IT in education: A view through the lenses of Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Boris KoichuTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology

2.10.2015

IT in education: A view through the lenses of Diffusion of Innovation Theory

(a reversed talk)

Boris KoichuTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology

2.10.2015

Thanks!• To Nelly Keller (the talk is based on our common work)• To students that took part in our teaching experiment• To the Technion math-ed. research group• To Israel Science Foundation (grant 1596/13, PI Koichu)

• To Ukrainian Catholic University and the organizers of IT Arena

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Nelly Keller

The (reversed) goal tree• To devise a new generation of methods for effective teaching

mathematics as a science based on solving challenging problems

• To understand authentic processes of learning mathematics through solving problems

• To design situations for school students so that they would be given a chance for “real” problem solving

• To complement traditional lessons by collaborative problem solving in social networks

• To accustom the students to use social networks for collaborative problem solving

• To make the students to enter a forum and begin working!!!4

One episode from the study

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ChronicleDay 1 (morning): A teacher (Nelly) presents the problem

at the lesson and invites the students to solve it at the forum

Day 1 (afternoon): Nothing at the forumDay 1 (evening): Nothing at the forum Day 1 (late evening):

Limor: I solved it! In 5 min: No, I didn’t… Two more students, Michal and Keren, enter the forum.

Active exchange of ideas. The problem is not solved.

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Chronicle (cont.)Day 2: Nothing at the forumDay 3:The teacher meets the students at school. Nobody solved the problem, but the students agree to post their drafts.Day 3 (evening):Eight students enter the forum and have a brainstorming session until very late hours. The problem is solved!Day 4: The problem is discussed in a classroom. The class decides to continue solving problems on the forum.

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Chronicle (cont.)In two months: •Most of the students take part at the forum. Some remain silent observers.•A crises with the Facebook. Google+.•Appearance of forum-like lessonsIn half a year:•The forum becomes multifunctional (math questions, HW, preparation for tests)•The students learned to share their ideas in progress•Many brainstorming sessions •Nothing at the forum. Why???

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Chronicle (cont.)

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Stages and actors in diffusion of innovation

Stages5. confirmation4. implementation3. decision2. persuasion1. knowledge

Actors-Developers-Adopters Innovators: Venturesome Early adopters: Respectable Early majority: Deliberate Late majority: SkepticalLaggards: Traditional

Everett Rodgers

An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption. (Rodgers, 2003, p. 11)

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Trends(subjective account)

• IT in education does not work without appropriate pedagogies and a system of teacher training!!!

• Open source, free for users (e.g., GeoGebra). (training vs. selling)

• Educational policy supporting active learning paradigm and the development of the 21st Century Skills

• Availability and multi-functionality (lessons and pastime – the border is blurred)

• Deep cooperation(teams including specialists from IT, academy, school)

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Comments? Questions?

bkoichu@technion.ac.il

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