Smartboards Affects Core Content Understanding

One textbook cannot meet the needs of students in my fifth grade class, who read at a wide range of levels. My goal is to reach all students and enable them to engage meaningfully with the content. The textbook alone is inadequate as a tool with which to do this. My plan is to use interactive whiteboard technology (a “Smart Board”) to enhance the understanding of the 5th grade material. My hypothesis states that there is a positive relationship between Smart Board use and greater engagement and understanding of core content material. Students who actively participate in lessons with which Smart Board technology is used will demonstrate greater knowledge of core content and achieve higher test scores on end-of-chapter tests compared to students in other fifth grade classes at my school who do not participate in Smart Board-driven lessons. The research question is this: How will the use of Smart Board technology affect fifth grade students’ understanding of core social studies content, as measured by end-of-chapter exams?

Assessing Student Engagement and Performance

Chapman (2003) discussed various ways in which teachers can assess student engagement rates and performance. According to Mathewson (1994) because of the big emphasis placed on levels of academic achievement in schools there have been several studies done highlighting student engagement; these studies focus on what factors will keep the students involved in the learning process.

Chapman (2003) talked about methods by which student engagement could be measured, including teacher observation and self-reporting by students. The author also reported “some educators have used work samples to assess levels of learning task engagement, focusing again on students’ use of higher cognitive or metacognitive strategies in confronting learning task.” The end-of-chapter tests will serve as the work samples by which the performance of fifth grade social studies students will be measured. Correct answers to objective questions will be easy to calculate. Subjective questions (e.g., short answers, essays) will perhaps demonstrate the level of student understanding to a greater extent, since there is no chance of the “lucky guess” that can skew the results of a true-false or multiple choice test. In discussing open-ended responses, Chapman warned “the efficacy of these methods hinges on the use of suitably structured tasks and scoring rubrics.” It will be important to standardize grading in the classroom when making the case for using Smart Board technology to engage students and increase achievement.

Technology in Today’s World

There is no question that technology in today’s world has made an enormous impact on children, both in and out of school. Olson (2010) cites Pew Research findings about technology and its use by school-age children. He states that in 2008, seventy-four percent of students between 12 and 17 owned or had access to technology. The numbers are astonishing, 77% owned a game system like Xbox, and over 60% have computers. Olson (2010) concluded that “today’s children are not just interested in using technology – they expect to use it” (p. 35). Methods of teaching must respond to these expectations. Some educators decry the use of technology. Tally (2007) cited criticism of educational technology by educator, author and cultural critic Neil Postman, who called classroom use “a distraction and an irrelevance.”

While there may still be teachers who believe that traditional teaching methods are most effective, Taylor and Duran (2006) cited a study that directly contradicts this notion, particularly with respect to social studies content. Having taught 5th grade social studies I concur with the survey findings of over 1,400 American adults who described history class as boring and strived to make history more hands on. “The respondents recalled instructional practices which were overly focused on the reading of textbooks and the memorization of facts”(p.11)

Smart Board technology is relatively new and not enough time has passed to examine the results of any longitudinal studies (if any are being conducted) regarding its effectiveness in the relationship between its use and improved achievement by elementary and middle school social studies students. However, in my findings, some success has already been reported anecdotally.

Byrd (2005) stated "this new wave of teaching is so much more hands-on, integrated and thematic instead of worksheet and drill-oriented.” (p. 12) In teaching social studies content at Byrd’s school, Liberty Drive Elementary in Thomasville, North Carolina, teachers retrieve maps and images from a database; teachers and students alike can use Smart Board highlighters to note geographic features.

