SAbboud Theorizing ET 1

Theorizing Educational Technology

Mobile Devices in the K-12 Classroom
















Submitted to Franc Feng
By Sheena Abboud
ETEC 511 66B















SAbboud Theorizing ET 2
Mobile Devices in the K-12 Classroom




Mobile devices, also known as personally owned devices (PODs) or handheld
devices, include any technologies that are readily available in the pockets of our
students. Internet accessibility, portability, file sharing, visual and audio recording,
collaboration, and language support are some of the affordances these devices offer
to our students, yet many teachers are reluctant to embrace these technologies as a
learning tool in their classrooms. While they offer many learning opportunities for
students, there is no denying the inherent concerns teachers and parents face in
adopting these devices in to our classrooms.

Some examples of devices that our students are using on a daily basis include
smart phones (ex: iPhone), android phones (ex: Samsung Captivate), Nintendo DS,
iPod Touch, and tablets such as the iPad. Each of these mobile devices offer unique
learning opportunities for the personalization of student learning, as well as their
development as 21
st
Century Learners. As digital natives, our students are confident
and comfortable using new and emerging technologies, so is it not an obvious next
step to implement these devices into our classrooms? Amongst my colleagues, it
seems as though the teachers who have yet embrace these devices in to their
classrooms are they ones who have yet to recognize the academic benefits that they
offer.

In her study, Pockets of Potential, Carly Shuler (2009) uses the example of the
Nintendo DS in identifying different affordances of mobile devices, however these
affordances are common in many PODs. Portability is the most obvious one; the
small dimensions of these devices make carrying them between classes and from
school to home easy for students across all grades. The portability and mobility of
these devices also lend to anytime, anywhere learning, as students can access,
gather and process information well beyond the classroom (Shuler, 2009). With
SAbboud Theorizing ET 3
their Internet access and wireless capabilities, students and teachers can
communicate and collaborate with each other without relying on school-based
networks. These devices can also help to reach underserved children due to their
relatively low cost. Schools are able to purchase larger quantities of technologies
than they could when personal computers or laptops were the only option.

Hardware features that are available on many of these devices also allow for
many unique and personalized learning opportunities for students. Many PODs offer
multi-lingual support which include language keyboards, language recognition and
spoken text options. Camera and microphone features allow students to capture and
record daily observations from photos of labs, to oral story planning. Multiple entry
points such as keyboard, touch screens and button controls allow for students to
engage with their device in different ways.

While these devices offer many key learning tools to students, there are still
some negative aspects of mobile learning that are important to consider. The issue
of differentiated access is covered in Shulers study as she explains students varying
degree of comfort with the devices as well as the difference in access and features
on their individual devices. This could further propagate the differences in
opportunities between the students who have and do not have regular access to
technology outside of the classroom. In addition to this, there is a concern that
mobile learning will increase students screen time (Shuler, 2009). In a time where
students are exposed to technology in school and in their home life through video
games and texting, the concern is that students will become more complacent in
using texting language and online slang in their writing, as well as be more prone to
cyberbullying and online data privacy violation. These issues combined with
skeptical cultural norms and attitudes hinder the evolution of mobile devices as a
learning tool.

Mobile devices offer an array of unique and personalized learning
opportunities for students. Shifting our pedagogy to teaching students how to utilize
these devices to their academic benefit and showing them the various affordances of
their own POD while addressing key concerns will aid in their development as 21
st

Century Learners.












SAbboud Theorizing ET 4
References

Shuler, C. (2009). Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote
Childrens Learning. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame
Workshop. Retrieved from
http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/pockets_of_potential_1_.pdf