Elements of Computing

Monday, May 30, 2011

Mobile Technology Literary Review Part 2

Today, 1.5 billion people around the globe are carrying a powerful computer on their person¹. That might seem like a lot, but I'm not referring to laptops, I'm referring to cell phones, which currently outnumber personal computers in most countries around the world². In our society, mobile phone technology is prevalent everywhere you go and most models have more processing power than a desktop of a decade ago. These devices have permeated the youth population – in one study every individual participating reported already owning their own cell phone³. While 100% saturation is not the average response, high percentages (i.e. Higher than 80%) of youth with access to mobile phones is extremely common. With so much technology available in children's hands, some educators are eager to see those devices put to good use, namely to help teach those kids who already have a cell phone. Before we can devise educational methods, however, it's worth looking into what such devices are already being used for.

In Canada and the United States, personal computers and laptops are still prevalent, putting less emphasis on mobile phone use. By contrast, studies done in Japan show that most students do not own a personal computer or laptop and that personal phone use is much higher. A study done with American College students showed that only a third of students used SMS services regularly during class in 2008⁴. Almost 25% of the student population reported not using text messaging at all during class, and over half reported not using their laptops for personal reasons. A similar study in Japan, however, paints a very different picture with the polled students showing that 99% of youth use SMS messaging services, termed e-mail, regularly during class and 83% of those messages were to talk to peers or family⁵. A comparison of basic phone use in American and Japanese classrooms is shown below:

	America	Japan
Text Messaging/SMS	28.94% frequent use 26.38% infrequent use	80% frequent use 19% infrequent use
Voice Call	.85% frequent use 3.83% infrequent use	30% frequent use 30% infrequent use

While there are a myriad of tools and applications available on many phones, many studies ignore these advanced features, and those that include them show that most students are not using them as regularly as basic features such as text/e-mail and voice calls. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a study that distinguished between students who did not have access to such features, students who did not know they had access to such features and students who choose not use features despite being knowledgeable about their applications. Some of these extended features are the ones that could be most beneficial to education, including calendar, todo list applications, browser and dictionaries.

The mobile phone's widespread availability certainly encourages its adoption in schools as an educational tool. Students already possess both the technology and the skills to use it, so why not take advantage of their expertise? Mobile technology encourages independent learning, engages reluctant learners, allows peers to learn from each other and can encourage critical thinking when used properly. Furthermore, by encouraging appropriate cell phone use, instructors are given the opportunity to educate their students about how they are not to use mobile technology and gives students a forum for reporting inappropriate behaviour.

Independent thinking is an important skill. In my experience, being able to make effective decisions by yourself based on task-knowledge is a critical ability in the workforce. Mobile technology such as smartphones allow students to develop these strong decision-making abilities. A study of adult learners showed that using smartphone devices helped students to identify their weaknesses and areas where they needed extra work⁶. The process of determining which areas need work and adjusting study habits to meet those needs teaches students how to make informed decisions about work flow. Furthermore, the study showed that students with mobile devices generally acted more independently, taking responsibility for their own learning and even acting as peer mentors to other students in areas they excel⁷. The device itself actually fosters independence as well, as learning to handle and care for such a valuable piece of equipment encourages students to make better decisions in an effort to be responsible⁸.

Before students are able to learn independent thinking, however, a student needs to be engaged enough to learn the basic concepts they are to use to make critical decisions. Mobile technology offers a unique array of options to engage reluctant students. Mobile phones can be used in truly innovative ways that gain interest from students not always easily persuaded to participate. Bloggers all over the Internet have ideas on the most engaging ways to use a cell phone in school. Some of these ideas include:

Using SMS to poll, question or quiz students
Reading latest news articles in class
Taking pictures for scientific data collection, visual journalism and progressions over time
(More uses with links)

By adopting a more diverse set of teaching practises, educators are enabled to reach out to students who do not learn most effectively from a standard lecture format. The average lecture accounts for audio-visual learners only, while many mobile applications engage other types of learning through its variety of interactive and independent applications.

