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Despite increasing demands to use technology, teachers often feel frustrated in knowing how to use technology productivity tools efficiently. At a private high school, teachers are required to use productivity tools available through the school website to do their work. However, through informal feedback, teachers expressed frustration that information was difficult to find and was not current or relevant. Therefore, the purpose of this usability study was to evaluate the content and organization of a newly designed website. Teachers who reported little to no use of the website were asked to participate. Six teachers were observed and audio recorded using a talk-aloud technique while using the website to complete eight tasks commonly asked of teachers. Data collected included field notes, screencastings, and surveys. Analysis included qualitative coding of field notes and audio transcripts and descriptive statistical analysis of the survey data. Findings indicated teachers preferred having information simplified, in one location, with fewer drop down menus. Additionally, there were a variety of preferences in terms of how information was presented, with some preferring video, some text and images, and some downloadable PDF files. These findings have implications for how the website is designed to best meet differing teacher needs.

• Timothy Freitas, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

Google Apps for Education offers many new technologies that are not only changing the way we teach but also the way we collaborate and plan. Google Calendar in particular can allow for cloud based storage of lesson plans that can be organized and set to be readily available on any given day, year after year. Yet even the small amount of time and practice it may take to learn how to use a new technology can create a large chasm between digital natives, comfortable with exploring a new product, and those not ready to leave the comforts of familiarity and migrate to the digital world. This usability study aimed to evaluate the usability and intuitiveness of a module prototype, designed to teach educators how to use Google Calendar as a cloud-based lesson planner, in order to determine how to make the module more approachable to new learners. Participants were asked to “think aloud” as they performed a series of tasks and explored the module in an effort to gain an understanding of how users might perceive the learning module and any potential areas that might inhibit learning. Data were gathered on participants as they interacted with the module, on any frustrations, confusions, and overall impressions. The results of the study highlighted areas of concern, frustration or confusion which helped further shape the design of the module and provide possible implications or generalizations that may be made when designing future training modules.

• Dana Ishii, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA