TRC Vectors

Personalized and Problem-based Learning

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:04:39 GMT

Learning is everywhere and it truly has no boundaries.

Personalized and Problem-Based Learning

Learning is everywhere. It happens in the bounds of a classroom and outside of the school. Probably more so outside of school. Schrum & Sumerfield (2018) write: “We know that much of what an individual knows is not learned in a formal classroom setting” (p. 152). As technology expands quality learning opportunities for students outside of traditional classroom environments, it becomes a disrupter in education. Learning truly has no boundaries.

How personalized learning might better help learners reach mastery for important concepts and skills

Learning becomes meaningful when it relates to something exciting and personal to the learner. For example, an after-school robotics program can provide an incredible opportunity for young girls to learn about science, technology, and engineering as it functions in the real world. Gomoll et al. (2016) found that “Early experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are important for getting youth interested in STEM fields, particularly for girls” (p. 899). These programs often use a problem-based learning approach and are designed to engage students at an early age using their hands and minds in learning advanced technology and skills for the 21 ^st -century workforce.

How to encourage students to use technology effectively for collaboration to solve the problems

When a student gets the chance to apply what they learned from a textbook in the classroom (formal learning) and apply it to something they enjoy doing outside the school (informal learning), then learning becomes personal and powerfully relevant to life (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Personalized learning is an incredible force for shaping change in a young person’s life, especially in communities where students are economically challenged or don’t have access to educational technology resources at home.

Parents and educators should continue to support after-school program participation, especially in younger students and more impoverished communities, to increase exposure to technology and potential STEM career paths they might discover. Furthermore, after-school programs provide students with “more free choice as they offer youth opportunities to develop interest and competence in STEM-related activities and practices” (Gomell et al., 2016, p. 901). This structure takes the pressure off of students and increases their likelihood of continued participation. Additionally, these programs provide students with a healthy social and collaborative learning environment teaching them 21 ^st -century work-life skills essential to supporting their relationships and future opportunities.

Challenges of promoting new approaches to teaching and learning in an existing curriculum, especially in an online learning environment

Personalized learning has seen steady growth in many schools and districts in the past decade because it provides students with equal educational access to a diverse assortment of programs that meet their unique needs and personal interests (DeMink-Carthew, 2017). One of the most significant challenges to promoting personalized learning in an online environment is providing the student with the problem-based learning environment that makes this learning style so attractive. In personalized and problem-based learning, students are active participants in their learning, and it is very challenging to replicate active participation online.

Another challenge is keeping the vital social/collaborative element intact, which serves to draw students into the programs for sustained participation over time. Online learning environments remove the social pressure of not showing up for class, and it becomes far too easy for students to find an excuse not to attend. Before long, a student may miss too many meetings and become disinterested in attending.

Fortunately, new technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams enable students to remain connected and learn socially from afar. With a little creativity and support from technology providers, we can identify and share best practices and personal experiences from a more comprehensive network (DeMink-Carthew, 2017). There is indeed power in numbers, and sharing what we know with others is the mark of a professional.

One such example is the NASA Educator Professional Development Collaborative which provides teachers, administrators, parents, and informal educators with weekly webinars, online resources, and lesson plans. These professional development opportunities would typically be limited to local workshops or annual training events (Martinez Ortiz et al., 2018). Each week, NASA Educational Specialists present various space science workshops covering topics such as aerospace engineering, nutrition in space, astronautics, and engineering design process.

To learn more about the NASA EPDC weekly webinars, educators can visit https://www.txstate-epdc.net/webinars/.

References:

DeMink-Carthew, J., Olofson, M. W., LeGeros, L., Netcoh, S., & Hennessey, S. (2017). An analysis of approaches to goal setting in middle grades personalized learning environments. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 40(10), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2017.1392689

Gomoll, A., Hmelo-Silver, C., Šabanović, S., & Francisco, M. (2016). Dragons, ladybugs, and softballs: Girls’ STEM engagement with human-centered robotics. Journal of Science Education & Technology, 25(6), 899–914. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9647-z

Martinez Ortiz, A., Weis, J., & Merritt, J. (2018). Micro-Certification as professional

development for STEM educators: The NASA STEM EPDC badging system (STEM Research White Paper Series, Vol. 2, No. 3). Texas State University: LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research.

Schrum, L., & Sumerfield, S. (2018). Learning supercharged: Digital age strategies and insights from the tech frontier. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Dare Mighty Things

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 17:03:05 GMT

Mars Perseverance Decoder Ring

I love this image! It presents the creative spirit and intentional design that went into every aspect of the Perseverance rover. The photo was taken by a parachute-up-look camera aboard the protective back shell of NASA's Perseverance rover during its descent toward Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. The binary code represents two messages encoded in the white and international-orange parachute sections. According to NASA JPL, "The inner portion spells out "DARE MIGHTY THINGS," with each word located on its own ring of gores. The outer band of the canopy provides GPS coordinates for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California."

"Dare Mighty Things" is JPL's motto and is an abridgment of a quote from Teddy Roosevelt's "Strenuous Life" speech:

"Far better is it to dare mighty things , to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure ... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." ~ Teddy Roosevelt

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Ian Clark, Mars 2020 Perseverance Systems Engineer, designed the binary code pattern.

For more information about the mission, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020

Image source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mars-decoder-ring

Game-Based Learning

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 22:35:16 GMT

Gamification of learning is a growing trend in education and an effective way to make learning interactive and engaging.

Game-Based Learning

Gamification of learning is a growing trend in education and an effective way to make learning interactive and engaging. Teachers use game-based learning at all levels of education from PreK through high school with various goals in mind, including reading comprehension, vocabulary building, social engagement, and promoting critical thinking (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Game-based learning is increasing at an accelerating pace in the educational system nationwide.

As more and more students connect to the internet, educators at all levels, from primary to secondary to universities, are increasingly interested in using learning games for both classroom teaching and online learning to impact learning cognition, behavior, engagement, and social elements of education (Foster & Shah, 2020). To fully appreciate game-based learning's advantages and disadvantages, it's essential to understand the differences between gaming, gamification, and game-based learning.

How gaming, game-based learning, and gamification approaches are different

Gaming theory builds on the premise that participants may earn a reward if they win the game. This core principle is valid for all sorts of games, from board games to video games. To promote problem-solving and skill development, educators can tap into this powerful gaming theory principle to engage students in new ways of thinking about the content. Most students like friendly competition, and games provide students with the motivation to engage and think critically about the tasks at hand.

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) uses digital games or gaming technology to promote learning, creativity, and student engagement. According to Schrum and Sumerfield (2018), educators use games in the classroom "to engage students in meaningful and complex skill acquisition" (p. 67). Instead of asking students to put their video games away, teachers are now experimenting with technology in the classroom to "support learning goals for their students with digital game-based learning opportunities" (p. 69). Minecraft Education is an excellent example of a DGBL implementation that many elementary school educators use to incorporate social learning within a digital world.

Gamification is different from game-based learning in that it incorporates the characteristics or elements of gaming and embeds them in other activities or lessons. A great example of gamification in STEM education is the FIRST Robotics program which takes the rigors of engineering design, programming, and mechanics and turns it into a sports-like season to compete against other robots to score points in a robot game to win awards. The FIRST program has generated so much excitement in STEM and robotics education that is has impacted over 680,000 students in over 110 countries worldwide in just over 30 years (FIRST, 2020).

The role of the instructor when implementing games for learning

Instructors are an essential element to manage the effectiveness of learning games. The game itself cannot create learning. Teachers ensure students understand the content and guide their thought processes to promote critical thinking. Lengyel (2020) writes, "The purpose of education is to prepare students for work in the community, and so the games built into the educational process are expected to create situations in which students learn " (p. 114).

