{"id":298,"date":"2012-08-17T00:39:43","date_gmt":"2012-08-17T00:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onid.piatanova.com\/?page_id=298"},"modified":"2012-08-17T00:39:43","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T00:39:43","slug":"mobile-tools","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/mobile-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

As mobile technologies grow along with the number of applications being developed for the devices on almost daily a basis it is hard to continue ignoring the wide possibilities of applying those technologies in education. iPads have been at the center of discussions in the educational realm for few years already and as a result a lot of the K-12 schools have it as a standard ware in classrooms. In addition to iPads and other tablet devices (like tablet PCs, Kindle Fire, etc), smart phones are now picking up pace in being used for learning instead of being banned from the classroom (although there is still some debate over whether the pros outweigh the cons) (Walsh, 2012). There is a number of school projects that involve instant messaging and SMS (short message service) that have been documented as successful in achieving learning outcomes such as, the poetry project at Chester Middle School (http:\/\/www.aolnews.com\/2010\/05\/02\/teaching-by-texting-starts-to-take-hold\/<\/a>), or a trigonometry course at Cal High (http:\/\/www.thecalifornianpaper.com\/news\/1428-teaching-by-texting.html<\/a>), or Vicky Davis\u2019 class project (http:\/\/coolcatteacher.blogspot.com\/2008\/08\/kicking-off-school-year-web-20-style-w.html<\/a>). The use of SMS especially is very much worth looking into further because of the fact that it provides connectivity and communication anytime, anywhere without a computer, and without the Internet which can be very helpful in rural Alaska areas where bandwidth is scarce.<\/p>\n

Many positive arguments have been made in educational communities (Academia, Classroom 2.0, Edudemic, etc) in favor of using this technology. Some of the positive arguments in favor of using the devices include their portability (especially with smart phones) and affordability (the cost of an iPad is still almost half of the cost of a desktop computer and 78% of teenagers already have a cell phone), the ability to provide instant feedback to students, the ease of collaboration and group-work, instant access to information that makes learning happen and extends beyond the hours of the classroom, contribution to student literacy (traditional print-based and digital) and successful reading practices (Hutchison, A.,\u00a0Beschorner, B., &\u00a0Schmidt-Crawford, D. 2012). Some even say the use of mobile devices improves test scores (Washuk, 2012). Furthermore, yet another positive aspect of learning on mobile devices which is often overlooked is the fact that they appeal to and utilize all learning styles\u2014visual, audio and kinesthetic alike. You can read, listen, interact, practice and create \u2014 all on the same device.<\/p>\n

But of course, there could not be a positive without a negative. The negative arguments mostly deal with two factors: ease of possibility of cheating (many students have been caught SMSing each other for answers) and the devices being destructive in a classroom (students use it to text friends, play apps or watch videos during class) . Some even bring into question health risks, especially for younger children, with use of digital devices (Walsh, 2012). What is interesting is that most of the arguments are structured around schools’ policies about mobile devices that are already in place. According to Laura Selby, “The most powerful argument against cell phone use in schools, however, is how schools handle students’ use of the devices. If your school district has embraced all things mobile, the benefits of your student’s having a cell phone may outweigh the disadvantages. But some schools see mobile phones’ potential for distraction, cheating, bullying, and disruption as far more significant than the benefits they offer\u2026” (Selby, 2012).<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in spite the cons listed above, I think the pros outweigh them by far. I completely agree with Vicky Davis, the author of Cool Cat Teacher Blog, that we have to deal with mobile technology \u201cjust like we “deal” with scissors,\u201d meaning we will have to educate out learners how to use it safely, appropriately, beneficially and I guarantee you they will pay off! (Davis, 2009).<\/p>\n

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Resources:<\/h3>\n

Nagel, D. (2012, July 25).\u00a0 Apple Sells Twice as Many iPads as Macs to U.S. Schools. The Journal.<\/em> Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/thejournal.com\/articles\/2012\/07\/25\/apple-sells-twice-as-many-ipads-as-macs-to-u.s.-schools.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

Walsh, K. (2012, June 20). Are the benefits outweighing the downsides of potentially excessive use of these devices by younger and younger children? \u00a0Emerging Ed Tech.<\/em>\u00a0Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/www.emergingedtech.com\/2012\/06\/pros-and-cons-of-digital-devices-in-the-hands-of-young-students\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hutchison, A.,\u00a0Beschorner, B., &\u00a0Schmidt-Crawford, D.\u00a0(In Press). Exploring the use of\u00a0the iPad for\u00a0literacy learning.\u00a0The Reading Teacher.<\/em>\u00a0Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/iastate.academia.edu\/AmyHutchison\/Papers\/1269466\/Exploring_the_Use_of_the_iPad_for_Literacy_Learning<\/a><\/p>\n

Washuk, Bonnie. (2012, February 16).\u00a0 Report says giving iPads to Auburn kindergarteners increases test scores.\u00a0Bangor Daily News, Education<\/em>. Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2012\/02\/16\/education\/report-says-giving-ipads-to-auburn-kindergartners-increases-test-scores\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Selby, L. (2012, July 7). Do Cell Phones Belong in Schools?\u00a0TECCA.<\/em>\u00a0Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/www.tecca.com\/columns\/school-cell-phones\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Davis, V. (2009, March 8). Making the Case for Cell Phones in Schools. Cool Cat Teacher Blog<\/em>. Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/coolcatteacher.blogspot.com\/2009\/03\/making-case-for-cell-phones-in-schools.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As mobile technologies grow along with the number of applications being developed for the devices on almost daily a basis it is hard to continue ignoring the wide possibilities of applying those technologies in education. iPads have been at the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-298","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/298\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghostandpenny.com\/onid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}