Use of Technology in the College Classroom

Dr. Steven P. DionSport & Movement Science Department

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Instant Activity• If you have a “Smart Phone” and a Facebook or

Twitter account, please log on and post the question. –What is your favorite Pizza Topping?

• After posting the question, go onto a search engine of choice and search:– Type in: “CDC 2012 obesity rates in North Carolina”

• We’ll see what responses/info we get by the end of the session today.

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Lesson Objectives1. Address the use of technology and mobile

multimedia devices in High School classrooms.

2. Discussion on attitudes and behaviors associated with their use.

3. Best practices health educators can adopt to create engaging lessons and activities using smart devices with potential to improve media and technology literacy.

4. Using social media as a research tool.

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The Role of the Content Expert• Traditional Higher Ed Model: – TEACHER vs student

– The Teacher has been the content expert spending much of their professional career studying their field and chosen discipline.

• Expert/Mentor relationship > “transfer of knowledge” from one person to others – especially at the K-12.

• This model has been changing over the past decade - moving toward a “facilitator role” in many disciplines.

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Traditional / Transitional Methods• Face to Face & In person (traditional

learning environment)• Some High Schools: Online Courses &

Online Programs• Online Video Education–Webinars–Online classes

(w/video/webcam/Skype)–“Flipped Classroom”

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• Students’ increased reliance on technology, increased mass access & “edutainment”

• Even with ancillary materials and tech resources, a heavy reliance on the Teacher as content/ delivery expert continues.–Consider the use of personal technology to

further bridge the gap between student and teacher… • In turn – potentially changing the dynamics of the

classroom

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Traditional / Transitional Methods: Continued

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Power Shift in the Classroom• Student-Centered Education / “Teams Based

Learning” the shift of power and instruction in the classroom.– Teams Based Learning: Utilizing outside student

preparation (textbooks, articles/publications, video/media, action

research, etc…) with in-class student-centered experiences to facilitate and create individual/group accountability.

• Moving toward a different dynamic of “Power”.• The use of Personal Mobile/Tech Devices

enhances this paradigm.Dion: Learning with Technology

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Redefining the Content Expert• Do teachers need to be the ultimate content

expert / OR make the transition toward content expert/facilitator with a focus on information literacy?

– In health and physical education, knowledge within the field continues to grow and change rapidly.

• Textbooks as Content Knowledge Resource:–May contain out of date information the day

they go into mass print.–Pub companies/faculty move toward real-

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Classroom Example• Spring 2013: A transgender student in a

colleagues Personal Health course: – The 2012 textbook used in class indicated that being

transgender was categorized as a mental disorder (DSM), however that content was out of date. The student in this case brought updated info from a recent publication.

– The American Psychiatric Association board of trustees revised the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) indicating people who are transgender and gender non-conforming are no longer classified as having a mental disorder. Homosexuality was similarly declassified as a mental disorder in 1973.

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Changing Face of Our Students• Our students “Millennials” are growing up with

technology and it serves as their connection to the world (Tech Saturated)

• Students expect and have been instructed in a collaborative educational culture.– These two factors create opportunities for

educators to reach our students in new/different ways.

– Old school methods may continue to be an ideal method.

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Implementing SMART Technology

• The following activities/ideas can be done with most mobile devices (Smart Phones, PDA’s, Tablets, Laptops and even Desktop computers.

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Examples Used to DateLet’s play with a few of these•Real time health info: Media blasts, CDC, DHHS press releases etc…•Student behavior/action surveys using Twitter, Facebook, and Multi-receiver text messages.•Apps such as: –“Teens in NYC Protection” (Sex Ed)–“Ubersense” (Movement Analysis)

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“Teens in NYC Protection”

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“Ubersense”

Examples: Continued• In class videos w/Cell / Smart Phones,

IPads and/or Ipods, Flips…–PSA’s, Video pitches, Skits/Roll playing

• Self Assessments (web links/textbooks)• Video and pictures of class notes /

student work–Send out/ Carryover until next class

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www.tcea.org

Additional Teaching/Learning Applications

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Arguments For & Against• Arguments against allowing mobile phones in

schools – for learning or social purposes– Slides 18 & 19

• Arguments for Using Phones– Slides 20-22

• Your Thoughts About its Use– Slide 23

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Arguments Against Phones• Loss and theft and potential bullying• Distraction and interruption• Taking photos of tests and instantly passing them on to other

pupils• Texting answers of tests to other students• Taking photos of pupils in changing rooms, toilets• Spreading rumors fast• Sex texting and cyber-bullying• Non-filtered web access that can be used to spread content that

some parents do not want their children exposed to.• Recording teachers and pupils in the classroom – can be

detrimental to teacher and student reputation and proper consent to publish not asked for or given.

• Privacy issues with teachers having personal phone numbers of pupils and vice versa.

