Student Engagement By Alan Jacobs: Article Analysis

Technology is advancing every day. “More than 203 million people in the United States use cell phones” (Castle), but schools expect students not to use it. Cell phones play a huge role in high school

According to Huff Post Education, part of the Huffington Post internet newspaper that caters to the world of education, companies such Google, Verizon and Microsoft are pouring in million upon millions of dollars to provide schools with the latest in new gadgets and devices. The schools are in return, are looking for technology to revive student performances in the classroom (Contributing writer to the Huffington Post, 2010). As I mentioned earlier, my goal is to produce lifelong learners. I want my students to be just a captivated in my class as they are to latest music video by their favorite artist. Engagement is the true issue here, and begs the question, “Does technology foster engagement or inhibit it?, (Ain, 2011). I for one, believe that technology can do what is it purposed to do, and that is to foster engagement and enable critical and creative thinking (Ain,

Teachers have been known to discourage the use of technology in the classrooms. It seems odd that so many teachers would stick by the fact that texting actually helps students’. Technology has actually been innovated into schools nationwide. Some teachers are having students use their phone in the classrooms to play games like ‘Kahoot’ and to find research. Some schools are even providing computers to students.

Alfonzo Porter, a publisher for The Washington Post, is a strong believer that technology has caused massive problems when it comes to educating students. The publisher mentions that student are losing interest in school and becoming more distracted with their cellular devices. In the newspaper, Porter writes, “76 percent of teachers believed students are being conditioned by the internet to find quick answers, leading to a loss of concentration.” Alfonzo Porter believes that students are not taking advantage of technology, instead, they are manipulating it. In today’s modern society, there is a higher percentage of students using their cellphones to find answers, compared to students that are properly reading a book to find solutions to their problems. This issue is leading students becoming less interested in expanding their knowledge.

The research topic of this study is how integrating technology into a middle school classroom effects student engagement and performance on assessments. Students that are currently in middle school have grown up with technology surrounding them their entire lives. When these students see technology as a part of their everyday life, it seems natural to include technology in their school work whenever possible. It is true that some schools lack the resources to allow classes to integrate technology as frequently as they would like, however, this study will look at the effect that technology has on engaging students in their lessons. This study will also explore if an increase in student engagement leads to improved achievement

Maureen E. Wilson (2004) in Teaching, learning and Millennial Students state "educators can create environments and experiences to enhance student learning and engagement in classrooms and beyond through a combination of pedagogical and technological innovations."

Every teacher has a different policy on cell phone use in class. In past years, cell phones were essentially banned from classrooms while more recently teachers have been more lenient with their policy. Educational devices such as computers and online learning have been embraced by many school districts, while cell phones which offer the same effect on learning have been outlawed. Advancements in technology can provide students with a new learning tools where the learning tools will be used in the real world. Students who use cell phones to access research information are able to reach a wide variety of current information. Teachers are also able to teach students the proper way to use cell phones in a professional setting. Cell phones can also raise engagement levels in classes. In the article Cell Phones in the Classroom by George Engel and Tim Green, “There was an observable rise in class participation when cell phones were used in the class” (44). While cell phones were once considered a distraction, the way society uses cell phones has changed. Likewise, the purpose of cell phones has shifted from solely communication to a variety of benefits. Cell phones should be allowed in classrooms for educational uses because there are so many different ways to learn and study using them.

During EdTech 202 and other educational class field experience requirements, I discovered how technology has influenced the classroom with the use of Smartboards or similar devices. The use of Smartboard technology would be the center point in my classroom activities due to the versatility that it can provide. The Smartboard is able to aid in demonstrating class lessons and record the students’ responses via handheld devices: recording statistics on their answers and how long it took to respond. Students being able to interface with this piece of technology would enable better participation with class activities with the class easing the stress of answering questions in front of the class like the old days.

