“Quit blaming the devices” is a blogpost by John Spencer which sets out a reasoned discussion about varying views by teachers starting on the journey of having their pupils using mobile devices in their classrooms.
http://www.spencerideas.org/2015/12/quit-blaming-devices.html
It’s not a technology issue! A blogpost by Eric Sheninger which encourages educators to reflect on how they view mobile device use in the classroom. How do we as educators now use mobile devices, what example are we setting for our learners? How should we view their use, how do we change the culture of our school to embrace them as tools to support our learners in their engagement with their learning?
“Technology still gets a bad rap in many education circles. Perception and lack of information influence the decision making process. This ends up resulting in the formation of rules and policies that severely restrict or prohibit student use of mobile technology and social media as tools to support and/or enhance learning.”
“The process of effectively integrating devices begins with our ability to model appropriate use while reinforcing student expectations for the role of mobile devices… to ensure that devices afford students the opportunity to support and/or enhance their learning”
Click on the link below to read the full blogpost
http://esheninger.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/its-not-technology-issue.html
Where pupils have been encouraged to bring their own mobile device to school to use in learning activities under the direction of staff (Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) some teachers can be concerned about pupils taking photographs and sharing them.
Each school, and local authority, will have guidance in place to ensure pupils are being educated about appropriate behaviours.
For one teacher’s viewpoint about how to view pupils taking photographs, and to manage it in a classroom context, then click on this link to a post by high school teacher Chris Aviles
http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=7654
http://www2.hull.ac.uk/ifl/ipadresearchinschools.aspx – the first national evaluation to investigate the use and impact of tablet technologies (specifically the iPad), across Scottish schools and local authorities was undertaken by a research group based in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hull and published in March 2013. The study investigated a range of issues associated with the deployment of personal mobile devices as tools for teaching and learning.The study focused on four principal themes related to the use of mobile devices as personal tools for teaching and learning. These were:
• How tablet devices impact on teaching and learning
• The leadership and management issues associated with the deployment of mobile devices in schools and local authorities
• Parental engagement with learning when students use mobile technologies as personal devices
• Professional development and learning for teachers introducing personal mobile devices into the curriculum
The headlines findings from the study show that:
• The ownership of a personal mobile device, like the iPad, facilitates many of the pedagogical aspirations set out in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence framework.
• The adoption of mobile technologies on a personal basis significantly increases access to technology for students, both inside and beyond school, with many attendant benefits for learning which include greater motivation, engagement, parental involvement, and understanding of complex ideas.
• Personal ‘ownership’ of the device is seen as the single most important factor for successful use of this technology
• Teachers are equally engaged by the use of a device like the iPad which has a low learning curve enabling them to use it immediately as a teaching tool and a learning tool for themselves
• The use of the device is contributing to significant changes in the way teachers approach their professional role as educators and is changing the way they see themselves and their pedagogy:
• Parents also appear to become more engaged with the school and their child’s learning when the iPad travels home with the student
The full report findings can be found by following the link below:
http://www2.hull.ac.uk/ifl/ipadresearchinschools.aspx
http://glo.li/NWgGQT An overview of resources supporting educational establishments making a move to mobile devices has been collated here: http://glo.li/NWgGQT This covers the rationale behind the move to using mobile devices, studies on the impact on learning and teaching, practical implications for schools, acceptable use policies, recommendations for classroom management, examples of experiences of schools, and ideas shared by many teachers on ways to use mobile devices to enhance the learning and teaching experience across the curriculum.
https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/learningwithdevices/ The use of tablet devices in supporting learning and teaching is documented at Education Scotland’s Learning with Devices site which details experiences from various schools (pupils, school staff and parents) around Scotland.
