Since the pandemic, I've witnessed school district administration modify daily schedules, so students spend more time in math and reading class. Their intentions are simple; more time should equate to more learning. It isn't a secret that math and reading scores have decreased due to the pandemic (Kraft & Novicoff, 2022; Mervosh, 2022a; The Associated Press, 2022). More specifically, one study found that students lost half of a school year of learning in math and almost a quarter of a year of learning in reading (Lurye, 2022). Other losses include mental health and teacher turnover (Jones et al., 2022; Zamarro et al., 2021). We can also discuss teacher professional development or the lack of knowledge school administrators and teachers have for developing online learning. However, this article focuses on whether more time in math and reading class equates to greater learning. A school on the west coast, Franklin Elementary, added 30 minutes of math instruction in first grade, an hour to second grade, and 90 minutes to 4th and 5th grade. Students in this school district did not suffer the learning loss other students suffered across the nation during the pandemic (Mervosh, 2022b). However, teachers in this school district didn't spend the time writing problems on the whiteboard as seen in traditional classrooms. Students spent time collaborating to solve problems. Thus, administrators must encourage teachers to adopt modern instructional strategies and modify the daily schedule to accommodate the time change. We can argue more time should equal more engagement and more learning. We can make the same argument that less time would lead to less engagement which I do not think is entirely accurate and, therefore, debate the former. There is a positive correlation between allocated time and engagement in reading but no correlation for math (Kraft & Novicoff, S., 2022; Rosenshine, 2015). There is a relationship between positive student engagement and academic achievement when students participate in project-based learning (Zen et al., 2022). Traditional forms of teaching where students become passive receivers of information, however, have lesser engagement rates and lower academic achievement (Ayçiçek & Yanpar Yelken, 2018). Therefore, allocated time does not directly relate to engagement or academic achievement. Teaching is an art, no matter the time allocated, student engagement depends on the teacher. We could argue that students in a traditional-style classroom with an effective teacher can have similar engagements to that in a modern classroom with a novice teacher. An effective teacher can possess professional knowledge, plan accordingly, deliver appropriate instruction, design quality assessments, and create positive learning environments (OECD, 2020; Stronge, 2018). Obviously, there are many variables involved in evaluating an effective teacher making it difficult because there is not a one size fits all approach. Many community members, politicians, and school board members would like to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers based on standardized test scores; however, there are far too many variables encompassing an effective teacher (Shavelson et al., 2010). These are not the only variables that influence student engagement, though. Outside of teacher variables, student variables must be considered when exploring student engagement with student achievement. Some of these variables include students' aptitudes and motivation, and even the geographical area's economic level and student socioeconomic status (OECD, 2020). An important factor in the PISA study indicates that, on average, across all participating countries, student reading improved with each additional hour of instruction, up to three hours per week. After those three hours, they had diminished results, especially for those of low socioeconomic status. Indicating that more time might have adverse effects to learning outcomes no matter the instructional strategy. The data from the PISA includes 20 countries, including the United States, obviously, the bell curve is hard to argue. Therefore, increasing time spent on math and reading can improve learning and engagement (Andersen et al., 2016). This of course, depends on numerous other variables for both students and teachers, but in general, increasing instructional time can benefit students. The key is finding the right amount of time before reaching the law of diminishing returns. The school day is not getting longer, nor is the school year, so if we add instructional time to math and reading, time must be taken away from other courses. Increasing instructional time for math and reading reduces the instructional time for electives such as technology education, business education, art, and physical education, and other core classes such as science and history. These courses are necessary for student achievement both in the short and long term. Career and Technical Education (CTE) electives positively impact high school students' education and labor market outcomes (Dougherty et al., 2019). Not to mention CTE programs increase academic rigor by enticing students to enroll in additional science and math courses and increase high school GPAs and graduation rates (Stone III & Aliaga, 2005). These elective classes support math and reading by engaging students in other topic areas such as yearbook, robotics, video production, physical education, world languages, music, and technology education. These courses also prepare students for college and careers (Gawron-Wolpert, 2018). Maximizing student engagement begins with their ability to select their electives and increases student engagement due to higher intrinsic motivation (Wagner, 2020). We know that elective courses are great for students to graduate and increase student motivation because they have a choice in their learning. We also know that increasing math and reading time can benefit student achievement; however, there is a fine line on how much time is appropriate before reaching the law of diminishing returns. According to OECD, over three hours a week is that line, at least for 20 countries. I hope administrators across the country continue to read the research before forcing students into long hours of math and reading because in the end, it can have adverse effects on student achievement. References
