Relative Advantage of Using Technology to Enhance Chemistry Learning

Chemistry is a challenging subject in high school (Treagust, Duit & Nieswandt, 2000). “Because chemistry topics are generally related to or based on the structure of matter, chemistry proves a difficult subject for many students” (Sirhan, 2007). Chemistry teachers can help students overcome their difficulties by integrating technology in the learning process.

The United Kingdom’s Royal Society of Chemistry (the Society) examined a number of applications of technology to enhance chemical education (Seery & McDonnell, 2013). The Society published its findings in the form of a special edition of Chemistry Education Research and Practice, in Spring 2013. The findings support the case for using videos, simulations, modeling and other similar technology-enabled resources to enhance chemistry education. The primary conclusion of the report is that multimedia resources can be used as cognitive scaffolding devices to help students manage the cognitive load involved in learning the basic and foundational chemistry concepts taught in high school classrooms.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is in full agreement with their counterparts from the United Kingdom. In their guideline for the teaching of high school chemistry, the ACS notes that American students are not interested in the traditional classroom methods used in teaching chemistry (ACS, 2012). The students hunger for a pedagogical practice that takes advantage of the technological age to help them overcome their fears of the subject matter (Gilmore, 2013) and to comprehend and retain information as they proceed with their chemistry courses.

The Technological Pedagogic Content Knowledge (TPACK) is an example of a technology advancement that has helped teachers’ pedagogical approaches to teaching chemistry to high school students. Using this framework, teachers can incorporate a number of technology tools to enhance the chemistry classroom. The ACS endorses a number of such tools. One such tool is the virtual laboratory.

Virtual laboratories provide students with the opportunity to gain insights through experiments (Gluck, Dillihunt & Gilmore, 2000). Websites like ChemTeacher and ChemCollective and Virtual ChemLabs enable students to conduct experiments online. Students can conduct online experiments as often as they find it necessary to understand the underlying chemistry. They can perform these experiments by themselves or in collaboration with colleagues and at all times during day or night.

The virtual laboratory and other technology enhanced tools permit students to actively engage in their learning. This is the great breakthrough for the learning and teaching of chemistry. Technology helps students visualize the science and, in the process, keeps them engaged in understanding the phenomenon that we experience “everywhere” around us at all times.

 

Reference:

American Chemical Society (2012). ACS guidelines and recommendations for the teaching of high school chemistry. 1-28

Gilmore, M. W. (2013) Improvement of STEM education: Experiential learning is the key. Modern Chemistry & Applications 1:e109. doi:10.4172/2329-6798.1000E109

Gluck, L., Dillihunt, M., & Gilmore, M. W. (2000). Advantages of using innovative technological pedagogy to teach chemistry in secondary schools. Modern Chemistry & Applications.

Seery, M. K., & McDonnell, C. (2013). The application of technology to enhance chemistry education. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 14(3), 227-228.

Sirhan, G. (2007). Learning difficulties in chemistry: An overview. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 4(2), 2.

Treagust, D., Duit, R., & Nieswandt, M. (2000). Sources of students’ difficulties in learning Chemistry. Educación química, 11(2), 228-235.

Game-Based Learning

Introduction

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”) majors earn more money than their classmates after graduation. STEM-related jobs are expected to exceed non-STEM related jobs over the next decade. Yet, only 16 percent of American high school students are interested in a STEM career, according to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). What gives? What is the cause of this disconnect?

The DOE data provides a clue to one possible answer. According to the agency, 28% of students declare an interest in a STEM-related occupation during their freshman year, but 57% of them lose interest by the time they graduate from high school. In other words, students lose interest in a STEM career as they progress through their science studies during high school. The implication is clear: the standard practice for teaching high school science is not working.

As a prospective high school chemistry teacher, I understand the problem. It is my responsibility to engage my students. It is my duty to spark their interest in chemistry.

