Monthly Archives: May 2017

What constitutes a good use of educational technology?

Good use of digital technology enhances student learning experiences. In an ideal environment, it would be available for all students. In the same way students use pencil and paper to complete assignments, digital technology provides a more flexible and diverse tool that enables students to express their ideas, personal theories, and explore their curiosities. Technology can also help to accommodate different learning needs by providing platforms for blended or online learning experiences. Digital technology is also useful for documenting student learning journeys in the form of digital portfolios. With digital technology, students can also engage in global learning experiences where they learn with the world and not just about it.

In order to make good use of digital technology in education, it needs to be coupled with sound pedagogy. Teachers who know the process of learning need to engage in a deliberate and thoughtful process when selecting technologies. The same way we plan, assess, and evaluate student learning, we need to be to have a process that assists with selecting tools that are purposeful and beneficial.

Integration of technology in today’s classroom is not a straightforward or simple process. Although issues of accessibility and availability have improved over the years it is not an equal playing field for all students due to issues like budgeting and internet availability. Another barrier is teacher education. Optimal use of technology takes awareness, time, and planning and teachers need to be supported with quality forms of professional development in order for this to happen.

Med ed and digital technology

When I initially reflected on these questions, I didn’t think there was much from my own experience that constituted “good” use of technology in the (medical) science classroom. Most of the technology used in our classroom (which is actually a lecture theatre) is powerpoint, LMS, vodcasts etc. Though this has increased accessibility to lecture material and allows students to learn in different environments and at their convenience, it’s still a didactic process and doesn’t fit with constructivist learning theories. But, medical education goes beyond the lecture theatre. Students and instructors are now using social media, high and low fidelity simulators, apps and games, as well as google docs to create collaborative pieces of work. When I consider these technologies, I feel that it is an effective tool in medical education. When I think about “good” use of digital technology, I always refer back to Chickering’s 7 principles. I can’t remember them all but some of these principles include student collaboration, active learning, and interactions between faculty and students. Social media, simulators, apps/games, as well as google docs all promote at least one of these seven principles.

When considering medical education, especially at the pre clerkship level the greatest challenge that I perceive is the large class sizes. At my institution, one class has approximately 160 students. To promote the use of chickering’s 7 principles in the context of digital technologies, it may require more small group work and facilitation of sessions by multiple faculty (as opposed to one lecturer). This model also presents a challenge as finding multiple faculty members is difficult considering that many teaching faculty in medicine are either part time or full time clinicians.

Know-Wonder-Learned

The video documentary, A Private Universe sheds light upon an important issue many educators face on a day-to-day basis, the question of a student’s metacognition. A question highlighted and discussed in this video centres around the notion of what exactly is a student thinking about regarding their own learning and understanding, before, during, and after a lesson. While watching the video it is intriguing to note that Heather, considered a more competent, intelligent, and insightful student from the perspective of the teacher, is unable to accurately and thoroughly explain how seasons work and the rotation of the earth and moon. It is clear from the video that as Heather is being interviewed, she is looking for validation from the interviewer to support her thinking, and continue the dialogue. When she begins to draw her ideas she is better able to have confidence in her thinking strategies.

According to Sacit Kose (2008) research into diagnosing student misconceptions can be better explored when coupled with allowing students to draw their ideas alongside interviews. Kose (2008) states, “That’s why; the results obtained indicate that drawing method is effective in determining the student’s’ misconceptions. One of the probable reasons of the determined misconceptions may be the difference between the scientific and daily language.” As students learn to use the vocabulary associated with new topics, they are then able to better communicate their understanding of these ideas with confidence and accuracy.

For myself, I have realized that importance of the simple KWL activity, and how within science classes, this tool is often misused. When students begin a new unit of study, accessing prior knowledge is critical. It is an opportunity for students to reflect upon their learning, understanding, and knowledge, but also to spend time thinking about what they wonder about. The challenge lies in finding the time to sort these reflections and ideas into meaningful lessons that will lead to clarity in future lessons. As Galen Erickson, (1979) mentions, “with knowledge of what the learner brings to an instructional setting recognized as such a vital component in planning educational programs, it should have become an important stimulus in educational research.” Therefore, what the children are thinking is the epicenter of true inquiry. Learning to be flexible in planning to avoid continued misconceptions of understanding being perpetuated means the teacher must put the student first.

What was clear from both the video and the research by Erickson (1979), Kose (2008), and Driver (1983), is that students need to be able to describe their thinking with the use of hands-on manipulatives, whether it be drawing ideas on paper or using models. When students are given opportunities to describe their thinking, while working one to one with a teacher, the teacher is then capable of targeting misconceptions and reteaching on the spot. This is where technology can come into play. Students can then use apps on the iPad, such as Explain Everything to record their understanding of the topic being studied, and teachers can provide better feedback to ensure that any misunderstandings are caught, and retaught. Yes, the issue of time will always be a concern, however, in British Columbia with the introduction of a new inquiry-based curriculum is being rolled out, less emphasis is placed on content, but rather on the big ideas within a grade. When educators spent time exploring concepts with the goal of quality understanding rather than quantity of content being covered, students will have a stronger foundation of knowledge, ultimately leading to more curious, inquisitive students, wanting to explore further.