Andersen, S. C., Humlum, M. K., & Nandrup, A. B. (2016). Increasing instruction time in school does increase learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(27), 7481–7484. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516686113 Ayçiçek, B., & Yanpar Yelken, T. (2018). The Effect of Flipped Classroom Model on Students' Classroom Engagement in Teaching English. International Journal of Instruction, 11(2), 385–398. Dougherty, S. M., Gottfried, M. A., & Sublett, C. (2019). Does Increasing Career and Technical Education Coursework in High School Boost Educational Attainment and Labor Market Outcomes? Journal of Education Finance, 44(4), 423–447. Gawron-Wolpert, H. (2018). The Case for Electives in Schools. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/case-electives-schools/ Jones, S. E., Ethier, Hertz, DeGue, Le, Thornton, Lim, Dittus, & Geda. (2022). Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021. MMWR Supplements, 71. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7103a3 Kraft, M., & Novicoff, S. (2022). Instructional Time in U.S. Public Schools: Wide Variation, Causal Effects, and Lost Hours. EdWorkingPaper No. 22-653. Lurye, B. V. T., Sharon. (2022, October 28). Massive learning setbacks show Covid's sweeping toll on kids. The Hechinger Report. http://hechingerreport.org/massive-learning-setbacks-show-covids-sweeping-toll-on-kids/ Mervosh, S. (2022a, September 1). The Pandemic Erased Two Decades of Progress in Math and Reading. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/us/national-test-scores-math-reading-pandemic.html Mervosh, S. (2022b, October 15). How One School Is Beating the Odds in Math, the Pandemic's Hardest-Hit Subject. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/15/us/math-student-achievement-pandemic.html OECD. (2020). PISA 2018 Results (Volume V): Effective Policies, Successful Schools. Rosenshine, B. V. (2015). How Time is Spent in Elementary Classrooms. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 17(1), 16–25. Shavelson, R., Linn, R., Baker, A., Ladd, H., Darling-Hammond, L., Shepard, L., Barton, P., Haertel, E., Ravitch, D., & Rothstein, R. (2010). Problems with the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/bp278/ Stone III, J. R., & Aliaga, O. A. (2005). Career & Technical Education and School-To-Work at the End of the 20th Century: Participation and Outcomes. Career & Technical Education Research, 30(2), 125–144. https://doi.org/10.5328/CTER30.2.125 Stronge, J. H. (2018). Qualities of Effective Teachers. ASCD. The Associated Press. (2022, September 1). Reading and math scores fell sharply during pandemic, data show. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/01/1120510251/reading-math-test-scores-pandemic Wagner, M. (2020). Elective Course Choice as a Factor in K12 Graduation Rates. Zamarro, G., Camp, A., Fuchsman, D., & McGee, J. (2021, September 8). How the pandemic has changed teachers' commitment to remaining in the classroom. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/09/08/how-the-pandemic-has-changed-teachers-commitment-to-remaining-in-the-classroom/ Zen, Z., Feflianto, Syamsuar, & Ariani, F. (2022). Academic achievement: The effect of project-based online learning method and student engagement | Elsevier Enhanced Reader. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11509
2 Comments
At the beginning of the school year, I wrote an article on Online Learning and provided some resources to help teachers move to the next level. The biggest takeaway is that online learning does not mean moving traditional style teaching and resources online. It doesn't work that way, and students need more guidance than to be passive receivers of information while being online. Now, we’ve seen, first hand, students are failing. Thomas Arnett recently published data regarding online learning for the public sector. His article can be found here. We are going to delve into his report, which coincides with my recent article. The data collected reveals that many teachers are moving their traditional forms of teaching online and attempting to do so using video conferencing software. Again, this is NOT online learning. Here are the statistics: only 15% of teachers are teaching in-person, 89% of teachers are using technology only to manage assignments (such as an LMS), 84% of teachers are using video conferencing software to deliver instruction, and only 56% are creating online lessons. Here is the most eye-opening statistic in the report; 42% of teachers using synchronous learning, replicate their in-person instruction. Based on the data, it is evident that teachers do not know how to deliver instruction online. This is no fault of their own, as many teachers graduated college decades ago when online learning wasn’t fathomable. More specifically, only 16% of teachers regularly used online learning prior to COVID! This is obviously unchartered territory for schools, teachers, and probably parents. There are a few positives to take away from this, however. Although teachers are struggling to find resources suitable for asynchronous learning compared to synchronous learning, teachers are beginning to curate more materials and modifying others to support their teaching. This is an early sign that educators are transitioning and teaching themselves how to better deliver instruction online. 79% of teachers report finding new resources and best practices to help them develop their skills for teaching online. This particular data point should be emphasized. Teachers are teaching themselves how to teach online. It is learning on the fly in unchartered territory. Here is where we missed the opportunity to prepare our teachers. According to the survey, school districts’ top challenge was the need to set up programs quickly, followed by quality of technology and programs available for teachers and course development. Teacher professional development on designing online learning was never mentioned and, therefore, is the reason why teachers are struggling to teach online. Rather than focusing on technology or rapidly developing courses, schools should have focused on the skills required to be an effective online teacher. The other aspects would follow. According to the survey, 71% of teachers who receive effective professional development for online learning feel they are able to better serve their students in such an environment. However, it isn’t evident how many teachers received effective professional development. Going forward, online learning isn’t going away when COVID settles down. This form of instruction will continue to grow and probably change the landscape of public education. Subsequently requiring teacher education programs to incorporate more online learning into their curriculum to better prepare new teachers for the change in instruction. Additionally, schools should be preparing to provide students online learning as a separate entity with different teachers, always as a separate school, and according to Arnett, separate administrators. Teachers should be hired with a background in designing online learning to better serve students and their families. Here is my plug.... Online PLNs can help tear down the barrier of teacher professional development. Here is a video of their benefits and here is a link to my doctoral research.
