Living in the 4th Screen

In an Education Week article reporters Katie Ash and Michelle Davis raise the idea that students should be involved in making decisions about how technology is integrated into the educational process. They write:

Discussions of technology in education typically center on what policymakers, academic experts, and educators would like to see happen in the classroom. Rarely heard are the voices of those who are actively test-driving new forms of technology: the students.

A 2008 survey, for instance, suggests there is growing frustration among students that they have to “power down” their use of technology when they enter school buildings. They are concerned that this reality is slowing the development of skills they’ll need to compete in a technology-driven global economy.

That’s why many ed-tech advocates say it’s important to consider student perspectives when making decisions about technology policy and how digital tools should be used in classrooms.That’s why many ed-tech advocates say it’s important to consider student perspectives when making decisions about technology policy and how digital tools should be used in classrooms.

The article goes on to discuss certain typs of technology being used at particular schools. The article also has lots of quotes from students. You can follow the link above to read the complete article. My intention in this post is not to debate what type of hardware or software schools should invest in, but I think the authors raise a valid question about the role students have in drafting school technology plans. I know when I wrote the state technology plan for the district I was working in at the time I had students on the committee that drafted the tech plan. I also had parents, administrators, board members, and teachers on the comittee. I think students bring a perspective to the discussion that only they can voice. Hearing from them may cause you to pursue different plans and help your technology intiatives gain deeper traction and have a larger impact on improving teaching and learning. I think getting input from the student body is an important precursor to drafting a school technology plan. Besides having students serving on the technology committee I also would randomly survey about 200 students on a board range of technology initiatives. Their input was crucial to developing a successful technology plan for the district. I think we need their input.

How about at your school? What role do students play in drafting your technology plans?

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The goal of the Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation is to identify, inspire, nurture, and scale breakthrough ideas in children’s digital media and learning. The program will annually award cash prizes and provide ongoing business planning support and mentorship to a new generation of children’s media entrepreneurs and visionaries.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is challenging innovators to submit projects for children between the ages of 3-11 that push the current boundaries of mobile learning. Each project must include a prototype of the innovative educational experience.

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Brendan O'Keefe has developed free open source SMS incident reporting software. If a school opens up an account anyone of their students can instantly and anonymously send a text message to report a bullying incident. The incident can be routed to a school counselor or an administrator depending upon how the school sets up the service. Below is a clip from their website:

Students text a report with a log of the 4Ws: Who, What, Where and When to a dedicated number and the report is then instantly forwarded to the appropriate person(s) mobile phone so they can respond in a timely manner. The report is also automatically forwarded via email to the school counsellor or principal.

 

The FrontlineSMS:BullyProof software comes preloaded with a database of tips and strategies for students that can be accessed by sending the keyword 'bully tip 1,2,3,4 'etc to a dedicated number. The FrontlineSMS:BullyProof software contains a database of local resources, crisis services and helplines that students can access anytime via a keyword or teachers can forward to students and or parents.

The service sounds like it could be a good solution given that most students carry a cell phone. I like that the student can report the incident anonymously and that they can text and get tips for dealing with bullying events. Oftentimes students do not know how to respond to harassment or bullying incidents, possibly this would help in that area.

Below is a incident reporting flowchart for the service from the Bullyproof website:

via Ignatia Webs

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Gumly House Convent School is an all girls Catholic School in London. They have just undertaken a pilot study where they are giving 30 students iPhones to use throughout their school day. Below is an excerpt from the schools webpage:

30 students have been given the loan of an iPhone 3GS until then end of the academic year. They will be able to use these devices as part of their every day lessons in school and use them in whichever way they feel will aid their learning, working closely with their teachers and with Mr. Byrne (Assistant Head Teacher).  The increasing availability of ‘apps’ (applications) on these phones means that a wealth of possibilities may be accessed, and the group involved in the study will meet at regular intervals to share ideas on how they are being used as well as look at their regular attainment to see if, in reality, and change in learning can be monitored.

