For my blog post this week I choose a wider variety of articles to read in relation to mobile technology. As a Science teacher, my interest was immediately directed on the article by Ahmed et al (2012) in which they introduced a new mobile app named “ThinknLearn” to high school science students. The goal of the app was to develop students critical thinking skills and scaffold them into generating a hypothesis while conducting an experiment in a similar fashion to an actual scientist. As a teacher myself I see first hand on a daily basis the difficulty students have with generating a hypothesis for an experiment. The app itself provided visual cues and helped scaffold students through multiple choice problems and questionnaires in order to assist them with their experiment. In this example the mobile app serves not to conduct the experiment for them, but to help make it more interactive and engaging while using their devices to help students think more critically about the experiment.
When doing research on my own I stumbled across a STEM based lesson plan in which the teacher used IPADs to measure thermal energy levels from model homes. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/stem-lesson-ideas-heat-loss-project the Heat Loss Project involved students using their IPADS as both thermometers and thermal energy readers to determine which parts of their household were losing the most heat. Unlike ” “ThinknLearn” in which the device was used as an extension to the learning , the IPADS in the heat loss experiment were essential in order to even perform the experiment itself. The technology available on the device allowed students to see a visual representation of what is otherwise a very abstract and difficult concept to visualize in terms of energy. When connecting both of these Science related mobile apps, its clear that there is not one way to use mobile technologies to impact learning but instead the avenues are essentially endless. As mentioned in previous weeks readings, mobile devices have the ability to be used in formal, informal, and even implicit learning settings. The challenge as an educator is to try to utilize mobile device in as many different contexts as possible to reach the many different needs and learning styles of students.
For my two empirical articles of choice, I went with a similar theme of social media and in one article specifically Facebook. Both Hew (2011) and Pierce (2009) study the effects social media has on daily social interactions for students. Something that is often not mentioned in social media contexts is the effect a teachers social media use can have on students. Although it is considered a taboo for students and teachers to interact on social media sites, Hew (2011) made the following findings, ” Results showed that students tend to attribute higher perceived levels of teacher trustworthiness and teacher caring qualities to a teacher who willingly disclosed more information about herself than one who did not.” To me this is an example of using social media to build rapport with students and make connections. Sharing similar interests with students and understanding how they use and view social media is an important way to build deeper connections with students. This doesn’t mean that teachers should go around and friend request students (if your experience is similar to me, I have had students look me up on Facebook and try to request me) but teachers needs to be aware of how sharing information about themselves on social media can impact students. In Pierce’s study (2009) research is done between social media and social anxiety. As mentioned in previous week’s reading, multitasking with devices and prolonged exposure to them can have impacts on social development of students. Individuals who have social anxiety often see social media as a preferred way to communicate with others which for them seems to be a more comfortable environment. Something that I can take away from this reading is potentially using social media sites as a way to get students to open up more and express themselves. Each year I have several students who appear to be shy and hardly say anything throughout the school year. Using social media could serve as means to get these students to open up more not only academically but reveal more about their own lives and out of school problems they may have. The school I work at has a SAP (Students Assistance Program) in which one of the features allows students to report problems electronically instead of face to face communication.
References:
Ahmed, S., & Parsons, D. (2012). Abductive science inquiry using mobile devices in the classroom.Computers & Education. 63: 62–72 Doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2012.11.017.
The Heat Loss Project: A STEM Exploration. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2016, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/stem-lesson-ideas-heat-loss-project
Hew, K. F. (2011). Students’ and teachers’ use of Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 662-676. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.11.020
Pierce, T. (2009). Social anxiety and technology: Face-to-face communication versus technological communication among teens.Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1367-1372. Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.06.003
Jeff,
Hope you had a great 4th of July! I wanted to respond to two aspects of your blog post, 1) social media & student/teacher interactions, and 2) social anxiety.
* In regards to teachers being on social media & potentially being friends with students…
I see some good, bad, and a mixture of the two.
The Good: I completely see how doing so would build trust, make connections, and show that a teacher cares about their students, thus increasing student effort & engagement. I think the most ideal way to incorporate social media & student/teacher interaction is to try and morph it into a community of practice. We’ve briefly touched on these in this class and Siemens (2004) states that a community of practice is characterized by “a shared domain of interest” where “members interact and learn together” and “develop a shared repertoire of resources.”
An option would be to specifically make a teacher Facebook page, or a teacher twitter. It is completely official and only school-related information is discussed. I personally do not have one of these pages. If a student is still in high school I am not connected with them on social media. However, several teachers at my school do have teacher twitters associated with our school and students can follow them.
Especially coaches, for coaches social media is a godsend and seen as less unsettling. A great way to reach your athletes.
A Positive & Negative could involve teacher availability. Students can much more easily reach teachers when friends/connected with them on social media. The bad….you could be out at the movies on a date or with friends at the beach and you have little Suzie asking you to further explain the Sunk Cost Fallacy to her.
The Bad: Negatives include students feeling like a teacher is now their friend instead of their teacher. New teachers often fall into this trap because they want students to like them and then the classroom becomes a disrespectful environment. Also, social media just opens so many doors to eliminate teacher privacy and reveal information about a teacher that should remain private or make it more likely for inappropriate communications between teacher/student.
Does your school have a policy in regards to student/teacher interaction on social media?
* In regards to your thoughts on social anxiety…
What a small world. My school also has a SAP program, I am part of that group. The program means well and does some good, but a lot of students are still hesitant to be a part of it when recommended by others. Your other thoughts about social anxiety and providing more means to communicate via technology instead of in person are the same as my own. We have a lot of hidden gems in our classes, we just need to use the perfect formula to expose them!
SOURCE:
Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved July 05, 2016, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
What a cool STEM project you found. I read your summary/review of it before I watched the video and in my head had envisioned students do this test in their own homes. Obviously once I clicked on the video I saw the the students designed the homes on their own makes the project even more of a challenge for them. I liked the use of the thermometer and the Ipad. The program allowed them to take thermal pictures and view the different shades showing where the heat was escaping the house. I can see how this project could be used in so many ways. It would also be neat to see the students try and transition this test into their actual homes. They could check the temperature in each room of the house and see what areas are warmer and colder. This is something they could collaborate on with their parents and I’m sure their parents would be interested to know. One of the students said “the red is where a lot of heat is escaping and it’s wasting energy and money.” How awesome is that for students to realize that at this age. Maybe some of them could share this concept with my roommate. In all seriousness, I see a lot of learning design strategies where the students collect data and consistently reflect on their data and house. They make adjustments and revisions throughout the project. Coming from a construction background it’s exciting to see students taking an early interest in such things. Thanks for sharing Jeff!