How you have changed your practice
Research literature - Examining the impact of digital technologies on student learning
Stage 1: Problem identification
I have collect data through interviews. I was able to successfully interview 4 experienced teachers of at least 3 or more years who use digital technology in their classrooms. For me it is more meaningful to interview a participant in person rather than by phone or email as Smith (1997) states ‘It is important to meet people in person and to be a face that is known to and seen within a community.
However, the problem was one of my participants didn’t have time to do an interview but wanted to complete a questionnaire (survey) instead so that they could fill it in their own time.
Stage 2: Observation and analysis
As a result of this rangahau project, it is inevitable that technology will continue to be utilised throughout schools in New Zealand. I have been able to establish that students are highly motivated and engaged when using digi-tech. But there is a downside in that not all students engage well with digital technology.
I highly recommend that digital technology be used as a tool to support learning that is creative and task focused rather than busy work. The common reasons for disengagement was distraction. A great way to combat this is through the use of teacher dashboard. Teacher dashboard allows the teacher to actively monitor the student’s online activity, enabling the teacher to notify the students in real time if they are off-task.
I have also discovered that digital technology makes it easier for teachers to effectively track and monitor student progress through individual learner login. It is important to understand the needs of the learner in order to provide for their learning needs.
Stage 3: Abstract reconceptualization
Technology has increasingly become an integral part of everyday life making ordinary tasks easier by a simple push of a few buttons. With the birth of digital natives, more New Zealand primary schools are utilizing technology in order to provide the best learning experiences for children (Ministry of Education, 2017). This qualitative research looks at the impact digital technologies have on student learning. Undertaking this research helps me to understand how to utilize this technology more effectively in the classroom to enhance student learning.
Stage 4: Active experimentation
I might use survey method in the future if I ever do a project like this again as it is more convenient for both parties. As we all know, teachers are very busy and it’s hard for them to make time for a face to face interview. Therefore, if this research was done through survey there are chances of having more participants. This is because survey can be done at anytime and from anywhere.
Another alternative is to do the survey online on survey monkey an online survey platform. Since the research itself is about technology it would be more convenient for the participants. Also, survey monkey can easily be added to social sites like facebook etc. this way other teachers around the country could have done the survey as well.
These findings will help to enhance my own teaching practice and to better understand how I can implement the use of digital devices in the classroom as a beginning teacher.
Reference:
Henderson, S., & Yeow, J. (2012, January). iPad in education: A case study of iPad adoption and use in a primary school. In System science (hicss), 2012 45th hawaii international conference on (pp. 78-87). IEEE.
Higgins, S., Xiao, Z., & Katsipataki, M. (2012). The impact of digital technology on learning: A summary for the education endowment foundation. Durham, UK: Education Endowment Foundation and Durham University.
Light, D & Pierson, E. (2014). Increasing Student Engagement in Math: The Use of Khan Academy in Chilean Classrooms. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 10(2), 103-119.
Melhuish, K. & Falloon, G. (2010). Looking to the future: M-learning with the iPad. Computers in New Zealand Schools: Learning, Leading, Technology, 22(3).
Ministry of Education. (2017). Education in New Zealand. Retrieved 12 July, 2017, from https://education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/digital-technologies-for-teaching-and-learning/
Mutch, C. (2013). Doing educational research : a practitioner's guide to getting started. (2nd ed.). Wellington: NZCER Press.
Parsons, D., & Adhikar, J. (2016). Bring your own device to secondary school: The perceptions of teachers, students and parents. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 14(1), 66–80.
Skinner B.F. (1961). Teaching machines. Scientific American, 205, 90-112. doi:10.2307/1926170, p. 381
Smith, L.T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies : research and indigenous peoples. New Zealand: University of Otago Press.