Digital Learning Devices
Researching what devices should be used in schools seems a bit useless when in a district where the device is chosen for you. However, I took this opportunity to to expand my knowledge in case change happens in the future. Right now, my middle school students are 1:1 with iPads. When they move to HS, it is a BYOD culture. For this reason, I did my research on using smartphones in the classroom. (*Side note: this will mostly apply to MS and HS only)
Now, before you stop reading because of the absurdity of letting students bring their phones to class, let me assure you I was there too. In fact, my school has a policy in place that does not allow phones in the classroom. However, I think schools should reconsider. Meg Ormiston from TeachHUB.com reminds us that most students have invested a lot of time in learning how to navigate their cell phone, understanding it's capabilities and limitations. More importantly, using their cell phones as an educational tool now allows us to extend their learning beyond the walls of the school or a class period. (Ormiston, n.d.) In addition, students rely so much on their phones to maintain their social life, that their priority is to have it with them and ready for use at all times so gone are the days of 'forgetting' their device and getting out of certain activities! Lastly, smartphones also have everything we want our kids to have access to: internet and apps. The best part is, it's at no expense to the school district! Free devices! How can you ask for anything more?
When bringing smartphones (or any technology really) into the classroom there are those management nightmares we all fear. It may be a learning curve, but expectations are learned so it's up to us to set the standard. Edward Graham, author from NEA shares some tips in his article Using Smartphones in the Classroom. First and foremost, we must change our teacher-led lecture based instruction to student-centered and teacher-facilitated instruction. The more students are engaged in their learning, the less likely they are to drift off-task. This allows the instructor to be walking around and checking student progress. Graham quotes a teacher saying, “It’s harder [for students] to do the negative behaviors when the phones are out and the teacher is walking around.”
In the few cases that students do not have a smartphone, no problem. Pair them up with someone else or reach out to your media center (the library in my case) and get a laptop for the hour. Smartphones can be storage devices for homework/presentations via apps like Dropbox or Google Drive. Students already have several messaging tools they use, so why not turn those into educational collaboration tools? You can set up formative assessments or backchannels that have mobile sites and receive instant feedback to direct instruction.
This leads me to my second tech device/tool that I researched which is Socrative. Socrative is a formative assessment tool that can be accessed on most mobile devices - including smartphones. The thing I liked best about Socrative is that you can use it for those last minute checks for understanding. If you're in the middle of a lesson and you just want to be sure kids are getting it before you move on, you don't have to prepare a question ahead of time. There is a 'quick question' feature that takes seconds to send out to students and receive immediate feedback. With the free version, you are limited on how many students you can have access the virtual classroom, but still a really useful tool. You can also give quizzes or create a competitive game out of the quizzes you make.
Graham, E. (n.d.). Using Smartphones in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/56274.htm
Ormiston, M. (n.d.). How to Use Cell Phones as Learning Tools. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/how-use-cell-phones-learning-tools
Now, before you stop reading because of the absurdity of letting students bring their phones to class, let me assure you I was there too. In fact, my school has a policy in place that does not allow phones in the classroom. However, I think schools should reconsider. Meg Ormiston from TeachHUB.com reminds us that most students have invested a lot of time in learning how to navigate their cell phone, understanding it's capabilities and limitations. More importantly, using their cell phones as an educational tool now allows us to extend their learning beyond the walls of the school or a class period. (Ormiston, n.d.) In addition, students rely so much on their phones to maintain their social life, that their priority is to have it with them and ready for use at all times so gone are the days of 'forgetting' their device and getting out of certain activities! Lastly, smartphones also have everything we want our kids to have access to: internet and apps. The best part is, it's at no expense to the school district! Free devices! How can you ask for anything more?
When bringing smartphones (or any technology really) into the classroom there are those management nightmares we all fear. It may be a learning curve, but expectations are learned so it's up to us to set the standard. Edward Graham, author from NEA shares some tips in his article Using Smartphones in the Classroom. First and foremost, we must change our teacher-led lecture based instruction to student-centered and teacher-facilitated instruction. The more students are engaged in their learning, the less likely they are to drift off-task. This allows the instructor to be walking around and checking student progress. Graham quotes a teacher saying, “It’s harder [for students] to do the negative behaviors when the phones are out and the teacher is walking around.”
In the few cases that students do not have a smartphone, no problem. Pair them up with someone else or reach out to your media center (the library in my case) and get a laptop for the hour. Smartphones can be storage devices for homework/presentations via apps like Dropbox or Google Drive. Students already have several messaging tools they use, so why not turn those into educational collaboration tools? You can set up formative assessments or backchannels that have mobile sites and receive instant feedback to direct instruction.
This leads me to my second tech device/tool that I researched which is Socrative. Socrative is a formative assessment tool that can be accessed on most mobile devices - including smartphones. The thing I liked best about Socrative is that you can use it for those last minute checks for understanding. If you're in the middle of a lesson and you just want to be sure kids are getting it before you move on, you don't have to prepare a question ahead of time. There is a 'quick question' feature that takes seconds to send out to students and receive immediate feedback. With the free version, you are limited on how many students you can have access the virtual classroom, but still a really useful tool. You can also give quizzes or create a competitive game out of the quizzes you make.
Graham, E. (n.d.). Using Smartphones in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/56274.htm
Ormiston, M. (n.d.). How to Use Cell Phones as Learning Tools. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/how-use-cell-phones-learning-tools
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