Submitted to Franc Feng By Sheena Abboud ETEC 511 66B
SAbboud Theorizing ET 2 Mobile Devices in the K-12 Classroom
Mobile devices, also known as personally owned devices (PODs) or handheld devices, include any technologies that are readily available in the pockets of our students. Internet accessibility, portability, file sharing, visual and audio recording, collaboration, and language support are some of the affordances these devices offer to our students, yet many teachers are reluctant to embrace these technologies as a learning tool in their classrooms. While they offer many learning opportunities for students, there is no denying the inherent concerns teachers and parents face in adopting these devices in to our classrooms.
Some examples of devices that our students are using on a daily basis include smart phones (ex: iPhone), android phones (ex: Samsung Captivate), Nintendo DS, iPod Touch, and tablets such as the iPad. Each of these mobile devices offer unique learning opportunities for the personalization of student learning, as well as their development as 21 st Century Learners. As digital natives, our students are confident and comfortable using new and emerging technologies, so is it not an obvious next step to implement these devices into our classrooms? Amongst my colleagues, it seems as though the teachers who have yet embrace these devices in to their classrooms are they ones who have yet to recognize the academic benefits that they offer.
In her study, Pockets of Potential, Carly Shuler (2009) uses the example of the Nintendo DS in identifying different affordances of mobile devices, however these affordances are common in many PODs. Portability is the most obvious one; the small dimensions of these devices make carrying them between classes and from school to home easy for students across all grades. The portability and mobility of these devices also lend to anytime, anywhere learning, as students can access, gather and process information well beyond the classroom (Shuler, 2009). With SAbboud Theorizing ET 3 their Internet access and wireless capabilities, students and teachers can communicate and collaborate with each other without relying on school-based networks. These devices can also help to reach underserved children due to their relatively low cost. Schools are able to purchase larger quantities of technologies than they could when personal computers or laptops were the only option.
Hardware features that are available on many of these devices also allow for many unique and personalized learning opportunities for students. Many PODs offer multi-lingual support which include language keyboards, language recognition and spoken text options. Camera and microphone features allow students to capture and record daily observations from photos of labs, to oral story planning. Multiple entry points such as keyboard, touch screens and button controls allow for students to engage with their device in different ways.
While these devices offer many key learning tools to students, there are still some negative aspects of mobile learning that are important to consider. The issue of differentiated access is covered in Shulers study as she explains students varying degree of comfort with the devices as well as the difference in access and features on their individual devices. This could further propagate the differences in opportunities between the students who have and do not have regular access to technology outside of the classroom. In addition to this, there is a concern that mobile learning will increase students screen time (Shuler, 2009). In a time where students are exposed to technology in school and in their home life through video games and texting, the concern is that students will become more complacent in using texting language and online slang in their writing, as well as be more prone to cyberbullying and online data privacy violation. These issues combined with skeptical cultural norms and attitudes hinder the evolution of mobile devices as a learning tool.
Mobile devices offer an array of unique and personalized learning opportunities for students. Shifting our pedagogy to teaching students how to utilize these devices to their academic benefit and showing them the various affordances of their own POD while addressing key concerns will aid in their development as 21 st
Century Learners.
SAbboud Theorizing ET 4 References
Shuler, C. (2009). Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Childrens Learning. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. Retrieved from http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/pockets_of_potential_1_.pdf