This week we discussed the duality of cellphone use when learning. Are they actually able to help with homework? Or are they still just an unnecessary distraction? When we began covering the potential benefits of cellphone use when learning, the Arduino Science Journal was brought up. The Arduino Science Journal is an application that utilizes the sensors in your phone to help gather data for experiments that encourage students to explore how the world works.
During a pre-made Arduino activity called “Discovering Shadows,” I was asked to walk 10 steps in a random direction and measure the difference in brightness between point A and point B. Here’s a snapshot of the results that I got using the Arduino Science Journal Brightness Sensor.
As an aspiring Grade 2 teacher, I’d like to believe that there is still a place for devices in later primary education. With that being said, I do think it should only be used in moderation. One of the big problems of using devices in school is the likelihood of students exceeding their recommended daily screen time. In 2024, it is becoming common for kids to already exceed their daily recommended “free” screen time (60 minutes) at home. Even if its for the use of learning, I don’t know if supplementing your student’s daily screen time even more is the right decision to make. Another problem with device use in the classroom is obviously distraction. I’m not sure what schools are doing now to prevent students access to online avenues of distraction, but when I was in elementary school It was not difficult to get onto Youtube and watch Call of Duty videos when the teacher wasn’t paying attention.
One of the nice things about primary students is that they either struggle to identify the difference between a regular game and a game designed for learning, or they are just too young to care. Having devices available in your classroom give student’s access to a plethora of learning games. Students think that they are being rewarded with “IPad Time,” but all they’re doing is refining their ability to add, subtract, or spell even more. I have a vivid memory of playing a game by Reflex Math that involved helping a ninja jump from platform to platform. All I had to hear was “Ninja” and I was sold. So sold that i didn’t care that I had to answer a timed multiplication question before each jump the ninja made. I spent a lot of time playing that game, and there is no doubt that it’s a huge contributor to my understanding times tables today.
Here’s an gameplay screenshot of “Ninja to the Stars,” the Reflex Math game I spoke of above.
Links:
https://reflex.explorelearning.com/