Technology in Developmental Education: Past, Present, and Future: Workshop

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Technology in Developmental Education Past,
Present, and FutureWorkshop
David C. Caverly, Ph.D. Texas State University -
San Marcos Workshop MACRA Annual Conference
Ocean City, MD October 24, 2003
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Technology in Education

• Technology as Tutor
• Technology as Tool
• Technology as Teacher

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Technology as Tutor

• Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)
• Integrated Learning Systems (ILS)
• Typically diagnostic/prescriptive
• Computer directed remediation
• Report generation
• teacher proof mentality

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Technology as Tutor

• Samples
• link
• What do you like about these?
• What do you dislike about these?

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Technology as Tutor (research)

• achievement, attitude, motivation, time on task
• .31 effect size for achievement
• .22 effect size for attitude
• 10 percentile point gain on a test
• research on ILS mirrors this, but done primarily
  by companies

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Technology as Tutor (positive)

• CAI seems to improve lower level, basic skills
• if supplementing instruction, not supplanting
  instruction
• ILS more effective if completed in pairs

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Technology as Tutor (negative)

• Little transfer to reading on standardized tests
• Little transfer to future classroom reading or
  writing task demands
• Gains in math rather than reading or writing

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Technology as Tutor (limitations)

• Cost effectiveness

• Matthew Effect

academically rich
academically poor
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Technology as Tutor (limitations)

• Viable, but limited usefulness
• Necessary, but not sufficient for complex skills
  needed in Information Age
• Using technology to transmit information rather
  than to create knowledge
• Need to redefine use of technology for Knowledge
  Age

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Technology as Tool

• Using technology to convert information to
  knowledge
• word processing, databases, spreadsheets, desktop
  publishing, presentation programs to learn
  reading, writing, math, and studying

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New Skills for Knowledge Age

• information broker creating knowledge
• search, access, evaluate, organize, and share
  ideas and perspectives on a variety of topics
  across cultural, economic, scientific,
  environmental, and political boundaries

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Strategy to Bridge the Gap
G.A.P.
Information
Knowledge
gap
G Gather information from a variety of
sources
A Arrange that information to create
knowledge
P Present that knowledge to confirm
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GAP
Gather information in a variety of sources
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GAP
Arrange to create knowledge
Gather
Technology as Tool
Technology as Tutor
Technology in Higher Education
Future of Higher Education
G.A.P.
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GAP
Arrange
Present to confirm
Gather
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Technology as Tool

• Samples
• link
• What do you like about these?
• What do you dislike about these?

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Technology as Tool (research)

• writing about reading improves both writing and
  reading
• collaborative writing improves understanding of
  how to write
• ESL improves linguistically as they use this
  complex software collaboratively
• benefits of active construction of knowledge

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Break
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Technology as Teaching

• students composing e-mail
• students composing multimedia papers
• students composing hypermedia projects
• students learning through discussion online
• students creating knowledge and sharing it (GAP)

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1983

• Clark (p. 445)
• The best current evidence is that media are
  mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not
  influence student achievement any more than the
  truck that delivers our groceries causes changes
  in our nutrition.

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Two online course delivery models

• Information Processing (Gagne)
• Individualized
• Sequential modules
• Shallow simulations
• Right answers
• Postings
• Results in limited transfer

• Constructivist Social Learning (Bruner, Lave,
  Bandura, Vygotsky)
• Collaboration
• Investigations
• Authentic contexts
• Defended evidence
• Posting/peer-review
• Results in stronger transfer

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Research on learning online

• Kearsley, 1997 The single most important element
  of successful online learning is the interaction
  among the participants.
• Diaz Cartnal,1999 Successful online students
  were those who were more driven by intrinsic
  motives rather than the reward structure of the
  class.
• Bonk Cummings,1998 Successful instructors were
  able to personalize the web experience.
• Collins Brown, 1988 Papert, 1991
  Articulating -synthesizing an expression for an
  audience - is critical to learning.

