According Larry Rosen’s Rewired:
Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn (2010), asking
students – who were raised with technology as digital natives of the
iGeneration- to do one task at a time (Unitask)
is not only torture, but research shows that their performance actually
decreases.
These students are so wired, so socially and digitally
interconnected, that Rosen (2010) argues their learning circuits are rewired:
they learn differently. And just as they move through their daily lives
collaboratively through an assortment of portable devices (PDIs) and social
networking, Rosen (2010) states that “research does demonstrate rather convincingly that students who
communicate during a learning experience perform equally well as those who read
the material and have no outside communication— it just takes them longer to
finish the assignment" (p. 67). These students are rewired as multitaskers.
There are some teachers under the thumb of standardized
testing that might scoff at Rosen’s flippancy of “just” taking longer to finish
assignments, but I am not one of them. I am lucky enough to have the flexibility
of my curriculum, as well as the material my university level students cover.
mLearning in action...
As stated in earlier blogs, I am starting to introduce
mobile learning (mLearning) concepts into my English as a second language (ESL)
classrooms; Facebook acts as catchall virtual classroom, while writing
assignments using mind mapping apps (Mindmapper), presentations produced as
videos using a mash-up of apps, blogs (Google Chrome Blogger), and
collaborative brainstorming using a virtual bricolage app (Mural.ly) are all on
this semester’s menu.
Students work to navigate visual literacy as they explore
the English language as an object that can be manipulated through technology
and creativity. Language isn’t something that just gets stuck in their throat
when they try to answer an instructor’s question or collects dust in their
English books that live stuffed in their backpacks.
The introduction of mLearning transforms English into
something that they can create in-between texting their girlfriends and
ignoring their Mom’s incessant questioning about when they are going to do
their chores.
5 Concept of mLearning
Rosen’s (2010) five important concepts of mLearning are:
Information is available anywhere there is
Internet access.
Information is available anytime.
Information is available through devises
that are becoming commonplace and will soon be affordable to most people.
Information can be “pushed” from the
environment to the student and “pulled” by the student from the environment.
The learning environment is fluid and adapts
as the learner learns.
Mobile Virtual Learning Environments (MVLE) in action...
mLearning concepts –if watered daily and fertilized well- can
grow up to become Mobile Virtual Learning Environments (MVLEs).
Now, my classroom social landscape is only in the infancy
stages of MVLEs and might never reach full maturation… but here are some of the
baby steps are we (my students and me) working out…
1. Engaging
environments: “A key to an MVLE is that any virtual educational experience
must be adaptable to whatever environment… is currently embraced by students”
(Rosen, 2010, p. 64).
We use Facebook. Each class has their own private class
group that only they can see and share. I post the class PowerPoints, the
syllabus, study guides, announcements, and send messages/reminders to the
students. They post homework assignments especially designed to be Facebook
posts on the class timeline (more on this later).
2. Environmental
flexibility: “A virtual learning environment can utilize any available
technology to teach a concept” (Rosen, 2010, p. 65).
Although my MVLE is still in level 1 yoga class, my students
are going to explore a few different apps and resources this semester. Here is
an example of the “Family Mind Map” project that my low level ESL university
freshman students are currently working on (due next week):
 |
| My "Family Mind Map" homework Facebook post on the class timeline. |
This project replaced the traditional “make your family
tree” – ever a favorite of rerun of ESL teachers everywhere.
3. Relevant learning
strategies: “Educators need to recognize that even though a book may employ
specific learning strategies that have been researched and proven effective,
they may not be effective for each and every student” (Rosen, 2010, p. 65).
Rosen (2010) goes on to claim that MVLE can be a
“strategy-independent” learning zone where students pick up and discard a
variety of research-approved methods until they find the mLearning strategies
that fit them like a pair of skinny jeans.
 |
| The "Family Mind Map" created on the computer version of the free Mindmapper app. |
Admittedly, I don’t know if I am giving the students enough
of a variety of virtual tools to really provide them with a plethora of
options, but I’ve gotten them out of the book. Rote learning and memorization
is not the pivot by which our classroom revolves.
4. Material
interactivity: “The tools have to allow students to work actively with the
material rather than have a static “book learning” experience” (Rosen, 2010, p.
65).
I consider our book only the launching point from which we
explore the MVLE that is designed to produce creative reactions by the students
in English.
5. Human
interactivity: “Learning can no longer be individualized to one working
alone” (Rosen, 2010, p. 65).
I don’t have a single activity in the real-world classroom
that my students do alone. Interestingly enough, I do actually assign their MLVE
homework individually, but they are always posting it to the class collective Facebook
site. Their homework for next week is to start asking each other questions
about their “Family Mind Map” to promote the same sense of interconnectivity in
the MLVE as we have in classroom.
6. Student-centered
versus the standard teacher-centered education models.
Most of work done by my students in the MLVE takes
initiative as the book can only be used as reference and launching point.
Otherwise, they are responsible for generating the materials to produce the
Facebook timeline posts.
They are inspired to work together and to do more research
on the internet.
 |
| Introductory profile assignment. |
7. Collaborative: see
#5.
8. Creative: “The
opportunity for creative exercises within a learning domain heightens interest
in the subject, motivates the learner to continue with the educational process,
and results in increased levels of understanding” (Rosen, 2010, p. 68).
The students not only have to produce the language that goes
into their projects, they also have to form and produce the project itself.
They can’t just scribble haphazard sentences on a piece of paper and hand it in
on the fly. The students have to interact with the virtual interface while
thinking through all the pieces to complete the Facebook post correctly. They
have to generate pictures and describe them. They are assigned with telling a
visual story as well as written one.
In our MVLE, learning is a creative process just as language
and communication are a creative process.
9. Available 24/7: “Education
can no longer be seen as something that happens between 7:30 A.M. and 2:30
P.M., Monday through Friday, with afternoons and evenings for homework” (Rosen,
2010, p. 69).
I personally have the sleep/work pattern of teenager. I’ve
been known to respond to students’ questions at midnight or have started asking
them questions on their profiles to find myself accidentally in chats with
several of students, because I was on during prime social networking time
(after 10 pm).
 |
| Available 24/7. |
The result of all that MVLE?
This is the first semester that I’ve introduced so much mLearning
into my classroom social landscape… and my Freshman students have a near
perfect attendance rate going into week 4 of classes. That is unheard of.
My advanced conversation class, who are studying a content-based
survey course on critical analysis of visual literacy, have opted to do the
extra work to master the material that is proving difficult for them. The more
that I transform the class into a MVLE – the more breakthroughs that we are
having with the material. The trust is now established between us and we are heading
into the world of collaborative blogging and Mural.ly brainstorming.
So, I will check back with you in a few weeks to see if they
are still hanging tough.
No comments:
Post a Comment