycheck, or in this case an honest letter grade.

Collegial Conversations

Many people were involved in the final creation, known as the Wonderful World of Windows. These conversations were instrumental in the different aspects that the Wonderful World of Windows reaches. Each person has their own forte and they each breathed great wisdom into the various pieces of the entire project.

Early on, conversations with Dianna Dakin, the Fremont Technology Department Senior Computer and Phone Systems Technician, led to development of the individual projects as well as ensuring grade level capabilities of the students.

The Wonderful World of Windows human guide, John Krim, was instrumental in the migration of the past projects he has done in his technology classroom. His ideas were taken and molded into fresh new ideas that helped to bridge the gap from technology as a class to technology as a tool for other classes. He was also very instrumental in facilitating the class for the first iteration, pointing out bugs and other development needs along the way. His future as the guide will continue to help mold the project for the future

The Fremont Public Schools Curriculum Director, Jim Heiftje, was instrumental in the discussion of curriculum integration. Throughout the project, Jim reminded me that my thinking was beyond "outside of the box." I would remind him "that it was my great idea that somebody put the box on top of in the first place." Constantly, he would provide me with education curriculum resources that I was touching on throughout the development of the project. His help has made the project most educationally sound.

Rick Webb, Fremont Technology Department Network Engineer, was instrumental in building the network of the Wonderful World of Windows. As I dictated a need for a faster system, Rick helped in keeping the network segment as fast as possible as well as moving information from a wide area network server to a more-local building server.

Two other individuals who have given support along the way are Kirk Wyers, Newaygo County Career Tech Assistant Director, and Don Bont, Assistant Superintendent of Newaygo County Intermediate School District. Both were influential in helping to make the Wonderful World of Windows a projected countywide offering.

Explore, Exchange, Express

Dr. Idit Harel, of Mamamedia notes that "We live in a time of constant and rapid change. What we learn today may likely become obsolete tomorrow. To help our children thrive in this new, technologically driven world, we must give our children the learning tools they'll need" (Harel, 1998). According to Dr. Harel, the most important skills we can foster in our children are "the three X's -- exploring, expressing, and exchanging ideas using the new digital media" (Harel, 1998). Currently the best tool for these three X's appears to be found through the Internet.

The first X -- eXploring -- takes advantage of our student's natural passion for discovery. Given a playroom filled with building blocks or a table filled with paper and crayons, it's not so much as to what the student makes as so much that the student is in control of their learning. Dr. Harel believes "that's when the learning resonates" (Harel, 1998) -- when the child discovers for themselves.

The second X -- eXpressing -- is the learning to use the various tools, technological and not, to become "designers, builders, and architects of your own ideas" (Harel, 1998). This expression is best attained through the student's mastery of the digital media in becoming effective communicators of their ideas.

The third X -- eXchanging -- is the sharing of ideas with others. According to Dr. Harel, "real learning only occurs in a social context, in an environment where you can exchange ideas, ask questions and work with peers and experts" (Harel, 1998). Through this exchange, students turn into active participants in their learning process. Their creative collaboration helps them to share ideas with each other, opening up new learning opportunities.

Constructionism

Dr. Harel's three X's are based on her work with Dr. Seymour Papert, the father of Constructionism. In Constructionism, the student is at the center of the learning process. The child actively constructs knowledge from experience in the classroom, in life, and from building things in the world.

"Babies learn to talk without curriculum or formal lessons; people develop skills at hobbies without teachers, social behavior is picked up other than through classroom instruction" (Papert, 1993, p.13). It is with Papert's thought that we start to realize that the classroom teachers of today should act more as a learning facilitator and an expertise resource. As Dr. Papert observed, "if children really want to learn something, and have the opportunity to learn it in use, they will learn it well, even if the teaching is poor" (Papert, 1993, p.13).

Studying under Jean Piaget, Papert's theory of Constructionism is primarily based on the work of Piaget and John Dewey. Jean Piaget's believed "that intelligence emerges from an evolutionary process in which many factors must have time to find their equilibrium," (Papert, 1993, p.15) while John Dewey believed "that children would learn better if learning were truly part of their living experience" (Papert, 1993, p.15).

