Can SmartPhones be more than just distractions, but actually help with homework? This week we will discuss different strategies to reduce social media distractions and check out some apps that can help turn our SmartPhones into a serious learning tool, or in other words a bicycle for our minds!
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how smartphones and tablets are, and are not helpful in educational settings
- Summarize the new BC Ministry of Education guidelines on device use in K-12
- Complete an Arduino Science Journal activity.
- Identify an Arduino Science Journal activity that would be appropriate for the grade you hope to teach, and would be difficult or impossible to do in a non-digital way.
- Activity: Turn off non-essential distracting notifications on our devices
- Activity: Use sensors on smartphones or tablets for science experiments
- Activity: Work on Group presentations
Pre-class Activities:
Please review the following web pages with information about the BC School cell phone restriction guidelines:
- Cell phone restrictions in schools (BC Ministry of Education). Make sure to scroll down to the “Supports for teachers” section.
- School District 61 Code of Conduct Update: Cell Phones & Personal Digital Devices. As you review the policy, please note that SD 61 has somewhat different policies for their elementary, middle, and secondary schools.
- BC Ministry of Education Personal Digital Device (Cell Phone) Restrictions in Schools Policy.
Please watch the following short videos:
B.C. premier says cellphone ban to stay but can differ across school districts – CBC British Columbia (2 min)
School cellphone bans raise questions about enforcement – CBC News (4 min)
Active Learning with the Arduino Science Journal
Watch this Arduino Science Journal introductory video (1 min). As you watch the video, think of ways you could use the Arduino Science Journal to facilitate learner inquiries with a science component.
This 1:21 video demonstrates six different ways you can use the science journal to engage in active learning experiments:
Install Arduino Science Journal on your phone.
Class Time
Today’s lecture presentation: Digital Devices: Distraction Machines or Bicycles for Our Minds?
Hands-on Lab Time
Turn Off some of your Phone’s Notifications
iPhone:
- Apple’s, Change notification settings on iPhone (Apple)
- iOS 18.1: Manage or Turn Off Notification Summaries (MacRumors)
Android:
- How to Turn off Notifications on Android (How-to-Geek)
Arduino Science Journal
“The Science Journal transforms your device into a pocket-size science tool that encourages students to explore their world. As they conduct eye-opening experiments, they’ll record observations and make new, exciting discoveries.”
If you haven’t done so already, please install Arduino Science Journal on your phone (note that there are versions available for Chromebooks and iPad carts in schools). The install links are at the bottom of the web page.- Complete the following activities:
- Find an Android Science Journal module on Light, Motion, or Sound, that looks interesting to you and that would be appropriate for the grade level you hope to teach.
- Work through the activity.
- Reflect on how the Science Journal might be a useful tool in your grade level (this could be part of your critical reflection).
- What questions might you need answers to before using (or not) Science Journal in your class?
Learning Pod Time & Homework
- Weekly blog post to document your learning in class:
- Review the 336 Blog Post Rubrics to make sure you’re including all the minimally required elements for your weekly blog posts.
- Please do the following:
- Post a screenshot or photo of one of your Science Journal activities.
- Either use one or more of the prompts below or critically reflect on something of interest to you in this topic:
- Describe how smartphones and tablets are, and are not helpful in educational settings at the age level you’d like to teach
- Summarize the new BC Ministry of Education guidelines on device use in K-12
- Do you think the Science Journal app would be a useful tool at your age level. Maybe use the TPAK and/or SAMR frameworks in your evaluation
- Use the category, “weekly-reflection“.
- Share your post with your learning pod at your next meeting (usually at the end of class time).
- Weekly Free Inquiry blog post:
- Document your free inquiry progress, reflecting on your progress, as well as identifying and evaluating helpful resources you found. Provide details on your learning progress (through success or failure).
- Employ a multimedia strategy in your post to help document your inquiry by using text and one or more other media to help make it more engaging (e.g., image, screencast, video, or other formats).
- Utilize social writing strategies such as hyperlinks to blog posts (e.g., trackbacks) or to articles/resources consulted, including web pages, images, videos, etc.
- Use the category, “free-inquiry”.
- Share your post with your learning pod at your next meeting (usually at the end of class time).
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