Mobile Devices in a Social Studies Classroom

Jenny JohnsonEDIT6900

Dr. Lloyd RieberApril 18, 2012

The Math and Reading teachers have mobile devices available for student use

Why shouldn’t mobiledevices be purchased for the Social Studies classes?

Introduction: Background

Little research exists on the effectiveness of mobile devices in a Social Studies class

Social Studies teachers deserve Ipads as well!

Introduction: Purpose

Does the use of mobile devices support the learning standards in a

Social Studies curriculum?

Introduction: Research Question

This study not only supports reasons why mobile devices support the Social Studies curriculum, but also how mobile devices can improve life skills.

Introduction: Significance of the Study

Review of Literature:Related Studies• Mobile technologies provide a key to engaging students through the use of video and audio that goes beyond reading a textbook (Franklin 2008)• Collaborative learning and social interaction skills can be enhanced with well-designed digital technology (Lieberman 2009) • Technology can be used as a tool supporting teaching methods that are effective towards the educational objectives and target audience (Alvarez 2011)• Web applications have the potential to yield powerful resources for classrooms and school curriculum (Banister 2010)

• Mobile technologies can create personalized and differentiated instruction (Looi 2009).• Virtual worlds bring together learners and challenge them to collaborate inproblem-solving activities (Franklin 2011)• Student devices unlock the dreams of agency, control, ownership and choice amongst students but put thedreams of equity, access and participation at risk (Traxler 2010).•Mobile learning promotes engagingstudents in learning from all three aspects—cognitive, social and emotive• Mobile learning approach can enhance the learning achievements of the students when they are situated to learn in a real-world environment (Hwang 2011)

Five 11th grade United States History classes were learning about the events of 9/11.

All classes began with a pretest, then an informal writing activity, a time to share personal stories, and the viewing of a CNN news report followed by a class discussion.

Next, three of the classes used the Explore 9/11 application on the iPad to examine and analyze actual 9/11 accounts. The other two classes used printed transcripts of the same 9/11 accounts to examine and analyze.

Review of Literature:One Detailed Study

Afterwards, all five classes filled out a graphic organizer and completed a

post test. The results of the study revealed that those who

received the traditional paper/pencil instruction did not perform as well overall as those who used the Explore 9/11 iPad application to complete the graphic organizer (out of ten points). The three iPad classes earned an average score of 9.3, 8.8, and 8.1 on the graphic organizer. The two non-iPad classes earned average scores of 9.2 and 6.6 (Garcia 2011).

Review of Literature:One Detailed Study

QUANTITATIVE Two 4th grade Social Studies classes (one with 27 students the

other 29 students) will learn about the Oregon Trail. Both classes will begin by taking a pretest and then introduced

to the topic by watching a brief video on the Oregon Trail. Next, each class will complete a worksheet asking general

questions about the Oregon Trail. Class A will use the Social Studies book to complete the worksheet and Class B will use the Ipad Application: Oregon Trail.

Each class will be given a post test The data will be analyzedQUALITATIVE As students complete the worksheet, the teacher will observe

and measure the amount of collaboration used by the students

Research Method:Mixed Method

Social Studies Applications for Mobile Devices

Alvarez, C. (2011). Implementing collaborative learning activities in the classroom supported by one-to-one mobile computing: A design-based process. Journal Of Systems & Software, 84(11), 1961-1976.

Banister, S. (2010). Integrating the iPod Touch in K–12 Education: Visions and Vices. Computers in the Schools, 27(2), 121-131.

Franklin, T., & Peng, L. (2008). Mobile Math: Math Educators and Students Engage in Mobile Learning. Journal Of Computing In Higher Education, 20(2), 69-80.

Franklin, T. (2011). Mobile Learning: At the Tipping Point. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology - TOJET, 10(4), 261-275.

Garcia, Emily R. (2011). "There's an App for That:" A Study Using Apple iPads in a United States History Classroom. Studies in Teaching: 2011 Research Digest. Research Projects Presented at Annual Research Forum, 31-36.

References

Hwang, G., & Chang, H. (2011). A Formative Assessment-Based Mobile Learning Approach to Improving the Learning Attitudes and Achievements of Students. Computers & Education, 56(4), 1023-1031.

Lieberman, D. A., Bates, C. H., & So, J. (2009). Young Children's Learning with Digital Media. Computers In The Schools, 26(4), 271-283.

Looi, C., Wong, L., So, H., Seow, P., Toh, Y., Chen, W., & ... Soloway, E. (2009). Anatomy of a Mobilized Lesson: Learning "My Way". Computers & Education, 53(4), 1120-1132.

Traxler, J. (2010). Students and mobile devices. ALT-J Research In Learning Technology, 18(2), 149-160.

Wang, M., Shen, R., Novak, D., & Pan, X. (2009). The impact of mobile learning on students’ learning behaviours and performance: Report from a large blended classroom. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 40(4), 673-695.

References