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[Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories examining five key ed-tech developments to watch for the 2014-15 school year. Our countdown continues tomorrow with No. 2.]
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| Whether they’re bringing their own devices from home or using
school-issued technology, students are likely to use several different
ed-tech devices throughout the day. Photo: eSchool News |
Marie Bjerede has noticed a shift in the way many educators are starting to think about mobile learning.
It used to be that when school leaders talked about mobile learning, they focused on a specific device and whether it was capable of mobility. Now, more school leaders are “thinking in terms of the students as mobile,” said Bjerede, who is director of the Consortium for School Networking’s Leadership for Mobile Learning initiative.
This shift might be subtle, but it has profound implications for K-12 schools.Results from Project Tomorrow’s annual “Speak Up” survey on education and technology support this idea.
To be able to work effectively, “kids, like adults, need different tools for different purposes,” Bjerede explained. For responding to an in-class poll or quiz, a smart phone or tablet might suffice—but for rendering a sophisticated 3D design, a full-fledged laptop might work better.
“We asked the students last year to identify for us their preferred device for a variety of academic tasks,” said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. “The results pointed to a differentiation of devices that they wanted to use, based upon the inherent capabilities and roles of the devices.”For creating a presentation, “kids want to use a laptop,” Evans noted. “Communicate or collaborate with peers: smart phone. Take notes in class: tablet. Read a book or article: digital reader.”
The idea of the ultimate one-to-one device for learning “is, in fact, a fallacy,” Evans concluded. “Kids are multi-mobilists and want to use a variety of appropriate devices for particular tasks.”Read more...
Source: eSchool News