A great example of an interactive classroom learning game was designed at Arizona State University for NASA JPL Education. The ASU Mars Education Program develops STEM lesson plans and inquiry-based curriculum for educators in K-12 settings that align with National Science Education Standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This program's primary aim is to help teachers build a deeper level of knowledge in science and engineering (ASU Mars Education, n.d.)

The Mars Education lesson is called Marsbound! Mission to the Red Planet , a team-based learning game where students learn how systems engineering works at NASA to design a mission to Mars. In this real-world scenario, the teacher serves a key role in helping the students navigate the game to plan and launch their mission to Mars. Students learn how the engineering design process works and engage in essential 21st-century skills such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

References

ASU Mars Education Program (n.d.) STEM lessons: About our curriculum. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://marsed.mars.asu.edu

FIRST (2020). FIRST at a glance. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://www.firstinspires.org/about/at-a-glance

Foster, A., & Shah, M. (2020). Principles for advancing game-based learning in teacher education. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education., 36(2), 84–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2019.1695553

Lengyel, P. S. (2020). Can the game-based learning come? Virtual classroom in higher education of 21st century. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(2), 112–126. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.11521

Schrum, L., & Sumerfield, S. (2018). Learning supercharged: Digital age strategies and insights from the tech frontier. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Collaboration and Communication Apps Review

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 01:23:56 GMT

Review of Five Communication and Collaboration Apps for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use

Collaboration and Communication Apps Review

Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use

Tennessee Robotics Club (TRC) teaches robotics and engineering education to middle and high school age students in an after-school robotics program founded in 2011. Students met twice a week in a two-car garage converted into a STEM Robotics workshop to explore technology, robotics, and coding through FIRST Robotics.

For the past ten years, TRC hosted the robotics club in-person each Thursday evening and Saturday morning. In February of 2020, everything changed when the pandemic hit the local community, and the program had to shut down all in-person learning. For the first time in 10 years, students would not be learning in-person. It took some time to evaluate the situation and create a new online learning program in just a few months. The new online learning portal launched in September of 2020 and is called TRC212° for online STEAM Education (TRC, n.d.).

Over the summer, TRC evaluated how to continue the educational program remotely, and they came up with a virtual solution using the FIRST Class Pack curriculum. Thanks to generous sponsorship from Schneider Electric, TRC purchased enough robot kits to continue the program virtually. Gathering parts and supplies from seasons, TRC provided each participant with a robot kit to use at home. Although not a perfect solution, it was workable, and the TRC robotics program continues to this day.

The robot kits were only half of the solution. The next major hurdle required a way to communicate with the students online. In evaluating Apps for collaboration and communication, TRC chose to try out two applications: Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The following section reviews both of these apps’ findings and the one TRC decided to use for the weekly online team meetings.

App # 1 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use- Zoom

Zoom was the first choice due primarily to its popularity in education and online learning. Practically everyone is using it from business to education. Many of the students were already using Zoom for their other virtual classes, so it made sense to integrate it into the TRC program for familiarity and ease of use. Figure 1 shows the meeting details for TRC weekly meetings.

During the fall, TRC chose to use the Zoom app from September to December. Overall, the application performed well, and the video quality was surprisingly good, considering how many people were using it. TRC students could share their screens and use their video cameras to share their project updates for everyone to see and provide feedback.

App # 2 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use- Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams was TRC’s second choice because it was a free application with Microsoft 365. Another benefit to using Teams is that most businesses use Microsoft Teams for team meetings and collaboration. Therefore, it provides an excellent opportunity for TRC students to learn a 21 ^st -century skill using a technology that most businesses use.

In the winter session, TRC chose to use the Teams application. Microsoft Teams provides an easy way to share and update meeting details. Since most everyone in the program has a Microsoft account (thank primarily to Minecraft), accessing Teams was not tricky. Everyone can join the Teams meeting without incurring an extra expense. TRC is currently using the Teams for weekly meetings, and so far, the only issue we have noticed is the video quality seems to be of lower quality. Figure 2 shows the Microsoft Team’s meeting details for TRC weekly meetings.

Review of Five Apps for Education

App # 1- Zoom

Description

Zoom is a modern video and content sharing platform that runs seamlessly on mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and tablets. It provides a way for teams to share video, voice, and chat capabilities through an app downloaded on the Apple Store or Google Play store. Small groups and large companies use Zoom to communicate and collaborate online, including many Fortune 100 companies in consumer goods, technology, healthcare, education, and business services (Zoom, n.d.).

Features

The Zoom application for team meetings includes many features built for modern communications, including HD video and audio, built-in collaboration tools, recording features, break out rooms, and calendar integration for Outlook, Gmail, or iCal. The application also includes engagement features such as filters, custom backgrounds, reactions, participant polls, and hand-raising to ask questions. One of Zoom’s best features is the virtual background feature, which allows participants to hide their background for home use and privacy concerns (Zoom, n.d.).

Warnings

One of the most significant challenges facing educators and parents in 2021 is students’ security and privacy in online education. McMillion and Tucker King (2017) point out that “as technology becomes a larger part of the interaction of higher education, students are sharing more information online and face-to-face with their instructors and with their classmates” (p. 3). As educators, we want our students to share and interact in the online classroom. However, we also want to ensure everyone is safe from students’ inappropriate content or unwanted visitors to the online classroom.

Unfortunately, some students may share too much personal information online, crossing what would generally be private and confidential. To remedy this problem, educators must take an active role as the protector for each student’s online experience in their virtual classroom and thoroughly understand the technology security features to safeguard all students.

Safeguards

The Zoom Chief Information Officer, Jason Lee, produced a video for parents and educators to help students with online classroom safety tips. The video resides on the Zoom YouTube channel, and the link is located below for more information. In the video, Lee (2021) shares six tips to safeguard participants in online classrooms.

Tips one through three relate to safeguarding the meeting details. The first tip Lee (2021) recommends educators to ask students not to post the Zoom meeting details on social media. This information includes the meeting link, meeting ID, and passcode. This information could potentially help an unauthorized person access your online meeting. The second tip is to ensure everyone’s internet connection is stable, and the wi-fi connection requires a password. Tip 3 ensures that only legitimate students enter the classroom by enabling the waiting room feature so that teachers can admit students individually. Make sure that students do not forward the meeting information to anyone.

Tips four through six relate to safeguarding participants who have already joined the online class. Tip four is to set up and allow screen sharing by the host. Tip 5 is to remove unauthorized guests using the remove participants tool under the security icon at the bottom of the screen. Tip 6 is to suspend participants who are presenting inappropriate information or being unruly. Suspend participant will halt all video, audio, and chat capabilities for the designated participant. Hosts can find this feature under the Security icon.

Using the six tips can help safeguard students in online classrooms using Zoom.

For more information:

To learn more about the Zoom application, please visit https://zoom.us/meetings . To learn more about Zoom’s online classroom safety tips, parents can watch Zoom’s Safer Internet Day video at https://youtu.be/4or9h5EXHhE .

App # 2- Microsoft Teams

Description

Microsoft Teams is an application that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. When users subscribe to Office 365, Teams is one of the downloadable apps available in the subscription. Microsoft Teams comes in three versions for education, business, and personal use with modern communication capabilities, including chat, meet and call. Collaboration technology allows students to work together on a shared project in real-time (Microsoft, n.d.).

Features

Microsoft Teams for Education allows teachers and students to connect remotely via video conferencing, screen sharing, file sharing, and screen sharing and provide an engaging learning experience for students to bridge the digital divide many are experiencing right now due to COVID-19.

One of the most powerful collaboration features is integrating with other Microsoft Office applications such as PowerPoint and Word. It also has secure cloud file sharing enabling teams to store, share, and edit files remotely with integrated access to SharePoint, OneDrive, OneNote, and other Microsoft productivity apps. Key classroom collaboration features include breakout rooms and a whiteboard, which help foster discussions online (Microsoft, n.d.).