Many people believe that bringing cell phones to school may cause distractions. However, a recent study leads more and more people to believe that mobile phones could in fact be a “powerful learning tool” (Docksai), serving as a mobile computer ("Cell Phones in the Classroom” ). Elizabeth Hartnell- Young, a research fellow from the University of Nottingham tracked 331 students from 14 to 16 years old, for learning through cell phones. They used cell phones to make short videos, set homework reminders, record poems, and transfer files from home to school (Docksai). Students described their learning experience as “motivated” (Docksai). Many experts pointed out that students have a “deep comfort level” with mobile phones (Docksai). In other words, students could learn more if they enjoyed what they were doing. An increasing number of teachers have changed their point of view towards cell phones, many now believe that cell phones would exert positive effects on education. For example, some teachers have already started to collect homework online and answer questions through text- messaging. A school in Saskatchewan encouraged students to read and share thoughts about books through their cell phones (Docksai). Furthermore, according to a recent survey, the majority of students could refrain from using cell phones and not be distracted by them in class. In fact, over 71% of students didn’t

However, using these mobile technologies in a classroom environment has both advantages and disadvantages. Learning with these mobile devices enables students to engage in their study and clearly understand the lessons. At the same time, these mobile devices may be disadvantageous to students if they were used in wrong ways, i.e., to play games and go to inappropriate websites. Both teachers and parents have to guide their children to properly employ tablets in the right way and at the right time. The following are comments from two teachers regarding the use of tablets and smartphones in teaching and

Cell phones have advanced in technology tremendously over the years. There has also been some contradiction as whether or not cell phones should be banned in schools. Some people, such as the author(s) of “Schools Review Cell Phone Bans,” (2009) say that cell phones are a distraction to students while trying to learn; while other authors, such as the author of “Cell Phones in the Classroom,” (2010) Marie Bjerede, say that cell phones offer students the ability to branch out of text books and retrieve information from the internet right from a smartphone. When interviewed, Hunter Khaleghi, a student

The next topic of discussion is cell phones in classrooms. The article being summarized is entitled The Only Thing We Have to Fear is…120 Characters. In this article, Kevin Thomas and Christy McGee (2012) make arguments for the use of cellphones in classrooms in spite of the fact that 69% have banned them. This paper responds to the many reasons for disallowing their use, and then it goes on to highlight some ideas about why cell phones should be used as educational tools. Both sides of the discussion certainly make valid points.

Mobile phones are the communication device that can connect people with others in any places. Students nowadays rely on mobile phones as their communication devices with friends and parents. Some of them think mobile phones as a learning tool. Are they really essential as a learning tool? This essay will argue that mobile phones are a necessary tool for education but also they are not necessary tool for education. Firstly, it will explain why mobile phones are a necessary tool for education. Then it will explain why they are not.

In Tamara Brenner’s article, “The Use of Mobile Devices in the College Classroom”, she stresses that the use of cell phones is distracting in a college classroom setting. This article was published by the Bok Center by Harvard University. Brenner has a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology, and taught undergraduate life science classes at Harvard. Today’s day and age is almost completely dependent on technology. Teenagers and students today have a completely new problem to deal with as far as how to balance cell phone time and lecture time in classrooms. Anybody in a college classroom setting should pay attention to what is in this article, especially students and teachers. Brenner uses strong studies and research papers to inform the reader about the issue as well as looks at all sides of the argument on how distracting mobile devices are in the college classroom.

In today’s dynamic classroom, the teaching and learning processes is becoming more nuanced, more seamless and it flows back and forth from student to teacher. Digital Pedagogy is needed, in impact digital technologies have on student’s engagement and motivation. In progressive schools pens and pencils are fast getting obsolete now, rather than “soft skills” are needed for work. Education now focus on how to make the most effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. Due to extensive use of digital tools in classes, teachers are more co-collaborators or moderators rather than just teachers. Teaching has become more of an attitude towards and aptitude with digital technologies.