Handheld Learning - learning with mobile and ubiquitous technologies

Hi Jont,

can i ask why you made that comment about students wnot wanting to buy Windows mobile devices?

Ta

ST

Hi Beano,

It's lovely to hear from a classroom expert. What are the three most useful things that you do with your device that help you learn in class?

ST 

Hi Graham,

Yes I agree it is more complex than that and the more projects and experiences that we have feedback on, the more we will become more confident in our assumptions. That is why I take note when an academic refers to referenced, peer reviewed research....

However, your experiences add useful detail to my own experience. Some of the children I work with are in a very deprived ward (bottom ten in UK i believe)  and by and large are very careful over their devices and love to use them. Within the group though are several children who just aren't bothered. I don't know what their home circumstance is (I would imagine a TV, maybe a games console, probs not a computer - 'll try and find out) but they don't care about the device much. Yes it gives them some status but their attitude to using it for school is barely enhanced and the teacher is excellent. the kids have access to ebooks, a class blog, online games and activities and a place where they can store work. But a few of the kids just aren't that bothered.

I also have a project in a much less deprived area where every child almost certainly has broadband, a PS2 or 3, Wii, etc. In that class the children are definitely more apathetic to the devices, no question. Many forget to bring them, they are often uncharged for the school day etc. Now finding out what causes that, is it the change in the children's circumstances? Different school experience? Simply a different set of kids? i don't know because we simply don't have the weight of evidence but it is certainly something to take note of. So debates like this are essential in relating other people's experiences so that we have a greater amount of evidence to draw from...hmmm I feel a PhD coming on! lol

ST

This is definitely the sort of thread that requires long answers it seems!!!

Being lectured to in a conference can work in two ways, it can be very, very boring or it can be incredibly interesting. This often depends, as you mention Graham, on the content and the style of the presenter. I don't therefore think we condemn it as not the ideal way because I thoroughly enjoyed many of the presentations at HHL07 (as an example) and I learned lots. However sometimes it is more appropriate to be part of a more hands on or discursive experience, working in different sized groups or whatever (as any good teacher would do with their class, which I think i mentioned in my post above James, good teachers ALWAYS mix up their teaching/learning experiences).

I also think that the idea of transformational learning is pie in the sky. It seems, but please correct me, that such ideas are bandied about as the way that every teaching experience should go. The Hooper and Rieber stuff seems to be used as a star chart for teachers, we must get stickers up the chart to head for this goal. It is pure nonsense. Technology will allow some lessons to transform into experiences ranging across timescales, locations and devices. Giving children better access to resources, access to experts and producing results or conclusions in a range of interesting and personal ways. Absolutely, we all try to do that as teachers. However, to say that ALL lessons/teaching (whatever you want to call classroom - oops can't use that word!-learning(?)) has to happen in this way or it is substandard is absurd. If I introduce myself to a new class and I want them to learn my name. Do I have to create a SCORM compliant bundle, email them and ask them to create a blog in their own time about it? Nope, I write it on the board so they can see it. Am I being less of a teacher? I know that that is an extreme example of an extremely basic learning experience but it is the start of a continuum.

What it comes down to is that good teachers are highly skilled professionals who use professional judgement and available resource to ensure that the children in their care (I have a primary focus) get the best and most effective learning experience that can be provided. Sometimes that is the high tech end of things and sometimes it is plain and simple doing sums from a book (although in the future this could be some sort of smartpaper or holographic projection like in Superman's classroom thingy...). I could take you to loads of classes where that is a prefered style of learning for many children. As in any group of individuals my own classes in previous years had many kids that liked that way of learning.

My own work with groups of children using smartphones at the moment is also throwing up interesting discussion points with this. We have got SUMSOnline on the devices. the kids love it. However, it is becoming apparent that their rate of understanding "the rule" for each game, the concept behind the success, is way behind me doing a 15min input using a Smartboard then letting them do some examples. They need the expert practitioner to guide them....then have support as they work on their own or in groups or pairs maybe. The games are brilliant at consolidating the learning but as the "teaching/home learning tool"? Not so sure. If they did then the government could save a fortune, close all schools, sack all teachers and give everyone a great broadband service.

