Technology in education

Technology in Education
Catherine Campbell, Steve Miner, Mike Whitford
And Tom Zaccardo

Objectives
● Educators will understand distance
education and be able to identify the
benefits and drawbacks of offering online
courses.
● Educators will be able to identify the
benefits of using mobile technology in the
classroom.
● Educators will begin to make connections
between the increase in available
technology and the need to consider
distance education as a viable option for
students.
● Given the ever increasing amount of
technology (mobile and other), should
school districts consider increasing the
offering of online courses to students?
○ Be thinking of your own experiences
and how you might modify your
current educational practice to
include a form of distance education.
● How do you currently use technology in
your classroom and lessons?
○ Do you see technology in your
classroom enhancing your lessons,
or does it make more of a
distraction?
Introduction Questions

What is Distance Education?
● Distance education is defined as: “institution based formal education where the
learning group is separated from the instructor and where interactive systems are
used to connect learners, resources and instructors” (Schlosser & Simonson, 2009,
p, 1).
● Specifically, asynchronous distance education has evolved because of the advent of
the world-wide-web and the widespread availability of technological devices.
“Educators now have at their disposal sets of tools in the form of the Internet and a
science of learning and teaching that permits the alteration of the nature of
instruction” (Larreamendy-Joerns & Leinhardt, 2006, p. 567).
● Vasquez (2012) writes that “distance education holds tremendous promise, offering
viable and attractive options for advancing student skills, increasing access, and
potentially lowering the cost of educational services” (p. 34).

How can distance education benefit K-12 education?
● According to Rice (2009), “K–12 distance education programs have the potential for
impacting traditional educational purposes and processes in substantial ways…they
provide access to educational opportunities where they would not otherwise exist, in
an environment conducive to the development of important skills for the 21st
century” (p. 170).
● The availability of online courses that allow students with disabilities to work at their
own pace and access the materials in ways that suit their individual ability level
would greatly enhance the quality of education provided to them.
○ Moore & Kearsley (2011) suggest that students with disabilities who are able to access
online classes can increase their comprehension level because they can work at their own
pace without the fear of feeling inadequate while in the presence of students without
disabilities.

How can distance education benefit K-12 education
continued:
● Another benefit of offering distance education courses at the secondary level of
education is that students with different life-style challenges other than learning
related challenges would have greater access to education that would prepare them
to face their future.
● “Perhaps more than ever before, today’s adaptation of distance education offers a
ubiquitous academic substitute to the traditional classroom experience for students
who desire a learning opportunity that is more convenient for their individual lifestyle”
(Bailie & Jortberg, 2009, p. 3).
● Chow & Shutters (2002) attest to the effectiveness of reaching students with difficult
circumstances such as health or home problems through distance education.
○ As part of their study, they provide a real-life example of a paraplegic student who could
not physically attend school who was able to complete the high school math sequence
through the use of distance education (p. 7).

How can distance education benefit K-12 education
continued:
● Furthermore, most everyone involved in education, especially in New York State,
understands the budget crises that many school districts face each year.
● Sumner (2009) states that “technology is rapidly changing and decisions are needed
to guide its use in the field. And as governments around the world withdraw funds
from education, distance education takes on greater appeal to cash-strapped school
districts. In short, we find ourselves in a time of crisis and opportunity” (p. 270).
● Teachers can teach more classes and serve a greater number of students in an
online platform and thus mitigate some potential financial issues.

What are some potential drawbacks of distance
education?
● One potentially negative aspect of distance education is the fact that students will
have too much autonomy.
● With asynchronous distance education, there are concerns about academic integrity
as there is a great separation between teacher and student where the teacher
cannot directly supervise students’ actions during class.
● Heberling (2002) asserts that:
“Online education has come under a great deal of scrutiny over the issue of academic integrity. It
is assumed that cheating and plagiarism are a greater problem online than in a traditional class.
In reality, maintaining academic integrity is equally a challenge in both delivery modes. However,
by the very nature of online education, a case can be made that it is more conducive to both
detecting and combating plagiarism than is a traditional class” (p. 2).

What are some potential drawbacks of distance
education?
● Another concern with asynchronous distance education courses is the overall quality
of the instruction and set-up of the class.
● Equivalency theory suggests that “equivalent, rather than identical, learning
experiences should be provided to each learner whether local or distant and the
expectation should be that equivalent outcomes, rather than identical, should be
expected of each learner” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 51).
● Cavanaugh (2001) asserts that “the use of interactive distance education to
complement, enhance, and expand education options because distance education
can be expected to result in achievement at least comparable to traditional
instruction in most academic circumstances” (p. 75).

