My (Updated) Trend Tracking Infrastructure

As promised here is here my updated Trend Tracking Infrastructure. Rather than write a long description of each section I rearranged, added and removed somethings in my diagram.  Hopefully, you're able to follow my visual structure of how I try to track trends.

To view image in a different window click here.

Trend Sources and Reasons

Created with Wordle using some of my tags.

When trying to choose which sources to look at during my trend tracking experience I first began with setting up Google Alerts. The results that I believed were interesting, a trend or a possible trend setter I would tag and add to Diigo. As I started to review the results that came in I started to create more specific alerts as well as deleting some that weren’t giving me the kind of results I was looking for.  As my background is in education and my focus is on technology most of alerts ended up being based around that. Therefore, I had to refine my search results to these as the information was becoming so abundant and varied.

Here is the list of alerts that I currently have:

• Education
• Education and learning
• Education, learning, technology and trends
• Education technology
• Education trends
• iPad and learning
• Learning and trends
• Tablet and learning

Once I found that certain sites were providing several results I would subscribe to them on Google Reader.  The results I found in Google Reader that fit what I was looking for I would star and tag. Unfortunately, up until about two weeks ago, I hadn’t thought to tag and bookmark these articles in Diigo.  Below is a list of the subscriptions that I have and some of the stats since I first started trend tracking.

Although my alerts and subscriptions were limited to the lists shown above, the types of results I was getting were related to other fields such as politics and research; and from an assortment of perspectives such as those of parents, educators, students, journalists, the government and so forth. 

In addition, many of the results that I have added to Diigo were articles from various online newspaper sites from all around the world. For example, The India Times, The Mercury (UK), The Irish Times, The Montreal Gazette, Bangkok Post, Edmonton Journal, Daily Nation and so forth… As you can see, by having set up different alerts I have been able to gather articles from all around the world.  This gave me the opportunity to see if trends are specific to certain locations, races, cultures and so on.

When looking at the wealth of information that was coming I always made sure to take into consideration the validity of those sources. The majority of the bookmarks and starred items were articles from online journals and websites of different professionals (i.e. The eLearning Coach and Edtech Digest).  With the aim of having a full balance of perspectives of the trends (and possible trends) I have tried to include sources from different blogs (i.e. Linking and Thinking on Education by Joanne Jacobs, and Clive on Learning). One of my new favourite websites is Pew Internet.  Unfortunately I have only realized this after I had completed my second Trend Report.

As I continue to track trends I will continue to add alerts and subscriptions. Perhaps I may even start looking at trends in different topics and areas.

Trend Tracking #2 - Tablets in Education and Learning

One of the major emerging trends that I found through out the last few weeks is the integration of tablets/iPads into the classroom and learning. Below is an infographic that displays how tablets are taking over the markets.

via

Students these days are surrounded by technology and learn how to use it at a very young age; therefore, I certainly don’t find it very surprising that education is diving into the digital realm along with the students.  Tablets have many pros that help reinforce the decision as to why tablets should be incorporated into the classroom.  Shilpy Pattar lists the five key reasons that iPads (tablets) should be used in education:

1)      They’re easy to carry

2)      They increase retention rates

3)      They allow students to attend class anywhere

4)      They accommodate individual learning styles and differentiated instruction

5)      They engage students with interactive learning

Clive Sheperd writes in his blog that “using a tablet seems more fun, more contemporary, more engaging … it's much more likely to be used in a 'lean back' mode, which is more conducive to reflective learning”.

Headmaster Mike Brown from Trinity Episcopal School explains in a video how iPads are engaging to students – they provide students with a plethora of information at the tips of their fingers.  

Kristy Nelson, a teacher at the school, states “The iPads are ideal for any kind of learner - visual, audio or kinesthetic”. Mary Rokyta, another teacher at that school, shares “They'll do this stuff for hours, and they'll think it's a game because it's in a game format, and they have fun doing it … The private practice on the iPad allows students to be less intimidated, and it facilitates students who are on different learning levels”.

Opelika students also agree that iPads are useful in their learning. ““You can do more stuff on here than on paper. It’s very self-explanatory.” Kambria said she likes instantly knowing whether her answer to a problem is correct or incorrect.”  The following is a video of an interview with an elementary teacher. She goes to explain how students become engaged in their learning with the use of an iPad.

However she does note that iPads are only considered to be a tool for learning. Christine Keeling also supports this; “It’s a lot different than a “Dick and Jane” book, but an iPad, as a tool, provides a vehicle to make education fun and lets everyone do it at their own pace, even while they are in the same classroom, she said.”

