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Rita Pierson- Relationships with Students

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Rita Pierson- Relationships with Students

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Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

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Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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Pros and Cons for using Technology in the Classroom

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Pros and Cons for using Technology in the Classroom

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Technology in education is the biggest change in teaching we will ever see. For years, policy makers, teachers, parents and students alike have been weighing the potential benefits of technology in education against its risks and consequences.

Prior to March 2020, some would say that technology allowed you to experiment in pedagogy, democratize the classroom and reach Generation Z students. Others may have argued that technology in the classroom could promote cheating. But after 2020, technology in education has become essential-especially as the COVID-19 pandemic forced higher ed and public schools to swap face-to-face instruction for distance learning.

Below, we share 20 best practices for using technology in the classroom-and offer workable solutions that will help you meet the needs of your students. You can also download our free guide, which highlights how five acclaimed educators use technology to help their students excel in any course.

How technology can support learning outcomes for today's students

Students are digital natives. They've grown up with technology; it's woven into their lives. In fact, it's one of the basic 21st-century skills that they'll need in school and the workplace.

Technology integration in the classroom now begins during elementary school and carries through to high school and higher education. But using computer technology in the classroom isn't just about digital devices in class-it relates to anything that facilitates an interaction between teacher and student. Technology in education programs could be seen as a culprit, or it could be harnessed to improve student engagement and effectiveness-and that's what we'll discuss below.

"Digital education is generating new learning opportunities as students engage in online, digital environments and as faculty change educational practices through the use of hybrid courses, personalized instruction, new collaboration models and a wide array of innovative, engaging learning strategies," says David Goodrum, Director of Academic Technology and Information Services at Oregon State University.

"Furthermore, a 21st century view of learner success requires students to not only be thoughtful consumers of digital content, but effective and collaborative creators of digital media, demonstrating competencies and communicating ideas through dynamic storytelling, data visualization and content curation," Goodrum says.

Types of classroom technology

Education technology allows you to engage, interact with, and inspire students in and out of your class. Plus, certain types of technology tools like podcasts or video streaming platforms can help meet the unique learning styles of your cohort. Many of the technologies below are used to operate online education programs-including lectures, labs, group meetings or class tutorials. Plenty of higher education institutions have already integrated some of the following technology tools into their degree programs today.

Learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas, Moodle and Blackboard allow you to manage courses, assign homework and tests, and track student grades.

Digital courseware such as ebook products by Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Macmillan can be used to create and distribute teaching resources (such as textbooks or question packs) to students as a way to create engaging homework experiences.

Classroom response systems including iClicker and Poll Everywhere help students reflect on their learning via polls or discussions in class.

Virtual classroom tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom are used to host synchronous online lectures and let participants engage in breakout rooms or 'share their screen' with one another.

Remote proctoring software like Proctorio and Honorlock help maintain academic integrity by monitoring student behavior during tests and flag behavior indicative of cheating.

This article looks at the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom. We'll also share the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom when incorporating new digital teaching and assessment techniques into your lesson plans.

8 pros and cons of using technology for student engagement

The pros:

1. Technology in the classroom helps ensure full participation

Online polling and other digital tools help to engage all students, including shy students who wouldn't normally raise their hands in class. Online engagement systems allow you to regularly check in with students for feedback on course materials and assignments. Student insights can also be used to help spot areas where learners might be struggling.

Student response systems help learners measure their understanding of a topic while professors can see what areas they need to review. For instance, iClicker offers questions that may be multiple choice or true or false. Students are then asked to identify a correct answer to a question in exchange for participation points from a professor. Clickers, virtual classroom software and assessment platforms like Socrative or Kahoot! can make for great engagement tools for educators looking to enhance their lectures. Student response systems help foster digital citizenship in the classroom and give students an opportunity to engage in class and get rewarded for it at the same time.

Another active learning technique that education technology can facilitate is offering students quizzes (not for credit). At the beginning of the class, students can gauge familiarity with a subject by taking a quick, anonymous quiz on the topic you're teaching-and this can also inform and direct what you need to focus on. At the end of the class, facilitating the same quiz again allows all students to gauge what they do and don't understand.

2. Using technology in the classroom allows you to experiment more in pedagogy and get instant feedback

Technology allows for more active learning. You can increase engagement through online polling or asking quiz questions during online lectures, with instantaneous results. If you're using a digital textbook, subject matter is dynamic and timely with embedded links to relevant materials or immersive multimedia.

Whether adding a single tool for a specific project or term, or making a more dramatic change such as a flipped classroom, being well-versed in technology can help build credibility with students and even fellow colleagues. Video conferencing software, live polls and discussion boards are all ways to form feedback loops with your students. An LMS such as Moodle and polling software like Poll Everywhere can also help educators get an instant understanding of student comprehension.

3. There are countless resources for enhancing education and making learning more fun and effective

From apps and e-textbooks to organizational platforms, there's no shortage of tools that can transform the classroom. Some instructors are turning toward classroom 'gamification,' the use of competitive scenarios, and the distribution of points and rewards to make the online classroom more fun and engaging. The key to ensuring these methods are also effective is designing them to support your course learning objectives. Digital storytelling, where students use simulations to immerse themselves in a fictional environment, can make learning more exciting and relatable for students. Gamification also allows for interactive lessons and can reduce passivity in the classroom.

Some gamification activities introduce healthy competition to your class. In role play, for example, students are asked to pose arguments on behalf of historical figures. Technology can greatly aid the implementation of classroom games, while students may be incentivized to complete their assessments. Blended learning can also play an effective role here, whereby student curriculum is partially delivered in person and partially via digital means.

4. Technology makes it simple for students to collaborate and engage in group work outside of class

Gone are the days when one student was tasked with creating a PowerPoint presentation for a group. Through technology, students can start working on a project together in class and seamlessly collaborate, communicate and bounce ideas off one another using social media, interactive whiteboards and more. Physical and social barriers no longer exist, letting students work together from anywhere and at any time. Technology has also enabled students to engage in spontaneous discussions and find instant answers to problems or questions they may have about a topic.

The cons:

5. Technology in the classroom can be a distraction

Tech savvy students may find it hard to concentrate in class when a wide range of digital devices are around them. It can be hard to keep students' attention while lecturing behind a screen, but James Lang, Professor of English and the Director of the D'Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College, has a solution. Lang argues that change renews attention-meaning that if students are starting to tune out, it's time to incorporate opportunities for class discussions. Lang calls these moments 'signature attention activities' as they are designed to spark engagement in the midst of a slump.

Matthew Numer, an assistant professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University, says in an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education that banning laptops is an "insult" to students. "Our students are capable of making their own choices, and if they choose to check Snapchat instead of listening to your lecture, then that's their loss. Besides, it's my responsibility as an educator to ensure that my lecture is compelling. If my students aren't paying attention, if they're distracted, that's on me." To Numer, students glancing at their mobile devices may indicate that a course's curriculum and instruction needs to be revamped.

This makes the notion of creating a structure and culture of respect all the more important from day one. Identify specific projects, opportunities for breaks and your intentions for participation and engagement using technology in the classroom. Creating expectations and guidelines for students-and sticking to them-will be important for them in respecting your boundaries.

6. Technology can disconnect students from social interactions

Many people are skeptical of technology and what it does to students', and everyone else's, ability to verbally communicate.

By creating assignments in class that use both technological tools as well as oral presentations and group collaboration, student learning has the potential to become more dynamic and interactive. Participation can also go beyond verbal communication. Consider how your LMS, discussion board or live chat can be leveraged to increase student engagement.

7. Technology can foster cheating in class and on assignments

Students have always found ways to cheat, but the digital age makes it even easier-from copying-and-pasting someone else's work to hiring an essay-writer from an online essay mill. Here, digital technology could end up hindering students' professional development.

While technology could be seen as yet another avenue for cheating, it's possible to structure assignments and exams in a way that makes cheating difficult. Alternatively, you can make exams open-book and focus on problem-solving and mastery rather than retention. Some classroom software allows you to set questions that are subtly different for every student, making them focus on the technique rather than the answer. Ed tech software such as Turnitin is already well-established in most higher education settings. With COVID-19, some institutions have relied on proctoring software to maintain academic integrity from a distance. These assistive tools can help professors maintain academic integrity.

8. Classroom technology doesn't necessarily make students more accountable

While it can certainly help, technology use in the classroom doesn't always mean students are more likely to stay on top of their deliverables. For example, it can be tricky to know if your students are viewing the full lecture recordings or coming to class having completed their assigned readings. Social media and other ed tech platforms don't necessarily indicate completion. Some LMS providers may show if a student has opened a file, but that only says so much. Whether students have reviewed, absorbed and are able to retain that information is a question that-like traditional learning materials-not all classroom tech can solve.