Similarly, in a study sponsored by the University of Michigan-Dearborn, social studies teachers reported that students were more engaged in lessons delivered with the use of technology and the level of student achievement increased. Taylor and Duran (2006) were not surprised by this finding and noted “the positive effects which the use of computers has on student achievement in history have been documented by the United States Department of Education.” (p. 10)

The use of technology in the social studies classroom is not a brand-new phenomenon. Even ten years ago, White (2000) concluded that

Social Studies has experienced a tremendous transformation regarding the integration of technology. Despite remaining a discipline whose status in schools and society is much less than adequate, professional social studies educators are engaging in dynamic technology oriented projects. These projects not only have a very positive influence on the discipline of social studies itself, but we are also witnessing a greater impact on our students. (p.1)

Ten years hence, technology has evolved in ways that White, indeed any of us, could scarcely imagine. While there is no data that tells us exactly how many classrooms nationwide are equipped with Smart Boards (and how many of those are being used on a regular basis), there is evidence that there are a good number of teachers of social studies who are using Smart Boards. The Smart Exchange, a free website sponsored by Smart Technologies, invites teachers within all disciplines to post lessons they have created. Anyone can download lessons to use “as is” or to adapt to their own classrooms. As of the writing of this paper, there were nearly eight hundred social studies lessons posted. A simple Google search, using the terms “smart board” and “social studies” revealed that a number of school and district websites are repositories for lessons created by teachers and made available for use by others.

Conclusion

In conclusion research indicates that today’s students are technologically savvy and expect technology to be used in the classroom. Research also indicates that students are more engaged in lessons where they can actively participate, using technology as a learning tool. It seems reasonable to expect that Smart Board technology will be effective for teaching social studies to a group of fifth graders with diverse learning styles and abilities. It also seems reasonable to expect that greater engagement will facilitate understanding of the content, as reflected in scores on end-of-chapter tests, a measure used by all the fifth grade classrooms school-wide.



References
Byrd, D. (January-February, 2005). Sixteen whiteboards capture students’ attention. Media & Methods,41(4), 11-12.

Chapman, E. (2003). Practical assessment, research and evaluation. Retrieved December 3, 2010 from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=13

Olson, C.A. (February, 2010). Making the tech connection. Teaching Music. 17(5), 30-35.

Smart Exchange. Retrieved from http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html
?q=social%20studies

Tally, B. (2007, Spring). Digital technology and the end of social studies education. Theory and Research in Social Education, 35(2) 305-321.

Taylor, J.A., & Duran, M. (2006, November). Teaching social studies with technology: New research on collaborative approaches. History Teacher, 40(1) 9-25.

White, C. ed.. (2000). Society for information technology and teacher education international conference: Proceedings of SITE 2000 (11th, San Diego, California, February 8-12, 2000). Retrieved December 3, 2010 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED444562.pdf

4 Step REAL Process for checking web credibility
http://www.screentoaster.com/watch/stUE9VQEVARFtXRl5fXVhcX1VU/checking_web_site_credibility

Reflective Post on Most Recent Walden University Class 4/24/10

My most recent master’s level course - Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society has had a huge positive impact on me. By no means am I saying I am old when I say that I do not use technology in the classroom – on the contrary. But as an educator who has not grown up as a “digital native” I felt overwhelmed trying to figure out how to create a blog, wiki, and podcast and how to incorporate it into my class – at first. Many teachers I work with feel technology takes a lot of time – time they do not have. This is false! Technology not only can help you lighten your teaching load, it can help motivate your class too! No longer are you “ the fountain of all knowledge” instead you are the facilitator. I hear my students referring to all types of collaborative technology they use on a daily basis outside of school and I understand the need to incorporate it into their class environment.
Technology makes any class relevant to the student. Take for example a Wikis; it has wonderful features that enhance learning. “In using wikis, students are not only learning how to publish content; they are also learning how to develop and use all sorts of collaborative skills, negotiating with others to agree on correctness, meaning, relevance and more. In essence, students begin to teach others.” (Richards, pg 61) Working collaboratively in pairs and groups allows students to negotiate meaning together to internalize their learning. When students of varying abilities work together, they can assist each other. I have noticed students learn more when they have to teach others what they have learned. Quality breed’s quality and once they are successful at a group project where they have to teach others what they learned; the students want to do more creative projects like this – encouraging them to be thinkers and life long learners. The students certainly can teach each other just as well as I can. The only difference is I am no longer the holder of all the information – they are! This process will foster students’ independent learning, which will prepare them for the unknown jobs of the future.