An article by Allison Rupp states that after three months of using iPads in a Knoxville school the teachers found that there were already significant advantages for both the students and themselves.  I.e. Students were able to save their work in one location – nothing could get “lost” and the teachers were able to cover more in a single class. A science teacher at the same school stated that "It sort of gives them virtual, hands-on experience, like with the brain… They can look at it in ways they couldn't without the iPad." “At home, students could watch their teacher explaining exactly how to diagram nouns and verbs. The assignment was also loaded on iCalendar.”

As a teacher who was away at times for professional development and training, it was always difficult to expect a substitute to cover/teach the lesson you would you have otherwise taught yourself with an  iPad you would be able to record your lessons when you’re away and your students wouldn’t miss out. That’s what one teacher from the Knoxville school did. Not only does recording lessons help out the teacher but it also helps out the students who have to miss school.  Ben White, another teacher at the Knoxville school, also states that he gets his students to record him explaining their homework to them on their iPads so that they don’t have an excuse for not doing their homework. 

As mentioned earlier, one of Shilpy Pattar’s key reasons to use an iPad in education was because they are easy to carry.  I want to explain that a bit more – with all the apps, files and notes that can be stored into a tablet there becomes less of a need to carry around paper, pens and notebooks.  There’s also one other main thing that weighs down most students each day to and from school that becomes obsolete – textbooks. An editorial in the FayObserver explains that textbook companies are creating more and more textbooks in e-book formats. “Better, they have found that tablets allow them to expand the scope of textbooks, adding, for example, pop-up calculators in math texts, or videos in history books.” Not only do e-book formats of textbooks help save the students back from pain but also helps everyone save money as e-books are much cheaper than hardcover copies.

So far I’ve covered the benefits that tablets have for the average student in North America. Now I want to delve into the use of tablets to help those who have difficulty learning whether due to learning disabilities, living in remote areas and even due to poverty.

Let’s start with how a tablet can be the starting point for better communication with a child with autism.  The video below is of a mother explaining how the introduction of a tablet to her autistic child has helped them communicate better. 

The article attached to the video explains that “Though there are other computers designed for children with autism, a growing number of experts say that the iPad is better. It's cheaper, faster, more versatile, more user-friendly, more portable, more engaging and infinitely “cooler” for young people. A large number of iPad applications or “apps” have been created that address the most common disabilities found in autistic children: attention span, communication, and organization or sequencing.”   I believe that the benefits that the tablet has for autistic children can also aid other children with learning disabilities or anyone in general who may have difficulty with attention, communication and organization/sequencing.

In third world countries, up-to-date education can be difficult to achieve.  There are a few nations that are taking some significant steps in order to change that.  The Ministry of Education in Thailand has created an initiative called “one-tablet-per-child” which will give each student in Thailand a tablet starting in 2012.  This will impact 800,000 students.  Mitsutoshi Miyagi explains that the Ministry of Education will also do a study on if/how tablets have an affect on the student’s eyesight and their learning.  They also stated the following “Tablets have also been issued to students in other parts of the region. iPads were issued to students in Singapore early this year, while in Philippines, Bangladesh, and in other Asian countries some students will receive laptop style computers under similar state programs.”

The Ministry of Education in Bangkok is also doing a pilot program where they are giving 50 first grade students and 50 fourth grade students tablet PCs.  Like Thailand its’ study will focus on the students’ eye sight as well as their performance in learning, reading and writing.

In India, the situation is not quite the same.  Although the government is not supplying students with free tablets/iPads, two electrical engineers created a tablet that most families in India can afford – the Aakash.  The Aakash can be used by the families for distance learning, learning English, math and so forth. The article states “The Aakash is a ray of hope that India can leverage technology to get more of its 220 million students enough tools to escape poverty and poor teaching”. 

Like all other tools, there will always be some skepticism about how effective tablets are and if there will be some adverse consequences such as the article titled “Will turning to tablet computer to educate pupils kill handwriting?” discusses. However that debate is a discussion for another time.

The main reason I chose to research in more depth this trend is that I hope to some day create useful resources for French as a second language using technology.  And since tablets seem to be becoming the “new thing” I wanted to see if there was much out in terms of apps for tablets for learning French.  The only thing I came across thus far was an app for tablets called “Hello-Hello” for Basic French.  This tells me that there is much room for competition in this domain.  However, I fear that once I finally create a resource for tablets there will be something newer and better.  So for now I’ll keep doing my research and try to keep up-to-date with new trends. 

Trend Tracking

Over the past month, I’ve been bookmarking, tagging and tracking different sources related to education, technology, learning, training, and trends noted by others.  I’ve come across a variety of different trends, but I’m only going to briefly talk about a few of the ones that relate most with my life and profession. The main theme that seems to come across the majority of the topics I’m going to discuss is the increasing significance of technology in education and learning. 

