A Blog by Scott Newcombe

11 Sep

admin |  September 11th,2011 | Cell phones |  No Comments »

The following is a post by Scott Newcombe on his blog “The Mobile Native”

Powering Up in the Classroom

Defining Mobile Learning 
In education, the words “Mobile Learning” are starting to appear more often.  Mobile learning is anytime, anywhere seamless learning.  In other words, it is ubiquitous learning.  A mobile learning device could be a laptop, net book, iPad, iPod Touch or even a smart phone.
A Change in Thinking
Many schools have labeled the use of mobile technology as a distraction in the classroom.  Also, many schools have banned cell phones.  On the other hand, as technology has improved, many schools are seeing the benefits of using these devices in the classroom.  Educators are coming to realize that the students use these types of devices everyday at home, and then are asked to “power down” when they get to school.
Embracing Mobile Technology
St. Marys City Schools in Ohio has decided to embrace using smart phone technology as an educational tool.  In St. Marys, the smart phones are referred to as a “Mobile Learning Device” (MLD).  The term “MLD” is used because of the negative connotation of the word cell phones in schools.  The texting and the phone capabilities are turned off, which essentially makes it a small computer.  This coming year, every student from 3rd to 5th grade will have a mobile learning device in his or her hand. There will be over 500 devices within the school district.  Also, they will be incorporating BYOD, Bring Your Own Device, as a pilot for the upper grade levels.  The goal of the district is to have a mobile device in the hand of every student from 3rd to 12th grade.
SMCS is “leveling the playing field”.  Now every student has Internet access, word processing capabilities and many supportive applications.  The GoKnow applications that are being used allow the teachers to create and “sync” lessons to the students’ devices.  When the students complete the assignment, they simply “sync” their work, and the teacher can grade their assignment at their computer.  These Mobile Learning Devices are not an add-on within the classroom.  The students are able to take them from class to class and are with the students throughout the entire day.  The students also have the ability to use video, audio and camera aspects on their device.  Many teachers allow the students to take their MLD on field trips to take pictures and to record notes.
This so called “disruptive technology” has had a positive impact on the students.  Unmotivated students have become motivated.  The use of these devices has enabled educators to reach all learning styles.  The students are completely immersed and engaged in their learning.  St. Marys has noticed an increase in mathematics and writing achievement. With the ongoing improvements and changes being made technologically, St. Marys City Schools is making an effort to change along with the times.  St. Marys has had great success implementing Mobile Learning devices into the classroom!  To find out more about St. Marys Mobile Learning Technology visit their website www.smriders.net/Mobile_Learning/.
Scott has been on the forefront of mobile technology for quite some time.  He is someone worth following….

Flipping out?

04 Sep

admin |  September 4th,2011 | Flipped |  No Comments »

Ok, so this year I am moving into the world of the Hybrid Classroom.  Some would call it blended learning, others a flipped classroom.  I am going to be teaching per-calculus in a hybrid format.  Most of the course content will be delivered through Schoology, a learning management platform.  I look forward to the work that my students will be doing in this environment.  This also means students will be able to use their own mobile devices to access course content as they work on it in class.

I will keep you up to date on the work that they are doing.

Enter the Mobilist Nation

04 Sep

admin |  September 4th,2011 | Mobilist Nation |  No Comments »

Elliot Soloway and Cathleen Norris recently posted about the current Age of Mobilism on their Going Mobile blog.  They argue that this generation of learners with their mobile devices are the most connected group in history.  The heart of the age of Mobilist is that connected nature.  What do many in this generation do when they first wake up? Yes, even before necessary bio functions.  They check their mobile device for messages, posts, and email.  I would argue that teens and young adults would forget their wallet or purse before they would forget their phones.  Students have them at all times, unless of course districts force them to leave them outside the walls of the schools.  Adults have them as well.  My wife manages a thoroughbred farm and uses here Iphone to manage just about all of her work.  The Iphone is not just a communication device for her.  People use their smart phones for almost every aspect of their lives.  The cell/smart phone has become an essential part of most people’s lives.

So what does that mean?  We are a Mobilist Nation.  The connections we share through our mobile technology help us work, learn, and socialize.  Educators need to be a part of the Mobilist Nation.  We cannot sit back and ignore them impact that mobile technology has on the lives of our students. Yes, becoming part of the Mobilist Nation may cause us to move our of our comfort zone in teaching.  It may even create fundamental change in our way of thinking as educators.  We may even learn to be more student centered in our teaching, and, yes, we may even begin to embrace what it means to be a Mobilist Educator.

Just thoughts to ponder…

Using Cellphones in a Learning Context

19 Oct

admin |  October 19th,2010 | Cell phones, Learning Context |  1 Comment »

This is going to be the beginning of a series on using mobile technology in appropriate learning contexts.  We are seeing a tremendous growth of apps for iProducts (iPod, iPad, and iPhone) as well as growth in android apps for education.  Additionally, educators are developing activities for learning that may not necessarily use a particular app program.

