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Gerald Galway, Beth Maddigan & Mary Stordy
Faculty of EducationMemorial University
Intentional use of iPads by university instructors in a pre-service teacher education program
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Use of tablet technology in education propelled by:• Expectations of contemporary learners and parents (Gupta &
Koo, 2010; Kinash, Brand & Matthew, 2012; Neumann, 2014) • Press to deliver technology-mediated instruction
(Haythornthwaite & Andrews, 2011)• Perceptions of teachers/students that tablets improve
student engagement/motivation/learning (Handy & Suter, 2011; Kinash, Brand & Matthew, 2012; Karsenti & Fievez, 2013)
• Opportunities for learners to use and develop 21st century skill sets (e.g., network building, self-organization, selective reading, self-protection, etc. - Richardson, 2008)
• Potential to support reading and early literacy (Hu & Garimella, 2014; Nuemann, 2014)
• More teacher grads entering teaching force with new skill sets and capabilities (Wakefield & Smith, 2012)
• Functionality of tablets and availability of software apps (Miller & Doering, 2014)
• Social influences (Moran, Hawkes, & Gayar, 2010)
Background• Mobile (tablet) technology has opened
new channels for teaching and learning
• Potential for different/evolving pedagogy for teacher education programs
• But, evidence to help assess impact of such tools on educational practice is sparse; calls for more research (Wakefield & Smith, 2012; Miller & Doering, 2014)
• Few studies on use of tablets in teacher education programs
By the numbers…
Tablets
Smartphones
30 40 50 60 70 80
49
67
20142013
Canadians’ ownership of mobile devices (%)
2013
2014
74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94
81
93
Access to LTE Network (%)
Weekly time spent online by Canadians, 2014 and adoption of
connected devices, 2015
DeviceMin/Week
(2014)Device use
(2015)
Age 18+ 18+ 18-34
Desktop/Laptop
743 90% 96%
Smartphone 484 70% 90%
Tablet 332 51% 48%
Smart TV 108 36% 36%
Game Console
68 46% 66%
Wearables NA 10% 13%
Connected Car NA 4% 4%
Source: CRTC and Canadian Media Usage Trends Study
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Pre-service teacher education professors in a Canadian university were recruited to participate in the study (August, 2013)
Context: BYOD (Bring your own device)
Method
participants
study design
data sources
Pool of 13 volunteers was narrowed to 9 participants (6 females and 3 males) based on:• 2013-14 teaching assignment included
undergraduate pre-service teachers in a classroom environment
• Participants willing to become familiar with and use the iPad as a teaching device, and;
• Participants willing to evaluate apps specific to their discipline and/or teaching focus areas.
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Methodparticipants
study design
data sources
Participants issued iPads, and adapters for the projection of iPad content in classroom. Received $50.00 iTunes card for app purchases (extra iTunes cards were also available),
Pre-Study MeetingParticipants briefed on the study, and given basic instructions on using the device and downloading apps using an iTunes account.
Initial Focus Group Open-ended questions used to elicit participant representations of:…initial knowledge and perceptions of the educational use of tablets;…their views on of how tablets might be used in their teaching practice …ideas about the potential for instructional use in the participant’s sub-discipline.
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Focus GroupsMethodparticipants
study design
data sources
Three focus groups - following each of the three teaching terms (fall, winter, spring) in the 2013-14 academic year Open-ended questions and guided discussion:• How and in what contexts did instructors
use/integrate iPad into teaching and learning practice?
• How did participants perceive tablets as tools for curriculum design, instruction and assessment.
• What are the challenges/obstacles to tablet use?Meetings and focus group sessions were recorded and transcribed. Focus group protocol, and data analysis, followed procedures described by Miles and Huberman (1994), Merriam (2009), and Krueger and Casey (2009).
Research Findings:Participant Adoption of Tablets
• Seven (7) of nine (9) participants reported using the devices for classroom instruction purposes
• One (1) did not perceive any value as an instructional tool, but adopted the device as a personal productivity tool
• One (1) did not use the iPad either personally or for instructional purposes
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Tablet usage and adoption
Challenges to tablet usage and
adoption
Six Themes:(1) Unstable Facilitating Conditions(2) Training and Support(3) Navigating Shift from Print to Electronic Text(4) Differentiating Useful Apps from “Noise”(5) Equity of Access(6) Variation in Mobile Devices
Three Themes:(1) Intentional/Explorative Instructional Use(2) Connecting Learners(3) Personal Use
Focus Group Analysis
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Tablet Usage and Adoption
The Teaching and Learning Commons at Memorial’s Faculty of Education
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Intentional and
Explorative Use
“The assignment was to find apps for Math that are good to use in
the classroom – educational apps – and to review them according to
the philosophy of Math, which is the front matter, the curriculum,
[and] process standards.”
New instructional practices:• creating short video overviews of
classes for sharing before class • More regular communication with
teacher candidate through social media e.g., Twitter)
• Flexibility in recording student presentations
• populating course shells/web spaces with digital course material
Promote inquiry-based student experiences:• Students evaluate and categorize
subject-specific apps• Students create curriculum-based
lessons using tablets or using specific apps
• Students creating virtual learning resource spaces for future use in their practice.
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Intentional and
Explorative Use
Enhancing evaluation practice• Create and easily provide audio and
video student feedback on course experiences
• Recording internships/teaching sessions for student self assessment and reflection
• Flexibility in formative evaluation of students
• Timely student evaluation for instructors on pace, comprehension, instructional methods, etc..
