Reflections

This is not my first experience blogging for a class. While working on my MLIS one of the criteria for various  children's and young adult literature classes was reading a certain number of books in various categories and then reviewing them. A blog is a great format for this type of assignment. The criterion for each class was a bit different, but in essence the experience was the same. EDCO 390 is my first experience just writing and not reviewing. I have really enjoyed the experience and am considering maintaining a blog as a teacher-librarian.
The most time consuming aspect of this assignment was setting up my references, it is also my least favorite part. I can see students in middle and high school using a blog to comment on classroom readings and discussions. Students who do not have strong writing skills will have a hard time with an ongoing blog assignment. Depending on the situation an alternate assignment could be made or the original adjusted.  Blogs are also a great professional development tool for teachers to feel connected to other educators and to stay current with educational trends. Blogging is an Internet tool that connects us as a profession. We are fortunate to live in an age where information is so freely available and accessible.

Resistance is Futile

Whenever I hear "resistance is futile" I always think of Star Trek the Next Generation and the crew's challenging fight with the Borg, an intelligence linked entity where the individual consciousness is lost in the collective consciousness. Framing the idea of successfully using smartphones in the classroom around Captain Picard and the Borg is a bit dramatic, but we must face facts; technology is a part of the educational process and will continue to integrate student learning with student achievement as long as research shows positive gains. Most schools have some sort of technology available for student usage; laptops or tablets. Why replace what is working with smartphones? Think about this, how many times you have observed a student, especially from 6th grade and up, and noticed if they had a phone. According to Pew Research 78% of teens have phones with 47% having smartphones. That is up from 23% of teens having a smartphone in 2011. Let's set aside the issue of access to a smartphone and the Internet, both important issues. The work around for access is currently resolved with one to one laptop programs in schools; let's assume the same for smartphones.
According to Edudemic students who use smartphones to study actually spend more time studying than a nonsmartphone user and use many apps that aid their endeavor. Some of the most used apps are included on the phone; calculator, camera, notepad and email. Free apps abound and our students, being digital natives have found resources on their own that help them study. If students are already using their preferred device to enhance their learning, we should be listening. If a student is more motivated and engaged with learning we should be doing somersaults and supporting them in any way we can. What's the disconnect? Smartphones are mini computers with many ways to communicate. Talking on the phone has given way to texting; an activity that can be done in silence and from the inside of a backpack or pocket. That is part of the issue, it is assumed that if students have access to smartphones in the classroom they will be texting or communicating during class instead of paying attention. This is a real possibility, as is instant messaging or being on Facebook during class if you attend a one to one laptop school. Some students are already texting in class, to control this behavior schools have gone the gamut from forbidding phones in school to leaving the usage up to the classroom teacher. The problem with smartphones is not the device but the stigma associated with the 'phone' part of a smartphone. This seems to be an adult problem, not a student one. Students have already incorporated the device that is an integral part of their life into the school part of their life. This is evidence of the gap between digital natives (students) and digital immigrants (adults).
If educators were presented with a technology that is supported by research and can motive, engage and increase learning what would be their response? They would want to incorporate this technology if at all possible because we are all headed toward the same goal. The digital natives know the lay of the land and have pointed the way. As digital immigrants we would be wise to look at their road map as we try to navigate the technological future we share.

References:

Dunn, J. (2012, August 9). The 60-Second Guide To Smartphones In Education. Edudemic. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.edudemic.com/the-60-second-guide-to-smartphones-in-education/

Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Duggan, M., Cortesi, S., & Gasser, U. (2013, March 13). Teens and Technology 2013. Pew Research Centers Internet  American Life Project RSS. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/03/13/teens-and-technology-2013/

