In todays EDCI 568 class, we had the opportunity to have a conversation with nationally renowned lead educator on the topics of internet safety, privacy, and professionalism, Jesse Miller. He is the founder of Mediated Reality, which is an education company focusing on new media education for the different stakeholders in education.
One of the first things that he said, which I thought was very poignant, was ,
“it is detrimental, what we are doing to kids. When we compare our experience with technology with the access that students have now, is not fair” Jesse Miller (09/07/2019)
I think this is such an important message to convey to educators and other adults alike. Students only know what they are exposed to and we, as a people, have to learn how to cope with what we have been given. Therefore, we as adults need to share best practices on the topics of safety and privacy that we have learned in the process of technology development over the past decade.
In his presentation, Jesse presented the following ideas that educators need to focus on in 2019 in order to support students in their understanding of safety, privacy, and respectful use of technology. Under each heading, I have collated questions to consider and resources geared towards K-7 educators.
Use of Communication Networks – Social, Professional, Personal
Information about Digital Footprints and what employers/post secondary institutions are looking for online
Modeling respectful online practices (THINK before you post) *e.g. suggested Tweets to a classroom Twitter
T – is it true?
H – is it helpful?
I – is it inspiring?
N – is it necessary?
K – is it kind?
Security of Self
Do students know how to deal with unknown people communicating with them? (e.g. reporting harassment)
Do you know where all your information is stored? (e.g. passwords, sensitive information, etc.)
Communications in networked spaces
Do students know what is appropriate to share through email, texting, video chatting, social media
Is there an agreement for certain spaces (e.g classroom, school, between colleagues, between boss and staff)
I found this image and thought it would be a great one to share with Gr 4+ students as they are spending more and more time on social media accounts – where a lot of them are image based.
Alec Couros – Dropping knowledge on the #tiegrad’s
Ideas to ponder:
SAMR Model of Technology Integration (see above)
teacher has to be proficient in the tool and the ecosystem in which it exists before asking students to use it
it’s okay to be hesitant – start small (not every integration needs to be at the redefinition level)
Using YouTube as a research/learning tool
There is an abundance of information and tools out there for students to use, put them in situations where they can communicate in their ‘language’ and then translate it into a safe and generally understood platform
Providing opportunities and choice for students in order to show their learning (once they know how to acquire the knowledge, they need to explore different ways to show it
“If students are doing the same things in the classroom, are we really being innovative?” – Alec Couros
Social Media is a great way to connect to a network (develop your PLN)
Social Media can also be a teaching tool (students learning in multimodalities)
Using Social Media and crowd sourcing to learn (e.g. ‘The Learning Project’ by Alec Couros, videos by Mike Boyd)
Technology in the Elementary School context
Grades K-3:
understanding how to consume information
robotics
makerspaces
Grades 4-7
understanding the world of connecting and developing and understanding an audience
targeted ads
digital sleuthing (using the internet to find out all the information you can on someone *with their permission*)
practice Tweeting (papers around the room – limited characters, can comment below)
Twitter template (students have to submit potential Tweets and class discusses their thoughts)
FlipGrid
Lingering Question(s): Work in progress
How do you have conversations with staff members who are concerned about engaging with social media in the school context?
This week in EDCI 515 we are exploring the concept of quantitative data collection for research purposes. Some examples of quantitative data collection that could be used for research are: statistics, sampling strategies, questionnaires, and surveys. The importance of quantitative data collection allows for development of a solid conclusion to a question based on numerical findings.
See below for difference between Qualitative and Quantitative research.
Qualitative Inquiry
Quantitative Inquiry
Goals
seeks to build an understanding of phenomena (i.e. human behaviour, cultural or social organization)
often focused on meaning (i.e. how do people make sense of their lives, experiences, and their understanding of the world?)
may be descriptive: the research describes complex phenomena such as: social or cultural dynamics, individual perception
seeks explanation or causation
Research
Question
Qualitative inquiry is often used for exploratory questions, such as How? or Why? questions.