Warnings

For many years, literature has written about how important it is for students to learn 21 ^st -century skills to thrive in a digital, technologically advanced world. However, COVID-19 revealed tremendous technology gaps in our schools that have shown us how unprepared we were to deal with remote learning.

The warning is not so much about technology but the lack thereof for many students to work remotely. This gap may be of greater danger to student educational development if another pandemic or a widespread natural disaster occurs. It benefits digital equity and inclusion to pursue equal access to technology for all students supporting online learning for all our communities. Educational technology can reshape students’ lives, and we owe it to each student to reimagine 21st-century learning.

Safeguards

Over the past year, families, leaders, students, and educators have scrambled to learn new communication and collaboration technologies and new pedagogies of learning remotely (Fullan et al., 2020). During this change, Fullan et al. found that educational technologies such as Microsoft Teams played a critical role in safeguarding students from falling farther behind. It also served a valuable role in helping teachers connect to their students remotely to keep learning through the pandemic.

A key challenge for educators teaching online is replicating the same level of engagement with students they are used to experiencing in the classroom. Wasik (2020) found that COVID-19 served as an accelerating factor in remote and hybrid learning environments worldwide in her report Bridging the Digital Divide to Engage Students in Higher Education. The Microsoft Teams app makes this possible for educators through breakout rooms, whiteboards, and live caption features.

As educators, we should continue working with our students in the classroom to use digital technologies such as Microsoft Teams other modern applications where possible to continue growing and developing their digital skills. Wasik (2020) writes, “to be successful in online learning, teachers and students need to be upskilled in using platforms, installing software, downloading and uploading documents, and navigating the Internet” (p. 11.). These are the digital skills that help bridge the digital divide.

For more information:

To learn more about Microsoft Teams for Education, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/education . For support setting up small group learning and breakout rooms in Teams, visit: https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/Microsoft-Teams-Breakout-Rooms-One-Pager.pdf

App # 3- Kahoot!

Description

Kahoot! is a learning platform that provides educators with an easy-to-use tool to create learning games for students to study, create, share, and play with friends online or in the classroom together using mobile and desktop devices. Kahoot! offers both free and paid plans and can be used online or offline for social learning and self-study (Kahoot!, n.d.)

Features

With Kahoot!, educators can easily create games, puzzles, and learning challenges for game-based learning, easily sharing the fun with students to play together promoting social learning. Kahoot! integrates directly into Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Apple Schoolwork to share challenges with the group or team. Educators can host games for individuals or teams and assign student-paced learning challenges, which students can play at home. Question types include true/false, multiple-choice, and type your answer questions. Educators can create a poll to gather student feedback and print out detailed reports to gather analytics and progress.

For more information:

To learn more about Kahoot!, visit https://kahoot.com/schools/how-it-works/

App # 4- Trello

Description

Trello provides an effective way for educators and students to manage projects, organize tasks, and create team collaboration using a Trello board, list, and cards. Trello is an excellent tool for managing team projects with multiple tasks and contributors. Trello seamlessly connects with other productivity and cloud storage tools such as Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Dropbox, Slack, OneNote, Google Drive, and Evernote (Trello, n.d.).

Features

Trello provides an online interface with intuitive features that help teams manage project tasks quickly and accommodate various workflows. Students or educators begin by creating lists and cards, which serve as the building blocks to organize projects on a Trello board. From there, students can see task assignments, productive metrics, timelines, and calendars. Each card contains an ecosystem of task management, including checklists, project due dates, project attachments, and team member conversations. The application is free to get started for up to 10 boards with an unlimited number of cards and unlimited members (Trello, n.d.).

A great feature of Trello is Playbooks, which provide real-world examples to get your team started. Playbooks offer examples to various groups, including Education, Engineering, Marketing, Team Management, Sales, Design, and Personal Productivity. Figure 3 shows an example playbook for a Project-Based Learning lesson plan.

For more information:

To learn more about Trello, visit https://trello.com/

App # 5- educreations

Description

Educreations is an app created for teachers to share ideas and collaborate on the go by creating videos captured from an iPad and share them with students in class and on popular social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook for out-of-class viewing. Educators can easily store the videos in cloud-based storage using apps such as Dropbox or Google Drive. The app has three pricing options: Basic ($0/yr), Pro Classroom ($99/yr), and Pro School ($1495/yr) (educreations, n.d.).

Features

The features of educreations include an easy-to-use and intuitive interface, making the video editing process fast and straightforward. The app allows teachers to capture ideas and record their voice and iPad screen to create interactive videos. The app can import documents and photos to add to the video. Once finished, teachers can easily share their video over email, post them to social media, embed into a class website, or save them to a cloud storage application for viewing later (educreations, n.d.).

One of the best interactive features is that students can create their videos to teach back lesson content to other students or share what they learned with the teacher for feedback. Educreations also provides example videos from other teachers for ideation and tutorials for learning. It’s an easy-to-use app and highly recommended by other educators.

For more information:

To learn more about educreations, visit https://www.educreations.com/features/

Warnings and Safeguards for Collaboration and Communication Apps

A common concern exists for all educational technology platforms and communication/collaboration apps that educators, parents, and students should know and verify before use. That concern is the issue of data privacy and protection. The following sections address this issue from a broader viewpoint of helping parents and educators understand what to look for when selecting an app and ensuring student data privacy protection.

Warnings

Data privacy is a big concern as more and more educators are using technology in the classroom to help students with communication and collaboration. Polonetsky and Chaudhary (2015) found that educational technology is having a widening impact in class as teachers are “capitalizing on the rapid adoption of mobile devices and increased broadband access to foster deeper learning, motivate students, and engage parents” (n.p.). Educators and parents need to understand data privacy standards when using educational technology and select apps that adhere to and implement data privacy standards and safeguards.

Data Privacy Safeguards

Privacy by Design is an approach developed by Ann Cavoukian that calls for organizations to build trust with teachers, parents, and organizations by embedding privacy into their services and products as a framework being utterly transparent on data collection and storage policies (Polonetsky & Chaudrary, 2015).

Another safeguard is to ensure a product is adhering to industry-standard privacy policies and laws such as US Privacy Law compliance, Student Privacy, and Children’s Privacy Policy. These are also known as Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as applicable to state and federal privacy laws. Typically, these policies are found under the Terms of Conditions or in a Privacy Policy section.

It is essential to understand how the app uses personal information, what type of personal information it collects from the students and teachers, and how long it stores it. Here are a few essential questions to consider (Kahoot!, 2020):

1. Does the app sell students’ personal information?

2. Does the app target ads on the application towards students using personal data?

3. Does the app build a student profile from the data other than what is needed to support the app?

4. Does the app retain the students’ personal information beyond the authorized use of the app?

5. What type of data is being collected at signup and while in use?

6. Does the app anonymize personal data so that it no longer identifies the student?

7. Does the app comply with FERPA and COPPA?

Data Privacy Safeguards

For more information on Student Privacy Policy, visit the following page hosted by Kahoot!, which provides an in-depth review of data privacy policies and concerns:

https://kahoot.com/student-privacy-policy/

References:

educreations (n.d.). Features. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.educreations.com/features/

Fullan, M., Quinn, J., Drummy, M., & Gardner, M. (2020). Education reimagined: The future of learning. Microsoft Education & New Pedagogies for Deep Learning.

https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/Microsoft-EducationReimagined-Paper.pdf

Kahoot! (2020). Kahoot! student privacy policy. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://kahoot.com/student-privacy-policy/

Kahoot! (n.d.). Kahoot! for schools. How it works. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://kahoot.com/schools/how-it-works/

Lee, J. (2021, February 8). Safer internet day: Online classroom safety tips for parents and teachers on Zoom [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4or9h5EXHhE

McMillion, T., & Tucker King, C. S. (2017). Communication and security issues in online education: Student self-disclosure in course introductions. Journal of

Interactive Online Learning, 15(1), 1–25.

