THE EDUCATION PROFESSORS’ CHANGING ROLE: APP DEVELOPMENT FOR CONTENT DELIVERY Jane Thielemann-Downs, Janice L. Nath, and Irene Chen University of Houston Downtown Oxford, 2014

Department of Urban Education University of Houston Downtown Houston, Texas, United States

Today’s Students Today’s students used technology as a fun, stimulating, and interactive way to learn. Students from the millennium expect that technology will be used in educational environments because technology is an integral part of their daily living.

2013 EDUCAUSE Survey Source:

2013 EDUCAUSE Survey Source:

Typical College Graduates In 2000, typical college graduates have spent 10,000 hours playing video games, 20,000 hours watching TV, over 20,000 hours talking on the phone, not to mention countless hours listening to music and surfing the Web, and using Instant Messenger, chat rooms and e- mails (Wurman, Sume, & Leifer, 2000).

Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants - 1 One major difference between Natives and Immigrants is the way we process information. – Natives retrieve information and communicate with their peers very quickly (Prensky, 2001) – The Digital Immigrant is the latecomer in the technology revolution and as with any immigrant, there is a certain “accent” that is readily apparent to the native speakers Cunningham, B. (2007). Digital Native or Digital Immigrant, Which Language Do You Speak? Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site

Another major difference between Immigrants and Natives is a sense of identity. – Digital Immigrants, cell phones, s, and the Internet are just tools that can be used to reach someone or set up a “real” face-to-face meeting. Natives look at the same technologies and see an extension of who they are. Cunningham, B. (2007). Digital Native or Digital Immigrant, Which Language Do You Speak? Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants - 2

The Characteristics of Potential Audience  Pre-service teachers born in the 70s and 80s prefer more random access, hyperlinked learning experiences.  They like less text and more pictures, sounds, and video wherever possible. Teacher educators need to provide more opportunities for multitasking, networking, and interactivity.

Definition of Lesson Plan ” A lesson plan is an organized statement of general and specific educational goals together with the specific means by which these goals are to attained by the learners under the guidance of the teacher on a given day.” James Michael Lee Source: definitions-and-origins/

More about Lesson Plans Details will vary depending on the preference of the teacher, subject being covered, and the need and/or curiosity of students. There may be requirements mandated by the school system regarding the plan.

Urban Education Department Lesson Plan Template

Web-based Lesson Plans: WebQuests

If you like what you are getting…keep doing what you are doing: A shift is needed in content delivery!

No Tunnel Vision Professors may have tunnel vision in presentation skills and/or in new designs of their curriculum. In education, professors have the knowledge of content, but they must merge it with knowledge of technology skills to complete a project such as an APP.

Why…? Our frustration of having students not grasp the pedagogy for student-centered lesson plans and their construction. Having students conform to a department plan requiring addressing numerous components and requiring hours of time to address each. Student frustration of having to write details with multiple resources. We know that teachers teach the way they have seen.

Initial Planning – Team of Education Professors Secondary Planning – Education Team PLUS the Techie Team

A Team Is Almost a Must Despite the knowledge that professors have, it takes specialized knowledge to navigate a complicated App production. This team was between the computer science department and Urban Education.

What must a team like this learn? Pedagogy is paramount. Every member has a strength, and it is important for all to feel that they contribute to success. Every member must come having done “homework”. Momentum and a timeline must be maintained. It will take twice or three times as long as was projected (a work in progress). Communication between “different worlds” is critical (time/ideas).