E.N. Malova¹
Dr.Hab., PhD, Associate Professor V.G. Shubovich¹
Dr.Hab., Professor M.M. Shubovich^1
1Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov, Ulyanovsk

Keywords: health technologies, healthy lifestyle, supplementary education, information and communication technologies.

Background. Mission of the supplementary information and communication technologies education is to make the young people fully fit for the future professional service and life challenges in the high-tech information society and equip them with the information and communication technologies competences critical for the national technological progress. The supplementary education system, however, should not only facilitate progress of the natural gifts and predispositions, but also develop healthy and productive life values and priorities and healthy lifestyles for success in the future professional careers [1, 3, 4]. It should be mentioned with regret that the students are presently overloaded not only with school studies but also with the information-and-communication technologies-intensive communication with the rapidly growing popularity of modern information and communication technologies and equipment in the school education and everyday life, and tend to develop addictions that result in regresses in the learning ability, knowledgebase, excessive physical and mental stresses due to multiple harmful factors of the computerized lifestyle with its physical inactivity and exposure to electromagnetic fields, impaired vision, pains in wrist joints etc. [3, 4].

Basic components of the modern health technologies that are geared to maintain and build up the health resources, form the health values and priorities and encourage healthy lifestyle including the health-sensitive applications of the modern information and communication technologies in everyday life [2, 4] may be listed as follows: due psychological and educational provisions (healthy psychological climate at schools; healthy physical activity reasonably customizable to the age groups and individual needs; most efficient practical training and tutorial methods; wide range of health services accessible for the students; reasonable and health-protecting applications of the information and communication technologies by teachers and students for learning, self-reliant studies and individual developmental agendas; compliance with the ergonomic and sanitary-hygienic provisions, as required by the valid sanitary rules and standards and the education service design and management standards.

Objective of the study was to develop and test benefits of a supplementary information and communication technologies education model for primary students with a priority to modern health techologies and with due health motivations.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was run at Academy of Information science and Information Technologies of Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov in 2018-2019. Sampled for the study were the junior school students (n=42) trained at Visual Programming and Robotics Basics course offered by the supplementary education service. The pre-experimental health motivations and values of the sample were rated by the M.M. Bezrukikh Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire, with 28%, 46% and 26% of the sample rated with the high, moderate and low healthy lifestyle awareness, respectively.

Furthermore, we used a Computer and Health Survey form of our own design to rate the sample knowledge of the information and communication technologies -usage-related health standards and relevant health technologies. The survey found 40%, 32% and 26% of the sample preferring smart-phones, computers/ laptops or tablets, respectively; and 94% of respondents mentioned an Internet access as a must for their device operation. It was also found that the sample mostly uses the favorite technical equipment/ gadgets for entertainment, with 91% playing games; 86% watching videos; 73% indulged in peer communication in social networks and messengers; 68% communicating with families; 65% browsing Internet for information; 27% finding photos and/or music; 25% reading books/ learning; and 17% preferring sports/ health topics.

The total computer/ gadget usage time was reported to average 2 plus hours per day that is far above the recommended age-specific permissible maximum of 15 minutes as required by SanPiN 2.4.2.2821-10 standard. The parenting control of the accessible online content and activity was reported by only 52% of sample, and only 14% of respondents reported being restricted by the content filters. The survey data showed most of the sample being poorly informed on the relevant health issues. Thus only 33% of the sample demonstrated some awareness of the information and communication technologies related health standards and health technologies, and only 17% reported using some of the health technologies (e.g., eye gymnastics) on a daily basis. The question on the information and communication technologies related health risk factors was correctly answered by only 21% of the sample; and 52% found unaware of the age-specific health risks of the modern information and communication technologies for them.

On the whole, the survey data may be interpreted as indicative of the sample being largely unaware of the information and communication technologies related health standards and technologies and incompetent in the healthy lifestyle basics. The sample was found to widely albeit irrationally use modern information and communication technologies systems and devices on a daily basis mostly for the entertainment purposes and with largely negligent attitudes to the relevant  (ergonomic, sanitary and hygienic) health standards, requirements and technologies.

Results and discussion. At the new model design stage, we developed and implemented the supplementary information and communication technologies education model for primary students compliant with the modern health standards and techologies and with due health motivations for reasonable and effective use of the modern information and communication technologies so as to prevent health risks of the computers and gadgets. The first module of the new model was intended to cultivate due health values and motivations in the age-specific usage of information and communication technologies systems; with the motivational training assisted by the healthy lifestyle documentaries, quiz games, web quests, excursions to IT organizations, flash mobs, etc. The second module was designed to form the cognitive component of the healthy information and communication technologies usage by the sample with knowledge about the information and communication technologies applications for educational purposes (e.g. Yandex and Textbook education services, web 2.0 services, mobile learning systems etc.), and with a special attention to the health aspects of the modern information and communication technologies and health technologies in general, with presentations, master classes, briefings, discussions, lectures of invited health specialists, etc.

