Turn Digital Distractions into Learning Opportunities

Image source: https://stage.kahoot.com/library/kahoot-logo/

Let’s face it, digital devices, whether cell phones, laptops, or tablets, put the world at our fingertips. At the same time, they can be distractions for students in the classroom. Instead of banning digital devices in your classroom, why not turn these potential distractors into learning opportunities. This article discusses Kahoot!, a game-based student response system, found by researchers to foster students’ engagement, enhance classroom dynamics, and improve overall students’ learning experience.

Kahoot! Game-Based Learning Platform

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform used as an educational technology for student responses, typically in a classroom environment. The platform provides game templates for multiple choice questions, jumble questions, discussions, and surveys. The learning games, kahoots, can also include multimedia (videos, images, and diagrams).  Students participate using cell phones, laptops, or tablets. In a classroom environment, questions and responses are displayed on a large screen. The aim of the game is to answer the questions as correctly and quickly as possible (What is Kahoot!?, 2019).

Kahoot! in Action

Licorish, Owen, Daniel, and George (2018), examined students’ experience using Kahoot! in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. The aim of the study was to explore classroom dynamics, students’ engagement, motivation, and learning as a result of using Kahoot!. Kahoot! was used in four different ways during seven different lectures for an average duration of about 30 minutes (2018, p. 8):

• to quiz students on various topics to understand their competence before tailoring lesson plans,
• for exploring students’ knowledge of topics after they were delivered in lectures,
• to help students to validate their comprehension and understanding of topics by having them design their own Kahoot! assessments which were then collectively played, and
• for fun where the focus was on topics unrelated to the course (e.g. sports).

Over the length of the course, students played seven teaching staff created Kahoot!s and nine student-created Kahoot!s. The researchers observed that Kahoot! provided students with more opportunities to engage with the lecturer, peers, and lecture content. Key findings from the study revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom in regards to classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation, and improved learning experience.  Also, the use of a game-based student response system in the classroom may likely minimize distractions and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Bryant, Correll, and Clarke (2018) developed a content learning activity using the Kahoot! student response system as an innovative method of teaching pharmacology. Prior to laboratory class, students completed interactive online learning tutorials for five medications.  At the beginning of lab class, students gathered in their clinical groups and developed one multiple choice question addressing nursing knowledge for each of five assigned medications.  Students were allowed to use books and drug guides. Students submitted the questions with highlighted corrected answers to the instructors.  Then, the instructors reviewed the items for quality and entered 10 questions and responses into the Kahoot! quiz template. During the second half of the class, students answered the 10 questions (1 question at time) using their own cell phones or devices. After each question, the instructors provided a brief discussion of rationales for correct answers. After class, the 10 questions were posted in the course online platform for students to review in preparation for their graded pharmacology quiz. In evaluating the success of the Kahoot! activity, students reported that generating questions was helpful for learning about medications and they enjoyed the competitive and entertaining features of the game. All students successfully passed the end-of-course 10-question medication pharmacology quiz, which included the five medications covered in the Kahoot! activity.

Conclusion

Although the focus in this article is on Kahoot!, other game-based student response systems exist. The use of a game-based student response system in classroom not only has the potential to address digital distractions, but to also address challenges in student motivation, participation, and performance. So, why not turn student’s distractions with digital technology into learning opportunities in the classroom? Remember to always consider the course learning outcomes before implementing strategies into the classroom.

References

Bryant, S. G., Correll, J. M., & Clarke, B. M. (2018). Fun with pharmacology: Winning students over with kahoot! game-based learning. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(5), 320. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20180420-15

Licorish, S. A., Owen, H. E., Daniel, B., & George, J. L. (2018). Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 13(1). doi:10.1186/s41039-018-0078-8

What is Kahoot!? (2019, March 14). Retrieved from https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2019, March 28). Turn Digital Distractions into Learning Opportunities [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Laptops in the Classroom: A Distraction or a Useful Technology?

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universit%C3%A9_Missouri_School_of_Journalism.jpg

Laptops, tablets, cell phones, and other hardware have become common place in classrooms throughout the U.S. Not surprisingly, some faculty continue to ban laptop computers (hereafter referred to as laptops) inside the classroom at institutions of higher education. According to the 2017 ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, students view their laptop as critical to their academic success (Brooks & Pomerantz, 2017). Also, key findings from this same study revealed that faculty banned or discouraged the use of laptops inside the college classroom. There are mixed research results on student use of laptops during class time in higher education.