Furthermore, mobile technology allows peers to connect and learn from each other as well as from the educator. An experiment in 2003 gave students at the University of Maryland access to instant messaging during lectures and encouraged students to use it in order to ask questions about the lecture, to discuss points being made during the lecture and to share relevant external sources of information with their classmates^{9 (Instructional uses of...)}. While the students felt that focusing on both instant messaging and the professor was too much, they did advocate for interspersed instant messaging sessions where they discuss questions and reactions to segments of a lecture, or incorporating one discussion session at the end of the lecture. Three reasons were given as to why instant messaging is preferable to verbal discussion.

Students are not required to leave their seats in order to meet with peers, saving time on organization before and after and leaving more time for actually communicating ideas. Some classrooms are not even equipped to have the furniture rearranged.
Oral discussion groups can get very loud, especially in a large class. Using instant messaging decreases volume and allows students to focus on their thoughts and the thoughts of their group instead of what the group next to them is discussing. Another noise reduction comes from not needing to move furniture.
Instant messaging provides a written record of student communications. Records can be saved by students for studying at a later date or printed out and handed in as part of a participation grade.

While this particular study used instant messaging to enable communication, I would theorize that the same experiment could be carried out with other communications technologies such as text messaging, Android Talk or other smartphone services.

In addition, smartphones can be used in the classroom as a reference tool to encourage critical thinking skills. Many educators are of the mind that students do not learn critical thinking skills by using technology to look up the answer. While it is true that looking up the answer to a question doesn't teach you to figure it out on your own, knowing how to look up the facts can help students focus more on analyzing information and making connections¹⁰. Memorizing information is what a computer does best, so why have students do it when what they do best is think about the information they are given? With so much information available to students, it is more important for them to know where they can find reliable answers than for them to memorize facts^{11 (value of using cell phones...)}. By placing the emphasis on applying and evaluating information, educators can emphasize critical thinking skills in conjunction with technological skills.

Mobile phone use can also extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom with both mobility and spaced learning benefits. Cell phones are mobile devices by their very nature, and thus inherently offer some unique attributes that can benefit a student. Mobile technology creates an environment for learning at any time and any place¹². Phones with browser capability put the Internet at students' fingertips and downloading learning objects directly onto devices allows access even in areas where Internet is unavailable. Adult students often expect to be more responsible for their work and benefit from the freedom and flexibility that mobile devices allow for¹³. Some experiments have also attempted to space out teaching by sending text messages to students periodically throughout the day. Each text message contained a short 100-word language lesson in the hopes that repeated exposure for shorter bursts throughout the day would increase student understanding of the material. When asked 'Is this a valuable teaching method?” 93% responded positively, and academic data supported their claims. 88% of the students that received text-message lessons improved their language score, compared to 48% of the paper and pencil study group students who improved their language score¹⁴.

Though not directly related to education, one aspect of allowing technology into the classroom that should be considered is that when positive uses of a technology are reinforced, misuses may be less likely to occur. By teaching students when and where phone use is appropriate, instructors are able to enter into an understanding with the students that fosters a good learning environment. Instructors can enforce turning off cell phones during lecture times, then allow them for learning activities. In my opinion, striking a balance gives students a way to learn how to use technology constructively and helps enforce learning through varied learning activities.

References

1. Prensky, M. (2005). What Can You Learn From A Cell Phone? – Almost Anything!. Innovate!, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol1_issue5/What_Can_You_Learn_from_a_Cell_Phone__Almost_Anything!.pdf

2. Prensky, M.

3. Houser, C. & Thornton, P. (2004, Aug. 24). Using Mobile Phones in Education. IEEE Xplore, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=1281326

4. Barber, C. J. & Watson, R. (2008, Mar.). Personal Electronic Devices in the University Classroom. Association of Business Information Systems, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from

5. Houser, C. & Thornton, P.

6. Attewell, J. (2004). Mobile Technologies and Learning. Technology Enhanced Learning Research Centre, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.m-learning.org/docs/The%20m-learning%20project%20-%20technology%20update%20and%20project%20summary.pdf

7. Attewell, J.

8. Cherian, E. J. & Williams, P. (2008, Oct. 24). Mobile Learning: The Beginning of the End of Classroom Learning. Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2008, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCECS2008/WCECS2008_pp508-514.pdf

9. Hofer, M. J., Kinzie, M. B., & Whitaker, S. D. (2005). Instructional Uses of Instant Messaging (IM) During Classroom Lectures. Educational Technology & Society, 8, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_2/14.pdf

10. Cherian, E. J. & Williams, P.

11. Nielsen, L. (2008, May 12). The Value of Using Cell Phones to Enhance Education and Some Concrete Ways to Do So. The Innovative Educator, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/05/value-of-using-cell-phones-to-enhance.html
12. Cherian, E. J. & Williams, P.

