Living in the 4th Screen

Exploring the use of mobile technology in education and life

Some Schools Ban Teacher's Cell Phones

Just read this on a Scholastic.com Blog:
Q:  In my middle school/high school, kids aren’t allowed to use cell phones during the day (although we all know they do).  To “set a good example,” our principal has decided that teachers shouldn’t use them either.

Frankly, most of us consider this a ridiculous ruling.  Phones are available for teacher use in the faculty room or the office, but it’s much more convenient to call a parent, for example, on a cell phone from your own classroom.  And I’ll admit that it’s also more convenient to make appointments or take care of all the other business everyone has to contend with.  How can I convince my principal to move into the age of technology?
 If a staff member is misusing their cell phone in school I think that staff member should be dealt with on an individual basis. I do not agree with penalizing the entire staff. Cell phones have become ubiquitous within our society. I believe we are moving from the period of disruption to a period of acceptance. Just like when cars first came out. It took time to figure out how to use them appropriately and create laws and road signs. Eventually cars blended into society. That is what is happening with cell phones. Below is part of the answer to the question posted on the Scholastic blog:
A:  You might refer your principal to a survey done by the Pew Research Center last spring.  The survey found that 75% of kids age 12-17 own cell phones.  Twenty-four percent say their schools ban cell phones, but 65% bring them to school anyway and 58% admit to texting in class!

The Edjurist: Can Policies Stop the Mobile Learning Tsunami?

Can Policies Stop a Mobile Learning Tsunami? According to Education Law Professor, Justin Bathon, the answer is no. He wrote the following on his Edjurist Blog:

No. They can't. There is no legal floodwall even remotely big enough to stop this one.  

Yet, we keep trying ... and causing ourselves even more policy trouble in the effort because as we are trying to build the wall higher and stronger we are also trying to bail out the water already on the other side. 

Is it time to switch tactics yet? Is it time to go with the flow and help direct the waters in responsible directions? We legal types are the ones that need to let administrators know when it is appropriate to stop trying to plug the dam. That is our responsibility as their advisors. 

Meanwhile, the kids are waiting for us ...

I agree with Mr. Bathon. I like the angle he took in approaching this from a legal/policy perspective by asking if school policies will hold back the coming mobile tsunami. Students are using their cell phones in school whether the school bans them or not. The video below quotes the study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project that found over 60% of students who attend a school where cell phones are banned, still use them. I think it is more prudent for schools to embrace student cell phones and teach students how to use them responsibly. Below is a CNN video that discusses the issue of cell phones in schools.

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Apple Summer Learning Institute for Principals 2010 - Wrap Up

Overall the conference was well done. The accommodations and food were
very nice.

The conference was well thought out in that they supplied everyone
with a MacBook, iPad, and iPod Touch to use for both days. Each device
had the appropriate software installed. They had a conference notes
handout on the MacBook that listed everything they did in each session
with appropriate links. It was very handy to have.

The presenters were all very good and they had other Apple employees
assisting throughout each session.

Today we used all three devices to create artifacts specific to
different curriculum areas. Very impressive what you can do in the
Apple ecosystem with relative ease. They showed lots of good video of
what students are already doing in schools across the country.

I already posted on the other sessions so let me just say the science
session was one of the most impressive. We used the iPad exclusively
inconjunction with science probes. The probes measured the ph of two
soil samples and via Bluetooth sent and graphed the data onto the
iPad. It worked seamlessly.

Some of the schools represented were Mac schools but many were not.
With that in mind I would have emphasized how easy the iPod Touch and
iPad works with PC's and iTunes. Many people left the conference
thinking that have to buy Mac's to do all that they learned. Apple
should meet people where there are at and move them in the direction
they believe is good for students. Minor point but I think it would
help them.

Thank you Apple for a good conference and for showing me what is
possible. Now how do I convince my wife that we need a MacBook at
home?

Apple Summer Learning Institute for Principals 2010 - Language Acquisition

The 3rd session I attended dealt with Language Acquisition. Very good presentation. The presenter showed some video clips of school using Apple tools to help ESL students. The iPod Touch apps we used were Pocket English ESL, Sentence Builder, and iTranslate Plus. We also used iTunes U content such as Lit2Go and an ESL Podcast. 

The presenter also showed some built in functions that are available on a MacBook for free that assist with language acquisition.

I again left this session thinking how useful the iPod Touch is in a classroom setting.