7 pros and cons of using classroom technology to increase flexibility

The pros:

9. Technology can automate a lot of your tedious tasks

Automation can speed up tedious, time-consuming tasks, such as keeping track of student attendance and performance. Engagement tools can help streamline grading for writing assignments, discussions and participation, as well as answer common student questions, which otherwise could seem daunting due to their objective nature.

The canonical example of this? One professor at Georgia Tech coded an artificially intelligent teaching assistant. ' Jill Watson' was able to answer a selection of student questions and pass any that she couldn't handle to a real person. Integrating technology in the classroom has the potential to reduce the amount of time spent on minor tasks.

10. Technology in college classrooms gives students instant access to fresh information that can supplement their learning experience

There is value in having textbooks and course materials that are always up to date, which can even include additions suggested by students. This also fosters a more collaborative learning environment-students can share information, work together on group projects and interact with their instructor online. Collaboration between professors and their students is put into practice through a learning management system (LMS) such as Moodle or Blackboard, where professors upload new content for students to review online.

Educational technology enables students to engage in an ongoing cycle of learning: before, during and after class. Student response systems such as clickers can also help learners apply their understanding of concepts covered in class and can indicate areas that need to be reviewed. For Generation Z, technology is arguably the best way to meet student needs. Demian Hommel, Senior Instructor of Geography and Environmental Sciences and Marine Resource Management at Oregon State University, uses a classroom response system to poll students every few minutes during lectures. "Using technology to help students understand the trends and patterns that are going to affect them is transformative," he says.

"Using technology to help students understand the trends and patterns that are going to affect them is transformative." -Professor Demian Hommel

11. Students have the choice to learn in real time or at their own pace

Using technology in the classroom has given students more choice in, and control over, their learning experiences. Learning tools have also given professors the flexibility in how to deliver their lectures or labs. For instance, students can tune into live-streamed lectures hosted at a specific time, while others can view lecture recordings on their own if they're unable to attend a live session. Plus, real-time lessons in online learning can help students feel a great sense of belonging and camaraderie that would otherwise be lost.

Asynchronous learning provides a new level of flexibility for both students and educators. For example, instead of waiting for students to show up at your office, host your office hours via Zoom and let your students know that they're free to drop by during a given time frame. Additionally, technology can be used to help students take asynchronous tests. Just make a test available on your LMS for a 48-hour period so that students can take their assessment at a time and place that works for them.

12. Address the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines with thoughtful technology use

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for ensuring your course delivery meets the needs of all students. It's the ultimate way to provide flexibility in how, when and where learning takes place. The three tenets of this framework are providing multiple means of engagement, representation and expression.

In order to represent content in a variety of ways, you might consider complementing a textbook reading with a podcast. Alternatively, multiple ways of expressing students' understanding could mean offering students learning opportunities through journal articles or video reflections. Finally, multiple forms of engagement might mean gauging students' interests at the start of the term through icebreakers or a student interest inventory-and then use these insights to tailor your units of study accordingly.

The cons:

13. Lesson planning might become more labor-intensive with technology

The task of adapting technology into your classroom can seem daunting or overwhelming. In many ways though, using technology can become as natural to you as any daily activity.

When you're choosing classroom technology, it's important to engage with the software vendor and make sure you have the appropriate level of support in place. Some questions you should ask include whether they supply training or onboarding, and what their reliability statistics and support functions are. After all, you don't need to be the person all the students come to if the technology goes offline.

The most important factor is to allow yourself time to learn how to use a new ed tech tool and make sure you ask for, and receive, the support that you need.

14. Students don't have equal access to technological resources

An online education should be accessible to students. But some students can't afford iPads or even the textbooks required for class. Others simply do not have reliable Internet access. Point these students in the direction of your institution's library or community resources, or create assignments that allow them to work in groups and share resources. You might also consider using open educational resources (OER), which provide a cost-effective alternative to the traditional college textbook. Don't make technology the focus of your class, and don't make it a barrier. Incorporate it in a holistic and inclusive manner-and ensure you do your part to find equitable learning solutions.

15. Technology in education can create privacy concerns

Video conferencing or web-hosting solutions have brought with them some concerns around data protection. For example, do platforms offer end-to-end encryption in basic plans provided to students? Social media handles set up as part of a tutorial or learning activity can also lead to student information being accessed by a wider audience than intended. What's more, Zoombombing-disruptive intrusions into a video conference call-became a common occurrence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And though they maintain academic integrity, remote proctoring solutions can make test-takers feel uncomfortable. Students may not want to have their homes shown in front of a proctor and being monitored can increase stress and anxiety.

5 pros and cons of using technology to aid instructional design

The pros:

16. We live in a digital world, and technology is an essential life skill

Being digitally literate is more than obtaining "isolated technological skills," according to the NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. Rather, it's about "generating a deeper understanding of the digital environment, enabling intuitive adaptation to new contexts and [the] co-creation of content with others." Here, the traditional whiteboard is almost extinct, while technology has never been more essential in the virtual classroom. Creating presentations, learning to differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet and maintaining proper online netiquette are all vital skills that students will learn to develop in the classroom.

Technology use can also help universities deliver a better return on the investment students pay for their education-as well as make learning relevant to a primarily Generation Z audience. Mobile technology in classrooms is a must-have if students want to be prepared for almost any career today. Student achievement may be boosted if they have the means to continue working on projects outside of the classroom.

17. Classroom technology is a cost-effective alternative to traditional course materials

Technology can help save students hundreds during a semester. Rather than asking students to buy a copy of five different textbooks, some professors might want to direct students to their institution's library or adopt open source textbooks.

Using technology in the classroom has its benefits for the environment as well. Institutions can reduce the amount they spend on ink and paper by distributing important documents in a centralized digital location. As opposed to asking students to buy a print book from your campus bookstore, authoring your own digital, interactive book can help students save big. Katie Thompson-Laswell, Senior Instructor of Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University, was able to save her students $70 on course materials in the spring 2019 semester. Two years later, new cohorts of students continue to enjoy a low-cost, interactive homework experience from anywhere.

The cons:

18. The quality of research and sources students find may not be credible

The Internet is a blessing and a curse. Your students may need guidance on identifying legitimate and unreliable sources. Many colleges have writing centers that can help with this. You can also use OER-ranging from lecture notes, examinations, assignments and textbooks-and adapt them to fit the needs of your course and students. How can you tell if content is written by a competent authority? Use these tips to find effective OERs. Top Hat's Catalog-filled with hundreds of low-cost, interactive textbooks-is also a reliable source of OER you can use, regardless of your discipline or teaching modality.

19. Some classroom technologies could eventually replace professors

Classroom technology has helped position educators as a 'guide on the side' versus a 'sage on the stage.' But that shift in the role that professors play has the potential to put them on the sidelines-especially with online learning. Technology has automated many learning processes such as grading. With asynchronous online learning especially, it's possible that students could now have little-to-no interactions with their educators compared to their experiences in the traditional classroom.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which prioritize unlimited participation and open access, let students gain an unrestricted learning experience without a professor present. Platforms like Coursera let students watch on-demand video lectures from leading universities and companies for a fraction of the cost of a university degree. These platforms even offer selective degree and certificate programs. Other platforms like LinkedIn Learning prioritize skill-based learning, which allows students to complete courses or learning modules at their own pace-without the guidance of an instructor.

20. Institutions' lack of IT support can make it challenging to evaluate and implement new classroom technologies

Where do you begin if you're new to teaching? Educators may understandably feel overwhelmed when adopting new tools and platforms to meet the needs of their Generation Z students. While colleges may have a site-wide license for a particular LMS, educators are often left to their own resources to decide how to bring their material to life. Depending on the scale and quality of instructional design services offered at their institution, this can be a lengthy and uneasy process.

How classroom technology can help you meet your teaching goals next semester

This past academic year has highlighted the essential role that technology plays in student learning. No matter where you're teaching next semester, the best practices for using classroom technology below can help make your course more engaging, interactive and active. For additional advice, download our free guide on how to effectively use technology in your next face-to-face, hybrid or online classroom.

Eliminate distractions in class

1. Use frequent polls to make sure students pay attention-and to hold them accountable
2. Begin lessons with a game or icebreaker to encourage focus and collaboration from the start of class

Allow students to learn at their own pace

1. Adopt a flipped classroom model where students can view lecture modules and complete quizzes in advance of live lectures
2. Complement live activities with self-paced exercises such as blog posts or video journal responses, which students can share in your LMS

Create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable speaking out

1. Incorporate an anonymous discussion board during in-class polls
2. Ask your teaching assistants to respond to, and acknowledge, students' contributions in and out of class

Help students stay accountable for their learning outside of your classroom

1. Adopt or author your own digital interactive textbook that includes comprehension questions throughout
2. Keep a digital repository of discussion board prompts or quiz questions and re-quiz students on these concepts in future homework assignments to check for subject mastery

Provide instant feedback on student performance

1. Consider employing low-stakes, multiple choice quizzes that can be auto-graded
2. Grade assignments using a built-in rubric in your LMS and provide personalized feedback upon student request

Technology in the classroom: The final verdict

It's clear that the benefits of technology in the classroom outweigh the cons. But the key to technology in the classroom is always going to be the teacher-student relationship, because that's where the education happens. Technology can be a highly effective tool, but that's all it is-a tool. In today's hyper-connected world, sensible use of technology can enhance education. By using technology as an aid in the classroom, educators can create memorable and impactful learning outcomes for their diverse group of college students. For best practices on how to integrate technology in your classroom next semester, download our free guide packed with tips and tools five professors have used to give their course delivery a boost.

References

1. Kelly, R. (2018, January 11). 7 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2018. https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2018/01/11/7-Ed-Tech-Trends-to-Watch-in-2018.aspx?Page=1

2. Dhami, H. (2020, August 13). James Lang's Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It. [Blog post]. https://tophat.com/blog/james-lang-distracted/

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How to Take Advantage of Ed Tech In The Classroom | Top Hat

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Get best practices for enhancing technology in your classroom. Plus, download Top Hat's free guide to make ed tech tools work for your course.

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I have never completed action research. I feel out of my element and honestly don't feel comfortable with it. I don't like being unsure of what I am doing and learning. It definitely gives insight to what some of my students feel at times.

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One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. It is also one of the most important. Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively. They won't retain information, they won't participate and some of them may even become disruptive. A student may be unmotivated for a variety of reasons: They may feel that they have no interest in the subject, find the teacher's methods un-engaging or be distracted by external forces. It may even come to light that a student who appeared unmotivated actually has difficulty learning and is need of special attention.

While motivating students can be a difficult task, the rewards are more than worth it. Motivated students are more excited to learn and participate. Simply put: Teaching a class full of motivated students is enjoyable for teacher and student alike. Some students are self-motivated, with a natural love of learning. But even with the students who do not have this natural drive, a great teacher can make learning fun and inspire them to reach their full potential.

Here are five effective ways to get your students excited about learning:

1. Encourage Students

Students look to teachers for approval and positive reinforcement, and are more likely to be enthusiastic about learning if they feel their work is recognized and valued. You should encourage open communication and free thinking with your students to make them feel important. Be enthusiastic. Praise your students often. Recognize them for their contributions. If your classroom is a friendly place where students feel heard and respected, they will be more eager to learn. A "good job" or "nice work" can go a long way.

2. Get Them Involved

One way to encourage students and teach them responsibility is to get them involved in the classroom. Make participating fun by giving each student a job to do. Give students the responsibility of tidying up or decorating the classroom. Assign a student to erase the blackboard or pass out materials. If you are going over a reading in class, ask students to take turns reading sections out loud. Make students work in groups and assign each a task or role. Giving students a sense of ownership allows them to feel accomplished and encourages active participation in class.

3. Offer Incentives

Setting expectations and making reasonable demands encourages students to participate, but sometimes students need an extra push in the right direction. Offering students small incentives makes learning fun and motivates students to push themselves. Incentives can range from small to large giving a special privilege to an exemplary student, to a class pizza party if the average test score rises. Rewards give students a sense of accomplishment and encourage them to work with a goal in mind.

4. Get Creative

Avoid monotony by changing around the structure of your class. Teach through games and discussions instead of lectures, encourage students to debate and enrich the subject matter with visual aids, like colorful charts, diagrams and videos. You can even show a movie that effectively illustrates a topic or theme. Your physical classroom should never be boring: use posters, models, student projects and seasonal themes to decorate your classroom, and create a warm, stimulating environment.

5. Draw Connections to Real Life

"When will I ever need this?" This question, too often heard in the classroom, indicates that a student is not engaged. If a student does not believe that what they're learning is important, they won't want to learn, so it's important to demonstrate how the subject relates to them. If you're teaching algebra, take some time to research how it is utilized practically for example, in engineering and share your findings with your students. Really amaze them by telling them that they may use it in their career. Showing them that a subject is used everyday by "real" people gives it new importance. They may never be excited about algebra but if they see how it applies to them, they may be motivated to learn attentively.

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One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. It is also one of the most important. Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively. They won't retain information, they won't participate and some of them may even become disruptive.

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Relationship Between Student Engagement and Achievement

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Relationship Between Student Engagement and Achievement

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The author examined the relationship between student engagement and academic performance, using U.S. data of the Program for International Student Assessment 2000. The sample comprised 3,268 fifteen-year-old students from 121 U.S. schools. Multilevel analysis showed that behavioral engagement (defined as effort and perseverance in learning) and emotional engagement (defined as sense of belonging) significantly predicted reading performance. The effect of emotional engagement on reading performance was partially mediated through behavioral engagement. Findings from the present study suggest that educators, policy makers, and the research community need to pay more attention to student engagement and ways to enhance it.

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The Relationship Between Student Engagement and Academic Performance: Is It a Myth or Reality?

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The author examined the relationship between student engagement and academic performance, using U.S. data of the Program for International Student Assessment 2000. The sample comprised 3,268 fifteen-year-old students from 121 U.S. schools. Multilevel analysis showed that behavioral engagement (defined as effort and perseverance in learning) and emotional engagement (defined as sense of belonging) significantly predicted reading performance.

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What does student engagement mean? Look like? Are there different types of engagement?

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In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Generally speaking, the concept of "student engagement" is predicated on the belief that learning improves when students are inquisitive, interested, or inspired, and that learning tends to suffer when students are bored, dispassionate, disaffected, or otherwise "disengaged." Stronger student engagement or improved student engagement are common instructional objectives expressed by educators.

In many contexts, however, volunteer programs and community-service requirements (engaging students in public service and learning through public service), student organizing (engaging students in advocacy, community organizing, and constructive protest), and any number of potential student-led groups, forums, presentations, and events (engaging students in community leadership, public speaking, and other activities that contribute to " student engagement may also refer to the ways in which school leaders, educators, and other adults might "engage" students more fully in the governance and decision-making processes in school, in the design of programs and learning opportunities, or in the civic life of their community. For example, many schools survey students to determine their views on any number of issues, and then use the survey findings to modify policies or programs in ways that honor or respond to student perspectives and concerns. Students may also create their own questions, survey their peers, and then present the results to school leaders or the school board to advocate for changes in programs or policies. Some schools have created alternative forms of student governance, "student advisory committees," student appointments to the school board, and other formal and informal ways for students to contribute to the governance of a school or advise superintendents, principals, and local policy makers. These broader forms of "student engagement" can take a wide variety of forms-far too many to extensively catalog here. Yet a few illustrative examples include school-supported positive youth development"). For a related discussion, see student voice.

In education, the term student engagement has grown in popularity in recent decades, most likely resulting from an increased understanding of the role that certain intellectual, emotional, behavioral, physical, and social factors play in the learning process and social development. For example, a wide variety of research studies on learning have revealed connections between so-called "non-cognitive factors" or "non-cognitive skills" (e.g., motivation, interest, curiosity, responsibility, determination, perseverance, attitude, work habits, self-regulation, social skills, etc.) and "cognitive" learning results (e.g., improved academic performance, test scores, information recall, skill acquisition, etc.). The concept of student engagement typically arises when educators discuss or prioritize educational strategies and teaching techniques that address the developmental, intellectual, emotional, behavioral, physical, and social factors that either enhance or undermine learning for students.

It should be noted that educators may hold different views on student engagement, and it may be defined or interpreted differently from place to place. For example, in one school observable behaviors such as attending class, listening attentively, participating in discussions, turning in work on time, and following rules and directions may be perceived as forms of "engagement," while in another school the concept of "engagement" may be largely understood in terms of internal states such as enthusiasm, curiosity, optimism, motivation, or interest.

While the concept of student engagement seems straightforward, it can take fairly complex forms in practice. The following examples illustrate a few ways in which student engagement may be discussed or addressed in schools:

Intellectual engagement: To increase student engagement in a course or subject, teachers may create lessons, assignments, or projects that appeal to student interests or that stimulate their curiosity. For example, teachers may give students more choice over the topics they are asked to write about (so students can choose a topic that specifically interests them) or they may let students choose the way they will investigate a topic or demonstrate what they have learned (some students may choose to write a paper, others may produce short video or audio documentary, and still others may create a multimedia presentation). Teachers may also introduce a unit of study with a problem or question that students need to solve. For example, students might be asked to investigate the causes of a local environmental problem, determine the species of an unknown animal from a few short descriptions of its physical characteristics and behaviors, or build a robot that can accomplish a specific task. In these cases, sparking student curiosity can increase "engagement" in the learning process. For related discussions, see authentic learning , community-based learning , differentiation , personalized learning , project-based learning , and .

Emotional engagement: Educators may use a wide variety of strategies to promote positive emotions in students that will facilitate the learning process, minimize negative behaviors, or keep students from dropping out. For example, classrooms and other learning environments may be redesigned to make them more conducive to learning, teachers may make a point of monitoring student moods and asking them how they are feeling, or school programs may provide counseling, peer mentoring, or other services that generally seek to give students the support they need to succeed academically and feel positive, optimistic, or excited about school and learning. Strategies such as advisories , for example, are intended to build stronger relationships between students and adults in a school. The basic theory is that students will be more likely to succeed if at least one adult in the school is meeting with a student regularly, inquiring about academic and non-academic issues, giving her advice, and taking an interest in her out-of-school life, personal passions, future aspirations, and distinct learning challenges and needs.

Behavioral engagement: Teachers may establish classroom routines, use consistent cues, or assign students roles that foster behaviors more conducive to learning. For example, elementary school teachers may use cues or gestures that help young students refocus on a lesson if they get distracted or boisterous. The teacher may clap three times or raise a hand, for example, which signals to students that it's time to stop talking, return to their seats, or begin a new activity. Teachers may also establish consistent routines that help students stay on task or remain engaged during a class. For example, the class may regularly break up into small groups or move their seats into a circle for a group discussion, or the teacher may ask students on a rotating basis to lead certain activities. By introducing variation into a classroom routine, teachers can reduce the monotony and potential disengagement that may occur when students sit in the same seat, doing similar tasks, for extended periods of time. Research on brain-based learning has also provided evidence that variation, novelty, and physical activity can stimulate and improve learning. For a related discussion, see classroom management .

Physical engagement: Teachers may use physical activities or routines to stimulate learning or interest. For example, "kinesthetic learning" refers to the use of physical motions and activities during the learning process. Instead of asking students to answer questions aloud, a teacher might ask students to walk up to the chalkboard and answer the question verbally while also writing the answer on the board (in this case, the theory is that students are more likely to remember information when they are using multiple parts of the brain at the same time-i.e., the various parts dedicated to speaking, writing, physical activity, etc.). Teachers may also introduce short periods of physical activity or quick exercises, particularly during the elementary years, to reduce antsy, fidgety, or distracted behaviors. In addition, more schools throughout the United States are addressing the physical needs of students by, for example, offering all students free breakfasts (because disengagement in learning and poor academic performance have been linked to hunger and malnutrition) or starting school later at a later time (because adolescent sleep patterns and needs differ from those of adults, and adolescents may be better able to learn later in the morning).

Social engagement: Teachers may use a variety of strategies to stimulate engagement through social interactions. For example, students may be paired or grouped to work collaboratively on projects, or teachers may create academic contests that students compete in-e.g., a friendly competition in which teams of students build robots to complete a specific task in the shortest amount of time. Academic and co-curricular activities such as debate teams, robotics clubs, and science fairs also bring together learning experiences and social interactions. In addition, strategies such as demonstrations of learning or capstone projects may require students to give public presentations of their work, often to panels of experts from the local community, while strategies such as community-based learning or service learning (learning through volunteerism) can introduce civic and social issues into the learning process. In these cases, learning about societal problems, or participating actively in social causes, can improve engagement.

Cultural engagement: Schools may take active steps to make students from diverse cultural backgrounds-particularly recently arrived immigrant or refugee students and their families-feel welcomed, accepted, safe, and valued. For example, administrators, teachers, and school staff may provide special orientation sessions for their new-American populations or offer translation services and informational materials translated into multiple languages. Students, families, and local cultural leaders from diverse backgrounds may be asked to speak about their experiences to students and school staff, and teachers may intentionally modify lessons to incorporate the history, literature, arts, and perspectives of the student ethnicities and nationalities represented in their classes. School activities may also incorporate multicultural songs, dances, and performances, while posters, flags, and other educational materials featured throughout the school may reflect the cultural diversity of the students and school community . The general goal of such strategies would be to reduce the feelings of confusion, alienation, disconnection, or exclusion that some students and families may experience, and thereby increase their engagement in academics and school activities. For related discussions, see dual-language education , English-language learner , multicultural education , and .

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In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Generally speaking, the concept of "student engagement" is predicated on the belief that learning [...]

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With the school year quickly approaching, it's time to think about lesson plans, supply lists, and activities to use in the classroom that will keep students excited about learning.

It's inevitable - students get distracted. Thankfully, there are plenty of student engagement strategies that teachers can use to keep their classroom productive and learning effectively. Having a variety of different strategies in your playbook will help you be more prepared for handling these situations as they arise. We've complied a comprehensive list of 10 ideas that you can incorporate into your classroom right now.

1. Active listening

Teaching your students a technique called active listening will help them be more engaged in the classroom, leading to more effective learning. Not only is this a great engagement strategy, but it will make them better listeners outside of school, too. (Want to know more about teaching active listening to your students? Read our blog: "Why Teaching Active Listening is One of Your Best Student Engagement Strategies" )

2. Use whiteboards

Children love to draw, so why not encourage it in the classroom? Educational blogger Erin Beattie suggests setting up rules for whiteboard use, and making sure students know that it's a privilege that will be available with continued positive behavior.

3. Competition

Try turning a normal lesson into a fun competition. Form teams where every student is involved, so no one feels left out.

Get students moving around the classroom. Antsy students will easily become distracted if they have no outlet for their energy. Allow a few minutes throughout the day for students to get up from their desks and stretch, or walk around the room. It'll help them be more focused when the lesson resumes.

5. Create

Involve a craft into a lesson. This gives students the opportunity to learn hands-on, which is always a great way to keep them interested in learning. Plus, hands-on-activities are a great way to keep at-risk students interested in what they're learning.

6. Encourage talking

Set aside a time that students can discuss a certain lesson, that way they get out the need to talk in a more productive way. Give them chat cards with discussion prompts and pair students up with their seat neighbors for 5 minutes every day.

7. Service projects

Work with students in your classroom to create a service project. Here are some ideas we've found that work great: Blanket drive, canned food, clothes drive, coat drive, or book drive. There are animal shelters, women's centers, homeless shelters, churches, food pantries, and children's hospitals that would be grateful for these things.

8. Structure

Avoid always teaching in the traditional lecture structure. Set up learning stations, have students work in groups on projects, or even choose a different student each week to help with a lesson. Getting them involved keeps them engaged.

Make learning into a game. For example, make geography more fun with a bingo map! Play bingo using print out maps of the United States and m&m candies as the chips. A fun math idea is to use the card game War to teach multiplication. Whoever comes up with the product of the two cards first wins that hand.

10. Technology

Technology can be a great way to engage students in and outside of the classroom. There are countless games and apps that have educational lessons built into them, giving students a fresh new way to learn. Use Ving as a trackable "digital backpack" to share extra credit and supplemental information with students.

Download "7 Benefits of Student Engagement" tip sheet for more ways to keep students excited in your classroom.
Do you have any other tried-and-true student engagement strategies? Share them with us in a comment below!

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Emily Diorio, Ving Success Rep & Content Creator

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It's inevitable - students get distracted. Thankfully, there are plenty of student engagement strategies that teachers can use to keep their classroom productive and learning effectively. Having a variety of different strategies in your playbook will help you be more prepared for handling these situations as they arise.

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From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless devices in the Classroom

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From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless devices in the Classroom

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Key Takeaways

Wireless devices in the classroom threaten to distract student attention but also offer opportunities for student engagement.

Faculty use different methods to reduce in-class distractions, up to mandating no use of wireless devices during class sessions.

To increase student engagement using wireless devices, faculty employ creative options for making wireless devices part of instruction, from cell phones as clickers to laptops for on-the-fly web research.

The path of technology integration in education is lined with disruptions on one side and opportunities on the other. Technology teams work to bring useful technology into teaching, all with good intentions, only to encounter unwanted side effects such as distraction and disruption in the classroom. The challenges loom large in classrooms with wireless connections, especially when universities give students ubiquitous Internet access and sometimes even the devices for such access.

Mobile phones, for instance, are considered distracting because of problems with ringing during class, cheating, or multitasking, ¹ and the camera that comes with many phones can raise privacy issues as well. Similar complaints might also be made about laptops in the classroom. Laptops occasionally make sounds if students have forgotten to turn off the volume, and the laptop screens can become walls between students and professors. Students performing multiple tasks (instant messaging, Facebook updating, and so forth) are also blamed for distracting other students from concentrating on the lectures or classroom discussions.

Technology-enabled distraction is a problem that no educator can afford to ignore as ubiquitous computing and mobile learning environments become commonplace. From the literature and my own experience working with professors, I have found a whole spectrum of methods for dealing with such distractions, ranging from technical control to pedagogical innovation. In this article, I discuss these methods with a special emphasis on engaging students to minimize the negative effects of distraction by laptop computers or other wireless devices.

Restrictive Methods

Some schools use prohibitive methods to prevent or restrict uses of technology that might disrupt or distract students during class.

Ban Laptop Use

Some schools or individual faculty do not permit students to take computers or mobile phones into classrooms because of the problems of distraction and disruption. Some pioneers in laptop programs have even ended their programs. For instance, the Liverpool Central School District of New York, one of the earliest districts to adopt a laptop computer program, decided to phase out its high-school laptop program between 2007 and 2010 after hearing teacher complaints of student abuse and the distractions caused by the laptops in class. ²

In K-12 school districts, the district's decision will have an immediate impact on student access to wireless devices. However, I recently talked to a teacher in a Texas high school who said that it is challenging to ban mobile devices because of frequent exceptions (for instance, in case of emergencies), which rendered the policy hard to enforce. School districts will need to explore more sophisticated approaches to manage the issue than outright bans.

Banning laptops or mobile phones is more challenging in colleges and universities, where students (mostly adult) have greater flexibility and often more personal resources enabling them to own laptops and mobile phones. Professors can ban the use of laptops or mobile phones in their classes, but this will penalize students who use computers to take notes, search class-related materials, or take online quizzes. Laptops are especially useful for professors who allow students to take standardized tests online, in the classroom, in a proctored environment (which is now increasingly required for reasons of legal compliance and academic integrity). ³ Because of the potential opportunities for learning, some universities have taken countermeasures against banning laptops in classrooms.

Students have also expressed concerns about such bans. In a recent survey of mobile learning at Oklahoma Christian University, we found that many students expressed a strong preference to bring laptops into their classrooms so that they could take notes, for example. One student wrote, "More professors need to allow laptops in their classes. They say they ban them because they are a distraction, but it should be up to the student to put the effort into the class." Other students disliked having laptops in the classroom because better methods are not available to handle the distraction issue. A one-size-fits-all approach to bans, though, makes some students feel punished for something they have not done. One student wrote in the survey, "...allow us to use our laptops to take notes. We are adults, and if someone decides to waste time on the Internet instead of taking notes, that is their choice, but the rest of us shouldn't be punished for it." ⁴

Shut off Wireless

Instead of banning laptops, educators can turn off wireless connections, allowing students to use their laptops to take notes and not much more. The University of Chicago Law School, for instance, eliminated Internet access in the classroom "in order to ensure the value of the classroom experience" because "students may overestimate their ability to multi-task during class and ... some students have expressed distraction due to their peers' use of computers during class time." ⁵ The law school of the University of Memphis also banned laptop use in the classroom, which caused some students to sign a petition to the American Bar Association complaining that they were denied "up-to-date education." ⁶

Once again, this policy eliminates learning opportunities that would be possible with wireless access enabled. To further complicate the issue, some courses might depend heavily on Internet connectivity. What if, for instance, a professor is teaching a group of students in the classroom and simultaneously a group outside the classroom via a virtual conferencing application such as Adobe Connect? This is a real scenario at Oklahoma Christian University in a number of graduate programs with nontraditional students. Since the video conferencing is server-based and dependent on Internet access, cutting off wireless connections would make such dual-mode teaching impossible.

Problems with Restrictive Methods

Practices to ban use of mobile devices raise doubts in many constituencies. In a keynote speech at the mobile learning summit ConnectEd hosted by Abilene Christian University in February 2009, Jason Ediger, Director of iTunes U and Mobile Learning of Apple, said that educators have turned school classrooms into something like airplanes. Students accustomed to using technologies all the time enter classrooms and are forced to turn off their digital devices and sit tight. Another speaker at the conference echoed this message: Harvard professor Eric Mazur, who used student response devices to promote peer instruction in the classroom, commented that laptops and smart phones do not cause more distraction than windows through which students look at birds and flowers, "yet you don't seal the windows just because of that." Podcasts of the ConnectEd Summit are available online.

It does not seem likely that laptops, wireless connections, and various kinds of wireless access devices (such as smart phones, podcast players, PDAs, pocket PCs, tablet PCs) will disappear from universities. It is much likelier that their numbers will increase, with some universities even adopting campus-wide mobile learning programs. ⁷ Mobile phones and laptops have increasingly become commodity products and easily available. Students are increasingly comfortable using wireless devices to organize their academic work, personal lives, and eventually their professional activities once they graduate into the workforce. We have actually reached the point of no return in usage of such technology.

Additionally, a confrontational or restrictive policy might create a "professor versus technology" perception that will not do professors much good, hurting student-teacher relations and in some cases faculty reputation. For instance, it might cause a faculty member to impress others as a laggard in technology adoption or as someone who resists positive change. Additionally, prohibitive approaches could send the message to students that they are not trusted to take responsibility for their learning. Last but not least, some professors are frequent users of classroom technologies, and it would be hard to cut their ties to technology in the classroom.

Distraction as Opportunity

Studies or reports about the effects of distraction often seek to correlate the use of technological devices to learning outcomes. For instance, one study found that the level of laptop use was negatively related to several measures of student learning, including self-reported understanding of course material and overall course performance. ⁸ Similarly, a Chronicle of Higher Education report indicates that students taking laptops to classrooms might appear to be taking notes, but actually were doing activities unrelated to class work, such as sending e-mails or surfing the Internet. ⁹

Some interesting questions remain to be answered: Whose fault is it if distracting activities are going on in the classroom? What caused the distractions other than the availability of technology? Will alternative distractions occur if the technological tools are removed? Without implying that students are always right, I would say that the issue gives educators a reason to reflect on their own teaching or, rather, the instructional process as a whole. Viewed this way, distractions caused by computers might be the result of a failure to involve students in the classroom rather than the reason they are not engaged.

The distractions blamed on mobile technology could present opportunities for change in the classroom. With many of the world's best professors sharing their video lectures through educational portals such as iTunesU, Academic Earth, and the recently launched YouTube EDU, students have access to the best lectures online in many subject areas. These might be the real "distractors" for professors if they do not reform their teaching. In an age of abundance, professors might find it useful to reflect on ways to engage students who do not lack access to learning opportunities but instead have an abundance of choices.

Integrative Methods

Learning with computers or smart phones is a tool-mediated social function. Conflicts and disturbances occur as various activities take place, but they also create opportunities to change a system because in social systems "equilibrium is an exception and tensions, disturbances, and local innovations are the rule and the engine of change." ¹⁰

Yrjö Engeström uses an "extended activity theory" framework as an analysis scheme for tool-mediated social activities. ¹¹ In this framework, the unit of analysis is not a particular tool but the entire "activity" involving the tool, subject, object, outcome, rule, community, and division of labor, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Engeström's Extended Activity Theory
As the figure shows, there are several points of attack to improve a tool-mediated activity. In the case of classroom teaching with computers or other mobile access devices, a focus on tools has been one of the main restrictive methods pursued. Instead, educators should look at other factors in the model, for instance, the rules to use in the classroom to guide appropriate use, community efforts to brainstorm productive uses of technology, divisions of labor among faculty and technology staff, new teaching methods to engage students (subject), and adaptation of course materials to better deliver content for digital natives (object). Using this framework as a launch pad in thinking, I suggest the following methods to allow use of computers or mobile devices in the classroom by harnessing their powers while keeping distracting effects to a minimum.

Use Filtering Applications ("Tool")

Applications such as the Respondus LockDown Browser can help when faculty want students to bring their laptops to the classroom to take online exams (especially classes with large enrollments). Faculty members at Oklahoma Christian University use this program, which locks other applications during an exam. Similar applications (when invented) could filter out distracting factors during class if teachers assign a computer-assisted activity that does not require more than one application.

The flip side of using such programs is that an unstable wireless network might disrupt an exam or another online activity. When faculty use LockDown Browser, they expect reliable wireless service and on-site support from the technology team until they feel comfortable using the program.

Enable Switching Networks On and Off ("Division of Labor")

Technology-enhanced classrooms can be managed collaboratively between faculty and the technology team. While professors focus on teaching and learning activities, technology teams can work on solutions for smart control of technology access in the classroom. Some universities have made this collaboration highly granular. Bentley College, for example, allows faculty to choose one of five settings: turn off Internet access but allow e-mail access; turn off e-mail access but allow Internet access; disable Internet and e-mail access but allow computers to reach campus web pages; shut off all access; or allow all access. ¹² Oklahoma Christian University also has methods to turn certain applications on and off, such as instant messaging services, based on faculty requests.

The switch option, however, might require a certain level of technical sophistication on the part of faculty in deciding what to leave on or off and then actually controlling the switches. This option could require an explicit division of labor between faculty and technical staff, which can become logistically challenging but well worth the effort. It also might require some tolerance of the initial chaos until everyone is comfortable with the method.

Contract with Students ("Rule")

Faculty members may allow laptops or other wireless devices in the classroom, but set proper boundaries to tell students what is acceptable and what is not. The School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University includes clauses in the syllabi to warn students against inappropriate use of technology in the classroom. For example:

If your cellular phone is heard by the class, you are responsible for completing one of two options: 1. Before the end of the class period you will sing a verse and chorus of any song of your choice or, 2. You will lead the next class period through a 10-minute discussion on a topic to be determined by the end of the class. (To the extent that there are multiple individuals in violation, duets will be accepted.) ¹³

This rather light-hearted approach addresses a problem that could create tension between students and professors. Instead of mandating the way students learn, professors can actually contract with students to elicit their self-regulation, supporting the shift in the paradigm of teaching from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered learning. Contracting with students implies that faculty trust individual students to make the right choices. Having such learning contracts is an important part of individualized, self-directed learning that works well with college students who are adult learners in particular. ¹⁴

Educate the Community ("Community")

Educators can use mass training to educate students about the social norms of technology use in the school community. Students do behave differently. Some use their computers or mobile devices productively in the classroom, taking responsibility for their own learning and showing consideration for others who might be affected by their behavior. Some rude technology-related behaviors can be prevented or minimized if students have learned about community norms through workshops, written guidance, or orientation sessions.

Michael Bugeja recommends orientations on "interpersonal intelligence" to educate students about classroom rules regarding technology use and misuse. ¹⁵ Such training can happen in a physical classroom or online. It does not have to be an extensive lecture series on technology and culture. It can be a small module embedded in a course website or on the IT services website, or simply an instructional video to show desired behavior. Another good method is to provide orientation for incoming students and faculty on acceptable technology-use practices and web and Internet etiquette. ¹⁶ Such training will not eliminate all issues of disruption, but at least they set proper expectations and reduce inappropriate uses of technology.

It also helps to put peer pressure to work by providing peers' opinions about in-class distraction or disruption by classmates' inappropriate use of devices. These views could be made known discreetly (without invading student privacy) through school newspapers, newsletters, survey reports, student blogs, or other formats that can educate students about social expectations of their behavior.

"Re-mix" Lectures ("Object")

Another method for engaging students is to deconstruct a traditional, 50-minute lecture by breaking it up, re-mixing it, and redistributing it in a variety of formats and settings. For instance, instructors can offer some quizzes online through a course management system. They can describe their course objectives and assignments online. They can present some generic lectures as digital videos, which are gaining traction among the educational technology community with the emergence of several types of educational outlets. These videos can expose students to content before or after class, thereby freeing class time for active learning activities.

Determining the anatomy of a lecture reveals a series of instructional tasks that can be distributed in a variety of ways. Robert Gagne described nine instructional events in an instructional sequence that includes presentation of information and processing of information. ¹⁷ Professors can put the "presentation of information" or content better suited for individual study into these video lectures and devote class time to activities better suited for group time or active learning activities requiring constant feedback, such as questions and answers, discussions, general assignment feedback, group collaboration, and hands-on activities. Computers in the classroom then can become an extra resource instead of a barrier between professor and students, and there is no reason why this would hurt teaching or learning.

Involve Learners ("Subject")

Instructional technologist Dan Weiss once commented, "It's teachers who refuse to engage students well enough and who don't set proper boundaries as to what is and isn't acceptable behavior in their classroom." ¹⁸ In traditional lecture-dominated teaching, students, who should be the subjects of learning, become the objects of teaching or the passive recipients of information. This kind of teaching is very vulnerable to distraction. When students feel compelled to sit through a 50-minute lecture, an occasional "distraction" might even provide a healthy balance - unless it is abused.

On March 4, 2009, 16 students from Georgia performed a "show-and-tell" to legislators on "Capitol Hill Tech Day" to prove the value of technology in the classroom. "It keeps me awake," said one student who uses whiteboards in her AP calculus class. ¹⁹ Derek Bruff of Vanderbilt University devoted an entire book to using technology to create active learning environments. ²⁰ In his case, he used the clicker classroom response system. A similar approach could be used with other mobile access devices such as iPhones, iPods, or laptop computers.

Putting these devices in the hands of students can begin to increase active learning. When students are viewed as active participants in learning, distraction becomes much less an issue. With active learning, students develop their own cognitive or operative skills. ²¹ Use of wireless laptops might even enhance "student-centered, hands-on, and exploratory learning" as well as "meaningful student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions." ²²

Once we start to think beyond the traditional concept of learning as classroom lectures, many new opportunities for learning unfold. A Futurelab report summarized six types of learning supported by mobile technologies ²³:

Behaviorist learning, in which mobile devices are used to create stimulus-response connections such as content delivery through mobile devices

Constructivist learning, in which mobile devices support student construction of knowledge

Situated learning, in which mobile devices are used in authentic context and culture

Collaborative learning, in which students learn with their mobile devices through social interactions

Informal and lifelong learning, which happens outside of a formal education context

Teaching and learning support, in which mobile devices and their associated resources are used not for actual learning but for support of human performances

If institutions broaden the scope and definition of "educational value," unique uses for mobile phones, laptops, or other wireless access devices can positively affect student learning and student life in general.

Extended Uses

With extended uses, students employ their devices productively beyond their classrooms or even their campuses. In these other contexts of learning, the issue of distraction further transforms into a tool for engagement.

Turn Wireless Access Devices into "Study Buddies"

Other than "toys" for students to play with, mobile devices can become students' study buddies in or outside of class. Why shouldn't educators compete for that learning space in a student's hand? Instead of banning mobile devices, or just tolerating them, educators can use such devices as tools to engage students' minds.

Transcript: Linda Fly, Director of Nursing, on Using Computers in the Classroom

Hello! My name is Linda Fly and I am the director of nursing. I had been asked whether or not I allow computers to be brought into the classroom when I am teaching. And the answer to that is yes. I just truly feel like that students today really want some kind of interaction, and they love the technology. So I do try to incorporate computers into the class. Being in the healthcare field we were able to do some online searches to various, health-related websites, such as the CDC [the Centers for Disease Control]. There are online drug books so that students can immediately access the medicines we are talking about in class. There are various anatomy and physiology, graphics, and X-ray machines that they can actually see the images. We in the nursing field just really do love to have computer technology. So yes, I am very much in favor of students bringing their computers into the classrooms. Thank you.

Mobile phones, for instance, have been reported as a tool to help students study foreign language vocabulary. ²⁴ They can also be used to help students prepare for exams in "bite-sized" information or learning nuggets. Some wireless providers allows users to download sets of SAT flashcards, drills, and practice tests onto the handset so that no-call zones don't affect them. ²⁵ This provides students a very "handy" way to study for their tests. Such uses are especially popular in Asian countries like China, where public transportation is the norm.

At Oklahoma Christian University, we have an application called "3 by 5" that lets teachers develop flash cards as study aids for students. A professor of Greek, for instance, developed a set of flash cards for his intro-level course. The International Office also ponders the possibility of having mobile language apps for students in study-abroad programs. We also have an instant polling tool to gather student feedback from their mobile phones or other devices (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Instant Polling Tool Using Mobile Phones
To convert mobile devices into study buddies, the key is to develop applications that make it easy for faculty to create, upload, and disseminate digital content. One interesting possibility is an application to turn regular text files to speech format. The recently released Kindle 2 from Amazon has text-to-speech functions. Some professors have started to convert their text lectures into audio format using applications such as TextAloud from NextUp.com, which may include AT&T Natural Voices (supported and licensed by Wizard Software). Students report they like these audio lectures produced with text-to-speech applications. While I was working at Marshall University in West Virgina, quite a few professors used this method with positive student feedback. Most Macintosh computers have text-to-speech utilities to accomplish such tasks. Alternatively, an iPhone can be turned into a podcasting tool, which professors can use to directly record their lectures. Some podcasting vendors such as Podbean have started offering mobile versions of their podcasting service that allow users to podcast directly with their mobile phones.