Microsoft (n.d.). Microsoft Education. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/teams

Polonetsky, J. & Chaudhary, S. (2015, May 5). Edtech privacy by design: The teacher as privacy entrepreneur. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-05-05-edtech-privacy-by-design-the-teacher-as-privacy-entrepreneur

TRC (n.d.). Welcome to TRC212°. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.trc212.com/about

Trello (n.d.). Trello Boards. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://trello.com/

Wasik, E. (2020). Bridging the digital divide to engage students in higher education. The Economist Intelligence Unit. https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/EIU-Microsoft-Education-Bridging-the-Digital-Divide-2020.pdf

Zoom (n.d.). Our customers love us. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://zoom.us/customer/all

An Overview of STEM, Robotics, Coding, and Maker Spaces

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 02:02:30 GMT

Exploring these four areas from the perspective of my local context, examining their significance, barriers, practices, and implications for teaching and learning.

STEM, Robots, Codes, Maker’s Spaces

In the past 10-15 years, the educational landscape has changed considerably due to the explosive growth of technology and computing in our society, dominant business and industry tools. Student exposure to STEM, robots, coding, and maker spaces provide authentic learning experiences is vitally important for students to learn how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are interrelated.

STEM, robots, codes, and maker spaces make the learning process fun and impactful for students to experience and explore 21 ^st -century technology and skills. Early exposure to STEM content has shown promise and potential in igniting student interest to pursue education and careers in STEM, Robotics, Coding, and Engineering. The following sections provide a high-level view of these programs in the educational landscape from a local context.

STEM (STEAM)

Integrated STEM is a curriculum approach “using an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach that relates to real-world applications” and has seen remarkable growth in schools and after-school programs in Middle Tennessee (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018, p. 8). Over the past year, many local schools have found creative and engaging ways to connect students to STEM education at home due to COVID-19. The NASA STEM Engagement program has taken the lead in providing students, teachers, and parents with access to quality STEM education resources to continue learning through the pandemic.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) provides a strategic roadmap for NASA missions that significantly impact and align with national priorities. One of these national priorities is SMD Priority 4: Inspiration, which aims to “Purposefully and actively engage with audiences and learners of all ages to share the story of NASA’s integrated science program” and help young students “become architects of their own life-long learning pathway” (NASA, 2020a, p. 24).

NASA’s bold space and earth science missions require essential 21 ^st -century skills such as computational thinking, communication, and collaboration. To prepare future scientists and engineers for the 21 ^st -century workforce, NASA aims to inspire, educate, and engage students through a broad assortment of STEM learning activities focused on space science, technology, engineering design, our home planet, our solar system, and the universe (Knezek, 2020).

Who’s doing it?

NASA STEM Engagement and Texas State University created a STEM educator program called the Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) designed to provide resources, webinars, face-to-face events, and STEM educators’ seminars (NASA, 2020b). Many public schools, pre-service educators, universities, and informal educators participate in the weekly learning events and can earn digital badges and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for participation.

How does it work?

Educators can visit the NASA EPDC website to sign up for weekly webinars presented by NASA EPDC education specialists from each of the ten NASA centers. Webinars options include daytime and evening events for maximum participation. Upon completing the webinar, participants complete a brief survey to receive a participation certificate, which counts as CEUs in some organizations.

Why is it significant?

By partnering with national partners such as Texas State University, NASA can foster innovation and collaboration in STEM education and build cooperation and diversity of ideas among educators in the STEM Educator network (NASA, 2020a).

What are the downsides?

A potential downside is collecting the resources to create engaging lessons. NASA made the lesson plans using items typically found at home or in school supply rooms, such as poster board, string, glue, cups, paper clips, and a wide assortment of commonly found materials to complete the lesson.

What barriers exist and how might they be overcome?

A barrier to STEM educator development is often allocating time for a busy professional to schedule development time to complete the STEM lessons. NASA EPDC has made this easy by scheduling many of the webinars routinely throughout the month on different days and hours. The EPDC webinar schedule enables maximum participation if an educator cannot attend one of the scheduled webinars (NASA, 2020b).

Where is it going?

STEM is seeing tremendous growth and opportunity, including informal STEM education, which comprises educators who work in non-traditional learning environments such as museums, education organizations, and after-school programs. NASA EPDC specialists support informal educators by providing the same access to quality STEM resources to educate citizens of all ages in formal and informal learning environments (NASA, 2020c).

What are the implications for teaching and learning and how do you know?

Through the NASA STEM Engagement program, teaching and learning become more powerful and accessible for all, creating opportunities for engagement both as students and educators to participate directly in the NASA mission and advance STEM Education and knowledge (NASA, 2020a).

For more information:

For more information about NASA STEM Engagement, please visit https://www.nasa.gov/stem . For more information about NASA EPDC, educators can visit https://www.txstate-epdc.net/.

Robotics

Robotics is a great program to teach students about the engineering design process and technology. Students can explore many STEM content areas at once, including engineering design, mechanical systems, electrical, electronics, coding, and innovation. Robotics also helps students build essential 21 ^st -century work-life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, communication, and presentation skills.

A popular robotics program in PreK-12 education is called FIRST Robotics. FIRST is an acronym: For the Inspiration of Science and Technology. Dean Kamen founded FIRST using the model of sports and friendly competition to build excitement and inspiration among young people in Science, Technology, and Engineering (FIRST, 2021a).

FIRST (2021b) offers three robotics programs providing a progression of programs from Pre-K up to 12 ^th grade. The High School program is called FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for students in grades 9-12. The middle school and high school program is called FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for students in grades 7-12. The lower and upper elementary school program is called FIRST Lego League (FLL) for students in grades PreK-8.

Who’s doing it?

The FIRST Robotics program is available at many local public schools, private schools, homeschools, and after school programs such as 4H and informal learning organizations. One example is a non-profit community education program called the Tennessee Robotics Club, or TRC for short.

TRC provides students with the educational and technical resources needed to build highly competitive robots in a hands-on learning environment to experience the rigors and excitement of real-world Technology, Robotics, and Coding challenges (TRC, n.d.). In 2020, TRC won the Tennessee FTC State Championship and advanced to the FIRST Championship for the first time in program history, marking an achievement that spanned ten years.

How does it work?

Students work together to build a robot and compete in a robot game challenge to score points. Local mentors, volunteers, and coaches support the teams in a year-long season format to compete head-to-head with other regional tournament teams. Winning teams advance to Houston, TX for the FIRST Championship. Teams are judged not only on the robot game but also on core values, engineering notebooks, design presentations, and team spirit.

Why is it significant?

FIRST Robotics is significant because it helps students develop essential 21 ^st -century work-skills to succeed in a competitive economy. It also helps connect young students to STEM education and career paths, which studies have shown peaks in the Middle School grades, especially for female and underrepresented minority students (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018).

What are the downsides?

One challenge coaches and mentors often face is providing enough time to complete the robot. Since most schools only dedicate an hour to STEM classes, this usually requires the students to meet after school or on weekends to complete the robot and practice competing, which is very difficult for some students who ride the bus to school.

What barriers exist and how might they be overcome?

Some teams’ potential barrier is space and tournament expenses related to renting large public venues such as school gyms, arenas, and conventions. Fortunately, many local businesses are starting to see the value in sponsoring school robotics programs. In the Middle Tennessee area, significant sponsors include TVA, Schneider Electric, and Amazon, all with a substantial STEM education investment.

