Resource 3: Edmodo

Edmodo is an online network application used by both teachers and students. It has features just like Facebook, however it is more professional and used for educational purposes. It is a tool of communication and interaction within the class and also provides teachers and students to interact with each other.

Edmodo can be created by teachers for different groups/classes and can be managed and controlled by the teacher. The teachers have to provide students with an access code to join the class, students are only able to communicate with their peers within the same group and parents are also able to access Edmodo to see their child’s progress (Jark 2010).

The home page of Edmodo (for further information on how to use Edmodo you can watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-KBwriCO-Q )

Millis (2011) points out that teachers have recognised that Edmodo has strengthened their relationship with students and led to a stronger classroom community. Furthermore, Jarc (2010) states the features of Edmodo that students are able to share content, submit their homework, take part in quizzes, recieve feedback from their teachers, have discussions with their peers and receive notifications. Therefore it is a Learning Management System which provides teachers with the facility to create and manage online classes effectively and in an easy way (Witherspoon, 2011). This clearly means that Edmodo is a great learning platform which is a powerful process to deliver education beyond the classroom.

There are also some disadvantages which need to be considered for Edmodo, is that it can be time consuming, difficult to use, plagarism is likely and not everyone will have access to the internet.

Kongchan (2012) states that many times teachers overestimate students technological skills, however not all students possess good ICT skills so they can find tools like Edmodo difficult to use and this could lead to them being discourage to use it. Ling et al, (2010) also argues that some students could feel uncomfortable when having to communicate in an environment which is unfamiliar, they may find face to face communication an effective way.

References

Ac.els-cdn.com. (2014). A Study on “Student Preference towards the Use of Edmodo as a Learning Platform to Create Responsible Learning Environment” – ScienceDirect. [online] Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042814042396/1-s2.0-S1877042814042396-main.pdf?_tid=e36645d2-1a45-11e7-8143-00000aab0f6b&acdnat=1491427492_9332cb5e901fdec6318ebafedf0d3b46

Manowong, S. (2016). Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Edmodo as a Supplementary Learning Tool in an EFL classroom. [online] Journal.su.ac.th. Available at: http://www.journal.su.ac.th/index.php/suij/article/viewFile/599/617

S. Enriquez, M. (2014). Students’ Perceptions on the Effectiveness of the Use of Edmodo as a Supplementary Tool for Learning. [online] pp.1-2. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/21a3/c7927da1d912b217408482880ff42592732d.pdf.

Resource 2: Mobile devices for Learning

Having Mobile devices in the classroom: Yes or No? This is a question many educators consider today due to the fact that technology has rapidly evolved making it an important aspect of everyone’s daily lives’. As the world is becoming more technology based with devices such as robots, watches, and voice recognition software’s likely to become a common part of life.

“Young people learn best when it’s relevant to them, when there’s social connection tied to it, and when they actually have a personal interest” (Department of Anthropology and Informatics at the University of California)

https://www.edutopia.org/mobile-devices-learning-resource-guide

Students can access different online learning resources through their phones, and also access and download apps such as Kahoot!, Edmodo, BBC BiteSize social networking sites such as, Twitter, Facebook. This can enable students to use these apps at anytime as in today’s day and age everyone has mobile phones.

Ito points out that “we tend to consider mobile devices as a distraction from learning as adults to not make the process of using mobile phones formal (e.g, integrating it in learning). Furthermore, he adds on that mobile devices should be embraced within the classroom to empower students in the process of learning.

Although there are many advantages, there are many drawbacks with integrating mobile phones such as; they are distracting, not everyone may be able to access apps depending on their device, not everyone will have a mobile phone and bullying.

References

Education.cu-portland.edu. Pros and Cons of Allowing Digital Devices in the Classroom. [online] Available at: http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/tech-ed/pros-and-cons-of-allowing-digital-devices-in-the-classroom/.

Edutopia. Mobile Devices for Learning: What You Need to Know (available in Spanish). [online] Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/mobile-devices-learning-resource-guide.