Day 2 Apple Summer Learning Institute for Administrators - Productivity

This was the first breakout session this morning. I was very disappointed with this session. I use my iPhone as a great productivity tool. There are so many great uses to help busy administrators and Apple blew it. No mention of the To Do apps. Very little mention of syncing calendars wirelessly until I brought it up. Disappointed that Apple focused on their apps or software i.e. iCal for Calendar. No mention of wireless syncing with Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook, again, until I brought it up. No mention of Evernote. Disappointing.

So much could have been done in this session to show administrators how to use the iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone to simplify their lives.

Day 2 Apple Summer Learning Institute - Math Apps on the iPod Touch - Awesome

In the current session I am in we are exploring Math apps for the iPod Touch. As a former math teacher I am very impressed. We used 9 Gaps, Math Pad 4, Multiplication, Number Line, and Factoring. 

In the Multiplication App it allows you to randomly play against someone else (anonymously). That was fun.

The factoring app was also very good. Great for high school algebra 1 & 2 courses.

This session only confirms my thinking that the iPod Touch is a very compelling for schools. The cost factor is so low compared to a computer. The device is cheaper and the apps are free or less than a dollar.

Apple Summer Learning Institute 2010

I am in Boston for a few days attending the Apple Summer Institute for Administrators. Apple knows how to put on a good event. Very nice hotel and very good food. They gave us a MacBook, iPod Touch, and an iPad to use for the two days of the conference. The conference centers around how to use Apple products to improve instruction and learning. Being a PC user who owns an iPhone, it has been interesting using their software on the MacBook. I have used Apple products before and I have always liked them. I can't believe how easy it is to use iMovie to create your own movies. My next computer purchase will definitely be an Apple. No surprise that Apple announced today that their MacBook sales are up. Their products are easier to use and more powerful.

Learn a new language by changing you cell phone settings

From the BigRedChili blog in the UK comes the idea to use your cell phone to learn a new language. They suggest changing the language settings on your cell phone to the language you want to learn.

Here are three tips from the blog post:

Tip #1 – Set up your cell phone to use the language you’d like to study. – Go to the menu, find settings, locate language and change it to Spanish, Chinese, whatever you would like to learn. If you ever get stuck you can go and change it back.

Tip #2 – Take a look at the buttons you normally push and begin associating those items with the new vocabulary. – This is a great way to master simple words and phrases with little or no effort. For example, each time you open up your cell phone you’ll see, (in the case of Spanish), “mensajes” instead of “messages”, “juegos” instead of “games” and “llamdadas hechas” instead of “calls made.”
These words begin to stick once you see them again and again. Before you know it you’ll recognize the Spanish word just as quickly as the English one.

Tip # 3 – When you have downtime, take out your cell phone and start hitting buttons. – You’ll be surprised at all the vocabulary you can learn by just playing with the different menu items. Some things you’ll recognize immediately and others you’ll be able to guess just by where you find them.

As you probably know, the more contact you have with the language the better. That is particularly true of vocabulary. Seeing a word for the first time and then not seeing it again is a recipe for a very limited vocabulary. You have to get the repetitions needed to help move the information into long term memory.

You also need to see things in context. With a cell phone, you begin to see relationships between words of the same category. For example, the category “llamadas” is “calls” in English.

I think this is a great idea for learning a new language. I agree with the authors premise that repetition and context are important for learning a new language. I changed the language settings on my iPhone to Portuguese (Brazil) and it worked very nice. It definitely would help you learn some vocabulary words in another language. Give it a try.

Setting sun on Barnaget Bay

The best camera is the one you have with you. In this case my iPhone 3G.

Article: 5 Steps to Harnessing the Power of Cells in Education Today

The Innovative Educator wrote a post titled "5 Steps to Harnessing the Power of Cells in Education Today." Below is a copy of the 5 Steps with an explanation. Follow this link to read the complete article. The post lists ways to carry out each on of the 5 suggestions. 

Step One: Teacher Use of Cell Phones for Professional Purposes 
Remember, just because some schools and districts ban students from using cell phones, this does not apply to teachers. Begin harnessing the power of your own cell phone today as an instructional tool. 


Step Two: Teacher Models Appropriate Use for Learning 
Once you're comfortable using your cell phone as an instructional tool, you can begin modeling best practice and instructional use of cell phones to your students. Let them see ways they might consider using their phones to support instruction. 