Any thoughts? lol

ST

This has been an interesting thread to follow as it throws up the debate about what a "liberated" classroom is.

I was interested to read your comments about control in the classroom Philip because they are concerns that have been raised continually with primary teachers that I work with.

In MY classroom I would feel comfortable that the devices were being used primarily for the use intended by me, that is the ethos that I feel MY classroom always has. That is not to say that children in My classroom haven't passed notes to each other saying "You Stink" etc from time to time, that is because they are children. I would hope that bluetoothing songs, pics or whatever to each other would happen outside of classtime as swapping of media (e.g., pogs, football stickers etc) always has done. What I think is a bigger concern is the push for this idea of personalised learning for all without stopping and defining what it actually means. Graham mentions the problem of the whiteboard reinforcing the pedagogical style of teaching that has been around for, well, as far back as schooling has existed (you can go back to Plato's Academy for a pedagocial equivalent of a teacher explaining ideas to a class and then inviting discussion, though the historical record does not mention how effective Plato's technical support was). It amuses me that Whiteboards get attacked as the antithesis of inclusive learning at conferences by people on a stage trying to teach us what they think in front of a presentation screen (or even a whiteboard)! If talking to a large group of people with some sort of display (possibly interactive) is so rubbish for getting a message across why is every conference I've ever been to set up like that... What I would entirely agree with is that interactive whiteboards, projection displays and ....er blackboards have been used for very presentational style lessons that do not include learner direct involvement (just as a passive learner) for years. Good teachers however, have always and will always have a mixed style of teaching where sometimes the children sit and listen, sometimes they contribute, sometimes they lead etc. So, given that good teachers know how to engage children effectively new technology is not a problem for them but it won't revolutionise the classroom quite the way that I think people are often touting. At the end of the day there is a curriculum that has to be taught (or learned? hmmm) and teachers must use the best means to achieving that aim. The use of mobile devices increases the flexibility that the teacher has in:
 
a) giving the children decent teaching content (weblinks, vid clips, questions to discuss etc)
b) giving the children better access to their learning space (VLEs, MLEs...oh u know what I mean!)
c) giving the children better opportunity to discuss  and receive feedback on their learning possibly from a wider range of people than simply their teacher and class
d) giving the children an more effective way of recording work, developing ideas than the traditional pen and pencil
e) making home school links more effective if the parent has access to the online learning space and possibly the device to some extent

Now take a child who is motivated, averagely bright and give him 24/7 access to his school class page via a school supplied smartphone/pocket pc/nokia etc. He will go to school, the teacher will use the whiteboard to show/demonstrate/take feedback/manipulate diagrams etc and set work accordingly for the child to do, in class, when he gets home, through a choice of ways on a choice of software. I think I am right in saying that this is where you are coming from Philip?

But just for a second take the example of a child who is not motivated and is in the same class. All the opportunities are there but will they be taken? In fact I would argue that the only bit where they would actually learn anything (if at all) in that scenario, is in the classroom with the teacher engaging them, questioning them asking them perhaps to explain what they ahve done on the board where they can manipulate images, text etc (or on a private computer of course). So which is the most effective way of teaching?

As anyone who has taught will tell you, children are all different. Sounds obvious but that often gets lost in the sweeping Brave New World statements. What it comes down to is commitment by the learner and that is what good schools teach better than anything else. Yes literacy scores can be high but I work with several schools where the children can parrot out the answers to the key questions to pass a test but they have no desire to learn, to find out or have pride in their work. The Foundation Stage curriculum and reporting requirement is an interesting contrast to this. Up to the end of Upper Foundation Stage children are assessed on how they interact with others, how effective they are at communicating with one another, solving problems etc....sounds like an advert for the CBI requirements for employers and yet we stop all this when they get to 5 and say "now learn stuff."