I have been reading quite a bit of research lately on the appropriate uses of mobile technology for learning.  I read an article by Frohberg titled Mobile learning is coming of age:  What we have and what we still miss. Frohberg wrote of the various learning contexts for mobile technology.  He stated them as free context, formal context, digital context, physical context, and informal context.  These learning contexts move from teacher centered activities with the free and formal context to fully learner centered activities in the informal context.  Over the coming weeks, I will be working to describe each of these contexts of learning as well as indicating some of the activities and applications that would fit into each context.

I want educators to be informed of these contexts because mobile technology has such potential to move education beyond the classic teacher-centered environment. However, the potential exists for teachers to use this powerful technology as a teacher-centered tool for learning.  We need to work to move beyond this and allow the introduction of mobile technology into learning to inspire and change us as educators.

Thinking Outside the Ban

05 Oct

admin |  October 5th,2010 | Cell phones |  2 comments

I attended the First Annual Tri-State Technology Conference this weekend and heard Lisa Nielsen’s (writer of the Innovative Educator blog) key not titled “Thinking outside the ban.  Well, that got me thinking outside the ban…

Although her focus was on various bans on technology in public education, social networking, for example, I tend to think of the ban of cell phones in the majority of school districts country wide.  While I was presenting on the use of mobile technology for student learning, I was asked about using cell phones in schools with an absolute prohibition against using them in the classroom.

I am fortunate enough to live in a district that had banned cell phones until last year when they agreed to allow a pilot program in one of my classes, but many districts are not so forward thinking as Clarkstown Central Schools. Now, they have even opened a conversation into using Twitter as a learning tool. (YES!)

When I began to think about districts with a prohibition against cell phones in the classroom, I began to think about how to get around the ban, without getting the teacher or students in trouble.

The beauty of using cell phones in education is that they are anytime, anywhere learning tools.  Educators in districts with restrictive bans need to “think outside the ban” by thinking outside the school.  Most of the activities that I have outlined throughout this blog and my workshops can be done outside of the classroom.

Consider polleverywhere.com or Wiffiti.com for a moment.  Who says these must be only used in the classroom?  Why not embed the screens in a blog or wiki and have students respond to questions on them while at home and then discuss the content of the polls the next day?

Why create projects that can be done with mobile technology that must be done in school?  We should be using the devices to their fullest potential, outside of the classroom.

If educators really wish to utilize the near ubiquitous mobile device they need to begin thinking about it at its greatest potential and truly use it as a MOBILE device.

One of my greatest desires is to teach students how to be informal learners, because it is in informal learning that students become lifelong learners.  Having students complete work “outside the ban” leads them along the informal path and gives them the tools they need to learn on their own.

Being outside the ban is rewarding for both teachers and students.  We all are able to grow and learn when do go beyond the borders placed on us by tradition and fear.

#TSETC conference

02 Oct

admin |  October 2nd,2010 | Cell phones |  No Comments »

Today, I presented at TSETC. My topic was on using mobile technology for student centered learning. I am posting my press for that here.

The conference is a great place for teachers and administaters to keep up with current trends in educational technology and to build a pln as they network with other participants.

What students think of teaching

19 Sep

admin |  September 19th,2010 | Uncategorized |  1 Comment »

As part of my beginning of the year activities, I have my students fill out a short survey to gather information about them.  I asked the question, “What do you think the role of a teacher should be in class?”  I decided to share some of their insightful responses and views on the role of a teacher.  Here are some:

“Teach new topics and explain them to the class.”

“To provoke the interest of the students in the topic and to instill the course material within the students”

“Teach the material clearly, but to make it interesting as they can. The student should also feel like they can go to the teacher if they have any problems learning the work.”

“The teacher should continue the path of educating the students from where they left off and also review some of the important the material in the past. This will help us prepare for when we go off to college”

“To teach in a fun and exciting way that gives students the ability to strive to their greatest potential.”

“The teacher should interact with the students and not just teach a lesson. They should get the students involved with the lesson and each other.”

“The role of a teacher should be to teach the information to the students in a way they can actually comprehend the material. Just merely teaching material if no one understands it is a waste of time. Also i believe the teacher should be available and willing to help the students if and when they need help.”

“I believe a teacher’s role is to broaden a student’s knowledge on a specific topic. I find this to be most effective when homework is assigned on a regular basis, worksheets are given out, and reviewing assignments helps as well. I feel teachers are here to help us not only learn the material but in other areas as well. I believe the role of a teacher during class consists of explaining and encouraging students to ask questions as well as think outside the box, have both a serious and lighthearted side, and care about each and every student’s progress.”

I believe students know what do expect of us.  Do we?

Why we must be engaged with technology

16 Sep

admin |  September 16th,2010 | Off Topic!, Random Thoughts |  No Comments »

On January 22, 1984, during Super Bowl XVIII, Apple ran the following video for its Macintosh computer.

