Dottie MehaffeyCrossroads High School

One Teacher’s Experience with Mobile Technology in the Classroom

Mobile Technology: Learning on the Go

Dottie MehaffeyCrossroads High School

One Teacher’s Experience with Mobile Technology in the Classroom

Complete Slideshow available at:http://www.slideshare.net/shines

Mobile Technology: Learning on the Go

Baseline Survey Results2 Surveys Given:

Students - 67 CHS students completed the survey

Teachers/Administrators - 54 completed the survey (39 teachers, 15 administrators)

NOTE: While the initial survey focuses on cellular technology, the focus of the action research project was all mobile technology (cell phones, digital cameras, iPods & iPod Touches, laptops)

How can we productively use cell phones in classrooms?

Student Teacher/Administrator

CalculatorTake notesCalendar reminders for

assignments and activities

Complete assignments and email them to teachers

Texting during classTexting to get answers

on quizzes and tests

Not productively at allNot sure/no ideaBest to leave these at

homeWhat about payment

fees/lack of access?Polls/surveys/quick

answering devicesResearchPhotos Podcasts/videosRecord lectures for

later reference

Why are student willing to risk detention or worse to have a cell phone in school?

Student Teacher/Administrator

When we don’t have our phones we feel disconnected from the world

Because kids don’t really think they are going to get caught

Because everyone has one – even teachers – it’s just everyday use.

Because we have nothing better to do when we are sitting at our desks not able to talk or be social!

Because there hasn’t been any enforcement of the rules/Punishment is not severe enough.

They are a wired generation and we consistently require them to “power down” because we either fear the technology and our inability to control it, or we don’t understand how to use it.

Cell phones are a part of their everyday life. It gives them empowerment./Sense of

entitlement. Social connections are important in our society

and it makes them feel less isolated – safer because they can reach parents.

Most of the time I catch the phones because parents are calling while their kid is in class.

Socialization is #1 in their life, not education. Teachers are inconsistent with their cell phone

policies. If you take it up every time you see a cell phone, students will be less willing to risk their use in your class.

They are doing it because they’ve been told not to.

What strategies would help students become more responsible about cell phone use in school?

Teacher/Administrator

Immediate arrest and detainment/take their phones up and don’t give it back for a week

Enforce current policies 100%/consistent consequences from teachers and administration

It is difficult to convey to kids that they cannot use cell phones in school when parents are some of the people who are texting them. We must get parents to understand that they don’t need to text during the day.

Like the internet, students must be informed about the positive and negative impacts.

Have determined times (before school, lunch) for texting etc. Teach responsibility through ad campaign on campus.

I think the big fear is cheating, but those who use them to cheat would find a way to cheat anyway.

Explain the policy with the purpose behind it. Have students help/participate with policy changes.

Clear expectations of appropriate use. Put some sort of restricting tower on the building so that no cell phone

signal works in the building. Or just ignore it. Give up the battle, because it is one.

Incorporate them into labs or lesson plans.

Teacher/Administrator You’ll have to educate your teachers about the technology first. As long as cell phones are used to cheat in class they will not be palatable to

teachers. Not use them unless asked to. Have specific times/places that cell phones are allowed and times/places when they

are not. Stick to it. If we as teachers could find ways to implement cell phone use to enhance

their learning – to use it as a tool – then we might see more and more acceptance of it.

I managed to get through school without a cell phone and so can these kids!!! If a parent needs to reach their child, that is what the office is for.

Until we find a way that communicating with friends in other classes is on the TEKS – then it’s worthless.

Some teachers don’t have problems with them now. Some teachers just want complete control over kids – and that will not happen. Students will respond if they understand why rules are in place and if they have adults in their lives who listen to what they have to say. Adults in the school environment need to learn from the students.

To record /receive information – some teachers are just scared because the students are more knowledgeable about the technology than they are

Try it in a demonstration/beta class first. Accept that they are a part of this generation. Define clear rules about their

use in the classroom.

What strategies would make student use of cell phones in school more palatable to teachers?

One Classroom’s Experience withMobile Technology.

Crossroads High School Parenting Class

Putting it to the Test!

What we used:Laptops (won in Learning Technologies

grant by teacher)Digital Cameras (class set of 12 provided

by Learning Technologies)Student Cellphones (provided by students)Polleverywhere.com (free account)Google Forms (free account)

http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE4NTIyOTA4NjE

Final Project SurveyThis survey was given to students who

participated in the mobile technology activities provided by Mrs. Mehaffey during her Action Research Project.

22 students responded. All 22 participated in the cell phone polling/survey daily warm ups and subsequent daily discussion groups during the parenting class.

Some students reported that they used their cell phones to take the survey.

Did using a cell phone add to your learning in class? Explain please.

yes it did. It gives you a new way to learn. Yes. I was able to see other peoples point of view. It made it more interesting yes, because it was more fun! yes. I learned about different things from the survey that I wouldn't have known if we didn't

use cell phones. Doing the survey's with the cell phone helped me learn in class, Yeah yes using a cell phone in class has added to my learning. I used my cell phone in

class to do a picture project for mrs.mehaffey, and the cell phone helped very well. If i had a say in the rules i would let everybody use their cell phones in class.