Examples:
How do breast cancer survivors adapt to their post-mastectomy body?
How is bereavement experienced differently by mothers and fathers?
Quantitative research aims to be more conclusive and pertain to larger populations, answering questions such as What? When? Where?
Examples:
When should women have their first mammogram?
What is the relation between bereavement and clinical depression?
Data
may be comprised of words, behaviors, images
the goal is data that can enhance the understanding of a phenomenon
can be manipulated numerically
the goal is precise, objective, measurable data that can be analyzed with statistical procedures
Design
Because the goal is exploratory, the researcher often may only know roughly what they are looking for. Thus, the design of the project may evolve as the project is in progress in order to ensure the flexibility needed to provide a thorough understanding of the phenomenon in question
A central tenet of quantitative research is the strictly controlled research design in which researchers clearly specify in advance which data they will measure, and the procedure that will be used to obtain the data
Data collection
Instruments
researchers are themselves instruments for data collection, via methods such as in-depth interviewing or participant observation. Data are thus mediated through a human instrument
date often collected ‘in the field’: the researcher observes or records behavior or interviews the participants in their natural setting (e.g. a clinic, the family home)
tools are employed to collect numerical data (e.g., surveys, questionnaires or equipment)
research environment is often a controlled representation of reality
Informant Selection
usually collected from small non-random samples (e.g., purposive samples, convenience samples, snow-balled samples)
not ‘measurable’ in a quantifiable or mathematical way
the aim is ensure that a sample is representative of the population from which it is drawn
gold standard is a random sample
Analyis
often inductive: the researcher builds abstractions, concepts, hypotheses, and theories from the data gathered
often relies on the categorization of data (words, phrases, concepts) into patterns
sometimes this data will then be embedded in larger cultural or social observations and analyses
Often complexity and a plurality of voices is sought
often deductive: precise measurement, mathematical formula, testing hypotheses
Results
The goal of qualitative research is to understand participants’ own perspectives as embedded in their social context
contextually based and thus do not seek generalizability in the same sense as quantitative research
RQ1:Is the type of instructor Twitter use (social, professional, or a blend of the two) associated with student perceptions of instructor credibility?
RQ2:Above and beyond the content in the Twitterfeed, do perceptions of instructor credibility differ based on whether students believe it is a good idea or a bad idea for an instructor to use Twitter?
RQ3:Does student use of Twitter (ie., frequency, use of Twitter for social versus professional use) change the association between the profile content and perceptions of instructor credibility?
RQ4:How do students describe the potential positive and negative effects of an instructor using Twitter?
Process of Research
Researchers used both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine perceived differences in instructor credibility based on the content of hypothetical instructors’ Twitterfeeds
Participants were asked to gauge their own social and professional Twitter use by answering two questions on a continuum (completely social –> completely professional)*sliding response scale
Three hypothetical instructor Twitter accounts were created (1) an account with only social tweets, (2) an account with tweets of only academic and professional messages, and (3) an equal blend of the tweets from the social and professional tweets (social = personal life [16 total], professional = relevant to professors teaching and research [16 total], blend = alternating social and professional [22 total]
Names and profile photos on the accounts were all female, shared the same name, and were purposefully generic
Quantitative Measurement
Assessed using the Source Credibility Measure (McCroskey & Teven, 1999; Teven & McCroskey, 1997)
3 separate subscales: competence, goodwill/caring, and trust
Each subscale included 6 bipolar adjectives with a 7-point response *reverse scored
reflect on reasons why it would be a good idea and a bad idea for their instructors to have a Twitter account (responses given)
Qualitative Measurement
Open ended questions regarding the students perception of the instructors
Comments were thematically analyzed
Participants
Were recruited by the researching posting calls (out to university Blackboard sites and on social media sites – Facebook and Twitter)