(http://www.pontydysgu.org/2009/11/25-practical-ideas-for-using-mobile-phones-in-the-classroom/)

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Fairness of Have’s and Have-nots• Some pupils will have them, some will not / 66%

18-29 have a Smart Phone (Pew Inst.)

• Some tech will support less applications than others– Need to work at level of common denominator.

• Cost implications for students – not just the cost of the hardware but the cost of use. – Consider School Admin to help cover costs of Apps.

(http://www.pontydysgu.org/2009/11/25-practical-ideas-for-using-mobile-phones-in-the-classroom/)

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Arguments FOR Using Phones• Cost effective for student & schools

– Reduces the need for all students to have access to computers in classroom

– Need less equipment like digital cameras, camcorders, misc. etc.– Uses cheap and familiar technology

• If students are going to have them anyway, irrespective of whether it is officially allowed, they may as well be used for intentional learning. – Overcomes some of the problems of ‘distraction’ etc.

• They are a good vehicle for teaching about ‘use-and-abuse’ issues such as digital identities, protocols, bullying, net safety etc.

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Arguments For: continued• Can be used as data collection and recording

devices – audio, pics and video – for recording experiments, field work, voice memos etc.

• Fosters Creativity– making podcasts, picture blogs, twittering etc.

• Students can ask questions of the teacher they may be too embarrassed to ask publicly.

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Arguments For: continued

• Encourages engagement e.g. polling which can ensure every student’s voice is heard.– E.g. using Wiffiti or PollEverywhere– Can also be used for formative assessment

• Can be used to foster for collaborative learning and communication– Students are encouraged to use general reference

books so why not phones – as dictionary, spell checker, thesaurus, encyclopedia etc.

• Can be used as specific research tool via web access.

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Your Thoughts?

• Based on presented ideas – where do you stand on:a. The use of personal technology devices in your

classroom.b. The use of technology to access the most up-to-

date info to serve as a content resource.

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Implementation• The following slides are ideas from other

educators of methods and applications you can implement into your courses.

• The links at the bottom of the pages or in the “notes” sections lead you to websites where some of the information was obtained to reference or spark ideas for my/our uses in our classrooms.

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Text Reminders: • Since students generally check their cell phone

more frequently than their email, the website Remind101 can be used to reach students through their phone.

• Allows instructors to create assignment reminders sent to students via text message. – Students register with the site and subscribe to the class

reminders.

https://www.remind101.com/ https://www.remind101.com/learn_morehttp://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

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Using the cell phone as a study tool: • StudyBoost provides a study on-the-go option

without using their bulkier laptop/computer.• Once student registers, they can create their own

series of study questions. Then, using their phone, they can have the questions sent to them via text message.

• From there, the student answers the questions by replying to the StudyBoost number, and will instantly receive their results.

https://studyboost.com/http://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

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Simulatanious Chat and Present

“Chatzy”•Similar to a webinar where you can post questions during the live session.•Chatzy allows students to post questions and comments during the presentation that can be addressed by the presenter at their leisure

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Polls/Answering/Voting: • Using Socrative (FREE) or Poll Everywhere,

instructors can gather opinions, responses to prompts, and votes in their classroom.

• This tool also provides real time data, which is especially appealing to professors looking to save time.

• Better version of the “Clicker”

http:llwww.socrative.comhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/http://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

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Scavenger Hunt:• Educational scavenger hunts are already a

popular activity with cell phones in the classroom. There are many different programs and apps to run your scavenger hunt on, but a recommended program is SCVNGR.

• The program is compatible with both basic cell phones and smart-phones, as many scavenger hunt apps are designed for smart-phones with a GPS function.

http://www.scvngr.com/http://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

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Accessing Twitter:• Twitter is becoming increasingly present in the

classroom. • Smart-phones have the ability to instantly access

Twitter via apps or an internet browser. However, there are also easy ways to access Twitter with a basic phone.

• Users can tweet by registering their phone and sending a text message to their country’s short code. If the user isn’t able to send text messages, TweetCall is also an option. TweetCall is a free service that lets the user call a phone number, speak their tweets, and have them transcribed into text.

http://www.tweetcall.com/http://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

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Suggested Apps (+TCEA Handout)

• Prezi• Slideshark• Itooch• BraniPop• Fooducate

• MyFitnesspal• Edmoto• Imsucle• PEgeek• AppShopper• Supportrealteachers.org

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Revisiting our Group Activity• At the beginning of the presentation you

logged onto Facebook and posted a question.• What was the response to the questions: – How many of you had breakfast today?– CDC/NC #’s

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Questions & Thank You

• Contact info:sdion@salemstate.eduSteven DionSalem State UniversitySport & Movement Science Dept.Salem MA

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Additional Info & Resources

• The following pages provides additional information and recourses to help you increase your knowledge to utilize technology in your courses.

