Technology
Integrating Technology into the ClassroomFuzz BugsHere the I am with one of my kindergarten pupils doing a math centre using the Smartboard.
IpadsStudents researched for their past societies projects using Ipads. They also did tech buddies and reading buddies with a grade 3 class using the RazKids app.
A Commentary on Clay Shirky's "Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away"Projected Visual: Megan Gallant, Simone Palin and Anne Dykeman
Clay Shirky In Clay Shirky’s article "Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away", Shirky speaks of how distracting the internet is, especially in a classroom setting. As stated by Shirky, designers of social media outlets such as facebook, twitter, and instagram all aim to capture as much of their audience’s attention as possible. When it comes down to it, most students would rather engage with social media versus their profs in a lecture. “Humans are incapable of ignoring surprising new information in our visual field” In this article, Shirky also talks about the limits of multitasking, and includes various research studies to back his statements up, which, as discussed later, assert that laptop use during class negatively affects learning in myriad ways (Gorlick, 2009; Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013). Shirky goes on to say that although he believes laptops should not be used during lectures, he does of course realize the importance of having such a powerful search engine close by. The temptation to use social media sites is much to high when receiving a lecture, therefore laptops should only be open when required for research. By eliminating the use of laptops in the classroom (during lectures), not only does the individual with the laptop benefit from this elimination of distraction, but also the students around them. In one of Clay Shirky’s book, “Here Comes Everybody,” he writes about how there are mass political movements being created by individuals with a lap top. Also how photographers are being outdone by smartphones when capturing crisis situations. I think this book really draws people’s attention to how communication and group political movements have changed since the digital age. Again this plays into the power of social media. Further Research Empirical research supports Shirky’s opinion, finding a relationship between laptop use in class, and reduced comprehension, increased distraction, impaired performance and lowered satisfaction with one’s education (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013; Hembrooke & Gay, 2013). These effects are also apparent in those seated next to or behind laptop users regardless of their motivation to learn (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013; Hembrooke & Gay, 2013). While laptop use for academic purposes can increase satisfaction, motivation and engagement, they are more often being used for unrelated activities (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013; Hembrooke & Gay, 2013). The detrimental effects of in-class laptop use have been attributed to time spent off-task and strain on attention resources, which are already divided between the tasks of listening and taking notes (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013; Hembrooke & Gay, 2013). As a result, introduction of unrelated activities result in weaker encoding of learning into long-term memories (Sana, Weston & Cepeda, 2013; Hembrooke & Gay, 2013). Additional studies have identified high digital multitaskers as individuals who will perform multiple digital tasks at once, such as texting several individuals while watching the hockey game on the television and also getting through multiple emails and working on homework on the computer (Gorlick, 2009). It was shown that when tested for organizational skills, memory retention, or having the ability to switch from one activity to another, high digital multitaskers performed very poorly in comparison to low digital multitaskers (Gorlick, 2009). High digital multitaskers had a hard time filtering out unnecessary information, therefore, they became easily distracted and were slower at making logical responses (Gorlick, 2009). It was concluded that high digital multitaskers are not using their brain to its fullest capability and it is hypothesized that this intense use of technology is causing damage to cognitive control in these individuals resulting in negative outcomes (Gorlick, 2009). Our Thoughts We agree with Clay Shirky’s opinion that the power of the internet and social media is strong and can be incredibly distracting in many settings, especially the classroom. It is important for a teacher to know their technological tools before implementing them in the classroom. Technology presently is so integrated in our society that it would completely unrealistic not to use it in teaching this generation of students, but again, it is key to use the technology wisely. A good example of technological use in the classroom is the software “Kahoots.” This software requires students to login immediately, tallying those who have logged in at the front of the classroom. Therefore, the teacher knows if anyone is not participating. Once everyone has logged in, an interactive questionnaire begins, again tallying who has responded and who has responded correctly in the fastest time (adding competition to the mix). This is an extremely well designed program and its merits are evident in the classroom despite students having to open their lids. Since the use of technology in the classroom has such an impact on the learning environment, teachers should always aim to use technology in a way that benefits students. References Gorlick, A. (2009). Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows. Stanford ………………..Report. Hembrooke, H., & Gay, G. (2003). The laptop and the lecture: The effects of multitasking in ……………..learning environments. Journal of computing in higher education, 15(1), 46-64. Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for ……………..both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31. Shirky, C. (2014). Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away. Medium. com, 11. |
|