Researchers identified benefits to using laptops during class. Deveci, Dalton, Hassan, Amer, & Cubero (2018) conducted a project to identify ways in which laptop use affects the learning environment.  The researches focused on two courses for freshman students: Strategies for Team Based Engineering Problem Solving (STEPS) and Communications. In the STEPS classes, students worked in teams to find engineering solutions using a systematic design process. The Communication courses provided students with a variety of skills, such as research, report writing, and oral presentations. Instructors were able to engage students more during the production of written documentation and be involved in the writing and revision process. Students felt the feedback was more relevant, timely, and focused. Students were able to make immediate qualitative improvements. Based on the study results, the project lead to effective integration of laptops in active learning environments.

In another research study, Durham, Russell, and Van Horne (2018) revised a large lecture- and discussion-based course focused on the history of American journalism with a writing-based general curriculum. The course was offered to lower division students in a traditional classroom-approach based on an instructor-student discussion format in two 50-minute class sessions. In revising the course, the instructors designed a wiki as the main platform for presenting learning materials and detailed instructions for discussion activities and tasks. In addition to the weekly wiki, students were required to read a textbook and to submit written answers to study questions on the lecture topic. Students took three unit tests requiring brief essay answering fact- and concept-based questions on lecture content. Using laptops and working in groups, students read, researched, and discussed wiki-based probe questions prior to a general discussion. To assess the impact of this revised course, students took a self-reported survey at four different times during the semester. The instructors found that this new approach positively engaged students in the course by fostering a rich learning environment.

Researchers suggest that laptop use in the classroom distracts students and does not enhance learning. Carter, Greenberg, and Walker (2017) research study focused on classes where using laptops or tablets for note-taking was optional. To determine the impact on laptop usage on student performance, they conducted a randomized controlled trial among undergraduates in Principles of Economics classes. They found that in-class computer use reduced academic performance. Attia, Baig, Marzouk, and Khan (2017) conducted a quantitative exploratory study to measure the student’s perception of distraction by technology and external and internal distracters. The results implied that laptop use in the classroom can impact negatively on the students’ learning process.

In conclusion, laptops can be both a distraction and a useful technology during face-to-face class time. So, should you have an optional laptop policy and give students the choice to use the technology in your class? Or, should you ban laptop use altogether? Regardless, it is important for instructors to engage students and enhance students learning experiences (laptops or not).

References

Attia, N. A., Baig, L., Marzouk, Y. I., & Khan, A. (2017). The potential effect of technology and distractions on undergraduate students' concentration. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 33(4), 860-865. doi:10.12669/pjms.334.12560

Brooks, D. C, and Pomerantz, J. (2017) ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology. Retrieved from https://library.educause.edu/resources/2017/10/ecar-study-of-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology-2017

Carter, S. P., Greenberg, K., & Walker, M. S. (2017). Should professors ban laptops? How classroom computer use affects student learning. Education Next, 17(4), 68-.

Deveci, T., Dalton, D., Hassan, A., Amer, S. T., & Cubero, S. (2018). Project-X: An initiative to increase student engagement through laptops. Contemporary Educational Technology, 9(1), 1.

Durham, F. D., Russell, J., & Van Horne, S. (2018). Assessing student engagement: A collaborative curriculum for large lecture discussion sections. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 73(2), 218-236. doi:10.1177/1077695817713431

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2019, February 28). Laptops in the Classroom: A Distraction or a Useful Technology? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Pedagogy: The Basis of Teaching and Learning

In education, the word “pedagogy” is often used in reference to teaching and learning. So, what exactly is pedagogy? Why is pedagogy important as the basis of teaching and learning? What are some pedagogical approaches?

What exactly is pedagogy?

Pedagogy, most commonly known as the approach to teaching, refers to the principles and methods of instruction and includes activities of educating and imparting knowledge or skill. Typically, both the educator and student engage in pedagogy. Educators engage in pedagogy through delivery of the subject matter while students are pupils of pedagogues. According to Peterson, Dumont, Lafuente, and Law (2018), “Pedagogy is at the heart of teaching and learning” (p. 4) and refers to the “repeated patterns or sets of teaching and learning practices that shape the interaction between teachers and learners” (p. 8).

