Regardless of how purposeful
planning can lead to individualized instruction and enhanced student outcomes
from being able to personalize a student’s education like never before, there
are still growing pains when any new technology is implemented and throughout
its use. Issues range from low quality
or lack of training to weeding through large amounts of data that invariably
come from any kind of data tracking system.
According to Katie Lepi, training of teachers does not often include how
to use technology. She states,” Teachers
needs to be learning how to use the technology themselves, too. Where formal
training lacks, professional development needs to step in, and does in many
cases. But integrating the how-to of technology with the how-to of teaching needs
to happen” (2013).Assuring that teacher in-services include how to use
technology in the classroom would be a huge component of success in using that
technology. We also know that new
technologies are continuously being developed and that often, it takes time for
the technology to catch up with the capabilities of its use. For example, when schools began using Internet
resources, it took time for wireless networks and availability of equipment to
keep up with the demand in the classroom. In some schools, this is still an issue. Lepi also discusses technology keeping up
with its uses and the sheer number of programs available. “MOOCs are huge – and
proponents are constantly touting the advantages, but we need to assess both
the pros and cons of these new learning models and look at how they fit in with
existing models of learning and assessment, too” (2013).Ensuring that programs and
models used fit in with what is already being done in the classroom is
imperative to the success of the student and the technology.
Research on Web 2.0 tools is happening now and still has far to go. New technologies are being developed as research is coming out and this leads to not having much data on the use of these technologies. The Horizon Report states that it will be 2-3 years before Learning Analytics are truly integrated into educational institutions (2013). However, a wonderful trait of Web 2.0 tools is that they are almost always based online, with access being easy from anywhere. No longer does a student need to go to campus or use a campus computer to be able to learn or enter their learning environment. Additionally, through Learning Analytics, their access and use of these tools as well as their interactions can be included in their profiles, regardless of where they are using the tools from.
Learning Analytics can be used to enhance collaboration by allowing the environment to be catered to the learning of the students involved, areas of difficulty that are common can be scaffolded with tools to encourage understanding, and even online discussions, such as those on a discussion board, can be used to ensure students are not frustrated and are actively communicating with other students. However, George Siemens discusses the importance of ensuring that “technological, pedagogical, and social domains are in dialogue with one another” (2013). This seems to be where the difficulty lies in implementation. Opening up data from technological, content, as well as social interactions means large amounts of data for teachers to sort through to determine how best to address the learning needs of their students. Additionally, assessment data, information on how the content is being used, and the individual capabilities of the student, teacher, or school add to the scope of the data. It is a tremendous prospect! The video below shows how a teacher is using Learning Analytics data to work with students.
Malcom Brown, with Educause, discusses how this tremendous amount of data is being gathered for ease of use. “The representations—often graphical—of the patterns and insights gleaned from analytics are a central component of how that information is understood and used” (2012). These graphical representations help teachers to understand the data and use that data, however, how that data is presented in these graphical formats can change how the teacher or administration uses the data. He also states that “all the important stuff with analytics happens…after we’ve done the analytics” (2012). In other words, data is just data unless we are using it for a positive purpose. The video below explains data use, and the importance of proper measurment and use of the data.
Previously, data from tests and assessments were used in the classroom to determine mastery of a concept. Learning Analytics gives the opportunity for teachers to guide a student throughout their learning, instead of relying on only mastery values. This also allows the instructor to ensure learning is occurring socially, instead of separately. Educational Technology and Society discusses this shift in data focus. “Social Learning Analytics (SLA) are strongly grounded in learning theory and focus attention on elements of learning that are relevant when learning in a participatory online culture. They shift attention away from summative assessment of individuals’ past performance in order to render visible, and in some cases potentially actionable, behaviors and patterns in the learning environment that signify effective process. In particular, the focus of social Learning Analytics is on processes in which learners are not solitary, and are not necessarily doing work to be marked, but are engaged in social activity, either interacting directly with others (for example, messaging, friending or following), or using platforms in which their activity traces will be experienced by others (for example, publishing, searching, tagging or rating)” (2012). Learning Analytics give us, as teachers, the ability to guide learning during instruction, instead of just guide outcomes and backtrack when we see there is a lapse in learning. We are able instead to ensure learning experiences are processes instead of focusing in the product.
