Living in the 4th Screen

Below is a video about a University of Texas professor using Twitter as part of classroom discussions. Using their cell phones or computers students can post to Twitter and the professor has these responses projected onto a screen in the front of the room. Nowhere in the video does it discuss the interaction between the live in-class lecture and the Twitter posts.

I like the idea that students can post to Twitter, as this probably provides a forum for shy students to provide some input into the class discussion (A point brought out by a few of the students in the video). I also thought it was interesting how the professor participated in one of the classroom lectures via Twitter when she was out of town. The TA led the class but the professor engaged the students in her Twitter posts. That is a nice use of technology.

At the same time I find the 140 character limit of Twitter to be frustrating. The limit makes me feel like I am having a bunch of conversations that get cut off midway through the discussion. Maybe I will feel differently in time as I just started using Twitter with any regularity. I do like the real time nature of Twitter (Last night's updates on the Chile earthquake where way ahead of the mainstream media). I find the hash tags (#) and @ symbols mixed within posts to be frustrating. I have a programming background and understand characters and such, but what about the non-geek world? Can we come up with a Twitter-like experience that is real time, but allows more characters and eliminates these ( #@!&) symbols in the post?

Does Twitter or any real-time feed have a place in education?

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In this WKBT.com article it talks about the Cashton School District in Wisconsin that is using iPods and iPod Touches in the classroom. Below are some quotes from the article:

"If we think about the world that we're preparing them for, it's not a world of textbooks and pencils," says Cashton Elementary principal Ryan Alderson.

The Cashton School District is preparing students by bringing some of the latest technology into the classroom.

"We use the SMART boards or the iPods or the iPod touch on almost a daily basis," says Cashton Elementary teacher Beth Lee.

It's not just at the high school level, First and second graders practice their arithmetic on the iPod touch, and are already learning the basics of Microsoft Publisher.

"By using technology it really does individualize their instruction," says Alderson.

For example, an entire class could watch a video together, but the iPod touch allows each student to take in the information at his or her own pace.

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Some 600 students in the St. Marys City Schools in Ohio were given a mobile phone, courtesy of Verizon Wireless, reports the Just Another Mobile Phone Blog. Kyle Menchhofer, the technology coordinator for the district knew there were not enough computers in the district for students to have any measurable time on them. He felt they had to prepare their students for a world where computer fluency will be a necessity.  According to the blog post Menchhofer also said the following:

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If I was still a Technology Coordinator, a position I held for 6 years in one district, I would be looking into the iPod Touch very seriously. The iPod Touch is Apple's versatile little handheld computer that packs a punch. If you are unfamiliar with the iPod Touch, think of it as an iPhone without the calling capabilities. The device has Bluetooth and WIFI connectivity on-board. It can run basically all the apps that are available in the App Store on iTunes. A week does not go by that I do not read a story about some school district that is doing something very unique or cool using these devices. At times I feel I could devote this entire blog to just educational uses of the iPod Touch and never run out of things to write about. 

Why do I like the iPod Touch for schools? First the device is cheaper than netbooks, and a cost effective option for budget conscience schools. It can fit in your pocket. It has pretty good battery life. The Safari browser works very well for surfing the web. The Voice Memo app allows you to record and post podcasts very quickly. There are so many cheap and or free apps available for the iPod Touch when compared to a netbook.The device does not have a camera so it removes the concern that schools have with students misusing cell phone cameras and the like, on unsuspecting staff or students. It can be used to play videos and podcasts.

Are there tasks and skills that you cannot do on the iPod Touch that you can do on a netbook? Yes. Absolutely. An equally comparative question to ask is - Are there things you can do very simply and easily on the iPod Touch that you can't do on a netbook? Yes. Absolutely. The decision comes down to what are your goals and the answers to questions like:

What do you want your students to know and be able to do by the time they graduate?

What are your learning outcomes?

What budget constaints do you have?

What will the students actually do with the devices during the school day?

When I was the technology coordinator for a school district I standardized the tablet pc we used. This way I was able to train all the staff on the same machine and the early adopters were able to train fellow colleagues as well. Having the same machine provided tremendous advantages in many ways. It was the same way when I issued every student in my Honors Algebra II course a TI-89 graphing calculator back in the 90's. Since all the students had the same device it allowed us to explore concepts we never would have without the devices. I could assign different homework assignments knowing they all had a graphing calculator. Similar things could be done if every student was issued an iPod Touch. The possibilities are endless. 

Louise Duncan has a post on her blog Personalising Learning with the iPod Touch that provides links to a host of things you can do with the iPod Touch. Give it a look.

LearningA-Z, the company that created Reading A-Z and Raz-kids, recently uploaded 111 leveled readers in the iTunes App store (Click Here for iTunes link). K-6 students can now practice reading at their ability level using their iPod Touches! Many of the readers are free.

If you are in a decision making position about what devices to purchase for your district I think you should give the iPod Touch a serious look.

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When I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few weeks back one of my colleagues told me her 25 year-old son comes to the Met to play scavenger hunt types of games in the museum. I have heard from other educators who have done this type of activity. They take a group of students to a museum or a zoo and give the students a list of clues. When the students find the object in question they either send a text with the information or send a photo. I imagine this would be a fun way to make sure all your students made their way around a particular museum and took in all the wonderful sights. 

Liz Kolb, on her Cell Phones in Learning Blog, recently mentioned a resource called SCVNGR. This service allows you to participate in or create your own mobile scavenger hunts. This service works with basic text messaging so you do not need a smartphone to use  it. Follow the link to Liz's page for some useful ideas to use scavenger hunts with your students or go to SCVNGR's website to learn more about the service.

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A post over on the moblearn blog walks you through some steps to help you make a decision regarding which device to purchase for your classroom or school. I like the focus on outcomes instead of just what the best device is. It does depend on what it is you want your students to learn and do.

Below is a snippet from the post:

Do you want your learners to be consumers, or creators of media? 

long term, helping your learners to be “creators” is always better and can be applied to a wider range of learning situations. (Think writing, filing, reporting, synthesising information, publishing.)  

Follow the link above to read the full post. There are some good ideas there and it will definitely get you started in your search for mobile learning devices.

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I have mentioned the iPhone initiative at Abilene University here and here, but it was in reference to something else and not the entire initiative the University has undertaken. In the Fall of 2008 Abilene University gave each of the incoming freshman an iPhone or iPod Touch.

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My brother visited with his son over the holiday break. His son has special needs. He attends a regular public high school but does have an IEP. My brother commented how good text messaging is for his son. The physical act of texting helps with his son's fine motor skills. The mental task of thinking of words and typing them out on the mobile keyboard is another useful skill. His son might not sit at a keyboard and type out a paper, but he will text his friends. I told my brother that when I was a district technology coordinator I read lots research about technology and education it was pretty clear that technology can be very useful for the special needs population. I must admit that I never thought of texting as a way to help out special needs students. My brother also stated that he wants to get his son an iPhone so he can use Dragon Dictation. His son uses Dragon Naturally Speaking at home and at school on a desptop computer. My brother thinks having a mobile version of Dragon would be helpful for his son's development.

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