Motivating Students to Learn: Integrating Technology into the Curriculum
Becky Earll
Principles of Learning for Instructional Technologies
University of South Dakota
June 2005
Abstract
Students of the 21st Century are accustomed to technology. Generally, they feel rather comfortable and confident in their abilities to operate various technologies. Teachers can translate this self-efficacy into motivation in their lessons throughout the curriculum. In addition to building off students’ confidence, teachers have the ability to motivate learning by making lessons more interesting, relevant, and flexible—all with the help of technology. This paper explains how integrating technology into teaching can help students get motivated and actively engaged in their learning.
Beginning a new task can be difficult, especially one that is perceived to be complicated or challenging. Unless a person understands the relevance of the task to her own life or is somehow engaged in the task, she might not be compelled to begin it—let alone, finish it. Most people find their drive through rewards (whether intrinsic or extrinsic) and often need to see the end product before accepting any new challenge (Fidishun). It’s not unlikely to hear, “How will the completion of this task benefit me in the end?” or “Why should I value this?” Questions like that are related to the acquisition of motivation—the motivation to begin a new task, job, or in the case of students everywhere—the challenge of learning a new concept.
Teachers understand this motivation is hard to come by. For this reason, teachers are constantly looking for new ways to liven up their lessons in an attempt to engage their students (Meyer, 2000). By attempting to grab their students’ attention at the very beginning of a new lesson, teachers hope to gain interest; they understand that interested students are more willing to accept their teacher’s new learning challenge (Presland, et al 2004). It should go without say that motivating students—all with different needs and learning styles—is difficult for any teacher. However, by integrating technology into the curriculum, teachers have a greater chance of creating that initial spark and motivating their students—students of the 21st Century, that is. Although the use of technology across the curriculum cannot predict complete mastery of a new concept, technology integration motivates students to learn and keeps them more actively engaged over a longer period of time.
What does it mean to be motivated to learn and how is that connected to technology? According to Presland, et al (2004), “Motivation is a broad concept encompassing attitudes, needs, interests and incentives” (p. 663). In other words, it is our driving force, or incentive, to meet a desired goal (Lexico, 2005). If learning is the desired goal, how a person thinks about learning and the value that he or she places on learning will predict how motivated that person is to learn. People are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically (Guha, et al 2002). On one hand, when a person has a positive, excited attitude about learning and can see how learning will benefit her life, she is intrinsically motivated to learn—that person displays confidence in their learning. On the other hand, a person who does not place as much value on the learning itself may rely instead on rewards following the task, such as grades. This is an example of extrinsic motivation (Joo, et al, 2000). Teachers strive to get away from extrinsic rewards and motivate students intrinsically from within; they understand that in order for learning to occur, each of their students must first be compelled and ready to learn (Fidishun). Students who display confidence and excitement about their learning are more open to new information. With the help of technology, teachers can add that excitement to their lessons regardless of the subject.
Today’s young people are immersed in technology in their homes. “Children ages 8 to 18 spend more than 19 hours per week watching TV, 10 hours listening to the radio, five hours reading, 2.5 hours on the computer for fun and about one hour on the Internet” (Angulo, 2001, p. 30). This world of TV, computers, video games, and so on is the world that children of the 21st Century have grown up with and are accustomed to. According to Joo, et al (2000), children are gaining more and more self-efficacy in technology. In other words, their confidence to perform well with various technologies is increasing; they are comfortable with today’s technology and perceive their skills as satisfactory, if not above average. “Technology has the potential to engage students at high levels because they perceive that they will be more successful” (Guha, et al, 2002, p. 41). Teachers could benefit by taking that self-assurance and applying it to students’ academics, so that learning too could have a boost in confidence. “Ample evidence accrued during the past two decades demonstrates the strong and positive influence of efficacy beliefs on various aspects of student motivation and achievement. As students’ self-efficacy perceptions strengthened, their performance also noticeably improved,” explains Joo (2000, p. 5). By taking advantage of students’ self-efficacy in technology and integrating it into their lessons, teachers can intrinsically motivate their students to learn.
Technology can keep students engaged as they learn to read and write, as they encounter problems in mathematics and science, and as they study history. For example, CD-ROMS can motivate students to read due to their rich context (Glasgow, 1996). These computer programs are “multisensory and multidimensional, with readable text, vivid characters, brilliant graphics, lively music, realistic sounds, and interesting animated movement, explains Glasgow (p. 20). Students must first want to learn to read, and teachers can grab their attention and play to each of their senses with the aid of CD-ROM storybooks, such as “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.” Glasgow reports that these programs, which foster all stages of language development, can add enjoyment to the process of learning to read. Not only are the pictures, sounds, and animations attractive, but students are also appealed to the amount of control they have over their own environment. Students are able to read the storybooks at their own pace, manipulate the program as they go along, and then receive immediate feedback for their actions. “According to Vygotsky and Piaget, children need to interact with their immediate surrounding and manipulate objects,” (Glasgow, 1996, p. 21). Because of these interactions and the control over their environment, students are motivated to confront the print media.
