As I read this report, I was obviously intrigued by the emerging technologies of the mid-term and far-term horizon, but I was honestly most excited by the technology of the near-term horizon (mobile devices, apps, and tablets). Although the augmented reality and the video game education is a fun concept that may certainly impact our futures, I am concerned a lot with the here and now, which is why I wanted to write my thoughts about mobile devices and their apps.
It struck a familiar note with me because I have used the same website that they refer to (polleverywhere.com) in order to formatively and anonymously assess my students understanding at the end of a lesson. However, when I shared the idea with some of the other teachers, I was caught with a lot of hesitation and resistance by the vast majority. One of the main reasons is due to our school's strict policy on students mobile devices. They need to be out of sight and silent/off at all times of the day, and teachers are given (and many times excercise) the right to confiscate any mobile device they see during the school day. Many schools have a similar policy in place, but to me it seems hypocritical and shows our lack of belief in the students responsibility.
Personally, I have my phone on me throughout the day and I know I am guilty of texting, emailing, searching the internet, and using apps occasionally throughout my day. I use it to get information and communicate with others, and our students are even more experienced doing the same. Also, in my undergrad and graduate college classes it is common to see everyone with their smartphones out on their desk or being used, and it seems unfair that we expect it to be acceptable for us in an educational setting, but not for a high school student. Now, I am sure there will be some who abuse their rights, but it becomes a discussion of risk and reward with the integration of these devices. Not to mention we already reprimand and discipline the use of mobile devices, so it removes that if they become an accepted norm.
There are so many benefits to including mobile devices and their applications in the classroom that they drastically outweigh the negatives. There number of wallet friendly and effective applications is overwhelming to me. New research is being completed (some included in the horizon report) that shows the efficacy of mobile devices in the classroom. There are new educational applications and uses being developed as we speak, and to reject this movement is an injustice. We have an avenue to peak student interest, expand accessibility, and improve their learning in the process. It feels like we are delaying the inevitable, which I hope is sooner rather than later. Our students have access to new information in an instant at their fingertips once they leave the school, why would we want to take that from them in a school?
Aaron, you make a good point that there is a lot of focus on the technology of the future but it's the technology that is here and now that is impacting our students. This could be because technology moves and changes so quickly that we're always on the look out for the "next big thing."
ReplyDeleteMobile computing has been quite controversial in schools. It seems contradictory that teachers use them so frequently but they ask students to put theirs away. I agree with you that as teachers, we should be celebrating the fact that our students are so connected and harness that to aid their learning. It's good to see that you're advocating for your students using emerging technology.