Articles Archive - 2008

Engaging the Facebook and YouTube Generation: Bringing Digital Technologies into the Classroom as Innovative Learning Tools

Written by Matthew Johnson, Media and Internet Education Specialist with Media Awareness Network

When it comes to technology in the classroom, much of what we hear is negative: cell phones used to cheat on tests, cameras used to capture embarrassing moments, text messaging during class and cyber bullying. Where new technology is integrated into schoolwork, it's usually a top-down affair, as a school will purchase new cameras or computers and build classes or coursework around them. Some schools, though, are making strides in finding educational uses for technological tools their students already own.

Cell phones and text messaging

Cell phones are the essential teenage accessory, and a nuisance for teachers: what teacher hasn't ended a day with a drawer full of confiscated phones? Dean Shareski, a Digital Learning Consultant with the Prairie South School Division in Moose Jaw, has written about a school in Saskatchewan where cell phones are being used for educational purposes in the classroom (http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/02/05/exploring-cellphones-as-learning-tools/). While studying the novel The Wave, a Grade 8/9 class used cell phones to share their thoughts about the book. They also came to use features in their phones they had previously been unaware of, such as voice recording and organizing - group discussions were recorded and summarized and digital art projects were shared via Bluetooth. Because cell phones were a somewhat new technology for the teacher, she was able to model lifelong learning for her students as she learned to send text messages, and now texts homework reminders to her class in the morning. Shareski also made a film about the project, which you can see at http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/02/11/cellphones-as-learning-toolsthe-movie/.

Cell phones aren't the only consumer technology that has the ability to change from distraction to educational tool. Digital music players like the iPod have the potential to help students in any number of ways. To begin with, there is a wide variety of audio books available online - many of them freely available from sources like public libraries - that can help students who are reluctant readers, auditory learners or who have long commutes. (A tech-savvy student can even remix an audio book file with some background beats for rhythm and read while exercising - mash up Moby and Moby Dick). Online Education Database contributor Heather Johnson, in a post titled "8 Ways your iPod Can Make You a Better Student" (http://daniela-reimann.de/media-arts-education/?p=165) suggests uses such as virtual walking tours of places where books are set (including cities of the past, like Ancient Rome) and even iPod classes. Apple, in fact, has established a service called iTunes U (http://www.apple.com/education/mobile-learning/) which archives downloadable educational material. iTunes U has recently been expanded to include K-12 content as well.

Video-sharing sites

Video-sharing sites such as YouTube are another example of a great educational resource waiting to be discovered. These sites allow users to view short videos online and also to post their own, providing an audience for the all-important "publishing" stage of student work. Teachers may be wary of directing students to YouTube or using it in class, though, and for good reason: much of the content is not appropriate for children and young teens. Luckily there's TeacherTube (http://www.teachertube.com/), a free service that is packed with content teachers can use in their classes (or send students to watch at home) and where teachers and students can post class work without worrying about what students might be exposed to.

Social networking sites

Social networking sites like Facebook, while not a classroom distraction in the way that cell phones and iPods are, surely rank high on any teacher, administrator or parent's list of concerns. Reports of their use in cyber bullying - not to mention the lack of concern students show for their privacy when posting detailed information about themselves - have led to a recent spate of alarmist articles about social networking sites. The speed with which they've been adopted, though, show what powerful tools they can be. Every teacher knows that there is nothing students enjoy more than socializing and these sites are designed to make that easier. Many classroom activities - book circles, group works and round-robins-are designed to take advantage of the social nature of teenagers. Why not move some of these activities online, using an invitation-only social network such as Ning (http://www.ning.com)? Talieh Rohani, a research assistant with Project New Media Literacies (http://newmedialiteracies.org/blog/2008/06/create-your-own-social-network.php), suggests ways to use social networking in the classroom: "You can modify the templates and post everything you might need to share with your students. You can create class forums and discussion boards for everyone to participate. You can even post videos and slides that you might need to use during class lectures."

Keys to successful integration

What is the key to incorporating consumer technology into the classroom? Like any other new teaching tool, it takes flexibility, creativity and forethought. Dean Shareski looked at the steps that allowed cell phones to be successfully used in class and concluded that the following factors were key:

• Engagement: use the new tool as a means to engage students with the material and ideas, not as an end unto itself.
• Responsibility: make your expectations about how students will use the technology - and how they won't use it - clear and consistent.
• Innovation: be open to finding other uses for the tools than the ones you envisioned.
• Teacher as learner: admit what you don't know, let students teach you.
• Reflective practice: assess what you're doing, build on what works and fix or discard what doesn't.

As teachers, we know that interested, engaged children are the departure point for effective learning. Digital technologies make up the world in which our students live. Integrating them in the classroom isn't something to be done for its own sake, but as a way of reaching students on their own ground-a way, as educational reformer John Dewey would say, to "start where the learner is."

And what better time to start then during National Media Education Week 2008. The week, which takes place between November 3 and 7, 2008, is an initiative to promote media education and encourage all Canadians to participate in media literacy activities throughout the country. This year the theme is Think Critically, Act Ethically. Participants are encouraged to focus particularly on the issue of ethical and responsible online citizenship while promoting media literacy as a key component in the education of young people.

For more information on how you can take part in National Media Education Week 2008, visit www.mediaeducationweek.ca.

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Media Awareness Network is a Canadian not-for-profit centre of expertise in media education. Its vision is to ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical thinking skills and tools to understand and actively engage with media. (www.media-awareness.ca)

© 2008 Media Awareness Network

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