wk2

Week 2 Instructor Guidance

Welcome to Week 2 of EDU620: Meeting Individual Student Needs with Technology. Please begin this week by opening the Week 2 unit homepage and reviewing the Week 2 homepage and the learning outcomes for the week, the schedule overview, the required and recommended resources, the introduction to the week, and a listing of the assessments for the week. Next, return here and read this Instructor Guidance page.

Overview

Recall that in Week 1 you viewed videos modeling innovative uses of technology in the classroom and by completing the assessments you have now developed a foundational  understanding of how technology can be effectively integrated instructionally. This week, it is important that you recognize that how technology is integrated into classroom instruction entails more than just teaching basic computer skills. Effective technology integration occurs when technology is used across the curriculum in ways that support learning.  Therefore, Week Two is designed to ensure you expand upon your early understandings of technology integration and recognize that technology can be a powerful motivator for expanding student learning opportunities.

As part of the Week 1 Post Your Introduction discussion, you were encouraged to review the weekly homepages for the course and take note of the assessments each week. Now is an appropriate time to revisit the Week 6 Final Project instructions and Grading Rubric to be sure you understand the scope of what you will do in that assessment and how your participation in Week 2 supports your success.

Intellectual Elaboration

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -Walt Disney

The above quote by Walt Disney can be interpreted in a variety of ways.  You are encouraged to think about this quote  as you prepare for the assessments in Week 2: In what ways does curiosity impact your motivation to learn? How might your curiosity influence a student’s motivation to learn?  To fully consider these questions, it will be helpful to review what is meant by learner motivation.

Learner Motivation

There are many different theories on learner motivation. Regardless of which theory you subscribe to, you will recognize that there are two major types of motivation for learning: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within and may be caused by characteristics in the task being performed. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the task, such as through praise, recognition, or another system of rewards. Think about the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as you  view this 18 minute video by Daniel Pink,  The Puzzle of Motivation (Links to an external site.) . In essence, what Pink claims is that superficial motivation (e.g,. carrot and stick), or extrinsic motivation has a limited influence and suggests that we need deeper intrinsic motivations to ensure longer lasting results.   

   

 

The analogy of the carrot and stick is commonly used to describe the occurrence of extrinsic motivators.  

In the video, Pink states that “…deeper motivation comes from autonomy (the urge to direct our own lives), mastery (the desire to get better and better at something that matters) and purpose (the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves)” (Pink, 2009).  Reflection about Pink’s (2009) thoughts on motivation (autonomy, mastery and purpose) and on how deeper motivation can be applied in relationship to integrating technology in the classroom is provided below. 

· Autonomy – typically, students want the opportunity to choose how they learn. Technology affords students more opportunity to choose methods of learning, such as by using audio podcasts, videos, websites, blogs, and so forth.

· Mastery – many students are considered masters at using technology although use of technology for learning may not be intentional. Fact is, most learning occurs through socializing with peers or through technology-mediated methods, such as searching the Internet. 

· Purpose – learning for a single assessment is known to have limited results for retention, yet providing students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in different modalities often provides more lasting results and helps with transfer of learning knowledge and skills to new contexts. 

When considering Pink’s (2013) claim regarding the need for deeper motivation in relationship to technology integration into the learning process, we can begin to see how technology integration can increase student self-efficacy as well as how it may produce greater results for student learning and constructing knowledge. Several authors, including Beffa-Negrini, Cohen & Miller (2002), Boster, Myer, Roberto & Inge (2002), Maushak, Chen, & Lau (2001), Swan, van’tHooft & Unger (2005) and Qing & Xin (2010), support Pink’s conclusions (2013). These authors conclude that the use of technology for learning improves motivation, engagement and interest.  Thus, the challenge is not   if technology actually increases motivation, but rather the challenge is how teachers can effectively integrate technology into instruction to increase a student’s intrinsic motivation. To address this challenge, many methods for use of technology have been investigated; gamification is increasingly a popular technology integration choice used  by educators to promote student motivation.  

Gamification

As discussed during Week 1, technology integration is more than just having computers in the classroom or teaching basic computer skills; it is about providing opportunities for students to use technology and build upon 21st- century skills needed to be effective citizens, workers, and leaders. Additionally, it is about helping learners become more fully prepared to excel in the rigors of higher education coursework, increasingly technology-centered careers, and the globally competitive economy (Partnership for 21st-Century Skills (Links to an external site.) ). Increasingly, portable web-enabled devices, such as the tablet seen in this image, are used in classrooms to provide individual students access to games and other online content for learning. In a recent study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center  (Links to an external site.) (2014), it as determined that 74 percent of Kindergarten through grade-eight teachers surveyed used digital games for instruction with 55 percent using them weekly as part of formal instructional methods.  Additionally, the survey found that while digital games are being used in the classroom, many teachers use them only as supplemental material or as a reward for students after classroom seatwork has been accomplished and not as the main instructional method. The reason behind the limited use of digital games, as found in the survey, was that many teachers are uncertain that students can learn curriculum from digital games well enough to demonstrate a mastery of the content on state exams.  In the Week 2 assignment, you will consider how technology can be used to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every student in every lesson. More specifically, you will discuss gamification as an instructional method. To help prepare for this assignment, reflect on the findings by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center survey mentioned above as you view this approximately five minute video  Student Mentors Teach Game Design  (Links to an external site.) (2009) about how high school students mentor peers to design computer games.  As you view the video, consider whether your initial thoughts on the data presented by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center are being validated or whether they are altered by what you see and hear in the video? 

