It's Happening Now!

This section of the blog post is in response to the journal article Mobile Goes Mainstream written by Kurt Eisele-Dyrli. This online article details many example of how schools in America are implementing mobile media in the classroom, and the effects that it is having on students, teachers and the education system. The article also backs up its arguments by using not only evidence provided by schools, but also results from surveys, academic reports and interviews with experts in the area of ICT. While, this is an American article, it relates directly to Australian schools as mobile learning is becoming more and more common with the increase of technology in classrooms.

According to Eisele-Dyrli, there has been a change in perception regarding the use of mobile technologies for educational purposes. The article details the results of Speak Up 2010, a research project completed by the education organisation, Project Tomorrow. Interestingly, it found that the number of students who use smartphones has tripled since 2006. However, maybe this isn’t so extraordinary because smart technology has been on the increase for several years, this increased student use is a natural progression. Eisele-Dyrli (2011) argues that for many people, the shift toward embracing mobile technology in learning has had a feeling of inevitability.

Additionally, the report also found that 67 percent of parents said they would purchase a mobile device for their child to use for schoolwork if the school allowed it, and 61 percent said they liked the idea of students using mobile devices to access online textbooks (Project Tomorrow, 2011). The article uses these findings in its argument, and this demonstrates that the public are becoming more comfortable with the idea of using devices formerly thought of as entertainment, and seeing that with the correct application, they can have profound effect on the education of children.

With many schools banning mobile phones at school, it may come as a surprise that schools are now encouraging the use to mobile technology. According to research for the article, one American school’s board voted unanimously to allow students to use their smartphones in class for online research, assignment work, and for other educational purposes. It was up to the discretion of the classroom teacher to what extent smartphones were used. This may challenge some policies by many schools. For example, the Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students by Brisbane State High school regards the use of mobile phones and other hand held devices as unacceptable behaviour. One particular spokes person for a school detailed by Eisele-Dyrli (2011) suggested that:

“We realized that for us to continue helping students develop 21st-century skills, to help them learn how to access information in the way they will in the future, we were not going to be able to have the budget or capacity to add devices as rapidly as we wish we could.”

The school then decided to roll over their ban on mobile phones, and allow their use in the classroom. This would then offset the cost of buying new technology, when students already had it at their fingertips. The spokesperson said that they wanted to allow the students to use the technology that they had to enhance their education.

Mobile learning and technology is a reality in education. In the article, a spokesman for Blackboard, a learning platform developer, said that “Mobile technology in schools is not going to happen--it is happening.” Essentially, software developers have seen the increase of technology on schools from afar, so the sustained use of mobile learning by schools comes as no surprise.

Mobile technologies are not adaptable to the classroom, without the content being specific to education areas. For example, applications available on apple product such as iPods and iPhones are as valuable to students and teachers as the physical technological tools as well. For example, Google Earth, Google Maps, atlas applications, and other features of mobile technology are important classroom specific work. Dr. Patricia Wallace (2010) suggests that because of their special features, from cameras and camcorders to GPS capabilities, mobiles and iPods can be used in innovative ways, both in the classroom and outside of it. This idea backs up Eisele-Dyrli’s argument that mobile phones and other devices have and important place in classrooms and the education system, but their content must be usable and reflect the needs of students.

Eisele-Dyrli’s Mobile Goes Mainstream also discusses the positive benefits that mobile media in the classroom has on behaviour management. He discusses that teacher will be able to conduct immediate and ongoing assessment. Teachers are able to ask questions throughout class, with students answering on their devices while they worked or as they heard a lesson, enabling the teacher to adjust instruction based on this constant assessment. There are many applications like this available, for example Class Dojo (from an American company). This programme allows teachers to monitor behaviours throughout the school day and assign or remove points from students regarding their behaviour (see video below). Applications like this that are available to teachers further underline Eisele-Dyrli’s ideas that mobile learning has an extremely important place in the lives of educators.

Overall, this journal article was extremely insightful and highly relevant to Australian education, as much as American education. The ideas presented by the author are ones that many teachers in Australia are coming across as many classrooms are now using mobile media such as laptops and hand held devices. Eisele-Dyrli closes his argument by stating that instruction needs to be put first. As helpful as these tools are, they need to be used in conjunction is appropriate instruction methods. If teachers cannot incorporate technology such as this into their programme, students will not be able to demonstrate success in using it appropriately. This article has been successful in presenting a positive argument for the use of mobile media in education and provides much evidence to underpin its ideas. Mobile media is an ever evolving facet of education and one, if harnessed correctly, can be of major benefit to teachers, students and other stakeholders.

Class Dojo

References

Brisbane State High School. (no date). Responsible behaviour plan for students. Accesses 10/10/11 from

http://www.brisbaneshs.eq.edu.au/sites/default/files/bshs/PolicyDocuments/responsibleBehaviourPlan.pdf

Eisele-Dyrli, K. (2011) Mobile goes maintream. Accessed 10/10/11 from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/mobile-goes-mainstream/page/0/3

Project Tomorrow. (2010) Congressional briefing. Accessed 11/10/11 from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html

Wallace, P. (2010) M-Learning: promises, perils, and challenges for K-12 education. Accessed 17/10/11 from http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/Journals/Winter2011/Wallace

Embracing the Modern Day Swiss Army Knife

Mobile phones are no longer simply used as a means of communication.  They are now used for a vast array of functions including games, photos, as a calculator, street directory, stops watch, alarm clock, music player, calendar and to connect to the internet; hence the reason they have called the modern day Swiss army knife. 

