Module 3 - Introduction & Technology Evaluation
Overview
In Part I of Improving Instruction, we examined the role of technology in learning, how technology can help us plan, and how technology can be used to launch lessons. In Part II, we continue our examination of how technology can improve instruction by considering how we select technology for instruction. In the introduction to Part I, I wrote about the kinds of decisions teachers make in the classroom and how it communicates particular ideas to students. In this module, we will think about how do we decide if an app, software, or technological tool is "good."
What makes technology good? What should we consider when lesson planning and want to use technology? Accessibility? Aesthetics? How it displays the content? Reliability? Interactiveness? Is it Fun? The type of feedback it gives students? What the student actually learns when using the technology? All of these questions are important and I would hope you would be able to say "yes" to all of them when you select technology. But you may have to do a LOT of searching to find that perfect piece of technology. Below is an image of a Google search I did for an game students could use to learn the parts of speech.
What makes technology good? What should we consider when lesson planning and want to use technology? Accessibility? Aesthetics? How it displays the content? Reliability? Interactiveness? Is it Fun? The type of feedback it gives students? What the student actually learns when using the technology? All of these questions are important and I would hope you would be able to say "yes" to all of them when you select technology. But you may have to do a LOT of searching to find that perfect piece of technology. Below is an image of a Google search I did for an game students could use to learn the parts of speech.
Look at the number of results...almost 85 MILLION websites to comb through. That is an overwhelming number of websites and many teachers may just give up or choose the first website on the list. I think we need to be a bit choosier and have criteria to help us decide which technology to use. The internet is great because it gives us all of these fantastic resources, but we have to be smart about what we choose. In a later module, we will develop lists of website that will be helpful in finding good resources, but for now we will focus on how to select technology. In this module, we will examine various theories and frameworks that we can use to help us select technology and use those to select and design technology-based activities.
Technology Evaluation
Below is a video of me discussing a framework that was originally created to help mathematical technology designers as they create apps and software to use with students. My colleagues and I thought the framework would also be helpful for mathematics teachers and I believe that it can be generalized to help all teachers in evaluating technology.
Below is the paper referenced in the video. It has been published in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. This is an optional reading and it is completely focused on evaluating mathematical technology. Yet, you might find it helpful as you evaluate the four technological tools in the assignment.
shin_smith_kim_2018_evaluating_technology.pdf |
To Do
Step 1:
In this assignment, you will analyze and evaluate four technological tools that could be used to teach the same topic. I have selected four tools that help students learn area and perimeter, four tools focused on helping students learn verb tenses, and four tools that help students learn the midsegment theorem. You will select one set of tools to analyze and MS Mathematics Education students must select the last set of tools. Below are the sets of tools.
Technological Tools for Area & Perimeter:
Technological Tools for Verb Tenses:
Technological Tools for Midsegment Theorem (MS MATHEMATICS EDUCATION STUDENTS MUST DO THIS SET)
Step 2:
Create a webpage in your Weebly site called “Technology Evaluation” which should fall under the Instructional Support Tab.
Step 3:
For the set of tools you selected, analyze and evaluate each of the tools using the 3 types of Fidelity (Content, Cognitive, Pedagogical). In your analysis of each tool, be sure to include a screen shot of the tool and a description of the features that you think are beneficial and those you think are drawbacks. Explain why the features are benefits or drawbacks.
Step 4:
Write a comparison of the four tools. In your comparison, you should examine and discuss the features of the tools that you feel are particularly important. State the tool that you would select to use to teach this topic and provide a rationale for your selection.
Step 5:
Create a Response Video using Flip Grid
In this assignment, you will analyze and evaluate four technological tools that could be used to teach the same topic. I have selected four tools that help students learn area and perimeter, four tools focused on helping students learn verb tenses, and four tools that help students learn the midsegment theorem. You will select one set of tools to analyze and MS Mathematics Education students must select the last set of tools. Below are the sets of tools.
Technological Tools for Area & Perimeter:
- Link to Tool 1: https://www.funbrain.com/games/shape-surveyor
- Link to Tool 2: http://mrnussbaum.com/zoo/
- Link to Tool 3: https://www.mathplayground.com/area_blocks/index.htm
- Link to Tool 4: https://www.geogebra.org/m/nQ2UjW4N
Technological Tools for Verb Tenses:
- Link to Tool 1: https://www.eslgamesplus.com/verb-tenses-interactive-grammar-game-for-esl-jeopardy-quiz-game/
- Link to Tool 2: https://www.turtlediary.com/game/tenses.html
- Link to Tool 3: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/grammar/football/present%20vs.%20past/present%20vs.%20past.html
- Link to Tool 4: https://www.funbrain.com/games/grammar-bees
Technological Tools for Midsegment Theorem (MS MATHEMATICS EDUCATION STUDENTS MUST DO THIS SET)
- Link to Tool 1: http://tananyag.geomatech.hu/b/2696493#material/2800029
- Link to Tool 2: https://www.geogebra.org/m/NFCwzehu (Also click on Lesson Activity)
- Link to Tool 3: https://www.geogebra.org/m/G8gfEUqN
- Link to Tool 4: https://www.geogebra.org/m/RfRfGw9T
Step 2:
Create a webpage in your Weebly site called “Technology Evaluation” which should fall under the Instructional Support Tab.
Step 3:
For the set of tools you selected, analyze and evaluate each of the tools using the 3 types of Fidelity (Content, Cognitive, Pedagogical). In your analysis of each tool, be sure to include a screen shot of the tool and a description of the features that you think are beneficial and those you think are drawbacks. Explain why the features are benefits or drawbacks.
Step 4:
Write a comparison of the four tools. In your comparison, you should examine and discuss the features of the tools that you feel are particularly important. State the tool that you would select to use to teach this topic and provide a rationale for your selection.
Step 5:
Create a Response Video using Flip Grid
- Go to: https://flipgrid.com/edet620sum2019
- Enter the Password: EDET620summer2019
- Click Module 3 – Technology Evaluation
- Click the green “plus” sign to add a response.
- In your video, tell us which tool you chose and why.
- You only have 90 seconds, which isn’t much time. You can pause the video while you are shooting. Have with it! Follow the rest of the prompts and submit your video.
- Respond to at least 2 classmates’ videos in Flip Grid