 

Resource 1: Kahoot! Quiz

Kahoot is a game based learning site which allows students to play as well as learn. It is different to normal traditional quizzes as it provides more interactivity which makes it more fun, social and creates a game like environment. It is a good way in providing formative assessments as students can have fun but learn at the same time. Teachers are able to collect important information related to their students learning as Kahoot gathers data in an accessible format like a spreadsheet, where teachers are therefore able to see where students are doing well and what they are struggling with. And students get rewarded points for quick answers and see how they have been ranked.

Kahoot! Quiz

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/e9b25908-da12-431d-b0dc-54268e9366be

Studies indicate that digital game based learning helps students in being motivation to learn (Papstergiou et al, 2009) and allows them to enhance their learning effectively (Yang et al, 2012). On the other hand, although making use of online games (Mayer, 2001) can be a source of improving and enhancing motivation in a technological learning environment where a lot of complex game based learning occurs, it would require a considerable amount of cognitive investment from learners to process information which could cause a cognitive overload or limit motivation, along-with it being time consuming for teachers who may have to create such tools (Keller, 2008).

References

Bharti, P. (2014). How Kahoot Can Help Teachers to Engage Students. [online] EdTechReview. Available at: http://edtechreview.in/news/1490-how-kahoot-can-help-teachers-to-engage-students

Gibson, S. (2015). Why Kahoot is one of my favourite classroom tools — Tomorrow’s Learners. [online] Tomorrowslearners.com. Available at: http://tomorrowslearners.com/why-kahoot-is-one-of-my-favourite-classroom-tools/

Lipp, G. (2015). Kahoot! as Formative Assessment – Center for Instructional Technology. [online] Center for Instructional Technology. Available at: https://cit.duke.edu/blog/2015/07/kahoot-as-formative-assessment/

Woo, J.-C. (2014). Digital Game-Based Learning Supports Student Motivation, Cognitive Success, and Performance Outcomes. Educational Technology & Society, 17 (3) pg. 291.

Digifest – Digital Learning

Live Periscope streaming by Richard at the Digifest (2017) in Birmingham.

https://www.periscope.tv/geordie_online/1kvKpnjDDoaJE?

t=23m20swww.periscope.tv/w/a5b4ZzFKUkttWndnSlZhalB8MVlwSmtkbVJuV014anyH8DeLx3UGSTte3ZKu27T5hXmM8c3YlLKhS9a9mWXQ

Use of Videos

The use of videos in education can inspire and engage students when co
mbined with other learning processes through ways in which, students can have an increased motivation, enhance learning experience, improve their learning, gain a deeper understanding of the topic, enhance team work (Willmot et al, (2012) p.3).

Adding on, Allam (2006) goes onto explain that the creative challenge of using moving images and audio can help engage students, and allows students to obtain a variety of transferable skills.

Such tools enable interactivity and integration (blended learning) added value to this tool, however it would demand new type of visual and digital literacy from the educational designer, i.e. the teacher (Asensio et al, 2002).

Moss (1983) argues that presenting videos is a different method in comparison to other types of learning technologies. This is because it offers the advantage of using the sense of vision in diverse ways. It is a way in which students can visualise a process or be able to see how something functions.

On the other hand, the factors that may restrict successful learning occurs could be due to reasons such as, teachers have the lack of skills to use such tools, affordability, the equipment may not be available or it may be difficult to fit it in within the schedule. In support to this Rosenburg (2001) states that the main reason why televisions have not been able to become every individuals educator, is due to the fact that it lacks the required quality of teaching. And and restricts interaction with the learner (e.g. no face to face interaction).

References

Uq.edu.au. Pedagogical benefits of video for teaching and learning – The University of Queensland, Australia. [online] Available at: http://www.uq.edu.au/teach/video-teach-learn/ped-benefits.html

Videoaktiv.org. (2004). Video Activ. [online] Available at: http://www.videoaktiv.org/

Gamification

According to Deterding et al. (2011) gamification is “the use of game design elements in non game contexts”. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the research of gamification leading to the argument that education could be well fitted with gamification as it helps engage students in cognitive, emotional and social areas, though educational environments restricts this development from occuring (Lee et al. 2011).

