Post on 18-Dec-2014
description
Technology trends for language teaching: looking
back and to the future.
Prof Steve Higgins, School of Education, Durham University,
s.e.higgins@durham.ac.uk
@stig_01 Learning and Teaching English
in the Digital Age: Policy and Practice in Europe4th December, 2013
Barcelona
Overview
Technology and learning in the last century
What hasn’t worked The importance of
pedagogy A look towards the
future
In 1935, at New York University, Professor C. C. Clark conducted a class remotely
using shortwave radio.Short Wave Craft April 1935
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2012/05/predictions-for-educational-tv-in-the-1930s/
A short history of educational technology: nihil sub sole novum?
Film Radio Television Tape recorders and language labs Podcasts and blogs Tablets and iPads LMS, VLEs, MOOCs, mobile devices Augmented Reality, Voice recognition, Cloud
1913: Film
(Thomas Edison, reported in
The New York Dramatic Mirror in July 1913)
“Books,” declared the inventor with decision, “will soon be obsolete in the public schools. Scholars will be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. Our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years.”
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/02/15/books-obsolete/ Picture source: Google Images
1930sRadio
http://dhayton.haverford.edu/blog/2013/03/ http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/
1930sprediction for educational TV
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2012/05/predictions-for-educational-tv-in-the-1930s/
1968Proto-Skype‘Picturephone’…
http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/
1960s language lab
Source: Google Images
1900s prediction of schools in 2000
http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/
1958 vision of future education
http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/
1950s Programmed Instruction
Source: Google Images
Technology and formal learning
Education is: Universal AND Problematic
Belief it can be improved Technology provides promise
The UK context
Huge investments in ICT in schools from 1980s
World leader on IWB uptake Learning platforms/ VLEs common in schools Gaming approaches promoted with (past)
government support New computing curriculum Tablet mania
Research evidence
What’s ‘worked’ in the past
What hasn’t worked The importance of
pedagogy A look towards the
future
http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/
Evidence from correlational studies
“Studies linking provision and use of technology in schools ...find small positive associations with educational outcomes but it is not clear that this is always a causal link” (e.g.
Harrison et al. 2004)
Good schools may invest more in technology (Moseley et
al. 1999)
When socio-economic factors are controlled for - no effect (Fuchs and Woessmann 2004)
The link is not a simple linear one – optimal use may be a better concept (e.g. OECD 2006)
Experimental studies
“Evidence from experimental and quasi- experimental designs indicates consistent moderate benefit” (e.g. Sipe and Curlette 1997; Pearson, 2005)
Comparison with other researched interventions suggests technology-based interventions tend to produce average gains (e.g. Hattie, 2009; Higgins et al. 2012)
Digital technologies in the Sutton Trust/EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit
http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/
Key question
Are you convinced, as a result of new technologies, learners are now learning English Faster? More easily? More fluently? Better?
Six myths about digital technology
1. The ‘Future Facing’ Fallacy“New technologies are being developed all the time, the past history of the impact of technology is irrelevant to what we have now or will be available tomorrow.”
2. The ‘Different Learners’ Myth“Today’s children are digital natives and the ‘net generation – they learn differently from older people”.
3. A Confusion of ‘Information’ and ‘Knowledge’“Learning has changed now we have access to knowledge through the internet, today’s children don’t need to know stuff, they just need to know where to find it.”
Six myths about digital technology
4. The ‘Motivation Mistake’ “Students are motivated by technology so they must learn better when they use it.”
5. The ‘Mount Everest’ Fallacy“We must use technology because it is there!”
6. The ‘More is Better’ Mythology“If some technology is a good thing, then more must be better.”
Evidence from digital technology meta-analyses Collaborative use (pairs/ small groups)
more effective than individual use Effective as short but focussed
interventions Remedial / tutorial use can be particularly
effective as catch-up Greater gains when it supplements rather
than replaces normal teaching. Training and professional development
are essential
http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/digital-technology-round/impact-of-digital-technology-on-learning-report
What hasn’t ‘worked’…
LOGO Integrated learning systems One-to-one laptops Talking books Interactive whiteboards
No ‘magic bullets’Source: Google Images
Getting the most from technology Innovators & early adopters
choose digital technology to do something differently – as a solution to a problem
When adopted by the majority, focus is on the technology, but not as a solution
The laggards use the technology to replicate what they were already doing without ICT
Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. Simon and Schuster.