Don Tapscott believed that "what is more important is learning how to learn. John Dewey said this well many years ago when he wrote, 'perhaps the greatest fallacy is the notion that a person learns only what he [or she] is studying at the time. Collateral learning…may be, and often is, more important" (Tapscott, 1998, p. 109).

Bill Gates believes that "students are the ultimate knowledge workers. Their job is to learn and explore and find unexpected relationships between things" (Gates, 1999, p.387). In a conversation with Mr. Gates, he told me (through a videoconference) that "students want to find out about such a wide range of topics and they want to collaborate with other students who might be learning about the same thing. The Internet creates a framework where all information is there and you can match up with other people as well" (Gates, 1999, personal communication). It is through this Internet framework that we have developed the Wonderful World of Windows as a place for students to do just that, collaborate with each other towards a common goal.

Objective 2

The second objective was to create an Agent information system that, as a human/computer interface, acted as a lead-learner for all middle school technology students. This objective was aided by the Microsoft Agent software, as an informational disseminating tool and the design of successful human/computer interactions, heavily influenced by the research of Drs. Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass. The lead-learner environment was influenced by the research of Drs. Peter Senge, W. Edward Deming and William Glasser.

Agent Information System

Microsoft Agent enables programmers to include an enhanced form of user interaction in their Web sites and conventional applications. It provides several user interface components that enable users to access and interact with the character, know the character's status, and change global settings that affect all characters.

The specific user interfaces included in Microsoft Agent 2.0 include voice recognition, speech synthesis, textual captioning, a control panel, and three-dimensional visual character actions.

Agent Development

In development of these characters and their use, Microsoft encourages the programmer to know their audience and the goals of that audience as well as follow a good user interface design process (Ball & Ling, 1998). Both Microsoft and Drs. Byron Nass and Clifford Reeves suggest that the design process should be based on the following general design principles and methodology.

Be Non-exclusive

Agent characters should be employed as guides or aides, but not as replacements to the actual interface (McKay & Ryan, 1999). In other words, the user should always remain in control of the application with the ability to always have an exit. In the initial design of the WWW, the Agent is built as a guide, providing direction through the application as well as providing information about specific projects, examples of projects, and minimal requirements of each project.

In the future versions of the WWW, the Agent character will continue in its role as a guide, but will also take on more of a role as expert information source. To do this, the Agent will be able to respond to programmed hot-spots on the screen, providing definitions or details based on the users inquiry or click of the mouse (Maes, 1994).

Provide appropriate feedback

In programming the WWW, the Agents quality, appropriateness, and timing are three important factors (McKay & Ryan, 1999, p. 8) that were considered when providing feedback. Feedback on the Agents part was a very important piece to the WWW, since the student was interacting solely with the Agent for the instructional guidelines. Once the activity was explained, the Agent constantly reminded the student of the difficulty of the task and how well they were handling these difficult tasks. The Agent also at the end of the instructional guidelines encouraged the student to have a "Good Day."

From Nass and Reeves research, people respond better to praise than criticism, even if the praise is unwarranted (Reeves & Nass, 1996, p. 53). Throughout the Wonderful World of Windows, the Agents act as motivators and inspire the students to reach beyond their potential. The Agents also pretend they know what is happening by telling the student that they have seen the students work and are excited by what has been accomplished. This pushes the student to please not only themselves, but possibly the Agent as well.

Use Natural Variation

Microsoft states that variance provides for a more natural interface (McKay & Ryan, 1999, p. 8). Because of the speech synthesis engine used with the Agents, I was able to program many different styles of voice fluctuation, intonation, and annunciation. Other variances included the ability to pause the voice in the right spots, speed up the speaking of the written text, or even changing the pitch of the script. Not only could I vary the speech of the Agent, but also on occasion, I created code that showcased the Agent's singing voice (Ball & Ling 1999).

The most important part of natural variance is to make sure that an Agent doesn't always leave a page saying "I'll be right back." After a short time, the Agent becomes boring, disinterested, or even rude (McKay & Ryan, 1999). In human communication our random wording, gestures, or even facial expressions, never come across with the repetitive precision of a computer (Reeves & Nass, 1996, p. 53). The Microsoft Agent programming structure allows for random gestures as well as random text for either statements or responses.

