Mobile Learning Mindset

The Teacher's Guide to Implementation

Carl Hooker

• Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781564845870
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Normes en matière d'éducation

Mobile Learning Mindset: The Teacher's Guide to Implementation offers insight and inspiration to teachers who are about to participate in a mobile device initiative or already have. The six-book Mobile Learning Mindset series shares practical knowledge and strategies for successful implementation of K-12 BYOD programs and 1: 1 initiatives. The collection provides district leaders, principals, teachers, IT staff, educational coaches and parents with the information they need to make any mobile learning program a success.The next generation of learners must be able to think critically about real-world problems and come up with creative solutions. While technology can help facilitate these goals, teachers must understand how to effectively integrate technology to drive deeper learning. That's where The Teacher's Guide to Implementation comes in.Through practical examples, the book addresses how to leverage mobile technology to:

• Center learning around the student.
• Provide efficient formative assessments.
• Facilitate parent communication and professional development.

This fourth book in the series is an in-depth look at how mobile devices affect the classroom and what teachers can do both right out of the box and further down the road to sustain a successful student-led learning environment. Audience: K-12 classroom teachers

CHANGING THE CENTER

The role of the teacher has evolved in many ways through the years. In 370 B.C., Greek philosopher Socrates popularized a version of teaching that has stood the test of time. His lecture formats were designed so that one person was the sole source of all knowledge and information. This single person would distribute “learning” by passing on knowledge, thoughts, and philosophies to those who were within earshot. The skill of listening, and interpreting what was said, was crucial to becoming a successful student during this time. Learning happened in isolation, with a few select students having access to the knowledge-bearer and working independently to comprehend what they had learned. That model was effective at the time, but innovation through the centuries has made information and knowledge much more freely available.

The first significant innovation to affect education and knowledge dissemination came in the 1400s when Gutenberg invented the printing press. All of a sudden, information from a single source could be replicated on a large scale and distributed to the masses. The relationship of teacher and pupil shifted from passing down information to more of a master-apprentice relationship. With information in book form becoming widely available, the teacher needed to make sure the student not only understood the information, but also knew how to apply it in some form. Reading became the most essential skill for any student hoping to succeed in the future world. Teaching style was still largely stylized in the Socratic-lecture method, because students needed help decoding exactly what they were reading in books and how to take the information from a knowledge level to higher understanding and application. (See the lower level of Bloom’s taxonomy.)

We are now in the midst of a second significant innovation in education with the introduction of mobile devices and the internet in classrooms. Information has now become nearly ubiquitous, accessible by all with a mobile phone and a 3G connection. However, if you look in the classroom, most of the same lecture- and book-focused formats remain. This shift in knowledge has not translated to a different teaching approach. Although listening and reading remain important skills in the classroom, in order to achieve higher-order thinking skills, our students must move past the application phase of their learning. Essential skills for this next generation of learners now includes the ability to think critically about real-world problems and come up with creative solutions. Students must be able to work both independently and collaboratively to effectively communicate their understanding. Continuing to teach in a lecture-style format, day in and day out, doesn’t allow for this higher level of interaction and creativity. As you’ll see in the following chapters of this book (and yes, there is some irony that this is in book format), there are many different ways of shifting this style of learning from teacher-centric to student-driven.

Making the Shift

To anyone who was trained in the Madeline Hunter (http://mrhook.it/hunter) model of instruction, shifting to something more project-based may seem like letting go of the reins of the horse. The Hunter model of lesson design emphasizes knowledge repetition (sometimes called “drill and kill”) for students. In an era where standardized test scores can make or break a school, this model might seem to be the most appropriate for educating our students. But there is one major flaw with this method of teaching: it’s highly prescriptive. The only questions asked are those in the plans, and the goal of every lesson is to get to the end. When students get through the standards and expectations, they are then given directions or modeled on what to do next. When I taught using this method, I would often find 22 examples of student work that looked strangely similar to my model example.

God forbid a student should ask a question that wasn’t exactly aligned with the objectives of the lesson, or maybe seek some deeper understanding. There was a finite amount of time to make it through this type of instruction, and rarely did that allow for differentiation, with the exception of “independent practice” time. For me, shifting off of this method required taking a long hard look in the mirror. Were students truly learning with this method of instruction? Or were they just able to regurgitate what I had taught them on the test?

