“Emerging Tech Trends in Education”
Online Learning Platforms
By: Shawna Beeler
There are several things to take into consideration when choosing the correct online learning platform for school and education, as a whole. First, what is the goal or desired outcome for the student? Different online learning tools can reach different modes of learning, as well as different age levels. It’s important to think about the desired outcome and goal for the student and then make sure the chosen online learning platform meets those needs. Second, how tech-savvy are the students using the online learning platform? There are online tools appropriate for elementary age students that do not meet the needs of secondary students’, who are far beyond that learning level. Third, how user friendly is the online learning platform? It’s important to choose a platform that works for you. Otherwise the student spends their time trying to navigate a poorly put together learning tool, instead of actually learning the material. It’s important to remember that not everything online has a credible, useful purpose.
It’s critical, that the teacher puts forth the effort to research and experiment with different online learning platforms before having their students jump in. If it’s not pre-determined that the platform chosen can best meet the needs of students, their results aren’t credible. If the teacher struggles to navigate and use it, there’s a good chance students will too.
Teaching secondary Vocal Music, I personally would choose “gnowledge,” as my online assessment platform because it’s very user friendly. I like this website for secondary students because it doesn’t look childish. High School students are being prepared for college and they don’t appreciate “baby” material. I’ve heard students say this first hand about core classroom teachers. They are young adults being prepared for adulthood and college, so the content needs to match the purpose. Furthermore, it’s very important to diversify the question content in order to check for a wide range of understanding. If every question is True or False, they always have a 50% chance of being correct instead of fully thinking through answers. “gnowledge” offers a wide variety of question choices: Fill in the Blank, Match, Objective/Multiple Choice, and True False. It even offers use of an image gallery and text snippets to further differentiate the assessment. Teachers can save their assessments for later use and preview their work before having students attempt it. “Gnowledge,” is the online learning platform I would choose for secondary Vocal Music instruction because it successfully answers my above questions: Does it meet the goal or desired outcome for the student? Are secondary students tech-savvy enough to use this online learning platform? How user friendly is the online learning platform? “gnowledge,” is a great tool for secondary education, online assessments.
By: Shawna Beeler
There are several things to take into consideration when choosing the correct online learning platform for school and education, as a whole. First, what is the goal or desired outcome for the student? Different online learning tools can reach different modes of learning, as well as different age levels. It’s important to think about the desired outcome and goal for the student and then make sure the chosen online learning platform meets those needs. Second, how tech-savvy are the students using the online learning platform? There are online tools appropriate for elementary age students that do not meet the needs of secondary students’, who are far beyond that learning level. Third, how user friendly is the online learning platform? It’s important to choose a platform that works for you. Otherwise the student spends their time trying to navigate a poorly put together learning tool, instead of actually learning the material. It’s important to remember that not everything online has a credible, useful purpose.
It’s critical, that the teacher puts forth the effort to research and experiment with different online learning platforms before having their students jump in. If it’s not pre-determined that the platform chosen can best meet the needs of students, their results aren’t credible. If the teacher struggles to navigate and use it, there’s a good chance students will too.
Teaching secondary Vocal Music, I personally would choose “gnowledge,” as my online assessment platform because it’s very user friendly. I like this website for secondary students because it doesn’t look childish. High School students are being prepared for college and they don’t appreciate “baby” material. I’ve heard students say this first hand about core classroom teachers. They are young adults being prepared for adulthood and college, so the content needs to match the purpose. Furthermore, it’s very important to diversify the question content in order to check for a wide range of understanding. If every question is True or False, they always have a 50% chance of being correct instead of fully thinking through answers. “gnowledge” offers a wide variety of question choices: Fill in the Blank, Match, Objective/Multiple Choice, and True False. It even offers use of an image gallery and text snippets to further differentiate the assessment. Teachers can save their assessments for later use and preview their work before having students attempt it. “Gnowledge,” is the online learning platform I would choose for secondary Vocal Music instruction because it successfully answers my above questions: Does it meet the goal or desired outcome for the student? Are secondary students tech-savvy enough to use this online learning platform? How user friendly is the online learning platform? “gnowledge,” is a great tool for secondary education, online assessments.
Other Emerging Trends in Technology for both Teacher and Student:
The Flipped Classroom
The flipped classroom will be a dominant form of learning in the next five years because the flipped classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn content online by watching video lectures, usually at home, and then the homework is done in class with teachers and students discussing and solving questions. Teacher interaction with students is more personalized guidance, instead of lecturing. The goal in education is to be as efficient with student learning as possible and best prepare students for future success. The further development of technology that is becoming more innovative, allows education to take on a new form. Technology has changed through the ages and so has education. By combining the two, teachers are better able to give students more personalized attention, in a more efficient manner. “The flipped classroom, with its use of videos that engage and focus student learning, offers us a new model of education that can be applied to real-world problems” (Herreid, Schiller, 2015, p. 65).
