Due to the evolving nature of the education in the
classroom, newer and newer technologies come out at a rapid pace. For the modern educator, the choices of tools
that are at their disposal is greater than it has ever been. SMART Boards, digital textbooks and use of
computers has truly changed the way in which information can become knowledge
for our students. With the expanding
nature of computer devices, some administrators and teachers have begun to push
for the greater use of mobile devices within the classroom setting.
Here is an
example of mobile devices and their positive use in the classroom.
Another video
and another
While the videos above talk about the great experiences that
these classes have had through the digital devices, we need to remember that
these are only examples of a few classes.
We can hardly expect this to be uniform across the board. In order for an object like mobile digital
devices to become a true tool in an educator’s arsenal, there has to be an organizational
system of software control, hardware and classroom management techniques in
place.
In the terms of software control, the educator must know and
understand the applications being used in the classroom and how they will interact
with each student. The instructor will
need to know when it is in the best interest of education to use the mobile
devices and when not to use them.
Another area of concern is finding a way to control what apps the
students are using for the class. If the
teacher is not careful, lack of focus on the tasks at hand will give the students
the opportunity to simply have fun with the tablets as opposed to doing the
necessary schoolwork with them. In terms of hardware, the number of tablets and
the equipment cost necessary to maintain them properly will be an issue that
many schools will not be able to overcome at this time.
Those are very large challenges. However, there are some strategies and techniques
that an educator can use to manage digital devices in a classroom setting. One is to have the students make use of the
device to search for information on a subject being taught. The teacher provides them with a time limit
and has them display the information they have found. A different classroom management technique is
for an educator to have the students use specific apps and programs that are
networked to the school computer. This gives
the teacher the ability to observe what the students have done on their own
computer. A further example is to make
use of sites such as jeopardylabs.com and Poll Everywhere as interactive
methods of having a quiz. Students,
working in groups, use these mobile devices to research and provide the answers
to quiz questions. The most important
technique for effective classroom management with the use of mobile devices is
to create interest in the subject you are teaching. If you, as an educator, create interest in
your subject among your pupils, the less likely it will be for them to misuse
mobile technology in a classroom setting.
Though there are foreseeable challenges for the presence of
mobile devises in the classroom, this should not deter us from striving to
integrate them into a broader educational curriculum.
You bring up an important reminder when it comes to integrating any technology into the classroom, that first the instructors need to know what they can and will do with the technology, and that they need to be properly managed so that when the technology is being used, it is not being used as a way to kill time. The ability to effectively integrate the technology is often affected by how interesting the subject is, as you brought up. From my student teaching experience, I can testify that this can be problematic, as during a class that was working on their capstone provided by the Social Studies course (while I am with the Language Arts teacher) I caught several students who decided that they were not going to take part in the project, and instead decided to search Google Images for random things.
ReplyDeleteKurtis, I appreciate how thoughtful your post is, and I hear a lot of attention to control and management. I also want to push all of us to think about the potential of participatory spaces that bring these devices invites. There is great potential in moving students from a space of passivity and control to active, creators in spaces that foster authentic creativity. I think we should be thinking of ways to tap into this creativity and to rebuild democratic principles in our schools, as Henry Jenkins advocated for in a recent talk at Digital Media and Learning.
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