Out of My Hands – Exploring New Pedagogical Approaches to Mobile Learning

Catherine examines new approaches to her teaching practice...

 http://www.slideshare.net/ASLAonline/mo 1

This assignment on Mobile Technology has highlighted several areas that I need to address in my own teaching practice. So, it is with Doctor Joyce Valenza’s words (above) in mind that I embark on changes in my collaboration with students and teachers alike. Paradoxically, the future is both in my hands and out of my hands. The change is occurring whether we like it or not. Therefore, it is incumbent for schools to engage with mobile technology and address this shift in pedagogy. This must take place on two distinct but related levels: on the one hand, it is important that students leave school equipped with new literacies in their increasingly digital environments. On the other hand, and in order to develop such literacies, it is necessary that schools themselves explore ways to authentically model technology use in their learning and teaching environments.

Mobile devices do present a challenge to the traditional paradigm. However, students need to be collaborative, communicative, creative and critical to be life-long learners in the 21^st century. Educators such as Prensky (2001a, b) and Oblinger & Oblinger (2005) have raised significant challenges for those responsible for facilitating learning for the emerging ‘digital’ generations. They emphasise that the use of digital technologies affords high motivational advantages in the classroom. However, the challenges are significant – high learning curves for teachers, the “fear” factor among staff, the new technology may be a new package for the same old dull and boring content – just to name a few. Yet if appropriately facilitated, mobile technology can benefit students by providing learning anywhere and anytime. Teachers and students  should be “participants in the conversation of learning” ( The JISC infoNet Mobile Technology Information Kit ) so that new learning pathways become more personal, collaborative and life-long.

With these ideas in mind, I have decided to focus on these aspects of my teaching practice:

Adapting Pedagogy

“The teacher is no longer merely the one-who-knows, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow.” (Freire, 1996, p. 61 as cited in The JISC infoNet Mobile Technology Information Kit, )

http://www.k12mobilelearning.com 

Freire’s words continue to resonate with me as I strategize in my role as Co-ordinator of Library and Information Services and Chair of our school’s Technology Committee. Teaching about and with mobile technology is indeed a joint responsibility.  It is clear that we systemically need to make mobile technology relevant to our curricula. Therefore, it has become part of our curriculum mapping process (which is, of course, mandatory for current curricula as well as the new Australian curricula.) At our Heads of Department meetings, we continue to engage in a collaborative approach to mobile technology and endeavour to embed our 1:1 approach in all subjects. I concur with Karen D’s comments on the Mobile Me that “the pedagogical implications of mobile learning will be that teachers will have to look at changing from “being transmitters of knowledge to facilitators of learning “(Corbeil and Valders, 2007)

Digital Citizenship

amdigitalcitizenship.wikispaces.com 

With Digital Citizenship being recognised as an essential new literacy in mobile technology use, I have made a concerted effort to map our approach to this across all KLAs and Year Groups. The Lismore Catholic Education Office has supported us very strongly in this area. Just recently, we surveyed Years 7 and 8 on their use of mobile technology and social networking. This led us to incorporate more explicit teaching in terms of “netiquette” and ethical and responsible use of mobile phones and social networking sites. There is further scope to survey Years 9-12 so that we can explicitly addressed the issues of cybersafety and digital citizenship in all age groups. It is essential that we address these issues especially if school leaders such as me espouse the use of devices such as mobile phones in the classroom as constructive rather than destructive.

Cloud Computing

sybase.com 

In keeping with the SAMR model by Ruben Puentedura, I am working towards “redefinition” in terms of how I use mobile technology in my collaboration with teachers and students. Just yesterday, I worked with the Modern History teacher and her extension class setting them up for their HSC research task. I introduced them to Evernote, signed them up to Gmail and them set up Google Alerts for their chosen topics. I also explained Google Advance search and Google Scholar. All of these tools would not have been used prior to mobile technolgy.

QR Codes

These intriguing little squares are going to be the basis of my “redefinition” of Year Sevens’ introduction to the library next year. I have already started gathering the mobile devices – sixteen iPods – to use to access the codes. My next task is to devise ways these codes can guide students through the library. I am even excited that some new novels arrived yesterday with their very own QR Codes! My Student Librarians have begun helping me create the codes as well as the scavenger hunt activities.

Augmented Reality

This wonderful app enables students to create customized 3D pop-up books. I will use webcams with Year 7 English and they can simply click on the 'Augmented Reality' button at the top of the screen and watch as the book appears in the palm of their hand!

So, from into our hands to out of our hands, the future of education is mobile! I am so thrilled to be teaching in this digital age.

References

http://www.slideshare.net/ASLAonline

Prensky, M. (2001b, Dec.) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II. On the Horizon, Vol. 9,

No. 5. NCB University Press. 

Oblinger, D.G., and J.L. Oblinger. (2005) Is it age or IT: First steps towards understanding the

Net Generation. In. D.G. Oblinger and J.L. Oblinger, Educating the Net Generation.

The JISC infoNet Mobile Technology Information Kit

.