Learning through two
distractive
technologies in the high
school setting
Vanessa P. Dennen
Stacey A. Rutledge
Lauren M. Bagdy
mobile phones
+ social media
classroom learning?
@vdennen
@laurenbagdy

Social media connects
students … between
classes and during
classes.

What role do
phones and social
media play in high
school classrooms?
Beyond “existence proof” (Borko, 2004)

Research
Questions
In what ways do high school students and
teachers use mobile phones and social media to
support learning?
• What activities do they engage in, and why?
• What learning theories support these
approaches?
• How and why do they vary in level of
innovation?
What are the tensions that occur when mobile
phones and social media enter the classroom?

Method
Participants High school students, teachers &
administrators
Data Collection
Interviews
Observations
Data Analysis Activity Systems Analysis
Frameworks
Learning theories
Park’s (2011) m-learning
classification system
Rogers (2003) diffusion of
innovation

Findings:
Classroom Mobile Use & Learning Theories
Behaviorist Multiple choice quizzes
Cognitivist
Information access
Information organization
Constructivist Not evident

Park (2011)
m-learning
classification
Level 1 - Productivity
Level 2 – Flexible Physical
Access
Level 3 – Capturing &
Integrating Data
Level 4 – Communication &
Collaboration

Diffusion of Innovation
Mostly late majority & laggards

Classroom
Social Media
Use
Tool
Mobile phone
Chromebooks
Google
SNS accounts
Division of Labor
Activity Design
Activity Participation
Community
Teachers
Students
Administrators
Social Networks
Rules
Activity guidelines
Phone Rules
Social Media Rules
Subject
Student
Teacher
Object --> Outcome
B
Tensions:
A: Activity guidelines and phone/social media rules
B: Class community and social networks
C: Community and outcomes
A
C

Major Tensions
• Teacher pedagogical content knowledge
/ feeling the need for change in one’s
pedagogical approach
• Distinguishing between on and off task
behaviors.
• Classroom management: pedagogy and
phone policies
• Maintaining appropriate teacher-
student distance
• Finding technology integration /
curriculum
• BYOD and account / app access
• Wifi and bandwidth

SNS Outside the
Classroom
Snapchat = homework help
Groupme = group project collaboration

Extending question
How do the activities of
contemporary classrooms
shape students’ perceptions of
how social media can be used
to support learning?

Thank you! Any
Questions?
Vanessa Dennen
@vdennen / vdennen@fsu.edu
Lauren Bagdy
@laurenbagdy / lbagdy@fsu.edu
http://studentssocialmediaschools.com