Authentic Use of
Software & Technology
in an Applied Statistics Course
Damian W. Betebenner, Yun Xiang, & Xiaohui Yue
Department of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
Lynch School of Education, Boston College
Perspectives & Purpose
• Background of computer use in curriculum
development
• Difference between inauthentic use and
authentic use of technology (cognitive tool)
• The central purpose: to authentically
incorporate the use of technology in an
applied statistics class.
Frameworks for the Implementation of
Technology
• Definition of “authentic”
Following Hennessy & Murphy (1999), an activity is authentic if
it is:
1. coherent and personally meaningful, and
2. purposeful within a social framework—the ordinary practices
of culture. (critical)
• Such a critique of expert knowledge aligns well
with a large number of learning theories
• Chicken-egg dilemma emerges when attempting to
situate technology use within expert practice
The Goal of the Study
• By illuminating what we think are best practice
considerations for the implementation of
technology into an applied statistics classroom,
we hope to help educators from any discipline
interrogate their own (in)authentic use of
technology.
Setting & Methodology (i)
• Many of the implementations of technology
in the classroom lacking due to a lack of
authenticity
• Major challenge with regard to the seamless
integration of computer software use with
the development of theory in the class
• Limitations of the lecture/lab class format
• An attempt to overcome the limitation
Setting & Methodology (ii)
• An authentic use of software requires an operating
computer in the classroom that is projected in such
as way so that all students can view the process as
it takes place
• The limitation of PowerPoint: This distance between
“the pointer” and “the voice”
• Our solution to this dilemma: instead of projecting
the software onto a basic reflective surface, the
GUI is projected onto a touch sensitive white board
(TSWB)
• Advantages of TSWB
Setting & Methodology (iii)
• Critical reflection of practice through participant
observation
• The setting for the participant observations
occurred at two different universities:
In 5 classes where a TSWB was made available
and
in 6 classes without a TSWB.
Classes were no larger than 35 students
• How was TSWB used in class?
Results & Conclusions (i)
--Advantages of TSWB
A separate lab is no longer needed to demonstrate
software use
• When devising lesson plans/lectures, our focus resides on
investigating rich problems in class out of which theory and
software use flows.
• Compared with separate lab sections to introduce students to
computer use, the TSWB allowed the instructor to better
coordinate computer use.
• Whereas teaching a computer lab can be analogous to “herding
cats”, having a central projected computer allows one to proceed
through the analysis at a measured pace that the students can
follow.
• The ideal situation was for the students to have computers with
which they can follow along (e.g., laptops, high speed wireless,
and adequate deskspace). The students didn’t feel compelled to
write down the mouse strokes one must follow to perform the
analyses.
Results & Conclusions (ii)
Richer and less contrived examples can be explored
• In an investigation of regression, for example, with a
working computer available a scatterplot depicting
hundreds, if not thousands, of data points is easily
available. Moreover, so is the depiction of the regression
line together with coefficients for its representation as a
linear equation.
• Richer examples, ideally, lead to more student involvement.
Having a computer handy allows the instructor to follow
through on analyses for such questions. The only limitation
is the instructors expertise.
Results & Conclusions (iii)
Students are exposed to an authentic discussion of
theory and application
• The instructor’s discussion is a refined
encapsulation of the manner in which experts
engage statistics. Thus, the instructor’s model
expert practice for the students.
• Many questions from students can immediately
and meaningfully be investigated using the
software in front of the students. Such
investigations acculturate the students in a manner
consistent with that employed by expert.
Results & Conclusions (iv)
• Other advantages
• Limitations of TSWB
Future of the Study
• The future of authentic instruction that incorporates technology/
software lies with the interface between the technology/software and
the subject matter which, in turn, is brought to life through the
instructor’s fluency with that technology/software.
• In situations where technology/software has yet to find an essential
niche within a discipline (or instructors are not fluent with its use) the
result is usually inauthentic instruction relying upon highly contrived
exercises.
• The key to authentic incorporation of technology in the classroom lies
with the answer to the question:
How do/would/should I, an expert, utilize technology in my own discipline
specific research?
Once this question is answered, the trick is to transfer this enact this
utilization of technology in the classroom and engage students in that
process. Undoubtedly, this not a simple endeavor.
About this copy
Authentic Use of Software & Technology in an Applied Statistics Course — AERA Annual Meeting, March 2006.
This is an image-based copy of the original PowerPoint slides; builds and animations are flattened.