Dr. Patricia Wallace, Ph.D. in her jounal article M-Learning: Promises, Perils, and Challenges for K-12 Education explains that mobile learning is the next stage in technology enhanced learning, because the devices are much more ‘promising compared to the desktop or laptop computer’.  When discussing mobile learning it is important to acknowldge that this is not limited to mobile phones and that MP3 players and other handheld devices certainly play an important role; however the mobile phone offers more ‘versatility and convergence’ thefore for this discussion, the focus is soley on the mobile phone.

A report by the Australian Communication and Media Authority titled Convergence and Communications highlighted the value that Australian consumers place on mobility and convenience which was  demonstrated by strong levels of mobile-phone ownership.  The relativly low costs of mobile phones has lead to their widespread adoption in comparion to desktop or laptop computers.  While many lower income homes may not have a computer at home for children to access the internet for school assignments most while will one or more mobile phones. 

The major problem that mobile learning is facing in Australia and many other countries is that most schools expected mobile phones to be handed to the office on the way in and collected on the way out.  They are seen as a distraction and not considered for their educational purposes and endless potential.  Aidan McCarthy, a learning technologies expert,  states that schools who simply ban mobile phones from the classroom are failing to provide children a 21st century education.  He goes onto to explain the importance of  educators keeping up with the children of today and allowing them to express themselves with the contemporary tools that are available such as mobile phones.

In May this year Christian Brothers' College in St Kilda East did something which was seen as radical when it decided to  overturned its ban on students bringing mobile phones to school.  It was not a decision that the school took lightly, however the reality was that their students (like most other teens) were bringing their mobiles to school anyway and hiding them.   The school therefore decided it was time to embrace the technology and use it to their advantage.  Principal Gerald Bain-King is quoted in The Age as saying ''If there is too big a disconnect between school and the rest of society, people start to think we have got our heads in the sand - and the boys think we are even bigger idiots than they do normally".

I certainly do not mean to over simplify the issue and do not pretent that the introuduction of mobile learning into schools would not be without problems or challenges. The first being the wide variety of mobile phone operating systems that are available, as well as the need for relaible networks and adequate wifi access points. Another issue that I had not considered before reading M-Learning: Promises, Perils, and Challenges for K-12 Education was the battle between software companies, in this instance Apple and Adobe. Wallace states that Adobe owns the Flash platform, which is widely used by educators to create interactive learning applications and videos. However Apple has refused to allow iPhones and iPads to run the Flash player, citing security concerns. It is hoped that this issue will be resolved in the near future but for now it puts educators in a quandary about which tools to use.

Technical issues aside the major reason that so many schools chose to ban mobile phones is due to the feared distraction they will create during class time.It would come as no surprise to anyone that a ringing phone during a class lesson is going to cause disruption.There are also concerns over other inappropriate useages of phones at schools such as cyberbullying, and students capturing embarrassing videos or photos of others, and then posting them online.

Schools that are currently using mobile learning programs have addressed these possible problems by requiring students to sign contracts about their mobile phone usage at school with priviallages being taken away if the contracts are broken.  Just as teachers are required to monitor and manage student behavior in the physical relm so to is classroom behaviour enforced in virtual world.

Mobile phones remain most importantly a social device, they allow students to participate in society in a way that is familiar to them. Because of this the reality is that most high school students now have mobiles and many are bringing them to school regardless of whether the school allows them to. The size of the device is small and light enough to be carried all the time,therefore students will rarely forget to bring their mobile phones (unlike their text books which will often be left at home). This small, always-on, and always available tool can be used as an eductors friend rather than a foe with the right mindset and abit or creativity.

I agree with Wallacewhen she states that ‘The road ahead for m-learning is bound to be bumpy, but mobile phones are already in most teachers’ and students’ hands’ therefore surely it is worth exploring and empracing the endless educational possiblities they provide. 

This link provides some great ideas on how to use mobile learning in the classroom – go on give a try, what have you got to loose!

31 Interestin ways to use mobiles in class

View more presentations from Brendan Jones

References
Australian Communication and Media Authority (2009), Convergence and Communication. Accessed 6 October 2011 from http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib100068/convergence_comms_rep-1_household_consumers.pdf

Hanna, C. (2009) Teachers urged to rethink mobile phone ban. Accessed 8 October 2011 from http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/teachers-urged-to-rethink-mobile-phone-ban-20090623-cv80.html

Topsfield, J. (2011) School principal answers call to ditch mobile phone ban. Accessed 8 October 2011 from http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/school-principal-answers-call-to-ditch-mobile-phone-ban-20110529-1faxl.html#ixzz1byRaqMRb

Wallace, P. (2010) M-Learning: promises, perils, and challenges for K-12 education. Accessed 17/10/11 from http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/Journals/Winter2011/Wallace