The module also offers a family awareness course, with conversations about the age-specific psychological and pedagogical issues and progress needs, health risks of uncontrolled access to computers and gadgets, Internet safety standards, cybercrimes in the social networks and the ways to prevent them, and the health risk factors of computer addictions. The practical health-sensitive operation skills were formed by practical trainings with the health technology standards compliance control in every training stage; with the children trained to reasonably vary the operations, alternate work with rest (gymnastics minutes to relieve the mental stress, eye exercises, dynamic pauses, etc.). The trainings gave a special priority to the combined learning tools including the ‘reverse classes’ with workstation rotations; teacher-assisted (face-to-face) trainings alternated with the online learning time; and elements of the self-reliant controls of the individual educational route, time, place and learning pace.

Every trainee was given an access to the LMS Moodle and Google Class online courses with the practical and theoretical materials, thematic electronic education resource, web 2.0 service catalogue for creative learning, efficient teacher-student and student-student communication tools, real-time problem solving templates and automated progress tests.

To ensure the visual programming classes being efficient and productive in the health standards (SanPin) compliance aspect, we used a game class design toolkit in Scratch software with its software modules (sprites) to design/ program specific game classes including, e.g. “walking games” [5]. This design toolkit may be used to design Olympiads of programmers and hackathons in the Scratch environment to effectively cut down the time claimed by the Olympiad problems solving and minimize the health risks [5]. The post-experimental progress tests found a meaningful progress of the sample in knowledge of the information and communication technologies related health risks, standards and health technologies in the supplementary information and communication technologies education course.

Conclusion. The supplementary information and communication technologies education model for primary students using the modern health techologies with due health motivations was found beneficial as verified by the pre- versus post-experimental progress of the sample in knowledge of the information and communication technologies specific health risks, health protection standards and requirements and cultivation of the health values and priorities critical for the individual progress in many aspects, including the future professional service and healthy and successful life on the whole.

References

1. Alenova A.N., Shubovich V.G., Petrishchev I.O. Healthy lifestyle prioritizing advanced education service for teenage population. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2019. no. 3. pp. 52-54.
2. Grineva E.A., Shubovich V.G., Bibikova N.V. Creativity-driven ecological thinking development in physical culture and sport university students. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018. no. 3. pp. 24-26.
3. Kazina E.M., Kasatkina N.E., Rudneva E.L. Health-saving activities in educational system: theory and practice. Study guide. 3rd ed., rev., sup.. M.: Omega-L publ, 2013. 443 p.
4. Karabaeva S.I., Zakharova L.M., Andrianova E.I., Shubovich M.M. Pedagogical university students' competency for health protection service at preschool education establishments. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018. no. 2. pp. 18-20.
5. Shubovich V.G., Gimaletdinova K.R., Lukyanov V.A. Justification for creating class constructor for games in SCRATCH environment. Information technology in education: Proc. nat. full-time res.-practical conf. Ulyanovsk, 2019. pp. 125-128.

Corresponding author: belovaen86@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to develop and test benefits of a supplementary information and communication technologies education model for primary students with a priority to modern health techologies and with due health motivations.

The study was run at Academy of Information science and Information Technologies of Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov in 2018-2019. Sampled for the study were the junior school students (n=42) trained at Visual Programming and Robotics Basics course offered by the supplementary education service.  The ascertaining part of the experiment was dedicated to determination of the level of motivational-value attitude of the younger schoolchildren to their health and healthy lifestyles using a "Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire" (M. M. Bezrukikh). The level of knowledge of the younger schoolchildren on the ways of the rational (with the inclusion of health-saving technologies) application of information and communication technologies was assessed using the author's questionnaire "Personal Computer and Health". Based on the data obtained during the questionnaire survey, we developed a program for the creation of sustainable motivation to health-saving technologies in younger schoolchildren by means of information and communication technologies used in a motivation forming environment of additional education, which is focused on the formation in schoolchildren of a positive value attitude to the rational use of information and communication technologies, prevention of negative effects of computers, gadgets, respectful attitude towards own health. According to the authors, the program implementation will make it possible to avoid negative consequences of interaction with information and communication technologies, strengthen and maintain health, as well as mitigate negative influences.