Microsoft also suggests that characters should greet upon their arrival and indicate their intent before leaving (McKay & Ryan, 1999, p. 10). In the Wonderful World of Windows, the Agent characters have a home location located on the left side of the screen. This home location creates a place to always look for the Agent and allows the Agent to always make an entrance or exit from. The student always knows that the Agent will be there when speaking, unless moving to point out some object on the screen.

The Microsoft Agent characters also have built-in idling gestures. These idling behaviors are used when the character is not interacting with the student. Such idling behaviors may include a yawn and stretch, a look left, right, up or down, listening to a headset, or just standing doing nothing. These idling gestures maintain the natural variance illusion of social context and allow for the availability of the character without distracting the student (McKay & Ryan, 1999). The motion, albeit idling, is perceived as the Agent character is standing by, ready for student user input. Without it the Agent character would look like it has finished its function.

Social Interaction

A characters social interaction is based on Grice's Maxims (Reeves & Nass, 1996, p 29). H. Paul Grice, a philosopher and psychologist, viewed conversation in terms of four basic principles: quality, quantity, relevance and clarity. His first principle, Quality, deems that what is said, should be true. The Agents in the Wonderful World of Windows are good at telling the truth. That is their objective, to provide true quality information. The second maxim holds that the Quantity contributed to the conversation should be just right, not too much and not too little. This has been one of the hardest parts of creating the Agent's scripts. Did the Agent say enough, or is the Agent just rambling on? The third principle, Relevance, is a much deeper maxim and really doesn't apply to the Wonderful World of Windows Agents yet. Currently all that the Agents provide is relevant to the daily activities. However, constraints of the Agent programming system don't allow the Agent to consider the user's goals outside of completing the daily tasks. The final maxim, Clarity, contends that the language the Agent uses must be precise, never ambiguous. Ambiguity could lead to confusion or even frustration. The overlying principle of Grice's Maxims holds that if a violation of the quality, quantity, relevance, or clarity occurs, the user will be offended. Such offense may be taken as the Agent is being sarcastic, not paying attention, or is being intentionally unpleasant.

Create Personality

An Agent's name, how it speaks, how it moves, how it introduces itself, and how it responds can all contribute to establishing its basic personality (McKay & Ryan, 1999). Dominant characters are useful for directing user towards a specific goal (Reeves & Nass, 1996). In the WWW, I took the basic four Microsoft Agents, and added two other characters, Big Al and Bill. I first renamed Big Al to Arnold and gave him an Austrian accent for a more recognizable character. We also renamed Microsoft's Peedy to Waldo to fit in with the WWW theme. In accordance with Nass and Reeves research, I created a life history for each Agent and present that to the students early on in the orientation of the Wonderful World of Windows.

The Agent Characters

Arnold is based on a loosely sketched version of Arnold Schwarzenegger. This character looks like a finely dressed, oversized body builder. The speech pattern of Arnold was also modified to give him an Austrian Accent. When Arnold introduces himself, he calls himself "Ah-nold." This verbal illusion, created through mapping the text phonetically, helps to create the persona of Arnold. Other idiosyncrasies Arnold has includes his whispering of information others have told him. His pride is very important, and he wouldn't want just anyone to know he had to get some help. He tries to share this with his new partner, the student user. He is also very self-assured. Arnold knows he is right and wants the student user to always trust him.

Bill Gates is closely tied to the actual Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and the co-creator of the Windows User Interface. Always aware of the time, Bill is precise and constantly lets the student user know he has assistants to do many of his daily tasks. His life is portrayed as easy, but only because of the hard work he has put in early in his career. The Bill Gates character is also used as the Master of Ceremonies throughout the Wonderful World of Windows, always introducing the day and the characters that will present the daily information.

Genie is based on the Genie from the Aladdin story. The Genie character was developed as being worldly as well as sophisticated. With a European flair, Genie holds himself as knowing many great things of the world and volunteering that information as needed throughout the projects. He is also very proud of his work and shows it off when delivering his project information.