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Resources for Using Text Messaging in Class Work and Assignments

• There are many articles on the Web discussing the use of cell phones and smart phones in an academic setting. The following references contain useful suggestions and ideas specific to leveraging text messaging in assigned course work.– The NY Times article, “Teaching to the Text Message”, by

teacher Andy Selsberg offers a variety of ideas for using text messaging in assignments.

– This is an eHow article, “Text Messaging Classroom Activities” that offers 4 different assignments based on text messaging.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/05/embracing-the-cell-phone-in-the-classroom-with-text-messaging-assignments/

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Article Resources Continued• This article, “Text Messaging Brings Assignment to Life” discusses an

assignment in which students wrote a new scene or rewrote an existing scene Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

• The following is a video by Dr. Phillip Anderson from The Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation at the University of Toronto, in which he discusses “Text Messaging for Classroom Q&A”.– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXKbCTzEMDQ

• The article “Promoting Literacy Through Text Messaging” encourages us to “get excited about text messaging as a form of communication, and encourage your students to write often through email, instant messages, text messages and blogging. Students will soon begin to understand that any type of writing is essential.“ There are a number of ways to use text messaging in assignments in the “Activities” section.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/05/embracing-the-cell-phone-in-the-classroom-with-text-messaging-assignments/

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• Here’s a simple text messaging assignment from “Read Write Web”, focused on The Lord of the Flies, easily adaptable to other books.

• In this article from Hayo Reinders, “Twenty Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Language Classroom”, ideas 6, 8, 9, and 10 leverage text messaging.

• While the article, “Text messaging & e-Learning in Schools and Colleges”, is trying to sell a product, it offers some useful concepts for text messaging applications in classroom assignments.

• Another great way to leverage text messaging in the classroom is through the use of text message based polls. This page from PollEverywhere.com offers insights and into doing this with their tool, which has free functionality. In this article, Rutgers instructor Jessica Methot explains how she uses polling techniques to stop ‘social loafing’ during lectures and better engage students.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/05/embracing-the-cell-phone-in-the-classroom-with-text-messaging-assignments/

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Article Resources Continued

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Additional Uses in the Classroom• Use sites like gabcast or evoca to make ‘instant’

podcasts straight from a mobile that can be accessed from a mobile (and you only have to be over 13 to use them) without having to use podcasting software. – Educators did a geography quiz on local landmarks and

geographical features “From where I’m standing I can see….where am I?”

• Setting up audio commercials: e.g. highlighting health resources for students on campus/school

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Uses Continued:• Using their phones to access podcasts. Some

mobile phones can already subscribe to podcasts and a fair few can listen to streaming MP3s from the Internet. – Health and Physical Education Podcast

Portal @ Edinboro University (Spark Podcast/Youtube)

• Creating mini-documentaries using the camera in their phone. – A colleague did ‘food preparation hygiene’

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Uses Continued:• Recording field trips – using photos or voice or texting back

observations to other peers. – A Biology Professor did a nature walk where leaves / flowers / trees

were observed by one group and identified by another group back in the classroom.

– They experimented by sending text only descriptions, pictures or voice calls and combinations of those to see which was the most effective.

• Be in different places working on the same project and be talking via instant-messaging. – An example was an outdoor education course doing a “Geo-Chase”

style game where groups were competing to find objects and information.

– The groups split up and group members updated each other on progress using mobile phones/texting or Facebook update.

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• History teachers chose a period in history (was the second world war) and had groups of evacuees, host families, parents of evacuees back in bombed cities sending messages to each other about their feelings.

• Brainstorming using Wiffiti. – Wiffiti is a interactive message board that helps

students create a communal, real time visual brainstorm, on a screen, from their cell phones.

– Wiffiti info: http://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blogs/wiffiti-the-interactive-message-board

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Uses Continued:

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Highlighted Resources• 25 practical ideas for using Mobile Phones in the Classroom

– http://www.pontydysgu.org/2009/11/25-practical-ideas-for-using-mobile-phones-in-the-classroom/

• UW Bothell Learning Technologies Blog– http://depts.washington.edu/etuwb/ltblog/?p=1553

• Cell phones welcome in some classrooms– http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26510338/ns/technology_and_science-

back_to_school/t/cell-phones-welcome-some-classrooms/#.UXXms6WzubE• Embracing the Cell Phone in the Classroom With Text Messaging

Assignments– http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/05/embracing-the-cell-phone-in-the-

classroom-with-text-messaging-assignments/• https://www.remind101.com • The Positive and Negative Sides of Using Cell Phones for Teaching and

Instruction in the Classroom– http://donnah75.hubpages.com/hub/Cell-Phones-in-the-Classroom-A-

Discussion-of-the-Pros-and-Cons

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