Integrating Web-Based Tools for Improving Communication,

Engagement and Feedback in 1:1 Student-to-Computer Classrooms

Jeremy DickersonCorey Lee

Joe Winslow

Coastal Carolina UniversityConway/Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Time: Fri, Nov 11 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Building/Room: Hyatt Regency, Floor Level 3 - City Terrace 10

Concurrent Session

Time and Place

This session presents various Web 2.0 technologies integrated with instructional techniques for improving communication, engagement and feedback in 1:1 student-to-computer classrooms such as computer labs.

Overview

“Helping teachers design hybrid lessons.”

Sub-title

Today’s learners are often characterized as hypercommunicating multitaskers who pursue multiple goals with multiple tools at the same time (Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, Gunter, 2008).

Today’s learners

Prensky (2010) and others have suggested that learners are more technologically enhanced and socially connected than ever.

Today’s learners

Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards and Woolf (2011) used the term “electronic childhood” to refer to the lifetime of electronic media immersion that today’s learners have experienced both before and during their time in school.

Today’s learners

Who are your students? business/industry trainers higher education faculty/staff K-12 teachers

Does this make a difference?

Do you teach in an Instructional Technology Program?

Students in instructional technology programs make a difference in course work and curriculum.

Teaching college classes about the use of online tools and online learning is interesting, but not always useful for K-12 teachers…

Story – EDIT 610 students

Big Idea

While fully online learning usually facilitates and embraces multi-tasking and interacting with others via technology, k-12 teachers in face-to-face classroom settings equipped with computers sometimes struggle to embrace new tools and modern, digital-learner preferences due to problems “blending” or “hybridizing” instruction.

Today’s teachers

Classrooms (like computer labs) often blend a traditional classroom atmosphere with technology at the fingertips of each student, and many students are compelled to surf the Web, check email, Facebook, or attempt to use the computer to multi-task during lectures.

Computer lab-based classes and traditional classrooms with mobile laptop carts are very common in K-12 schools and in universities across the United States.

Issues

One of the most difficult issues in a computer lab or other 1:1 computer enhanced setting is productively engaging students while facilitating communication and reducing off-task behavior.

Issues

During traditional lesson delivery, sitting and listening to individual teachers “talk to” a class is very difficult for many students - especially when the learner has a computer and the Internet directly in front of them in a computer lab.

Issues

Students in classes with 1:1 computer ratios (computer labs or laptop carts, mobile phones in some cases) could be interacting with many other people or media sources by multi-tasking with their computer instead of simply sitting and listening to one teacher present information verbally.

Issues

The presence of computers and network connections for every student very can present a challenge for many instructors who have to compete with technologies such as Facebook while trying to teach class.

Issues

The concept of “competitive” media is a contemporary instructional issue with computer lab instructional settings.

Issues

When not technically blocked, students often immediately log into social media sites as a way to not only stimulate and engage themselves with others, but also to augment their input sources while listening to class lectures.

Issues

While the simple answer is to either use a firewall to block site such as Facebook, or to punish students who insist on using such sites in class, these are often not practical or effective solutions.

Issues

Teachers who instruct in computer labs or in classrooms with laptops have the opportunity to use computers to create blended, in-class, e-learning contexts for students with Web 2.0 technologies.

Issues

Instructional methods can be designed to improve student attention, recall of prior learning, interaction, the monitoring of learning, the knowledge discovery and feedback using Web 2.0 technologies.

Examples include Edmodo, Wallwisher,

Polleverywhere, and Pindax.

Issues

Gain attention Inform learners of objectives Stimulate recall of prior learning Present the content Provide learning guidance Elicit performance (practice) Provide feedback Assess performance Enhance retention and transfer

This is what “most” lessons look like in f2f settings, with computer work as an isolated section of the work (usually the performance/practice area)

Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction

Event of Instruction Traditional F2F Lesson(Not Technology Enhanced)

Gain attention Verbal cues, visual aids, tasks for completion

Inform learners of objectives Verbal cues, visual aids

Stimulate recall of prior learning

Verbal questions

Presentation of content Lecture

Provide learning guidance Paper and pencil activities

Elicit performance (practice) Paper and pencil activities

Provide feedback Verbal and/or written information

Assess performance Observations, paper and pencil activities

Enhance retention and transfer Discussion

Event of Instruction Technology Enhanced in F2F Setting

Gain attention Posting instructions, activities and/or questions via online graphical message boards, instant polls with online/mobile phone polling systems (Pindax, Wall Wisher, Polleverywhere)

Inform learners of objectives

Posting of objectives on Edmodo

Stimulate recall of prior learning

Online review of previous assignments (Edmodo)

Presentation of content Posting of content video, text and images (Edmodo)

Provide learning guidance ?... Maybe limitations during in-class work

Elicit performance (practice)

Posting of assignments for in-class work (Edmodo)

Provide feedback Feedback via online quizzes (Edmodo)

Assess performance ?... Maybe limitations during in-class work

Enhance retention and transfer

Discussion via online graphical message boards, instant polls with online/mobile phone polling systems (Pindax, Wall Wisher, Polleverywhere)

Let’s take a look

Graphical online discussion tool

Wallwisher

Graphical online discussion tool

Pindax

A social learning network for teachers, students, and parents. Teachers can post grades and assign homework to students. Also includes quizzes (open ended or multiple choice) as well as discussion threads.

Edmodo

Graphical online discussion tool with mobile phone capabilities

Poll Everywhere

Engaging Free Easy to use Accessible Effective No local software needed

Positives

Advertisement banners and email SPAM

Maturity-level of students and site use Policies for use Log-on account management Website functionality

Problems

Edmodo as a “transition” technology for teachers Facebook Lack of LMS for schools

Discussion

http://www.polleverywhere.com

http://www.pindax.com

http://www.edmodo.com

http://www.wallwisher.com

Direct Links

Gagne’, R. The Events of Instruction. Maloy, R., Verock-O’Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., and Woolf, B.,

(2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Pearson: Boston, MA.

Prensky, M., (2010). Teaching digital natives. Corwin: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Shelly, G., Cashman, T., Gunter, R., Gunter, G., (2008). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. Thomson: Boston, MA.

References: