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iPads Improve Learning in Science Classrooms, Study Finds

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iPads Improve Learning in Science Classrooms, Study Finds

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Just how big is the universe, how small is an atom, and how long have we humans lived on Earth, compared with dinosaurs? Such answers are better learned with an iPad, according to a new study that shows just how tablets tap neurocognitive abilities that help students understand enormous scale and other difficult concepts.

Students saw learning gains after as little as 20 minutes of study on the iPad, the research found, and if supported with guidance from an instructor their improvement may have been even more pronounced, the scientists suggest. "The bottom line is that these iPads and similar tools actually do make a difference," said physicist Matthew Schneps, a founding member of the Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts.

Schneps explained that his virtual solar system study examined iPad use that is a bit different from most classroom applications. "Many educators are looking at the iPad as an inexpensive way to deliver content [and] to save money on textbooks, and a lot of apps are available that try to make learning into a kind of game," he said.

"These uses are good. But what we were testing is, does the iPad actually allow you to simulate things that students couldn't otherwise experience?"

Schneps pointed to a realistic demonstration of the solar system on the tablet as one such example of something that can be difficult to explain in a classroom. Tapping the unique powers of these devices unleashed neurocognitive learning capabilities in the brain that aren't often used during traditional instruction, he added. (Related: " Hand Gestures May Boost Students' Math Learning.")

Let Your Fingers Do the (Star) Walking

In the study, high school students in Bedford, Massachusetts, used the Solar Walk simulation from Vito Technology to explore a 3-D, pinch-to-zoom display in two different ways, Schneps explained.

First, the display was set so that the solar system appeared in the unrealistic " orrery display" scale that's commonly depicted in textbooks. "It's kind of the way we're used to seeing it, which is done to make things look more interesting," he said. It features greatly exaggerated planets, including an Earth with a diameter that is a staggering 38 percent of the sun's, and an Earth orbit shrunk to just five times the size of the planet's own diameter.

The second experience used a true-to-scale mode, showing how tiny planets actually are, compared with the size of their orbits, appearing as mere dots on the screen to show viewers just how vast the solar system really is.

Users showed improved learning when using both modes, the authors reported, but the true-scale experience was particularly effective in promoting learning and clearing up scale misconceptions about our cosmic neighborhood.

Educators have struggled to represent these concepts. Think of blackboard time lines stretching for millions of years, or students scattered across a classroom with basketballs, tennis balls, and golf balls meant to represent the planets. "These are all big-scale events, and we're showing that you can learn a lot more with a realistic simulation that couldn't possibly fit in the space of a classroom," said Schneps.

Proof of the iPad's value was found by comparing the results of tests given to thousands of students across the United States. Schneps and colleagues knew exactly how students performed on those tests, and also how different levels of traditional instruction improved student scores on them. "So we were really able to see just how the iPad changed their results," he said.

The research suggests that tablets could aid the study of many scientific concepts that are difficult to grasp, such as distance, time, and other large-scale subjects, said Schneps. "These occur in the study of geologic time; the size and age of the universe; the timeframe of biological mutation and evolution; the mass, size, and speed of subatomic, atomic, and molecular particles; and so on," the study noted.

While this type of learning remains in its infancy, tapping the technology may one day become critical career training for young and future generations. "They're not going to be doing things in their jobs the same way that previous generations did," Schneps said. "So if kids can learn in schools today using the same tools that they will use in their careers later on, that's a good thing." (Related: "Wireless Learning: How Mobile Technology Is Transforming Classrooms and Empowering Young Women in Jordan.")

The research will be published in the January 2014 issue of Computers and Education.

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iPads Improve Classroom Learning, Study Finds

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Just how big is the universe, how small is an atom, and how long have we humans lived on Earth, compared with dinosaurs? Such answers are better learned with an iPad, according to a new study that shows just how tablets tap neurocognitive abilities that help students understand enormous scale and other difficult concepts.

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Research Based Strategies all Teachers Should Know

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Research Based Strategies all Teachers Should Know

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5 Epiphanies on Learning in a 1:1 iPad Classroom

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5 Epiphanies on Learning in a 1:1 iPad Classroom

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Last fall, my high school handed iPads to each student in the building, and I began my journey as the school's Instructional Technology Coach. Since our faculty had spent the previous year preparing for the rollout, I knew our classroom environment and teaching methods would evolve. I welcomed it. But I could never have imagined how vast -- and rewarding -- that evolution would be.

