It is spectacular to imagine a room filled with on-task and motivated learners using their mobile devices to engage with the content and access individualized learning. Unfortunately, this does not reflect my past experience. As I am currently on sabbatical, the following account is a little out of date and I truly hope the situation will have improved when I return.
If asked to describe my school in regards to 21st century skills, I would have to place it in the turn of the 20th century. In spite of the presence of SmartBoards in every class, my department mirrors very closely the institutionalized mass schooling of early industrial society as described Kalantzis and Cope (2010); classroom desks are in rows, learning is teacher-centered based on facts and memorization and students are quite passive in their learning. Within the department I was known for my bizarre open-ended projects, interestingly arranged desks and lack of control on my students for although not off-task they were not perfectly silent.
As such it is not hard to conclude that we are nowhere near the situation described by Ciampa (2013), and therefore, nowhere near helping students in the development of 21st century skills. The in-class use of cell phones or mobile devices by students is forbidden unless part of subject-specific (English, French, Dance) educational activities, such as filming in English class or selecting music for a project. We are to send any student caught using a mobile device to the administrators. We are no longer allowed to confiscate devices out of fear of loss, theft or damage. The reasons provided to the students for the ban on electronic devices include: the possibility of using the devices for bullying and/or filming others without their consent, the fear of theft and damage to devices and the possibility of peer pressure to have the most recent model of electronic device.
Interestingly enough, I believe that incorporating mobile devices in the classroom and modelling how technology should be used could alleviate many of these issues. Having the students realize that their devices are more than entertainment tools but can be used in a working environment would be a huge step towards the proper management of electronics. I believe that the true reason electronics are banned at my school is not because this technology is inherently distracting or that the students do not know how to use it, but that the teachers in general are uncertain on how to consistently and properly implement the technology in order to increase the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of students described by Ciampa (2013).
References:
Ciampa, K. (2013). Learning in a mobile age: an investigation of student motivation. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(1), 82-96.
Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2010). The teacher as designer: Pedagogy in the new media age. E-learning and Digital Media, 7(3), 200-222.
It is interesting to note that most schools nowadays view the use and role of mobile technology in different ways. I can see why some schools don’t want to take on the responsibility of confiscating the student’s cellphones since the teacher could misplace it (like you said), so instead they just eradicate the problem by banning them altogether. There has to be another solution. Technology is a powerful tool to use in the classroom and it’s unfortunate that some school districts aren’t on board with it. I’ve seen before, and not sure how it would work, but maybe the teacher can have something similar to a pocket shoe chart that hangs on the wall behind the teacher’s desk. Every morning/class, the students place their phone in their numbered pocket so when the teacher wants to have the student’s use their mobile device it is easily accessible and visually there for the students to see where their phone is? This would eliminate any distraction that the students may have if they were allowed to keep their phone at all times, and thus would regulate the use of their mobile technology? Just a thought.
Hi Danielle,
Wow. It sounds like your environment is quite restrictive when it comes to the use of mobile devices!
A big part of the problem at your site is exactly as you said: “Having the students realize that their devices are more than entertainment tools but can be used in a working environment” and your point that teachers don’t often know how to harness the devices for an educational purpose. Is there access to any school-purchased devices such as iPads or another tablet? Perhaps an investment in school-based devices would provide teachers with some exploration time with how educational technology could impact their classrooms and further engage students in more accessible and relevant learning opportunities. At this point, it sounds like there is a lot of fear at your site, which is unfortunate both for teacher professional development and growth, and for the educational experiences of students who will graduate in a modern world filled with these devices, with very little idea of how to utilize them for learning.
Hi Danielle,
I think the fear of bullying and filming/photographing others without consent is legitimate, but I wonder how much of this behaviour is the result of bans on technology. When something is relegated as bad or negative, does that impact how students use it?
At my school, students regularly engage in cyberbullying, or are victims of it (as demonstrated in our Personal Development Centre’s annual bullying survey). While some of it the bullying behaviour is definitely intentional, I’ve also found that some students weren’t aware that what there were doing was considered cyberbullying. Because cell phones were confiscated during teaching hours there was never any discussion on appropriate use. I started teaching digital citizenship three years ago and every year students are shocked to discover what is considered inappropriate behaviour or dangerous use of technology. I think this demonstrates that banning something outright does not solve the problems the bans are intended to circumvent, rather, bans can often exacerbate the situation. Even if technology is banned, I think we have a responsibility to have open discussions about why these decisions are made, and also a responsibility to encourage responsible use rather than engaging in fear mongering.
Hi Danielle,
It certainly seems like you have a healthy understanding and ideas of how to incorporate mobile devices into your classroom. It’s too bad your administration doesn’t seem to share the same viewpoint.
I never really understood how you can ban tools that would be used every day in their future careers. I guess I get the reasons given by your administration, but I’ve often thought along the same lines as you seem to. It just seems like there could be a little more done to make use of the technology and move the classroom into this century.
Great suggestions for addressing the challenge of the fear of personal devices. Danielle, it seems to be a system wide fear that is being reinforced by the staff at your school. What does your technology policy look like? Could one way to tackle this challenge be looking at other technology policies being used more liberally at other schools? BYOD programs certainly can create discomfort for the teachers. No one wants to ‘police’ the students or their phones, however ignoring the problem isn’t going to make it disappear. I teach younger students and one of my concerns is around managing a variety of devices. With older students they are able to download their own apps etc, but with younger students, navigating a variety of devices puts greater pressure on the teacher. Students should be encouraged to work together to handle some of these technology challenges. I agree Meghan that awareness is key. Appropriate conduct must be explicitly taught just like conduct for face-to-face interactions. We teach students about ways to get along, the digital world has different parameters but the ‘rules’ still apply.