According to a survey conducted by Pew Research, 97% of students in the 12-17 age group play video games. Can I, as a chemistry teacher, use the medium of digital games to engage my students? I researched this topic and came up with an unqualified answer: yes. Yes! Digital games can be used to not only engage students but also to enhance their learning of chemistry.

Chemistry as a subject matter

Chemistry “is a difficult subject to teach and to learn at both secondary and tertiary levels” (Treagust, Duit & Nieswandt, 2000). “Because chemistry topics are generally related to or based on the structure of matter, chemistry proves a difficult subject for many students” (Sirhan, 2007). The curriculum I use to teach high school students incorporates many abstract concepts. These concepts–chemical reaction and equations, the mole, changes in states of matter, for examples–are key to further learning in both chemistry and other sciences. These abstract concepts are important because further chemistry/science concepts or theories cannot be easily understood if these underpinning concepts are not sufficiently grasped by the student (Coll & Treagust, 2001, quoted in Srihan 2007, p. 2).

Students have traditionally relied on rote memory, classroom lectures and (limited) laboratory demonstrations to learn chemistry. These methods created a learning environment that precluded them from using their individual powers of inquiry to understand the subject matter. As a result, many students opted out of advanced studies in chemistry.  Even among those who persisted and pursued graduate level studies, researchers discovered evidence of misunderstanding of the basic concepts they learnt in high school (Bodner, 1991).

The basic concepts of chemistry relate to relationship between the microscopic world of atoms and molecules to the macroscopic phenomena we live in and experience in our daily life (Bradley & Brand, 1985). Students have difficulty making sense of ideas for which they have no prior experience or knowledge. The subject matter is completely new, abstract and appears entirely arbitrary. The periodic table is a notable example (Weiss, Knowlton & Morrison, 2002).

Difficult as they are to grasp for high school students, many of the basic concepts of chemistry explain behavior that is very predictive and deterministic. There is only one way in which one atom combines with another to form a molecule, for example. The fact that there is a beginning, a middle and an end to chemical activity lends itself particularly well to a gaming framework, which can accurately reflect the linear process. Hence, hence high school chemistry teachers can build their own games or take advantage of existing online products to help teach the basic concepts.

Chemistry games for high school learning

In my quick survey of online resources, I found three examples that illustrate the advantage of using digital games for chemistry education. Each example empowers students to engage in one exercise and to repeat the exercise until s/he understands the concept. The student is in control of his/ her learning.

The first is a game called  Atooms to Moolecule.  Students who play this game will learn the concept of matter and its transformation at a granular level.

The second is a series of simulations that cover additional basic concepts. For example, students can learn to balance chemical equation, learn about molarity, perform experiments with acid-base solutions.

The third is Sokobond, a puzzle game.  A player controls one atom at a time to try to connect it to other elements through bonding electrons. Players create common molecules such as water and table salt as well as more complicated structures like ammonia and ethylene. Each new molecule formed unlocks new levels on the periodic-table-shaped map and shows fun factoids.

Conclusion

Practical sessions in the laboratory has always been an essential component of high school chemistry education.  With online learning, students have been able to conduct virtual experiments (Moudgalya & Arora, 2010). The use of digital games is another step in the evolution in chemistry learning (Rodríguez, Blázquez, López, Castro, San Cristobal & Martín, 2014). High school teachers will be helping their students learn the subject and gain 21st century skill by introducing digital games in their chemistry classrooms.

 

References:

Bodner, G. M. (1991). I have found you an argument: The conceptual knowledge of beginning chemistry graduate students. Journal of Chemical Education, 68(5), 385-388.

Bradley, J. D. & Brand, M. (1985). Stamping out misconceptions, Journal of Chemical Education, 62(4), 318.

Coll, R. K. & Treagust, D. F. (2001). Learners’ use of analogy and alternative conceptions for chemical bonding. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 48(1), 24–32.

Sirhan, G. (2007). Learning difficulties in chemistry: An overview. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 4(2), 2.