Public schools are making hard decisions right now, do they continue face to face (F2F) learning with added risk of spreading COVID or do they eliminate the risk and provide instruction online. Schools are erring on the side of caution, for the safety of students and faculty, and moving instruction online. However, these changes raise some significant questions. How can we design instruction online that meets or exceeds the quality of instruction delivered through F2F learning? How do we design online instruction? Is designing online instruction the same as designing instruction for F2F?
First, all students have the potential to learn at the same rate if not greater online compared to the classroom. It isn't the method in which we learn that provides results, it's the delivery of instruction and what happens in between that produces results. Online learning is a broad term used to describe multiple forms of learning without being tied to a geographical location. This form of learning can be in the form of college enrollment, MOOCs, certificate courses such EdX or Udemy, Zoom, discussion boards, webinars, etc... There are multiple ways to teach and learn with technology, which fall under the umbrella term, online learning. However, when we look at public education and online learning, we know that we have to provide some formal instruction without being in the same physical location. It is important for teachers and administrators to know and understand that simply moving F2F instruction online is NOT online learning. In examining the difference, we can first look at the time spent in developing courses for F2F and online. Instructional designers generally use ratios to determine how long it takes to develop a course online. For instance, if designing a very basic online class with zero interactivity, it would take roughly 49 development hours for each instructional hour. In this case, students are generally reading and writing with limited deeper level cognition. Whereas a class designed with full interactivity, including knowledge transfer, could take an upwards of 716 hours of development to one hour of instructional time, this obviously would include graphic creations and using authoring software, something far beyond a public educator’s skill level (“ELearning Development Calculator - Estimate the Time to Create a Course,” n.d.). The point here is that online learning takes time to develop courses that are interactive and engaging, motivating students to transfer knowledge. We cannot simply use the same content from a F2F class, online learning requires a revision of instructional strategies, assessments, and learning activities (Morrison, 2012). We have to make changes so that teaching is facilitating and learning is active. We as teachers need to design instruction that is student centered, which means no more direct instruction! Students cannot be passive receivers of information while online, mainly because of intrinsic motivation, or lack thereof. We all remember that great history teacher who was hilarious and could teach in front of the class for 42 minutes and it felt like 10. Well, that cannot happen anymore, neither can the teacher continually remind Johnny who is falling asleep to wake up, obviously, because a teacher isn’t there! All these F2F incidences where the teacher mediated will not happen online. Therefore, course design should be focused on supporting multiple students with varying motivation levels. This forces teachers to differentiate instruction using multiple instructional strategies incorporating collaboration and feedback! Here is a great video to help you.
It is important however, that we first examine the students we will be teaching, that’s the analysis phase of ADDIE for instructional designers. We know what makes a good online student for public education, they should be self-motivated, independent learner, with good time management and technological skills, and is intrinsically motivated (“Characteristics of a Successful Online Learner,” n.d.). Now how many students carry those qualities in public education? I’d be willing to bet, not many, therefore, it is important for us teachers to combat the students’ lack of skills by providing them with the following:
It is a very difficult for teachers as many of us are teaching F2F and online with little to no background in online course development. Administrators also need to recognize that in order to develop quality online courses, time and resources are needed. Again, we cannot simply move what we did in a F2F classroom to online, we will see students inevitably fail. References Bowman, L., Tighe, M. J., Jr., Bender, S., Escott, T. E., & Tighe Jr, J. M. (2010). Online Learning: A User-Friendly Approach for High School and College Students. R&L Education. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/waldenu/detail.action?docID=616377 Characteristics of a Successful Online Learner. (n.d.). North Carolina Virtual. Retrieved August 11, 2020, from https://ncvps.org/characteristics-of-a-successful-online-learner/ eLearning Development Calculator—Estimate the Time to Create a Course. (n.d.). ELearningArt. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from https://elearningart.com/development-calculator/ Morrison, D. (2012, August 6). How [not] to Design an Online Course. Online Learning Insights. https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/how-not-to-design-an-online-course/ Are you looking for a digital website credibility checklist that is interactive?