239 individuals
Criteria:
Current college students
Twitter user (Average = user for 2.6 years)
Between 18-89 years old (Average = 20.5 years old)
65.7% female
Primarily Caucasian (76.6%), 12.6% African American, 6.3% Asian, 2.5% Hispanic, 2.1% Multiracial, 1.3% American Indian
Range of academic majors and distributed across years of education
Results
Quantitative
Participants rated the professional Twitterfeed significantly more credible than the social Twitterfeed and the professional Twitterfeed was also marginally more credible than the blended Twitterfeed
Students rated the blended Twitterfeed as significantly more credible than the social Twitterfeed
Qualitative
Organized into themes
“It keeps the students connected with the professor”
“Extending the classroom”
“Improving student-instructor relationships”
“Metalearning”
“Student/teacher relationships should not go much further than the classroom”
“Violating classroom and time expectations”
“Breaching the student-instructor boundary”
My perspective – I agree with the general result of this study. I think Twitter has a particular advantage because of the way that the platform is set up (can follow, be followed, limited characters, can repost, and comment) for academic purposes. As Wasin Ahmed writes in his recent article, “Using Twitter as a data source: an overview of social media research tools” , that “Twitter remains the most popular platform for academic research.” As opposed to Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat – where they are geared towards people sharing their own personal experiences, instead of ideas. By looking at what people post, you can make generalizations about someones professional credibility as well as pull data to gather information on a topic. I appreciate Dr. Valerie Irvine’s presence on Twitter as she not only shares information and research connected to what we are discussing in class, but also connecting us to other people to develop our Personal Learning Network, and engaging in conversation with peers in the field.
When comparing the outcomes for quantitative versus qualitative data collection for research purposes, I think that most of the information I will be collecting in relation to my area of interest will be qualitative. I am interested in the use of technology in the elementary classroom; which was excellent to hear ideas and suggestions from Alec Couros today such as digital sleuthing, targeted ads, and the use of Twitter templates before going online!
However, I could see benefits from researching quantitative data about how the use of technology and social media platforms improve information acquisition for students. This could be done through a questionnaire/survey in combination with a pre and post test on a random topic to see if it improved their understanding.
The two readings that were provided for EDCI 568 this Wednesday seemed to be in direct contrast with each other. See my notes below for more information from each article.
The goal of this article is to suggest that based on our current knowledge of human cognitive architecture, minimally guided instruction is likely to be ineffective.
Important to consider for this argument: working, long term memory, and the cognitive process
Long term memory – central and dominant structure of human cognition (everything that we see, touch, and hear is influenced by our long term memory)
Expert problem solvers derive their skill by drawing on the extensive experience stored in their long-term memory and then quickly select and apply the best procedures for solving problems
If nothing has been changed in long term memory, then nothing has been learned
Minimal guidance during instruction doesn’t allow learners to develop clear and precise pathways of learning to store in long term memory (stays in short term memory and is quickly lost)
How to learn needs to be scaffolded (when left to their own devices, higher risk for low aqcuisition of information and development of misconceptions)
The importance of inquiry based teaching and learning in order for students to develop ‘21st century skills’ (inquiry, problem based, learning by design)
Types of assessment (ex. rubric) vs. the feedback that it gives (levels of progress)
Students learn more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration.
Active learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement.
Students are most successful when they are taught how to learn as well as what to learn.
These ‘new’ learning experiences require simultaneous changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices
Class Discussion and Questions to Consider
As mentioned by Barron and Hammond,
“decades of research illustrate the benefits of inquiry-based and cooperative learning to help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in a rapidly changing world.”