Johnstone, A.H., (1974). Evaluation of chemistry syllabuses in Scotland. Studies in Science Education, 1, 20-49.

Moudgalya, K. M., & Arora, I. (2010). A virtual laboratory for distance education. In Technology for Education (T4E), 2010 International Conference on (pp. 190-193).

Rodríguez, R., Blázquez, M., López, B., Castro, M., San Cristobal, E., & Martín, S. (2014). Educational games for improving the teaching-learning process of a CLIL subject: Physics and chemistry in secondary education. In Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2014 IEEE (pp. 1-8).

Treagust, D., Duit, R., & Nieswandt, M. (2000). Sources of students’ difficulties in learning Chemistry. Educación química, 11(2), 228-235.

Weiss, R. E., Knowlton, D. S. & Morrison, G. R.(2002). Principles for using animation in computer-based instruction: theoretical heuristic for effective design. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 465-477.

Social Networking and Walled Gardens

Please leave  a comment on my voice thread.

https://voicethread.com/share/8854265/

 

Transcript for the VoiceThread video:

For adult Americans, the internet and social media are facts of contemporary life

• 88.5% use the internet

• 69% use one or more forms of social media

Many of these adults are heads of households. In their homes, adults share their internet access and social media accounts with younger members of the household. Adults harness online resources to teach their children. They post updates and pictures of their children’s accomplishment and family activities. The adults perform these activities by themselves or with the active involvement of their children.  The all-family activities last a few years.

Over time, the children venture off on their own on the internet. They seek homework help on their own. They play online games. They establish social media accounts. They gain mobile phones, as a security device, of course, initially. In short order, each child builds her or his personal digital world. It is the world in which each child learns, is entertained, maintains a community–and, sometime, stays in touch with family.

We do not have ready data for internet and social media use for children. However, we do have data for the 18-29 age group. Members of this group may still be in an adult-led household or on their way to make independent living arrangements. We can use their data to infer internet use and social media participation among the youth. According to a 2016 survey by Pew Research, 99% of Americans in the 18-29 year age group access the internet. 86% of internet users from this group use social media in one form or another. 98% of them own mobile phones.

The data indicates that internet access and social media participation is effectively universal for children in contemporary America. Of course, there are underserved populations within the country. The issue of digital divide is not insignificant. But, for the purpose of this voicethread on the topic of Walled Garden and Social Media Availability in Schools, I can reasonably state that the children who attend schools in contemporary America have experience with online services and with social media accounts in their home environments.

Digitally savvy students attend schools that are progressively more reliant on the internet. Administrations use e-mail to communicate with parents. Teachers supplement classroom instructions with youtube videos. Students navigate district-supplied Chromebooks, iPads or other online devices to access online resources for learning. They access online services using district-sanctioned online accounts. They use their Google accounts to communicate with each other, to perform online projects and complete group assignments.

Schools strive to offer a safe and secure environment for school children. Indeed, they have legal obligations to do so. The majority of school-age children are minors, and proper care for them is a paramount obligation of and for teachers and administrators. Schools endeavor to ensure that the school grounds are secure and the physical facilities are safe.

School administrators applied the same standard of care when they first considered offering digital tools in the classroom. Amongst the first things they built was a digital wall. They were inspired by the physical wall that defined the perimeter of the school grounds. The wall shielded the students from the outside world. They could move about freely within. The digital wall was built with the same principles. The digital wall enclosed a safe space in which school children could learn and flourish. The imagery of a garden was used to describe the new digital environment. The term “walled garden” was coined as a result.

The digital wall kept out undesirable members of the online world. Pornography was an obvious no-no. Administrators decided which websites they would allow within their digital compound, almost if not exactly on a case-by-case basis.

Social media services did not make the cut in many instances (Tess, 2013). In exercising their duties with an abundance of caution, many administrators determined that social media is just that: a social tool. They are not learning tools. In fact, social engagement detracts from the learning experience. Hence, they opted to keep social media tools outside of a school’s digital wall.

