Carts & Horsesin the Collaborative, Social

Space

Deborah Keyek-Franssen

Director, Academic Technology Unit

Office of the GPB & CTO

University of Colorado at Boulder

The argument

• Technology is the cart.

So who’s the horse?

• What we know about learning & disciplinary content should influence pedagogy.

• All three should drive technology choices.

Cool!

• There are three horses!

• So we get to be the three horsemen of the apocalypse?

Sorry, no

• There were four horsemen.

• There is no mention of a cart.

• And don’t you remember slide #2?

The argument

• Technology is the cart.

• Technology doesn’t get to ride the horses, not even metaphorically.

The postulate

• Technology should NOT be used as a solution in search of a teaching or learning problem.

The basics

• Understand elements of learning

• Articulate content goals

• Find pedagogical method

• Choose appropriate tool (sometimes a technology tool)(yes, yes, chalk is technology)

(Some) elements of learning

• Working memory

• Engagement

• Motivation

• Feedback

• Reflection

• Building on past knowledge

• Don’t forget Douglas Adams

(and some others…)

• Time on task

• Structure and context of knowledge

• Repetition and retention

Working Memory

• Limited• Seven “chunks” at a time• What does this mean for pedagogy?

Chunking (both in-class and with scaffolding activities in- and out-of-class) and keeping working memory available for learning

• Can technology be effective? Technology can use up working memory that

could be used for learning.

Point well-taken

That said…

• Technology can also be used to free up working memory.

• So, you remember DaVinci, right, and how he used light and perspective in his paintings. OK, now that you have that in mind…

A picture’s worth…

• Particular gain with dynamic processes: cognitive load is less when you see what is happening, rather than hear a description of it.

Engagement

• Self-define learning, self-evaluate

• Challenging, complex, multidisciplinary (multi-sensory?) tasks involving sustained amounts of time

• What does mean for pedagogy? Designing in- and out-of-class activities that

engage (including lecture, readings)

• Can technology be effective? Collaborative, social tools? Yes!

Motivation

• What motivates students?

• What does mean for pedagogy? Build motivations into course: rewards for

desired activity (class participation, e.g.)

• Can technology be effective? Can simplify the reward part (computer-graded

online homework; online or clickers quizzes for pre-reading); social motivation can be stronger (socializing, group membership)

Feedback

• Frequent, timely feedback enhances learning.

• What does mean for pedagogy? Formative assessments, communication

• Can technology be effective? Makes near-automatic feedback possible

(computer-graded online quizzes, clickers, simulations); collaborative and social tools make peer-to-peer and instructor-to-student feedback easier (or possible)

Reflection

• Explaining, and then critically evaluating own (and others) explanations

• What does mean for pedagogy? Self-evaluations, reflection papers

• Can technology be effective? Wikis, blogs promote evaluative and reflective

writing

Building on past knowledge

• Set curriculum or not, standards or not, past knowledge

• What does this mean for pedagogy? Built-in for higher education (pre-requisites,

pre-tests); self-report of familiarity

• Can technology be effective? Clickers, online quizzes as pre- and post-tests;

really revolutionary when students participate in building of “civilization’s” knowledge.

Back to the metaphor

• Horses aren’t always there• Faculty and instructors aren’t universally

aware of elements of learning or of effective pedagogical methods

• Sometimes the cart is sleek and makes the ride enjoyable, sometimes it has square wheels

• Sometimes faculty and instructors and (gasp) even IT folks put the cart before the horse

What PHET is up to

• Simulations (engagement, motivation, feedback, time on task)

• Clickers (engagement, motivation, feedback, reflection, build on past knowledge)

• Communication (engagement, motivation, feedback, reflection, build on past knowledge)

Contextualizing PHET

• Disciplinary challenges & goals

• Reflection on pedagogical methods

• Conscious decisions about technology

PHET simulations

• phet.colorado.edu

• Over 70 simulations, many addictive

PHET & clickers

• Use clickers to poll Did you take physics in high school? Did you learn about electric circuits with

batteries and light bulbs? Rate your level of interest? In the circuit shown, will light bulb #3 light up?

Inquiring minds…

When switch is closed, bulb 3 will a. not light up.b. be brighter than bulb 2.c. burn out.

21 3

Nice fit!

• In large lecture classrooms, this sort of polling is often the only way to learn about students’ past knowledge

• In large lecture classrooms, clicker quizzes are often the only way to provide quick, in-class feedback about students’ understanding of content

• Better learning with “accountability” of clickers.

No, really: nice fit!

• Challenging, but attainable mental task

• Feedback on thinking (timely, specific)

• Discuss in groups (learn, evaluate in student-student discussion, instructor listens)

• Minimal (but non-zero) impact on grade

• Not for attendance

PHET & communication tools

• Technology to enhance communication and ability of instructor to serve as “thinking coach” and help other students do the same.

• “High-touch” use of communication (online discussion, email) to extend capabilities of instructor as individual tutor, to understand and address students’ learning needs.

Where does this leave us?

• If we can’t be the horsemen of the apocalypse…

• If we’re *just* the cart…

• Wait! Does faculty development get to be a horse?! That’s just not fair.

• No, really, what’s our role?

Navigators?

• Map collaborative tool use to learning elements

• Investigate disciplinary differences, see how learning goals differ, have an impact on tools chosen.

• Stop and ask for directions from the horses.