Merlin is based on the actual wizard from King Arthur's Court. As time has progressed though, he has become a very old bumbling magician. His magic never seems to work and when it does it usually produces mixed results. He is usually short of breath by the end, but makes it a point to always continue until finished.

Robby is based on a Robot, a mathematical genius, known for his programming and computer based skills. Throughout Robby's projects, he is constantly making reference to computer code, remote controls, and other electronic gizmos. He is also a very strong writer. He is the host of the TechLog, the application location for writing the students daily reflections.

Waldo is the Joe Cool character of the group. He tells jokes and has fun. He's the youth figure of the Wonderful World of Windows. He brings the fun and excitement to the projects and lives a little bit on the edge. It is up to Waldo to make the Wonderful World of Windows fun and entertaining.

Another part of creating personality has been to build these characters as characters the students could both respect and emulate. One of the latest movements in education has been Character Education. Character Education contends that we can help students become better people through values of citizenship, courage, cultural diversity, friendship, generosity, honesty, perseverance, respect for the environment, respect for others, responsibility, self discipline, self esteem, and trust (Kilpatrick, 1993). Throughout writing the characters scripts, I've role-played how each character would actually present their information based on these different principles.

Create a team player

While creating the Wonderful World of Windows, I developed the characters to try to form a bond with their user (Wong, 1999). One critical aspect of this was the use of a database for accessing the student's first name. If the Agent character can continually maintain a conversation with the student by calling that student by their name, a real personalization of conversation has occurred. Microsoft also suggested having the Agent character refer to the student as a partner or an important member of a team (McKay & Ryan, 1999, p. 12). Constantly, my Agent characters support this partnership by pulling the student along with the rest of the team of Agent characters.

Lead-Learner

In creating the Wonderful World of Windows, the Agent character was to become the lead-learner, allowing the classroom teacher to become the learning facilitator and expertise resource. The term lead-learner comes from Dr. William Glasser's four classroom principle's based on Deming's Lead Manager (Glasser, 1990, p. 31).

1. The leader engages the workers in a discussion of the quality of work to be done and the time needed to do it so that they have a chance to add their input. The leader makes a constant effort to fit the job to the skills and the needs of the workers.

2. The leader (or a worker designated by the leader) shows or models the job so that the worker who is to perform the job can see exactly what the manager expects. At the same time, the workers are continually asked for their input as to what they believe may be a better way.

3. The leader asks the workers to inspect or evaluate their own work for quality, with the understanding that the leader accepts that they know a great deal about how to produce high-quality work and will therefore listen to what they say.

4. The leader is a facilitator in that he shows the workers that he has done everything possible to provide them with the best tools and workplace as well as a noncoercive, nonadversarial atmosphere in which to do the job.

In the Wonderful World of Windows classroom, the leader is the Agent character. The Agent character ensures that the students realize that their competence of the prescribed skills and quality of their work is more important than time to completion ever could be. The Agent characters, regardless of the project, always shows several different examples of the project so that the student knows what is expected upon completion. During this time, the students are allowed to explore the various ways to complete these tasks, finding the way that works for them best. The Agent characters, in coordination with the learning-facilitator always allow the students opportunities to evaluate their work, whether during the project, or in a group setting when everyone has completed their project. The Agent character, again in coordination with the learning facilitator works with the students informing them of the great tools they have before them, as well as listening to them for improvements for the Wonderful World of Windows application and classroom.

The vision of the Wonderful World of Windows

"The new view of leadership in learning organizations centers on subtler and more important tasks. In a learning organization, leaders are designers, stewards, and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models -- that is they are responsible for learning" (Senge, 1990, p.340).

In creating the Wonderful World of Windows, I decided to take a stand and create something new. Peter Senge states that "taking this stand is the first leadership act. The start of inspiring (literally to breath life into) the vision of learning organizations. In the absence of this stand, the learning disciplines remain mere collections of tools and technique - means of solving problems rather than creating something genuinely new." (Senge, 1990, p. 340)

Creative Tension

In creating the Wonderful World of Windows, I created a shared vision; one that captures the collective mind and will of others within my organization. This vision, though began with creative tension. This creative tension emerges from seeing clearly where we want to be (the vision) and describing truthfully where we are now (the current reality). The gap between the two generates creative tension (Senge, 1990, p. 155-157).