Personally, my views on students supports sits somewhere in the middle. I believe that the Inquiry approach to teaching is the most effective way for students to develop an understanding of themselves and the world around them. Throughout my school year, I move through the ‘pool’ as Trevor Mackenzie notes in his book, Dive into Inquiry. At the beginning of the year, the whole class is engaging in the same inquiry together as we develop our questioning strategies, nonfiction reading skills, research skills, and persistence. Throughout the rest of the year, I often transition from controlled inquiry into guided inquiry. There have been very few instances where I have been able to fully let go in my grade 2/3 classroom. However, I am hoping to make this more of a focus as I transition into an intermediate classroom next year.
I believe that in order to build students success, educators needs to scaffold the learning experiences in order for students to develop the skills in order to be an independent learner. Reference the Zone of Proximal Development below.
The transition in education from traditional teaching strategies to Inquiry and Problem Based Learning experiences (PBL) was exciting and quick. However, I think it was done without much thought of students current education experiences as well as developmental abilities. As mentioned in our class discussion, high school students especially, are struggling with open ended teaching and learning.
Are students just lazy?
No. I believe that students are products of what they have been surrounded with. I think that in elementary school, educators are lucky because we have such a great opportunity to take advantage of our young students inherent curious nature to explore the world around them. Therefore, we should be using this time to scaffolding students learning process in order to transition into more difficult problems and concepts in the higher grades. It is unfair for educators to teach young students in the traditional way and then be expected to learn for themselves in a secondary setting. We need to provide students with the skills and strategies for success.
“Although unguided or minimally guided instructional approaches are very popular and intuitively appealing, the point is made that these approaches ignore both the structures that constitute human cognitive architecture and evidence from empirical studies over the past half-century that consistently indicate that minimally guided instruction is less effective and less efficient than instructional approaches that place a strong emphasis on guidance of the student learning process” (Kirshner, Sweller, & Clark, 2010).
If students are only wanting to do the minimum of what is expected, I think that is sign to us educators that they have not yet developed the appropriate neural pathways, they are used to low expectations of others, or they are not engaged with the learning that is happening.
How can students show their learning in different ways if they have not been taught it?
I believe that this is my job as an elementary school teacher – to expose students to exploring and experimenting with a variety of different ways to learn and share their learning with others. Therefore, as students get older, they can experiment with different ways to show their learning because they already know how to do the ground work.
Do grades feed into this?
As mentioned in the video above, the focus on grades for students pits kids against each other which creates a competitive environment instead of a collaborative one. I think the hyper-focus on grades, especially in the upper grades, gives students a way to compare themselves and develop a sense of self-identity that rides solely on their perceived abilities which is extremely detrimental as they get older.
In B.C. we are lucky to have a new sense of flexibility that comes along with the redesigned curriculum. The curriculum focuses more on the development of core and curricular competencies as life skills instead of the regurgitation of content. Because of the focus on skills and competencies, there is a need for a ‘continuum for growth and development’ as our School District calls it. So we are transitioning from a focus on grades and percentages to growth and development of a particular skill. We are definitely moving in the right direction, but it is going to take a while for students, but particularly, parents to be on board with this approach.
Transition from high school to higher education using an open model?
Parents continued focus on grades, I believe, is two-fold. They are used to the way things were when they were going to school (local, nationally, or internationally) and they are concerned about how the indicators on the growth continuum will translate into acceptance into a post secondary institution.
The first issue I think will just take patience and time. As educators continue on this journey of focusing on the competencies and clearly communicating the importance and the benefits of doing so, I think parents will come around.
In regards to the second issue, that is a systems concern. But some Post Secondary institutions are following the elementary and secondary school approach and altering their admission qualifications (see SFU’s here).
Something else to add – During a discussion with a secondary principal at the UBC Short Course this weekend, he had mentioned this his School District in Prince George have started to change the language between elementary and secondary schools to align the approaches in the new curriculum to the types of learning that is going on at each site and each grade. He believes that the language of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary is not inclusive. Therefore, his district has moved to using the word foundational studies (Grades K-10) and graduate studies (Grades 11+). I thought this was a very interesting approach and something I would like to consider for my own site.
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