13. Cherian, E. J. & Williams, P.

14. Houser, C. & Thornton, P.

Sources

Attewell, J. (2004). Mobile Technologies and Learning. Technology Enhanced Learning Research Centre, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.m-learning.org/docs/The%20m-learning%20project%20-%20technology%20update%20and%20project%20summary.pdf

Arnedillo-Sánchez, I., Milrad, M., Sharples, M., & Vavoula, G. (2007, Sept. 1). Mobile Learning Small Devices, Big Issues. TeLearn, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.telearn.org/open-archive/browse?resource=1143_v1

Barber, C. J. & Watson, R. (2008, Mar.). Personal Electronic Devices in the University Classroom. Association of Business Information Systems, Retrieved May 12, 2011

Campbell, M. A. (n.d.). The impact of the mobile phone on young people’s social life. Queensland University of Technology, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/3492/

Cherian, E. J. & Williams, P. (2008, Oct. 24). Mobile Learning: The Beginning of the End of Classroom Learning. Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2008, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCECS2008/WCECS2008_pp508-514.pdf

Fang, B. (2009). From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless Devices in the Classroom. Educause, 32, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/FromDistractiontoEngagementWir/192959

Freeman, M. (n.d.). Smart phones and smarter students: Palm Beach schools want ‘apps’ for class work. Sun Sentinel, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-04-02/news/fl-cell-phones-students-schools-20100404_1_student-cell-phones-smart-phones-palm-beach-schools

Hofer, M. J., Kinzie, M. B., & Whitaker, S. D. (2005). Instructional Uses of Instant Messaging (IM) During Classroom Lectures. Educational Technology & Society, 8, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_2/14.pdf

Houser, C. & Thornton, P. (2004, Aug. 24). Using Mobile Phones in Education. IEEE Xplore, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=1281326

Ito, M. Mobile Phones, Japanese Youth, and the Re-placement of Social Contact. Computer Supported Cooperative Work,, 31, Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.springerlink.com/content/w58283kt01q63x52/fulltext.pdf

Kaleidoscope. (2006). Big Issues in Mobile Learning Author. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://mlearning.noe-kaleidoscope.org/repository/BigIssues.pdf

Nielsen, L. (2008, May 12). The Value of Using Cell Phones to Enhance Education and Some Concrete Ways to Do So. The Innovative Educator, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/05/value-of-using-cell-phones-to-enhance.html

Norris, C. & Soloway, E. (2009, Jan. 14). Get Cell Phones into Schools. Business Week, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090114_741903.htm

Prensky, M. (2005). What Can You Learn From A Cell Phone? – Almost Anything!. Innovate!, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol1_issue5/What_Can_You_Learn_from_a_Cell_Phone__Almost_Anything!.pdf

Richtel, M. & Stone, B. (2009, Feb. 15). Industry Makes Pitch That Smartphones Belong in Classroom. The New York Times, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/technology/16phone.html

Shekar, M. (2009). Domestication of the Cell Phone on a College Campus: A Case Study. London School of Economics and Political Science, Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/mediaWorkingPapers/MScDissertationSeries/Past/Shekar_final.pdf

Taylor, A. (2010, July 8). Press Release: NC Schools Use Smartphones To Close the Math Achievement Gap. eSchool News, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/07/09/nc-schools-use-smartphones-to-close-the-math-achievement-gap/

Turner, H. & White, J. (2011, Apr.). Smartphone Computing in the Classroom. IEEE Pervasive Computing, Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?isnumber=5747187&arnumber=5747198

