This week I had the opportunity to view a variety of educational
technology research. We all know that technology within the classroom can
benefit students in various ways. The integration of technology in education
not only support teachers’ teaching strategies but also supports our students
learning. As I read through the different educational technology research, a
few statistics stood out to me. The first was from Project Tomorrow Speak Up.
It stated that in 2010 only 58 percent of parents of school-aged parents
carried smartphones. Today, 94 percent of school-aged parents are smartphone
carriers. This correlates with a 2016 key finding that states that two-thirds
of school principals want new teachers to be proficient in using digital tools
such as social media apps to communicate with parents and students. With the
growth of smartphone users, teachers can now use an app to instantly connect
information to parents and students. I think back to my elementary years when
teachers would send newsletters and written notes home to communicate. Many
times these papers would get lost. Today, teachers can keep parents up-to-date
by using a simple app!
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| Source: Speak Up 2015 Research Project for Digital Learning Findings - the results of the authentic, K-12 educators nationwide. |
The #2 finding stood out to me as well. There are more game-based learning environments in elementary grades than in middle school and high school. As I thought about that finding, I realized that this is very true. I can name numerous game-based learning apps and games for elementary grades. However, I can not think of many for high school age students. As I reflected on my own experience, I tend to use many learning apps for the elementary students I work with, however, with my high school students I do not. My goal for the next few weeks is to find more game-based learning apps for my older students.
The last finding that I found interesting was that teachers say they are using technology to encourage student self-monitoring of learning (55 percent), examine student performance trends to differentiate instruction (50 percent) and providing regular feedback to their students on performance (48 percent). I would have thought these percentages would have been higher. I believe that each of these findings is essential to my current field of special education. Using technology to encourage students to self-monitor their learning, allows students to see their own progress in reaching their goals. Secondly, by using technology, I can analyze the data to make a decision if I need to change the type of instruction. And lastly, I can use technology to not only provide feedback to the students but also parents and other members of the IEP team.
Thanks for the thoughtful reflection on the statistics that stood out to you. I was happy to see that after reading the research you decided to look for more game-based apps/activities for your high school students. You'll have to let us know what you find!
ReplyDeleteHi Phillip,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see someone thinking about games and older students. I'm a big believer in the power of play. It might sound like a cheesy term or cliche, but it's true. We need to approach play as something that is real in our adult lives. Play is improvisation, creativity, and experimentation all rolled up in one. When we write to each other on these blogs or speak with people face-to-face, we are playing; we're MAKING THINGS UP and improvising based on multiple variables, both internal and external. When we automatically approach play as something only for the young, we are ignorant of what play has created for us. Each invention we use, each great discovery humans have ever made: these all resulted and will continue to result from playing with the universe. I don't have too many suggestions, but I will say that my current middle schoolers and the high schoolers I have taught love Kahoot, Quizlet, BrainPop, and any kind of Coding app.