In September of 2019, Amazon’s founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, launched the Amazon Future Engineer program in underrepresented Metro Nashville Public Schools (MPNS) and underserved communities. This partnership provides funding for 21 elementary, middle, and high school programs to start robotics programs and an additional $10,000 for each school to expand computer science programs (Stinnett, 2019).

Where is it going?

The FIRST robotics program is growing substantially all across the world and especially in the United States. Because of the impact of COVID-19 and access to large public spaces with hundreds of people converging, the tournaments are moving to virtual robotics competitions for the foreseeable future. This change will allow the program to continue while protecting people from the pandemic.

What are the implications for teaching and learning and how do you know?

Another benefit to FIRST Robotics for teaching is the availability of a new classroom-based program called FIRST Class Packs, which provides teachers access to a guided two-semester STEM robotics curriculum for each program grade (FIRST, 2021c). Administrators can purchase enough robot supplies to teach 30 students in a classroom format. Teachers have the option of running mini-robot games to replicate the competitive aspect.

This format is significant for learning because it removes the difficulties in teaching robotics while also providing students with quality STEM-based learning during the allocated lesson hour. The FIRST Class Pack curriculum also provides students with an online learning portal for remote access if schooling from home, which is incredibly helpful for teachers, parents, and program administrators. Students can also compete on a local competition team in one of the FIRST robotics programs (FIRST, 2021c).

For more information:

For more information about FIRST, please visit https://www.firstinspires.org .

Hour of Coding (or Coding in Education)

Hour of Code is a one-hour coding tutorial created by Code.org. This educational non-profit organization promotes computer science and coding education in schools to increase young women and other underrepresented students’ participation (Code.org, n.d.). Code.org also offers three levels of full semester-long computer science courses for students in elementary school, middle school, and high school students available online.

Hour of Code offers over 100 popular titles such as Star Wars, Minecraft, and Dance Party at four age groups and two difficulty levels (Hour of Code, n.d.). Hour of Code tutorials are available online and organized by age group, classroom technology availability, topics, activity type, length, and coding language.

The Hour of Code and other coding programs have shown great success in enrolling in computer science education at the university level. Partovi (2016) found that High School students who participate in AP Computer Science classes were twice as likely to try computer science in college (58% to 28%), and girls were ten times more likely (11% to 1%). Partovi also found that African American and Hispanic students were 7-8 times more likely (14-17% to 2%) to try computer science.

Who’s doing it?

Several schools and after-school programs in Middle Tennessee participate in Hour of Code. One after-school program in Franklin, TN called Engineering for Kids offers students virtual access to Hour of Code. Engineering for Kids also provides students with access to a wide assortment of other coding classes, including video game design, app development, and game-based coding such as Minecraft (Engineering for Kids, n.d.). Engineering for Kids is an accredited program with STEM.org and Cognia STEM certifications.

How does it work?

Hour of Code tutorials are free, as well as all Code.org computer science courses. Students simply visit the Code.org website to select from the list of tutorials. Each lesson accompanies a video introducing the tutorial topic and putting it into context with real-world application. After students finish watching the video, they begin the first task, which takes them step-by-step through a guided interactive coding lesson (Code.org, n.d.). Hints are also provided for students if they get stuck.

Each lesson accesses Code Studio, a browser-based program comprised of three main areas: play space, toolbox, and workspace. The coding language uses block programming, but learners also can program in Java-based programming language for a more significant challenge. Teachers can access a lesson plan with best practices to go along with each lesson.

Why is it significant?

Coding is essential for students because it teaches them computational thinking and 21 ^st -century skills. According to Schrum and Sumerfield (2018), “Coding is considered an essential element of computer science, STEM, and the overarching goal of creativity” (p. 10). Students learn how to work together collaboratively to solve complex coding challenges. Hour of Code tutorials promotes achievement through short programming sessions where the students get to see what they created, boosting confidence and achievement.

What are the downsides?

The best experience has one internet-connected computer or device for each student. A potential downside for educators is not having enough devices for students or having limited internet connections to reach the Code.org website. Ideally, these lessons have the best experience with a 1:1 ratio of devices to students. However, Code.org has several options for educators to use to maximize participation.

What barriers exist and how might they be overcome?

Code.org overcomes the potential barriers of limited devices or low internet bandwidth using pair programming, a device sharing technique where students work as a team. Two students work together to complete the tutorial, sharing responsibilities and working collaboratively to solve the challenge. This technique works quite well, especially for students who may be intimidated by technology and can be paired up with a more experienced student to help them build confidence.

Where is it going?

Technology is rapidly changing with each passing day, and coding activities are expanding beyond the traditional curriculum to all types of learning games and activities. One example of coding is a game-based educational program called Minecraft Education. McColgan et al. (2018) found that serious games can help teachers by adding educational content and learning objectives to promote learning outcomes in the classroom. In education, this pedagogy is called serious gaming or game-based learning, which is becoming a popular way for pre-service teachers to teach technology.

What are the implications for teaching and learning and how do you know?

Many educators participate in coding tutorials because it promotes social learning, emotional development, and technical skills development in the coding activities (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). The positive outcomes are essential for many reasons and result in a win-win outcome for both the teacher and the students’ academic growth and development.

For more information:

For more information about Code.org and the Hour of Code initiative, please visit https://code.org/hourofcode/overview

Maker’s Spaces

The maker movement brings together many creative technologies promoting experiential learning, engagement, interdisciplinary STEM integration, and personalized learning. Maker spaces provide learner-centered experiential learning aligning with students’ interests and fundamental constructivist learning principles (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018).

Maker spaces reside in local community centers, libraries, classrooms, and even garages for after-school programs. The maker movement is popular among students and educators because they can create, ideate, invent and experiment while having fun learning through creative expression and technology. This technology creativity is essential for educators to teach complex technical skills while engaging students.

Another benefit to maker spaces is the principle of inclusion. By creating a common place to share resources, students who may otherwise not have access to technology can experiment and learn without investing in expensive equipment and supplies. For example, a 3D printer, a popular device found in most maker spaces, can cost upwards of $1000, putting it out of reach for many students.

Who’s doing it?

In Middle Tennessee, one popular location for college students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is called The Makerspace, located on the 2 ^nd floor of the James E. Walker Library and open to all students, faculty, and staff. The MakerSpace provides unique equipment and capabilities, enabling students to explore, collaborate, and express creative ideas (MTSU Walker Library, n.d.).

How does it work?

Accessing the equipment is limited to students of MTSU who have completed the training on how to use it. Students can check out the equipment or use it in the Makerspace. The Makerspace provides access to the equipment for free, but students must bring in their materials and supplies for equipment such as the 3D printer, vinyl cutter, and laser etcher/carver.

The Makerspace at MTSU also includes access to digital media production tools such as a green room, DSLR cameras, production equipment, and virtual reality (VR) equipment. There are also computers and peripherals such as iMacs with large monitors for video editing. Audio Visual (AV) and Virtual Reality (VR) equipment are also available for students to use creatively (MTSU Walker Library, n.d.).

Why is it significant?

Many of the skills students learn in a maker space are often multidisciplinary such as working together on a team, communication, problem-solving, collaboration, and engineering knowledge (Pocock, 2016). Lofton (2017) suggests that the maker space provides students with the opportunity to become creators instead of just consumers. Since maker spaces often require practical instructions to use the technology properly, it helps students build their information technology literacy skills by reading and following technical procedures.

What are the downsides?

Potential downsides could be expenses in starting and purchasing the equipment. However, there are many grants available, and there is no minimum equipment needed. The maker space can be whatever you have on hand and can start small then add to it as it grows. Lofton (2017) writes, “every maker space will and should be different, meeting the interests and needs of its population” (p. 19).

What barriers exist and how might they be overcome?

