1 of 7

Proprietary Technology in Education

Fill the digital divide - An Introduction

Of course the Digital Divide is common topic in both primary and secondary education. It refers to the vast differences in technology access between the urban poor and the better funded school districts. It’s has become nearly an exhausting conversation because it still is without solution. When considering how much it actually costs to outfit students with either a laptop or tablet, the cost can be staggering and in some cases prohibitive for some districts. Although students who do not have access to technology are certainly at a disadvantage in terms of their tech knowledge, but I began to wonder if they were actually at an educational disadvantage.

Year after year my principal would say, “I think maybe if you used more technology, the students might be more engaged.” I would stare at the principal blankly. I’ve been teaching for ten years and the one classroom computer that we have per classroom was only three years old when I started. It’s still there.

Technology is great though and students use it and love it.

2 of 7

Introduction

3 of 7

Literature Review

* Students felt as though they learned more from participating in online discussions.

*Online discussions should not replace face-to-face discourse, but should supplement it.

*Incorporation of online discussions can result in moderate actual grade increases.

The data does support the conclusions drawn in the literature review of this project: that online discussion forums result in moderate actual grade increases. Of the twenty-seven participants, there was an actual course grade increase average of 7%. There was only one participant whose grade decreased – for matters outside of the school. According to Bluic (2009) students were not only comfortable with online academic interactions; they felt as though they learned more as a result. While the data Shana (2009) presented did not suggest that online discussion forums should replace classroom work, it did certainly suggest that both classroom face-to-face time coupled with online discussion forums have a positive impact on student achievement. Students’ reaction to the incorporation of technology into their course work was largely positive. The online discussion forum seemed to keep students more motivated to stay on top of their assignments and produce better quality work. The graded assignments that comprised the actual grade did not vary from the period prior to implementation.

4 of 7

Methodology

1. Use online discussion forums blended with class time.

2. Use a discussion platform that's accessible from a mobile device.

I needed to accomplish two goals: 1. I wanted to stop hearing about this digital divide problem in my school. It was becoming more of an excuse than a legitimate concern. 2. I wanted to engage students more in their history class using technology.

This was accomplished in an online discussion forum that students could access from their smart phones or ipods. See there really was no way for me to increase the school budget, but if we could harness students proprietary technology – then we can really go somewhere.

I implemented an asynchronous online discussion forum with my grade 11 History of the Americas students. The topics were mostly about current events from the region and required students to utilize some of the predictive social studies skills they were currently practicing in class. Initially I employed a forum that was only accessible from a computer and had fairly poor participation and subsequent results. After switching to a platform that was accessible from a mobile device, participation increased to 90% and the class enjoyed increased engagement as well as a moderate increase in actual grades.

5 of 7

Results

Increase engagement. Increase perceptions of learning.

Increase actual grades.

Only 36% of my students said they had regular access to an internet enabled computer. 94% said they had regular access to a Wi-Fi enabled device. Score.

Over the course of two months, students participated in a weekly asynchronous discussion online. At the end of Cycle 2, 17 students still believed they were earning a “C”, but ten students scored themselves in the “A” to “B” range. The mean levels of engagement increased from an average of “4” to “5”. Students perception of learning was consistent with a score of “4”. This seemed to support the literature. Su & Beaumont (2010) concluded collaborative learning not only added to the students overall achievement, but also directly impacted the students’ perception of success.Their actual grades increased by 7%.

The school spent no money. Students were more engaged. Grades rose.

6 of 7

Conclusion

According to Bluic (2009) students were not only comfortable with online academic interactions; they felt as though they learned more as a result. While the data Shana (2009) presented did not suggest that online discussion forums should replace classroom work, it did certainly suggest that both classroom face-to-face time coupled with online discussion forums have a positive impact on student achievement. Students’ reaction to the incorporation of technology into their course work was largely positive. The online discussion forum seemed to keep students more motivated to stay on top of their assignments and produce better quality work. The graded assignments that comprised the actual grade did not vary from the period prior to implementation. There was one exam, two essays and one project. Scores on these four assignments marginally increased to result in an overall average increase of 7%.

These results cannot help but motivate me to recommend the inclusion of online academic class discussions in any urban school. An average of 7% grade increase is significant enough to be noticed, but more over, students’ level of engagement increased to the top score of 5. It bears particular mention that only 36% of students had regular access to an Internet enabled computer. This is further evidence that even schools without great technology access can offer students this opportunity.

Teachers and principals need not fight an un-winable budget war, but they do need to think about how to creatively utilize students’ proprietary technologies. If we are open minded about setting up discussion forums or learning management systems that are accessible from Wi-Fi enabled devices or smartphones, we have a much better chance of having students do what they do best – play with their phones. No no! We are social creatures. We learn best when we are able to communicate our ideas with others and discuss them in a safe environment. Students can and will participate in online discussions and they will learn how to use their technology not only for entertainment, but also for education.

7 of 7

References

Bluic, A. (2010). Learning through face-to-face and online discussions: Associations between students’ conceptions, approaches and academic performance in political science. British Journal of Educational Technology. 41, (3). 512-524. doi: 10.1111/j.1467- 8535.2009.00966.x

Shana, Z. (2009). Learning with technology: Using discussion forums to augment a traditional- style class. Educational Technology & Society. 12(3), 214-228. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Su, F., & Beaumont, C. (2010). Evaluating the use of a Wiki for collaborative learning. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(4), 417-431. doi:10.1080/14703297.2010.518428