Linking Technology to Student Engagement by Jennifer Chatt

As an educator, have you questioned how you can have students more focused, more engaged and taking responsibility for their learning? Are you frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm of students completing their class project to the best of their ability? Engaging primary students has proved not nearly as challenging as intermediate students. Why is it more difficult to reach these older children? We are teaching to digital natives, but somehow we are enraging them through our chalk and talk instead of engaging them with technology. How can we overcome these issues? All these questions may make you feel relieved in the fact that you are not alone.

I, too, shared your same feelings of concern and was baffled in how I could turn this educational dilemma around and become a spectator in watching children desire to learn and excel in their demonstrations of knowledge via assigned projects. Instead, I found myself observing students wasting classroom time on their projects while using the computers. Behaviours such as wandering around the room, talking off-task to other students, surfing the net for games, music, and searching for unrelated pictures seemed to preoccupy much of their time. Only when the project deadline came to a close did many students recognize their lack of effort was going to result in a lower grade than hoped. This is not how educators want to grade projects. We want to grade our students on complete projects beaming with knowledge and pride on their accomplishments. I believed there must be some way to change how projects were often being done and allow children the opportunity to be fully involved in their learning and have fun at the same time. I wondered and began to find solutions.

I realized this could be best put to the test through an action research project. I wanted to find ways to willingly invite my students into their learning instead of forcing them to learn.  After much research, I discovered if I could link technology into their learning, provide choice and structure, then there was an excellent chance I would see evidence of improved focus, engagement, and responsibility for their learning. I decided to use a research-based model called the iNtegrating Technology for inQuiry NTeQ model. This model allows teachers to create lesson plans that will help incorporate computer technology into the classroom. Similar to lesson plans, teachers still specify objectives, specify the problem, and give supporting activities which will result in a form of demonstrating knowledge that will be assessed; but now they include activities before, during, and after computer use. Studies have shown classrooms using the NTeQ model allow the teacher to be a facilitator while students improve their writing ability, view the computer as a research tool to find information, and create independent inquiry.

I saw these additional steps as a way to help bridge the gap in student focus and engagement. Now all I needed was a computer program to apply the NTeQ model. I selected Microsoft’s free download digital storytelling program Photo Story 3.  I felt confident in this dual combination would bring positive changes in the classroom.

My enthusiasm led me to create a student project where students were given choice, based on a specific topic; for example, a famous Canadian they would like to learn about. I then designed my lesson plans to include specific computer activities before, during, and after that served the purpose of keeping students focused and provided data for me to track student levels of focus, engagement, and learning responsibility. Each of these project class times provided opportunities for students to be focused on the task at hand and did not allow for them to work past the requested activity. An example was students would only import pictures and not create titles, narrate dialogue, or create background music for their project. It was my hope that by the end of our allotted weeks of working on this project, students would have successfully completed all the steps. Time would tell if my theory would work.

My action research project came to a close, the data was in and much to my delight, the results were positive. I had hoped to increase student focus, engagement, and responsibility for learning and now I discovered there were increases in these desired areas. Some areas showed more improvements than others, but the most rewarding experience I had was reading my participating students’ comments. Comments such as: I was focused because I was getting pictures, I was interested more and didn’t want to waste time, I was more focused because I had a due date,  it started to get more fun as I got further, and I’m excited because it was fun to work on, were very encouraging for me as an educator.

This action research project was not perfect, but it certainly gave me a moment of pause and relish in the fruits of my labour. Most importantly, I was able to provide fun, education, and give students the chance to see growth in their individual learning. What more can an educator want from their students? Now, I am on to the next classroom issue to tackle!