Glover (2013) also goes on to state that educational gamification seeks to encourage collaborative learning experiences and also relate to Deterding et al.’s (2011) definition in educational settings.

Gamification is an important aspect of education as it is a good way to motivate and build engagement amongst learners, for the completion of tasks or a way of encouraging a specific behaviour. In education, one of the main reasons people drop out of or have low attaintment is due to the lack of engagement, boredom, and absences from schools. Most importantly being distracted by technology such as the Internet and smartphones.

In today’s digital generation, gamification has become a popular approach to encourage specific behaviours, this includes increasing motivation and interaction. Therefore, such strategies have been employed by today’s education system allowing educators to manage in attaining both their objectives and meet the progressive needs of students.

Jane McGonigal addresses the idea of using games in education at the 2011 Microsoft Innovative Education Forum.

The different aspects which are involved in gamification to motivate learners through games include:

• scaffolded learning
• challenges
• builds interest
• helps learners engage
• mastery in levels
• social connection
• gaining feedback
• progress indicators (such as, points, badgers, leaderboards etc)

References

Bønsdorff Pedersen, B. and Poulsen, M. (2016). A systematic review of gamification in education: Towards a more structured use of game mechanics. [online] pure.au.dk. Available at: http://pure.au.dk/portal-asb-student/files/100331412/Master_thesis_final.pdf.

Davis, V. (2014). Gamification in Education. [online] Edutopia. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamification-in-education-vicki-davis

Grushka, K., Donnelly, D. and Clement, N. (2014). Digital Culture and neuroscience: A conversation with learning and curriculum – Digital Culture & Education. [online] Digitalcultureandeducation.com. Available at: http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/uncategorized/grushka_html/

Kiili, K. (2004). Digital game-based learning: Towards an experiential gaming model. [online] Available at: http://www.savie.ca/sage/articles/940_300027-kiili-2005.pdf

Yuan Huang, W. and Soman, D. (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide To Gamification Of Education.

Social Media in Education

Social network sites are means of communication which is online based. Individuals are able to share connections online. Many social networking sites include: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram and LinkedIn etc. It is a way of allowing users to express and show their social networks (Haythornthwaite, 2005). In today’s age nearly everyone uses social network and has become an important aspect of everyone’s daily lives.

In addition, Wallace (2014) goes onto explain that teachers and students are able to communicate online and can be effectively integrated into classrooms. It can help in increasing the levels of attendance and participation in education activities because majority of social networking sites allow users to create and share online resources, which means teachers are able to obtain the resources easily and share resources to support students.

In education social network has been an influence and become a part of learning and education although such media make no educational commitments (Davis et al, 2010). If social media is used carefully and well integrated within education, it can prove to be a very useful tool to provide education in ways such as;

• Facebook – allows teachers to create a group for a certain class on which assignments can be posted, students can be notified, reminders could be sent for deadlines and parents can also access the site and monitor the effectiveness of learning. The group doesn’t just allow teachers to update things, but also allows students to post questions, seek help, and be part of online discussion with other peers.
• Twitter – just like Facebook, Twitter also provides a way to notify students, send reminds and update any important information. Twitter can provide up to date information, minimising the need to do extensive research as it allows users to follow experts in a certain field or even follow specific hashtags related to the topic. Various discussions can also take place and interact with other users.
• Blogs – with the use of blogs students are able to improve their writing skills by updating and sharing their ideas or activities on a regular basis. Students are also able to reflect upon what they have learnt. Students can follow each others blogs, share ideas, and give feedback along with the teacher.

These were some social media networks which can be used for educational purposes. Although, there are many benefits but there are also many downsides which need to be considered by educators.

Some of the disadvantages could include:

• Some students may not have access to technology
• Students/teachers may find it difficult to use
• Privacy concerns
• Addiction
• May not always be success (depends on each students needs/learning styles)
• Digital divide

References

Alexander, B. (2008). Social Networking in Higher Education. In The Tower and the Cloud. EduCause, e-book.

Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), p.g 211

Friesen, N. and Lowe, S. (2011). The questionable promise of social media for education: connective learning and the commercial imperative. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(3), pp.183-194.

Staff, E. (2015). How to Use Social Media as a Learning Tool | Edudemic. [online] Edudemic.com. Available at: http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-use-social-media-as-a-learning-tool-in-the-classroom/

Digital Assessment Design

Digital assessment allows educators to assess students more effectively, in a reliable way and using different methods. Assessment is an important aspect in education and manages what is taught and learnt (Knight et al, 2007). In addition, Winter (2003) points out that it is the core business of education and is used to transform learning into credentials (p.112). Further more, Anglin et al, (2008) also define digital assessments as the means to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process of assessment.

There are three types of assessments

Formative – this type of assessment is an essential aspect of education as it allows teachers to provide feedback.

Summative – mainly used at the end of the unit of teaching. It is used to measure achievement, reward achievement and provide further steps.

Diagnostic – just like formative assessment it allows learners to improve and attain their goal. However, it mainly assesses what learns already know, or assess the difficulties the learners may have. So this enables teachers to help improve students knowledge. It is often used before teaching or if extra support is required.

https://play.kahoot.it/#/?quizId=e9b25908-da12-431d-b0dc-54268e9366be

Assessments are an effective way to determine the effectiveness of teaching and learning such as this quiz which has been created, it can prove to be an effective way to test students on their knowledge and allows them to play with other students.

References

Campbell, A. (2010). Digital forms of assessment: Assessing what counts, the performance. [online] Available at: http://www.ascilite.org/conferences/sydney10/procs/Campbell-poster.pdf

Ccea.org.uk. (2014). Types of Assessment | CCEA. [online] Available at: http://ccea.org.uk/curriculum/assess_progress/types_assessment .

Robinson, D. (2017). Types of assessment – definitions – Learning and Development – University of Exeter. [online] Exeter.ac.uk. Available at: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/development/academic/resources/assessment/principles/types/

Blended & Distant Learning

This is a video from the Open University which offers distant learning courses.

Blended learning refers to courses which are both based in the classroom and consists of distant learning. This mainly occurs through online features that enable students to receive education from tutors, via online forums, video conferencing and other sources. According to Oliver et al, (2005) ‘It is the integrated combination of traditional learning with web based on-line approaches’. Furthermore, Dede (1996) goes on to define blended learning with distance education which uses emerging media and combined experiences to produce diverse learning opportunities.

The online based courses offered through this type of learning involves tools such as, VLE’s (e.g, Blackboard and Moodle) which allows learners to use different tools to learn, and are able to take part in discussions. And also it can consist of different approaches which allow students to follow teachers, allowing them access to materials/resources 24/7, teachers can set homework which can be completed online. So, teachers can then mark and give feedback online.

Hughes (2007) conducted a study which was aimed to measure the effectiveness of blended learning. This research was done in a third year undergraduate module by designing a blended course which restricted face to face interaction, provided an increase of support especially for those students who required the extra support. After this study, she pointed out that she was more inclined towards blended learning as it helped decrease the efforts required for teaching and increasing efforts for those students who required additional support.

References

Blended Learning, E. and Pop, A. (2016). Blended Learning, E-Learning and Online Learning: What’s Important? – DistanceLearningPortal.com. [online] Distancelearningportal.com. Available at: http://www.distancelearningportal.com/articles/269/blended-learning-e-learning-and-online-learning-whats-important.html?retry=1

L Moore, J., Dickson, C. and Galyen, K. (2011). e-Learning, online learning, and distance learning environments: Are they the same?.

Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 93, 2013, 4599

Theories supporting Digital Pedagogy

Neuroscience

As a whole neuroscience studies the nervous system, mainly the brain, and computational neuroscience is about creating computer models of the brain in order to test theories. Neuroscience has enabled researchers to understand the inherent ability of learners, roles of reflection in learning, the understanding of recognition and emotion in learning. Meltzoff et al. (2009) points out that learning is not limited to the information gathered from the senses, but gain concepts from the world which are experienced by individuals, as individuals have the ability to obtain patterns from the environment.