Yes, it showed me how much a cell phone can be used in school. yes, I learned a new thing every time I walk into the classroom. I always asked questions

about all the choices, so I understood them all. Yes it was nice to do something I do everyday in school It was more comfortable to ask questions /I wasn't embarrassed to ask questions Yes. I was able to answer questions to further my knowledge by using my cell phone. Yes. We were able to use our cell phones to answer questions that pertained to the

information we were learning. yes it may it really easy yes it helped out a lot..... I learned about things I didn't know about and I actually

got to answer them with out embarrassment... people didn't laugh at me for getting a problem wrong or not because they didn't know it was me who got it wrong.

Did you have trouble answering any of the questions? – All 22 students said no.

Do you think this kind of technology could be used in other classes? – 21 students said yes, 1 student had no opinion.

Did this type of response system allow you to participate without embarrassment? – All 22 students said yes.

Would you like to see this technology used in other classes? - 22 students said yes.

Did you have any trouble using your cell phone to answer the questions? – 21 students said no, 1 student said yes.

Did you participate in class discussions that before you would be reluctant to respond to?

Where do we go from here?

Moving Forward!

Current Policy Board Policy FNCE (Local)Telecommunications Devices:

District employees may confiscate telecommunications devices, including mobile telephones, used in violation of applicable campus rules

Other Electronic Devices:Guidelines regarding other electronic devices shall be

addressed in the student handbook.

Student Code of Conduct – General Code Violations

Possession of Telecommunications or Other Electronic Devices:Display, turn on or use a telecommunications device,

including a cellular telephone, or other electronic device on school property during the school day.

Recommended Changes

1. Change Student Code of Conduct General Conduct Violation

From:

Display, turn on, or use a telecommunications device, including a cellular telephone, or other electronic device on school property during the day.

To:

Display, turn on, or use a telecommunications device, including a cellular telephone, or other electronic device when not being used in an educational format under the direct supervision and/or with the consent of a teacher or administrator as specified by campus policy and the District Acceptable Use Regulations.

Recommended Changes

2. Create Campus Policy for Telecommunications and Electronic Devices

Campuses will create committees composed of students, parents, faculty and administrators to draft policy and consequences appropriate for that campus to address the use of telecommunications and other electronic devices.

3. District-Wide TrainingLearning Technologies will provide staff development for

teaching the appropriate use of and provide assistance with the integration of telecommunications and electronic devices in the classroom/on campus.

Items for ConsiderationPlus Delta

21st Century Skills Global Marketplace Skills Increased Accessibility to technology if

students can bring their own (laptop, camera, phone, etc.) – Closer to a 1-to-1 initiative

Increased Motivation Increased Participation/Engagement/

Interactivity More specific campus-based

guidelines for use to decrease inconsistency in rule enforcement

More freedom for campuses to determine policy that is appropriate for their student populations and current usage.

Technology Department indicates that infrastructure is in place to handle the extra demand on District resources.

Student Empowerment Differentiation and interactivity built

in to integrated lessons

Discipline/Behavior Issues/ Classroom Management (Cheating, Theft, Etc.)

Teacher Resistance Requires more training and

support Possible increase in

bandwidth usage and technical issues related to non-district equipment

Possible use of non-filtered internet access (Smart Phone, 3G networks, etc.)

Students who don’t have access to their own mobile technology must be addressed

Update

What’s Happened What We Still NeedThe board approved the

change to district policy.

Each campus has created a telecommunications and electronic device campus policy

Beta testers on 2 high school and 1 middle school are planning with Learning Technologies to integrate this year.

Time to learn how to best use this technology to improve student learning

Teachers willing to train with Learning Technologies and Instructional Coaches to find appropriate, effective ways to integrate this technology into the classrooms

Data collection to better our professional development, instruction, and to determine the impact (positive/negative) of these technologies in the BISD Classroom

Dottie’s New Action Research

• iPod Touch Experience• Laptops• Cell Phones

Apple Concerns (Purchasing)• Apple Volume Purchasing Program• Apps – Who Owns Them?

• http://www.apple.com/itunes/education• http://edseminars.apple.com/event/2932/

Ways to use Cell Phones and Student Mobile Technology in EducationASCD Magazine, Educational Leadership,

Teaching Screenagers article, Adventures with Cell Phoneshttp://www.ascd.org/publications/educational

-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/Adventures-with-Cell-Phones.aspx

Oral Podcasting – (Google Voice)Oral Quizzes for foreign languagesMobile Geotagging (http://flagr.com)Field Trip Reporting (Voice & Photos) Polling in ClassAssigning Homework (Google Voice)Digital Storybooks (VoiceThread)

Contact Us

Learning TechnologiesBurleson ISDLT@burlesonisd.net

Sandra Hines – Director of Learning Technologies CTE•shines@burlesonisd.net•@k20Dottie Mehaffey– Crossroads High School Teacher•dmehaffey@burlesonisd.net