This principle of creative tension has long been recognized by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., who stated "Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind, so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths…so must we create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism." Or as Steve Jobs observed, "If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you" (Senge, 1990, p. 7-21).

This tension can be resolved in two ways: by raising current reality toward the vision or by lowering the vision toward current reality.

This principle of Creative Tension applies in two ways to this project. First there is the tension that was created by the lofty vision of the Wonderful World of Windows. The vision dictated that the Microsoft Agents would aid the teacher on a day-to-day basis allowing them to act as a learning facilitator and an expertise resource.

The second tension was created by the second vision that students, given the necessary tools, would learn on their own through collaboration, group think and effective communication and socialization skills.

Personal Mastery

"Personal Mastery is the continual clarifying and deepening of our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of see reality objectively" (Senge, 1990, p. 7). Throughout the WWW project students are reminded of the final product they are working towards. Each project along the way is helping them to create the final product. Each time honing their skills and providing them with new tools to reinvent their skills. It is these skills, both computer-related and not, that will help them in their future educational ventures.

"When they play with dolls, children rehearse ways of interacting with people. When they play with blocks, they teach themselves basic principles of spatial geometry and mechanics. Later in life they will learn the general properties of the pendulum through swinging on a swing and all about levers through the playground teeter-totter. The dolls, the blocks, the swing, and teeter-totter are what educational theorists call "Transitional objects"; the playroom or the playground is a microworld, a microcosm of reality where it is safe to play. Through experimentation with transitional objects in microworlds, children discover principles and develop skills that are relevant in reality beyond play" (Senge, 1990, p. 314). The creation of the Wonderful World of Windows has given our students this microworld.

Mental Models

"Mental models are the deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures that influence how we understand the world and how we take action" (Senge, 1990, p. 8). A lot of students come into the projects saying things like "I can't do that," or "I don't know how to do that," or "the computer doesn't like me," or "I don't like computers." These quotes are often turned around after introducing the student to another who does know "how to do that", or that does "like the computer." In a similar situation, Seymour Papert explains, "her attitude changed. Previously she had wanted to stay out of it as far as she could; now, basking in her success, she wanted to be in it as far as she could. So she started exploring" (Papert, 1993, p. 110).

"Most of us hold one of two contradictory beliefs that limit our ability to create what we really want. The more common is belief in our powerlessness --our inability to bring into being all the things we really care about. The other belief centers on unworthiness. -- that we do not deserve to have what we truly desire" (Senge, 1990, p. 156).

Building Shared Vision

"Building a shared vision involves the skills of unearthing shared "pictures of the future" that foster genuine commitment and enrollment rather than compliance" (Senge, 1990, p. 9). Throughout the project, students are given examples of final products, helping them to see the visions of each project. These examples of shared vision work best with the students because they want to create such products. This value in the project creates excitement and stimulates the creativity.

Team Learning

"Dialogue is the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine "thinking together." To the Greek dia-logos meant a free-flowing of meaning through a group, allowing the group to discover insights not attainable individually" (Senge, 1990, p. 10). Throughout the Wonderful World of Windows projects, students are encouraged to collaborate and share their work with each other. ICQ has been provided as a tool to allow them to carry on conversations within the room as well as within the world. Also, the final day of each project is used to openly share work and evaluate each other on the quality of their work and how they could have done more or better work. This is usually led by the Wonderful World of Windows guide.

Systems Thinking

"Systems thinking is a conceptual framework, a body of knowledge and tools that have been developed over the past fifty years, to make the full patterns clearer, and to help us see how to change them effectively. It is the discipline that integrates the disciplines, fusing them into a coherent body of theory and practice" (Senge, 1990, p. 7).

Systems thinking requires constant attention to the whole, along with an analysis of whether its parts are, indeed, interdependent and interconnected. In his work on systems thinking, Senge conceives of an intentional connection and relationship among these parts and the organization as a whole. Members of systems need to learn how to map this whole and follow the connections. In classrooms, this is often referred to as interdisciplinary thinking.