One potential barrier for schools is finding a dedicated space to host the maker space equipment. Depending on the technology used, the devices can be somewhat loud. Using a library for 3D printing, laser etching/carving, or vinyl cutting may not always be the best study and research environment. Lofton (2017) suggests creating a mobile maker cart with materials and supplies wheeled to the classroom using the equipment.

Where is it going?

Lofton (2017) writes that “A maker space is not simply a space for constructing things; it encourages students to think, learn something new, be creative in accomplishing tasks, share their accomplishments with others, and grow as they do so” (p. 18). These characteristics help make maker spaces significant in education, and they will continue to grow and develop as new technologies arrive.

What are the implications for teaching and learning and how do you know?

Students thrive on learning experiences where they get to create something unique using their creative idea. As written the Bible, “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them” (NIV, 1984/1973, Genesis 27). This verse reminds us that it is encoded within our very nature to emulate our Creator by designing, creating, and making things with our own hands. This what makes maker spaces so useful for teaching and learning.

For more information:

For more information about The Makerspace at MTSU, please visit https://library.mtsu.edu/technology/makerspace

References

Code.org (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://code.org/about

Engineering for Kids (n.d.). Technology & coding: Helping young engineers broaden their minds in a fun environment. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.engineeringforkids.com/curriculum/technology-coding/

FIRST (2021a). Vision and mission. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.firstinspires.org/about/vision-and-mission

FIRST (2021b). A suite of hands-on, STEM learning programs. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.firstinspires.org

FIRST (2021). FIRST class pack. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://info.firstinspires.org/class-pack

Hour of Code (n.d.). Hour of Code Activities. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Knezek, G., Christensen, R., & Ng, C. (2020). Inspiring STEM engagement: Space science education in the 21 ^st century. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2020) 39(4), 285-290.

Lofton, J. (2017). Students are makers! Building information literacy skills through makerspace programs. CSLA Journal, 40(2), 18–16.

McColgan, M. W., Colesante, R. J., & Andrade, A. G. (2018). Pre-service teachers learn to teach with serious games. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations & Research, 19(2), 19–25.

MTSU Walker Library (n.d.). Technology Services: The Makerspace. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://library.mtsu.edu/technology/makerspace

NASA (2020a). Science 2020–2024: A vision for scientific excellence.

https://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy

NASA (2020b). NASA STEM EPDC and Texas State University. NASA EPDC. https://www.txstate-epdc.net/about-us/

NASA (2020c). Explore STEM resources for informal education. NASA STEM Engagement. https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/informal/index.html

The Holy Bible, New International Version: Containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. (1984). International Bible Society. (Original work published 1973)

Partovi, H. (2016, April 18). Computer science: The impact on K-12 on university enrollment. Anybody Can Learn. https://blog.code.org/post/143007230537/computer-science-the-impact-of-k-12-on-university

Pocock, J. (2016). Maker movement 2.0. ASEE Prism, 26(3), 34-37.

Schrum, L., & Sumerfield, S. (2018). Learning supercharged: Digital age strategies and insights from the edtech frontier. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Stinnett, J. (2019). Jeff Bezos visits Nashville to launch new program in Metro schools. Nashville Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2019/09/11/jeff-bezos-visits-nashville-to-launch-new-program.html

TRC (n.d.). We are TRC. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.tennesseeroboticsclub.org/about-us

We Persevere

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 19:04:58 GMT

Now more than ever, it's critically important to provide students with flexible learning opportunities to continue growing academically, intellectually, and socially through these challenging times. To meet this goal, I am building a new online STEAM Education program to connect and inspire students to learn 21st-Century work-life skills through our new digital learning portal we call TRC212° .

The mission of TRC Education is to build an engaging robotics and STEAM education program for K-12 students in Middle Tennessee to learn 21st century skills demonstrated by sustained excellence in Technology, Robotics, and Coding. By using curated content from organizations such as FIRST Robotics, NASA STEM Engagement, and Cisco Networking Academy, we can connect many students with quality online STEAM education and resources.

If you haven’t heard of STEAM education, you’ve likely heard of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM has redefined the educational landscape by adapting learning subjects for the 21st century. In 2021, we decided to add Aerospace to the integrated STEM subjects because of our interest in NASA and other Aerospace Education programs. By doing so, we can engage our students to think creatively beyond terrestrial robots to solve really complex problems facing our country in the 21st-century.

I am confident that as students participate in the online learning courses, they will gain a better understanding, respect, and appreciation for the rigors and benefits of a quality STEAM education program like TRC212°. In the coming months, I will continue to harness learning design and technology in new and innovative ways inspiring students to pursue their dreams and future career goals becoming future science and technology leaders.

Always persevere.

Michael

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, NIV).

Careers in Educational Technology

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:15:11 GMT

A discussion post about the types of careers held and tasks performed by educational technologists.

Careers in Educational Technology

The field of Educational Technology is a diverse and thriving career field impacting all segments of the educational landscape including P-12 schools, universities, businesses, military, and even government. Educational Technology is incredibly complex to implement and manage especially at the P-12, but it provides students with unprecedented access and learning potential (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Educational technology not only includes the course authoring software and technology but also comprises the systems, software, and technology platforms that help make online learning possible. According to Schrum and Sumerfield (2018), many think of “educational technology as an interconnected and supported system of tools, teachers, and learning” (p. xi).

In the business world, Educational Technologists are often called Learning Design Technologists or Learning Technology Specialists. The tasks they do are just as diverse and challenging as the field itself. Many of the LDT tasks are similar to what an Instructional Designer would do and include course authoring and publishing, implementing and maintaining Learning Management Systems (LMS), and troubleshooting problems that may arise with training enrollment and completion. Skill areas that educational technologists require to be successful include critical thinking skills, complex problem solving, resource management, attention to detail, and becoming a life-long learner (Mayes & Spector, 2015).

In the university setting, MOOCs are providing a dynamic area where educational technologists are working to make a positive impact in education by helping to bridge the digital divide all over the world. MOOC is an acronym that stands for a massive open online course. Over the past decade, many colleges and universities have been offering some of their courses online for free to meet the growing demand for online education and also to reach a global audience (Abdelghani, 2020). One such MOOC organization is called EdX which is transforming education.

EdX was founded by scientists from Harvard and MIT in 2012 and in nine short years has impacted millions of students from every country in the world providing access to quality education from top universities all through MOOC educational technology (Bernhard & Sabate, 2015). Agarwal (2020) states that edX set out “to transform education through digital technology” (p. 2). Working closely with other universities in the U.S. and around the world, edX is now offering fully online master’s degrees from top universities such as Purdue, Georgia Tech, Indiana University, and Texas.

The MOOC concept of EdX is but one example of how educational technology is helping people from all stages of life learn on their own terms to gain new skills, change careers, get promoted, earn a certificate, and even earn a master’s degree. All of the courses at edX can be taken for free but for a reduced fee, a student can earn a certification or a credentialed degree from the hosting university (Agarwal, 2020). For these reasons and the impact that he has made in the field of educational technology in just a short span of fewer than 10 years, I nominate Anant Agarwal, founder, and CEO of edX to the Educational Technologies Hall of Fame. He has utilized the field of Educational Technology in ways that are reshaping the education landscape for millions around the world and created learning beyond boundaries to bridge the digital divide.

References

Agarwal A. (2020). 2020 Impact report. edX. https://www.edx.org/assets/2020-impact-report-en.pdf

Abdelghani, B. (2020). Trends in MOOCs research: Analysis of educational technology journals. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), 15(17), pp. 47-68. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i17.14637

Bernhard M. & Sabate I. (2015, May 28). The founders: The evolution of edX at Harvard and MIT. The Harvard Crimson. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/5/28/the-founders/

Mayes, R., Natividad, G., & Spector, J. (2015). Challenges for educational technologists in the 21st century. Education Sciences, 5(3), 221-237.