Why is pedagogy important as the basis of teaching and learning?

A common way to approaching pedagogy is to understand pedagogy as the foundation of teaching and learning. Pedagogy defines the learning experiences as determined by the learning content, context, and learning expectations. Educators are the subject and educational experts who “determine what will be learned, how it will be learned, when it will be learned, and the way in which learning will be measured” (Speed, Bradley, & Garland, 2015, p. 5). However, teaching is more than a transfer of content, knowledge, and skills from educators to students. The way educators teach affect how and what students learn.

What are some pedagogical approaches?

Pedagogies provide frameworks for making decisions about how educators teach. The selection of a particular pedagogy impacts student learning. Educators are designers of learning, and therefore, should make informed decisions about pedagogy.

Pedagogical approaches are sets of teaching and learning practices. Different pedagogical approaches are based on different theories of learning with different views regarding what is most important in learning. Pedagogical approaches provide reliable ways of organizing learning and combining practices (Peterson, et al., 2018). They are often categorized into three board spectrums: teacher-centered pedagogy, learner-centered (student-centered) pedagogy, and learning-centered pedagogy. Some pedagogical approaches are: inquiry-based, project-based, and technology-enhanced learning.

Inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning is an activity-oriented, student-centered collaborative learning approach wherein students are actively involved in knowledge construction. Students gain an understanding of investigative procedures through deep active engagement and opportunities to collaborate. Sciences classes are a natural setting for inquiry-based learning (Kaiser, Mayer, & Malai, 2018).

Project-based learning

Project-based learning is a pedagogical approach in which students gain knowledge and skills through investigating and responding to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge for an extended period of time (Loizzo, Conner, & Cannon, 2018). Students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills to answer questions and create real-world products. Projects should provide students with authentic real-world experiences.

Technology-enhanced learning

Technology-enhanced learning focuses on pedagogy whether than technology (Glover, Hepplestone, Parkin, Rodger, & Irwin, 2016). Blended and flipped educational environments are examples of the technology enhanced pedagogical approach in practice. In blended and flipped learning, there is an integration of face-to-face and online learning experiences to suit different educational contexts and purposes. Blended learning has shown to improve students' academic performance, motivation, attitude, and satisfaction (Levy, 2017). In a study on the flipped classroom, authors found that the flipped approach improves physical and cognitive engagement of students, but does not improve their emotional engagement (Malik, Khan, & Maqsood, 2018).

Conclusion

As an instructional designer, my conversation with educators starts with pedagogy as the foundation of teaching and learning. Pedagogy defines the interaction between educators and students, which involves learning experiences as determined by the learning content, context, and learning expectations. Different pedagogical approaches have different purposes and different avenues for promoting the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Focus on pedagogy first.

References:

Glover, I., Hepplestone, S., Parkin, H. J., Rodger, H., & Irwin, B. (2016). Pedagogy first: Realising technology enhanced learning by focusing on teaching practice: Pedagogy first. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(5), 993-1002. doi:10.1111/bjet.12425

Kaiser, I., Mayer, J., & Malai, D. (2018). Self-generation in the context of inquiry-based learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2440. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02440

Levy, D. (2017). Online, blended and technology-enhanced learning: Tools to facilitate community college student success in the digitally-driven workplace. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (CIER), 10(4), 255. doi:10.19030/cier.v10i4.10039

Loizzo, J., Conner, N. W., & Cannon, K. J. (2018). Project-based learning for developing digital literacy in undergraduate science communication. NACTA Journal, 62(2), 142-150.

Malik, Z. A., Khan, S. S., & Maqsood, M. (2018). Exploring the relationship between student engagement and new pedagogical approaches. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 47(2), 170-192. doi:10.1177/0047239518788281

Peterson, A., Dumont, H., Lafuente, M., & Law, N. (2018). Understanding innovative pedagogies: Key themes to analyse new approaches to teaching and learning. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). doi:10.1787/9f843a6e-en

Speed, S. A., Bradley, E., & Garland, K. V. (2015). Teaching Adult Learner Characteristics and Facilitation Strategies Through Simulation-Based Practice. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 44(2), 203–229. doi:10.1177/0047239515617449

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2019, January 28). Pedagogy: The basis of teaching and learning [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/