Alternative presentations of course content via mobile phones or laptops might also support multiple learning styles or multiple paths to learning, which presumes that some people are better learners using different methods, such as sound, text, video, or hands-on activities. Audio learners would benefit from listening to learning content; John Traxler described such alternative methods of learning as "hands-free learning" or "eyes-free learning." ²⁶

Use Wireless Access Devices to Support Performance

In the corporate setting, some companies have ways for professionals to access their knowledge base or training materials via mobile phone. For instance, consulting company Accentuate allows their sales professionals to access resources via mobile phones. ²⁷ An electronic retailer asked their sales professionals to use a barcode scanner and PDA to access product training in their work environment. ²⁸

Not all skills or knowledge should be internalized via training or education. Some tasks are performed infrequently, yet are significant to carry out. In this case, it might be better to simply provide performance support instead of training. ²⁹ In the early 1990s Gloria Gery coined the term "electronic performance support systems" to describe support delivered via electronic means to help a person perform the task at hand. ³⁰ Mobile phones can be used to push performance aids such as video tutorials, guides, or written instructions to faculty or students where and when they need it, how they need it, and as much or little of it as they need. It is with this kind of use in mind that we at Oklahoma Christian University are developing a repository of video tutorials accessible via mobile phones. Such performance support videos will help students use various school applications without investing time to learn them.

Use Wireless Access Device for Outdoors Learning

Educators can look beyond classrooms for multiple learning opportunities that come with technology. Ann Jones and Kim Issroff described an educational activity called "environmental detectives" in which students played the role of environmental engineers using location-aware pocket PCs to investigate a toxic spill. ³¹ A study in Taiwan looks at the positive effects of using PDAs in combination with cameras and tag readers for an outdoor project. ³² A study in Singapore describes 79 primary school students who used hand-held computers to investigate how waste is produced and how best to "reduce, reuse, and recycle." ³³

These projects illustrate encouraging effects on learning. In the case of the environment detectives, major benefits include reduced abstraction, realistic context, and a blending of gaming and real life. The Taiwan project showed that use of the PDAs "improves student motivation and learning" as well as "positive" student feedback. Later technologies such as iPhones can easily merge external devices into one for educators conducting the same kind of learning activity. The Singaporean study showed improved understanding and better application of the 3R principles that the teachers want the students to learn. Such studies show that mobile learning works especially well for field trips outdoors primarily in K-12 settings. However, lessons and experiences from such studies can easily be transferred to the higher education environment. The improvement of context-awareness technology, for example, creates a huge potential for using mobile devices in study-abroad programs or during field trips. Students exploring a museum would find it helpful to have a handheld guide to quickly research a work of art on display.

Not all outdoor learning requires Internet access. In many cases, educators can update their content online, and students can download and study them offline. Audio or video podcasts are especially useful for this. Because podcasting entire lectures might encourage student absenteeism in classrooms, however, it is not a good idea to simply provide a mirror image of a lecture in a podcast episode. Instead, educators should find ways to create learning objects that are discreet and reusable without cannibalizing classroom experiences that contain these and many other learning objects.

Transcript: Ramon Huston, Professor of Political Science, on Using Computers Outside of Class, not During Class Time

I do not allow students during my lecture to have their computers open and to use technology. This seems to be counter-factual, since we have an open campus and a wireless campus and all the students do have computers. The reason I do not allow them, during my lectures, to use their computers is because I do not want distractions, and I want them to focus on what I am saying, and specifically because most of my classes are discussion-based, rather than straight lecture-based. I expect the students to have read the materials prior to coming to class. And by having the computers open I am afraid it would cause them to be more lax in their preparation for class time. I do, though, have high levels of computer usage outside of class. The students take all their exams on computers, and we can continue the discussion through our discussion board in Blackboard. So students are using the computers all the time, just not in the formal setting of the classroom.

Conclusion

When distraction becomes a problem, we can work on the technology, the student, the professor, or all of them. The "professor versus laptop (or other wireless access device)" issue is a false construct if we view technology-mediated learning as a social system offering many ways to alter one component and thus change the whole system. Rather than seeing distraction as a challenge, educators can see it as an opportunity to reflect upon and change the design of their entire instructional approach. Creative and innovative educators can use technology innovations to help reform teaching, similar to the way Guttenberg's press helped bring about scientific revolution and modern authorship.

1. "Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops," New York Times, May 4, 2007; and "N.Y. District Kills Laptop Program," Education Week, vol. 26, no. 32 (2007), p. 8-8.

2. Andrea L. Foster, "New Systems Keep a Close Eye on Online Students at Home," Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 54, no. 46 (July 2008), pp. A1-A8.

3. A mobile survey at Oklahoma Christian University was conducted in fall 2008 as a review of the university's mobile learning program. Further discussion about the results will be published in an article Berlin Fang wrote for Open Education Research (in press). Also see Intouch, Oklahoma Christian University's portal to mobile learning.

4. University of Chicago, "University of Chicago Law School Eliminates Internet Access in Some Classrooms," news release April 11, 2008.

5. "iPhones the Latest to Join Mobile Learning Mix," University Business, vol. 11, no. 4 (April 2008), p. 21-21.

6. Carrie B. Fried, "In-class Laptop Use and Its Effects on Student Learning," Computers & Education, vol. 50, no. 3 (April 2008), pp. 906-914.

7. Michael Cole and Yrjö Engeström, "A Cultural-Historical Approach to Distributed Cognition," in Distributed Cognitions, Psychological and Educational Considerations, Gavriel Salomon, ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), pp. 1-46.

8. Young, "The Fight for Classroom Attention."

9. Bugeja, "Distractions in the Wireless Classroom."

10. Roger Hiemstra and Burt Sisco, Individualizing Instruction (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1990).

11. Bugeja, "Distractions in the Wireless Classroom."

12. Robert M. Gagné, The Conditions of Learning and Theory of Instruction, 4th Ed. (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1985).

13. Young, "The Fight for Classroom Attention."

14. Derek Bruff, Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, February 2009).

15. Chen-Chung Liu, Chien-Chia Chou, Baw-Jhiune Liu, and Jui-Wen Yang, "Improving Mathematics Teaching and Learning Experiences for Hard of Hearing Students with Wireless Technology-Enhanced Classrooms," American Annals of the Deaf, vol. 151, no. 3 (Summer 2006), pp. 345-355.

16. Laura Naismith, Peter Lonsdale, Giasemi Vavoula, and Mike Sharples, "Mobile Technologies and Learning," Futurelab report, December 2004.

17. Lydia Lum, A Useful Study Aid or Jazzed-Up Novelty? Some Are Calling Test-Prep Software on Cell Phones a Democratizing Equalizer, Others Say It Increases the Gap Between the Haves and the Have-Nots, Black Issues in Higher Education, vol. 22, no.2 (March 2005).

18. Don Vanthournout and Dana Alan Koch, "Training at Your Fingertips," T+D, vol. 62, no. 9 (September 2008), pp. 52-57.

19. A. J. Romiszowski, Designing Instructional Systems: Decision Making in Course Planning and Curriculum Design (London/New York: Kogan Page/Nichols, 1981).

20. Gloria Gery, Electronic Performance Support Systems: How and Why to Remake the Workplace Through the Strategic Application of Technology, First Ed. (Boston: Weingarten Publications, 1991).

21. Ann Jones and Kim Issroff, "Motivation and Mobile Devices: Exploring the Role of Appropriation and Coping Strategies," ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, vol. 15, no. 3 (September 2007), pp. 247-258.

22. Wenli Chen, Nicholas Yew Lee Tan, Chee-Kit Looi, Baohui Zhang, and Peter Sen Kee Seow, "Handheld Computers as Cognitive Tools: Technology-Enhanced Environmental Learning," Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, vol. 3, no. 3 (November 2008), pp. 231-252.

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from distraction to engagement: wireless devices in the classroom

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From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless Devices in the Classroom

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Wireless devices in the classroom threaten to distract student attention but also offer opportunities for student engagement. Faculty use different methods to reduce in-class distractions, up to mandating no use of wireless devices during class sessions.

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How can technology still be a great tool in the classroom and an aide in learning? What technology policies are effective in the classroom?