Systems thinking fulfills a need to comprehend the boundaries, rules and understandings within a part of the total system and, at the same time, discern its interconnections. Although we often think of boundaries as ways of defining turf, systems thinking highlights the relationships among bounded groups.

The Wonderful World of Windows project has required constant attention and analysis. Each piece is interdependent and interconnected, yet incomplete. The further development of the project will lead to deeper interdisciplinary relationships, pushing towards an integration of other core curricular areas. The project will shift the focus from an infusion of technology to a total integration of technology into the core curricular areas.

Objective 3

The third objective was to create the Wonderful World of Windows as a browser application that acted as the human/computer interface for all middle school technology students. This objective was achieved by utilizing Microsoft's Agents, Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language, Microsoft's ActiveX, Open Database Connectivity, and Active Server Pages.

I created the Wonderful World of Windows as an Internet Explorer 4.0 browser application. At the time this was the latest release of Microsoft's browser and allowed me to incorporate most of the latest functions in Dynamic HTML. Dynamic HTML (Isaacs, 1997, 1998) allows for placement of objects with granular pixelarity, incorporation of visual basic scripting, and the total compatibility with Microsoft's Agent technology.

For my navigational controls of the Wonderful World of Windows, I employed Microsoft's ActiveX technologies. This technology allowed for the creation of the cascading menu buttons with the look and feel of a typical Microsoft application.

Another crucial part of the Wonderful World of Windows was the personalization of the application. Through the use of Microsoft's Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) (Wong, 1999) and Active Server Pages (ASP), I was able to pass session variables such as First and Last Name, Student Grade, Project Grades, and Accumulated Earnings throughout each and every page. This type of accessibility to data made it possible for the Agent character to talk directly to the student user by using his or her first or last name.

One anomaly was that on occasion the spoken name did not come out like the actual spelling of the first name in the database. For this case, I added a new field called "FnameSpeak," that allowed me to phonetically spell out a user's name. The first two names that caused this problem were Ania, spelled phonetically An-ya, and Dougan, spelled phonetically Doo-gen.

Coincidentally, the Microsoft Agent, Text-To-Speech engine handled student's names such as Tunia perfectly without extra phonetic help.

Objective 4

The fourth objective was to create a computer hardware and software system that would support the Wonderful World of Windows environment. This objective was achieved by choosing equipment and programs that I have had successful experiences with as well as with keeping within industry standards. Divided into three categories, I selected the network equipment, server and workstations, each with their complementary software.

Network Hardware

The network hardware was already in place throughout most of the school district, but to gain the most benefit from the network, we upgraded the two (2) 3Com 10Mb 24-Port SuperStack II Hubs in the computer lab to two (2) 3Com 100Mb 24-Port SuperStack II Switches. The current network router, our gateway to the Internet, is a Cisco 4000 Router with a 10Mb fiber optic connection to our Internet Service Provider, NCATS. An upgrade to 100Mb has been considered for both sites in the future.

Network Server

The server chosen for the Wonderful World of Windows computer lab stayed in line with all of our previous purchases, primarily based on our two (2) full-time on-site Dell Technicians. The server is a Dell PowerEdge 4200, configured with two (2) Intel Pentium II 300 MHz Processor Chips with MMX, 256 Mb Ram, six (6) 9Gb Seagate Hard Drives in a RAID 5 Configuration (One as a Hot Spare), three (3) 64X CD-ROM's and a 100Mb Intel Network Interface Card. The server is running Microsoft's Windows NT 4.0 as its operating system. Microsoft's Internet Service Manager is installed to serve the local Web Pages of the Wonderful World of Windows, while ODBC 3.0 is being used for the database connectivity.

Network Client

The workstations chosen for the Wonderful World of Windows computer lab also followed all of our previous purchases. The workstations are from the Dell Optiplex GXi series. Each is configured with the Intel Pentium II 300 MHz Processor Chip with MMX, 64Mb of RAM, one (1) 9Gb Seagate Hard Drive, one (1) 64X CD-ROM, and a 10/100Mb Intel Network Interface Card. The workstations are running Microsoft's Window 95, Office 97, Internet Explorer 4.0 and Mirabilis' ICQ.

