As standards and pressure to succeed increases for students their own intrinsic motivation to learn has begun to decrease. New pedagogies must be utilized in order to stimulate their internal desires to learn. Many have named this generation “digital natives” because they are growing up in an age that is immersed in an ever present and evolving technology that plays a significant role in their lives. Educators must learn how to take advantage of this technology in order to make school more relevant to these learners. The technology gives educators a tool to bring the necessary learning requirements to today’s students in a way that is relevant and meaningful. This puts students back into the center of the learning environment. When it is the students who are the center of learning, the classroom becomes a place where students feel more responsible for their own learning and that natural intrinsic desire can redevelop.
II. Introduction
Problem Addressed
Students of today have been labeled as digital natives. The world in which they have grown up is a digital one. They haven’t seen a progression from things like compact disks to mp3’s. The mp3 is what they have known from the beginning. Because of their familiarity with all things digital, traditional projects such as making posters on paper or dioramas are no longer exciting to them. James Pence, Marketing Director, Teacher's Domain, WGBH:
“I think that many times kids come to school and they have to power down. At home they’re online, they’re IM’ing, they’re doing their work, they’re checking the Web, they’re going to Wikipedia, they are downloading music, they’re playing music and they’re watching television all at the same time. The classroom is not like that” (Technology’s Effect on Education, 2008).
Teachers need to learn to harness 21st century technology in order to reach the digital native and motivate them in the classroom.
The key to making this happen is to use technology as a tool to teach what is already being taught in class. The trend in education today is to teach to different styles of learning and to provide classrooms where students are actively participating in the learning. Technology fits well with this new style of teaching as it can be utilized as an instructional tool (Eisenach, 2007). The use of Web 2.0 allows teachers to move beyond the regular paper and pencil assignments and let students delve into infinite possibilities of creating and exploration on the web. The tools of Web 2.0 allow the learning that goes on in the classroom to move away from a teacher-centered approach to one where learning is student-centered through project-based learning. “Project-based learning is a constructivist approach that encourages learning in depth by allowing students to use inquiry-based methods to engage with issues and questions that are rich, real and relevant to their lives” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, pg. 39). Technology doesn’t make learning happen. It needs to be used with good pedagogy and with the understanding that it can increase student motivation in their progress to meeting standards.
Target Audience
Various Web 2.0 tools along with other form of technology will be used to help motivate students in the middle school setting. The project will be particularly geared to 6th grade students at Grand Coulee Dam Middle School in Grand Coulee, WA. They will be using this technology to demonstrate their understanding of state standards that are being taught in the classroom.
Sharing the project
The media project will be shared with the students of Grand Coulee Dam Middle School, along with staff and administrators. The project will be created with iWeb and it will be placed on the schools website to share with everyone what the students have been doing and their reflections on the activities they have been doing throughout the year. Video will also be used to capture student reflections to determine their own feeling about the technology that was used and its affect on their motivation to complete the assignment.
III. Goals and Objectives
Instructional Goal
The subject of the media project is reading comprehension. The students who will be participating in the media project are in the 6th grade and will be working towards standards as defined by the Washington State Grade Level Expectations (GLEs). The students will learn different ways to think about their reading and demonstrate their understanding of what they have read in order to improve reading comprehension. This will improve students reading levels and give them the ability to read and remember the information. The ability to remember what you have read, after you read it, goes far beyond the reading classroom. It applies to all subject areas, as reading plays a significant role in learning. Students with better reading comprehension have a higher chance of success in school and will provide greater opportunities for them out of school.
Learning Domain
The learning domain that the media project fits into is cognitive as well as affective. Students will be learning how to improve reading comprehension. Another objective of the media project is to increase student motivation through the use of technology. This will apply to the affective learning domain, as it will be working on improving student attitudes.
Learning Objectives
1. The students will summarize the plot/message in a culturally relevant literary/narrative text.
2. The students will state the theme/message and supporting details in a culturally relevant literary/narrative text.
3. The students will identify the characters traits and provide supporting details in a culturally relevant literary/narrative text.
4. Students will demonstrate through video their understanding of how a characters traits influence their decisions.
IV. Presentation
Instructional Approach
The learning theory applied to the project will consist of multiple theories: constructivist, inquiry, and direct instruction. This is based on the fact that there is no one, ideal theory; all of them bring something valuable to the table. It is up to the teacher to understand each theory and in their pedagogy bring what is needed in order to optimize the instructional design (Mergel, 1998). When student are immersed in a learning environment that understands the learners needs, students will be able to find success in their own skills and abilities and take more leadership in their learning. This student-centered approach will be applied to the media project as it is designed to let each student utilize his or her own learning style.
Each student learns in a variety of ways. These are called an individuals learning style which can be shown: by seeing and hearing, working alone and in groups, reasoning logically and intuitively, memorizing and visualizing and modeling (Felder, 2007). When each student understands their own learning style they are aware of techniques the teacher is using and can learn when they are being taught in a way that is more beneficial to them and in ways they may struggle with, which can be a key that they need to something to compensate for that fact. Teachers who are aware of the learning needs of their students can present the information in a variety of ways in order to meet the needs of students. They can also provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding by giving them a choice of methods that would better suit their learning style.