Administrators who kept social media services outside the digital wall are facing four issues:

1. Experiments using social media in the classroom have shown to improve student performance (Junco, 2011).
2. Teachers are using social media to enhance learning. Three examples:
   • Karen Lirenman (@KLirenman) has her first graders blog, tweet, and connect through a variety of social media, extending the classroom well beyond the walls of the building.
   • Students at Austin, TX high school participate in a dynamic, peer-centered learning community to design educational games.
   • Students are using social media tools to learn on their own, outside the classroom (Gikas & Grant, 2013)
3. New generation of students are not only familiar with social media, they also make extensive use of multiple social media platforms to navigate their daily life.
4. There is a growing and irreversible trend of students coming to school with data-enabled smartphones. Schools cannot govern how a student uses her or his smartphone.Hence, school administrators have to revisit the question of the pros and cons of social media in the classroom (Lederer, 2012).

Based on my research on this topic, I can state the following:

1. A digital wall is necessary for a school. It marks territory. It permits the growth of a “intellectual garden” in a safe and secure environment.
2. A digital wall is a useful artifact to alert students. Children who grow up with the internet at home may not have had a formal reminder of what is trustworthy and what is not in the online world. The chances that they have been educated about digital ethics and netiquette is minimal.
3. Administrators can use the digital wall as a learning exercise. They can expand the governing body that determines the fate of social media in schools. By including students and teachers, the governing body can articulate a policy for the digital wall that has buy-in from all participants.
4. Learning is an active process. Students should assume the roles of architect, engineer and bricklayer in building the digital wall that will keep them safe in the online world.

Reference

Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18-26.

Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of computer assisted learning, 27(2), 119-132.

Lederer, K. (2012). Pros and cons of social media in the classroom. Campus Technology, 25(5), 1-2.

Tess, P. A. (2013). The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual)–A literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(5), A60-A68.

Acceptable Use Policies

Each of the many products and services that exist in the world wide web is the property of an entity. A prospective user must enter into a contract with the sponsor entity in order to use its product or service. The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is an important component of the contract. In this blog note, we examine the role of an AUP in a contractual relationship and the sub-components of the document. We will conclude by recognizing a growing trend among educational institutions to phase out the AUP in favor of a Responsible Use Policy, albeit within the framework of an overall contract.

The contract between an institution and a user of its product or service is a comprehensive document. In the contract, the entity specifies the terms and conditions under which it makes its product or service available to the user. The document also spells out the rights and responsibilities of each party. The AUP is a statement on the responsibility of the user.

The AUP may be short and to-the-point or broad and nuanced. The AUP for Google Cloud Platform is brief. The AUP for the Olympia School District is four pages of elaborately descriptive  guidance. The shape and the size of the document notwithstanding, the AUP commits an individual user to work with the sponsoring entity in a combined effort to maintain the safety, security and reliability of the product or service. For products or services that are used by more than one person, and particularly with services that are used by the public-at-large, the entity enjoins users to contractually commit to maintain a safe, secure and reliable environment as well.

Federal and state laws specify the working definition of safe, secure and reliable acts. Regulatory statutes govern environmental conditions. The sponsor entity must ensure that its product or service is in compliance with governmental stipulations. One of the ways it remains institutionally compliant is by requiring users to observe the laws and regulations, as well. Microsoft’s AUP is focused entirely on highlighting the legal obligations of the user and the negative consequences that will fall upon the user who is found to be in violation of the laws.

The AUP’s of educational institutions recite applicable laws too, but they also include other provisions (Flowers & Rakes, 2000). The State University of New York’s  netiquette rule and the South Brunswick School District’s  anti-bullying measures are prominent and oft-used examples. Educational and civic minded organization seek to create supportive environments that promotes harmony, fosters learning and provides equal opportunity to all users, regardless of sex, race or ability.  They make every effort to define acts and activities they consider acceptable and activities they deem unacceptable.