Young, J. R. (2011, Feb. 27). Actually Going to Class, for a Specific Course? How 20th-Century. The Chronicle, Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://http://chronicle.com/article/Actually-Going-to-Class-How/126519/

Thursday, May 19, 2011

An Element of Reality: How I Use My Smartphone

Studying the use of mobile phones these recent weeks, I began to assess my own use of Smartphone technology. I was initially sceptical about the myriad of uses I would find when I switched from my five-year old flip-phone to a Smartphone, but examining my phone use with a more critical lense has shown me just how much I have come to rely on this single tool. While I probably do not represent the majority of Smartphone users, it will be interesting to see how I compare. So, without further ado, here are the top ten uses I have for my Smartphone.

10) Voice Calls

Surprisingly enough, I actually don't use my phone to make too many phone calls. With the variety of ways to keep in touch, I do not always use this particular avenue of communication. I tend to reserve social voice calling for family or especially close friends. More often than not, I use voice calls for professional services such as arranging appointments.

9) Miscellaneous Applications

I clumped the other applications I use into one grouping to represent seldom used programs that are still worth mentioning. I classified GPS navigation, weather, android market, clock display and battery estimator in this category. Each has a self explanatory use that I either use infrequently or do not rely heavily on. Still, these applications have benefits in my life.

8) Contact Book

The contact book application is often overlooked as an application on its own and not just as an add-on to the phone. However, with the use of new contact book applications, I can create my own personalized yellow pages as well as my own personal phone book. When I was in public school, I memorized the phone numbers for many places – not just my friends and family. I learned numbers by heart and muscle memory, but now I only know a select few. Using the contact book has allowed me to transition from carrying all that information in my head to carrying it all in my phone, freeing up my mind for its more creative uses such as writing, choreographing and teaching.

7) Evernote

This handy little program is great for any lists or notes you might be taking on your phone. Personally I use it primarily for shopping and to do lists, but it's voice and picture note services can also be handy for when you don't have the time to describe something and want it captured for later commenting. It's particularly good for group projects or anything that requires more than one person's input to create notes or lists, since one account can synchronize amongst more than one device.

6) Alarms

I actually don't know many people who own digital alarm clocks anymore. Since I charge my phone at my bedside and it has a reliable clock, there's just no need. Not only that, but my alarm times are stored wherever I go and I am not limited to only having one or two like a regular alarm clock. Beyond the convenience are also practical reasons. Many alarm apps now offer “smart alarms” alarms that gradually increase in volume to wake the sleeper gently and not abruptly. Lastly, naming my alarms helps jog my memory when it goes off to get me going on the next task.

5) Browser

The first time I used my phone to search Google I was hooked on the convenience of having the world wide web at my fingertips. Just about anything I need to double check now is available by using the web interface on my Smartphone. When you combine fast Internet services with Google Scholar, academic work can be taken to bed when I'm tired, or my backyard when it's sunny.

4) Text-Messaging

I have a sneaking suspicion that my text messaging habits are not the measure by which to judge average text messaging use among students. While I do use the service to make arrangements with family and friends, I actually find myself using it primarily with my employers in the arts. My studio director and I will frequently text message regarding results of competitions or changes in class schedule as examples. In general, I tend to send longer text messages to individuals involved with the studio. Some text messages I have sent have been about the same length as a short email.

3) Calendar

With so many dates to remember nowadays, I use my calendar to keep track of everything. Academic due dates, work hours, class times, professional appointments, family get togethers, social gatherings, holidays, everything. I use my calendar religiously, and couldn't be without it.

I depend on this application too much for it to occupy anything less than top 3.

2) Email

I am a huge fan of email, and use it far more frequently than text messaging. I use email to keep in contact and communicate with my professional and social circles primarily, however there is another reason I use email more often on my phone than text messaging. I like email because I can receive news and updates from sites that I enjoy reading. I enjoy perusing emails at my leisure, knowing that when I check my email that I'll have time to read some of the blog updates in my inbox. Reading a quick blog post on my phone is a great way to take a break between tasks.

Since I check my email so regularly, and have so many uses for it, I've placed it as the #2 use for my Smartphone.

