T. Jace Brown and Dr. Dawan Coombs, English Department
The rate of technological advancement can seem dizzying, particularly for teachers who feel tasked with helping students learn about this technology. As technologies like the personal computer, the Internet and, now, smart phones and tablets, have become more powerful and more affordable, teachers have felt increasing pressure to incorporate these devices into classrooms as a way of preparing students for the future workplace.
Literacy
teachers feel this pressure especially strongly, given their charge to prepare students who are capable readers and writers; since so many of these technologies shape the way we read and write, their use seems to fall squarely in our area of concern.
A challenge that we face is that, as technology continues to improve and change, we can’t always predict the effect these technologies will have in the classroom. Though we’d like to believe that technologies help us improve, how do we know whether we are simply replicating something that can already be done? Do the unique possibilities provided by technology allow for better teaching and learning or are we using technology to engage in the same practices we have always used?
This study examines the ways that mobile technologies (particularly iPads) influence student’s perceptions of themselves as readers. The impact of technology integration was studied by focusing on how a student’s perceptions of himself or herself changed and by examining student performance through quantitative measures and teacher perceptions. We approached two classrooms in two different High Schools in Utah County to participate in a series of interviews for the 2012-2013 school year. The classrooms selected had a lab of iPads available for students to use during class time. The participants included:
• 11th-12th grade readers identified as struggling
• 7 female participants and 6 male participants
• 3 White/Caucasian, 1 Native American, 9 Latin@
Interviews consisted primarily of three audio-taped in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews that explored the role of reading in student life. It is difficult to approach something like this with a qualitative study because it is hard to prove that one particular thing, namely technology, can influence scores. The following aspects were explored through the interviews:
• Personal interests
• Self Perception
• Family Life
• School Life
• Role of Technology in the Home/Personally
The audio of each interview was recorded and later transcribed. Cross-case analysis to code for themes and patterns, conducted by three members of the research team to ensure validity of results were performed. These transcribed interviews were initially analyzed separately to ensure range perspective and then were combined and coded based on themes. Final results were formulated and composed.
In addition to the interviews, we compiled a review of literature concerning education and mobile technology. We began by searching academic databases including ERIC, EBSCOhost, Academic Complete, and JSTOR using terms such as “iPad,” “secondary classroom technology,” “mobile learning,” “mlearning,” “one to one initiatives,” “tablet,” “technology & classroom,” “digital literacy,” and “digital reading.” Different researchers explored these distinctive key phrases and words, and, through a shared document, we combined the findings. As members of our research team combed through the research, we used a Google document to create a chart to house and organize these findings. During this time we met as a research team to discuss our findings, consider patterns, and, if necessary, revise the direction of our searches. These processes helped us confirm we had located major studies that framed the research on mobile technology in the classroom.
After the coding of the interviews, we found that students do not describe experiences that utilize mobile technology beyond simple acts of replication. Most students mentioned looking up articles online, or using the iPads as “research tools”, a use that is readily available on different devices. Students also seem to remain indifferent or skeptical concerning the use of mobile technology. One student said, “I don’t like [iPads] that much…I don’t feel like, I don’t know, I need to have the book in my hands.” Many agreed that while the technology appealing at first because it was something new, it quickly became a “distraction”. This was more common that we had anticipated, as many students shared that they ultimately preferred computers or books to mobile technology.
Findings were presented at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) conference in Boston this past November. It was a great opportunity to meet with educators to share my findings and gain insights from professionals regarding technology in the classroom.
We came to the conclusion that in order to influence student attitudes, students may need to engage with technology on a deeper level than simple replication. Educators may see better results by designing educational activities and assessments that encourage students to utilize the unique affordances of technology. Moving forward we believe that teachers need to be trained in ways that they can better utilize the technology and the unique attributes that are made available through mobile technology.