Step Three: Strengthen the Home-School Connection with Cell Phones 
Cell phones provide a terrific means for connecting with student's parents, family, and guardians. Begin using phones to develop and strengthen those relationships. This provides a foundation and helps develop understanding around the benefits and value of cell phone use in general and later for use with students. The first thing you want to do is get a list of phone numbers from your student's parents, guardians, and/or family members. Once you do that there are many ways to use cells to support the home school connection.


Step Four: Students Use Cell Phones for Homework 
Before using cell phones in your classroom with students, begin giving students the option to use cell phones to complete their homework. This gives the teacher the opportunity to allow students to use cell phones for learning without classroom management concerns. This also gives students experience in using cell phones for learning. In most cases students can do the same work on a cell that they can on a laptop so if they have easier access to one over the other at different times they can choose what works best for them on that particular evening. Especially in families with limited technology resources, providing these sorts of options helps break down the digital divide. Suddenly the amount of technology available to a student for learning has increased dramatically. 


Step Five: Students Use Cell Phones for Classwork
Once you, your students, and their parents/guardians/families have become comfortable using cell phones as instructional tool and if your school or district empowers classroom teachers to make instructional decisions, you are ready to begin allowing students to harness the power of cell phones for learning. The first thing you'll want to do, even if your district or school has a policy is discuss acceptable use with students. Using a tool like Wiffiti or Polleverywhere may be a smart way to capture student ideas on acceptable use. You can have them contribute outside of school and once all students agree to the ideas shared they can sign a contract with a link to the resource containing the policies to which they developed and agreed. In many cases you'll find student rules and consequences are more stringent then those outlined in the school or district policy, but it's written in language everyone can understand. The results can be posted on the classroom or school website as well.

Mobile prescriptions for your phone

I took the picture above at the Walgreens where I just picked up a prescription. What a great idea and a good use of mobile technology.

Deposit checks using your mobile phone

Below is a screenshot of an email I received today from the

Digital Credit Union (DCU.org)

Classroom Cell Phone Disruption by the Numbers - Part 2

 
Back in January I wrote two posts titled, "Cell Phone Disruption by the Numbers" and "What is More Disruptive - Banning or Embracing Cell Phones in the Classroom? ", both posts essentially talked about how we changed our school cell phone policy and allowed students to use their cell phones during the school day. I reported the number of cell phone violations we had in the first half of the year in 08-09 and how many we had in 09-10. Below is some of what I said then:
What is more disruptive, banning cell phones and requiring teachers to confiscate them, or embracing student cell phones and teaching students how to use them more responsibly. For the 2009-2010 school year we changed our cell phone policy at the school were I serve as an assistant principal. We allow students to use their cell phones in between classes and in the cafeteria during their lunch period. The rest of the school day is instructional time and their cell phones are to be off and out of site unless a teacher is using them as part of the lesson.
 
Additionally, we made another change to our cell phone policy. We no longer require teachers to confiscate a student's cell phone if they violate the policy. We tell the teachers to write up a conduct report and turn it in to the main office and we will handle it from there. Our goal was to eliminate the classroom struggle that ensues between the teacher and a student when there is a cell phone policy violation.
 
The school I work in is a high school with about 1050 students. It is a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood. Almost all of our students carry a cell phone and an iPod of some sort.
For the first half of the year in 08-09 (Sept - Dec) when we did not allow students to use their cell phones during the school day we had over 40 violations. For the same time period in the 09-10 school year when we allowed students to use their cell phones during the school day we had 30 violations. I now have the final number of cell phone violations for the second half of the 09-10 school year (Jan - June). In the second half of the 08-09 school year we had 30 violations and in the same time period in the 09-10 school year we had 25 violations of our cell phone policy.
 
I also wrote this back in January:
Overall we have not had an increase in cell phone policy violations versus the same time last year when we did not allow cell phones to be used during the school day. In all honesty the students treated the change in the policy like it was no big deal. Many students have told me that by allowing them to use their phones it has removed the temptation to take them out at other times when it would be inappropriate. 

