Digital Devices and the Educational Experience

The use of digital devices in the K-12 classroom is becoming more commonplace. My son's district is one-to-one with iPads starting at grade 4. My district is one-to-one with Chromebooks starting at grade 6. In addition to Chromebooks, my district allows students to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), which includes anything they can carry into the classroom. Lower grades in both districts have classroom access to various devices, mainly intended for whole-class or group activities. My daughter's pre-Pre-K class (she's only 4) even has a technology class twice a week!

Gura (2018) says technology integration needs to happen soon or we risk losing student interest in the classroom entirely. On days in my class when we shift away from technology, students go through a withdrawal. Students are much more difficult to keep on-task without technology since it's become such an ingrained part of their routines. Look at how much we use technology as adults. I grew up when the internet was just becoming "a thing" and dial-up was the standard. Our children, at least mine, have grown up with devices in-hand since they could hold a phone. 

Sheninger (2014) noted that internet use by Americans increased from 2.7 hours per week to 2.6 hours per day in the span of time from 2006 to 2010. Common Sense Media (2015) found that, on average, teens spend 9 hours, and tweens spend 6 hours online daily for non-academic purposes. Our children spend plenty of time using digital tools! Sheninger (2014) mentioned how it's hard to deny the creativity and collaboration inherently encouraged by using technology. As I watch my students complete assignments, they're constantly sharing work with their neighbors, asking if their work looks good, and researching more about something they find interesting. We need to give them enough room to explore, but we still need to be available to guide and support them in doing so safely and with reliable sources.

Bartholomew, et al., (2017) studied mobile device use by middle school students in an open-ended engineering project. They found environmental characteristics, like classroom norms and teacher guidance, had more impact on learning and achievement than mobile device usage. Both students and teachers noted that students were used to not having access to devices during class, and most students used devices less than 30 minutes of the 360 minutes allowed for the project. This would certainly not be the norm in my classroom! My students typically use their Chromebooks daily for at least 30 of the 50 minutes each class. Most of my students only use their smartphone if their Chromebook battery dies. They would rather use a device with a full keyboard and larger screen. Some students in the study mentioned that the mobile device they were given wasn't the right tool for the task they were to complete. Gura (2018) would likely agree since he notes teaching modality must be considered when selecting devices. Type and amount of information needed must also be considered when selecting devices.

Sheninger (2014) notes that student input is needed to properly reshape curriculum, pedagogy, technology purchases, and how time is allocated. Students in the study conducted by Bartholomew, et al., (2017) shared feedback on device type, and gave data on time allocation based on device type. I try to find ways to use software students already use, but I also try to locate innovative resources that they may find engaging and informative. One of my recent go-to resources is LegendsOfLearning - a website that gamifies science topics. 

Gura (2018) also considers the impact of the space we use technology in. When we launched our one-to-one initiative, I found myself standing at the back of the room so I could monitor screens. Now, I've flipped my students' desks around to face the back of the room. When receiving direct instruction, they turn their chairs to face the front and they don't have the distraction of a device in front of them. 

My students have choice of digital or paper for most assignments. They're split on how they choose to complete work, frequently going back and forth between paper and digital options. They need a digital break sometimes, and most students still enjoy coloring or doodling on assignments when they finish it on paper. While digital devices don't have to be integrated for every assignment, they are definitely here to stay and educators need to learn when and how to integrate them or risk becoming obsolete themselves. 

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