Figure 1:  Video of 1984 commercial

Since that time, humanity has witnessed an explosion of technological growth.  The advent of the internet in the early 1990’s brought about change never before witnessed by the world.  Now, even newer technologies, the iPad or Android phone, for example continue this growth.

How do educators keep up with this rapid growth of technological development?

As teachers, we need to be adaptable to any learning situation, recent high school graduates became the first generation of students to grow up in a world that has always known the internet (Oblinger & Obliner, 2005).  We, as teachers, need to strive to understand this and keep up with the technology our students are using.

How do we keep up?

We must regularly engage with technology. Our greatest source for learning new technology is our students.  We should give our students the challenge to teach us the new technology.  Let them model what they are using so we can understand them and engage them on a new level.  Let them be our guide as we test and try out new technologies, students will be honest with us and can be great teachers when we let them.

We must also seek out colleagues that engage with technology. Joining a personal learning network of like individuals can aid us in not only keeping up with technology but learning how to use it as well.  Seek these people out in organizations like ISTE or on twitter.

Finally, we must remember the most important rule in using technology in learning: never let the technology rule instruction. Seek, engage, learn as much of the new technologies as they come along, but use technology in the classroom wisely, according to good learning theory.

Oblinger, D., & Obliner, J. (2005). Is it age or is it it: First steps toward understanding the net generation. In D. Oblinger & J. Obliner (Eds.), Educating the Net Generation: Educause. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7101.pdf.

New Year Begins

11 Sep

admin |  September 11th,2010 | Cell phones, Student work, textbook project, Weekly Update |  No Comments »

Welcome back to school everyone.  I am excited about a new year of teaching with technology.  I am expanding my pilot from last year to include all of my classes.  It should be interesting to see how students with different abilities and attitudes about school respond to the use of mobile technology in the classroom.  As an interesting note, a few other teachers in my school have adopted cell phones for learning.  Two social studies teachers and one English teacher are now using them in their classes, as well.

To further add relevance to my students work this year, I am beginning an interactive textbook project which can be found at the url: http://theinteractivetextbookproject.com.  The intent of this project is to have students create an online textbook for their future use.  Additionally, the students are creating content that others will benefit from.  Currently, the project is in its infancy and three of my classes are participating.  I would like to eventually include work from other teachers and schools as well.  My ultimate goal is to develop a tool for learners built by learners that cover all areas of curriculum.

I am looking forward to another great year with my students.  I hope to learn as much from them as they do from me.  I will keep you posted on the progress of the work and show examples of what students have developed for the project.

Is the un-smart phone really not smart?

19 Aug

admin |  August 19th,2010 | Cell phones, Smart phones |  No Comments »

I have seen a lot of interest among my peers and others about the smart phone, about the wonderful apps that can be found on a droid or iPhone and how these devices can be used for learning.  I have to agree that the smart phone has great potential for learning if used in a student centered manner.  They can connect to the web for information gathering, and they have thousands of apps that can be used for exploration, discovery and learning.

But what about its much maligned predecessor, the un-smart phone.  You know that phone that can text, make calls, take pictures, play music, and so on.  Are educators overlooking a potentially exciting and transformative tool by ignoring the un-smart phone?  I say yes.  In a world of low funding for technology in the classroom, many schools have limits on what they can purchase.  One classroom set of 25 smart phones would cost a district approximately $7500 for one year’s use, which by the way is comparable to the same number of iPod touches.  Now, with budgets being cut, how many districts can afford more than one or two sets?

Most can’t.

So how do districts bring in the cell phone? What is the answer to this budget buster?  Allow students to bring in their own phones.  I know. I have said this before, but, as school has begun in some areas and beginning soon in others, this needs to be taken into consideration.  Now, smart phones are by no means ubiquitous among teens, so that means we have to deal with un-smart phones. Gasp!

My entire mobile device program in the previous school year was built around the un-smart phone.  There are many activities available to students that the simple un-smart phone can accomplish.

  • The audience response system.  Combined with Wiffiti or Polleverywhere or Twitter (if you district is open to it), students can lead discussions, ask questions, answer questions, and even back channel with a phone that has sms texting capabilities.
  • The digital camera.  A phone with a digital camera is a window to the world.  Students can take pictures, post them on a blog or voice thread, and the lead a rich discussion regarding the content of the picture or its meaning in context of a class discussion.  Imagine a Socratic discussion surrounding a photo that a student took while on a trip…
  • The video camera.  Yes, even the un-smart phone can record video.  Where do you think those fight videos come from that we see on YouTube?   The video camera can record simple reactions in science class, mathematical solutions, or a short sketch for English.

In conjunction with blogs and wikis, the diminutive un-smart phone can lead to powerful content, discussion, and reflection.

You know,

I don’t think the un-smart phone is un-smart after all.

« Older Entries

Learning with Mobile Technology

A blog about technology in the classroom