M6: Blog Post 5

    Social media platforms, content-sharing platforms, and communication tools allow educators to interact with students and engage them in classroom activities. These platforms shape communication, influence information consumption, and engage their users. Each platform requires specific literacies to navigate them efficiently for their intended use and outcomes. Two of the platforms that I use almost on a daily basis are Google Classroom and Quizizz. 

Google Classroom 

https://edu.google.com/workspace-for-education/products/classroom/ 

 

    Overview: Google classroom is a content sharing platform used by both students and educators in the K-12 school system. It is a platform that allows teachers to post content, assign activities, and organize all of the materials given out in class. It can also double as a calendar for upcoming assignments and curriculum in your class as well. For students, Google Classroom is a platform that allows them to submit assignments, collaborate on group projects, and view posted materials such as slideshows, worksheets, and assignments. Google Classroom allows educators to communicate with their students through their “online classroom”. Teachers have the ability to assign an activity for students to complete, and students have the ability to collaborate and complete an assignment from virtually everywhere that has internet access. One of Google Classroom’s most important features is how accessible it is to parents. Parents are able to follow along with their child’s assignments, activities, and materials through the “parent/guardian invitation” setting. Engaging parents is important throughout the year and keeps students on top of their due dates. Google Classroom is a content sharing platform that has evolved the communication between educators and students. Every student has the ability to access all of their materials, even outside of the classroom. Google Classroom allows for seamless access to information, collaboration amongst peers, and even offers modes for alternative learners who require specific modifications. Like any platform, there are pros and cons. Some of the positives to Google Classroom is its accessibility, its decrease in physical paperwork, and rapid feedback when grading student work. Oftentimes, educators will find themselves overloaded with papers on their desk and working tirelessly to comment on student work. Google Classroom allows students to submit their work electronically, which allows for less clutter on your desk and faster responses to student work. On the other hand, some of the negatives to Google Classroom are required internet access, information overload for students, and disconnection between students and teachers. In the past, some educators have found that an ineffective wifi network dampens the impact of Google Classroom. Also, teachers have mentioned that Google Classroom can give students anxiety, seeing all of their assignments and due dates in one location can lead to students disconnecting from using Google Classroom all together. In terms of privacy, Google Classroom is very secure. Each student receives an access code that is specific to their individual classroom that limits the random accounts that may try to join the room. The only privacy drawback to Google Classroom is that it is built through Google. There have been concerns brought forth about the data that Google collects from certain classrooms and students. But other than that, Google Classroom is a content-sharing platform that many students and teachers benefit from in their day-to-day lives. 

    Required Literacies: Google Classroom requires specific literacies that allow its users to properly navigate the platform. One of the most important literacies needed for Google Classroom is the possession of basic computer skills. In order to use Google Classroom to its fullest potential, students and teachers need to have a basic understanding of the internet, how to use a browser, and how to post or upload content. Without basic computer skills, Google Classroom has no value or potential for its users. Parents, teachers, or students would not be able to effectively collaborate with each other or learn from its materials. Another literacy required for the use of Google Classroom is some level of critical thinking skills. In the article, Using Social Media to Promote 21st-Century Learning, Ledgerwood states, “Using social media in the educational setting allows students to learn how to use these digital tools in a critical and intentional way to maximize their learning (Abe & Jordan, 2013).” (2022). When accessing Google Classroom, it is expected that students will be able to think critically when processing data found on this social platform. There are quite a few literacies that are connected to effectively using Google Classroom. 

    Implications: When it comes to Google Classroom, there are many positive and negative implications. The content posted on Google Classroom from students and teachers align directly with educational goals. Most of the content that educators post goes hand-in-hand with what the educational goals are. One of the most direct implications of Google Classroom is it allows students to extend their knowledge beyond the walls of the classroom and collaborate with peers. In the article, Using Social Media to Promote 21st-Century Learning, Ledgerwood states, “Integrating social media in the curriculum provides students opportunities to transfer their knowledge to various contexts in their lives.” (2022). The goal of many educational organizations is to have students collaborate and bridge connections to “out of the classroom experiences”. Another implication associated with Google Classroom is the instant feedback that teachers can provide. Teachers can provide students with optimal feedback that allows them to reflect on their work and explore what can be done in the future to earn a higher grade. And finally, one of the most important implications that Google Classroom offers is its access to student progress. Most, if not all parents are genuinely concerned for their child's progress in their classes. Parents can track and keep tabs on their child’s assignments to promote constant engagement in classroom activities. Parents play a crucial role in monitoring the progress of their child and noticing specific areas where they can use more assistance. 

