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Actually, there is significant evidence that integrating mobile technology into the classroom does in fact aid learning, but only of the instructor is will to e

Actually, there is significant evidence that integrating mobile technology into the classroom does in fact aid learning, but only of the instructor is will to embrace the technology instead of fight it. Unfortunately, most instructors don't feel comfortable changing their teaching methods, so technology is seen as having no impact. Here's one article about one professor's experience with integrating Twitter into the classroom: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_twitter_in_the_classroom.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_tw... There are numerous similar examples of teachers that are experimenting with technology and seeing positive results, but are being stonewalled by administrators who are afraid of trying something new. Yes, there's always a risk that students will just be able to play Angry Birds on their phones in class, but then, those same students can just doodle in their notebooks instead. Should we take all notebooks and pencils away? Any tool has the potential to be abused, but it also has the potential to significantly help.

onan_barbarian 16y ago
Significant evidence != an article about some dude using Twitter in the classroom. The plural of blogpost isn't 'data', just like the plural of anecdote isn't data. Do you have a _study_? You know, one of those strange things where two different approaches go through this bizarre process of comparison. So far most of the evidence for tech in the classroom is either inconclusive or tends to connect it with negative outcomes.
- guptaneil 16y ago
  http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practic... http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_educa... Not formal studies but great anecdotes: http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-passes-the-higher-eduction-test-exclusive http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-pas... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=playe... Anything on http://speirs.org/ http://speirs.org/ And of course, there's always the success of Khan Academy. There are many, many more studies and anecdotes available, but these are the ones I either had bookmarked or could remember off the top of my head. You're right that there's no absolutely conclusive and irrefutable study about tech in classroom because nobody has undertaken such a bold experiment. However, all of the evidence is there and points to the potential of adopting newer tools in classrooms. Unfortunately, people who blindly dismiss all applications of technology in the classroom have slowed farther, more informative studies from being conducted.
  - onan_barbarian 16y ago
    This appears to be a dump of randomly selected research papers, many of which don't measure anything remotely connected to outcomes. The standard practice seems to be to do a bunch of surveys afterwards to measure how awesome everyone thought everything had been. However, I did appreciate this bit from the ed.gov one: "An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K–12 students." No shit.
    - guptaneil 16y ago
      The data set is too small to achieve a conclusive outcome yet. As more classrooms experiment with these technologies, we'll get more insights. Until then, surveys are the best way to get an idea of how something is working for students. As for the random dump of research papers, I tried originally offering a more succinct argument with an anecdote, but you wanted more evidence so I obliged.
      - onan_barbarian 16y ago
        From what I've seen, so far, when actual outcomes are measured for the whole 'computers in schools', rigorous studies tend to show negative or inconclusive effects. I'm sure that surveys asking questions like "Was everything MOAR AWESUM in class today?" would have similarly suggested that everyone is more 'engaged' by the computers, but we don't go to school to be engaged, we go to school to learn. If we are 'engaged' by something irrelevant - for example, spending an hour dicking around with the fonts on a presentation - we might report wonderful levels of engagement while achieving zero outcomes.
        guptaneil 16y ago
        Do you have any studies that show these negative effects you keep mentioning? I'm curious to see why they failed. Obviously just tossing technology into a classroom won't do anything, which is what most schools with iPad programs are doing. It has to be adopted by the instructor and actually integrated into the learning process, which is a difficult thing to do. I agree that surveys are not the most reliable or valid measure of success, but combined with the anecdotal evidence seen by the various experiments, there is a strong case to be made that technology has the potential to provide major positive changes once implemented properly. We have to start the search for the proper implementation somewhere.

onan_barbarian 16y ago

Significant evidence != an article about some dude using Twitter in the classroom. The plural of blogpost isn't 'data', just like the plural of anecdote isn't data. Do you have a _study_? You know, one of those strange things where two different approaches go through this bizarre process of comparison. So far most of the evidence for tech in the classroom is either inconclusive or tends to connect it with negative outcomes.

guptaneil 16y ago
http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://www.nd.edu/~cangst/NotreDame_iPad_Report_01-06-11.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://robertkozma.com/images/kozma_jrte.pdf http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practic... http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_educa... Not formal studies but great anecdotes: http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-passes-the-higher-eduction-test-exclusive http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-pas... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-8OOrBi0o&feature=playe... Anything on http://speirs.org/ http://speirs.org/ And of course, there's always the success of Khan Academy. There are many, many more studies and anecdotes available, but these are the ones I either had bookmarked or could remember off the top of my head. You're right that there's no absolutely conclusive and irrefutable study about tech in classroom because nobody has undertaken such a bold experiment. However, all of the evidence is there and points to the potential of adopting newer tools in classrooms. Unfortunately, people who blindly dismiss all applications of technology in the classroom have slowed farther, more informative studies from being conducted.
- onan_barbarian 16y ago
  This appears to be a dump of randomly selected research papers, many of which don't measure anything remotely connected to outcomes. The standard practice seems to be to do a bunch of surveys afterwards to measure how awesome everyone thought everything had been. However, I did appreciate this bit from the ed.gov one: "An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K–12 students." No shit.
  - guptaneil 16y ago
    The data set is too small to achieve a conclusive outcome yet. As more classrooms experiment with these technologies, we'll get more insights. Until then, surveys are the best way to get an idea of how something is working for students. As for the random dump of research papers, I tried originally offering a more succinct argument with an anecdote, but you wanted more evidence so I obliged.
    - onan_barbarian 16y ago
      From what I've seen, so far, when actual outcomes are measured for the whole 'computers in schools', rigorous studies tend to show negative or inconclusive effects. I'm sure that surveys asking questions like "Was everything MOAR AWESUM in class today?" would have similarly suggested that everyone is more 'engaged' by the computers, but we don't go to school to be engaged, we go to school to learn. If we are 'engaged' by something irrelevant - for example, spending an hour dicking around with the fonts on a presentation - we might report wonderful levels of engagement while achieving zero outcomes.
      - guptaneil 16y ago
        Do you have any studies that show these negative effects you keep mentioning? I'm curious to see why they failed. Obviously just tossing technology into a classroom won't do anything, which is what most schools with iPad programs are doing. It has to be adopted by the instructor and actually integrated into the learning process, which is a difficult thing to do. I agree that surveys are not the most reliable or valid measure of success, but combined with the anecdotal evidence seen by the various experiments, there is a strong case to be made that technology has the potential to provide major positive changes once implemented properly. We have to start the search for the proper implementation somewhere.