Chapter Four

Summary

The Wonderful World of Windows is a paradigm shift in using computers in the educational curriculum. The program is not focused on the teaching of a specific piece of hardware or software product, but rather on the learning of how to learn. The value is added by letting students explore their world, express themselves, and exchange with others, all while using the technological tools of their education.

Four objectives had to be completed in order to create the Wonderful World of Windows as a successful technology education system. The first objective was to create a nine-week technology curriculum that allowed students to explore, exchange and express in a business simulation situation. This objective was achieved through multiple meetings with key technology and curriculum personnel as well as the intensive research of Don Tapscott and Drs. Idit Harel and Seymour Papert. The creation of this curriculum also helped in the re-creation of the total classroom environment.

The second objective was to create an Agent information system that, as a human/computer interface, acted as a lead-learner for all middle school technology students. This objective was aided by the Microsoft Agent software, which allows for the use of six different characters to be used in an informational disseminating tool. The design of successful human/computer interactions was heavily influenced by the research of Drs. Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass. The lead-learner environment was influenced by the research of Drs. Senge, W. Edward Deming and William Glasser.

The third objective was to create the Wonderful World of Windows as a browser application that acted as the human/computer interface for all middle school technology students. This objective was met by creating a Dynamic HyperText Markup Language Browser Application utilizing Microsoft's ActiveX components. Active Server Pages as well as Open Database Connectivity allowed for the passing and storing of Application Session Variables.

Recommendations

As with any information system, the Wonderful World of Windows project has room for many improvements. But these improvements require many more resources than were originally tasked with this project. There are five recommendations that could be made to improve the future of this and other such projects.

The first recommendation pertains to the interactivity of the Agent characters. The current design of the project limits the Agent characters to strictly talking to the student. There is no questioning or listening for a response from the student user. In the programming sense of the Agent character, this is an option. Time constraints and programming limitations did not allow for this ability for social interaction. The Agents are enabled for speech recognition, so in a future version of the Wonderful World of Windows speech could be a navigational tool.

Another piece of this interactivity is the lack of the Agent gaining knowledge based on it's user interaction. Because a database is incorporated into the Agent character, it is quite possible that the Agent could actually store information about the student user as they work together. That data could then be used later to determine an Agent action or response based on branching options.

The second recommendation pertains to the Agent character scripts. The first part of writing a script is actually developing the character's personality. While developing a character may at first seem like an easy task, it turned into something more daunting. Part of that character development is creating the language the Agent will use. Each Agent has a life history or back story that details where they came from and how they were formed. It is these life histories or back stories that determine what the Agent will say or how they will act. The specific life histories or back stories of these characters has actually turned into another project for me in the development of the Wonderful World of Windows.

The third recommendation pertains to the Agent character animations. The Agent characters from Microsoft were very detailed with over 25 different animations. The same cannot be said for the Animatronix Agent character, Bill. He was limited to the animations he could provide and at times became dull. His role was limited to the Master of Ceremonies mostly because of his limited library of animations. As a side note to this character, Bill, Microsoft has been notifying programmers about ending the use of this character for legal reasons. In accordance with this, I am currently developing a new character in my likeness to fill this role.

The fourth recommendation is to move this project to the core curricular subjects. As I've stated earlier, this is a small step toward the integration of computer technologies in education. In the future, I would recommend the development of Agent characters and programs that can be implemented within the core subjects of Math, Science, Social Studies and English/Literature. Imagine the Ben Franklin Agent walking a student through his life history, or the Albert Einstein Agent explaining the theory of relativity. These Agents don't exist yet, but when they do, imagine the power they will have in interacting with future students.

The final recommendation is to include more student input in the design. Our students are our future. They are the eyes and ears of the Wonderful World of Windows. Their input thus far has been beneficial and should continue to be. If the program is to serve them, they should help build it.

Conclusion

The Wonderful World of Windows project is a small, yet bold step in the future of educational technology integration. When the students of today's classroom become the teachers of tomorrow, computers will have become transparent devices used as communications tools as the pencil and paper are today. The spirit of such projects as the Wonderful World of Windows will continue as students and teachers invest the time in taking educational technology to a higher level.