Issues
How well you use it is more important than whether you use it or not
Pedagogy trumps technology Consider cost effectiveness?
So…should we beware of geeks bearing gifts?
Source: Google Images
Quality matters…
Good teaching and learning activities At the right level of challenge With opportunities for feedback Provide opportunities for self-regulation Help learners to plan, monitor and evaluate their
own learning (meta-cognition) Move the learner on
From the task (skills, knowledge, understanding)
In their learning (attitudes, dispositions, meta-cognition)
kinect
e-learning
Why will these be any different?
Wii
iPads / tablets
Raspberry Pi
Source: Google Images
Tomorrow’s promise?
Augmented reality Aural or text Contextual Mainly input Mobile
Voice recognition Encourages production Technical accuracy
Source: Google Images
A multi-touch classroom in 2012
NumberNet
Developing adaptive expertise?NumberNet
‘Make up some questions’ task
Add to each of the other groups attempts (3x)
Organise the correct expressions
NumberNet
NumberNet
Teacher control From iPad Timing/rotate tables Freeze the action Disable keys ‘on the fly’ Feedback on correct and incorrect expressions
(by group, by individual, by target number) Show/hide correct/incorrect expressions Show/hide totals (competitive)
Live feedback to the teacher
Jack: Who done... Who's green? Jiminy… That's quite smart! [the calculations have a colour border indicating the table where they were created, so Jack is asking which is the green table, and so who was responsible for the calculation]
Adam: Oh look at that! 10 times 10 that equals 100, add 50! Now that's clever, whoever did that! I'm doing that…
Once the teacher turns on the number pads, Jack goes on to adapt the calculations he has seen, creating the calculations 10*10+51-1, and drawing Adam’s attention to it:
Jack: Haha! Adam, look at the size of that!
Adam: Oh yes, did it... 1... 5...
Jack: ‘Cause 10 times 10 is 100, add 51 is 151 and take away 1 is 150... bingo!
Adam: Bingo!
What was effective?
High level of (accepted) challenge Feedback from table, from peers, from
teacher (and to teacher via iPad) Supported group regulation
Intra-group collaboration Inter-group competition Learning across groups
Indirectly (from ‘inherited’ calculations)
Directly (through whole class demonstration and discussion
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EEF Tookit approaches ranked by impact
Toolkit
Toolkit best ‘buys’...
New entry
Digital technology and learning
Adopt technology as a solution to a teaching and learning challenge or problem
Check that technical or basic skills issues won’t get in the way of the learning
Should help learners accept challenge Look for evidence of improvement Evaluate the impact Goldilocks’ Principle – have to get it ‘just right’
What solutions can digital technology offer?
Key questionsWhat are the teaching and learning challenges digital technologies can help you solve?
What will the technology replace?What will you stop doing?
How will you know it is better?Will the teacher be more effective/efficient?
Will the pupils learn quicker, for longer, more deeply, think harder?
Will you see more feedback, more self-regualtion, more meta-cognition?
Local ecology
Start from where you are Needs infrastructure
Technical support Wifi access
Needs support Skills training AND CDP for pedagogy
For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, neat…and WRONG!
H.L. Mencken 1880-1956
References and linksEEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit: http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/
SynergyNet videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLD9v6UP5vU
Digital technologies report: http://bit.ly/1hxVEKP
Pictures from Google Images and Pinterest (thanks to Juan Antonio Ortiz)http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/