21st Century Skills

As you work through each week of this course it will be important to have an understanding of 21st- century skills. 21st-century learning is an integral concept weaved throughout this, and many other courses you will participate in and supports the nation’s movement on preparing students for post-secondary education, career preparation, and contributing to society globally. Review this short video from Teknolojileri (2013)  (Links to an external site.)discussing 21st century skills. Specifically, Teknolojileri discusses creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, media literacy, information literacy, and problem solving which are skills that make up the framework for 21st-century learning.

Next, review this approximately three minute video from Knowledge Delivery Systems (Links to an external site.)  (2013) that explores the fundamentals of 21st century skills and what they mean to the practice of educators. The information you gather from these videos will further inform your responses to this week’s discussion and assignment.

Assessment Guidance

This section includes additional specific assistance for excelling in the discussions for Week 2 beyond what is given with the instructions for the assessments. If you have questions about what is expected on any assessment for Week 2, contact your instructor before the due date.

Discussion 1: Student Motivation and Technology

This discussion is an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the course learning outcome; evaluate a variety of digital and assistive technologies for supporting diverse learners.  In this discussion, you will analyze how technology integration can be used as a method of intervention to meet the needs of diverse learners. 

For your response, you are asked to find a video or article that supports how technology integration into the classroom supports increasing students’ motivation. Recall the strategies for active reading provided in the Week One Instructor Guidance – applying those same principles to viewing media in this course will be helpful. In other words, as you view the video or read the article you select for this discussion, consider the instructions for the initial post. Doing this will help you to focus on the most relevant points in the video or article that will inform your response. The overall goal of the initial post is to share what you have learned from the video or article as it relates to supporting student motivation while also providing the link to the video or article so that classmates and the instructor may view it as well.  As indicated in the instructions for replies, in the Guided Response, you will learn further about ways technology integration in instruction can support student motivation by viewing at least two videos or articles shared by classmates. 

Remember to follow the Guided Response prompt for all Discussions. Doing so helps to create a more robust dialogue, which will lead to increased learning opportunities for everyone.

Assignment: Games in the Classroom

This written assignment is an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the course learning outcomes; evaluate how the purposeful integration of technology in instruction and assessment supports student acquisition of 21st century skills, and evaluate a variety of digital and assistive technologies for supporting diverse learners.

As you have noticed from the required course readings and videos in the course thus far, there is an intricate relationship between the integration of technology and teaching methods.  Teachers must always examine the appropriateness of technology they use in the classroom and be prepared to provide a rational for the integration of a specific technology in instruction.  By demonstrating your mastery of the above course learning outcomes in this assignment, you will be better prepared to examine the appropriateness of games in instruction and provide rationale for their use. In this assignment you will analyze the influences gamification and integration of technology can have on teaching and learning.  Start the assignment by reviewing the TED Talk (2010) video of gamification as well as the Required and Recommended Resources for Week 2. Next, review the essential writing requirements for APA to compose a formal written response that demonstrates graduate level writing showcasing what you have learned about the topic of gamification as it relates to supporting student motivation. Follow the content and written communication instructions outlined in the Week 2 Assignment instructions.

References

Beffa-Negrini, P., Cohen, N., & Miller, B. (2002). Strategies to motivate students in online learning environments. Journal Of Nutrition Education & Behavior, 34(6), 334-340. 

Boster, F.J., Meyer, G.S., Roberto, A.J. & Inge, C.C. (2002). A report on the effect of the United Streaming application on educational performance. http://www.unitedlearning.com/images/ streaming/evaluation.pdf

Ellis, K. (2009, May 27). Student mentors teach game design [Video]. Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-game-design-video

Battelle for Kids. (n.d.) P21: Partnership for 21st century learning. http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

Knowledge Delivery Systems (2013, June 5). 21st century skills: Rethinking how students learn [Video]. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMG5dvhEzyo

Maushak, N. J., Chen, H., & Lau, H. (2001). Utilizing edutainment to actively engage K-12 learners and promote students’ learning: An emergent phenomenon. https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED470100

Takeuchi, L. & Vaala, S. (2014, Oct. 20). Leveling up learning: A national survey on teaching with digital games. http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/level-up-learning-a- national-survey-on-teaching-with-digital-games/

Pink, D.  (2009, July). The puzzle of motivation. [Video]. TED Conferences. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation?language=en

Swan, K., Van't Hooft, M., Kratcoski, A., & Unger, D. (2005). Uses and effects of mobile computing devices in K-8 classrooms. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(1), 99-112.

Teknolojileri, B. (2013, May). 21st century skills [Video]. YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwJIhZcAd0I

Qing, L., & Xin, M. (2010). A meta-analysis of the effects of computer technology on school students’ mathematics learning. Educational Psychology Review, 22(3), 215-243. doi:10.1007/s10648- 010-9125-8