1) Dropbox

If you haven't heard of Dropbox yet, it's high time you have. Dropbox is a user-friendly cloud server service for a reasonable price. Even better, it allows me to have a full list of all my files at the touch of a finger on my Smartphone. Any file I need can be downloaded and used in seconds.

For me that translates into being able to keep all of the studies I need to read in my pocket. It means that I can keep all my notes and work synchronized between my mobile device, my desktop at home and my laptop. In my arts profession, I am able to carry all of my choreography and teaching notes in one hand, as well as all my music. Every file I have ever made for either of my jobs, I have access to all the time. I use Dropbox more than any other application on my phone, and most of the time I barely even realize I'm using it because it integrates so seamlessly with the Android interface.

For both the benefits Dropbox provides and the sheer amount of time I spend using it, it deserves the #1 spot in my Smartphone use list.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Mobile Technology Literary Review Part 1

Much research has been done on the effects of both mobile phones and laptops in the classroom. Studies have explored both the positive and negative effects of using both technologies in the classroom as well as the effects of allowing their use by self-regulating students. While some schools push for technologically enabled classrooms and educators, professors, student bodies and administrators are abandoning laptop programs and banning the use of mobile devices in some classrooms. The spectrum of opinions on the subject is almost as vast as the spectrum of technology available. Most research, however, focuses on one device.

Until recently, most students did not possess what we now term “smartphones”. Until the recent advent of the iPhone, devices with computing power (i.e. The ability to send and receive email, access the Internet, read documents etc...) were used primarily in the corporate setting, and high costs discouraged most of the public from purchasing them. Students had mobile phones for communication and a laptop for other applications. However, with recent reduction in costs, user-friendly interfaces and public-oriented marketing, smartphones have become prevalent amongst students. How will combining both the laptop and phone into a single mobile communication technology impact students of the upcoming generation?

Since smartphones are a relatively new technology, there is little research available that deals directly with smartphones as their own, unique entity. Most studies included PDAs and other mobile technologies that shared some characteristics as modern smartphones, but in general, the topic of study was mobile phones with smartphones included under the same blanket term “mobile phone”. Smartphones were rarely mentioned in studies concerning laptop use, however because of the overlap in functionality between smartphones, laptops and cell phones I felt it important to read and include information on the subject of laptops as it pertains to the topic of smartphones. Due to the variety of opinions, I have decided to split my posts into parts: one that will cover criticism and one that will cover praise of mobile technology use in classrooms.

An Element of Distraction: Criticism of Mobile Device Use in Classrooms

Ringing cellphones and laptop boot-up noises plague classrooms in Universities across the board. Professors grapple with games for the attention of students and pressure to integrate technology deters many from making changes to classroom policies that would address core issues. Research has proven the negative influence of distractions in information recall, though complaints include more than just distractions. Some professors believe that technology is creating a student body with test-taking and information gathering skills but little in the way of independent problem-solving, innovative, and analytical skills.

One of the first problems surrounding mobile technology that is often discussed is the issue of distraction, since it is widely recognised, debated and researched. The concept of distraction is not new to educators, having existed long before technology arrived. Looking out the window, note-passing, doodling and paper and pencil games are still used by students as methods of mentally escaping the classroom, yet they didn't become as problematic as mobile technology.

Today's smartphones are tailored to an individual's needs. No two phones are alike any more now that both software and hardware are customisable. The perfect applications for every student are available and accessible, often for free. The most engaging and tempting distractions can be downloaded from within classroom walls, and used in seconds. Not only is the temptation for the user heightened by the large market of mobile applications (apps), but so is the distraction for any other student within eye shot of the user. Curious onlookers interested in new software can easily have their attention divided if they catch a glimpse of the screen.

According to a recent study in Connecticut, of a comprehensive list of 56 possible external and internal possible distraction, students rated their own cell phone use and playing games to be the third and fourth largest distractions. The first and second largest distractions? Technology was superseded only by the student being too fatigued to stay awake in class and personal symptoms of illness. Most students do seem to have some concern for appropriate technology use, however, as a few studies mentioned students considering the classroom to be inappropriate for ringing phones, conversations, and other uses that involve auditory disturbances. Curiously, few are forthcoming with complaints regarding visual disturbances. Despite students' claims that multitasking by using a computer (looking at a screen) while learning in class (listening to the professor) does not affect their academic performance, a 2010 study comparing auditory and visual distractions disagrees. The study demonstrates that changes in either auditory or visual stimuli leads to lower processing of the other, suggesting that the rapid rate at which smartphone screens change displays could lower student ability to process lecture-based material.