Improving instructional productivity
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Connecting Learners
“[W]ith the choral methods class, there is a class blog and a student
blog and we’ve used …the ChoralNet which is the backbone
of all things choral worldwide, to stimulate discussion topics that they will have to respond to on
their blog. So we’re building this kind of community. And there’s
been some success with people outside the class getting involved,
which has been kind of exciting for [students].”
Connections to Enablers• Connecting learners to important
contributors: authors, researchers, scientists, athletes, decision makers, etc.
• Matching students with specific resource persons or mentors
Connecting Communities of Practice• Interfacing with professional learning
communities (e.g., ChoralNet, Teachers in Action)
• Facilitating student connection to collaborative social networks
Connecting with Teacher Candidates• Potential to extend collaborative
learning beyond the school day (with concern about appropriate boundaries)
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Personal Adoption
“It’s convenient to be able to sit in a comfortable armchair and look
up information…. I enjoyed reading this [book] on the iPad. I also like reading .pdf articles on the iPad – much more pleasant
and comfortable than reading them on a laptop or desktop
computer.”
Convenience and Flexibility• Most personal applications about
convenience and ease of access• Temporarily replace laptop/desktop • Other applications – email, text
messaging, face time, social media, reading• Portability (size) and camera important
Closer Connections to On-Line Communities• Tablets provide ready access to virtual
‘marketplace of ideas’• Better, more current understanding of how
people think about and exchange ideas• But some concerns about shift from
physical to virtual spaces
Challenges to iPad Usage and Adoption
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Unstable facilitating conditions
“I was forced to simply connect as I would with the laptop. This did not
make the iPad advantageous over the laptop. My clickers also required an
adaptor. I carried more gear than a TV repairman. […] I’d love to be able to walk around the classroom using my notes and then throwing images and
videos [on screen]….”
Instructors frustrated in attempts to be more innovative and flexible in classroom teaching
• Limitations in functionality due to institutional firewall
• Some general problems with connectivity in classroom spaces
• Some difficulties interfacing with Smart classroom equipment (Smart boards and classroom projection systems)
• No wireless interface with projection equipment in Smart classrooms
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Training and support
…“There would have to be a considerable amount of
professional development for teacher-candidate
instructors … it requires you come back, and for people like me, you have to keep coming back to it. It’s not a
one-off.”
Identified need for technical training and professional development:• Shift to tablet technology in classrooms
viewed as a fundamental change in pedagogy
• “Steep learning curve”- Classroom use of iPads vastly different from the way some instructors have traditionally worked
• Two camps• Participants reported feeling “reasonably
adept” at technology integration• For some participants, little progress in
adopting the iPad: feeling “overwhelmed and woefully inadequate”
• Need for significant, recurring training, support, and professional development
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Navigating shift from print to
electronic text
…it’s made me, despite my best efforts, way more discursive. I’m not able to sit
with a book for long periods of time anymore.. So I’m making an effort now
not to be discursive so I’m actually trying to take control of it as opposed to being
controlled by it.
• Some instructors struggled with migrating from print to (mostly) electronic text.
• For some instructors, compared to electronic text, print text seemed more conducive to greater comprehension and deeper learning.
• Electronic text – more discursive• Concerns that the speed and
rapid flow of text might impact comprehension
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Differentiating useful apps from noise
“You go in [and] some of them aren’t vetted at all and I can’t trust them. […] It takes a tremendous amount of work on our part and
our students part, to find apps that are appropriate, that are effective;
that aren’t just a gimmick.
• Differentiating “useful” apps from poorly developed or less relevant apps, in terms of instructional value and cost
• Cognitive/work load associated with keeping on top of what is available and useful and what is just “noise’.
• Instructors felt responsible, but poorly equipped to provide guidance to teacher candidates about the most valuable apps in their subject areas.
• Instructors recounted examples of apps that, appeared to be appropriate and useful based on the descriptions, but were very poor in terms of functionality
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Equity of access
“I assumed this year that everybody had smart
devices and I had a number of people approach me
saying, “Do you think I have a lot of money? I don’t
have…I can’t connect here at campus because I can’t afford it.” So I had to curb some of the things I was
doing because of that.
Concerns raised about student access to iPads in BYOD environments:• Some students with no access to iPads, except
to purchase them• Instructors reported some students felt
excluded, marginalized• Student affordability concerns;
smartphones/laptops more widely used
Access issues caused instructors to modify instructional plans in different ways:• Required that activities/lesson plans be adapted
to accommodate students with no access to iPads
• Required accommodations for smartphones and laptops (both Apple and Windows OS)
• Some planned work with iPads was scaled back; course objectives modified
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Variation in mobile
devices:
• Incompatibility of software and different functionality across platforms (Apple vs. Windows) identified as an obstacle, impacts instruction
• Tablets seen as a convenient and multi-purpose instructional tool but not substantively different from other mobile device options, such as smartphones and laptops.
• Participants critical of the proprietary app environment on grounds that the model runs counter to the principles of equity and accessibility.
• As a general rule, group members favored a non-proprietary environment where educational apps could be accessed using different devices.
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SummarySome promising applications of tablet technology in pre-service teacher education programs• Learning experiences foster inquiry and higher cognitive level thinking• Enhancing classroom-based instruction/presentations/reflective teaching
practice with video and audio• Enhancing standard evaluation practices• Connecting learners and enablers • Modeling best practices in technology-mediated instruction• Improved instructional/personal productivity
But some concerns: • Technical and firewall challenges • Training and support• Equity of access: Classroom instruction models must support compatibility
across digital platforms • Smartphones /laptops alternative to tablets for instructional use?
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Research Question What are the benefits and
challenges of using tablet technology for instructional purposes by pre-service teacher educators?