So what has all this got to do with Mobile Classrooms I hear you yawn? Our classrooms are not just for teaching literacy, numeracy, history etc. They teach children to operate in a civilised society. A classroom is a microcosm of the world we live in, it should be preparing them for that. Yes they need to know stuff, but they also need to know how to behave, how to cooperate, share, dicuss etc. So Philip I agree entirely with you that from a teacher point of view you need some level of control to see what is going on because you are teaching them how to behave and if you can't tell how they are behaving it won't work!  But actually the software that allows this to happen (such as SynchronEyes) is actually highly valued by the kids in my experience because it allows them to share, collaborate and lead (oh no, not on a whiteboard) more effectively than with isolated machines.

Rant over,

ST

I believe that Angela McFarlane referred to some research at your conference in 2006 (or was it an NCSL event?? anyway...) that children from more affluent homes tend to value specific educational devices less than children from more deprived areas. The analysis seemed to be that in more affluent homes an educational device is just one of many devices and is not seen, or indeed treated, as something special. In poorer homes the device may be the ONLY bit of high tech kit and is valued by the whole family. The learning2go project seemed to reinforce this point from the information I've seen. Does anybody know where that research is?

From my own experiences it would seem that attitude to learning is the KEY point in all of this. We have got primary children working with a range of smartphone devices in a range of geographical areas and children who are apathetic to school...remain apathetic to school once the novelty of the new toy has worn off. We can liberate learners til the cows come home but attitude and motivation underlie effective learning. I would say that the devices have turned some apathetic learners onto learning, possibly because the change in teaching/learning activities is more to their liking but many who are disaffected remain so. That, however, is a larger debate about the nature of education and culture in England today!

Although early days yet, we are using a learning platform (whatever that currently means - I'll leave the semantics to others) to give children virtual workspaces but also to allow parents access to selected parts of it, depending on the school. Some schools also have a parent specific area where they are directed to relevant school documentation, information, children's work and weblinks. As yet we have not used the space to directly engage the parents in dialogue/interaction but it may be not too far away in terms of voicing opinion on school issues...however...there is a can of worms just waiting to be opened...

ST

That looks a fantastic line up.

I'm looking forward to hearing how the next phase of the learning2go work is getting along, but I didn't see Dave's name on the list of speakers, is he not coming? I think it is important to hear how a sustainable, longer term view of implementing mobile learning in schools is progressing. Hopefully all our projects will be at that stage in a few years and I would rather learn from their experience than come up against the same problems.

Keep up the good work!
ST
 

Er....so did they kill one of the rarest insects in England to ensure it got to the museum? Or was it already laid on its back with its feet in the air? With the right device (or available camera) they could have taken a photo I suppose! Nice software tho!

ST

I reckon the new F-S device is pretty cool from a kid's point of view. It reminds me of a Top Trumps pack. I also think that primary school kids (who I predominantly work with) tend to look after kit more than secondary. In secondary I know exactly what Gerry means by a "grunge" look being the one to aspire to. "My PDA scratched? Am I bovvered tho?" as it were. At the end of the day I think the fact that it will perform in the rugged classroom/home environment is the most important feature of the design.

Andrew

Stupid me!

Thanks

It is brilliant to be able to use specific keynote podcasts with relevant people back here in the LA who were not able to make it to the conference. Was Angela McFarlane's keynote recorded?

Thanks

Andrew

QCA were there, I spotted them!

Oh i see! I thought you meant you had weened them away from a whiteboard to a tablet. That makes perfect sense now.

Thanks

Andrew

Aaaaah if only F-S had included a picture of a cuddly teddy bear on the front, they would have sold millions....

But seriously, thanks Dave (and team) for the behind the scenes work that you have done in pushing to get the product made it really does look like it meets so many of the needs that a learner may have.

One note about the training voucher, will there be any regional training? London is a long way from Redcar and a free voucher becomes useless when we add on the costs of travel and possibly accomodation.

Thanks

Andrew