Virtual worlds and education
● What is a virtual world? “A virtual world is an online space where people
meet. Unlike bulletin board or chat rooms, a virtual world offers a 3D
graphical interface in which a person or “user” moves through virtual
spaces.” (Wilde, 2010, p 3866).
● Virtual worlds can include places like Second Life, Joykadia, and World of
Warcraft.
UAlbany has a Second Life group where students, and faculty can share
experiences and collaborate on educational projects: http://world.
secondlife.com/group/00d0ad2d-4994-07c3-6da5-f3519d78edb2

Virtual worlds and education Continued
● In higher education, virtual worlds have been used in distance education
courses to foster social interaction, build community, and learning. (De
Lucia et al, 2009).
● Virtual worlds like Second Life have also been for disciplines such as
“Instructional technology, Computer programming, Writing, Woman’s
Studies, Engineering, Library Science, and Communications” (Wilde, 2010,
p 3869 table 3). All of these courses were taught using distance education.

Benefits of virtual worlds in education
● Virtual worlds allow students to interact with the world in ways that they
cannot in real life. This means they can build, destroy, and travel in ways
that are not possible in the real world. (Good et al. 2008).
● Teachers are able to use an environment where students will learn from
their failures and successes equally (Barab et al., 2009, pp 79-80). Virtual
worlds allow learners to lose their fear of failure because they will
experience a lot of it before coming to their successes..
● Virtual worlds allow distance education courses to move outside of simple
lecture and discussion post interactions and into a three dimensional
learning area where students can interact and work together (Annetta,
2008, p 237).

Negative impacts of implementing virtual
worlds
● Students may be unable to access these virtual worlds without the proper
training and teachers may be unsure of how to navigate them.
● Students and teachers may not have the devices necessary to run these
programs or the means to purchase the accounts for them.
● Virtual worlds can be distracting and confusing for students who are not
used to interacting in them.

Technology in the Classroom
Technology in the Classroom:
● The face of technology in the classroom is changing.
● Gone are the days of desktop computers, today students have access to
mobile devices in the classroom.
● Mobile devices are “devices such as cell phones, smart phones, netbooks,
laptops, tablets, iPods, iPads, e- readers such as the Kindle, Nook, etc.,
palms, Treo, and other devices that are typically lightweight, portable and
connect to the internet” (Franklin, 2011, p.261).
● How do we handle the ever changing technology?
● “Consider a middle ground between no policies at all and a total ban”
(Jackson, 2013, p.137)
● Either we embrace it and welcome it in our classrooms, or leave it on the
outside looking in.

How can iPads assist students in the classroom?
● Technology can increase teachers' ability to teach to the many different individual learning styles
● There have been studies to show the positive results of the use of the iPad in many classrooms. For example, in a New York
City special education classroom, iPads are being used with students with disabilities to help express themselves through
music.
● Improvements are not only in students’ musical knowledge and performance skills but also in their motivation,
communication skills, and social skills. For example, the amount of appropriate social exchanges, such as saying hello, has
increased.
● Students are able to communicate through apps on the iPad. "The iPad just opened up her world," says Sarah Healy, the
school district's special education coordinator.
● iPad’s in schools certainly do have their benefits. With many different apps on the market, student now have access to “use
the dictionary and thesaurus on Dictionary.com, explore the world with Google Earth, or plot equations with Quick Graph”
(Wylie, n.d.).

What are the skeptics saying? What are the cons of using
iPads in the classroom?
● Some believe that there is little evidence that kids will learn more or faster by using iPads. This opinion
often comes with the view that iPads are a great tool to engage students but when the novelty wears off,
what happens?
● Not all students are able to access the internet at home. Whether they bring home an iPad or not, without
wifi the iPad is almost useless.

Examples of Mobile Technology in the Classroom
● A study was conducted by Abilene Christian University, which was completed with statistic students. Students use a
statistic 1 app, and found that from using the app “they understood the content better, and were more motivated to do well”
(Wylie, n.d.).
● Trinity Meadows in Texas have access to HTC 6800 smartphones. Students use the devices to draw out the solar systems,
and “take pictures, explore relevant Web sites, fill in spreadsheets, and compose Word documents that they shared by
pointing the devices end-to-end and beaming the information to each other” (Schachter, 2009).
● Programs such as Etech have developed mobile learning platforms. Etech platform allows students to download
assignments, podcast, take quizzes and test. It also allows students to transfer files from mobile devices to laptops
(Schachter, 2009).
● Documentation has many important defining characteristics. It is the process of development and learning (Parnell &
Bartlett, 2012, p. 51). Teachers are using mobile devices as a well to keep parents up to date about their child’s learning.
With the use of social media, parents will have instant access to their child’s learning.
● “Teachers can use smartphones every day to take photos, record video and audio, and make notes, then integrate them into
daily blogs and online portfolios that parents can access” (Parnell & Bartlett, 2012, p. 51).

