In recent years mobile technologies has become the focus of my professional life and a passion. I believe that mobile technologies mark then next big evolution in education and that pedagogy and practice need to change in order to fully realize the potential of mobile learning. Instant access to information on a portable device allows the learner to move beyond the physical confines of the classroom and continue their learning in meaningful ways. The ability to author high quality content with little technical knowledge makes mobile devices one of the most user-friendly and important developments in education. Students can now create high quality video, author content, upload and download directly to their device – concepts which would have been very difficult just 5 years ago. Collaboration, especially through social media provides students and teachers with new platforms to continue the learning that happens in a f2f environment.
However, in many ways education is struggling to keep up with the innovations that are provided by mobile devices. Too often schools are bound by mobile device policies which prohibit the use of devices in the classroom. I find it ironic that schools ban the device that students use most in their lives, one would think that educators would try to leverage the device to make it an instrument to support learning. In addition, the perception of many educators toward mobile technologies create a negative atmosphere around the use of technology in the classroom.
Over the past 5 years I have developed and implemented a 1:1 iPad program in the CORE (grade 7 and 8) department at my school. Currently we have 250 students with 15 staff members using the iPad as their primary learning/teaching device. This program required a change in the teaching ‘culture’ at my school. The iPad forced teachers to rethink what they had been doing in the classroom and what the goals of their teaching was. This ahs been a difficult experience for some teachers – it is easy to blame technology, ‘it is a distraction’, ‘it takes too long’, ‘that’s nice, but how can I use that in my classroom?’. For many it was the realization that we hare preparing students for a very different world then in the past. For many, they will work in careers that don’t yet exist. It is our job to teach them the skills that will make them successful in that future – and mobile technologies will be the instrument that they use more often then any other. Educators need to move away from traditional notions of knowledge retention, and move to a teaching style that promotes collaboration and creativity. The ability to work in teams and problem solve will be 2 of the greatest skills students can have in the 21st century. The role of the teacher too needs to be redefined. No longer are we the keepers of knowledge, it is impossible to think that we have the answers to all questions. Teachers are now facilitators, people who create opportunities for learning to take place, give guidance and direction when required. IN the age of mobile learning, teachers and students are equal partners in the learning experience.