In all honesty I expected the violations for this school year (09-10) to be higher. One of the reasons I expected higher numbers was because teachers do not have to confiscate the student's cell phone when the student violates the policy. I thought this change in procedure would result in more discipline reports. Not the case.
In summary, we had 70+ cell phone violations for the 2008-2009 school year when students were not allowed to use their cell phones during the school day and 55 cell phone violations for the 2009-2010 school year when they were allowed to use the cell phones during their lunch periods and in the hallway between classes. I fully expected the number of cell phone violations to increase somewhat during the first year of a new policy. I also thought the fact that teachers did not have to confiscate the student's cell phone in order to write them up for a violation would make it easier for teachers to report violations and hence, expected more conduct reports dealing with cell phone violations. That did not happen.
 
Although pleased that our cell phone violations decreased, I am not exactly sure why. The students tell me that because they had opportunities to use their cell phones throughout the day it diminished the temptation to use them at inappropriate times. I am not naive to the fact that students still used their cell phones at inappropriate times this year and that not all those violations got reported to the office, but year over year we had a decrease in the number of cell phone violations. Overall a positive result. Students are certainly happier with the new policy and some parents have told me they are pleased with the change as it allows them to connect with their children during the day if they need to.
 
I have two final observations. First, the other assistant principal and I agonized in late spring and early summer in 2009 as we pondered a change in the cell phone policy. We didn't know what to expect. We contacted administrators and teachers from others schools who had made similar changes and peppered them with questions about how it turned out for them. We contacted some of our teachers over the summer and asked them what they thought of our idea of a new cell phone policy. Now looking back, we realize how foolish we were. The change in policy was really no big deal.
 
The second observation I made was that I thought a majority of students would be texting or talking on their cell phones during lunch. I expected to walk into our lunch area and see hundreds of students on their cell phones. This never happened. As a matter of fact I rarely saw more than 5 students at any given time on their cell phones, calling or texting. One day I had a colleague here from another school. I told her about our change in policy and we both walked into our lunch area to purposely count the number of students we observed using their cell phones. We saw 3 students texting and one listening to an iPod out of the 250 students who had lunch at that time. I read all the time that today's students do not know how to have face to face conversations because all they do is text. This has not been my experience. They are doing just fine when it comes to conversing with their peers.
 
Over the summer I will finish writing my paper reporting my findings this year with using cell phones as an instructional tool and will post it here when completed.
 
 I borrowed the picture from this website.

Using Pandora as an educational tool

One of my duties as assistant principal is supervising the world languages department. The department members and I are always looking for ways to improve classroom instruction. Below is what one of the world language teachers sent to me in an email today:

I'm excited to use Pandora because it's free and I already had a bunch of Latino stations I can use in the classroom.  I can use this to play during a do now or other "down time" where students are entering or exiting or working quietly.  It does have commercials but it seems like there is no interruption for continuous play.

 

Just thought I would share.  Not sure how many other people use music in the classroom, but this certainly makes it easier.  No need to bring the iPod or buy a ton of songs on ITUNEs which I have done already.
I have Pandora on my iPhone and use it from time to time, but I never thought of using it this way in the classroom. Pandora is free and available as a desktop version as well so you do not need an iPhone or iPod Touch to use it.
 
A constant challenge in a world language classroom is for students to hear native speakers speaking the language. A number of the teachers in the department have used songs as a way to meet this need quite effectively. Using Pandora opens up many more possibilities.
 
 
 

What does Seth Godin think about kids using the iPod Touch?

I saw a two-year old kid (in diapers, in a stroller), using an iPod Touch today. Not just looking at it, but browsing menus and interacting. This is a revolution, guys.
Seth's post was about how the Kindle could take on the iPad for ebook reading. He ended his post with the quote above. His quote speaks to the ebook issue but I think it speaks to a larger issue as well. I have seen my own 5-year old use an iPod Touch or iPhone with relative ease. She has been able to move around in apps and discover features all on her own. She is quite deft at using the device. Friends and colleagues have shared similar stories with me about their children or grandchildren doing the same thing.
 
I believe the power of Apple and Steve Jobs is their ability to make using technology simple and fun. Last week I assisted a colleague in purchasing an iPhone. Before the iPhone he used a Blackberry.  You should hear him talk how easy the iPhone is compared to a Blackberry. In a matter of days he was taking pictures and emailing them to people. On the Blackberry he said he could not even figure out how to type a period (his words not mine). He is estatic with his iPhone. Apple should put him in a commercial. Say what you want about Apple, RIM, Goolge, and their competing devices, but millions of people are voting with their pocketbooks and choosing Apple. Their devices are easier to use! If Verizon offered an iPhone, RIM and Android would have serious problems on their hands. The power of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad is their simplicity.