The article 11 Ways to Learn in 2011 discuses how one can go about improving their own learning by using the world wide web. I.e. “Mastering the How-To Universe” and “Learn On The Go”.  Expanding how, where and what we learn is no longer a trend but a reality. According to Statistics Canada, in 2009 approximately 80% of Canadians were using the internet.  Since we can now access the internet via our telephones, I’d say it would be safe to assume that that number has certainly increased.  Keeping this in mind, it only makes sense that we incorporate technology into a variety of areas in learning; such as incorporating interactive whiteboards, hand held devices, online education, and so forth.  

One of the trends I find to be emerging in education technology is the use of iPads and tablets in the classroom.  Not only are they being used as an additional media, but they are actually replacing things that are considered to be traditional learning media, for example dictionaries, calculators, textbooks and even school bags.  South Hedland Primary School is conducting a pilot program in which “hands-on” technology is being integrated into the classroom for all ages.  The iPads are found to be a great tool for children who are “still developing their fine motor skills”.  In Qatar, the Zainab Preparatory School has provided each student with an iPad as replacements for their school bags. The entire curriculum is installed on the iPad, allowing students to no longer worry about textbooks, calculators, even notebooks.  Even Statistics New Zealand, explains how iPads are now part of their “basket of goods” when trying to calculate inflation.  My guess though is that once iPads become more of a reality in all sectors of education around the world, there will be something new to take its place and improve on it.

As mentioned earlier, most phones now have internet capabilities - smart phones.  When Apple first came out with their slogan "There’s an app for that", they weren’t wrong because now the idea of apps has spread like wild fire. Companies all over are racing to come out with something new and better for our mobile devices, that will help make our lives easier and/or more interesting.  There hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I have read about a new app that is going becoming popular or to soon hit the market.  Such as the app Dynolicious that helps you track your vehicle’s performance.

I haven’t done enough research to determine which apps are trending at the moment or which ones will come out on top in the future.  However, my focus is on how some apps in general are helping focus on e-Learning and learning management tools. In the article Consumer technology ‘embraces e-learning’, Dr David Guralnick believes that “the consumer technology available on the market is likely to expand and improve, thus making way for the continued development of e-learning platforms, methods and ways of providing information.” By creating apps that are geared toward learning, such as Math Drills, Grammar Up, and On This Day, they can create better more elaborate apps in the future.

Social media is another trend that I find to be currently sticking out above the many.  Although it seems to only beginning to poke its head into the world of education with its problems and misuse, it still has some very beneficial aspects.  According to the article A Case of Using Social Networking for Learning, Richard J. Light found that students who used social networking were significantly better able to work in study groups.  Below is a graphic by Onlinephd.org that goes into depth about how Facebook as a social network is enriching the college experience. Facebook is definitely filled with many distractions but it also contains aspects that helps individuals with their studies – study group discussions/chats, school specific apps and so forth.

Created by: Online PhD

On a different, but perhaps more interesting note, another study has found a link between the number of Facebook friends a person has and the size of certain brain regions they have.

Another trend that I want to discuss has actually been around for some time; using online videos for educational reasons.  However YouTube is now doing a pilot program that allows teachers to access YouTube videos at school without being blocked or taking the risk of exposing students to inappropriate content. This will hopefully be a solution to a problem that many have had for years.   Below is an example of a video that can be found on EDU-YouTube demonstrating how to create monster foam.

YouTube is also working with NASA on their SpaceLab challenge; having kids come up with different experiments that could potential be chosen then done in space.

Kids enjoy doing hands-on activities and playing games.  There is current trend starting up surround game-based learning.  When students play games they tend to forget they’re learning, so I can understand why it is being more popular in education.  Justin Marquis Ph.D. has a blog titled What Does Game-based Learning Offer Higher Education?.  It briefly summarizes a TED Talk video by Jane McGonigal who states that “Gaming can make the world a better place”.  The article goes to say that there are four characteristics that games have: urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful productivity and epic meaning – characteristics we want in our students.

The article Is Gaming the New Essential Literacy? goes on to associate gaming literacy to being able to problem solving and even how some game play helps one focus more on the process of the game and less on the content.  Another article discusses gamification - how role playing a science experiment via technology may be more effective for some students than having them do them hands-on in the classroom.

As we’ve seen there are many trends that are lending to individuals using technology in order to help with learning.  However, online learning is also a trend in itself.  Online learning is seen to be a great way to help build critical thinking skills especially through well developed inquiry based e-Learning courses. Although some statistics show that online learning creates higher drop out rates in students, it allows for more students to complete their wanted degrees as sometimes attending colleges or universities is simply unachievable due to geographical, financial or family circumstances.  The following is another image from Onlinephd.org.

Created by: Online PhD

I’m going to finish off with an article by Joanna L. Ernst’s article titled Cutting-edge technologies sharpen curriculums.  It goes into depth about a few of the ways schools are turning to technology in order to meet the needs of their students.