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As school districts around the country consider investments in technology in an effort to improve student outcomes, a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) finds that technology - when implemented properly -can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement, particularly among students most at risk.

"This report makes clear that districts must have a plan in place for how they will use technology before they make a purchase," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. "It also underscores that replacing teachers with technology is not a successful formula. Instead, strong gains in achievement occur by pairing technology with classroom teachers who provide real-time support and encouragement to underserved students."

Written by Professors Linda Darling-Hammond and Shelley Goldman at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and doctoral student Molly B. Zielezinski, the report is based on a review of more than 70 recent research studies and provides concrete examples of classroom environments in which technology has made a positive difference in the learning outcomes of students at risk of failing courses and dropping out.

Specifically, it identifies three important components to successfully using technology with at-risk students: interactive learning, use of technology to explore and create rather than to "drill and kill," and the right blend of teachers and technology.

The report, Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students' Learning, also identifies significant disparities in technology access and implementation between affluent and low-income schools. First, low-income teens and students of color are noticeably less likely to own computers and use the internet than their peers. Because of their students' lack of access, teachers in high-poverty schools were more than twice likely (56 percent versus 21 percent) to say that their students' lack of access to technology was a challenge in their classrooms. More dramatically, only 3 percent of teachers in high-poverty schools said that their students have the digital tools necessary to complete homework assignments, compared to 52 percent of teachers in more affluent schools.

Secondly, applications of technology in low-income schools typically involves a "drill and kill" approach in which computers take over for teachers and students are presented with information they are expected to memorize and are then tested on with multiple-choice questions. In more affluent schools, however, students tend to be immersed in more interactive environments in which material is customized based on students' learning needs and teachers supplement instruction with technology to explain concepts, coordinate student discussion, and stimulate high-level thinking.

"When given access to appropriate technology used in thoughtful ways, all students-regardless of their respective backgrounds-can make substantial gains in learning and technological readiness," said Darling-Hammond, the faculty director of SCOPE. "Unfortunately, applications of technology in schools serving the most disadvantaged students are frequently compromised by the same disparities in dollars, teachers, and instructional services that typically plague these schools. These disparities are compounded by the lack of access to technology in these students' homes."

The report includes several recommendations that could expand the use and impact of technology among at-risk high school youth:

Technology access policies should aim for one-to-one computer access;

Technology access policies should ensure that speedy internet connections are available;

States, districts, and schools should favor technology designed to promote high levels of interactivity and engagement and make data available in multiple forms;

Curriculum and instruction plans should enable students to use technology to create content as well as learn material; and

Policymakers and educators should plan for "blended" learning environments, characterized by significant levels of teacher support and opportunities for interactions among students, as companions to technology use.

The report cautions that its recommendations must be accompanied by adequate professional learning opportunities for teachers on how to use the technology and pedagogies that are recommended, including technical assistance to help educators manage the hardware, software and connections to the Internet.
Darling-Hammond and Zielezinski joined Tom Murray, the Alliance's state and district digital learning director, for a video webinar to discuss the report's findings on Sept. 10. For archived video, please visit: http://all4ed.org/webinar-event/sep-10-2014/. This story was written by the communications staff at the Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, DC, and is also posted at www.all4ed.org.

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Technology can close achievement gaps, improve learning

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As school districts around the country consider investments in technology in an effort to improve student outcomes, a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) finds that technology - when implemented properly -can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement, particularly among students most at risk.

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Marzano Research | The Highly Engaged Classroom, Tips

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Research has shown that providing choices to students of all age levels often increases their intrinsic motivation. Choice in the classroom has also been linked to increases in student effort, task performance, and subsequent learning. However, to reap these benefits, a teacher should create choices that are robust enough for students to feel that their decision has an impact on their learning.

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Keeping a bias free mind at all times to ensure the accuracy of the data being collected.

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Attendance, interest, level of rigor/challenge, perceived difficulty level, extracurricular activities, home life, preparedness

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Using Positive Student Engagement to Improve Student Achievement

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Using Positive Student Engagement to Improve Student Achievement

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Better Student Engagement Improves Student Learning

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Better Student Engagement Improves Student Learning

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We've posted research that has shown that using formative assessment can improve student learning. One of the ways that formative assessment does this is by improving student engagement, a challenge for any teacher.

Research has historically indicated strong correlations between student engagement (typically defined as attention to the area of focus, active participation in learning, and time on task) and student achievement. These correlations remain strong for all levels of instruction, across all subject areas, and for varying instructional activities. Let's explore some research that shows this correlation.

Specifically, Lahaderne ( 1968, Attitudinal and intellectual correlates of attention: A study of four sixth-grade classrooms. Journal of Educational Psychology) conducted classroom observations during which researchers rated student attention in sixth-grade classrooms. Ratings were positively correlated with student performance on a standardized achievement test, showing that "the pupil who paid attention gained the most from his instruction" (Lahaderne, p. 322).

Samuels and Turnure ( 1974, Attention and reading achievement in first-grade boys and girls. Journal of Educational Psychology) reported similar results for first graders during reading instruction. The attention of 88 first-grade students was observed during reading instruction in four classes. The authors found that as attention increased, word recognition rates also increased.

In addition, Hecht ( 1978, Measuring student behavior during group instruction. Journal of Educational Research) examined whole class instruction in high school mathematics. During a six-week period, observers recorded participation. It was found that the amount of time on task had a positive correlation of 0.69 with student achievement.

Finally, Cobb ( 1972, Relationship of discrete classroom behaviors to fourth-grade academic achievement. Journal of Education Psychology) investigated the relationship between peer conversations and academic performance. Fourth-grade students in five classrooms were observed. Findings indicated that the level of attentiveness to classroom activities and engagement in peer conversations about appropriate academic material correlated to performance across subject areas.

More recently Skinner, Wellborn, and Connell ( 1990, What it takes to do well in school and whether I've got it: A process model of perceived control and children's engagement and achievement in school. Journal of Educational Psychology) investigated the relationships between children's perceived control, student engagement, and academic achievement. The engagement, defined as participation and emotional tone, of 200 elementary students was assessed by their teachers. Path analyses were performed to examine the model of teacher behavior, perceived control, engagement, and academic outcomes. The predicted relations between engagement and grades/achievement (higher engagement leads to higher academic performance) were obtained.

...students who are inattentive, withdrawn, and disengaged in the classroom have poorer academic performance when compared to engaged students.

Finn, Pannozzo, and Voelkl ( 1995, Disruptive and inattentive-withdrawn behavior and achievement among fourth graders. The Elementary School Journal) found that students who are inattentive, withdrawn, and disengaged in the classroom have poorer academic performance when compared to engaged students. Teachers rated the classroom behavior of 1,013 fourth-grade students on the student participation questionnaire. Results indicated that engagement (defined as effort and initiative taking) were positively correlated with grades from the end of the previous year and scores on the Stanford Achievement Test (.40 and .59) while inattentive or disengaged behaviors were negatively correlated with these measures (-.34 and -.52).

Finally, Finn and Rock ( 1997, Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology) analyzed data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 and focused on low-income minority students at grades 8 through 12 (N = 1,803). The authors found that students who displayed engagement as measured by coming to class on time, being prepared for and participating in class work, and making the effort to complete assignments and homework were more likely to be academically successful, have passing grades throughout high school, and graduate on time.

In general, it is not uncommon to find a classroom where a few highly motivated students monopolize classroom discussions. To ensure learning for all students, opportunities to actively engage everyone in meaningful ways must be provided.

Let us know what methods you are using to engage your students on our Facebook page or via Twitter @NWEA.

Kathy Dyer is a Sr. Professional Development Specialist for NWEA, designing and developing learning opportunities for partners and internal staff. Formerly a Professional Development Consultant for NWEA, she coached teachers and school leadership and provided professional development focused on assessment, data, and leadership. In a career that includes 20 years in the education field, she has also served as a district achievement coordinator, principal, and classroom teacher. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado Denver. Follow her on Twitter at @kdyer13.

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Research proof points - better student engagement improves student learning #edchat

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We've posted research that has shown that using formative assessment can improve student learning. One of the ways that formative assessment does this is by improving student engagement, a challenge for any teacher. Research has historically indicated strong correlations between student engagement (typically defined as attention to the area of focus, active participation in learning, and time on task) and student achievement.

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How does student interest and motivation play a role in student engagement?

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Policies and practices outside of my control

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The majority of my students are leaving in a week. Data collection will be hard with only 20 students.

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Cell phones, fidgets, ear buds, un-monitored technology devices, other student behaviors, attendance, interruptions

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The affect of using student engagement (one and off task behaviors)strategies and practices to increase student achievement.