{"id":4972,"date":"2015-07-28T10:20:07","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T09:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsletter.alt.ac.uk\/?p=4972"},"modified":"2015-07-28T10:20:07","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T09:20:07","slug":"using-technology-in-the-classroom-a-mini-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2015\/07\/using-technology-in-the-classroom-a-mini-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Technology in the Classroom – a mini case study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should I let my students use their own devices in the classroom?<\/p>\n

Some of my colleagues strictly banned their students from doing so. One of the everlasting complaints is that students may misuse technology when in the classroom, as we constantly see them on their smartphones – chatting, on Facebook or Twitter, \u00a0It can also bring a different set of challenges as instant access to the web enables students to challenge lecturers.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t fully convinced that all electronic devices should be switched off but also wasn\u2019t comfortable losing eye contact during my teaching. I was curious and decided to explore the use of technology in learning and examine the impact on learning outcomes. This post shares some of my experience.<\/p>\n

Methodology<\/b><\/p>\n

Students divided randomly into two groups: the first group (A) was asked to switch off their electronic gadgets; the second group (B) was allowed to keep their electronic gadgets. A task was released that required students to problem solve to arrive at a solution, rather than simply being able to search the web for an answer.<\/p>\n

Both groups were sitting in a circle shape at the start of the project. In group A, books were the center of attention with students sharing and using pen and papers to take notes. In group B, each student had access to the Internet.<\/p>\n

Observations<\/b><\/p>\n

In group A (after 10 minutes) and in Group B (after only a few minutes), visible changes in the dynamic and the structure of the groups appeared. Group A appeared to be interacting, exchanging ideas and participating all together, whilst group B were quieter and divided into 3 or 4 subgroups, each working on a different task.<\/p>\n

Another visible difference developing between the two groups was the progress made – group B was progressing much faster than group A. I also acknowledge a higher degree of engagement in group B by using their electronic devices. When the time was up, group A was ready to present, whereas group B requested for few more minutes to get organised.<\/p>\n

The comparison between the two presentations was interesting. Although group A\u2019s presentation scope was narrower and it didn\u2019t have the same richness as group B, it did benefit from a better structure. The presentation lacked the reasoning and it wasn\u2019t visually appealing, other than a good hand-drawn illustration.<\/p>\n

3 students delivered group B\u2019s presentation, which was saved on three different memory sticks. The presentation was visually appealing, well researched, justified and interesting but it wasn\u2019t particularly organized. The logo was simply adopted from the Web and the presentation lacked creativity. Although, I concluded that the outcome of group B\u2019s presentation was better but group A\u2019s charm, integration and creativity in their presentation was commendable.<\/p>\n

A student from group A, said he felt he \u201cwas paralyzed\u201d by not having access to the search engines but he mentioned how he exchanged ideas with other students who he normally he doesn\u2019t talk to. In the same group, another student said she enjoyed working with others as a team and she liked talking to others. In group B, a few students reported they needed more time to filter the huge amount of data on the Web.<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n

From the observation there appears to be pros and cons to both methods. The final presentation was better from group B from the point of quality of content and scale of information, but of course there are other factors that should be taken into account. Did all students use their devices for educational purpose? What background knowledge might they have before the lecture? Does group B\u2019s better presentation mean a more effective and deeper learning across the group?<\/p>\n

Also, is the implementation of technology in such a manner worth the trade-off of losing the rich interaction and dialogue witnessed in Group A? The use of technology in this case seemed to lead to reduced student interaction and increased individual learning experience that contradicts the emphasis of teamwork and social skills.<\/p>\n

So whilst my observations have been interesting in identifying differences between groups with and without technology, there is a lot more to be done to draw any solid conclusions, and being able to identify the characteristics that make up effective classroom interaction in both scenarios. Quite whether one method is more effective than the other, may be something to difficult to conclude…<\/p>\n

Nastaran Norouzi Richards-Carpenter<\/p>\n

Association for Learning Technology<\/p>\n

nastaran.nrc@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you enjoyed reading this article we invite you to join the Association for Learning Technology (ALT)<\/a> as an individual member, and to encourage your own organisation to join ALT as an organisational or sponsoring member<\/p>\n

Technology in the Classroom image\u00a0shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license by\u00a0flickr user pjohnkeane<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This post shares the experiences of one academic investigating the impact of using technology in the classroom. 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