The focus on unacceptable acts does not resonate with all educators. A section of the education community, notably those working with school children, believe that the AUP should not focus on negative consequences of non-compliance. Rather, the document should promote positive behavior among users. The document points out the benefits user gain by observing particular laws and by practicing ethical behavior online (Dotterer, Hedges & Parker, 2016).

The educator who seek to reform the standard AUP argue for a revised thinking not only of specific provisions in the document. Rather, they propose a different name for the document altogether. Responsible Use Policy (RUP) is the title of the next generation of AUP’s (Bray, 2016; Russo, 2013).

I examined the RUP of a neighboring school district. The  Renton School District’s RUP is a relatively recent document. It contains all the provisions that populate a model AUP, but the language is softer, more supportive. The Renton School District caters to kids. By understanding their audience, the school district has developed and adopted a RUP that promotes safe, and secure reliable access for all users.

References

Bray, M. (2016). Going Google: privacy considerations in a connected world. Knowledge Quest, 44(4), 36.

Dotterer, G., Hedges, A., & Parker, H. (2016). Fostering Digital Citizenship in the Classroom. The Education Digest, 82(3), 58.

Education World: Getting Started on the Internet: Acceptable Use Policies. (2017). Educationworld.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml

Flowers, B. F., & Rakes, G. C. (2000). Analyses of Acceptable Use Policies Regarding the Internet in Selected K–12 Schools. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(3), 351-365.

Russo, D. L. (2013). The Necessity of Developing Responsible Use Policies: Advocacy for Use of Web 2.0 Tools in a Comprehensive School Computing Program. Policy Advocacy. 1. Digital Commons@ NLU, National Louis University.

Multimedia in the classroom

Tech Trends in Education

I decided to explore on “Shift from Students as Consumers to Creators”.  It took a long time for me do research.  I learnt that the real learning happens when a student creates the subject matter.

The NMC Horizon Report > 2015 K-12 Edition takes note of a shift “taking place in schools all over the world as learners are exploring subject matter through the act of creation rather than the consumption of content.”

The goal of education is to help learners understand the subject matter.  Authors write books, teachers toil, and technologists create tools to help learners understand the subject matter.  If the learner can search reference materials and tutorials on her own, solicit a teacher for guidance and use available tools to establish–and to demonstrate–mastery over the subject matter, the goal of education would have been achieved.

I will use the format of a personal reflection to summarize my understanding of this trend and to outline a methodology for enriching the educational experience of high school science students with learner-generated content.  I will:

1. Outline the theory supporting learner generated content in education;
2. Illustrate the methods in which students apply the theory in real life; and,
3. Explore the implications of the practice.

My paper on student-generated learning content is here.

My lesson plan is here.

My presentation is here.

Annotated Bibliography

An annotation is a summary or an evaluation, or both.  A bibliography is a list of sources that has been used in the research process.  Therefore, an annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources and materials with an accompanying summary of each of the entries.

This week, we were assigned the task of composing five annotated bibliographies of peer-reviewed articles on technology-supported instruction.  The task was challenging.  Google Scholar did not refer me to peer-reviewed articles, so I used the portal for the Albertsons Library.  I spent a day searching for the articles.  There were too many.  Technology-supported instruction turned out to be a broad topic.  I decided to focus on one tool, Twiiter, and review the literature associated with its use.  There were still too many articles.  Finding one, reading it, taking notes, preparing a summary was time consuming.  Repeating the process five times was mind numbing.

I used “Zotero” to help catalogue my collection of articles and to format the citation in APA 6th edition format.

This assignment taught me many things.  I learnt to search articles in Google scholar and in the library database.  I learnt APA formatting.  Most importantly, I learnt that Twitter can be put in good use in the service of education.

My annotated bibliography can be accessed here.