Late in my teaching career I began to see the errors in this method of instruction. In 2003, which would be my last year in the classroom as a full-time teacher, I decided to abandon this method for the most part. I was teaching first grade at the time, and rather than going through a standard scope and sequence, I decided to work with others on my team and play to our strengths as well as to the interests of the students. We designed our lessons to be much more centered around student outcomes rather than knowledge regurgitation. We expanded our activities from a single stand-alone math activity to ones that would encompass multiple layers of subject matter. It was essentially inquiry-based learning before that term became commonplace.

By the time we entered the final nine weeks of that school year, my students had reached all the goals and checkpoints required of first graders in the state of Texas. The problem? I still had nine weeks of school left. Although I would have loved to give them a head start on second grade, I knew that wouldn’t be fair to all the other teachers at my grade level, and it would makes life tougher for the next-level teachers.

We had just received two major pieces of technology in our school that I had been dabbling with. One was a digital projector (there were only two in the building back then, and they were about the size of a small aircraft carrier). This meant the days of coming home with smeared overhead marker on my hand were over, but it also meant that I could present information and ideas in a much more dynamic way. The other major new piece of technology were called COWs (Computers on Wheels). These COWs had 12 Apple iBooks in them, which I could use to supplement the four Compaq desktop computers I already had in my class.

Having access to this technology meant I could do some different things with my students and perhaps teach them some computer literacy along the way (which would actually lead to my next career as a computer lab teacher). I decided to get out of the way and let the students choose what they would like to learn about in greater depth for the final weeks of the year. I set some parameters: regardless of topic, the learning must contain some portion of writing, math, science, and social studies. I also made the students present their work in a capstone demonstration at the end to their parents, peers, and myself. Finally, I insisted that they use technology for some part of their project (believe me, this part wasn’t hard to sell).

Students picked topics from sharks to tornadoes to, for one particular student who was obsessed with the actress, Rachel Weisz. Along with their technology component, students needed to create some sort of demonstration or model to show what they had learned. When all the final projects were finished, I asked the students to evaluate and reflect on all they had learned. I was amazed at the higher level of thinking that was taking place in my classroom. The scary thing was, I actually felt like I wasn’t doing that much “teaching.” Aside from my many hours of preparatory research and setup, the students were doing most of the work. I made sure to find one “treasure” to award each student that aligned with their work, such as a shark’s tooth, a book about tornadoes, and, yes, even an autographed picture of Rachel Weisz.

I had effectively made the shift from teacher-centered to student-driven learning, and I hadn’t even realized it. Years later, many of these students (now in their teens) found me on Facebook and posted several messages exclaiming how much they enjoyed my class and the capstone passion projects they had ended the year with. My colleagues, noticing the risk-taking and innovation I was attempting in my classroom, also rewarded by making me the Teacher of the Year on campus.

Are Colleges Preparing Us to Teach in the 21st Century?

I recently guest-lectured a group of student teachers from a local university. I say lecture in the loosest of terms, because in actuality I tried to mimic the role of the educator in the modern classroom. I made sure the students were doing some sort of collaborative work in the form of an Interactive Learning Challenge (see Book 3 for more on those), and they not only presented their outcomes, they had to reflect on the process.

To my amazement, not all the students in the room were very comfortable with this approach. They had become accustomed to playing the “game” of school even through college, which meant sitting back and regurgitating content to some extent. The occasional class would include some level of dynamic discussion or interaction, but actually working on digital projects as a group in class was rare.

What was more amazing than their lack of interest in doing something fun and interactive was the fact that many of them had no clue about how to meaningfully use technology, much less mobile devices, in the classroom environment. I asked the group what kind of technology tools they used on a regular basis for learning and received a lot of blank stares. “Microsoft Office?” one student feebly suggested. They had missed the point. So when I asked them what type of technology tools they used in their lives on a regular basis, they began to share more freely. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Google (the search engine more than the apps), Twitter, and a few others were mentioned. I asked them if they ever used these tools in an educational setting, and many of them shook their heads. Some even laughed.

I then decided to let them in on a little secret.

“When you enter our schools, we assume you not only know how to use this technology as a ‘digital native,’ but also that you’ll be the most effective in integrating it.”

Again … blank stares.

A few months later I encountered another group of student teachers. This group was going through our district orientation. My part in the orientation was to go over the do’s and don’ts of social media and technology use in our district. As they walked into the room, I took a quick glance at the list of names on the sign-in sheet. While the superintendent shared some messages about school culture and the like, I did some searching of their names on Google. Within seconds I had my first “hit.”

When my part came, I had all of the student-teachers take out their phones to play my version of Responsible Use Guidelines via Kahoot! (Learn more about Kahoot! in Chapter 7.)