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Brown (2001) 3 stages of Online Community
building

• Stage 1
• making friends online with whom students feel
  comfortable communicating. Establishing a safe
  environment and a sense of community. (Bonk
  Cummings, 1998)
• Stage 2
• when students are part of a long, thoughtful,
  threaded discussion on a subject of importance
  after which participants felt both personal
  satisfaction and kinship.
• Stage 3
• achieved after long-term or intense association
  with others involving personal communication.
  Evolves through cooperative learning and
  reflection.

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Stage 1Making Friends Online

• Personalize the web experience
• Think-Pair-Share
• Cyber Coffee House or Student Union
• Personal web pages with photos
• Activity 1 Think-Pair-Share

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Stage 2 Guidelines for Meaningful Discussion

• Facilitate, dont dictate
• Ask open-ended questions
• Pursue one question before moving to the next
• Keep time limits
• Hold students accountable for referring to the
  reading.
• Link readings to personal experiences
• Provide clear expectations and prompt task
  structuring
• -Bonk Cummings, 1998

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Stage 2 Deeper Engagement and Connection

• Personal, multi-media and multi-genre papers
• Example Literacy Histories

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Problem Student

• Helping the problem student gain acceptance into
  the learning community (Bonk Cummings, 1998)
• Use public and private forms of feedback.
• Vary the forms of electronic mentoring and
  apprenticeship.

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Stage 2 Interactive Online Strategies

• Deeper student engagement
• Literacy histories
• Choice
• Literature circles and book clubs
• Connect with personal knowledge
• Seminar Discussions
• Learning Logs
• Reflections on learning
• Portfolio assessment

• Web explorations
• Scavenger hunts
• Varied forms
• Online debates
• Student webpages
• Role plays
• Online surveys
• Group Mapping Activity

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Group Mapping Activity
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Activity 2

• Read this text and create a semantic map of the
  ideas
• Share individual around your table your map
  including
• why you selected the ideas you did?
• why your organized it the way you did?
• Write a summary of the text

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Stage 3 Strategies for Long-Term or Intense
Interactive Learning

• WebQuest Investigation using web resources.
• WebQuest folder in Blackboard
• Jigsaw each student
• Belongs to a Home Group
• Becomes an expert in a Task Group
• Reports back to Home Group what was learned

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Stage 3 Strategies for Long-Term or Intense
Interactive Learning

• WebQuest Investigation using web resources.
• WebQuest folder in Blackboard
• Jigsaw each student
• Belongs to a Home Group
• Becomes an expert in a Task Group
• Reports back to Home Group what was learned

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Stage 3 Strategies for Long-Term or Intense
Interactive Learning

• WebQuest Investigation using web resources.
• WebQuest folder in Blackboard
• Jigsaw each student
• Belongs to a Home Group
• Becomes an expert in a Task Group
• Reports back to Home Group what was learned

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Technology as Teaching

• Samples
• link
• What do you like about these?
• What do you dislike about these?

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Stage 3 Jigsaw

• Count off 1-5 around your table
• Each group of 5 is your Home Group
• All the 1s get together, all the 2s, etc.

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Stage 3 Jigsaw

• Task Group 1 - Discuss how PLAN can be used in
  your reading program
• Task Group 2 - Discuss how you could teach
  various text structures with Inspiration
• Task Group 3 - Discuss how you could teach your
  students EndNote
• Task Group 4 - Discuss how you could use the Tool
  sites on the webpage
• Task Group 5 - Discuss how you could use the
  Teaching sites on the webpage

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Stage 3 Jigsaw

• Move back to your Home Groups
• Now, the 1s teach the others what your group
  discussed about PLAN
• Now, the 2s teach the others what your group
  discussed about Inspiration
• Now, the 3s teach the others what your group
  discussed about EndNote
• Now, the 4s teach the others what your group
  discussed about Tool sites
• Now, the 5s teach the others what your group
  discussed about Teaching sites

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What will you do to get ready?
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Technology in Developmental Education Past,
Present, Future
David C. Caverly, Ph.D. Texas State University
You can download a copy of the slide shows and
handouts at http//www.ci.txstate.edu/presentati
ons/MACRA/MACRApresentation.doc