Week #6 Reading Response – TJ Bartholomew

For this week’s readings, I chose to come at these articles from the perspective of utilizing technology more in the elementary school classes. My context specifically relates to designing meaningful learning experiences for 4th grade users with laptops in class in addition to the various forms of mobile technologies students can access at home, or on the go. With the range of devices able to be used, which predominantly include smart phones, tablets, and then laptops, mobile design for using these platforms is paramount. For students to be able to engage in connected learning, programs must be optimized for use across the range of devices.

In Martin, Pastore, and Snider’s article “Developing mobile based instruction,” the authors discuss the instructional design background for developing instruction using web technologies. The author cite Traxler’s research and identify six mobile learning categories that that designers must consider when creating mobile learning experiences for students. Traxler’s six categories are…

Technology driven mobile learning
Miniature, but mobile e-learning
connected classroom learning
informal/personalized/situated mobile learning
mobile training/performance support
remote/rural/development mobile learning

I view these categories as optimal considerations when it comes to designing learning experiences for students that can span beyond the classroom using different mobile devices. Mainly, ease-of-use needs to be at the forefront of selecting mobile technologies. The user interfaces absolutely must be optimized for use on any device with varying screen size. A program is no good if only offered within the confines of a laptop, but not optimized for the use on phones or tablets with smaller screen display in the 21st century.

This article goes on to highlight a case study with graduate students tasked to create and design a mobile web app. The students used Adobe Dreamweaver in order “to develop a 10-minute instructional tutorial on a topic of their choice that could be viewed on any mobile web browser” ( p. 48). During the course of the project, students ran into a myriad of design considerations that needed to be accounted for when putting together the app. Navigation, display, and content design all reared their heads as challenges that need work arounds. The different size screen presented lots of challenges for the students, and have since become a main design consideration when working with these apps to be able to be run across different devices’ screen sizes. For instance, an app run on a phone screen needs to have concise bite-sized bits of information in order to not overwhelm the user.

This article really got me thinking about the advancement of technology and app usage as I’ve been growing up with technologies has progressed. Years ago, kids would run home to hop onto the family computer to navigate Myspace, Facebook, AIM, and many other technologies. Now, apps and and programs have been optimized for more mobile technologies. Facebook, for example, seamlessly runs on the web or apps designed for phones and tablets, and can be accessed virtually anywhere, rather than sole-reliance on the home computer.

In order for education to trend towards using these mobile technologies effectively, teachers and designers must explore the necessary research into how to effectively use the technologies to help students make adequate gains. First comes the willingness to try and accept student voice as a tool towards designing rich learning experiences for them. In Dunn, Gray, Moffet, and Mitchell’s article “It’s more funner than doing work: Children’s perspective on using tablet computer in the early years of school,” the authors investigate the child’s perspective and attitudes on using tablets in a learning setting. While the societal attitude includes some credible skepticism, the research article looks at how the students feel about using iPads for their schooling. Teachers come from a place of uneasiness when it comes to implementing technologies into the classroom, especially with the littles. The text states “…many teachers lack pedagogical and technical knowledge and report confusion around when and how to effectively integrate technology into their teaching” (pg. 820). To me, this shows that teachers’ negative attitudes towards technologies leads to their unwillingness to use them. Teacher’s uneasiness should not be tolerated as an excuse to not use tech.

Dunn et. al’s article goes on to state “Yet, it is alarming that, despite the huge financial investment in digital technology and the reported benefits, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

recently reported that over the last 10 years, there has been no appreciable improvement in

student achievement in reading, mathematics or science…” (pg. 820). Many more districts committed to using technology in response to the coronavirus pandemic that emerged in 2020. Trends of using technology aren’t going away any time soon.

So where does that leave us? School districts are strapped with these mobile devices that are paid for with some staff unwilling to implement them. First, the narrative needs to shift towards inviting student voice and choice as a resource. Adults need to be willing to take a backseat and embrace their students as “users, testers, informants, and design partners” (Kim, Buckner, Kim, Makany, Taleja, & Parikh. 2012. pg. 330). Student’s input into these mobile technologies used to enhance their learning is invaluable. Student aptitude using these technologies far outpaces the teacher’s aptitude, and students are able to adapt to the technology’s affordances without the need for teacher intervention. Adults, especially older millennials, are only able to approach these technology’s from an outsider’s point of view whereas students of the current school-aged population are growing up digital. Furthermore, Dunn et.al’s research into student’s perspective into tablet usage concluded 4 overarching themes that students brought up in conversation: links with home, fun and games, choice, and competition. These themes need to be considered when selecting programs for students to interact with. The article as well as my own observations conclude that students, for the most part, enjoy using the technologies to learn.

Research from this class as well as my other classes has lead me to decide what perspective I’ll be coming from as I select my topic for my final project. For my final project, I’ll be wearing both my teacher and designer hat to collect and curate rich learning opportunities that can be accessed across devices both at home and at school. I will scour the Web to find programs that are accessible to my students, that are standards aligned, that work towards student growth and achievement of the 4th grade PA Core Math Standards. Fortunately, my school has 1:1 affordances, so all students will have access to a Chromebook during school hours. We will use the Chromebook predominantly to work towards proficiency in these standards by utilizing trackable programs containing aspects and design considerations in alignment with this course’s overarching themes. My designer perspective will allow me to see beyond what the program contains, and understand why these programs include such features. All this for the betterment of student achievement.

REFERENCES:

Martin, F., Pastore, R., & Snider, J. (2012). Developing mobile based instruction. TechTrends, 56(5), 46–51.
Dunn, J., Gray, C., Moffett, P., & Mitchell, D. (2018). ‘It’s more funner than doing work’: Children’s perspectives on using tablet computers in the early years of school. Early Child Development and Care, 188(6), 819–831.
Kim, P., Buckner, E., Kim, H., Makany, T., Taleja, N., & Parikh, V. (2012). A comparative analysis of a game-based mobile learning model in low-socioeconomic communities of India. International Journal of Educational Development, 32(2), 329–340.

Hi TJ,

Thank you for your thoughtful analysis of your chosen readings this week! I enjoyed your perspectives as we are both fourth grade teachers looking for ways to increase our use of technology to enhance meaningful learning activities for our students. Like you, I am focusing on connected learning frameworks and hope to incorporate them into my practice. I also read “Developing Mobile Based Instruction” and was struck by the importance of “ease-of-use” being “at the forefront of selecting mobile technologies.” If we select technology tools that are difficult to navigate and understand even after exposure and practice, then we are setting our students up for failure. It is so important for us to experiment with the mobile technology we plan to use with our students to gain comfort and familiarity. That being said, we cannot expect to become experts or wait until we feel perfect, because difficulties arise often and we must learn to be flexible and feel comfortable with the discomfort! No one knows all of the answers, and we must model this problem-solving in front of our students so that they can: a) see that it is normal and b) learn how to manage obstacles calmly.

I did not read Dunn, Gray, Moffet, and Mitchell’s article “It’s more funner than doing work: Children’s perspective on using tablet computer in the early years of school,” so I appreciated your analysis of their work. I agree that it is important for teachers to embrace “inviting student voice and choice as a resource,” as it will lead to higher motivation and engagement in the learning activities. However, I disagree that “students are able to adapt to the technology’s affordances without the need for teacher intervention.” While children today are growing up in a digital age and are able to do amazing things with technology, I do believe it is critical for adults to work with them to guide their use of technology. Yes, children can figure out games and many tech tools much more quickly than most adults. However, they are not always necessarily going to make the most responsible decisions that are best for them and their learning in the long run. Teachers (and all adults) are much more technologically competent than most children give us credit for, and even though children know a lot, we do know how to monitor and manage their tech use “for good instead of evil,” so to speak. So while I agree with much of what you said in your post, I disagree that adults need to “take a backseat.” We do need to be humble and allow our students/children to have choice, but it is our job to be their mentor. Yes they love iPads and playing games, but they cannot always choose what they will do. There must be a balance, a mutual respect, and a collaborative approach to tech use in the classroom.