References

Driver, R., Guesne, E., & Tiberghien, A. (1985). Children’s ideas and the learning of science. Children’s ideas in science, 1-9.

Erickson, G. L. Children’s conceptions of heat and temperature. Science Education 63, no. 2 (1979): 221-230

Kose, Sacit. Diagnosing Student Misconceptions: Using Drawings as a Research Method. World Applied Sciences Journal 3 (2): 283-293, 2008

Deeper Learning

In elementary math and science classrooms, technology can support learning intentions and big ideas when it enhances student learning or helps to personalize each students needs. In math, technology can help facilitate different groups, as in the Math Daily 3 design. Students can use apps like Book Creator to document examples of different patterns. They can use apps like Show Me, an interactive whiteboard, to share evidence of their learning. Students can watch educational videos to help them understand a concept or idea. Students are able to converse with their teacher outside of school hours for formative assessment and support. Apps like Brain Pop Jr. that provide short, animated and engaging cartoons to present a curricular competency for our visual learners. I believe these examples count as a good use of technology to support math because they enhance the meaning of big ideas and are engaging to a variety of learning styles. Student’s benefit from virtual manipulative’s and programs that correct common errors, rather then having students make the same mistakes over and over on a worksheet. Many apps provide immediate feedback for the learner.

In science, technology can support learning in a number of ways. In our life cycle unit, students took pictures of their plants daily. Being able to zoom in on the roots brought the learning to life. Students made stop motion videos to show how their plant grew daily and for greater observation. Students enjoy using technology to research and watch movies to find answers to their inquiry questions. Students use technology to create iMovies to share what they learned with the class, adding voice-overs, images, videos, and text. These are examples of enhancing learning and providing opportunities for student voice.

When technology is not replacing worksheets or being used as a ‘filler’, but rather being used to integrate meaningful experiences, it changes the way students view learning. Students are engaged, taking ownership over their learning, and we as teachers are creating environments for deeper, authentic learning.

 

Making Sense

I believe that all learners have conceptual challenges when learning new ideas, similar to how educators teach with assumptions that they may not have noticed before seeing students struggle with the content. I don’t have a lot of experience teaching Science theories to students. However, from my little experience, I did notice that it doesn’t really matter what subject I was teaching, regardless of age, the students usually come into the classroom with some knowledge of the topics to be learned already.  This knowledge is sometimes complete, sometimes not, sometimes correct and sometimes not. It is also quite hard to have everyone in a classroom start on new topics at the same level, so it becomes a bit of a challenge for the teacher to scaffold students.  More than often, I find that the best way that works for me is to start topics from brainstorming together first. Get a sense of what everyone knows already, then review some previously taught material then connecting them to the new topic. More than often for myself, the best way that works is to start topics by brainstorming together first. Through that activity, I would then get a sense of what everyone knows already, from that I can then review some previously taught material before helping students make connections to the new topic.

This prior knowledge, fuels these personal theories developed by students and are often hard to overwrite and can take a long time to do so as they are personal and so “makes sense” to the students much more than something new being taught be the teacher. Most of the time, it’s easier to say “others just don’t understand my idea” than to really see that they’ve made a mistake in their theory because it “makes sense” to them. I believe that this challenge was very visible in Heather. Her theories made sense to her, so even though it was different from what the teacher taught after, she actually tweaked her theory instead of dumped her idea.

With advancements in technology and education, when Heather was later able to remember and recite the correct theory/answer with manipulatives next to her, it reminded me of the Multiple Intelligence Theory and how everyone learns differently, and manipulatives can be helpful for learning.  It helped when she had a 3D visual instead of the 2D representation she was asked to draw. This also made me see the manipulatives as technologies used in classrooms. Though not digital,  they were just as effective. When the manipulatives were first introduced to the classroom before the digital age, it was probably considered new media as well. But now, they are just regular mediums to have in a classroom, while new media are being introduced.

If the same “Four Seasons” question was to be asked by students now, they would have had the chance to learn the same material with digital media, so perhaps their answers may be different. Digital technology may have helped current students “see” the theory better, but may not help them understand or make internal connections though it might be easier.

Just a thought: Maybe that’s why we often find students not retaining course content as much as the need for them to make their own theories have decreased. As answers can just be googled.

Value Added

I believe good use of technology is anything that adds value to the activity. In this way, the use of technology is just like any tool. I am a huge fan of Alice Keeler (Ed Tech guru) who consistently asks the question does technology make the experience better for the student? If the answer is no, then upgrade the activity. There are simply way too many teachers out there that assume tech in all cases adds value and it isn’t the case. Without strong pedagogy you have nothing.

