Online Learning: Smartphones in the Classroom

For my online learning experience, I watched a panel presentation from the fall 2010 FETC Virtual Conference Expo titled “Mobile Learning in the K-12 Classroom:  Get the Facts Straight from the Practitioners.”  Even though the virtual conference was live on October 7, 2010, the presentations are still available on-demand.  I was intrigued by this presentation because the description said that within five years, every child in every classroom across America will be using some form of a mobile learning device (MLD) and the presenters were all teachers or district technology staff members who had implemented the use of smartphones in their schools.  Some of my professors have mentioned using smartphones in the classroom in the future, but the idea brings up several questions for me:

• What benefits could a smartphone have over using a netbook or laptop?
• What will parents think if they do not want their children to have a cell phone?
• If phones are currently banned in most schools, how are they going to transition to using them in the classroom?

The presenters started by first stating that the smartphones in their school systems all have the voice and text messaging features disabled, so the phone becomes a “cell phone computer” with the data plan as the key feature.  This only increased my curiosity about the benefits over netbooks or laptops, but it helped to answer the question I had about parents.  All of the presenters also said the parents were very supportive of the MLD program from the beginning and they only received positive comments throughout the year.

In summary, here is how the smartphones are used in the classrooms:  The teacher uses GoKnow software to create an assignment on their desktop computer, and then the assignment is sent to the students’ MLDs.  When the students complete the assignment, they send it back to the teacher’s computer where it is graded.  The students use programs like Word, Excel, and Sketchy on the MLDs; and they can use the Internet, camera, and video features of the phones to complete assignments.  Instead of filling out numerous worksheets, students can use their smartphones.  Like any technology, the teachers must know the best tool for teaching a particular topic, so the MLDs are not used for every assignment. 

One major benefit of using smartphones over netbooks or laptops is that the students have 24/7 access to the Internet and they can take the phones with them everywhere.  Even if each student has a netbook, the school cannot guarantee Internet access at home unless they also provide wireless network cards.  Having the ability to constantly be in contact with students allowed New York teachers to communicate with their students and assign work through the MLDs on snow days.  Teachers can also have the students complete assignments out in the community with the smartphones.

The second most important benefit of the MLD programs is the lack of required equipment and manpower to implement this new technology.  Some schools, especially older buildings, do not have the space or electrical upgrades to support multiple computer labs.  Smartphones do not take up space, and the students can charge their MLDs at home.  Adding hundreds or thousands of computers in a year can strain a district’s technology department, but there is very little manpower needed for the MLD programs.  Since the students use cloud computing by saving their work on the wireless provider’s network, there are no additional servers or wiring required.

Additional benefits include:

• paperless environment saves money
• students are more focused on projects
• increased time on task
• activities are more learner-centered
• improved classroom management
• faster grading
• teachers collaborate more together to find new ways to use the MLDs
• increased test scores – especially math and science
• students talk to parents more often about what they are doing in school

All of the presenters agreed that the largest negative for using MLDs is the cost of the data plan:  $35.00 per month, per device.  They said around $10.00 per month would be much more reasonable.  Despite the cost and the economy going into the 2010-2011 school year, each of the presenters’ schools increased the number of MLDs for this year. 

This presentation provided a good introduction on a topic that I did not know much about, but I am not completely convinced about the benefits of using smartphones over laptops.  I understand how the MLD programs described in the presentation could work well for small school districts with limited technology staffs or older buildings, but I think laptops still have more to offer overall.  Interestingly, when teachers who used the MLDs were offered netbooks with wireless cards for their students, the teachers chose to stay with the MLDs.  Does the added portability of a smartphone make that much difference?  I would like to see test scores and surveys from students comparing the use of MLDs to netbooks or laptops.  I believe cell phones will become more accepted in schools over time and they can be valuable educational tools, but I would still ideally prefer a one-to-one laptop program.