A “Digital classroom” An innovation in Education 2.0

Μπάμπης ΓεωργάκαιναςΦυσικός-MSc στην Εκπαιδευτική Τεχνολογία

Web 2.0- Not only a technological but also a social revolution

• Jobs• Communications• Socialization• Learning• Entertainment

Can Education remain unaffected by this progress?

Students-Digital Natives

Educators 2.0

Web 2.0 tools in classrooms?

Greek teachers say YES but there are concerns.Preconception in the use of Facebook and Twitter from kids. “…They function as a hook to engage kids….” (McClain 2013)

What can solve these concerns?

The use of an Online Educational Social Network

Why Edmodo?

Free of charge and available in www.edmodo.com

SafeWithout time and space limitationsEase of use- Greek menuSimilar to FacebookMobile version

Edmodo’s features

File sharingAnnouncements- Personal messagesVideos presentation and interactive applications

(applets)AssignmentsQuizesFeedback and prizesParents’ participation Interaction with other teams

The research question

Could Edmodo be an innovation in education, according to the Theory

of Diffusion of Innovation by Everett Rogers?

Rogers’ Theory

• Diffusion: A change to the structure of function of a social system (Rogers, 2003).

• Social system: A community of independent people which work in more or less complementary way toward more or less compatible goals (Pervin, 1967).

• Innovation: An idea, a practice or an object that is either new or perceived as new by individuals in a social system.

Adaptation of an innovation

Rogers suggested that 49-87% of the adaptation of an innovation can be explained by how much the innovation fits to these attributes:• Relative advantage• Compatibility• Complexity• Trialability• Observability

Case Study

A “Digital classroom” with the social network Edmodo was decided to be used in students of the highest level of High School (3rd class of Greek Lyceum), for the subject of Physics, in the supporting school “Systima”, in Thessaloniki. Its duration was the whole school year, which began at 24/6/2013, there was an interval for summer holidays for one month and it was continued from 25/8/2013 until 25/5/2014. Thirty students took part in this “Digital classroom”.

Starting out

First Posts

Quizzes

Results

Students’ Portfolio

Group’s Summary

Virtual Experiments

Videos

Interaction

ResultsBy applying Rogers’ Diffusion of

Innovation model it becomes evident that in a “Digital

classroom” using Edmodo almost all the attributes are

aligned very well.

Relative Advantage

Virtual experimentsVideosPicturesAudio filesMotives for students’ participationCollaborationSkills for Information Society

Compatibility

New curriculaEducation 2.0 exists (Moodle, Bloggs, School

Network)Demands of digital era

Complexity

Similar to FacebookGreek menuMobile versionNot need of downloadingHelp page with FAQ’sSupport groupWeb seminars

Trialability

Teacher can create and test everything before students have access

Reusable materialCreation test groups with colleagues before

use of students

Observability

Interaction with other groups and schools which use Edmodo

At the end of school period, educators can check if this helped students to their final exams

The daily participation of students is another observation factor

ConclusionAccording to Rogers’ model, all the attributes are aligned very well and that demonstrates that Edmodo could be an innovation in schools of Education 2.0. However, there is plenty of space for further investigation in schools and other educational institutes in order, the early adopters spread this new idea to vast majority (Rogers, 2003) and become an educational tool that every teacher and every student will use it.

Thank you for your interest!

Babis GeorgakainasTeacher of Physics-MSc in Educational Technology