The best example of this I can think of is my own school, which went 1-1 this year with chrome books. During the first two weeks, we had some trouble with the vendor and getting the books in the hands of the students. I had a teacher who was livid, claiming “he could not teach without technology.” My response was, “you shouldn’t be proud of admitting that.” What it says is the technology teaches for you and that is not what technology in the classroom is for. He went on say he doesn’t want to be one of those teachers who “just gives out boring worksheets in class”. I, of course, explained you don’t have to be and all the ways one can do engaging activities without a 1-1 classroom. However, when I did a review of the activities he was doing I had to ask the question in each case, how does this activity upgrade the learning experience? What I discovered was the activities he was doing were essentially online worksheets. The only value they added was they were paperless, yet it was assumed this was best practice.

To me technology needs to support inquiry and higher level thinking. It needs to provide options for students to express and create. It must go beyond simply automating tasks or mundane flashiness. Technology always has to be a tool in the hands of critical thinkers. The tool is necessary often but the one wielding the tool is always the most important.

Use What You Have!

A few jot notes on what I believe counts as good use of technology in math and science learning environments:

– applications that get students interested in math/science tasks

– technology used for assessments (Seesaw, Fresh Grade)

– technology used for classroom communication (Google Classroom- forms, etc.)

As I have mentioned a few times before, incorporating technology that is meaningful into the classroom is the only way to use it. Technology has to add something to the students learning. For instance, using an iPad or flip camera to document a nature walk for science and then later commenting on what they witnessed using a program such as Evernote is a great way to get students engaged in a task and find meaning with what they are doing.

One of the questions asked was “is this a vision or is it possible in real classrooms?” For schools that do not have access to a plethora of technology, even one classroom iPad can work wonders for such an activity. The teacher can have students rotate who films a particular lesson or item of interest and the students at their own time can add their own touches (voice notes, written or drawn notes) to the project to demonstrate their learning. This could be uploaded to a program like Seesaw so that their projects are filtered into their own accounts.

Other programs like 10 Frame Fill (application) allow children to practice recognizing additive 10 families (1 and 9, 4 and 6). In a kindergarten classroom I taught at the beginning of the year, I had paper 10 Frames that the students would use with tokens. Few children were interested in it but when I downloaded the 10 Frame Fill application, they were fighting over the iPad because they loved it so much.

One of the challenges when trying to incorporate technology is ensuring, as last week’s readings/videos demonstrated, that teachers do not assume a student already knows how to properly use technology. Making sure that students are appropriately using technology (and know how to use it!) is a vital lesson that lies in the hands of the educator.

Good use of digital technology in a math classroom

The following are what I personally consider to be worthy pursuits when it comes to incorporating technology in the classroom. In fact, below are some of the things I want to incorporate into my pedagogy over the next year or so.

Digital assessment in class, or at home.

One of the biggest benefits to technology that I am looking forward to developing is a way for me to assess students, and also for students to self-assess using technology. One of the things I want to be able to do is to have an automated test management system that will allow me to assign questions for students to complete as an exit slip at the end of a lesson. I find that if students, (especially the younger high school students), are set to a task that they have to complete by the end of class, it helps with classroom management as it gives students time to practice, and to explore their knowledge about what was taught that day. I personally also have an opportunity to determine student’s strengths and weaknesses. I know of different LMSes that could possibly allow this to be done (I want to look into setting up Moodle for the next school year), and I am looking for suggestions. It would be nice if someone with experience can comment on this.

Using videos to help students learn away from the classroom.

Some students cannot learn math in a traditional classroom effectively no matter what strategies a teacher tries. One can cite academia ad nauseum, or suggest strategies for different struggling students, but I still believe that at the end of the day, some students learn math better independently or by working with people 1 on 1 (as many students in my school do). Instead of forcing these kids to learn how to learn in a classroom, I think one of the things digital technology can do is to allow different avenues for learning. There are videos found online that would allow students to learn pretty much anything that I teach in my classes. I want to one day build a site, or find some way to host a central location where there could be videos given for every single topic I intend to teach. The goal being that this resource could be something I give to parents as an alternative to spending massive amounts of money on tutors. Building this site is a task that I may entrust to certain peer tutors in the future, if I am given an opportunity to work with one closely.

Using technology to give students alternative experiences with math

Despite the abundance of technology available today for teaching math, I still find that I have yet to “make a leap” in terms of how I deliver information. It feels like at the end of the day, students find it most effective when I stand in front of the class and work through different examples as a way of learning the concept, especially at the senior math level. After all, most of my senior students are result driven and want me to show them examples they wish to see on a test. With technology, I don’t think this needs to be. As time progresses, I want to find different activities that can be done on a device that could help kids learn a bit more independently, especially at the senior level. I have already explored using the different activities on Desmos (teacher.desmos.com for anyone that is interested), and I think similar types of learning activities would give students a chance to learn things a different way and maybe help avoid building up misconceptions along the way.

As a follow up to these types of learning activities, it would also be interesting to develop assessments that weren’t necessarily the traditional math test where students are given a set amount of time to solve a number of different questions. With technology, is it possible to assess students on their ability to complete a mathematical task as opposed to answering a question on a piece of paper to show their knowledge? I am interested in seeing what is out there.

I am open to suggestions on any of the things I have listed here. I look forward to your responses.