Case Study
Please find case studies examining the following two digital tools/platforms used in the K-12 setting: Google Classroom & Padlet
Google Classroom
Check out this link to learn more about Google Classroom:
https://k12technology.weebly.com/google-classroom.html
Overview: Google classroom is an app available to anyone with a Google account. This application can be used by students, educators, and parents. Within the K-12 educational setting, the primary function of this application is to support student learning. This includes the following details: educators organize and post class assignments, students complete those assignments and turn them in, educators provide feedback on assignments, students ask educators questions, educators post class announcements and reminders for both students and parents, parents communicate with educators, see how their children are doing in class, and read any important information intended for them. Overall, this app focuses on creating a positive online learning environment for students, educators, and parents.
User Engagement: Educators engage in this platform by posting assignments or supporting learning information, they provide feedback and can grade assignments, and can converse with students. Students engage by completing assignments or learning tasks, asking their teacher questions, and interacting with their peers on posts. Parents can ask questions, see how their child is doing, and read reminders and posts made by the teacher. This application promotes communication, as students, parents, and educators can interact with posts made. Comments can be made to posts and discussions can be had about information posted. For example, if an educator posted a reminder about an upcoming field trip and a parent forgot the time of arrival for the trip, they could easily ask using the comment feature on posts. Communication is also supported by allowing educators to provide feedback on assignments. Collaboration between educators and students is supported through the app because both students and teachers can message each other, ask questions, and work together on assignments. Students can also comment on posts and collaborate with each other. Content consumption is available through posts and can be regulated by the teacher. For example, teachers can link websites, post pictures, and even embed videos for students to access.
Influence on Communication: This platform affects communication style and format among learners, as it mostly honors written communication through posts, assignment feedback, and messages. This is true outside of the classroom. Within the classroom, communication about assignments, messages, and more can be made face to face if need be. Overall, this platform requires students to be able to read and write to be successful in their communication.
Information Consumption: This platform influences the way information is accessed, shared, and learned because it is an online platform. Therefore, it provides information in a digital way. Students are able to learn in different ways, as this platform can accommodate many different learning styles. For example, videos can be posted or articles can be posted on a topic to ensure different learning styles are honored and the learning is accessible to all students.
Impact on Learning:
This platform has both positives and negatives related to student learning and engagement. When I was teaching in a fourth grade classroom, we used Google classroom every Wednesday for remote learning days due to the pandemic. Some positives that I saw were the following: students had access to different modes of learning, as educators could post articles, videos, pictures, etc. to support their diverse learners, the platform was simple and easy to use, thus making the learning accessible to all students, and students had access to teacher support through messaging and feedback on assignments. Some negatives I saw were that students often were distracted with the online platform and would roam elsewhere such as online games rather than their assignments, very few students checked their feedback and reflected upon it, there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity for students to collaborate with their peers, and it was hard for some students to understand written answers to questions so if they were confused and asked questions via messenger, they were often still confused until a face to face conversation could occur.
Privacy and Safety: Fritchen (2020) reports there are some safety and privacy issues that can be of concern when using Google Classroom including inappropriate student behavior and data leakage. Students may engage with the platform inappropriately by sending explicit pictures, using inappropriate language, and bullying each other. This must be monitored by educators and with so much on their plates already, can be missed. Educators have to teach expectations and have a back up plan for students who cannot handle the freedom of using this platform. Students should use a school given Google account for privacy and data reasons.
Check it out in action!
Below is a screenshot of my Google Classroom. I have added my students' parents since my students are 3-5 years old, and they help their children access learning materials if appropriate. Due to an illness outbreak in our site, we moved to remote learning this January. I posted our remote plans in PPT form so that parents could access if they wished to have their children participate. Parents were able to add a comment if they had any questions or concerns regarding the post.
Padlet
https://padlet.com/site/product
Overview: Padlet is an app that allows students to make virtual posts in the classroom or at home. This app can be used by teachers and educators as class blogs, discussion board posts, group projects, and group feedback. Teachers post a board or prompt, then students can add video, images, or texts to respond, and the result is almost like a collage of ideas for students to then collaborate and learn from. We use this platform at work for when someone retires or gets a new job. Someone will create a Padlet and employees will add a special message, gif, or picture of them as a send off. I have yet to use this in the classroom but am excited at the possibilities to add it to the classroom collection!
User Engagement: Teachers engage in this platform by creating a blank board for their students. They will create a prompt and post their own example or contribution to the post. They then can share a code or link with students which will grant them access. Students will post their response using words, images, videos, or a combination. Parents are not as heavily involved with this digital platform, but can also be sent the link to check out their students’ work or contribute when appropriate.
Influence on Communication: This platform has the same influence on communication both in and out of the classroom; it allows for students and their peers, as well as educators, to have a discussion and collaborate using different communication styles. This platform honors visuals and words as communication, thus making it very accessible to students. Furthermore, students can comment on each other’s posts making communication and collaboration more easy and authentic.
Information Consumption: Information on this application is accessible, as it is shared and learned in multiple different ways. Everyone has a preferred learning style. Because of this, one post may contain video, audio clips, drawn pictures, images, and more. When the information is given in many different ways, students can choose to consume what they prefer. For example, if a students’ strength is their visual learning style, they can consume pictures that their peers posted, rather than a post with writing. This helps increase overall learning and motivation.
https://padlet.com/site/product
Impact on Learning: Like any learning platform, Padlet has both positives and negatives associated with student learning and engagement. Some positives are that students are able to express themselves and access learning through different modes that best suit their learning style and collaboration is encouraged and easy to complete on this application. One negative of this digital platform is that some students can complete the assignment but contribute the bare minimum.
