Unplugging our Students!

Using Mobile Technologies to enhance Student Learning

Changing Times

PDA devices are changing the way people access and work with information as these devices become smaller, cheaper, better, and easier to connect. PDA’s can give students access to wireless networks, increasing their opportunity to use these tools at home, school, outside of the classroom

Digital Directions

January 9th 2009

Mobile Learning Opportunities

Key opportunities in mobile learning

Encourage “anywhere, anytime” learningMobile devices allow students to gather, access,and process information outside the classroom.They can encourage learning in a real-worldcontext, and help bridge school, afterschool,and home environments.

Actively involvedParticipants in a range of life contextsContributors to the well-being of New Zealand – social, cultural, economic, and environmental

Reach disadvantaged studentsBecause of their relatively low cost and accessibility in low-income communities, handheld devices can help provide digital access.

equity, through fairness and social justice community and participation for the common good

Improve 21st-century social interactions

Mobile technologies have the power to promote and foster collaboration and communication, which are deemed essential for 21st-century success.

ConnectedAble to relate well to othersEffective users of communication toolsConnected to the land and environmentMembers of communitiesInternational citizens

Fit with learning environments

Mobile devices can help overcome many of the challenges associated with larger technologies, as they fit more naturally within various learning environments.

Students who participate and contribute in communities have a sense of belonging and the confidence to participate within new contexts. They understand the importance of balancing rights, roles, and responsibilities and of contributing to the quality and sustainability of social, cultural, physical, and economic environments.

Enable a personalised learning experienceNot all children are alike; instruction should be adaptable to individual and diverse learners. There are significant opportunities for genuinely supporting differentiated, autonomous, and individualised learning through mobile devices.Shuler, C. (2009). Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to PromoteChildren’s Learning, New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.

Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient. They establish personal goals, make plans, manage projects, and set high standards. They have strategies for meeting challenges. They know when to lead, when to follow, and when and how to act independently.

Possibilities

More than half of the world’s population now owns a cell phone and children under 12 constitute one of the fastestgrowing segments of mobile technology users in the U.S.

Technology continues to change at an accelerated pace.

Current Practice VS Future Opportunity

The current practice among many schools in New Zealand is one of students using a computer, sometimes as part of a group or if resources are available, in a networked Lab/ Pod or very expensive C.O.W (Computers on wheels – usually a mobile storage unit containing 8 – 12 laptops).

Opportunity

The Challenge

How can we make the best use of these technologies? So that they support teaching and learning in our schools?

What are the advantages / disadvantages of these devices? How can these devices be used in classroom management? How can these devices be used to enhance the learning of

students with special needs? What are the issues around student safety and security, with

regard to web browsing and file sharing? Do these devices really make a difference? What lessons can we learn from the Learning2Go Project?

Some Key Questions?

The ProcessThe Use of PDA’s in Teaching &

Learning

Define Research QuestionsWork with colleague to Design school wide trial

Locate NZ research

Internet based research

Apply for grants to conduct trials

Technology Companies

Gaming Charities

Educational Grants

Dialogue with educators

LEARNING2GO PROJECT

WOLVERHAMPTON CITY

Research integration of existing / future

technologies and their impact

WRPPA STUDY AWARD

Report Back

Conduct trials Senior Student Focus

Group

Analyse results

Publish findings

Thank you for allowing me to present my proposed project in more detail

The handout will provide you with supporting information, including some current research and references which have influenced me.

Mike Farrelly

March 2009