SAMR and Smartphones in the Classroom

The public school classroom has changed significantly over the past 20 years and change will continue in the future; possibly at an even faster rate. Change in the public school system happens, but not at the same rate as technology in general, this has positive and negative effects. For some change never happens fast enough and others don't embrace change at all, but feel threatened by it. Students need the skills required to navigate the future they will inhabit and it is the job of  public schools and teachers to wade through all the new or current technologies and implement the technologies that have the most educational value.
My last post mentions SAMR, a framework to integrate technology into the classroom. The acronym SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Substitution refers to technology as a direct substitute for a tool already in use. Augmentation is the step that substitutes the tool with functional improvement, but not necessarily improvement in student outcomes. Modification increases student outcome by allowing for a redesign in the tasks based on current standards. Lastly, redefinition is the game changer. This allows for completely new tasks that were not possible before. This will improve student outcomes and widen the standards.
 When looking at smartphone usage in the classroom the SAMR model is useful. We need tools in the classroom that promote creative and critical thinking, collaboration and communication which is part of the 21st Century Skill model. Classroom usage of the smartphone fits into modification and redefinition. The smartphone is a telephone, but more than that, it is a computer, and for some people their primary Internet device. A computer can also be used as a phone with applications like Skype. The line of differentiation is blurring.
With a smartphone in each student's hand the world becomes the classroom as physical proximity is less important. Do students need to meet in a classroom each day for 7 hours? What if their assignments required Skyping or using FaceTime to meet with the class briefly and the rest of the day was spent in exploration of the current lesson. I realize this is less about smartphones in the classroom environment and more about an evolving environment, but technology has come so far in the past 20 years; where will it be in 20 more? Jason Markey, a recipient of the 2014 NASSP (National Association of Secondary Principals)Digital Principal Award said, When we look back on this era in our history, I believe only then we will understand the power of the web as one of the greatest equalizers of opportunity in our society . . . So if this is the case, we should encourage and build a culture of participation in a conversation and celebration of our schools online.
Today this conversation includes smartphones, what will the conversation be next year and will educators and administrators resist the effectiveness of the tool based on the worry about misuse? Stay tuned.

 References:

 Holland, Beth. "Teaching the Essential Skills of the Mobile Classroom." Edutopia. N.p., 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2014. 

http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2014/02/03/BuildingTransformationFrameworksPractices.pdf 

"SAMR in 120 Seconds." YouTube. YouTube, 30 May 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2014. 

 Whitby, Tom. "A Mobile Dilemma." Edutopia. Edutopia, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.

Do Smartphones Have a Place in the Classroom?

Technology use in the classroom has become so prevalent that it can be taken for granted. Does supporting technology in the classroom include supporting students using smartphones? Smartphones are viewed by some as a viable option for classroom use. Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters published an article in the online newsletter, Education Week: Teacher in support of adding smartphones to the classroom technology toolbox. Technology's place in the classroom must serve a purpose and increase student learning. The authors discuss SAMR: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. My next blog post will delve more deeply into this, but the main idea is technology in the classroom must do more than substitute a tool that is currently used. Technology must expand the learning in a previously inconceivable way. Smartphone usage is also being discussed as an option in college classes. Kevin Synnott, a business professor at Eastern Connecticut State University wrote an opinion piece for USA Today and discusses the untapped resource that a smartphone can be in the classroom. He sees student engagement with the material as positive and encourages his students to take pictures of his notes on the chalkboard or look up related material during class. 

Socrates is an application for smartphones, tablets or laptops that is discussed in Education Week: Teacher. Students sign on and a teacher can ask multiple choice or short answer questions with students typing their answer into their phone and the information immediately showing up on the teacher's device. This gives the teacher immediate assessment information. Did the class understand the concept? What items need to be reinforced? This application also produces reports for the teacher, thus saving time and providing real time information. 

Both articles discuss the likelihood of misuse of smartphones in the classroom. This idea is not unique to smartphones. Any form of technology that has texting or access to social media can be used at an inappropriate time by a student. Part of teaching our students to use the Internet and technology is appropriate guidelines for behavior. We talk about appropriate classroom, playground and lunchroom behavior, adding technology to the list is easy. 

With technology the question always comes back to access. Many school districts have handed out laptops to every student for use during the school year. Will schools be willing to do this with smartphones, or check out smartphones to students who do not bring a personal phone to class? How will this effect the idea of all students being equal, will this  set up a hierarchy or will it be like students who are on free and reduced lunches? I look forward to the continual exploration of this topic.

References:
Passanisi, Jody, and Shara Peters. "The Powerful Computer in Your Pocket:Using Smartphones in the     Classroom." Editorial. Education Week: Teacher, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. <http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/10/fp_passanisi_peters_smartphone.html?tkn=LTSFLoUcAHrWK5pu9ztW4r1%2Bi0QjejuLt8tP&cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS1>.

Synnott, Kevin. "Hey Kids, It's Ok to Text in Class: Column." Editorial. USA Today, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/10/05/smartphones-college-classrooms-column/2904949/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=384245>.