Schrum, L., & Sumerfield, S. (2018). Learning supercharged: Digital age strategies and insights from the edtech frontier. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Classrooms

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:30:40 GMT

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Classrooms

The Internet of Things and Smart Classrooms

There’s not much in the world that’s not connected to the internet or impacted in some way by the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, by the close of 2020, there was an estimated 20.4 billion devices that were connected to the world wide web (Kassab et al., 2020). The impact of IoT on the education space has yet to be fully realized but one thing is certain. Many students are already living in a connected world outside of the classroom and campuses can use that to their advantage to positively impact the future of education and keep pace with a fast-moving technology.

If you look at the core concept behind the connected “thing”, it really comes down to inputs and outputs. Ganea et al. (2020) write that the IoT should be viewed as an ecosystem with multiple layers of interconnectivity and communication. When you think of the “thing” that is connected to the internet, what comes to mind? In a smart home, this may include alarm sensors, appliances, lighting systems, and thermostats. In healthcare, a Fitbit fitness tracker or Apple Health monitor may come to mind. These devices provide their users with convenience and “smart” monitoring. One only has to browse through the connected home at Best Buy to explore a plethora of modern connectivity. What about the smart classroom?

What does the IoT mean for education? A major benefit of IoT on education comes down to the environment with smart classrooms and campuses being built all across America to optimize classroom occupancy and environmental conditions such as heating, lighting, and energy consumption (Ganea et al., 2020). Internet and Wi-Fi technology in the classroom are becoming smarter too. With 5G technology, bandwidth will be optimized to meet increased usage demand in high traffic areas for educators to better connect with mobile learners in real time. The benefits of IoT on the smart classroom will play a major role in increasing energy efficiency and decreasing environmental impact in the coming decade.

Industry 4.0 is defined as the fourth evolution of the industrial revolution and with it comes the advantages of smart manufacturing (Ateş et al., 2020). With increased connectively, comes increased threat potential looking to exploit smart devices at the source of manufacturing. However, as Ganea et al. pointed out, seeing IoT as an interconnected ecosystem provides increased opportunities for threat detection. Ateş et al. (2020) write that the IoT is “one of the greatest developments in the modern age, because an object that also has a digital identity is in contact with its environment as well as its user” (p. 38).

What this basically comes down to is that when a threat is happening or has already happened, IoT increases detection capabilities to stop it or track it to its source minimizing damage. Some may counter that increased monitoring capabilities also means increased surveillance on its people. This is a real threat to a free and democratic society and should be balanced carefully with the potential gains of convenience, efficiency, and security (Ateş et al., 2020). Hopefully, the very thing that makes us so vulnerable to attack actually makes us stronger and smarter in the end.

References

Ateş, E. C., Bostanci, E., & Guzel, M. S. (2020). Security evaluation of industry 4.0: Understanding industry 4.0 on the basis of crime, big data, internet of thing (IoT) and cyber physical systems. Journal of Security Science, 9(1), 29–50. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.28956/gbd.695889

Ganea, D., Craciun, M., Arama, C., & Vlad, C. (2020). Advances in education through IoT. Annals of the University Dunarea de Jos of Galati: Fascicle II, Mathematics, Physics, Theoretical Mechanics, 43(2), 102–107. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.35219/ann-ugal-math-phys-mec.2020.2.04

Kassab, M., DeFranco, J., & Laplante, P. (2020). A systematic literature review on Internet of things in education: Benefits and challenges. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(2), 115–127. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1111/jcal.12383

A Force for Change and We Persevere

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 14:39:57 GMT

Team, Sponsors, and Supporters,

Just a quick note to say hello and check-in. I hope this post finds you well and everyone is practicing good social distancing as we battle on for the next few months. We are doing well and staying busy. My family is enjoying the time together catching up on projects and things around the house. I have also been busy cleaning up my robotics garage and organizing parts for next season.

I have a few updates to share in case you are not receiving the updates from FIRST. On Saturday, May 2nd at 9 am CST, FIRST is hosting a virtual event called FIRST RISE Rewind and Force for Change. Please visit this website to learn more: https://www.firstchampionship.org/first-rise-rewind and tune in that day for a fun virtual event showcase of teams and their robots. We are also working on a highlight video of our amazing season demonstrating TRC's accomplishments this past year and our Force for Change impact in the Middle Tennessee community.

Here are a few words of encouragement. I know things may be uncertain and at times, a bit chaotic right now. Our robotics season certainly ended sooner than we anticipated and upended all of our plans we worked so hard to achieve. I encourage you to focus on what you can control and pick one thing you can do each day to keep improving your engineering and design skills. For me, I have been focused on learning how to use Fusion 360 (the videos are free and very good) and 3D printing parts to our Rover. Dylan and I are still working on our new Perseverance Rover when we have time. I also completed a video below for Ben's alumni presentation. I wish we could have all been together when we recognized Ben as our first FIRST Alumni member. Feel free to share what you've been up to and how I might be able to help.

I took this photo in the garage last night as I was waiting for a print job to complete. I found it encouraging to me that no matter how dark and chaotic the world may appear at times, it can never extinguish the light of hope and the anticipation for a brighter tomorrow.

Pray daily, stand up straight, be a force for change, and always persevere!

Coach Mike

The Obstacle is the Way

michael@steadfastinteractive.com (Michael Puckett) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:31:18 GMT

Forge new skills during this unique and challenging time.

This blog post is about forging something new. We should invest in learning new skills, sharpening old ones and forge new habits to learn and grow. When this storm has passed, you will have the opportunity to build something new again and we will need all the help we can get.

Personally, I have decided to work on my programming skills by learning more about JavaScript. I am reading two books which are really good at teaching fundamentals and providing hands-on learning activities which I prefer. The two books are Eloquent JavaScript by M. Haverbeke and Head First JavaScript Programming by E. Freeman and E. Robson. The book covers and links are listed on my Resources page.

I have also decided to learn more about Multimedia Learning Theory and Cognitive strategies using two books by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer to enhance my learning through E-Learning and Multimedia. I think my next post will be about that so watch this space.

Lastly, I am spending some quality time with my family learning new skills such as 3D Printing and Designing Cookie Cutters for my wife's allergy-friendly bakery Dylicious Cakes business. I'm also learning about Python programming and Linux OS using a Raspberry Pi for a new Mars Perseverance rover we are building together. The key is to stay busy and try to do one thing positive and constructive each day.

Stay safe and Be Steadfast!

Discover Your Purpose

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There's more power inside you than you imagined. Be ready to discover and explore.

The only thing stopping you from achieving your goals and dreams are your own fears. Boldly lead the life you envision.

Do you know that it takes great courage to pursue your dreams? It's so easy to give up on them. Don't! Only you have the power to make them come true.

According to a recent survey, more than 70% of Americans are unhappy in their current job because deep down inside they know their career is not in alignment with their dreams, passions and desires of their youth. Sadly, today many Americans are living someone else's dream and not their own.

Valiant means to be "boldly courageous" and it is the primary aim of TRC Education to inspire, encourage and motivate students to dream big dreams and valiantly lead courageous lives for a worthy cause. To boldly lead the life they envision.

Be steadfast and unwavering in pursuit of your dreams!

Michael

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

More than Robotics

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 06:00:00 GMT

FIRST is way more than robotics. It's truly a sport for the mind!

For the past eight years, I have mentored a FIRST Robotics club teaching STEM concepts to a group of middle school and high school students. My team members come from all types of educational environments: private school, public school, and homeschool ranging in ages from 13-17. My garage was converted into a learning workshop to provide a place where real-world challenges are solved using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. For 10 months out of the year, beginning in August, the Tennessee Robotics Club works together to solve a variety of engineering technology challenges they face and trust me, there are many challenges.