Quizizz

https://quizizz.com/?lng=en 

    Overview: Quizizz is an online content platform and communication tool that allows teachers to provide students with game-like formative assessments. Quizizz is tailored for all classrooms and curriculum ranging from K-12. From an educational standpoint, Quizizz allows students to practice and familiarize themselves with questions from all types of classes. Educators have the ability to create and publish short online assessments for students and other teachers to access. Quizizz has multiple game modes that students can choose from. Quizizz is disguised as a game but promotes engagement with whatever the current topic is in your class. Teachers are engaged with the platform by making their own questions or choosing from previous questions made by other educators. Students are engaged with the platform when they are playing the games and competing for first place in the learning event. Students have the option to play individually or with a group. In my previous experiences, most students opt to collaborate and talk out each of the questions with a group. Quizizz is outstanding because of the way students consume knowledge from it. Students are playing game modes and earning points, trying to compete for first place in their class. As this is going on, they are practicing questions and becoming familiar with content that directly pertains to the topic. Most teachers who use Quizizz, notice a direct influence on their students ability to communicate the information in the game. Because each of the questions are time sensitive, the faster responses are rewarded with greater points, and students need to communicate more efficiently to earn more points. Teachers assign Quizizz as an activity in class, but many students have found it to be a powerful study tool outside of the classroom. Quizizz is fascinating for the way the platform designs activities for students to use and learn from. Because the platform is designed as a competition, students are engaged more and are actively trying to score higher than their classmates. In order to score points, they need to increase their amount of correct responses. This directly increases their information consumption. Like every content platform, there are positive and negative effects. Some of the positive effects of Quizizz are increase in motivation, accessibility, and the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of the class. Quizizz is designed to be an accessible game, which can motivate students to study. One of the positive effects for the teachers who use it is the analysis of individual students and the class's score as a whole. But, Quizizz also has some negative effects as well. Some teachers have reported a lack of deep learning and an overemphasis of the competition aspect. Because Quizizz is designed as a game, students may not worry much about fundamentally learning a concept and may be contempt with learning just enough to get the answer correct for the points. In terms of privacy, Quizizz does an excellent job of maintaining the integrity of individual profiles and creating servers that require specific game codes for players. The data that is sourced from each game, remains with Quizizz in a game log for teachers to reflect on. Quizizz is a platform that many teachers can benefit from in their content area. 

    Required Literacies: In order to successfully navigate the Quizizz platform, there are multiple literacies that students and teachers should be familiar with. Teachers should be able to interpret the data derived from the questions that the game provides. At the conclusion of each game, Quizizz will provide the educator with all of the statistics for the class and individual students. In order to grow and learn from the data, teachers need to be able to interpret the data to successfully explain to students how to learn from each question for future reference. Teachers need to be able to assess learning outcomes and guide students to positive future interactions with question sets. Another literacy needed to use the Quizizz platform, but for students, is time management. Because each of the questions is timed and points are awarded based on accuracy and speed, students need to have awareness for the amount of time they spend on each of the questions. Students also need to have basic computer knowledge and awareness of the timer in the upper right hand corner of each of the questions. There are multiple literacies that students and teachers need to have in order to properly use the Quizizz platform. 

    Implications: Quizizz has multiple implications for teachers, students, and parents. Most teachers will use Quizizz as a study tool to prepare students for an upcoming assessment. One of Quizizz’s most fruitful implications is that it is designed as a game for students to compete and win. In the Ted Talk, How playing gives children digital empowerment, Lis Zacho states, “Everyday I see children playing with technology. I see them producing movies, playing games, making animations, and coding apps. They have replaced the draft booklet with technological possibilities.” (2021). Quizizz allows students to expand upon their previous learning through the use of technology and discover new technological possibilities. I believe that many students can benefit from using Quizizz in their daily classroom activities. Another implication, but for teachers, is its accessibility for their students and parents. Quizizz can be accessed wherever there is a device with a working internet. There are multiple game modes for students to utilize and parents can also monitor their child’s growth and areas of need in every game. Like every platform, Quizizz has endless abilities and implications that foster student success. 

References

Ledgerwood, K. (2022, July 31). Using social media to promote 21st-century learning.

 Technology and the Curriculum Summer 2022. https://pressbooks.pub/techcurr20221/chapter/using-social-media-to-promote-21st-century-learning/ 

Zacho, L. (2021). How playing gives Children Digital Empowerment. Lis Zacho: How playing 

gives children digital empowerment | TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/lis_zacho_how_playing_gives_children_digital_empowerment