As for writing, teachers have many options to integrate technology and engage their students. As with motivating students to read, motivating students to write can be difficult (Rowen, 2005). Rowen suggests making writing exciting and meaningful. Many children are already using the Internet to write with the use of e-mail, instant messaging, and message boards by using their personal computers—teachers should find ways to incorporate these technologies in their writing lessons at school as well. “When students know someone other than [their teacher] will see their writing, it becomes easy to help them with the process and mechanics. They take pride in their work, and they make it look good” (Rowen, 2005, p.23). The Internet web site “Kidscribe” allows students to write stories, poetry, jokes, etc. to be published on the site. Other sites offer discussion boards or e-mail addresses for its audience to write to professionals such as authors, scientists, and historians and then receive feedback. While other websites enable classes to connect with a different class from around the world to converse with. These all are great and exciting opportunities to get students writing. According to Rowen, when students have an authentic audience to write for, they place more value on their writing; the experience is more meaningful. Plus, the task was made more enjoyable. These factors combine to make a highly motivational activity.
Technology can also provide the motivation to learn science and mathematics as well. According to Guha, et al (2004) math is one subject that some students easily give up on. However, with the use of the Internet and through various computer programs, teachers can excite their students by bringing real-life problems into the classroom (Bransford, et al, 2000). Because students often do not understand the relevance of problems found in their math books, they do not always see how math can apply to their real lives. Through the use of a creative, student-friendly math website, however, students can get excited about math. For example, the website “Geometry in the Real World: Students as Architects” challenges high school students to design a new school by using their skills in geometry (Geometry in the Real World: Students as Architects). Architects look over these designs and critique them—some designs are even put into action by the architects. This certainly has got to make math more meaningful for students, and when they can see its value, students are more willing to learn.
The same applies to science and social studies. The Internet offers an array of student-friendly websites that provide pictures, videos, and other powerful tools such as electronic communications systems that connect classrooms with communities of practitioners in the fields of science or history (Bransford, et al, 2000). Also, students can get excited about virtual tours online—these are videos or a series of pictures that allow people to visit real sites, that could not otherwise be seen (whether this is due to costs, distance, etc.). A class may choose, for example, to take a virtual visit to the San Diego Zoo to view their giant pandas (Angulo, 2001). Or a class may find a site displaying the battlefields of the American Revolution. Whatever the case, virtual tours and other interactive websites, create leaning environments that are engaging to students.
The downside to technology integration in regards to motivation can come when the technology is taken away (Astleitner, et al, 2004). Will students still be motivated to read when they do not have a computer program with fast-moving images in front of them? Or will they want to write with pencil and paper when their on-line audience is no longer there? These are questions to consider, and therefore, the teacher should emphasize the importance of the learning task while in the lessons—students must understand that the technology won’t always be there but this does not mean the value of the task must be taken away as well.
On the other hand, the benefits of technology integration in regards to motivation seem to outweigh any disadvantages. The most obvious reason is that technology livens up lessons, making them more exciting and less boring for students. A multi-media environment promotes curiosity, challenge, control, and fantasy (Astleitner, et al, 2004). With the use of visual and audio input, teachers can focus students’ attention. Also, students can work within their own flexible time limits. Such is the case especially with computer programs: “With a variety of skill levels available, children can feel comfortable working at their own pace while also building confidence in themselves as they move up through the levels of the program” (Guha, et al, 2002, p. 42). This constructivist view of learning shows how students take responsibility for their own learning and begin to feel confident in their abilities and safe in an environment in which they are able to fail and then pick themselves back up (Astleitner, et al). Confidence, remember, is what intrinsically motivates us. “Other research into engagement with computer programs suggests that it is their interactive element, giving the pupil the perception of control over the task, which is so motivating,” explains Presland, et al (2004, p. 664). Again, it is that feeling of control over the learning environment that attracts students, and thus, motivates them.
Teachers have the ability to engage their students. By integrating technology across the curriculum, teachers have the power to take students’ technological skills and self-efficacy and help them turn it into intrinsic motivation to learn new information. Furthermore, technology offers great opportunities, such as writing for a public (on-line) audience, that give relevance to learning and shows students why they should value learning. Mostly, however, a lesson that uses technology is generally perceived to be more exciting and appealing to its young audience. Such a lesson has the ability to grab students’ attention—to get them interested—and make them want to learn more. Wanting to learn is half the battle. Once motivated and willing to learn, students’ positive attitude can help them to stay actively engaged for a longer period of time and help them to uncover new information across the curriculum.
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