To provide some structure for my journey, I joined a cross-curricular group of my colleagues who were focusing on action research in their classrooms. Questions permeate good action research -- mine was: "What does learning look like in a fully-committed 1:1 iPad high school classroom?" I gathered data from my three freshman English classes throughout the year while we engaged in a rich, ongoing cycle of experimentation, feedback, and discussion.

As an English teacher, I use the word "epiphany" all the time. But this year I came to understand that term on a more personal level -- not just once, but again and again. The following are a few of the most meaningful epiphanies that I experienced.

Epiphany #1: Students Should Be Partners in Action Research

Because I was as much a learner this year as my students, I was even more transparent than usual with them about my methods and purpose. Our rich cycle of experimentation and feedback provided a wealth of data, but more importantly, my 13- and 14-year-old students became far more confident as learners, self-advocates, and problem solvers than I had seen the previous year.

This growth was particularly visible in the results of my end-of-the-year technology survey. One hundred percent of the feedback I received was constructive, thoughtful, insightful, and serious. Not one of my students blew it off or used the survey as an opportunity to complain or bemoan a personal issue. As any high school teacher will agree, this seems a miracle.

Epiphany #2: Organization Is Inherently Tied to Learning

I expected my students to be most drawn to creative tools or games on the iPad. And although they enjoyed many of these, it turns out that Schoology, (a learning management system) and Notability (a note-taking and annotation app) were by far my students' most frequently-used and appreciated apps.

Is this because Schoology and Notability have some magic that other tools don't? Not at all. Rather, my students said that their learning improved because, in my paperless class, everything they needed was on their iPads, so they stayed more organized and felt more in control of their learning.

And here's the kicker. Students began using Schoology to ask and answer each other's questions before I even saw them. By the second semester, I was answering far fewer "unnecessary" questions and had more time to spend on what they really needed to know. This alone was worth its weight in gold.

Epiphany #3: Assessments Can Be Both Fun and Effective

As I began a unit on Homer's The Odyssey, my principal told me about a free online tool called Kahoot!, which allows teachers to create quizzes that run like a game show using iDevices as the clickers. I wondered, "What would happen if I used this tool to assess students' comprehension of the text instead of using traditional reading quizzes?"

We had eight games throughout the unit. Each time, students poured into the room, fizzing with excitement and quizzing each other about the reading. The timed questions were punctuated with groans and cheers, followed by proud yells from students who found themselves on the leaderboard.

When was the last time you saw a traditional reading quiz have this effect on a class?

Yet it wasn't just a game. Using a graph provided at the end of each question, I could immediately assess and correct student understanding as needed. After the game, I was also able to download a spreadsheet containing each student's answers so that I could follow up with individuals who struggled.

And really, isn't that what good formative assessment is all about?

Epiphany #4: Digital Tools Can Improve the Writing Process and Final Product

I know there is no magic tool that will grade essays for me. But I wondered, "What would happen if I went paperless with essays? Can I improve both my process and student learning?"

To the joy of my English teacher heart, going paperless allowed me to add extra rounds of drafting, peer review, and revision for students -- essential parts of good writing process that can be difficult to include due to time constraints. I was also able to provide timely narrative feedback on both rough drafts and final essays. And I did all of this within the same two weeks I used last year, without adding extra grading time.

More importantly, almost all my students felt better about their writing process and final drafts. And I was also thrilled to discover that their final essays were of higher quality.

Epiphany #5: I'm (Gladly) Not Done Yet!

Good teaching requires continuous flexibility, innovation, experimentation, data gathering, data crunching, and reevaluation. And even when I believe that I've answered one question, another rises in its place. Discouraging? Not in the slightest. Invigorating, inspiring, and energizing? Absolutely.

Have you had any 1:1 experiences that you'd label as epiphanies? Please tell us about them in the comments below.

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5 Epiphanies on Learning in a 1:1 iPad Classroom | Edutopia

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Last fall, my high school handed iPads to each student in the building, and I began my journey as the school's Instructional Technology Coach. Since our faculty had spent the previous year preparing for the rollout, I knew our classroom environment and teaching methods would evolve. I welcomed it.