It is no secret more information is available everyday online. We as educators need to instruct our students to vet online content, but we as educators also need to stay abreast on our skills for vetting content. Below is a link to a Google Sheet which includes checkboxes for vetting content online. The spreadsheet also includes a formula which determines whether the source is likely credible or not based on the number of boxes checked. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TQzUlgs99KnirE2n9Bqs_3NXThsYvoO3GHP-I7Sppio/copy#gid=0 Privacy has been a concern for many months now given the situation with Facebook and Cambridge. Everything we do online is tracked and traced back to our accounts through web and mobile based applications. Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and all websites and mobile applications collect information regarding your IP address, geographical location, search history, text messages, phone calls, the quizzes on social media, pictures, videos, audio and other information you’ve used while connected to the internet. This could include smart connected cars, thermostats, TVs, banking app (keep in mind the images you used to mobile deposit that’s connected to your phone which is connected to your Google Drive), and baby monitors (Internet of things, IoT). Because all these devices are connected to the internet, it has created jobs for analyst and the advancement of technology such as Artificial Intelligence; however, with anything digital, there are always criminals waiting to take advantage of all this information. Also, the other caveat, like most people, we assume free is a good thing. Except when it involves technology because free, isn’t free. The data associated with the free account is collected, sold and purchased by other organizations trying to fight for American Greenbacks at the expense of Americans privacy. It should be noted that the UK's technology privacy law called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is something essential to prevent organizations from collecting information without approval. Unfortunately, it doesn’t protect Americans, leaving the internet as the Wild West.
I’ve written about the concerns regarding educational technology and student privacy, especially since educational technology can be compromised just like Target’s data information center (Read it here - Since writing the article I've upgraded my Chrome extensions to include Adblock Plus and Disconnect). Also, the FBI has issued a warning stating “widespread collection of student data could have privacy and safety implications if compromised or exploited.” They also provide an example of a cybercriminal accessing multiple school districts’ servers to see student and teacher information regarding health records, demographics, and contact information (Read it here). Therefore, it is vital for us to educate our students and parents and provide recommendations on how to better protect their privacy. To give you better insight as to what Google tracks regarding you and your accounts, you can visit myactivty.google.com. Log in with a Google accounts and click “Activity Controls” in the left column. Below are the controls to whether Google is tracking your data: 1. Web and App Activity – For most G Suite users, this feature will be paused based on the organization, this feature saves all of your activity through your browser, maps, and other Google services. 2. Location History – self-explanatory, but this feature collects each geo location you’ve visited. 3. Device Information – this feature saves your contacts, calendars, apps, and other data. 4. Voice & Audio – as you record your voice, Google collects it to better its software. 5. YouTube Search History – Another data collection method to coincide with Google’s ad service. 6. YouTube Watch History – collects the data for videos you have watched. Pause these controls at your discretion. Microsoft users can view their privacy by going to https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/ The next insight is considering the application permissions available on mobiles devices. Most downloaded apps are granted permission to have access to many other applications on your mobile device. For instance, Facebook app permissions include calendar, camera, contacts, microphone, phone, SMS, storage, and location. So if you are using Google for your Android device and frequently check in via geolocation, then you are providing your location to Facebook and Google. Facebook too, if permitted, would have access to all of the above applications on a mobile device if you allow them to do so. It would be recommended to look at each application on your mobile device to determine what apps have permission to view other apps. To check app permissions on an android device: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6270602?hl=en To check app permissions on an IOS device: https://www.howtogeek.com/211623/how-to-manage-app-permissions-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/ To check app permissions on a Microsoft device: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10557/windows-10-app-permissions Steven Lahullier wrote an exceptional article on Tech & Learning that showcases the top ten K-12 educational technology trends. Mobiles devices landed at number 2, while IoT fell at number 7. Both are prime examples of how educational technology accounts can be linked with personal accounts, while all the data associated with both accounts are utilized to generate revenue for businesses and provide information for cybercriminals (2017). However, using the above recommendation can help prevent such occurrences. For more information on student privacy, visit the following websites: 1. https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ 2. https://www.eff.org/issues/student-privacy 3. https://www.studentprivacymatters.org/ Although these recommendations are directed towards protecting student data, they certainly can be applied to protecting personal data. Reference Lahullier, S. (2017). Top 10 -12 educational technology trends. Tech & Learning. 