Bringing Supportive Technology into the Classroom

1. Bringing Supportive Technology into the Classroom Eve El-Semaani Julia Weber

2. Outline • Uses • Supportive Technology • Assistive Technology • Types of Classroom Technology • Tabletop, Mobile, Consoles, Laptop • Cognitive Processes and Model • Is Classroom Technology a Viable Solution? • Advantages and Disadvantages • Article Discussion • Activity

3. Mobile Surveying During this presentation we hope that you participate in the discussion, so we have actually incorporated technology in the classroom. Follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/a88gvc6 And whenever you see this symbol: at the top right corner you can participate in a survey.

4. Uses Supportive Technology New technologies have changed teaching and learning in a number of ways—from graphing calculators to online lesson and simulated dissections, educational technologies can help students access content in new and often exciting ways. Assistive Technology Technology in school not only help the teachers, but it also offers help to students with disabilities, helping them to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish or had great difficulty accomplishing.

5. Supportive Technology Interactive technology engages children and gives them exciting opportunity to learn. Children often get distracted easily, a new way of learning such as using tablets in classes can help them get more motivated and pay attention in classes. “Learning has become multidimensional with music, sound, visuals and can and does happen 24/7 at any time and any place. The expectation of today’s student is that learning will be more relevant, authentic, timely and real.” -Elizabeth Bauer, Michigan Board of Education Member

6. Example of Supportive Technology • Word Processors • Applications • Mobile/iOS, NintendoDS, PC, SketchUp • Lego Robots • Engineering, math, technology, critical thinking • Multi-Touch Surfaces • Interaction

7. Supportive Technology: Discussion What defines supportive technology in the classroom for you? Necessary? Useful? Etc.

8. Assistive Technology • Assistive Technology refers to hardware or software that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. • Making any school prepared for disabilities is essential. • Technology is created for those with both mental and physical disabilities for the development of learning skills. • One main source of assistive technology is "Accessible Computing".

9. Accessible Computing Accessible computing refers to the accessibility of a computer system of all people, regardless of disability. An example of this approach would be the a smart card. This smart card has configuration information to adjust the computer speed, text size, colors of the screen etc to the user particular needs. However, methods for accessible computing still have a limited success due to the lack of interest from the public.

10. Example of Assistive Technology • Applications for tablets, mobile, and ipods • First Then Visual Schedule, Sign 4 Me • Alternative keyboards • Word Processors • Co:Writer and Kurzweil • Screen readers

11. Assistive Technology: Discussion Do you believe that assistive technology is used to its full potential in the classroom? Yes? No? Why?

12. Technology Types • There are many types of machines that could be used in classrooms, such as mobiles, tablets, netbooks and so on. • Issues like: • "My students hate to write!" • "The ideas are there, but jumbled." • "I can't get students to interact in discussions or understand the material" • "If I could only read their handwriting, I might be able to understand what they are trying to say." Would easily be resolved with the inclusion of technology in the classroom.

13. Technology Type: Mobile • Mobiles offer more than making calls. • They can take notes, connect to the Internet, and take pictures • Applications • Collaborative learning activities • Pros: Increasingly popular, communication and access information, engaging • Cons: Can be extremely distracting, must buy a class set of devices

14. Technology Type: Tabletop • Tabletops are an example of touch-screen technology • Easy to use and very interactive. • Support exploration • Group collaboration • Pros: Interactive classrooms, flexibility of teacher activities and student activities • Cons: Expensive, technology and software capabilities limitation

15. Technology Type: Laptop • Computers, have become standard equipment in higher education: • Take notes, record lectures • Software for word processing, coding, etc. • Textbooks have turned to e-books • Pros: Easy to use, easy to do research, substitute for books etc. • Cons: Can distract students from learning.

16. Technology Type: Console • Consoles used for applications and games: • Xbox Kinect: Has created apps for learning • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrqc8W5VsTY&list=PL40439F84AEEF2CC4&index=2 • Games for consoles and computers • Pros: interactive, support collaborative teamwork, problem solving, decision making • Cons: gaming is still debated as a useful resource in learning

17. Technology Type: Discussion After learning about some types of technology (mobile, tabletop, laptop, and console) do you believe these technologies have a place in the classroom? Yes? No? Why?