In the middle of the game, I got to a question about what to post and not to post on social media. Although all the students had gotten it right, I told them that when they walked in I had done some quick research on each of them. Immediately I noticed some nervous shifting in the room.

“Maggie, I noticed you posted some interesting pictures on Instagram. Let’s take a look at one.” I then opened up a tab that revealed the student at an art museum taking pictures of works of art. I could sense the relief wash over her face and with good reason. Two pictures before that picture was a photo of her in a pool wearing a bikini and holding a beer. I chose not to show that picture, but she and all the other student teachers in the room became instantly aware that their lives were about to change when they entered education (or any other field for that matter). I asked them if anyone at the university level had ever spoken to them about this.

Again … blank stares.

I share these examples with you, the teacher reading this book, to show you that being younger or having grown up with access to technology does not guarantee the ability to integrate it meaningfully. Although it’s true that this latest generation of students have been raised in the digital era, they still need the experience and critical thinking skills to implement it effectively. As for the seasoned teacher, sometimes experience can get in the way and create a fixed mindset when it comes to change or enhancement of lessons via digital tools.

Fear of Change

In some cases fear of the unknown also gets in the way. Over my nearly two decades of work in education, I regularly encountered teachers who “just didn’t get technology” or “weren’t very tech-savvy.” It’s now more than 16 years into the 21st century, yet we still let ourselves fall back on excuses that technology in some ways is beyond us. Never mind that nearly every one of those non-tech-savvy teachers can quickly pull up Pinterest on their phone or create a high-quality graphic organizer on their computer.

The excuse of not being tech-savvy implies that they don’t have to even try to change. It also provides them with a safety blanket that discourages them to take risks with technology in their classroom. If they don’t’ understand it, why would they let their students try it? That same fear is exponentially increased when they feel like they have to “give up control” of the classroom.

Rather than actually thinking through the advantages of having the students engaged deeply in a project, the mind of a technophobe begins to create a multitude of false scenarios. “They could get off-task” or “What if I don’t know what they are doing or how to answer their questions?” These are common fear-based questions that prevent any real progress. Although they are also valid concerns, asking the question and not attempting a change, even if it is for the betterment of student learning, in some ways creates a bigger failure. Playing it safe isn’t always the correct choice. When it comes to engaging your students in learning by leveraging digital tools provided in a mobile device initiative, it’s worth the risk.

You might find that it’s not all that bad.

TOP 10 THINGS NOT TO DO

As I mentioned in the introduction, our district committed a couple of cardinal sins when instituting a new initiative. We cut back teachers’ extra planning time and reduced the amount of support positions on campuses. These were short-sighted changes made in an attempt to save budget dollars, but they were detrimental to the advancement of the staff’s learning with these new devices.

Although we would eventually overcome those mistakes and reinstitute the Educational Technology position as well as adding in an additional planning period, we still made plenty of other mistakes when it came to training staff in a 1:1 environment. The classroom teacher often felt the force of some of those mistakes, but in some cases, they added to the list through their own errors and false assumptions. It is from those errors that this top ten list has been generated. So, when embarking down the journey of mobile learning in your classroom, be sure to remember the mistakes described in this chapter. Although you’ll still make oversights and false assumptions of your own, I’m hoping this list provides you with an idea of what to avoid.

1. Do Not Forget to Model

Students mimic much of what they see. They also appreciate it when their teachers are learning alongside them. Recently I visited a first grade class where students were learning an app that I had never heard of. The teacher wanted me to guide the lesson, so I began by admitting that I knew nothing about the app and I would love it if some students could explain how to use it and the purpose behind using it for the lesson.

The students couldn’t wait to share their knowledge and whenever I asked them how something worked, they were overly eager to share not only with me but also with the class. The teacher walked away from this feeling confident that she also didn’t need to know every part of the app or tool and the kids walked away feeling like proud of their knowledge while also learning some much needed trouble-shooting skills for later in life.

Although that works with younger students, older students may see asking for their help as a sign of weakness if respect and rapport aren’t established beforehand. I’ve found that even when doing guest lessons with high school students, if I ask questions and model effective technology use, they are not only more engaged, but also more apt to comply.

If you are teaching a classroom full of mobile devices, don’t forget to also use your own mobile device to demonstrate learning. Students can sense the hypocrisy when you ask them to do something with a digital tool that you yourself will not do. “OK, class, I want you to create this collaborative document in Google Docs. When you are finished, download it as a Word doc and email it to me, because I don’t like using Google Docs.”

Reading between the lines, this behavio...