When it really comes down to the big issues, how our students are progressing is of ultimate importance and some teachers feel that readily available mobile technology is not teaching the next generation the correct skills. More and more often, students are turning to search engines and notes for the answers instead of applying their own reasoning. This form of shallow learning encourages excellent test-taking skills, but not independent thinking and problem-solving. By using the Internet to locate the answer to every question, students may not be developing deep learning and thinking skills since they are merely regurgitating information they have located instead of processing and making connections.

A professor of law experimentally banned laptops in an effort to teach students critical thinking and logic in a class with a reputation for academic decline. His reasoning for doing so hinged on the fact that most students were bringing outlines and notes to class on their computers and ineffectively attempting to look up answers to questions instead of working them out using their critical thinking skills. At the end of the semester, the professor surveyed students for feedback and was met with primarily positive responses. Students reported understanding the material better, feeling more engaged in class, being more comfortable and closer to their peers as well as feeling more connected with the professor. Furthermore, the class without the assistance of laptops outperformed their laptop-using peers in academic grades.

The context of a classroom is equally important when assessing the use of mobile technology. A study of liberal arts students found that most felt that using mobile technology in class was a way of separating oneself from the rest of one's peers. Using technology detracts from the natural flow of conversation, making it a hindrance for a class based around group discussion. Students in this particular study used technology in nearly every facet of their life outside the classroom, showing a stark contrast to their attitudes and expectations on classroom technology use.

While professors debate the pros and cons of their educational merit, mobile technology has other facets that factor into the debate as well. For most students, smartphones are not simply educational tools – they are living tools. Students store their music, take photos, browse the Internet, send and receive many types of mail and messages and much more with the amazing amount of mobile applications available for download. While these features make devices extremely useful, the associations mobile technology carries with it from outside the classroom are exactly what make it hard to put down in class. The smartphone is a way to stay in constant communication with peers, a digital note-passing network if you will. Some students have mastered the ability to text discreetly to avoid detection from professors and supervisors. Even if such discreet use was deemed a distraction or a detriment to a student's education, is there an effective way to control use such a device?

Not everyone even agrees that mobile technology really needs to be controlled. A large number of people believe that mobile technology advances our educational system and enables our youth to learn in ways never before possible. Students also voice opinions about wanting access to their mobile devices during class, for both educational and personal reasons. For some, mobile technology is used for medical reasons, enabling students who would otherwise be unable to attend institutions such as Universities. While no one is suggesting that mobile technology should be banned in this particular instance, it is worth mentioning for its positive benefit on schools and quality of life. As with most things in life, the key seems to be in striking the right balance.

Sources

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Elements of Usability: Usability and Children Part 2 - Webucation

The Grossest Site on the Internet is an incredibly popular children's site.

In the year 2000, 99% of schools were connected to the Internet and already 20% of all digital media users were children. Two years later, 75% of children with computers at school went online regularly. One reason for this burst of Internet usage by younger demographics is due to both teachers and parents considering the Internet to be a primary developmental tool for their child's education. In fact, many teachers (66% to be exact) encourage extending learning outside the classroom by using the Internet as a vehicle for learning.

However, with increased Internet usage by children, new considerations have come to our attention for a very important reason: if a child cannot use a site, they cannot learn from a site. Children have less fun and learn much less when their interactions with the computer have more usability problems. Furthermore, it is very difficult to design one site that encompasses the entire age range of 3-12. Younger children have very different needs than a twelve-year old. While many children find using the Internet easier than many adults, there are still some important usability concerns to focus on when designing educational sites targeted at children.