39(4). Using the General Social Survey dataset, last week I discovered using dummy variables that union members hold higher degrees and more income compared to nonunion members. To expand on that research, I am using a Chi Squares test to examine the relationship between the two variables; respondents’ highest degree (dependent variable) and Does respondent or spouse belong to a union (independent variable). Since both variables are measured as categorical, the Chi-Square test will provide additional insights into the relationship (Frankfurt-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018). The results show a p-value of .007, significantly less than the threshold of .05, indicating the rejection of the null hypothesis that union members do not hold higher degrees than nonunion members. Since the Chi-Square test does not reveal the significance of the statistically significant relationship, a Cramer’s V test is used, which results in a value of .074. The Cramer V relationship is between 0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being a strong relationship; thus, in this example, the value of .074 shows a weak relationship between education levels and unionized labor. However, even though the relationship is weak, the dataset does show a statistically significant relationship and therefore, we can assume unionized members earn higher degrees than nonunion members. References
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Laureate Education (Producer). (2016). Bivariate categorical tests [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. span> Do Americans have a higher Socioeconomic Status (SES) and education level when belonging to a union? I created 3 dummy variables for the independent variable, “Does R (respondent) or spouse belong to a union” using the High School Longitudinal Study dataset. My reference variable assumes that neither the respondent or spouse belong to a union. Further, the model summary indicates 34% of SES values are affected by the independent variables and the ANOVA test reveals a significance level of .000, well below the conventional threshold of .05, indicating unions do influence SES and education levels (Laureate, 2016). In examining the coefficients, SPSS reveals when comparing SES against married couples who are not in the union, SES increases 2.5 – 2.8 units when one spouse belongs to the union, 2.2 units when both spouses belong to the union. Therefore, when comparing respondents, spouses, or married couples within a union, SES increases and so does their higher education level by 4.245 years. Diagnostics reveals a Durban Watson value of 1.75 and ANOVA value of .008. Further, the collinearity VIF values for each dummy variable are well below 10 at just above 1.0. Lastly, Cooks Distance values are well below 1.0 and do not have undue influence (Laureate, 2.16m). References
Laureate Education (Producer). (2016m). Regression diagnostics and model evaluation [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Laureate Education (Producer). (2016). Dummy variables [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Teacher Perceptions of Principal Support and Collective Responsibility Affect Self-efficacy7/25/2018 Variables The purpose of this multiple regression test is to examine whether math teachers’ perceptions of collective responsibility and principal support, the independent variables measured as interval-ratio, affect math teacher self-efficacy, the dependent variable measured as interval-ratio. Each variable data was taken from the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2009). Since I am using two independent variables to examine how it affects one dependent variable, multiple regression serves as the best model to complete such task (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018). Nonetheless, the multiple regression test reveals a statistically significant relationship between the two independent variables and the dependent variable. Model and ANOVA The model summary reveals an R-value of .21, indicating the Pearson Correlation Coefficient is a slight positive correlation between math teachers’ perceptions of principal support and collective responsibility against math teaching self-efficacy. Also, the Adjusted R Square value of .45, indicates 45% of math teachers’ self-efficacy is affected by their perceptions of principal support and collective responsibility (Laureate Education, 2016). The ANOVA test reveals an F value of 331.63 at a significance of .000, well below the conventional .05 alpha level, therefore, rejecting the null that math teachers’ self-efficacy is not affected by their perceptions of principal support and collective responsibility.
Coefficients The Unstandardized Coefficients Beta value for math teacher’s perceptions of principal support is .062, meaning for one unit increase in perceptions of principal support, math teacher’s self-efficacy will increase by .062. A one unit increase in math teacher’s perceptions of collective responsibility, math teacher’s self-efficacy will increase by .165. Lastly, the significance of each independent variable is .000, indicating a rejection of the null that there is no relationship between teacher’s perceptions of principal support and collective responsibility against math teacher’s self-efficacy (Laureate Education, 2016). Therefore, we can conclude that teacher perceptions of principal support and collective responsibility do affect their ability to deliver effective instruction. SPSS was used to analyze the data from the 2014 General Social Survey data set which reveals both hours watching TV and time spent on the internet during the week affect your socioeconomic status. The Model Summary of the Multiple Linear Regression tests reveals that 40% of socioeconomic statuses are explained by the two independent variables; hours spent watching TV and time spent on the internet. The ANOVA test has a significance of .000, below the .05 alpha level indicating the rejection of the null that there is no relationship between variables. Nonetheless, analyzing the unstandardized coefficients reveals for every unit increase of hours per day watching TV, SES will decrease by 1.668 units. For every unit increase in internet hours per week, SES will increase by .130 units. The significance of each independent variable is statistically significant at the .01 alpha level and are statistically significant predictors of SES. Thus, in laymen terms, the more you watch TV, the less money you will make and the more time you spend on the internet, the more money you will make. However, there are multiple influences that affect hours spent on the internet, some beneficial to income, some not.
