Reflection

My research began, as all my research does, with a very broad and general scope.  I was searching for examples of using technology in the classroom, specifically the kindergarten classroom.  I thought that I was going to approach this inquiry with a mind towards practicality that would allow me to develop more of a technological approach to the young primary students that I interact with at my school.  There were literally hundreds of articles, so I began to chip away at them one by one and utilizing their generous reference lists to dive deeper into the worm hole.

As I plotted along, I realized, initially, that many of the research projects I found were being conducted in China, Japan and Taiwan.  I suppose I should have expected this as I, perhaps incorrectly, associate Asia as being ahead of us technologically speaking.  One of the studies mentioned augmented and virtual reality in teaching art lessons.  At first, I glossed over it thinking that I understood what VR was but the more I thought about it, I realized I could not picture what AR meant.  At this point in the process, I started to narrow my scope and zero in on what has been a fascinating exploration.

Augmented Reality technology is SO COOL!  How have I never heard of this before?  As a very dominant visual learner, I was totally absorbed in the videos I found on You Tube that demonstrated the use of AR in teaching anatomy.  I feel like if this technology had been available to me, I could actually have studied more science and kinesiology, which interested me but I believed that my brain could not retain what I thought was predominantly dry information.  How enriching to be able to peel off virtual layers of a human brain, or to crack open a rendering of a human skull?  The 3D abilities that I was learning about left me slack-jawed.

Next, I turned to Tedtalks.com as I wanted to see more examples of AR being used in classrooms of every level.  What I found there deepened my understanding about the implications of high level digital and technological advances and humanity.

Glenn Cantave talks here about how his non-profit in New York City is utilizing AR statues as art installations to further awareness and actual visibility of marginalized heroes instead of solely focusing his energies and efforts towards advocating for the removal of statues that glorify slave owners.

I continued on this thread and was treated to some refreshing truth and food for thought from Douglas Rushkoff. He is a media theorist and by the time I was listening to him speak, I knew that I had meandered quite far away from my initial staring point of looking at Jamboard and Smartboard usage in kindergarten classroom.  His ethical observations were very grounding in that they brought me back to consider my own broader feelings about technology in the classroom and the questions that he brings up in me will be fuel for the inquiry work yet to come.

Rushkoff had some very insightful views in what I would call a plea to humanity in an increasingly digital world.  He astutely points out that it is a great thing that we are at a place where we can teach kids to code at school because it will help them get jobs in the future, but that should not be the intention of education.  He points out that schools were initially created so that coal miners could learn to read and that it was about dignity and intelligence (Rushkoff, 2019).  If the purpose of schools is the train future workers, says Rushkoff, then “we’re just letting corporations really externalize the cost of training their workers” (Rushkoff, 2019, 5:09).

I am thankful for the design of these assignments to set me up and prepare me for the inquiry process.  I kind of feel like I have been Miagi’ed (Karate Kid) into diving into the thought channels that will bring the inquiry into more of a clear focus; I like it.  I am still interested in tools for use in the classroom, but I was approaching this in much too simplistic a way.  There are ethical implications that deserve consideration as well, and I look forward to grappling with these concepts as I move further along in the process.

Bibliography

Articles

Carol Aubrey & Sarah Dahl (2014) The confidence and competence in information and communication technologies of practitioners, parents and young children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, Early Years, 34:1, 94-108, doi: 10.1080/09575146.2013.792789

Hyunji Kwon, Kenneth Morrill. (2022) Virtual Reality: Immersive and Situated Art Education With 360-Degree Cameras, and Augmented and Virtual Reality Technology. Art Education 75:4, pages 27-32.

Miller, T. (2018). Developing numeracy skills using interactive technology in a play-based learning environment. International Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0135-2

Schriever, V. (2021). Early childhood teachers’ perceptions and management of parental concerns about their child’s digital technology use in kindergarten. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 19(4), 487–499. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X211030315

Selma Albayrak, Rabia Meryem Yilmaz. (2022) An Investigation of Pre-School Children’s Interactions with Augmented Reality Applications. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction 38:2, pages 165-184.

Smeets, D., & Bus, A. (2015). The interactive animated e-book as a word learning device for kindergartners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 36(4), 899-920. doi:10.1017/S0142716413000556

Pao-Nan Chou, Chi-Cheng, C., & Mei-Yin, C. (2017). Let’s draw: Utilizing interactive white board to support kindergarten children’s visual art learning practice. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(4), 89-101. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/lets-draw-utilizing-interactive-white-board/docview/2147734816/se-2

Websites/Videos

A. (2021, January 4). Using google jamboard in the kindergarten classroom. YouTube. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Fg4gDb4iM

A. (2021, February 27). About. Creative Kindergarten. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://creativekindergartenblog.com/about-2/

Cantave, G. (n.d.). How augmented reality is Changing Activism. Glenn Cantave: How augmented reality is changing activism | TED Talk. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_cantave_how_augmented_reality_is_changing_activism?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Aamir, R. (2020, November 30). Augmented reality in education. YouTube. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://youtu.be/fI6VlHg25v8

Rushkoff, D. (n.d.). How to be “Team human” in the Digital future. Douglas Rushkoff: How to be “Team Human” in the digital future | TED Talk. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_rushkoff_how_to_be_team_human_in_the_digital_future?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare