Article Review: Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction by Lynne Schrum

Schrum, L. (n.d.) Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction.  Retrieved July 27, 2015
        from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech004.shtml

Summary:

            This article talked about technology as a tool to support instruction in k-12 environments.  It started off by talking about how people think that technology will solve all our problems as educators.  The technology can make students smarter by osmosis.  People outside of the teaching profession feel that if a computer is placed in the classroom the teacher can stand back and watch the magic happen.  We as educators know that it isn’t that simple.

            The article moved on and discussed how educators need to be a part of process of integrating technology into the classrooms.  The teachers who are using the technology should be the ones to create and design professional development for their staff.  That professional development should include practice using the equipment, watching teachers model lessons that use the technology, and mentoring the teachers who are trying to use the technology for the first time in their classrooms.

            Administrators need to be brought into the conversations about what teaching looks like with the use of technology.  The article told a story about a teacher being observed by the administrator.  The teacher had some students on computers doing research while others were in small groups or on their own doing other things that went along with the lesson.  The administrator went up to the teacher and said that he would come back when the teacher was teaching.  It is clear that administrator had no understanding of what a technology-rich lesson looked like.

            Teachers need to work together with all stakeholders so that they have the support they need to get technology into their classrooms. Teachers must be included in planning the technology implementation and be encouraged to try out the new tools. Teachers must work together to lead others to find the best ways to use technology to enhance teaching and learning. 

Reflection:

            This article is important because it stresses the points that educators need to be a part of the process when choosing a technology tool that will be expected to be used in their classroom. 

            I feel that most of the time teachers’ thoughts and opinions are not considered when a new technology tool is being considered for educational purposes.  Too often a tool, in my district at least, is put in my room and I have no say in it, or I don’t receive any training on how to use the tool or how to incorporate it in my lessons. 

            Another thought I have about the article is how technology shouldn’t drive the education process.  Technology is just a tool for us to use with our curriculum.  If the technology doesn’t fit for that lesson then don’t try to force it.  There are some things that need to be taught without the use of a technology tool.  I think sometimes we forget that.  There is technology all around us and we feel that we have to use all of it in our classrooms so that we “relate” to what the students are using and doing outside of school.  I feel like we put an emphasis on technology just because it is “cool” or is popular at that moment and then our teaching fails. 

Article Review #6: The SAMR Model as a Framework for Evaluating mLearning by Lisa C. Kidder, Danae Romrell & Emma Wood

Kidder, L.C., Romrell, D. & Wood, E. (2014) The SAMR Model as a Framework for

            Evaluating mLearning. Online Learning: Official Journal Of The Online

Learning Constortium, 18(2). Retrieved from

http://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/jaln/article/view/435

Summary:

            In this article the authors defined mLearning as learning that is personalized, situated, and connected through the use of a mobile device.  mLearning is personal because each student can use their own mobile device and have a choice for the colors, fonts, apps, and accessories with their device.  mLearning is situated because the mobile devices allow for learning to be situated within a real-world setting.  The mobile device allows learning to come to the student regardless of time or location.  mLearning is connected because the mobile device allows for instant connectivity to the internet, video, phone calls or text messaging. 

            The authors in the article then went on to use the SAMR model as a framework to evaluate mLearning.  The SAMR model consists of four classifications; substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition.  If mLearning is in the substitution classification then the learning activity could have been done without the use of a mobile device.  If mLearning is in the augmentation classification the activities go beyond the substitution level in that they provide some type of functional improvement over what could have been achieved with traditional tools.  If mLearning is in the modification classification then use of the mobile device has made the learning transform.    If mLearning is in the redefinition classification then students were able to participate in learning that would not have been possible without the use of the mobile device. 

            The authors found that when using the SAMR to help design instruction then learning can be transformed.  The authors found that if students only used mobile devices at the substitution and augmentation classifications then there wasn’t as much of an impact on what the students learned or how long they retained the information.  However, when students used the mobile devices more at the modification and redefinition classifications then the learning was transformed and students were able to retain the information learned for a longer period of time.

             

Reflection:

            I like the ide of using the SAMR model as a tool for evaluating how effective the technology is in the lesson and to what degree the technology is being used.  I have been guilty of doing the same thing I could have done with paper and pencil but I used technology instead.  I think many of us are stuck in the substitution classification of the SAMR model.  This article helped me understand the difference in just using technology because it is there versus using the technology to transform the learning that is happening in the classroom.  I feel that there are times when technology should just be used as a substitution, but a teacher can get stuck just there.  Teachers need to push themselves to move through the SAMR model and transform learning.  In the real-world students are going to be just answering questions on paper.  They are going to have to know how to communicate with each other and how to problem solve quickly.  Having lessons that force the students to do that will help prepare them for their future.

Article Review #5: Effects of Student Engagement with Social Media on Student Learning: A Review of Literature by Ma Hua, Jessica McDonough & Kristen Tarantino

Hua, M. McDonough, J. & Tarantino, K. (2013) Effects of Student Engagement with

Social Media on Student Learning: A Review of Literature. Retrieved from

http://studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Summer_2013/EffectsOfStudentEngage                

mentWithSocialMedia.html

Summary:

            This article looked at how social media can be used to improve student engagement with students that were 12 years or older.  Social media included in the study were blogs, wikis, sharing tools, and networking platforms like Facebook.  The researchers found that students were more engaged because the students could form connections with peers and establish a virtual community of learners.  They also found that student engagement while using social media had a bigger impact on students making connections and learning the content better.  The researchers also found that when students used social media the students were more motivated to participate, share and learn with others.  Students are more engaged in the content while using social media because they have options for creating authentic, creative products through tools such as blogs, YouTube, and podcasts.  The article also talks about how instructors need to make sure that students understand how to use the social media or the engagement will go down.  Instructors also need to make sure that while the students are using social media for school the same rules apply; they need to stay on topic and not bully each other.  In conclusion the article found that student engagement went up when students used social media because it enhances peer interactions and opens lines of communication between students and instructors.  They also found that when students used social media it created a deeper sense of understanding of the course material.   

Reflection:

            Social media was always a very scary world for me.  I never had a MySpace account and I have only been on Facebook for 3 years, and I’m just now starting with blogs.  I never would have dreamed that any of these tools could be used in my classroom to help me reach my students and to get them working and thinking about the content at a deeper level.  After doing some research and taking some classes on using media in the classroom I have a different insight.  Social media is a great place for teachers to pose a question or scenario and then have the students respond.  It gives the students the safety of being able to think about their response before posting.  They can comment back and forth to each other without having to worry about being cut off mid sentence.  When my district goes to one to one technology (heaven only knows when that will be) I will be pushing for teachers to use social media at all grade levels to get their students actively engaged in the concepts being taught.