There are several advantages to flipped learning in education. Students can move at their own pace, which in turn keeps the whole class together. If time is constantly taken out of class to try and keep all students performing at the same level, the higher ability students are held back. If students watch the lecture or view the material before coming to class, they then come in knowing what questions they have and the work typically done as homework, is undertaken in a classroom setting with instructor guidance. The instructor can focus on giving that guidance instead of teaching the lecture. It’s more productive because students typically have questions on the homework not the lecture; with flipped learning model, they can actually have help on assignments, from the teacher, instead of sitting at home with no one to answer their questions, thus making the homework serve a better purpose. “Doing homework in class gives teachers better insight into student difficulties and learning styles” (Herreid, Schiller, 2015, p. 62).
Student engagement can totally change learning. Often times during lecture students daydream, text, draw, and other off task behaviors, but there is nothing happening giving them motivation to stay focused. Students knowing they have to work on homework in class the next day allows the teacher more opportunity to be creative with assignments and students held accountable for watching lectures at home in order to work in class. Knowing the teacher is there to make sure they are doing homework keeps them accountable. Watching the video lecture at home gets that part of the learning out of the way because flipped learning is not about the video lecture at all. Flipped learning is not about the lecture at all; flipped learning, with the use of technology, gets the lecture out of the way, so that the active engagement can be happening in class, instead of the disengaged sitting. With more up to date, customized, creative curriculum by the teacher, students are more engaged in the entire process. In the music classroom setting, I had students watch an at home video lecture on diction, that I made and posted on YouTube. When they came to class the next day they were all discussing before the bell rang, how they will never hear music the same way after learning about correct diction. They also discussed their own personal thoughts on the video. This immediately sparked engagement and students were talking about the lecture before class instead of texting or sitting bored, like they typically would do. At the beginning of class, I was able to start on the assignment right away because the entire class had already seen the video. Overall, it keeps engagement and it’s an efficient use of time for both student and teacher.
“We would rather our kids know 80 percent of the content, instead of being exposed to 100 percent of the content” (Schwartz, 2014). Students watching a lecture or video at home will keep them better focused because they are not distracted by peer behavior or peer disengagement, which does negatively impact the rest of the class. The lecture in an online format is more effective than in person for those reasons. “The best use of class time is to meet the individual needs of each learner, not driving the class with predetermined curriculum” (Schwartz, 2014).
Teachers as leaders in a flipped classroom setting will lead to a redefinition of school itself. As leaders, educators will best serve the transformation by improving student engagement, the desire to learn, and better help students not only for a future geared to technology, but a future of being held accountable for oneself, and a desire to contribute instead of watch. “The flipped classroom can be a transformation for all of us. Perhaps it will lead to a redefinition of school itself” (Berkowicz, Myers, 2013, p. 2).
References
Berkowicz, J., & Myers, A. (2013, April 16). Flipped learning: take it or leave it. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/leadership_360/2013/04/flipped_learning_take_it_or_leave_it.html
Herreid, C., & Schiller, N. (n.d.). Case studies and the flipped classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 62-64. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
Schwartz, K. (2014). Flipped classroom 2.0: competency learning with videos. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/flipped-classroom-2-0-mastery-levelcomptenecy-learning-with-videos/
The flipped classroom will be a dominant form of learning in the next five years because the flipped classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn content online by watching video lectures, usually at home, and then the homework is done in class with teachers and students discussing and solving questions. Teacher interaction with students is more personalized guidance, instead of lecturing. The goal in education is to be as efficient with student learning as possible and best prepare students for future success. The further development of technology that is becoming more innovative, allows education to take on a new form. Technology has changed through the ages and so has education. By combining the two, teachers are better able to give students more personalized attention, in a more efficient manner. “The flipped classroom, with its use of videos that engage and focus student learning, offers us a new model of education that can be applied to real-world problems” (Herreid, Schiller, 2015, p. 65).
There are several advantages to flipped learning in education. Students can move at their own pace, which in turn keeps the whole class together. If time is constantly taken out of class to try and keep all students performing at the same level, the higher ability students are held back. If students watch the lecture or view the material before coming to class, they then come in knowing what questions they have and the work typically done as homework, is undertaken in a classroom setting with instructor guidance. The instructor can focus on giving that guidance instead of teaching the lecture. It’s more productive because students typically have questions on the homework not the lecture; with flipped learning model, they can actually have help on assignments, from the teacher, instead of sitting at home with no one to answer their questions, thus making the homework serve a better purpose. “Doing homework in class gives teachers better insight into student difficulties and learning styles” (Herreid, Schiller, 2015, p. 62).