I like the idea of the students meeting at regular intervals to share their discoveries on how they are using the new iPhones. This allows the students to be both learners and teachers. I applaud this school for undertaking this study. I own an iPhone and find it to be incredibly useful in my daily life. As I have researched cell phones in education this past year I have tried to focus on just regular cell phones because I know many high school students do not own smartphones such as the iPhone. I wanted to offer solutions that would be available to most students and teachers. At the same time I cannot overlook the incredible potential the iPhone and iPod Touch offer K-12 education. The ways these tools could be used in schools is almost unfathomable. I will be interested to see the results of this study. What will be most interesting will be the unintended consequences of giving the students the iPhones. What uses will the students come up with that the administration never even thought of?

On a post from the Public Technology website that is following the study it says the following:

Simon Elledge, Manager at Brentford CLC commented: “In most schools mobile phones are viewed as distractions and banned from the classroom. But, as technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we wanted to understand how it could be used positively in the learning environment. The girls on the trial are encouraged to use the iPhones as much as possible, with permission from teachers of course. They will be monitored using questionnaires, spot checks and individual feedback and the data collected will be independently analysed and shared with the other 104 CLCs nationwide to the benefit of pupils throughout the UK.”

The picture below is from the Brentford CLC website. 

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The Journal just released it's list of the top 5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010 . Number 4 on the list states that Personal Devices will Infiltrate the Classroom. According to the authors, one reason student's personal devices will be welcomed into the school building will be the lack of funds for technology purchases. Below is an excerpt from the article:

The fact that most smart phones come with wireless capabilities and larger screens makes them particularly relevant in the K-12 space, where "after the stimulus money runs out, we're going to be in trouble in terms of federal money for technology," said Abshire. "The next logical step is for the devices to come into school."

Purdy concurred and said the fact that some students are getting their own wireless devices by second or third grade will accelerate the trend. "We used to think this was a 'teen' phenomenon," said Purdy. "But its now culturally acceptable for someone as young as seven or eight years old to have a cell phone. It won't be long before every student will have access to one or more wireless, portable devices in the classroom."

I agree with the authors on this point and many of my previous posts on this blog have stated this. Students are coming to school everyday with a powerful computing device that most schools ban. As technology funds dry up and smartphone prices drop the pressure will increase to allow student's to bring their personal digital devices into school.

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Click here to see a list of apps to use on your iPhone/iPod Touch created by Cheryl Davis and Acalanes Union High School District. The list of apps is broken down by curriculum areas. The list is comprehensive and provides an iTunes link to each application. There are currently 172 apps listed.

via I Education Apps Review

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Judy Breck, a New York based expert in open content, recently wrote on her Golden Swamp blog a post titled, The Scarcity of Learning Sources is Contrived, the Best Stuff is Free. It is a thought provoking post. I am not sure I agree with everything she writes, but some of her points coincide with what I have been stating here on my blog. She writes:

The gushing spigots of money poured into analog educational materials manufacture a scarcity that belies the reality of 21st century learning resources. Billions alloted into the printed walled gardens of textbooks and digital walled gardens of for-pay school resources deepen economic woes ...

Teaching and learning should now, and inevitably* will, use the open internet instead. An individual’s mobile internet browser will become the primary access to knowledge for each student and teacher. We should be working to make this happen soon. “Shame on us” when we do not do so.

I agree completely that a mobile device will become the primary access to knowledge for all students. When I started this blog and my research on mobile devices in education I was not sure what role these devices should or would play in a school setting. I am now more than convinced that the mobile space is where the future lies for education. More and more content will be accessible via a mobile phone and the devices and associated costs will begin to become more affordable. This will drive adoption to even greater numbers than currently exists.

Ms. Breck, in her post, goes on to say:

Now that learning resources are emergent online, it is only a matter of time before they break down the garden walls of learning resources. What broke the grip of the music industry and is now going on with main stream media will happen soon to educational materials. It has already begun.

She predicts the paradigm shift that has taken place in the music industry, and now in print journalism, will soon happen with educational resources as well. Provocative ideas to say the least. Follow the link above to read the full post.

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