“Ignoring mobile learning is not an option when it has already begun to show a strong potential to disrupt existing pedagogical infrastructure” (Oller, 2012). The New Media Consortium's 2013 Horizon Report has predicted that mobile learning, which includes smartphones and tablets, will be adopted into mainstream k12 education in a year or less. The NMC (2013) states that, “Tablets, smartphones, and mobile apps have become too capable, too ubiquitous, and too useful to ignore.” These devices are convenient and flexible for educational use, and “these factors make them attractive to students” (Chen & Denoyelles, 2013). The portable nature of mobile technologies makes them a desirable tool for learning—students are able to learn at anytime and anywhere, and the “incredible diversity of mobile apps has expanded the capabilities of mobile devices enormously—and people love them” (NMC, 2013). Our students do love their smartphones, and I must admit that as a ‘late adopter’ of an iphone, I love it, too. I am also a late adopter of the BYOD bandwagon—only jumping aboard this year.
Previous to this I really didn’t have a clue what to do with students who used their phones in class. Some of my colleagues complained about the teacher(s) who allowed cellphones, and felt that administration needed to develop a strong no-cellphone use policy in our school. I felt that I was fighting a losing battle, as I had implemented a “no cellphone” policy in my own classroom, and numerous times throughout the day I would end-up reiterating, “Please put your phone away,” and on occasion, I would end-up confiscating a phone when I noticed “unreasonable” usage. It had become a power struggle.
I finally realized that it wasn’t worth the fight and I needed to embrace this ‘disruptive’ technology. Well, perhaps there was more to it than just losing the battle—my experience with online learning and teaching brought about a new found awareness to the educational benefits of BYOD. I found that in respectfully acknowledging the ubiquity of smartphones (this may be the only technology that many of my students do use every day) I was able to normalize its use, and the phone was no longer seen as a distraction, but as an educational tool in my classroom. Students are encouraged to use their phones for research, Google searches, to access our class website, and to tweet about current events. Since then I’ve had no major concerns with its use, and in fact, some students informed me that an open policy toward cellphone use brings about less use than when it is banned--the BYOD policy allows them to keep their smartphone in sight, on their desk, allowing them to glance at it occasionally, and then to get back to learning.
Clark Quinn (2008) stated that in today’s educational environment “we’re beyond the cusp [of using mobile technologies] though not as far as we could be.” There seem to be many hurdles to overcome before educators are able to fully embrace mobile technologies in the classroom—the biggest hurdle is the fact that “although many students own mobile devices, ownership is not universal” (Chen & Denoyelles, 2013), and to further complicate issues, there is such a wide range of devices used by our students—all with different specifications and capabilities, so how do we provide support in a classroom? Another hurdle, one that I struggle with, is finding effective teaching and learning practices with mobile technology. We may have the technology available, but what are we to do with it? Although I embrace mobile technology in my classroom, I have yet to create learning opportunities with smartphones other than as a tool for searching information. I also question how mobile learning will work within the boundaries of our current curriculum and within the structure of our brick and mortar schools. Mobile technologies do provide new opportunities for learning, but their use does not guarantee that effective learning will take place, herein lies the problem.
Previous to this I really didn’t have a clue what to do with students who used their phones in class. Some of my colleagues complained about the teacher(s) who allowed cellphones, and felt that administration needed to develop a strong no-cellphone use policy in our school. I felt that I was fighting a losing battle, as I had implemented a “no cellphone” policy in my own classroom, and numerous times throughout the day I would end-up reiterating, “Please put your phone away,” and on occasion, I would end-up confiscating a phone when I noticed “unreasonable” usage. It had become a power struggle.
I finally realized that it wasn’t worth the fight and I needed to embrace this ‘disruptive’ technology. Well, perhaps there was more to it than just losing the battle—my experience with online learning and teaching brought about a new found awareness to the educational benefits of BYOD. I found that in respectfully acknowledging the ubiquity of smartphones (this may be the only technology that many of my students do use every day) I was able to normalize its use, and the phone was no longer seen as a distraction, but as an educational tool in my classroom. Students are encouraged to use their phones for research, Google searches, to access our class website, and to tweet about current events. Since then I’ve had no major concerns with its use, and in fact, some students informed me that an open policy toward cellphone use brings about less use than when it is banned--the BYOD policy allows them to keep their smartphone in sight, on their desk, allowing them to glance at it occasionally, and then to get back to learning.
Clark Quinn (2008) stated that in today’s educational environment “we’re beyond the cusp [of using mobile technologies] though not as far as we could be.” There seem to be many hurdles to overcome before educators are able to fully embrace mobile technologies in the classroom—the biggest hurdle is the fact that “although many students own mobile devices, ownership is not universal” (Chen & Denoyelles, 2013), and to further complicate issues, there is such a wide range of devices used by our students—all with different specifications and capabilities, so how do we provide support in a classroom? Another hurdle, one that I struggle with, is finding effective teaching and learning practices with mobile technology. We may have the technology available, but what are we to do with it? Although I embrace mobile technology in my classroom, I have yet to create learning opportunities with smartphones other than as a tool for searching information. I also question how mobile learning will work within the boundaries of our current curriculum and within the structure of our brick and mortar schools. Mobile technologies do provide new opportunities for learning, but their use does not guarantee that effective learning will take place, herein lies the problem.
Works Cited
Chen, B., & Denoyelles, A. (2013). Exploring Students' Mobile Learning Practices in Higher Education. Retrieved from EDUCAUSE review online: http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/exploring-students-mobile-learning-practices-higher-education
Horizon Report > 2013 Higher Education Edition. (2013). Tablet Computing. Retrieved from www.nmc.org: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-HE.pdf
Oller, R. (2012). Educause: The Future of Mobile Learning (Research Bulletin). Retrieved from EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB1204.pdf
Quinn, C. (2008). mLearning Devices: Performance to Go. Retrieved from Quinnovation: http://www.quinnovation.com/MobileDevices.pdf
Cartoon Image: Courtesy of http://www.andertoons.com/
Infographic: http://sixrevisions.com/infographics/mobile-web-infographic/