The purpose of this bivariate correlation test is to examine whether math teachers’ years of service are correlated with students’ mathematics self-efficacy using the High School Longitudinal study data (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2009). The correlation test is used to determine the level of association between the two variables and the strength of the association (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018). The results of the test indicate a p-value of .047, just under the conventional .05 threshold, therefore rejecting the null that there is not a statistically significant relationship between the two variables. Because of the rejection of the null, a linear regression test can be utilized to determine the strength of the relationship. Linear Regression Test The Linear Regression test reveals that for every year of experience a math teacher completes, students’ mathematics self-efficacy increases by .2%. Also, The standardized coefficients value is computed at a level of .017, which indicates a very slight positive correlation between the two variables as it is just above 0 (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018). Such statistical data can help provide social change for educators across the globe by helping teachers remain in the field of teaching mathematics. Further, such information could entice further research in examining teacher confidence and ability to deliver seamless instruction. References
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. National Center for Educational Statistics. (2009). High school longitudinal study [data file]. Overview
The Education Technology market is closing in on $1.9B and most public-school systems are utilizing 1:1 initiatives to bring more tech to the classroom (Molnar, 2017). The whole school process is being digitized from registration to homework and it is time to stop and consider the vulnerabilities that are being created through technology. First, consider the technology used in administration; registration software, Learning Management System, Student Information System, Website, local servers, and office software. In administration alone, schools are subject to over five vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks and all these technologies are generally integrated with each other. Now add the classroom to the mix. Until recently, I've used roughly five to seven 3rd party integrations with office software during a school year. Now we have over ten vulnerabilities on any given school year that is subject to exposing student and teacher information across the internet. That information could be addresses, social security numbers, grades, assignments, health records, contact information, and online communication. It doesn't stop there, how many folks have taken the time to research each EdTech company to verify their stance on privacy or security? How many of us actually read the Terms and Agreements? According to Jonathan Obar, 98% of us don’t read those terms and agreements before signing up. In his study, people actually agreed to sharing their private information with the NSA and surrendering their first-born child as payment to have access to technology, the conditions were found in the Terms and Agreements (Vedantam, 2016). Now you might be a little relieved to find out that both Microsoft and Google have pledged to protect student privacy; however, Google is currently being sued by the state of Mississippi for their current and past notorious bouts with utilizing student data to drive their ad service - this is how they combat their free service with some revenue. This will be a later conversation, but when companies market their free service, it generally isn't free. Tips before Signing Up Anytime you or administration intends on using and/or integrating Educational Technology into the classroom, visit the website or complete a search on the privacy policy of the company. Check with your organization on how they vet new technologies. Consider creating a board with the organization to help protect student and teacher privacy. Be sure to review the Terms and Agreements before you or your students sign up for new technology. Relate back to Mr. Vedantam’s article on how many people actually read the Terms and Agreements and then visit: http://ptac.ed.gov/document/protecting-student-privacy-while-using-online-educational-services. Is it a paid service or free? If it is free, there is a reason and generally that involves data in some fashion. Unfortunately, the sale of student data is a lucrative business – ask Google. Check with the company to see if they encrypt student data. Reach out to your Internet Service Provider to see how they use your data and be sure to watch out for HTTP vs HTTPS. The S is for security. Know FERPA! Tools for Protecting Student Privacy Consider allowing students to turn on in private browsing through the internet browser and ask that they clear the history before logging off of the computer and at home. Be sure to discuss their digital footprint and how it is utilized in data collection. BrowserSpy is a nice tool to check what your internet browser leaves behind. Look for tools such as Privacy badger to block Ads and prevent advertisers from secretly tracking you (Barack, 2017). Use https://privacy.commonsense.org/ to check out Commen Sense Tech evaluations. Lastly, take the pledge: https://studentprivacypledge.org/. Conclusion: Our data is continuously being tracked, sold and purchased and it is important for students and schools to know and understand the importance of privacy. Carelessness could result in significant problems for students in the future. References Barack, L. (2017). The Problem with Student Privacy, and How to Protect It. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2017/01/technology/the-problem-with-student-privacy-and-how-to-protect-it/ Molnar, M. (2017). K-12 Ed-Tech Platform and Tools Market Value to Increase to $1.83 Billion by 2020, Report Says. Retrieved from: https://marketbrief.edweek.org/marketplace-k-12/k-12-ed-tech-platform-tools-market-value-increase-1-83-billion-2020-report-says/ Vedantam, S. (2016). Do You Read Terms Of Service Contracts? Not Many Do, Research Shows. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2016/08/23/491024846/do-you-read-terms-of-service-contracts-not-many-do-research-shows Originally posted: https://elearningindustry.com/educational-technology-and-authentic-learning