Design to Your Target Audience

Every child has different needs, especially as the age gap widens between them. Creating a site that is “designed for children” is too broad a scope for your web project. It would be better to narrow down your goals, “The site is designed for boys between five years old and eight years old.” How do you decide who you are targeting and how to market to them? 4 sub categories can be defined to make designing easier:

3-5 years old: These toddlers are just starting to read and begin to explore the world in a more analytical way. These children can remember and apply what they have learned a day before. They don't understand the difference between fantasy and reality on the computer yet, and live in a preoperative world. Their attention span is only 8-15 minutes.

5-8 years old: These young children are starting to go to school In school they would be between the kindergarten and early grade 2. They are beginning to form their identities and are starting to learn to play cooperatively and are developing fine motor skills. They are learning to read and can handle short sentences a few at a time. At this time the world expands beyond their immediate surroundings. Sites targeted at this age group should consist primarily of images with sound alternatives to all text since some children may still have difficulty reading (but not interpretting voice.) Using familiar characters helps to keep content interesting and palatable for children.

8-12 years old: At this age children begin to think in abstract terms, and become more focused on their interactions with others. In school they would fall between grade 2 and grade 6. Since much development occurs during this stage (Though less common, puberty is possible late in this age bracket.) you may want to consider dividing this age group up further. For example, too much information on the screen makes the site difficult to use for children under the age of 10, but longer content is considered normal for older children who are 11 and 12 years in age.

Teenagers: While not the focus of this blog, teenagers do make up their own sub group of youth. Teenagers enjoy experimenting with new products and love to socialize with their peers. They place great importance on their peer image. They tend to like using the Internet, but statistics show they spend less time online than adults.

The age of a child is important in determining how you will market your site to them effectively. For example, younger children like larger fonts and lots of pictures to help guide them. The older children get, however, the more they associate large fonts and images with “little kid sites” and will be less likely to enjoy using sites that display similar features. Furthermore, special consideration should be taken when using advertising on children's Internet content. Ads distract children and diminish their ability to navigate the site. In particular, young learners are sometimes prevented from using sites that have pop-ups because they do not know how to close or move them. Many children click on advertisements and then are unable to independently navigate back to the original page. If you do decide to include advertisements on your site, be certain to include information about how you include ads in your policies section for parents. Parents will want to know how you have considered the age and maturity level of their children in your decision to include advertisements on your site.

Age, however, is not the only determining factor in how you will design your website effectively. In general males and females are equally active online but tend to be interested in different features that are available to them online. Males generally prefer more activity in general since they enjoy action. They like colourful pages with lots of sound and opportunity for interaction. They do not enjoy reading as much and will shy away from any pages with lots of text. Females, on the other hand, enjoy more social sites. They are attracted to sites that allow them to communicate with their friends or share their work with others of the same age bracket. Girls like reading more, and tend to leave pages after seeing text much less often than boys of the same age. They also enjoy creative activities like drawing, writing and creating. They still enjoy lots of colours, but sound and action are not as high on their priority list.

Navigating Children's Navigation

As with websites for adults, navigation in a website is very important. However, children tend not to understand the concept of search in the same way that adults do. Determining which pages are relevant is often the most challenging part of search. Kids cannot formulate search queries in the same way as adults and do not have the patience to sift through myriads of results, so being able to get to information by clicking around is essential.

The most important rule when considering menus for children is to keep it simple. The more information is on the screen, the easier it is for young learners to get confused. Keep your design straight forward and intuitive with highlighted, easily understood keywords instead of copious amounts of options. Keep in mind what language is commonly used by kids you know. Children are not likely to click on words like “almanac” to find information because it is unfamiliar. It is better to use more than one common word than it is to use one obscure word.

Another important detail to consider is the fine motor development of your audience. Sites using frames often require higher finesse in motor skills than sites without frames. These sites often place content on the right side of the page with navigation on the far left. Any content that requires scrolling will require the user to move the mouse back and forth across the screen many times to locate the content they want. Not only does such a requirement hinder younger users, it annoys older users as well.

A good way to aid children with your navigation is to include a vibrantly labeled help button at the top of the screen. Children understand the concept of help and are much more likely to use “help” functionality to explore your website than a search function.

