Mobile Learning

I'm been a huge fan of Mobile Learning since 2005.  For me, it started with Palm Handhelds and the early iPods, and has evolved into cell phones, Flip cameras, and Apple's iOS devices.  For the record, I don't consider anything that you can't stick in your pocket a true mobile learning device (that includes iPads), but that's material for another post.  I'd also like to see a device price point under $200.00, but even at $200.00 per device I really struggle to see how an school sponsored, single-platform mobile learning initiative can survive.

I'm following Saline Area Schools new BYOD policy with great interest, and I embedded it in an earlier posing here. For the uninitiated, BYOD stands for "Bring Your Own Device", and in this policy the teacher has the discretion of whether-or-not mobile and other devices are used in the classroom. But that leads to the question "What does a BYOD classroom look like and how can a teacher leverage all these different platforms?"  For me, the answer is providing the students the choice of a wide range of assignments that meet their learning styles which may or may not be accomplished using technology. Here are some of the resources I would use to develop a BYOD Classroom.

• Kathy Nunley's Layered Curriculum
• Mr. Roughton's Classroom 2.0
• From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning
• Learning In Hand
• The Flipped Classroom 

The educator will also have to develop a broad understanding of the capabilities of different platforms. For example, while students can create mindmaps on Netbooks and iOS devices, iOS apps typically do not allow  multiple users editing the same project at the same time.

Concerns about texting and other issues are often cited when bringing mobile devices in the classroom, but students often pass handwritten notes and so far the solution hasn't been banning paper and pencils. In closing, here are a few sample tweets on Twitter's #pencilchat.

• "I refuse to use pencils in my classroom until manufacturers figure out a way to limit what students can write with them."
•  "Any teacher who can be replaced by a pencil... should be. - Arthur C. Chalk"
•  "There is no evidence that the pencil makes learning faster, easier or better."
•  "I'm going to work hard to make sure my children are prepared to use pencils in the workforce."
•  “The problem with pencils is that kids are going to use them to copy stuff out of books."
•  “I don’t have time 2 learn about pencils. Besides, students use them at home all the time, so they are probably experts already."