Educational technology plays a significant role in designing and developing authentic learning. Its role is not only to provide instruction effectively and efficiently but more importantly, to provide students with an experience they otherwise wouldn't have. Educational Technology And Authentic Learning: The Significant Role Of EdTech In Authentic Learning Development Hopefully you have read Designing Instruction For Authentic Learning and Developing Content For Authentic Learning as I will refer to these articles below. This article is meant to open conversations regarding models for effective technology integration. We have discussed Authentic Learning which is a strategy found under Deeper Learning, its goal is to provide students with critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration skills. Research shows that through Deeper Learning Approaches students raise test scores, have higher graduation rates, and are more likely to enroll in post-secondary schooling - including trade schools (American Institute of Research, 2016). The data proves that Authentic Learning works and through my previous two articles you should have gained an excellent foundation for designing and developing your course using Authentic Learning – plus check out New Media Horizon Reports for K12 and Higher Ed; you’ll notice Deeper Learning is listed in both. Now it is time to focus on the role of Educational Technology. The Role Of Educational Technology Educational Technology should be used to provide students with an experience they otherwise wouldn’t have. Chris Dede, a Harvard University Learning Technologies Professor, argues that “technology as a catalyst is effective only when used to enable learning with richer content, more powerful pedagogy, more valid assessments, and links between in- and out-of-classroom learning” (2014, p. 6). Additionally, we must acknowledge that there is an achievement gap which looks something like a bell curve and that the digital divide is a real thing – consider the digital divide when providing experiences. We also should acknowledge that educational technology complements our design and development and technology alone cannot create learning experiences. Teaching as a human craft is what makes learning effective, not the technology. We certainly do not want something called digital drill and kill by digitizing teacher-centered instruction (Murray, 2017). On the contrary, we want students to apply the knowledge gained by using technology to do better things rather than do things better (Dede, 2017). Tips For Integrating Technology And Personalizing Learning We first need to correlate the technology with our unit and course objectives. If we have our students analyzing literature, then the objective should read the same; analyze literature. We could look at the SAMR Model of technology integration, but I think the model alone limits our objective in providing students with Authentic Learning experiences; however, it is a step in the right direction. Remember, we don’t simply want to digitize business! Again, it is providing students with an experience they otherwise wouldn’t have. Second, look at Gartner’s Hype Cycle and New Media Horizon Reports to determine what technologies are becoming of age, reaching their plateau, or are on the rise because these technologies are going to be embedded in the real world (note there are a few different industries for the Horizon Report and an education version of the Hype Cycle). Third, remember that instruction is guided and we control rigor based on guidance of each student, therefore, instruction is personalized as each student needs different guidance. Look at the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) designed by Lev Vygotsky for more information on guidance and personalized learning. Lastly, use technology in every facet of instruction, it can certainly make the delivery of instruction and feedback more efficient with Learning Management Systems and video production. Take this example in public education, I hate taking attendance and writing it down on paper, it wastes time. Instead, use Kipin Attendance through Canvas (LMS) where students have five minutes into the class to record their attendance, this way I didn’t have to call out names or mark each student’s attendance digitally. It knocked off three minutes of wasted time per class – 180 days X 3 equates to 540 minutes or roughly 2.5 weeks of instruction devoted to attendance! Nonetheless, we say we want students to do better things through their summative assessment. That doesn’t mean we can’t make other facets of instruction more efficient. Remember the questionable rule that if you feel you need to directly instruct, then create a video. It is still direct instruction but hopefully students complete it at home. There Really Isn’t An Effective Model – That’s The Problem The SAMR Model certainly gets educators going in the right direction and creates good conversations. It is even better when utilized with the Bloom’s Taxonomy as we attempt to match assessments with objectives. TPACK makes great arguments that this article coincides. Integrating these 3 models is another great start towards an effective model. What we do know is every facet of teaching should integrate technology, but the assessments should require collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration through Authentic Learning. Do you know a model for effective technology integration? If so, share with us your model or how you integrate technology. References:
This article is intended to delve deeper into the development phase of the Instructional Design model I use to create Authentic Learning. Originally posted: https://elearningindustry.com/business-case-learning-technology-systems-points How To Develop Content For Authentic Learning
Learning by doing is the basis of authentic learning and is considered one of the most effective strategies for instruction (Lombardi, 2007). So why not required this of your students? In my previous article I discussed the importance of assessments and requiring students to apply the skills and theories learned in the course to real world applications while guiding students and requiring that they bridge the gap between the learning materials and the application. This process is not easy and requires a continuous involvement of reflection for both the teacher and student. Keep in mind that the framework has already been completed as you have broken down the summative assessment into units and have written the formative assessments as well as objectives. Nonetheless, learning units should follow this process:
Student Assignments And Activities Provide the students an assignment immediately following the introduction of a new topic. This is the perfect opportunity for you to guide students through the assignment and assess who is transferring the new information and who needs additional support. This usually occurs through discussion and doesn’t require the full application of the new knowledge, but instead is chunked to gain a greater understanding. Adult learners utilize this space to provide their skills and experiences in the workforce, but other learners can communicate through worksheets, small group discussion, short essay, group activity, etc... As an instructor, be involved in the conversation, the lower grades need more guidance. Instructors need to reflect on where students stand – are they bridging the gap or need further instruction? Reteach if needed. Provide feedback; good feedback, not just red ink. Some units might require two assignments so students can apply their knowledge in the application. The perception action cycle has completed one rotation by using the assignment and providing feedback. Students have a new perception of the learning topic now. The cycle will start over again once students apply the new knowledge or transfer knowledge. Keep in mind that the application has already been designed as it was discussed in the previous article. However, it may need developed (written directions, exemplary work, etc…) and/or tweaked. Once students complete the application, provide feedback, analyze the data, and then go back to the design phase as noted in the previous article to make adjustments to the course. No course is ever too awesome and things change, edTech changes and the tools in the career fields change. Feedback As The Most Important Aspect Of The Learning Process Dr. Orlando wrote a fantastic piece on how to provide feedback like a coach instead of a teacher: “As teachers we spend a lot of time telling students what they did wrong, but very little time showing them what doing it right looks like. Modeling good work is a key component of feedback—and improving student or player performance.” (2014) He continues to discuss how education has created this grade-obsessed cultural monster where students and teachers alike are too fixated on the product instead of the process and that we lose focus of the objectives. Correlate this with Dr. Dweck’s book titled Growth Mindset and you can see how guidance and feedback control the learning process instead of limiting the outcome to a single grade. This process is much easier when creating authentic learning instead of direct instruction and a multiple-choice exam to assess transfer of knowledge. References:
An applied approach to Instructional Design where the Backwards Design model is integrated into the design phase of ADDIE to create Authentic Learning. Increase the transfer of knowledge effectiveness rate by allowing students to become active learners instead of passive receivers of information. Originally Published: https://elearningindustry.com/designing-instruction-for-authentic-learning How To Design Instruction For Authentic Learning
The following process will review each phase of ADDIE as it focuses on integrating Authentic Learning. It is important to note that there are many other pedagogical strategies for Deeper Learning. In addition, the role of edTech is directly correlated to Instructional Design and allows instruction to become more efficient; for more information see the New Media Horizon Reports. Also note, the ADDIE model has been modified. Here is what you need to know about designing instruction for Authentic Learning. Analyzing The Student Population This is much easier in educational institutions than in corporate learning, but it is important to know and understand the students you are serving. Design the instruction so that all students will be successful. This model requires instructors to become facilitators in the learning process. They will provide the framework that each student will build upon. Each student should have the opportunity to take their learning and correlate it to existing knowledge, it is the role of the instructor to know the student’s existing knowledge and to identify which students need additional guidance or less guidance and continually reflect based on the effectiveness of the delivered instruction. Designing Instruction The Design Phase of ADDIE is where the integration of Backwards Design comes into play. Begin by writing objectives for the course, these are not set in stone as you will probably go back and change them; however, it is a good starting point. Then, design a summative assessment based on those objectives. Be sure the assessment requires students to apply the skills/theories learned in the course to a real-world scenario or skill – increase the rigor and require problem solving and critical thinking. The summative assessment should correlate to some sort of career oriented skill based on the content being taught. Adjust the objectives of the course or the summative assessment until they meets your needs. This phase integrates the Authentic Learning aspect. Once your summative assessment and course objectives are finished, work backwards by breaking down the summative assessment into units and then write objectives for those units. Each unit should require students to apply the concepts being taught within the unit to a career oriented task. Sometimes the application of each unit requires students to work towards their summative assessment, but if possible require students to apply that skill set twice; once in the unit and then again for the summative assessment at the end of the course. Adjust the course objectives or the summative assessment if needed. Assessments should require students to think critically, problem solve, create, and collaborate. What has been completed:
This phase is where you build upon each unit’s objectives and applications (formative assessments) by creating all learning materials. Include curated material, videos, discussions, and any additional formative assessments. In eLearning, most units consist of learning materials (course readings and videos), discussion posts, and an application (formative assessment). This is also the phase where authoring tools are utilized. Developing course content should always provide students with the skills to complete the application, but again, the instructor should guide students through the process. Keep the course highly rigorous and require students to make connections between the content and assessments. Allow them to correlate the applications to their existing knowledge, but emphasize critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Go back and adjust objectives and formative assessments to help with rigor. Implementation This phase needs multiple different professionals such as eLearning experts, Instructional Designers, and instructors to review the course. Learning should be seamless and scaffolded to whereas the transfer of knowledge is inevitable. Some may need to move back to the development phase or even the design phase of some units for the flow to remain seamless. Evaluation It is important to recognize that evaluation occurs after the delivery of all instruction. It occurs during and after a unit as well as the course. Continuing The Instructional Design ProcessDesigning courses or trainings require a continuous evaluation during all phases which is why this model is used to design initial courses; however, it is not a one size fits all and changes are made frequently as designers move from one phase to the next and back again. Some might argue this is the downfall of ADDIE especially when budgets are not available, but effective instruction isn’t made rapidly in the field of education. On the contrary, rapid learning may be applicable to an immediate need for learning in the private sector which would make this model ineffective. |
Dr. Jeremy O'TooleInstructional Technologist Archives
December 2022
|