Contain Your Content

The content itself plays a crucial role in educating children, but the location and organization of the content is also just as crucial. Children do not think to scroll through information at an early age even when reminded they may do so. That meant that anything located at the bottom of the page went unnoticed by most kids. Most young learners do not think to check the bottom of the page for information unless specifically instructed to do so.

The same reasoning applies to the length and volume of the content provided on websites. Since children often do not remember to scroll down a page, they assume that what they see on the screen is all that is there. To avoid having content that is never read, keep your information down to half a page of text or less. Too much information on the screen also has another effect. As I mentioned earlier, a high volume of information confuses children and influences how lost they feel.

Multimedia Can Enhance Usability

Most children prefer an interactive website where they are actively engaging in activities and learning. Active engagement has positive side effects such as increasing the attention span for learners. Children learn through all their senses, so often, reading text or hearing someone talk is not their chosen method for learning. As adults we are accustomed to learning from lectures and books, but children are not and require a different method of teaching.

Including multimedia can also give children the chance to customize their learning and pace so it suits them and their learning needs. Furthermore, multimedia allows for creative options which kids enjoy. Young learners love activities that allow them to have input on the site or leave a mark when they visit. By providing children with creative opportunities, a site both encourages learning and return visits from both a child and their friends.

Multimedia Can Hinder Usability

While multimedia is definitely an important component to creating an effective and engaging children's website, there are some trade-offs to consider when choosing activities to include on your site. One of the largest problems for children using the Internet by themselves is plug-ins. Any website that uses a plug-in is immediately less accessible because children surfing independently get stuck with no help from their parents or older siblings.

Take special care when including elements that knowingly force the user to wait. Introductions, animations that play before actions and controls rolling onto the screen that cannot be accessed until they have found their place are all examples of elements that make the user wait. Children may enjoy animation and movement, but they still have short attention spans and would prefer to be doing than watching. Furthermore, some computers are still technically incapable of handling such sites without significant performance reductions. If you are going to include animations that make users wait, the considerate option is to include a button to skip unwanted animations.

Along a similar trend, balancing load time with multimedia is very important for two reasons. First, children respond equally as poorly to long wait times as they respond well to rich interaction. More importantly, children learn through responses. When a young learner clicks an object and an action happens, they are stimulated and they learn. By contrast, when a young learner clicks an object and nothing happens, they may incorrectly assume that the object does not do anything. One way to allow for slightly longer wait times is to always include system status and feedback, but telling the user that the page is loading only goes so far. If the child is forced to wait too long, they most likely will not want to use that feature again.

Finally, an important aspect of multimedia is the focus. Maintaining a focused scope on interactivity and keeping with the theme of the page will help children learn more effectively. From a usability standpoint, having only one interactive panel displayed on the screen at once keeps the user focused and limits confusion. Another way to limit confusion is to ensure that all interactive portions of your site are directly focused at the top of the page where children will easily find it.

Catering to Adults

Children and parents often use educational websites together, particularly when children are younger. While the task of making a site both kid and adult friendly may seem difficult, it doesn't have to be. To begin with, consider all the previously established standards for usability that have already been proven to help. By adhering to both previously established standards for adults and newer standards established for children, you can create a site that is easy for parents and children to use. Testing with both parties is also essential to ensure that you have, in fact, created a usable product for each. Another important part of your site design for adults is a section specifically for them. Keeping a section for adults separate from the section for children helps maintain usability for each while still providing necessary information to the older visitors of the site. The adults section typically includes both a section for parents with privacy policies and site information as well as a section for teachers with activities and lessons that can used alongside the site.

In Conclusion

Observations show that children have less fun when they encounter more usability problems. Furthermore, the more usability problems children encounter, the less likely they are to learn from the site they are using. Fun, familiarity and usability are all high on the priority list for consumers of educational websites.

In summary, here is a short list of guidelines I have compiled for children's websites based on the material covered in this blog:

Design according to the age and gender of your audience.
Keep navigation simple.
Use common language in navigation and content.
Organize objects in a way that minimizes mouse skill requirements.
Include a vibrantly labeled "Help" link.
Place content at the top of the page.
Keep content short and eliminate scrolling.
Include creative and content-oriented interaction.
Keep load times short.
Maintain usability for both children and parents.