Hartleben_Smartphones+for+learning

Welcome to Marjorie Hartleben's Technology Presentation!
Smart phones for learning! = = A topic that is heavily debated on it's usefulness as a classroom tool or if it's truly more of a classroom "ADD-inducing disruptive machine". For the benefit of this presentation, I am defining a smartphone as a mobile phone with similar functions to that of a computer. Including an operating system, ability to run downloaded applications and having access to the internet.

Ownership of smartphone devices have increased in the K-12 age groups, however the adoption of the smartphone as an educational tool in school systems is mixed at best.


 * In 2012, Project Tomorrow, which surveys and tracks student ownership of mobile computing devices reported 17-50% of all school aged children( K-12) owned smartphones with internet access.


 * They also reported that 57% of middle school kids and 55% of high school kids thought the greatest obstacle to technology use in their own schools was due to the fact they couldn't use their own personal devices.

I am not a teacher so I don't have the classroom experience to draw from regarding, "how the development of mobile technologies have impacted the classroom directly." When I began my research for this project it was fueled from my experience as being the one to provide cell phones for a college campus, mainly to administrators etc. although we did have one educational program utilize quite a few Blackberries for a project (I'm guessing somebody is going what's a Blackberry) but that was my first introduction that the smartphone had more use then just a fancy communication device.

I was quite surprised at the discussions surrounding the pro's and con's of using mobile devices in the classroom and how aggressive they could become. It seems to be a love or hate it relationship. I decided I wanted to tailor my presentation just a bit and provide a little background on what I found and first introduce the main issue at hand -Should students be allowed to use their cell phones in school for learning activities? From there, I would like to share some fun and useful ways to do so, especially perhaps for those districts with very specific "no cell phone use" polices in force.

It seems many U.S public school systems ban and even confiscate phones, while only a minority are beginning to embrace the use of cell phones for learning.



Please see News 13 report on Albuquerque Schools, "student cell phone policy irks some parents" and also "Guilford Schools approve Cell phone use in class" below.

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The above are just two quick examples of school policy that can make or break using smartphones in the classrooms.

Next is one more quick video that really caught my attention, it's two educators discussing cell phones in the classroom but the statement that got me was this: "if someone from the 1950's was frozen and came back in 2012 the place they would feel the most comfortable would be the classroom" please take a look.

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Although there is resistance to using phones as tools, there is growing support that this technology should and will be embraced. According to Josh Higgins of USA Today, President Obama announced the ConnectED initiative on June 6, which aims to connect 99% of schools around the country to broadband Internet, and the Department of Education is working to prepare teachers to use technology. While Domenech estimated only 25% of schools now allow phones, he expects that to increase significantly over the next few years. Milman said to address schools' concerns, administrators should establish clear policies with parents and students and consequences for violating them.

=SMARTPHONES AS LEARNING TOOLS=

I n reviewing ways to use smartphones in the classroom, the application I thought would be rewarding is through a resource called "Remind.com". It's a communication tool and was developed to allow the students, teachers and even parents to communicate, receive notifications, etc. all while maintaining the privacy of their cell phone numbers. It was very easy to use and set up. Once it's set up you can schedule reminders in advance, so if you wanted to remind your class of a test on Monday you can send them something over the weekend that says, don't forget to study chapters 2-3 for Monday. [|remind] The next way to use smart phones would be an online polling application, such as [|Poll Everywhere .] Teachers can set up a question or questions based on what they are teaching, Students can text in the answer. As the students’ answers are compiled, the site creates a graph showing their responses. This site also allows open ended type questions as well. This would help teachers gauge how well their students were understanding the concepts without the students having to be put on the spot in front of their peers.

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Other ways to incorporate smart phones: Augment lessons with videos from Youtube or Ted.com Allow students to record or video assignments Share spreadsheets of notes with GoogleDrive Listen to music as inspiration or to facilitate discussion Use the stopwatch and time to manage class times Monitor the weather with the Weather channel app

= = Incorporating the ISTE Standards Allowing the use of smart phones as a tool in the classroom will help satisfy the standards set for teachers by ISTE. 1. Facilitate and inspires learning and creativity 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments 3. Model digital age work and learning 4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility 5. Engage in professional growth and leadership
 * Using smartphones as a learning tool allows the student to lean in a way they are comfortable, they are used to using their phones to look up information and find answers to questions.
 * They are comfortable and it's easy for them to locate information through apps and the internet
 * There is an "App" for that!
 * There are many ways to encourage digital learning with the smart phones, from symbolic pictures, short videos to custom ringtones
 * Utilizing one of the many organization type tools for smartphone or communication apps to keep in touch with parents, students, etc. will allow the teacher to communicate relevant information quickly and effectively.
 * Collaborate through many of the unique educational apps or create their own through Instagram or Pinterest.
 * What better way then to lead by example? Teachers can use the opportunity to educate students on how to be safe online with a mobile devices, what the repercussions are to posting pictures or copying images etc.
 * Develop leadership skills and technology etiquette of their students in leading by example
 * Smart phone technology is always changing, there are new application developers, new OS models, always something to remain engaged with.

Resources:

[|www.nea.org]

[|Teaching and Learning with Mobile Computing Devices]

[|Using Smartphones in the Classroom]

[|Views shift on cell phones in schools]

[|ISTE Standards]