Educational Research
Educational Research
6/6/2024
Educational Research: Technology
Technology has always been around us. Changing and evolving to what we need. Technology has been beneficial for children and teens. They find ways to communicate with their friends, fun activities they come up with and learn from each other.
Children and Teens: Communication
Children are always learning to pick up anything that is taught to them. They are learning and engaging with what they see around them. They have the adaptability to see what is in front of them and learn from this kind of technology.
When we think about communication is through cell phones, children as young as 6 years old have been introduced to the cell phone. According to Children's Engagement with Digital Devices, backs up this data by showcasing how young the children are and how frequently after the age of three they are in tuned to this technology. When they become a teen the cell phone is their friend and helps them engage in so many different activities. Besides using a cell phone, this is through a laptop. The laptop is to have voice calls and to have different communication apps. Good examples are zoom, what's app and google meet.
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| Image Source: Pew Research Center |
Zoom: Ups and downs
We learned more about zoom during the pandemic and how much everyone used this tool. This was a huge benefit during the pandemic. Children and teens had to figure out what to do, they balanced this very well. According to Edutopia, children and teens were able to achieve very highly in remote learning. One big reason is according to Fleming is, " I think not having those everyday distractions in school has really allowed for kids like him to focus on the work and necessarily all the social things going on because some kids can't separate that out." (2020) I can see this on a virtual classroom and in the in person classroom, having the "head leader" take over. I do know that I helped my niece during a session because her teacher by accident logged them out. Luckily the teacher's email did work and this was a huge benefit. My niece was able to log back in and finish their class. I have learned to use Zoom for a presentation and this has worked out beautifully.
The downfall of the pandemic was when it came to each household. The household's were being affected was due to their lack of having the ability of online tools. Schools tried to help out, but it was hard to find the all the technology for every family. This graph shows this beautifully how the amount of paper being sent home and the amount of technology for everyone.
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| Image Source: Census.gov |
Fun activities: Makerspaces
Makerspaces have been around for a little bit of time. This new day in age of creativity has gone way up. Makerspaces have so many positive benefits for children and for teens. Crafts are what they enjoy and continue to thrive in. According to Minshew, " A makerspace is an area (usually a table or corner) in a classroom stocked with creative and technological tools. " These spaces are so beneficially and they give children and teens an outlet to what comes to their minds. No pressure and to stay focused on what they enjoy creating.
As a volunteer for the Mount Prospect Library, I have worked with teens in various areas of the library. The crafts, makerspaces and the reading area, to name a few. I have seen one teen grow milestones in their own writing and finding various apps to make their presentation stand out.
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| Image Source: popsci.com |
What I have learned
I have learned that technology will always be around us. It is how we use it and how much others need to use this. As in an educational research, this is beneficial inside and outside the classroom. Having a phone is a helpful, but can be a distraction. When it comes to makerspaces, this is a fun and exciting time for children and teens to bring out their own creativity. I have always been amazed with my Pre-K students on how easy the apps are for them. The numbers from cell phone and makerspaces did not surprise me at all. I have seen the cell phone usage at a young age and the makerspaces have made a comeback. At the end of the day technology is here to stay and let us enjoy what technology can benefit us in the long run.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/childrens-engagement-with-digital-devices-screen-time/
https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-are-some-kids-thriving-during-remote-learning
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/08/schooling-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.html
https://www.waterford.org/education/classroom-makerspaces/
https://www.popsci.com/rise-makerspace-by-numbers/
Thanks for a quick look into a number of different technologies and what the research tells us about them. To your point near the end, even the littlest of learners are accessing technology so it's important to keep up with the research!
ReplyDeleteHello Liz, I agree entirely with your points about how technology has transformed communication for children and teens. It's amazing how young kids are adapting to tools like cell phones and laptops to stay connected and engaged. I also love your mention of makerspaces. These creative hubs are such a fantastic way for kids to explore their interests and develop new skills. Your personal experience with helping your niece on Zoom during the pandemic really highlights both the benefits and challenges of remote learning. Thanks for sharing your insights.
ReplyDeleteHi, Liz. Thank you for your insight on different spaces of technology like makerspaces and Zoom. Kids and teens definitely were able to maneuver the Zoom space better than the adults in my opinion and I have a very bad experience with Zoom and online learning without the human interaction of teaching. I'm sure the students were able to adapt easier because they are constantly surrounded by technology so it is up to the adults to keep up with research. Even kids as young as 3 years old having a smartphone can be a bit daunting in my opinion (when I got my first phone, I was 12 years old). I also have cousins that are younger than me that know more about technology than I do so your insight and information is so important. As more research goes out, I hope we can help be facilitators and supporters to the younger generations. Great post :)
ReplyDeleteHi Liz!
ReplyDeleteIt is a little fun and amazing to see what kids soak up as they are constantly learning new things and understanding larger concepts. I think to make learning more fun, meaningful, and engaging is now a high priority in libraries and educational institutions. This can be seen physically with the development of new and innovative makerspaces. Makerspaces encompass learning that is fun, meaningful, and engaging. These spaces also enable technology to be best used creatively and educationally. Thanks for sharing such an awesome post!