Technology plays a significant role in a teacher being able to design instruction that is student-centered and presents the information in ways that meet the different learning needs of students. “Technology has the power to reach and motivate various learners” (Pitler, Hubblell, Kuhm, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 32). Using technology is an effective way for the teacher to differentiate the instruction for their students. Students get what they need, how they need it, and they enjoy the process more, which will ultimately contribute to deeper learning for the student.
Working with the Internet and technology to create things excites students. Being able to create a video, use a blog, build a cartoon and so on motivates students to get to work. What teachers need to be aware of is that that excitement and motivation don’t always lead to the results they are looking for. Using technology is fun, but learning itself isn’t always exciting, regardless of the topics, because it requires work. It is important for instructors use sound pedagogies and not just rely on technology to do all of the teaching.
When technology is used well, it can be a positive influence on student learning when applied with clear learning goals. Technology itself isn’t the answer. It is a tool that, when used in addition to sound teaching practices, can increase student learning and achievement and it stimulates motivation to learn. (Pitler, Hubble, Kuhm, & Malenoski, 2007). Teachers need to plan lessons with the learning outcome in mind not the technology. If the technology becomes the focus, the learning that is trying to be taught becomes secondary. This will have dire effects on a lesson regardless of how exciting the technology being used is. Students will spend more time playing with the technology and focusing their energy into that end, resulting in little interaction with information they are required to learn.
Learning is most effective when the student is involved in four distinct phases of learning: activation of prior experience, demonstration of skill, application of skills, and integration of these skills into real world experiences. These phases of learning should also be apart of a problem-based type of instruction where the learning is centered around a problem introduced by the teacher (Merrill, 2001). Figure 1 illustrates this.
Lesson Structure
1. Students will be given the objectives of the lesson.
2. The reason why this is important will be explained to the students for them to develop reasoning and motivation for the project.
3. An overview of the project will be presented with a mind map.
4. Prerequisite knowledge will be introduced to the students. These are the new things they will need to do in order to be able to meet the objectives.
5. A demonstration of the procedure will be given to the students. This is done to model to students how to complete the project.
6. Practice will be given to the students. First in parts and then the whole project. Feedback will be given and so that adjustments can be made.
7. The final step will be an assessment of the students learning based on the revised version of their final product.
The order of this structure is based on David Merrill’s Guided Instruction. It is designed with the learning outcome in mind in order to provide the best instruction possible. The learning won’t be subject to the technology employed by the lesson. Rather the technology is secondary to the instructional design. It is a tool within the design that will be used to assist in reaching individual learner needs and increase motivation. “Effective uses of technology in education require a blend of product and idea technologies. Together, they form environments that unite technological capability with pedagogical necessity -- combining what can be done with what should be done” (Hooper, S., & Rieber, L. P., 1995, pg. 164). The goal will be for the technology to be transparent and to support the curricular goals.
V. Evaluation
The evaluations for this project will be both formative and summative. Students will need to demonstrate understanding of certain skills in order to be able to complete the project. This learning will be checked with formative assessment. There will be a short Udutu lesson embedded in the website that will check the students understanding. Once students have passed the Udutu lesson with 80% proficiency they will be allowed to continue with the project. Before turning in their final project, students will submit a draft in order for the instructor to provide feedback. The final project for the students will be assessed using a rubric that will be given to the students at the beginning of the project so they understand what is expected of them.
A final reflection from the students will be done as a video journal to help them think about their learning and to share evaluation information to the instructor about the lesson. This information along with the summative assessment will be used to identify if the students attained deeper learning from the project. It will also be used as an evaluation tool in course development for future students.
VI. References
Edutopia Staff. (2008, March 16). Why integrate technology into the classroom? : The reasons are many. Edutopia. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-inetgration-introduction
Eisenach, D.D. (2007). The Effectiveness of Technology in Education. Retrieved January 3, 2010 from http://www.eisenachfamily.com/pdfs/debbieeisenachsythesis.pdf
Felder, R. (2007). An introduction to learning styles: How students learn, how teachers teach and what usually goes wrong with the process [Audio Recording]. North Carolina State University. Retrieved June 5, 2009 from http://ctl.csudh.edu/SpeakerSeries/Felder.htm
Fouts, J. T. (2000). Research on computers and education: Past, present and future. Bill and Melinda Gages Foundation. Available Online at http://www.portical.org/founts.pdf
Hooper, S., & Rieber, L.P. (1995). Teaching with technology. In A. C. Ornstein (Ed.), Teaching: Theory into Practice. Retrieved from http://www.nowhereroad.com/twt
The Iowa Journal. (2008). Technology’s effect on education. Retrieved on February, 10 2010 from http://www.iptv.org/iowajournal/story.cfm/170
Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional design and learning theory. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved March 8, 2010 from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#Is%20There%20One%20Best%20Learning%20Theo
Merrill, D. (2001) First principles of instruction. Utah State University. Retrieved on March 5, 2101 from http://id2.usu.edu/Papers/5FirstPrinciples.PDF
Pitler, H., Hubble, E.R., Huhn, M., & Melenoski K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
Solmon, G., & Schrum L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
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