Furthermore, experience is what allows learning processes to occur, as this is how information is gained about the world and memory is the way by which this information can be preserved throughout time (Squire et al. 2008).

Dewey goes on to argue that high quality learning occurs when learners interact with the environment consciously and have the ability to analayse, recreate and reflect upon the what has been experienced. So, as part of his experiential learning he points out that students are active learners and that learning is an active response to the digital culture which they interact with. Therefore, Mishra (2012) emphasises on the fact that technology is the facilitator of learning but does not restrict learners in any way. Recent studies show that being able to increase the immersive nature of Virtual Learning Environment’s, with the theory that it lead to an increase in the activity of brain linked with learning (Andreano et al.)

However, Coffield et al. argued that psychological research has characterised learning styles as a wasted effort and that there were no clear involvement of pedagogy’s emerging from existing learning styles.

Cognitive science

Cognitive science is a study which is a combination of different disciplines or fields to study the mind and intellect. It is a type of strategy which allows learners to recognise how one should reach a goal, just like a process of studying.

David Marr (1982) goes onto defining the concept of the three levels in cognitive science.

This first level is the ‘computational level’, which is the process of learners identifying information and absorbing that informing (e.g. from the senses) and acting according to that (e.g. behaviour).

The next level is the ‘algorithmic level’, this is where specific algorithms are identified which are used by the brain in order to gain the computational goals which have been discovered at the first level.

The third level is the ‘implementational level’, which is where we attempt to understand how the algorithm from the level above is perceived in the brain.

Further research has been done and researchers have focused on metacognitive processes which encourages learners to learn with greater understanding by facilititating the development of their knowledge (Flavel et al. 1979). The research has produced many instructional programs that develop, show, support and help students reflect upon programs which are metacognitive processes that help build knowledge. Such programs have been demonstrated in classrooms as a very effective process, however, taking such steps could be difficult to integrate within the classrooms due to the lack of knowledge and instructions teachers have. Although, computational approaches are beneficial but it will depend on the provider of education (Wiske et al. 1993).

Computer science

Computer science is the study of understanding of the functions and principles which help create computer systems, and model computation. Which means that it involves in gaining the knowledge of how computer systems work, how they are designed and how they are programmed. By studying computing learners are able to gain an insight into different kinds of computational systems, whether or not they consist of computers.

Following on, computational thinking which comprises of understanding complex problems and develop possible solutions. These solutions can therefore be shown in a process in which both a computer and human can understand. It also allows to do problem solving, design systems and understand the power and limitations of human and machine intelligence.

Computational thinking comprises of four aspects:

• Decomposition: allows one to break down a complex problem so it becomes easier to understand.
• Pattern recognition: being able to recognise the similarities within the problem.
• Abstraction: being able to recognise and focus on the necessary information and ignoring the unrequired information.
• Algorithms: a set of rules to follow in order to solve the problem.

Each aspect is considered as important as this is what helps programming.

 

References

Aleven, V. and Koedinger, K. (2002). An effective metacognitive strategy: learning by doing and explaining with a computer-based Cognitive Tutor. [online] Available at: http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/2002v26/i02/p0147p0179/00000078.pdf

Bell, V. (2012). A brief guide to neuroscience. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/apr/29/neuroscience-guide-vaughan-bell

Jones, P., Ott, M., Leeuwen, T. and Smedt, B. (2010). Neuroscience and technology enhanced learning. [online] Available at: http://70.33.241.170/~neuro647/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/NTEL_online_AW.pdf

McClamrock, R. (1991). McClamrock: Marr’s Three Levels. [online] Albany.edu. Available at: http://www.albany.edu/~ron/papers/marrlevl.html

Schutter, E. (2016). Computational Neuroscience. [online] Cnsorg.org. Available at: http://www.cnsorg.org/computational-neuroscience