Hand Held Electronic Devices in the Classroom Tom Bechtel 6/20/2011

Research Question Does the use of hand held electronic devices improve the learning environment and increase student achievement?

Big Decisions for Schools With the increased numbers of students with cell phones and the over shadowing of budget reductions, schools need to reevaluate their cell phone policies to determine if the mobile phone and other hand held electronic devices can be used in the classroom as a viable tool for student activities.

Thirst for Knowledge Gain Do mobile devices and other hand held electronic devices have the ability to innovate and motivate students to be the initiators of their own learning (Kissko, 2011)? Mobile devices can: Rekindle the thirst for learning Increase the engagement of students Make learning fun again Expand the learning outside the classroom

The Year is 2000 Facebook, Twitter, iPods, iPads, Skype, and smart phones didn’t exist. Research was done at the library A cordless phone gave us communication freedom. We stayed in contact with each other by sending and instant messaging. The internet was in its infancies, became public in August (Lenhart, 2009)

21 st Century Student We now text, tweet, Skype, send podcasts or videos, and blog to stay connected Most teens have a Facebook, Myspace, or webpage to share information Teens years old that own cell phones – 78% Teens that went on line to research, access social networks, or communicate with friends and family – 93% Teens playing video games on line – 94% Teens searching the web – 81% Teens accessing social networking – 65% Teens buying music or clothing – 38% Teens blogging – 27% Cell phone ownership rose 63% from (Lenhart, 2009)

21 st Century Student In 2009, 84% of high school students and 60% of middle school students claim to own a cell phone (Engel & Green, 2011). The iGeneration, anyone born after 1990, has the potential to be connected to anyone in any country at anytime to ask any question or share information. A phone is not just a phone to them, but a multimedia device with access to the world. (Kissko, 2011).

21 st Century Student Mobile devices are creating, storing, and sending devices (Kolb 2006). School applications: Audio blogging Camera and video activities Researching Activating strategies Review outside of class Postings for activities, events, assessments, or changes to schedule Communication between stakeholders School/teacher concerns: Control issues with understanding this new technology Trust that students use the device for school related activities Setting boundaries and policies for all stakeholders

School District Survey Obringer and Coffey (2007) generated a survey to determine where school district were with the issue of cell phones in the classroom. Four schools in each of the 50 state were randomly selected from Patterson’s American Education. Responses came back from 112 schools, a 56%, representing 46 states. Composition of the survey questions Eight yes/no informational questions about current usage policies and district owned phones. Seven agree/disagree judgment questions related to emergency situations and parental support of policies. Four open-ended questions about cell phone policies for teachers and students, inappropriate cell phone usage, and consequence framework.

Cell Phone Policies There are four billion cell phone subscribers world wide. The federal government is proposing funding for pilot programs that incorporate mobile devices into their curriculum. The 2010 Horizon Report: The K-12 Edition predicts that many schools will adopt some type of policy to allow mobile devices in classrooms (Fredrick, 2011).

Improving Student Engagement According to Roschelle (2003), cell phones have these values: Portable Low cost or no cost, student supplied Multiple communication features Student familiarity Cell phones can level the playing field notes Mellow (2005) because students can peruse the information at their own pace and as many times as necessary to learn the content. Cell phones allow all students to be active participants in their learning (Engel & Green, 2011).

Higher Student Achievement As a teacher, Engel (2011) witnessed gains in student participation, reflection and assessment. Students mobile usage included commenting on activities, answering questions, and researching information for understanding during the lessons. Higher achievement was gained in quality and topic understanding compared to the previous year.

High Student Interest When students are asked to take out their cell phones in class, interest is heightened (Kolb, 2010). In school we can get the same excitement when students who are asked to use their cell phones for an activity as is seen when they are playing video games (Rosen, 2010). Incorporating a mobile device into a lesson is to enhance interest in learning not to teach the lessons but to make the lessons more powerful and deliver the content more efficiently (Rosen, 2010).

Easier Access to Data “The iGeneration is immersed in technology. Their tech world is open 24/7” (Rosen, 2011, p. 15). According to the October 14, 2010 Nielsen Wire (as cited in Rosen, 2010), teenagers send or receive about 3,339 texts a month, or six messages every non-sleeping hour and make or receive 191 phone calls in the same monthly period. Two years ago text and calling were more equal. Data collection and communication is easier and faster today and research shows that high school aged students are leading the way as technology natives (Rosen, 2010).

Etiquette and Safety Strong, clear, and concise acceptable use policies are necessary Contracts for all parties involved including parents Take the time to address all concerns Distractions Cheating Inappropriate camera and video uses Cyber bullying Phoning in bomb threats “This technology raises legal issues of privacy, sexual harassment, and theft of proprietary information” (Obringer & Coffey, 2007, p. 41). This gives schools the opportunity to teach students valuable lessons about cell phone usage.

Students with Disabilities Visually impaired: Students can speak into their cell phones and it is recorded on the internet through a program called Dial2Do. The program changes the auditory commends into a text, blog, tweets, or other digital formats (Kolb, 2010). Hearing impaired: Students can text, blog, or tweet messages into the Dial2Do software and an auditory message can be created for videos and other presentation formats (Kolb, 2010). Special needs: Access to activities can be posted for review Differentiated instruction can be expanded beyond small group instruction in the classroom Special postings can be accessed by students with unique situations and learning disabilities (Rosen 2011).

References Engle, G., & Green, T. (2011). Cell phones in the classroom: Are we dialing up disaster? [Electronic version]. TechTrends, 55(2), Fredrick, K. (2011). Calling all cell phone users! [Electronic version]. School Library Monthly, 27(6), Kissko, J. (2011, March 9). Preparing Kids for a Future the Doesn’t Exist: You Can’t Eat Chicken With a Spoon [Web log message]. Retrieved from Kissko, J. (2011, April 12). Looking Ahead: 7 Future Developments with M-Learning [Web log message]. Retrieved from Kissko, J. (2011, May 8). Embracing New Learning Dimensions: Follow the Path of Innovation [Web log message]. Retrieved from Kolb, L. (2006). From toy to tool. [Electronic version]. Learning &Leading with Technology, 34(3), Kolb, L. (2011). Adventures with cell phones. [Electronic version]. Educational Leadership, 68(5), Lenhart, L. (2009, April 10). Teens and social media: An overview. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from 0and%20Health%20-%20NYPH%20Dept%20Pew%20Internet.pdf Mellow, P. (2005, June). The media generation: Maximize learning by getting mobile. Paper presented at the 22 nd ASCILITE Conference, Auckland, New Zealand. Obringer, S. J., & Coffey, K. (2007). Cell phones in american high schools: A national survey. Journal of Technology Studies, 33(1), Roschelle, J. (2003). Unlocking the learning value of wireless mobile devises. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 19(3), Rosen, L. (2011). Teaching the igeneration. Educational Leadership, 68(5),