​Can the use of digital tools increase the quality of academic discourse?

As more and more school sites are going 1:1, there is an increase in zombie glazed looks in our student's eyes as they are asked to take out tech to do their assignments. While peer to peer interaction has proven to be an essential collaboration piece, technology can give us a different advantage for collaboration and communication in the classroom. It then becomes important to bridge the two so that students do not become zombies to the screen but still have access to the advantages of collaboration with technology. While blogging is an important part in using technology to collaborate and communicate, advances in technology have provided us with digital tools that can help increase the quality of academic discourse without becoming a slave to the screen. 

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Giving Technology a Purpose

Students are being introduced to new types of technology at an increasing speed. With each new advancement comes the ability to tap into skills we would otherwise not be able to. While new technology is important, it is also important to remember to stick to our roots and continue to practice core skills such as the skills valued by Common Core: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. The bottom line is that students are going to still be introduced to technology and often will be asked to use it in the classroom. If students are going from class to class and are tapped into the web then we might as well bring what they know of from technology and use it to our advantage to enhance the valuable skills they need to succeed in a 21st century world.
Collaboration and communication are key skills that with the use of technology can help students explore their skills outside of the classroom. There are many tech tools that students can use to their advantage but students learn best when they can apply what they know with what they are learning. This is when tools like Flipgrid come into play which allows students to use the concepts taken from social media and apply it to academic conversations.


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Research
The purpose of this study is to determine what effect does modern technology such as Web 2.0 applications like Google Applications and Flipgrid. have on an interactive environment where students can participate in academic conversations in a 21st century setting?
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1st round:
The study was a mixed method study with a quasi-experimental design. The study explored data about the effects of a technology application on language proficiency. The treatment group used digital tech tools and their entire lessons were revamped to use only technology. The control group continued being taught in the traditional manner with the textbook, handwritten journal prompts, and regular academic conversations. The treatment group used Google Applications such as Google Sites to keep as an online portfolio where they posted their assignments and completed journal prompts.
    Before and after the treatment was applied, both the control and treatment group were given a collaborative self-assessment to complete. The data was analyzed using a Pearson R analysis to determine whether there was a significant correlation.
    Upon conclusion, the use of Google Applications was not effective enough to increase the quality of academic discourse. So a second round of research was done.
In a world where we are expected to have our students ready for jobs that do not exist yet, how can tech tools help increase the quality of student's academic discourse skills? Watch the video to find out!
2nd round:
The study was a mixed method study with a quasi-experimental design. The study explored data about the effects of a technology application on academic discourse. The treatment group focused on using one tech tool, Fliprgrid, an active, social learning platform that engages learners through video-based discussion. The control group continued being taught in a traditional manner and they had academic conversations in a face to face setting. 
Before and after the treatment was applied, both the control and treatment group were given a collaborative self-assessment to complete. The data was analyzed using a Pearson R analysis to determine whether there was a significant correlation.