A School’s iPad Initiative Brings Optimism and Skepticism
Here is an optional link to read or listen to both the pros and cons of the use of iPads in the classroom:
A School's iPad Initiative Brings Optimism and Skepticism

References
A school’s iPad initiative brings optimism and skepticism. (2013, October 25). National Public Radio, Retrieved from http://www.npr.
org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/10/25/240731070/a-schools-ipad-initiative-brings-optimism-and-skepticism
Annetta, L. A. (2008). Video Games in Education: Why They Should Be Used and How They Are Being Used. Theory Into Practice, 47(3), 229-239.
Bailie, J. L., & Jortberg, M. A. (2009). Online learner authentication: Verifying the identity of online users. Bulletin-board postings, 547, 17.
Cavanaugh, C. S. (2001). The effectiveness of interactive distance education technologies in K-12 learning: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Educational
Telecommunications, 7(1), 73-88.
Chow, O., & Shutters, J. M. (2002). Dos and don'ts in offering online developmental math courses.
Creech-Galloway, C., Collins, B. C., Knight, V. v., & Bausch, M. (2013). Using a Simultaneous Prompting Procedure with an iPad to Teach the Pythagorean Theorem to
Adolescents with Moderate Intellectual Disability. Research & Practice For Persons With Severe Disabilities, 38(4), 222-232.
De Lucia, A., Francese, R., Passero, I., & Tortora, G. (2009). Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Campus on Second Life: The Case of SecondDMI. Computers &
Education, 52(1), 220-233.
Flewitt, R., Kucirkova, N., & Messer, D. (2014). Touching the virtual, touching the real: iPadS enabling literacy for students experiencing disability. Australian Journal Of
Language & Literacy, 37(2), 107-116.

ReferencesFranklin, T. (2011). Mobile Learning: At the Tipping Point. Turkish Online Journal Of
Educational Technology - TOJET, 10(4), 261-275.
Good, Judith, Howland, Katherine and Thackray, Liz (2008)'Problem-based learning spanning real and virtual words: a case study in Second Life, pp 163 — 172
Jackson, L. D. (2012). Is Mobile Technology in the Classroom a Helpful Tool or a
Distraction?: A Report of University Students' Attitudes, Usage Practices, and Suggestions for Policies. International Journal Of Technology, Knowledge &
Society, 8(5), 129-140.
Heberling, M. (2002). Maintaining academic integrity in online education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 5(2).
Hu, Winnie (2011, January 4). Math that moves: schools embrace the iPad. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?
pagewanted=all&_r=0
Larreamendy-Joerns, J., & Leinhardt, G. (2006). Going the distance with online education. Review of educational research, 76(4), 567-605.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning. Cengage Learning.
Parnell, W., & Bartlett, J. (2012). iDocument: How Smartphones and Tablets Are Changing Documentation in Preschool and Primary Classrooms. Young Children, 67(3),
50-57.
Rice, K. (2009). Priorities in K-12 distance education: A delphi study examining multiple perspectives on policy, practice, and research. Journal Of Educational Technology &
Society, 12(3), 163-177.

References
Schachter, R. (2009, November 1). Mobile Devices in the Classroom. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/mobile-devices-classroom
Schlosser, L. A., & Simonson, M. R. (2009). Distance education: definitions and glossary of terms. IAP.
Sumner, J. (2000). Serving the system: A critical history of distance education. Open learning, 15(3), 267-285.
The pros and cons of digital classrooms. (2013, August 29). Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], p. L2. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.
com/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/DocumentToolsPortletWindow?displayGroupName=News&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%
7CA341173574&source=Bookmark&u=bingul&jsid=79849350ddad5d6e5808e1efafb68f30
Vasquez III, E. A. (2012). Research and practice in distance education for K-12 students with disabilities. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-42.
Wilde, J. (2010, June). More Than a Place to Meet (Virtually): What Educators Tell Us About Second Life. In World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and
Telecommunications (Vol. 2010, No. 1, pp. 3866-3874).
Wylie, J. (n.d.). Mobile Learning Technologies for 21st Century Classrooms. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?
id=3754742

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