Thoughts:
How do you think the implementation of learning analytics will impact the way your school will use technology as a teacher? Especially, with the use of learning management systems?
How do you think learning analytics can be used to progress education to a new level of success with the effective use of technology as the backbone for that learning analytics movement?
Will it Work:
Do you believe that with purposeful analyzing of statistically significant data we could increase the learning of all students? Why or why not? What do you feel are important data points to consider when analyzing students?
Luke--
ReplyDeleteYour topic fascinates me because it is a topic that I don't know much about (or at least didnt until after reading your blog). If we could truly track student data through the use of learning analytics, our data would be so much more accurate and we could make more immediate, needed changes for students rather than collecting our own data over time and making an "informed" decision too late. I think that using this sort of data would increase the learning of students because it supports the idea of personalizing education, as every student has data this way rather than the few we "really need" to track constantly. This work also makes data collection more efficient and less cumbersome on the teacher, so it helps us collect more data (and more accurate data). For me, I would love to be able to track reading data for students to track that progress over time.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the blog. Our hopes for learning analytics is very similar in the sense that I wish I could track math data for students to keep a better eye on their progress. I see all the time a classroom filled with different personalities and learning styles. Any trend that is going to personalize education for my students is very intriguing to me.
DeleteDo you believe that with purposeful analyzing of statistically significant data we could increase the learning of all students? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteYes I feel that it will increase learning in many cases. Defining which data is significant can be the challenge.
What do you feel are important data points to consider when analyzing students?
Attendance, accessing learning material, completing/submitting assignments and grades on assessments.
My institution uses Blackboard to track students attendance and academic progress. It is reported quarterly during the semester as satisfactory and unsatisfactory. If students are unsatisfactory they have to meet with their instructor to discuss the best action plan for improvement.
Luke -
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have worked directly with a lot of data, your blog was my first exposure to the terms Learning Analytics. I certainly can see how this would improve our teaching and therefore our students' learning. I appreciated the facts and statistics that show how learning analytics can improve our classrooms!
I think it is important to decide what specific data will benefit our teaching. We can compile numbers and track test results ALL DAY - but for what purpose? In order for the process to be effective, we need to identify EXACTLY what we are monitoring. Perhaps mastery of a standard would work for me in mathematics.
What data have you tracked?
My data tracking ability is on a very basic level right now. But I do incorporate data tracking on certain learning management systems that I use. I track how long they spend on activities as well as how long they spend on each question. I can usually see some type of correlation between time spent on learning activity and assessment scores.
DeleteLuke,
ReplyDeleteI was excited to see Schoology on your blog as a learning management system. I am currently piloting it with my students for my school and love it! First, it provides a creative space for students to collaborate through discussion boards and media albums. Even with work done on paper, students can upload it by taking a picture and it allows all their peers to give feedback on their projects. Second, it provides a very easy way for me to assess student learning and give formative feedback in a timely manner. Since I can access Schoology from my phone, tables, and desktop, I can log in at anytime to review student work. It easily tracks student data through submission of assignments, discussion boards, and I can build quizzes for students to complete. The accessibility of Schoology for both myself and students can allow an up to date data managing system- which is very beneficial!
One of my favorite uses of emerging technologies is the ability to share and store student work so that it is easily available for other students to learn from. Using Schoology seems like such an excellent way to manage student work and to make it accessible for everyone. Storing documents this way also makes feedback easier because it is much easier for me to access online work and response to all students when I log in as opposed to forgetting the stack of papers I was going to grade on my desk...it would be nice for data and data sources to all be in one place!
DeleteCasey,
DeleteI am a huge proponent of not taking home stacks of papers to grade! With the differently online storage options, it is becoming a more routine reality to have students submit work electronically. I do still see the importance of having students write with paper and pencil, but I see the quality of work improving when my students submit assignments electronically instead of on paper. It is a great skill for 21st century learners to have!
DeleteI am really enjoying using schoology with my students for all of the reasons you mentioned. It is a very powerful organizational tool, and I love the fact that the students can refer back to anything I have put on there at any time. My students are beginning to enjoy it as well, they are really starting to make use out of the instructional videos that I provide for them.