1.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
“We learn best with focused attention”
(Goleman, 2013, p. 16).
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Atlantic University
http://nellie-deutsch.com

2.
Challenges and Opportunities
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom

3.
Personal Computers vs. Tablets
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
• Easy to carry
• Encourage learning everywhere
• Take notes
• Images
• Videos
• Collaboration
• Sharing for feedback

4.
Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Learning Opportunities

5.
Personal Computers vs. Tablets
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
Tablets Superior
• Elaboration
• Rehearsal
• Organization
• Critical thinking
(Reychav, Warkentin & McHaney, 2015)

6.
Text vs. Video Content
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
Videos Superior
• Problem identification stage of
critical thinking
(Reychav, Warkentin & McHaney, 2015)

7.
Text vs. Video Content
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
Text Superior
• Evaluation stage of critical
thinking
(Reychav, Warkentin & McHaney, 2015)

8.
Computer Lab vs. BYOD
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
Computer Labs
• Learn with technology
• suggests “place-driven”
teaching and learning (Burns-
Sardone, 2014, p. 198)

9.
Computer Lab vs. BYOD
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Personal Devices in the Classroom
Preparing Teachers for BYODs
• Learning and teaching
anywhere
• Teach pedagogy of using
personal devices as a tool for
learning (Burns-Sardone, 2014)

10.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers

11.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
FOCUS
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Moodle for Teachers
Are they focused?

12.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
What happens when students focus?

13.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
“Phase-Locking”
Making Neural Connections
(Davidson, 2012; Goleman, 2013)
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Connecting to Previous Learning
Focus Necessary for Learning

14.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
(Davidson, 2012)
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
What happens when students focus?
Attention Muscle
Mental Training
• Choose object such as a coin
• Keep eyes on it
• If wander off
• Bring attention back

15.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Are they focused?
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Moodle for Teachers
How do we know?
With or Without Technology ?

16.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Are they focused?

17.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Are they focused?

18.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Focused within Distractions
Personal and Other Awareness
Moodle for Teachers

19.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Distractions
Moodle for Teachers

20.
Challenges
Sensory
Visual
Auditory
Smell
Tactile
Taste
Personal
Inner
Other
Outer
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?

21.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Challenges
Technical
Sign up for programs
Download programs
Install apps
Battery ran out (no cord/socket)
No Internet Connection
Devices don’t work (class)
Forgot device (BYOD)
No mouse
Wireless down (class)
No hotspots (mobile)
Support
Learning curve

22.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
• Relax
• Positive outlook
• Collaborate
• Social Engagement
• Transfer in and out of class
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
What happens when students focus?
(Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Davidson,
2012; Goleman, 2013)

23.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Focused in Social Engagement

24.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Classroom Climate
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Self and Other Focused
Moodle for Teachers

25.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Two Truths One Lie Activity
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
What is the lie?
• I have 4 children
• I danced ballet for 15 years
• I helped the swimming coach in
high school.
Moodle for Teachers

26.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Two Truths One Lie Activity
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
What is the lie?
• Turn to the person next to you
• Two truths one lie
• Let them guess
(Bonk & Khoo, 2014)
Moodle for Teachers

27.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Tenacity is a meditative app designed to promote mental well-
being through breath counting. In Tenacity, the focus is on learning
practices of wellness and self-regulation. Relax and concentrate
on your own breathing as you explore Greek ruins, Egyptian
dunes, and staircases that ascend into the skies, and unlock
rewards and achievements as you become a more mindful person
Learning Games
Moodle for Teachers
How to get students to focus?

28.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Citizen Science is an online flash-based
computer adventure game in which the player
is a young adult who becomes concerned
about the health of a local lake threatened by
eutrophication. Based at Lake Mendota in
Madison, WI, the player's goal is to restore the
lake. By focusing on the ecological needs of
Lake Mendota as well as the surrounding
community, the game is able to bring together
real-world issues and scientific practices.
Moodle for Teachers

29.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Get their Attention
Look at the Flower

30.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Smell the Blossoms
Get their Attention

31.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Teaching as a Way to Learn
Document & Reflect on Learning
• Teamwork
• Knowledge
• Preparation
• Presentation Skills
Requires

32.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Teach Peers
Create Video Tutorials
• Focus
• Motivation
• Self-confidence
• Social skills
• Other
• Outer
• Gain knowledge
Develop

33.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Free Tools to Create Videos
Active Authentic Learning
• Movenote (PowerPoint with Audio & Video)
• Screencast-o-matic (Audio & Video) capture
• PresentMe (Audio & Video on PowerPoint)
• Plotagon (Audio and Video animations)
• Capture image (Jing, Screencast-o-matic)
• SlideSpeech (PowerPoint & Notes Computer)
• Knovio (PowerPoint and Audio)

34.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Individual and Teamwork
Collaborative Learning

35.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Padlet Wall Viewing
http://nellie-deutsch.com

36.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Selective Attention in Class
Padlet Wall Viewing
http://nellie-deutsch.com

37.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
Focus in Distractions
Padlet Collaborative Learning
How do you know your students are distracted? What are
they doing?
Activities that engage and help learners focus in the
classroom. Share an activity that allows students to use
their personal devices.
http://padlet.com/nelliemuller/personaldevices

38.
What goals drive us?
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?

39.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Bonk, C. J., & Khoo, E. (2014). Adding some tec-variety: 100+
activities for motivating and retaining learners online.
Bloomington: Open World Books.
Burns-Sardone, N. (2014). Making the case for BYOD instruction
in teacher education. Issues in Informing Science and
Information Technology, 11, 191-201. Retrieved from
http://iisit.org/Vol11/IISITv11p191- 201Sardone0505.pdf
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Flow. London: Rider.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
References

40.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
Davidson, R., & Begley, S. (2012) The emotional life of your
brain: How to change the way you think, feel and live.
London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The hidden driver of
excellence. London: Bloomsbury.
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
References
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. (2015). Tenacity. Available at
Games Learning Society
http://www.gameslearningsociety.org/games.php

41.
Personal Devices in the Classroom: Distraction or Engagement?
April 4, 2016 Nellie Deutsch, Ed.D Moodle for Teachers
https://twitter.com/nelliemuller
“We learn best with focused attention”