Thursday 21 March 2013

Technology in the classroom: Engaging or Distraction?

Is technology in the education system helping students become more engaged in their learning process?  After all of the studies, literature, and debates, I'll be honest, I just cannot answer that question.  There are so many differing theories on student engagement and technology just seems to be a tool that, like it or not, is a part of our Western culture.  Parsons and Taylor (2011, p. 4) quotes Carlson (2005) describing a professor's experience that technology just seems to be distracting students from focusing on the tasks in the classroom, using their mobile devices to socialize which limits their development of self-discipline.  And while I tend to agree that this may very well be the current reality of classroom experience I can't help but wonder if the other side of the debate trumps the argument.

If I think about my own experience growing up, I watched a considerable number of movies.  My entire family actually spent countless hours watching movies together on those rainy or blizzard-y days when you can't run a-muck outside.  We then spent subsequent hours quoting hilarious lines, re-enacting scenes and often filming each other and watching our own creations.   I remember teachers snubbing the idea of showing films or videos in class but to be honest, I might have done much better if the concepts of Algebra could have been more exciting to watch on film versus my Math teacher writing examples in chalk on the blackboard or referring to the lifeless examples in the text.  Could I have expected that all students back then had the same relationship with film as I had? No, but I wonder how much more engaged I (and most likely many others) might have been in Mathematics had there been a few films to flush out the content for the diversity of learners that were inevitably in that classroom.  Parsons & Taylor (2011) explain the idea that education is morphing from the earliest years to the highest academic years, and they "strongly feel that we fail to meet the needs of students who have grown up in a digital world and are hearing into different cultural and economic futures that are rich in ever-advancing technology and information"(p.5).  I wonder if we have been failing for a much longer duration than we're acknowledging.

If you spent your whole life engaged with internet, social media, online gaming, virtual worlds, mobile devices, online dating sites, email, distance education, Blogging, and the list goes on, how could you possibly feel a sense of belonging, engaged, or included in an education that didn't provide those same mediums that form the fabric of your existence as you know it?  Technology is engaging because the students are one with it, they understand the world with it, not without it.  It is true that there are many distractions that come with online technology especially for students who are just developing their concentration and self-discipline skills, but there are endless opportunities to explore which ways we can harness these devices to ensure that educators are "developing and implementing targeted interventions and additional practical strategies in the context of new media technology-pervasive learning environments that will ultimately enhance learning" (Arnone, Small, Chauncey, & McKenna, 2011, p.194).  Pedagogy leads the effectiveness of technology implementation for student learning but, perhaps the technology itself is also the means of engagement for a digital native? 

References: 

Arnone, M.P., Small, R.V., Chauncey, S.A., McKenna, H.P. (2011). Curiosity, interest and engagement in technology-pervasive learning environments: a new research agenda. Association for Educational Communications and Technology. 59, 181-198.

Parsons, J., & Taylor, L. (2011). Student engagement: What do we know what should we know? University of Alberta, 1-59. Retrieved from: http://education.alberta.ca/media/6459431/student_engagement_literature_review_2011.pdf


3 comments:

  1. Your personal example of the use of videos/films is an important one. Our brains work in pictures and using technology to create pictures in student’s minds is a good example of using technology effectively.

    Research refutes your question, “perhaps the technology itself is also the means of engagement for a digital native?” The Metri Group (2003) highlight the necessity of teachers understanding that when research is used appropriately, children learn more. “It is important to demonstrate this research link to teachers, thereby encouraging them to incorporate technology into the mainstream of student learning (Metri Group, 2003, p. 12). Cole’s (2009) report on a failed experiment to use Wiki technology to support student engagement is a good example. “Educationalists must be clear about the intended outcomes of the technology used. Curricula should be created that does not confuse technological interactivity with interactive learning. (p. 146). I like the Metri Group’s (2003) use of the word ‘bridge’. “Technology serves as a bridge to more engaged, relevant, meaningful, and personalized learning—
    all of which can lead to higher academic achievement.” (p. 12). Technology and pedagogy work synergistically.

    Cole’s (2009) report also highlighted that student’s are not one with technology. Many of the students needed guidance to use the wiki. When one student struggled to upload content, he simply gave up. The use of the wiki on its own did not inspire intellectual engagement. “Engagement in learning – intellectual engagement –develops when students encounter work that is relevant, interesting, and connects with their aspirations and interests…” (Dunleavy & Milton, 2010, p. 8). Technology is the means to do that work.

    References

    Cole, M. (2009). Using Wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons from the trenches, 52(1), 141–146. Retrieved from:
    http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/science/article/pii/S0360131508001061

    Dunleavy, J. & Milton, P. (2010). Student engagement for effective teaching and deep learning. Canadian Education association, 48(5), 4-8. Retrieved from:
    http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/student-engagement-effective-teaching-and-deep-learning

    Metri Group (2003). enGauge 21st century skills: Literacy in the Digital age. 1-88. Retrieved from: http://pict.sdsu.edu/engauge21st.pdf

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  2. It makes a lot of sense that students need multiple representations of ideas before they begin to internalize them. As you say, a description on the chalkboard and a worksheet in the textbook weren't enough. Add a film and a real life context, and the math might start to seem important and interesting. Technology isn't a necessary element, but I think it's more than a tool or a bridge. It provides the opportunity for an immersive experience that connects learning to real life situations. For example, math is deeply embedded in the grocery store. But my kids (ages 6 and 8) can't really take advantage the many opportunities to use math as we shop because they are unable to solve the problems in their head. If I were to bring a calculator for them, however, I'm sure they would enjoy exploring addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They might even begin to tackle some problems of optimization.

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  3. Your comments and the ones that follow made me think more deeply about the question, What is engaging about technology? Your personal example of video as a means of expression was important in that you used the tool that helped solidify your thinking. Someone else might use a completely different technological tool. Restating your ideas with your own creations made the learning deeper.
    As teacher Florence McGinn states, "“Fascination is the key . . . You can establish the wonder, and once you do that, everything else follows.” She then goes on to say, "Just as important is exploring technology to enhance that learning. For that reason, Electric Soup is multifaceted" (p. 71). Is it the multi-faceted-ness of technology that makes it engaging? Or is it the creativity needed to develop understanding?
    I have done quite a bit of reading about the Reggio Emilia approach to education and a couple of years ago attended a conference on Reggio in elementary contexts. One important aspect of Reggio is the atelier or studio. A speaker at the conference said, “The atelier is a place for experience, discussion, reflection, interdisciplinary study, creation, verification of theory, esthetics, pleasure (nothing without joy), and play.” Could it be that technology provides a virtual atelier? and is that where the engagement comes in?

    Cagliari, P. (2011). Proceedings from Journey of Possibilities: Exploring Reggio in Elementary Contexts. Calgary: Calgary Reggio Network.

    Metri Group (2003). enGauge 21st century skills: Literacy in the Digital age. 1-88. Retrieved from: http://pict.sdsu.edu/engauge21st.pdf

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