Posts Tagged "students"
3 Mobile Services That Enhance Health and Nutrition Curricula
Ten years ago, health and nutrition curricula were required to focus on the attainment of knowledge related to healthy consumption. We heavily relied on the obtainment of factual knowledge that would later be used to recall the nutritional value of foods; this was the method employed to insure that what we were consuming was nutritionally sound. Since lack of awareness was a contributing factor influencing poor eating habits, knowledge attainment was the natural first priority.
The problem with this approach? We forget facts, and reported nutritional values evolve as new research emerges.
In today’s world, there’s an abundance of organized, dynamic information readily accessible at our fingertips. Resulting from the cultural revolution of mobile devices, access to information is no longer isolated to specific demographics and isn’t contingent upon location. This considered, schools should move along the continuum and shift their focus from knowledge acquisition to the employment of tools that utilize this knowledge.
We learn best when learning is most relevant; mobile services provide opportunities for meaningful and timely learning. Here are three outstanding services that leverage the power of mobility to provide valuable, on-the-spot nutritional information:
1. Food Scanner: Good Food or Bad Food
Read MoreHow to Develop a Collaborative, Targeted Intervention Program for Your School
Data in itself is unimportant; it’s what we do with the data that makes a difference.
Note: The information contained within this post is somewhat technical. While I tried to make it as non-technical as possible, I would still advise you to have someone with a technical background assist you if you’re uncomfortable with technical information.
The picture below illustrates an example of a student’s grades on an assessment, which is available online for around-the-clock access by parents and students. The data (shown in the “Response” column) was collected using eInstruction CPS clickers, exported to a CSV spreadsheet, and then uploaded to a self-hosted WordPress blog. Each student receives a unique user id and password, which allows them to login and view their own specific results on the assessment.
Read MoreFunding Mobile Learning: A Practical Approach
One aspect of teaching I struggle with is intervention and remediation. Whether it be struggling students, absent students, or students traveling for extracurricular activities, all represent groups who need timely intervention. This is especially true in mathematics, where lessons build on prior knowledge. Every absence must be accounted for with additional time for mastery of concepts, and this often doesn’t happen.
In the 2009-2010 school year, I relied heavily on a self-developed computer-assisted remediation program. This remediation program integrated student data from assessments with resources that were aligned with state standards attached to each question. These resources included videos, notes, and practice questions, all of which were completely relevant to the individual needs of students.
While I took a lot of pride in its development and use, equity became an issue because not every student had a computer at home. Additionally, the students who struggled the most were students who did not have access to a computer at home, thus limiting its effectiveness. I wish I could have afforded to purchase every student a computer, but this wasn’t practical.
I’ve been trying to iron out a plan that strikes a good balance amongst these seven important factors, and I hope that I’ve found a viable option.
Below outlines my basic strategy for utilizing mobile technology for remediation and targeted intervention. This is just an initial explanation and will be subject to change as time goes on.
Hardware Being Used:
The Sansa Fuze Video & MP3 Player offers the bulk of features I was looking for at a respectable price ($55); specifically, the ability to play video and audio files on-the-go. Yes, iPods would have been ideal, but purchasing these in bulk just isn’t a viable option because of cost. Purchasing a few of these with personal funds is viable, and those wishing to receive grant money can explore those options as well.
Expectation:
Provide easy-access to content-relevant videos and podcasts. Every week, I will update each Sansa Fuze with self-created videos that further explain the lessons and content from each day.
Initially, I’ll start out with 5 of the Sansa Fuzes and will monitor its effectiveness. Students will be able to check these out from me on an as-needed basis, and will only be able to have it for one day at a time. With roughly 4 to 6 students absent on any given day, this should be sufficient for starting out.
Additionally, students who already own their preferred mobile technology (iPods, iPhones, iPads, Zunes, etc.) can also take advantage of the videos I make available once I place them online.
The major drawback will be in consistently updating content on the Sansa Fuze. It uses a USB cable, which means I’ll have to transfer files from my computer to the Sansa separately. The best solution I could come up with would be to update them on weekly basis. Effectively, this would encourage me to prepare my lessons in advance, which would also serve to enhance my classroom instruction.
Anticipating this will help with:
- Intervening with struggling students
- Absent students
- Encouraging teacher preparation
- Archiving instruction for future use
- Students traveling
I hope to use the results from this project for future funding of mobile devices. This is intentionally a little vague because I’m not entirely sure how the details will pan out, but I’ll update with our progress as time goes on.
Read MoreWhere Are We Runnin’? Education’s Shift Towards Mobility
7 Questions to Consider when Evaluating Mobile Technology in Education
When evaluating mobile technology for its use in education, these 7 questions should guide you towards well-made decisions. The trick will be in making a decision that strikes a balance amongst all your answers.
Although there are many factors to address prior to making any decisions relating to mobile technology in education, I consider these 7 questions to be most important:
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