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Working together: using SMS text messages to support students on placement

Working together: using SMS text messages to support students on placement. Debbie Holley Department of Education Anglia Ruskin University. A task. The question: Would you consider asking your students in the library to ‘turn their phones on?’ Your answer:

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Working together: using SMS text messages to support students on placement

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  1. Working together: using SMS text messages to support students on placement Debbie Holley Department of Education Anglia Ruskin University

  2. A task The question: Would you consider asking your students in the library to ‘turn their phones on?’ Your answer: Compose in less than 156 characters Add “ict ” to the beginning of your response Text your answer to 07950 080672 ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  3. Why mobiles? • 98% ownership of mobiles • 6.1 trillion texts sent in 2010 (only 96.8 billion texts sent in 2009) • For every second that goes by, another 200,000 text messages will have changed hands • 95% of text messages are read • 75% of text messages are read straight away Statistics from James Lasbrey, O2, May 2011 & International Telecommunication Union, October 2010 ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  4. Context • Anglia Ruskin University recruits trainees who live all over the East Anglian region • Secondary PGCE trainees in ICT, Maths, English, MFL, Science, Art • 11 PGCE ICT trainees We are rolling out to trainee social workers and nurses! ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  5. The problem • Trainees are unused to academic writing • Trainees are full-time on placement • Trainees feel isolated from the university • Trainees struggle to find time for reading • Trainees do not reflect on their reading ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  6. Our ICT trainees and their mobiles • All have a mobile phone • All use text messaging • Some have internet access via phone • Most have phone contract; some on pay as you go • Some use Facebook • Some use Twitter ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  7. The suggested solution • Use mobile technology to help support trainees • Why mobiles? It is the ‘device of choice’ Students are ‘expecting academic staff to take a lead’ in supporting them with ‘learning on the move’ Bradley & Holley 2010 ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  8. Our investigation Purpose: • To find out if mobile technology (eg TxtTools software) could be used to support our trainees on placement. Approach taken: • Four key interventions 24 hours long, four weeks apart • Each based around a reading for their assignment (Curriculum & Pedagogy) ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  9. Reflection ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  10. ICT Tutor’s experience Educational benefits • Encouraged trainees to read • Encouraged trainees to reflect on the reading rather than just skim read • Encouraged concise writing and discouraged descriptive comments • Trainees commented on each other’s comments • Compensated for lack of university sessions with trainees to a small degree • Set the focus on their assignment • Evaluation showed that May assignments had more critical reference to literature than January assignments ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  11. Trainees’ experiences • Focus group in June • Large amount of feedback data collected • Considerable difference of opinion between trainees on specific issues relating to timing and format of the interventions ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  12. What the trainees said… • Positive points – academic benefits • Offered academic support • Did read readings that they would not have done otherwise • Did use readings and comments in their assignments • Did start assignment earlier (three trainees) ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  13. What the trainees said… • Positive points – use of technoloy • Using mobiles more convenient than PC-based system • Liked to view others’ responses • Some liked needing to be concise ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  14. What the trainees said… • Negative points – mostly about use of this technology • Conciseness was difficult – 160 character limit • Didn’t like the messages being anonymous • Some concerns about invasion of privacy • Wanted to see complete thread of responses • “We already have too many other things to do” ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  15. Conclusion • Some academic benefits gained from intervention • Insight into how mobiles could be used – list of requirements generated • Scope to develop a more sophisticated tool that would address these requirements ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

  16. Further Information: Project website: http://www.textingtraineeteachers.net Full report from www.ESCalate.ac.uk/8140 Bradley & Holley (2010) Project website: www.londonmet.ac.uk/learningonthemove I would like to acknowledge my project collaborators, Sue Sentance (ICT tutor) and Claire Bradley (Project evaluator) debbie.holley@anglia.ac.uk ICT (space) your answer to 07950 080672

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