18. Cognitive Processes • Communication channels • Delivering through the classroom • Sender: Teacher -- Receiver: Students • Channel is the technology • Learning • People prefer to learn through hands-on action. • Technology is interactive and therefore learning becomes easier for students • Problem-solving, decision-making • Reflective cognition needed in gaming

19. Cognitive Model • Don Norman's Model of Interaction • Interaction with a technology system in the classroom • Feedback from the technology

20. Advantages • Learning becomes more interactive and involving between students and the topic • Students with learning disabilities are supported in classrooms with technology • Support collaboration with groups of students and in interaction of the teacher • Information is more accessible with technology and is more retrievable • Provide lesson plans and activities that provide understanding

21. Disadvantages • Money • Technology implementation is expensive, no matter the type • Lack of resources • Hardware, software, support • Requires training • Some teachers are not ready to use such methods • Beliefs, attitudes, and familiarity with technology • Technology can be a distraction instead of a solution to learning

22. Viable Solution • So far research and activities proved that using technology in the classroom improves the learning. • Study by Robert M. Maninger has shown a successful technology integration where test scores have increased with better comprehension and reading skills. Reading test went from 87-90% pass rate to 96% pass rate. (Maninger, 39) • Some countries as Korea already uses tablets in classes and the results have been positive

23. Viable Solution: Discussion In your opinion do you think that technology is a distraction or is a solution to classroom?

24. Article Discussion • Implementing collaborative learning activities in the classroom supported by one-to-one mobile computing: A design-based process • Thoughts?

25. Activity • Take out your mobile devices (that connects to the internet) and put in the link below to follow the instructions to complete a mini quiz on this presentation. • http://tinyurl.com/am7rls8 • Afterwards whoever has the highest points will win chocolates.

26. Answers (1) • We have just learned about supportive technology, based on the following options which of the following is considered as supportive technology? All of the above • Which device can be used for assistive technology? http://www.chestercreek.com/media/keyboardMasthead.jpg • According to the required reading what is it that makes mobile technologies (phones, ipods, etc.) to support learning no matter the context? Portability

27. Answers (2) 4. Tabletops are a great technology to use for lesson plans and group collaboration, why don't we see more implementation in learning environments? Beliefs, Attitudes, Familiarity 5. Gaming supports learning skills in school. Of the following skills which does gaming provide? Collaborative teamwork, Problem making, Decision making 6. One barrier to the inclusion of technology is teachers/professors. Which of the following options does not describe the teachers barrier? Money

28. Answers (3) 7. All technology types allow students to become more ________ in a classroom. Interactive 8. Research has shown supportive technology in the classroom is a viable solution. True 9. Technology requires just hardware. False 10. Some technologies are banned from the classroom (laptop, phones, etc.) because of one of the main cons it offers in all technology types, what is it? Distraction

29. References (1) Claudio Alvarez, Rosa Alarcon, and Miguel Nussbaum (2011). Implementing collaborative learning activities in the classroom supported by one-to-one mobile computing: A design-based process, Mobile Applications: Status and Trends, 84, 1961-1976.http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.dal.ca/10.1016/j.jss.2011.07.011 Álvaro Fernández-López,María José Rodríguez-Fórtiz,María Luisa Rodríguez-Almendros, and María José Martínez-Segura (2013). Mobile learning technology based on iOS devices to support students with special education needs, Computers and Technology, 61, 77-90.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.09.014 CITEd Research Center. Technology Implementation in Schools: Key factors to Consider. Retrieved February 1, 2012, fromhttp://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=187. Chambers, D. J. (2011). Assistive technology: Effects of training on education assistants' perceptions of themselves as users and facilitators of assistive technology and consequent transfer of skills to the classroom environment(Doctoral Dissertation). University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA. http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=theses Cramer, M., Hirano, S.h, Tentori, M., Yeganyan, M.T., Hayes, G.T. (2011).Classroom-based Assistive Technology: Collective Use of Interactive Visual Schedules by Students with Autism. In Proc. of Proceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI 2011), Vancouver, BC, 1-10.

30. References (2) AlAgha, I., Hatch, A., Ma, L., Burd, L. (2010).Towards a Teacher-Centric Approach for Multi-Touch Surfaces in Classrooms. In Proc. Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces 2010, Saabrcken, Germany, 187-196. Robert M. Maninger, (2006). Successful technology Integration: Student Test Scores Improved in an English Literature Course through the Use of Supportive Devices. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 50(5), 37-45. http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/593/art%253A10.1007%252Fs11528-006-0045-x.pdf?auth66=1360635060_5705d3f77353ffad0c5f65cc04af674a&ext=.pdf The Digital Librarian. Barriers to Integrating Technology. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from https://sites.google.com/site/thedigitallibrarian/barriers-to-integrating-technology. Ann C. Jones, Eileen Scanlon and Gill Clough (2013). Mobile learning: Two case studies of supporting inquiry learning in informal and semiformal settings, Computers and Technology, 61, 21-32.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.08.008 Maja Pivec and Paul Pivec (2008). Games in Schools. http://www.paulpivec.com/Games_in_Schools.pdf