Proposal Draft
Research Project: Project Pocket Technology
1. A brief introduction to, and rationale for, the project including reference to a sample of the existing literature on the topic of interest (5 or so articles) :
This project is critically exploring, designing and developing technology integration lessons and activities, as a means of, meeting the needs of students, in a multimodal Grade 2 level classroom. Cisco Group (2008) found the following:
Students engaged in learning that incorporates multimodal designs, on average, outperform students who learn using traditional approaches with single modes. (p. 13)
In order to change teaching for the 21st Century learner teachers must begin changing the strategies and techniques that they have been using since the industrial age. (Tapscott, 1998) Students already see the value of meaningful work and see the need to change how teachers traditionally do things. Students are saying that 21st century skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology for meaningful learning are essential. Teachers need to be willing to make the change and begin teaching 21st century skills. (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010, p. 3) Using 21st Century methods, Web 2.0 tools, will provide the necessary skills for the youth to have a competitive chance at becoming successful in their future careers. Using technology effectively, that is connected and meaningful to them, is also very motivational. Teachers can leverage student learning by the effective use of technology and the ability to scaffold the learning to meet each students needs. (Cisco Group 2008, p. 14) Teachers can maximize this learning by integrating pocket technology to their teaching practice. From the moment they begin a learning project to the creation, sharing, analyzing, and presentation and publication the students will use their BYOD which is highly motivational and makes learning fun encompassing the new 21st century literacy skills.
A new mindset for the teacher is essential, with a willingness to change, to be flexible and willing to adapt to doing new things with pocket devices that can be the Swiss army knife of digital learning tools. (Kolb, 2011, p. 42) Teachers may know little about using cell phones or other pocket devices like IPods however these devices are able to connect wirelessly serve as access points for many Web 2.0 activities such as social media collaboration, inquiry, higher-level thinking, digital searches all belonging to the participatory culture. (Varlas, 2010) Granted teachers must also teach appropriate use of this technology. Furthermore, these pocket devices can replace many other tools that are often needed in classrooms. This is where my individual project will be most effective, providing an assortment of lessons and activities to integrate technology that my students have access to, such as, a portable calculator, timer, stopwatch, a level, a book, slideshow creator, voice recorder, and endless more functions found in their pockets and backpacks. (Varlas, 2010) Using cell phones or other portable connective devices as teaching tools provide great opportunities for learning. I feel that designing good lessons, using the many tools, offered in the pocket technology, that the students have access to, is an effective way to connect, motivate and maximize their learning.
2. A clear statement of the nature of the project:
The nature of this individual project is to create project based learning opportunities implementing the students BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) in the classroom. This project will develop and design a series of lessons and activities using ‘BYOD’ technology available to the students. This project will take a closer look at the development of meaningful learning activities focussing on using pocket technology to maximize their learning, in this case, a Language Arts unit of study -developing their writing skills in the area of sentence fluency. The students will use their devices for a range of 21st Century digital literacy activities focusing on the development of their expressive language and writing fluency. This project will develop and design a framework of lessons and activities integrating pocket technology to maximize student learning opportunities. It is important to note the many opportunities for teachers to use the pocket technology for their own professional learning incorporating the video capture feature to take impromptu videos of students engaged in learning, which provides opportunity for reflection.
3. A brief overview of the method to be used in the project (i.e., workshop, teaching guide, paper etc.)
The method of this project will be in the format of the production of a teaching guide, designing a series of lessons, activities, and assessment pieces to align Provincial Curriculum Outcomes with the concept of BYOD, pocket technology, and portable technology.
4. An indication of any other partners to be involved (i.e., is this an individual or group project?)
This is an individual project, there are no partners or other groups involved in this guide development and design project.
5. A brief overview of the ethical considerations that may be necessary-No ethical issues
Ethics of use in the classroom
● for capture and transmission
● involving consent
6. A projected timeline for implementation and completion of this unit of study is 3-4 weeks. This is usually the timeline that a grade 2 teacher plans for sufficient time to explore and expand knowledge of the students while maintaining student interests. The activities will be integrated according to the Time to Learn Strategy for the required 90 minutes amount of Language Arts per day 20 days X 90 minutes = 1800 minutes
References
Cisco Group. (2008). Multimodal Learning Through Media: What the Research Says.
Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/Multimodal- Learning-Through-Media.pdf
Kolb, L. (2011). Adventures with cell phones. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 39-43. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/Adventures-with-Cell-Phones.aspx
Larmer, J., & Mergendoller, J. (2010). 7 essentials for project-based learning. Educational Leadership, 68(1), 34-37. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx
Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital. Montreal: McGraw-Hill.
Varlas, L. (2010). Cell phones allow anytime learning. ASCD Express, 5(18), Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/518-varlas.aspx