Privacy and safety: According to the article, “Privacy Policy” (n.d.), Padlet is overall safe to use. Like any other platform, they may track your data, but it is only used for professional purposes and data is not sold. If one would like to make their account private, they have the option of doing so by making your profile “secret” in the settings. Like any digital platform, there is the safety risk of students sharing their personal information or making posts that are not respectful and responsible. Educators should teach their students the expectations of using Padlet and monitor their posts. For more information regarding privacy and safety, please visit this link: https://legal.padlet.com/privacy
Identified Required Literacies
Both Google classroom and Padlet require specific literacy skills that are required for navigation and participation. Students need to be able to utilize a device to reach the site and navigate it. Once on Google classroom and Padlet, students need to know how to access posts, respond to posts, and create their own posts. This requires using a keyboard to type or audio application to turn speak to text, using a keypad to click around, and being able to access settings if necessary. Technology is not perfect which means students also need to be able to problem solve technological issues, as well as know basic skills such as connecting to wifi. Reading, writing, interpreting images and videos, and more are additional literacies that are needed on these platforms. These literacies are crucial for students, teachers, and parents because without them, there is no meaning to the learning that is occurring on the platforms. If one cannot access an assignment or posts on Google Classroom or Padlet, they are missing out on crucial learning, thus they are falling behind. Therefore, educators need to ensure their students have these required literacies so they are able to excel in the classroom and beyond.
Reflect on Implications
These applications are aligned with education goals because they focus on digital literacies that are needed in the 21st century. They allow students to expand on the learning they are completing in the classroom, thus using these applications are a 2 in 1 win for students and their success. Educators can use these platforms for effective teaching by having students collaborate with each other, challenging students to expand on classroom learning, honoring students’ learning styles, and differentiating assignments so that diverse students can succeed. In order for these platforms to be successful, parents should be engaged and active participants. Parents should ensure that when students are completing digital work at home, they are safe, respectful, and responsible. Additionally, parents of younger children should ensure their children are engaged on these platforms by checking that their assignments are done and that their learning is going successfully. Overall, both of these platforms are great for K-12 education, as they elevate the learning experience, honor diverse learners, and challenge digital literacy in the 21st century classroom.
References
Fritchen, K. (2020). Google classroom safety: The next administrative nightmare?, ManagedMethods. https://managedmethods.com/blog/google-classroom-safety/
K-12 technology (n.d.), Weebly, https://k12technology.weebly.com/google-classroom.html
Padlet product. (n.d.) Padlet. https://padlet.com/site/product
Privacy Policy, (n.d.) Padlet legal, https://legal.padlet.com/privacy
Hi Taryn--Thanks for the intro to Padlet, which I've heard about, but never taken the time to investigate. It sounds a bit like Tumbler, or maybe even Pinterest. I like that it can incorporate various creative mediums--and I actually think it could be useful in my department at the Museum. We've been asked to contribute to what sounds basically like a vision board--our thoughts about current happenings, or hopes for future projects--but we've been asked to email them. I'd be much more likely to contribute to something on Padlet than I would be to email my colleagues a poem, or imagery. I wonder, too, if a padlet for testimony sessions would be valuable for students to reflect upon what they've heard--thanks for giving me something to think about and possibly bring up to my supervisor!
ReplyDeleteDear Taryn,
ReplyDeleteI also chose Google Classroom for my case study assignment. I am glad you mentioned that one of the downsides of this platform is the possibility that “Students may engage with the platform inappropriately by sending explicit pictures, using inappropriate language, and bullying each other”. It happened to me and my co-teachers that we had to disable some features to avoid inappropriate utilization of the platform. For example, we had to disabled comments to not let students engage in online off-topic conversation, leading to distractions. I teach in middle school and high school, and I often observe that students still need to work on their digital citizenship skills. Thinking further, school administration can establish clear policies regarding the use of technology by creating specific guidelines for online communication and consequences for inappropriate behavior.
Great case study on Google Classroom. It really should be a regular tool in every techer's arsenal. I found that it was less of a social media tool and more of an accountability tool. As you mentioned, rarely would a student respond to feedback- they just want their grade, and they're ready to move on. Some students, who were used to hard copy paper assignments, would insist that they turned in the assignment. I asked them to cross reference what they turned in on Classroom with what I was seeing on my end. The "I turned it in, and the teacher lost it" accusations dropped to zero percent. Student expectations about communication through the platform were surprising. One student commented on a particular assignment: "I turned in in can you change my grade?" They posted a few minutes later "Hello?" and again "Is anyone there?" Clearly students have a certain expectation when it comes to "social media applications" vs. productivity applications and it can be difficult for them to differentiate between the two. As you noted student usage I the form of comments and discussion can quickly devolve into unacademic communication. I found it easier to just turn off this function entirely. Students could communicate face-to-face with me, or through email where they know they will be held accountable for their words.
ReplyDeleteGood evening Taryn. We utilize google classroom a lot within our local districts as well. My kids have become very literate with it - specifically during COVID. I do find it as a great tool for organization, planning, communication, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have only used Padlet as a user not a creator, but it does sound like a fun tool. I like how you described it as a collage-type tool - that really had my mind spinning on how I could utilize it in the classroom for group projects. I was first introduced to it during a new teacher training within my district. I like how it is broken up with grade appropriate activities and how it has quick links to different resources. Thank you for sharing!