What do you think? Do you feel that students should have more control over what technology tools they are using or how they are using them? If so, what role do you see the teacher having in that scenario? I am not saying one of us is right and one of us is wrong at all, I am merely wondering if I am holding on to too much of an authoritative stance in this topic and if I do need to let go of some more control in the area. I’d love your opinion/feedback as a fellow fourth grade teacher!

Well done, and thank you for your thoughtful analysis!

Best,
Laura MacCorkle

2 thoughts on “Week #6 Reading Response”

lam6838 says:

October 26, 2021 at 2:24 am

Hi TJ,

Thank you for your thoughtful analysis of your chosen readings this week! I enjoyed your perspectives as we are both fourth grade teachers looking for ways to increase our use of technology to enhance meaningful learning activities for our students. Like you, I am focusing on connected learning frameworks and hope to incorporate them into my practice. I also read “Developing Mobile Based Instruction” and was struck by the importance of “ease-of-use” being “at the forefront of selecting mobile technologies.” If we select technology tools that are difficult to navigate and understand even after exposure and practice, then we are setting our students up for failure. It is so important for us to experiment with the mobile technology we plan to use with our students to gain comfort and familiarity. That being said, we cannot expect to become experts or wait until we feel perfect, because difficulties arise often and we must learn to be flexible and feel comfortable with the discomfort! No one knows all of the answers, and we must model this problem-solving in front of our students so that they can: a) see that it is normal and b) learn how to manage obstacles calmly.

I did not read Dunn, Gray, Moffet, and Mitchell’s article “It’s more funner than doing work: Children’s perspective on using tablet computer in the early years of school,” so I appreciated your analysis of their work. I agree that it is important for teachers to embrace “inviting student voice and choice as a resource,” as it will lead to higher motivation and engagement in the learning activities. However, I disagree that “students are able to adapt to the technology’s affordances without the need for teacher intervention.” While children today are growing up in a digital age and are able to do amazing things with technology, I do believe it is critical for adults to work with them to guide their use of technology. Yes, children can figure out games and many tech tools much more quickly than most adults. However, they are not always necessarily going to make the most responsible decisions that are best for them and their learning in the long run. Teachers (and all adults) are much more technologically competent than most children give us credit for, and even though children know a lot, we do know how to monitor and manage their tech use “for good instead of evil,” so to speak. So while I agree with much of what you said in your post, I disagree that adults need to “take a backseat.” We do need to be humble and allow our students/children to have choice, but it is our job to be their mentor. Yes they love iPads and playing games, but they cannot always choose what they will do. There must be a balance, a mutual respect, and a collaborative approach to tech use in the classroom.

What do you think? Do you feel that students should have more control over what technology tools they are using or how they are using them? If so, what role do you see the teacher having in that scenario? I am not saying one of us is right and one of us is wrong at all, I am merely wondering if I am holding on to too much of an authoritative stance in this topic and if I do need to let go of some more control in the area. I’d love your opinion/feedback as a fellow fourth grade teacher!

Well done, and thank you for your thoughtful analysis!

Best,
Laura MacCorkle

Sara says:

October 26, 2021 at 8:52 pm

TJ,

I thought your articles were very relevant to your final project context, in fact, even though I’m working in a middle school setting, I thought the Dunn et al. article could be relevant in my context as well. My students are 1:1 with chromebooks as well and I’d be interested to see what applications/games you will utilize in your final project. With the final project, have you thought about which subject area you would integrate the technology in? With elementary school, you have the option to utilize any subject area and I’m curious if you have given that any thought yet. Overall, very thought-provoking post and I will definitely have to look into the articles you chose!

Sara C

2 thoughts on “Week #6 Reading Response”

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