Student engagement can totally change learning. Often times during lecture students daydream, text, draw, and other off task behaviors, but there is nothing happening giving them motivation to stay focused. Students knowing they have to work on homework in class the next day allows the teacher more opportunity to be creative with assignments and students held accountable for watching lectures at home in order to work in class. Knowing the teacher is there to make sure they are doing homework keeps them accountable. Watching the video lecture at home gets that part of the learning out of the way because flipped learning is not about the video lecture at all. Flipped learning is not about the lecture at all; flipped learning, with the use of technology, gets the lecture out of the way, so that the active engagement can be happening in class, instead of the disengaged sitting. With more up to date, customized, creative curriculum by the teacher, students are more engaged in the entire process. In the music classroom setting, I had students watch an at home video lecture on diction, that I made and posted on YouTube. When they came to class the next day they were all discussing before the bell rang, how they will never hear music the same way after learning about correct diction. They also discussed their own personal thoughts on the video. This immediately sparked engagement and students were talking about the lecture before class instead of texting or sitting bored, like they typically would do. At the beginning of class, I was able to start on the assignment right away because the entire class had already seen the video. Overall, it keeps engagement and it’s an efficient use of time for both student and teacher.
“We would rather our kids know 80 percent of the content, instead of being exposed to 100 percent of the content” (Schwartz, 2014). Students watching a lecture or video at home will keep them better focused because they are not distracted by peer behavior or peer disengagement, which does negatively impact the rest of the class. The lecture in an online format is more effective than in person for those reasons. “The best use of class time is to meet the individual needs of each learner, not driving the class with predetermined curriculum” (Schwartz, 2014).
Teachers as leaders in a flipped classroom setting will lead to a redefinition of school itself. As leaders, educators will best serve the transformation by improving student engagement, the desire to learn, and better help students not only for a future geared to technology, but a future of being held accountable for oneself, and a desire to contribute instead of watch. “The flipped classroom can be a transformation for all of us. Perhaps it will lead to a redefinition of school itself” (Berkowicz, Myers, 2013, p. 2).
References
Berkowicz, J., & Myers, A. (2013, April 16). Flipped learning: take it or leave it. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/leadership_360/2013/04/flipped_learning_take_it_or_leave_it.html
Herreid, C., & Schiller, N. (n.d.). Case studies and the flipped classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 62-64. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
Schwartz, K. (2014). Flipped classroom 2.0: competency learning with videos. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/flipped-classroom-2-0-mastery-levelcomptenecy-learning-with-videos/
“Should Schools Embrace Bring Your Own Device?”
“A bring your own device program could save money if implemented properly, but tossing teachers into a BYOD environment without any training wouldn’t be very effective” (Chadband, 2012). “Should Schools Embrace Bring Your Own Device,” is an article that explores the concern, benefits, and proper implementation of BYOD in education. It’s incredibly beneficial when looking to bypass the issue of budget cuts. BYOD means that students don’t have excuses anymore to be idle. I’ve found in my own classroom and the high school I teach in that BYOD is very accepted because it’s a stem school and because the administration is well aware that (most) students will have cell phones on them daily and even charging during class in fear of a dead battery, so BYOD puts to use what otherwise may become a distraction in education and does so in a supervised way. This article points out that there are concerns by some educators, parents, etc. on possible cyber bullying, stigma that comes with children that cannot afford the newest devices, and content that shouldn’t accessed at school; This can be solved by preparing teachers properly to implement BYOD in professional development and making sure that teachers implementing it have full digital literacy. I think that would be really interesting to implement school wide because just looking at the staff I work with…a lot of them are opposed to change and a lot of the students are light years ahead of the staff when technology is involved. Therefore, total digital literacy on the educator’s part is completely imperative to implement BYOD 100% effectively and safely. “BYOD can work for educators and students, but districts have to ensure that schools have the tools and resources to create safe and constructive learning environments” (Chadband, 2012).
Reference
Chadband, Emma. "Should Schools Embrace "Bring Your Own Device"? - NEA Today." NEA Today. NeaToday, 19 July 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
“A bring your own device program could save money if implemented properly, but tossing teachers into a BYOD environment without any training wouldn’t be very effective” (Chadband, 2012). “Should Schools Embrace Bring Your Own Device,” is an article that explores the concern, benefits, and proper implementation of BYOD in education. It’s incredibly beneficial when looking to bypass the issue of budget cuts. BYOD means that students don’t have excuses anymore to be idle. I’ve found in my own classroom and the high school I teach in that BYOD is very accepted because it’s a stem school and because the administration is well aware that (most) students will have cell phones on them daily and even charging during class in fear of a dead battery, so BYOD puts to use what otherwise may become a distraction in education and does so in a supervised way. This article points out that there are concerns by some educators, parents, etc. on possible cyber bullying, stigma that comes with children that cannot afford the newest devices, and content that shouldn’t accessed at school; This can be solved by preparing teachers properly to implement BYOD in professional development and making sure that teachers implementing it have full digital literacy. I think that would be really interesting to implement school wide because just looking at the staff I work with…a lot of them are opposed to change and a lot of the students are light years ahead of the staff when technology is involved. Therefore, total digital literacy on the educator’s part is completely imperative to implement BYOD 100% effectively and safely. “BYOD can work for educators and students, but districts have to ensure that schools have the tools and resources to create safe and constructive learning environments” (Chadband, 2012).
Reference
Chadband, Emma. "Should Schools Embrace "Bring Your Own Device"? - NEA Today." NEA Today. NeaToday, 19 July 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.