Article review # 6

Caldwell, J.E. (Spring 2007)  Clickers in the large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips  Retrieved from http://archive.alt.ac.uk/newsletter.alt.ac.uk/www.lifescied.org/cgi/reprint/6/1/9.pdf

Summary

Caldwell discusses the use of using a clicker system in the classroom.  She describes in detail what the clicker system is and how it is used in the classroom.  The clicker system gives each student a device in which they can answer multiple choice questions throughout the class period.  It gives a break from the monotony of a class lecture and provides the opportunity to review the material that has been covered that class.  This provides numerous benefits to the instructor and to the student.  It gives the teacher the opportunity to see what material may need to be retaught, and also gives the student the opportunity to see what they need to study more. 

            There are many other benefits that can be seen by using the clicker system.  It provides the opportunity for all students to be involved in the class activities.  There is no longer the need for a student to feel self conscious about the possibility of answering a question wrong in front of the class.  With this system, each student would answer every question.  Results can be displayed, but only the student and teacher would know who was responsible for each device. 

Student accountability also becomes a factor while using the clicker system.  Caldwell found that when clickers were used, students focused more in the classroom.  She found that when the clickers were used, not only did student attendance increase, but grades improved as well.  Both increases came with the stipulation that the questions asked and answered were recorded for a grade.  Without this factor, it was believed that there would not be a significant increase in attendance or grades.  The grade must be enough to make the students feel that it was important enough to participate.  Professors found that if the grade was less than 5% of the total grade, there was no significant increase.

Caldwell also found that the use of clickers had an impact on student understanding and retention.  Studies showed that the use of clickers along with analyzing the correct answers, improved student understanding and retention.  The results were that student scores were constantly increasing.  They also showed that the retention rate of past material remained at a relatively high percentage.

Reflection

I found the results of this study to be fascinating.  I have had problems in the past with student participation.  I have usually had the same students participate in class and answer the same questions.  I know that they answer because they feel most secure with their answers and aren’t afraid to be wrong.  If I were to implement the clicker system, all students in the classroom would have the opportunity to answer the questions that were being asked.  I would be able to check the understanding of all students by their answers, and not simply relying on informal assessments to evaluate the lesson.  I also found it interesting that questions asked in class were taken for a grade.  It only makes sense that students would pay more attention in class if they knew that they were being graded on the clicker questions.  Personally, I feel that the students would put in a greater effort and pay more attention if they knew that they were being graded daily.  Unfortunately, the school district that I work in, does not believe in taking these assessments for a grade.

Article review # 5

Williams, R. (2009, Nov. 29) Social Media: Does It Help or Hinder Productivity? Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/200911/social-media-does-it-help-or-hinder-productivity

Summary

In this article, Williams analyzes whether or not the use of social media in the classroom helps or hinders student productivity.  Williams looks at both the younger generation and the older generation while at work or at school and how they use technology while at work or school.  He mentions that the older generation spends less time using technology at work than younger generations do.  Williams also writes about the positive and negative beliefs about social media in the work and school environments.

            Williams has found the negative image of social media users as those who lack interpersonal communication, are shallow and are considered “serial time wasters.”  He also mentions that schools are more likely to block various forms of social media as a way to increase productivity.  Williams also talks about a university study that shows that the more time spent on Facebook, the worse their study habits were and had lower grades as well. 

            Williams offers support for social media users as well.  He cites studies that have shown that students and younger workers today are better at multi-tasking.  He says that this is the case because this generation has made technology a part of their lives.  He then cites examples that show that with a minimal amount of technology, workers have shown a higher production level than those who use other “distractions” at work or school.  He says that the level of productivity increases as long as the user spends less than 20% of their time on the internet (for non-work related activities).  The argument is made to say that this is an opportunity for a mental break and has shown to increase productivity compared to those that either spend too much time on the internet or those that find other ways to distract themselves.

Reflection

Even before reading this article I had the opinion that social media can only hinder student achievement in the classroom.  However, I was shocked by the points that were made in the article.  I had only thought of how easily I can get distracted and thought that this was the same for my students.  I did not take into consideration the concept of today’s youth being so adept to multi-tasking.  Based on the ideas that were presented in this article, I have changed my opinion.  I think that using social media in the classroom can be a great benefit in the classroom, as long as it is still monitored by the teacher.  Relatively short mental breaks are good for the students and will hopefully increase their production as the end result.  I understand that students can multi-task, but it is still important for the students to be monitored to make sure that they are spending more time on task rather than “surfing” the net. 

Article Review #4

Fee, J. (2013, August 13)  7 Ways Teachers Use Social Media in the Classroom.  Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/social-media-teachers/


SUMMARY
Fee says that teachers are learning to use social media in the classroom because it is the focal point for millennials.  She goes on to outline seven different ways for teachers to use media in the classroom.

1.    Encourage students to share work socially.  Students were asked to place and evaluate work online.  Students posted on a number of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Students were then required to critique the work of their classmates. 

2.    Use a hashtag to facilitate guest speaker discussions.  Students were encouraged to live-tweet an in class interview.  Students were then required to write a summary of the tweets after the interview.  Students can also tweet questions to the speaker as well.  This allows the students to ask questions without interrupting the speaker.

3.    Require the students to keep a blog.   Students can be asked to keep a blog about relevant or recent topics in a specific area.  A blog can also be used to reduce the amount of assignments that a student has to do.

4.    Require original expert sources.  In this method, students are encouraged to reach out to professionals and sources through a sight like Linkedin.  The author does note that a site like this is primarily used for professional networking.

5.    Use Google Hangouts.  This site allows a teacher/professor to hold virtual office hours when it is not possible to meet face to face with the student

6.    Create a social classroom on Edmodo.  Edmodo is a site in which teachers and post assignments, create a calendar, upload messages or photos for students and create quizzes.  This site allows students to take quizzes online and receive quick feedback  It also allows teacher to interact with each other and share lesson ideas.

7.    Hold a class in Second Life.  Second life is a website that in which a virtual classroom can be held.  Students can have discussions or debate a topic that is being covered in the class, instead of physically meeting.

REFLECTION
I thought that the recommendations were very helpful, although I think that some would be better used at the high school level than others.  I think that the creation of blogs would be one of the most useful tools to use for my classroom.  I could have students create blogs to discuss a variety of topics that are being studied, or to discuss significant historical figures.  Blogs can also be used as a tool for students to review primary and secondary sources from the time period. 
    Edmodo is another tool that is useful for the high school classroom.   I have used this and have found it is extremely effective in the classroom.  I have had students post comments, pictures and videos about topics that we have discussed in class.  I have posted assignments and quizzes for the students to complete as well.
    I feel that other topics that were shared could be effective as well.  I could have students post work or discussion topics in the future which can lead to discussions amongst the students in class. 
    I feel that with the current class structure that is used in my school, the one suggestion that I won’t be able to use would be second life.  Since we don’t have the opportunity for an open campus, an online meeting instead of a class meeting would be impossible to have.  The only time I could see this being of use at the moment would be on a snow day.