Teaching and Mentoring FIRST Robotics has been an invaluable investment of my personal and professional time as I have seen our students grow and excel in school applying what they learn in the classroom to advanced STEM concepts demonstrated in my garage. As I reflect upon my mentoring experience, I am reminded how technology has opened doorways to countless learning opportunities for my student team members.

More than just Robotics

TRC represents three areas that our team members love learning and exploring: Technology, Robotics, and Coding where students gain hands-on practical experience while having a lot of fun competing with other teams with similar interests. TRC team members are encouraged to work together to solve real-world engineering challenges using 21st-century work-life skills while having a lot of fun competing and learning together. Robotics is sport for the mind and the competitive spirit is fostered within an environment of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.

TRC competes in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics, a program founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, inspire innovation, and foster 21st-century work-life skills including self-confidence, communication, teamwork, collaboration, and leadership. FIRST rightly promotes their program as way more than just robots.

TRC Learning Goals:

Discovery, Application, and Inspiration.
Discover the possibilities that exist in engineering technology, robotics and coding.
Encourage creative thinking and innovation to provide the creative fuel for the engineering design process.
Construct a hands-on learning environment where students actively learn and explore the exciting world of science and technology.
Connect learning experiences to real-world applications exploring pathways to careers in STEM-related fields.
Apply 21st-century work-life skills to solve problems and promote critical thinking.
Build teams that promote self-confidence, communication, teamwork, and collaboration.
Express the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through our Core Values.
Inspire young people to become the future leaders in science and technology.

These 21st-century learning experiences have included engineering technology, computer science, coding, cybersecurity, 3D modeling, engineering design, communication, collaboration, presentation skills, and even marketing just to name a few.

FIRST is way more than robotics. It's truly a sport for the mind!

My Steadfast Journey

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A steady and unwavering course that one follows intently without deviation or change of purpose...

The word steadfast is defined as “a steady and unwavering course that one follows intently without deviation or change of purpose” (Merriam-Webster, 2018). In April of 2017, I made the decision to go back to school to pursue a Master’s degree in learning design. I can honestly say it was the best decision I’ve made in my career because it forced me out of my comfort zone to begin a new journey in learning design. I learned later on that when you get out of your comfort zone, real learning happens and this is where my Steadfast journey began.

Boiler Up

Research led me to Purdue University’s Learning Design and Technology program to gain the skills and experiences I needed to create exceptional learning experiences. This program encompasses a perfect combination of everything I love to do every day: Learning Design, Creativity, Digital Media, and Technology. One of the many benefits of the Purdue LDT program is the opportunity to build a professional competency portfolio as you see here. This portfolio is important to me because it provides a central location to demonstrate artifacts of my graduate work and professional practice providing an online resource to share with colleagues, future clients, and potential employers if needed.

Professional Learning Design

To achieve my goal of becoming a professional learning designer and leadership consultant, I focused my efforts on becoming proficient in the most desirable and marketable skills. According to a recent survey of professionals, using multimedia design principles for learning design and development took the top spot in most requested abilities (Ritzhaupt, Martin, and Daniels, 2010).

After researching the “Intentional Futures report Instructional Design in Higher Education: A Report on the Role, Workflow, and Experience of Instructional Designers”, I identified the following skills and preferred authoring tools in my chosen career pathway:

1) Digital Media Production (Adobe Creative Cloud)

2) E-Learning Course Authoring (Articulate 360)

3) Instructional Design and Evaluation (Agile and Rapid Prototyping)

4) Communication Skills (Microsoft Office 365)

5) Project Management Skills (Agile ISD Project Management)

Learning Beyond Boundaries

I believe a Purdue Masters in Education in Learning Design and Technology degree provided me with new skills and knowledge to turn boundaries into doorways for my colleagues and students around the world. After having completed my Steadfast journey, I can honestly say that I know this to be very true. Completing my graduate studies at Purdue was difficult at times but the journey was worth it in the end after having arrived at my destination. Good luck on your steadfast journey!

Be Steadfast!

Michael Puckett

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain"

(1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV).

My Unfinished Work

Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

During my graduate studies at Purdue University, I had the opportunity to research learning design theories and formulate my own understanding of human learning theory and more importantly, how learning is applied in the real world. Much like the Unfinished Block P sculpture on the Purdue campus, my portfolio is also an unfinished work.

What you will notice in my learning designs is that they are heavily influenced by constructivist, situated learning, and multimedia learning design principles which have shaped and molded my understanding of cognitive learning strategies. This is especially true for students who learn best by hands-on learning in real-world scenarios and encouraging environments.

One of my favorite spots on the Purdue campus is the Unfinished Block P sculpture. There are many beautiful spots on the campus but what I find especially meaningful for me is the symbolism found in that we are also unfinished works. God has a plan for each and everyone of us.

Be Steadfast

Statue Inscription

This sculpture serves as a reminder that even after graduating from Purdue, our experience is not over. Rather, we carry through life our numerous memories, friendships, lessons learned, and skills acquired. This sculpture encourages all Purdue students, alumni, and friends to treasure all that Purdue has blessed us with and to keep the Purdue experience close at heart, not only for ourselves but for all that we loved here and for all those students who, for various reasons, did not get the opportunity to complete the Purdue experience. In essence, the real Purdue is not simply the physical facility or the location of the University but the cumulative and lasting impact and wonder of our interactions with faculty, staff, other students, and all the events that occur during our time together.

Once a part of the experience, we are all together eternally Purdue.

Reference:

The Unfinished Block P. (2018, Sept 10). Statue Inscription. Retrieved from: http://www.purdueblockp.com/statue/inscription/ .

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11

TRC Vectors

Personalized and Problem-based Learning

Learning is everywhere and it truly has no boundaries.

Personalized and Problem-Based Learning

How personalized learning might better help learners reach mastery for important concepts and skills

How to encourage students to use technology effectively for collaboration to solve the problems

Challenges of promoting new approaches to teaching and learning in an existing curriculum, especially in an online learning environment

References:

Dare Mighty Things

Mars Perseverance Decoder Ring

Game-Based Learning

Gamification of learning is a growing trend in education and an effective way to make learning interactive and engaging.

Game-Based Learning

How gaming, game-based learning, and gamification approaches are different

The role of the instructor when implementing games for learning

References

Collaboration and Communication Apps Review

Review of Five Communication and Collaboration Apps for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use

Collaboration and Communication Apps Review

Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use

App # 1 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use- Zoom

App # 2 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use- Microsoft Teams

Review of Five Apps for Education

App # 1- Zoom

App # 2- Microsoft Teams

App # 3- Kahoot!

App # 4- Trello

App # 5- educreations

Warnings and Safeguards for Collaboration and Communication Apps

An Overview of STEM, Robotics, Coding, and Maker Spaces

Exploring these four areas from the perspective of my local context, examining their significance, barriers, practices, and implications for teaching and learning.

STEM, Robots, Codes, Maker’s Spaces

STEM (STEAM)

Robotics

Hour of Coding (or Coding in Education)

Maker’s Spaces

References

We Persevere

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, NIV).

Careers in Educational Technology

A discussion post about the types of careers held and tasks performed by educational technologists.

Careers in Educational Technology

References

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Classrooms

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Classrooms

The Internet of Things and Smart Classrooms

References

A Force for Change and We Persevere

Team, Sponsors, and Supporters,

Pray daily, stand up straight, be a force for change, and always persevere!

﻿

The Obstacle is the Way

Forge new skills during this unique and challenging time.

Discover Your Purpose

There's more power inside you than you imagined. Be ready to discover and explore.

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

More than Robotics

FIRST is way more than robotics. It's truly a sport for the mind!

My Steadfast Journey

A steady and unwavering course that one follows intently without deviation or change of purpose...

My Unfinished Work