2 Long term goals I have for transforming my class environment into a place where technology is integrated seamlessly to meet instructional goals and increase student achievement is first to create centers around my room set up in such a way that the students will be the gathers of knowledge and I will be a facilitator. There will be computer stations where students can work on their blogs and podcasts as well as centers where groups of students can work together to help one another gather and answer questions – designed in such a way adults work in the real world. Projects would be assigned and presented in such a way that the students are the teachers. A second need in not only my class but in my district has a whole is to stop restrictions of many internet sites that myself and my colleagues would like to use in the classroom. I agree there is a need to block some sites – but not educational ones. There is also a need for my technology training and professional development. The more training we get the easier everyone will see it is to integrate technology into the classroom.

Episode 2

Episode 2

Grade 1 - Technology Survey

Grade 1 - Technology Survey: "A 1st grade student took a survey about how muc..."

21st century Learners

As a teacher and you as a reader may be wondering how to prepare students of today for the work force of tomorrow. There is a particular website that outlines how to prepare your students for that. The websites name is www.P21.com. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student. Looking around the website very quickly I found a video titled: Fusing the Three Rs and Four Cs for 21st Century Readiness by Ken Kay, President of P21 who discusses briefly the urgency of fusing the traditional three Rs of education with the four Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. I really did not get much out of his video because he did not say how to go about fusing all of this together. He just states that we must. I did however get a lot of informatio about the four C's in a graph posted on the site.

It does have a very nice graph of the Framework for 21st Century, http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=119. There is a useful list of subject areas/themes that can be integrated into any curriculum to prepare students for the work force of tomorrow. My only obstacle is finding the time to teach the extra material, but with practice time will not be an issue. Integrating technology will be second nature. Some of the items on the graph were: Global awareness, Financial literacy, Civic literacy, Health literacy, and Environmental literacy.

Education And The Future of Technology

Education And The Future of Technology

Video about Technology

http://www.flixxy.com/technology-and-education-2008.htm
Technology & Education

Blogging in the Classroom

I am an elementary school teacher that has taught 1st as well as 5th grade – all were and are contained classrooms. The subjects I cover are – Math, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science. Last year I decided to go back to school and pursue a Masters Degree in Education and I am focusing on technology. So here I am talking about Blogs – something very new to me. The only blog type format I have knowledge/expertise in is Facebook. So I will learn right along with my students about blogging and they may know more than me!
A classroom blog is a place where the students and I would reflect on learning. There would be writing samples that show work at all stages from first draft, edited draft to final copy. We would do this to show the whole writing process and to see how the students learn. There would be a section on internet safety. This would be my very first lesson with the 5th graders on how to interact with people over the internet. “Regardless of how you start using Weblogs with students, make sure that students, parents, and even administrators are clear about the expectations and the reasoning behind it.” (Richardson, pg 46) A great way to introduce internet safety is through http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm . NetSmartzKids ensures a safe and positive experience for children and it does not link to any outside sources. This virtual town takes the student through all the pitfalls they may encounter in the world wide web on their level. As a class we would discuss the eidetic of blogging. We would welcome all comments but need people to follow rules such as not to share personal info, try to be supportive of others (if you do not have something nice to say do not say it at all), language use, spelling and grammar appropriate for school, just to name a few.
Blogging is a great way to share ideas in the classroom. It prompts work at home, fosters independent work as well as creates a dialog amongst classmates. Students that do not share in class may feel more comfortable participating virtually. The role I would take on is that of a connector, not just an evaluator. “As you read, what students write, try to respond by commenting back when appropriate. And link to the best student posts and ideas in the class blog. When you celebrate good work, or use students’ unique ideas to drive further discussion, it goes a long way to creating a community of learners.” (Richardson, pg 47) Blogs are a place for students to interact about content, showcase their work, access links/resources/activities and corresponding with me any questions they may have about their work. Students love the idea of having a site to go to where they can get answers. A blog site would give the students a sense of ownership and they will feel vested in the site – a place where we can add class photos of projects, create videos, and give feedback.

-Noreen aka… Mrs.V