Part 3 of 4 Guide Personalize Learning Engaging Screenagers
Part 3 of 4 Guide Personalize Learning Engaging Screenagers
When I was in graduate school, I had a professor (Dr. Rudy Busby) who sat down with me and as we discussed what I wanted to accomplish, he gave me suggestions, warned me about trouble, and shared tips to speed my progress.
This was the first time anyone had taken that much time to guide my own personal learning and in my own personal interest areas.
That same professor told me, “When ever you have an assignment in class and you have an option to select (personalize) the topic for your assignments, chose a topic that is related to your thesis or dissertation.”
Basically he taught me to personalize my learning, and as a bonus I was ongoing getting feedback from my instructors.
In my 9.5 years in graduate school I’ve had many more advisors who gave me a great deal of guidance and I appreciated that so much, I wanted to give that same feeling back to others.
Wanting more personalized learning:
As a trainer and university lecturer in the USA, I had great success in my training and classrooms by engaging my learners in ways I had learned from my Dale Carnegie Instructor Training.
After earning my Doctoral Degree researching engaging instruction in adult education and training and development, I started a training business in Hong Kong.
But something went wrong when I moved to Hong Kong, I was struggling in this new culture (I’ve a cattle rancher’s son from Colorado, USA) to find ways to inspire and motivate my students in In this new culture.
If students are not inspired and motivated, there is nothing to guide and in the classroom, I preferred having students engage in learning activities instead of lecturing.
I struggled through trying several paper worksheets and workbooks to guide students, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. (junk engagement)
When the smart phone with the ability to search the internet came along, I could see my students were curating (searching, finding, collecting, commenting, changing, and sharing.)
I thought, “Why not do that for learning?”, so I started asking them to answer questions, interact with information and classmates, and go find examples of the learning content using their mobile devices.
I began searching for possibilities and I struggled testing several apps, until I found eWorkbooks, and after testing them, began to use them full time in class.
Finding eWorkbooks:
Then we used eWorkbooks (Google Forms with the training slides as well as interactive questions, curating links and tasks, example images and videos, etc. which students [Engaging Screenagers] completed using their mobile devices) as they were learning interactively.
Guiding personalized learning:
Students used eWorkbooks to while I lead the discussion and guided them, and after they submitted their answers, they would get their responses sent to their inbox so they could review their learning Moments of Growth. (optimal engagement)
Because the students’ responses from eWorkbooks go right into a spreadsheet in real-time, as the teacher I can monitor what students are doing to give them guidance in the moment, as well as track their learning develop over time. (optimal engagement)
Having tried many different techniques to improve engagement in my courses, I’ve found learning with eWorkbooks engaged students who were inspired and motivated to learn, so then I could go back to guiding learners.
Although including games in learning can temporarily raise the energy and excitement in the classroom, that intensity quickly turns to stress if too much gaming goes past what Malcolm Gladwell calls The Tipping Point.
If students answered eWorkbook questions individually or in groups, they want to know what to do and where to go, so they would ask me many more questions.
As I mentioned before using a single piece of paper as worksheets, I had students complete them and then I would check it them after class.
As I started using Google Forms as eWorkbooks, this process was suddenly much more efficient, as they could answer questions and curate their evidence as well as their source URLs.
eWorkbooks encouraged guiding:
I could see (in 1 or 2 columns in the real-time responses spreadsheet) their work when they were still in the classroom, this allowed me to show show a few examples on the board and guide the students who were not quite there yet. (optimal engagement)
This allowed me the opportunity to show a few examples that they synthesized well with their learning, and also, I could individually support those who seemed behind or confused.
Now, at the beginning of the semester, I have students chose a topic that is of interest (personalized) to them (or their dream job) and throughout the semester, using Google Forms eWorkbooks, they curate ideas, facts, images, videos, etc., that is related to learning material and synthesized into their interests. (optimal engagement)
This exercise noticeably changed the dynamic of the class (once I learned some best practices, but more about those struggles in a future blog,) as learners showed eagerness to get the learning content so they could go curate items that synthesize (personalize) the learning into their interests. (optimal engagement)
More students engaged:
Another interesting phenomenon occurred as many of the less active students (not all of them) started getting into the exercises, asking many more questions, and sharing their personalized learning and curating with those around them. (optimal engagement)
My satisfaction in teaching has gone way up as I changed my role of the expert in front to that of guide who supports their personalized curating and synthesizing, as this exercise allows (encourages?) them to ask so many more questions. (optimal engagement)
Higher satisfaction:
As I continually walk around the classroom to answer questions, I can double check to they are ‘on task’, but I rarely have to bring them back to their task because they are so engaged.
At first I was concerned that curating wouldn’t work so well, but one day a student told me, “We do this all day every day on Facebook, Instagram, and texting, so this is natural for us.”
What keeps them going? Is it the surprise is it the challenge of finding something new that is personalized? Is it the group activity?
A few years ago I was talking to my aunt about why she loved to travel and she said, “You never know what you are going to find right around that next corner.
I think that might similar to what engages the students so well when they personalize learning and ask for guideance.
Again, as I always say, I believe human beings have a natural curiosity, and when guided in a positive way, they can flourish beyond their own self limiting beliefs.
As Dale Carnegie wrote, “look for and expect the best from others,” and I firmly believe those others will do great things.
As as students were learning with eWorkbooks, I folded in mini learnings on digital literacy, cyber citizenship, and digital self discipline so the students would have added value in their experiences curating with mobile devices.
Although we teach these beginning in primary school now, back then many of the students told me those mini learnings were their first exposures to these digital concepts.
Isn’t it time we give our Engaging Screenagers guidance to personalize their learning?
Wouldn’t it be great if we could change that old learning model from teaching to guiding?
Won’t we penalize some learners who are learning the old way as there are already many teachers teaching with eWorkbooks?
Guide with eWorkbooks, personalize and encourage learning.
Remember, come join tomorrow to see more Improving Your Engagement with Screenagers and others inspirationalexperiences and ideas for Optimal Engagement in the ScreenAge.
Remember to engage tomorrow.
Following with you.
Keep it simple.
All the Best, Warren
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