September 23

The Many Faces of Mobile Identity

In her experimental novel The Waves (1931), Virginia Woolf penned “I am made and remade continually. Different people draw different words from me.” And so it is with our mobile identities. Eighty-five years after Woolf’s literary delve into introspection, here we are in the 21st century more connected and less in touch than ever. We are absent in our presence and present in our absence. Thanks to a level of accessibility that enables us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere, we’ve split our identities and perhaps we’ve forgotten who we are.

The search for identity is a crucial human endeavor; simultaneously personal and universal, the enduring effort to define and redefine ourselves seems paramount to our growth. Gee (p. 100 ) defines four perspectives of identity: nature, institution, discourse, and affinity. These four distinct areas derive influence from different sources, but work in unison and provide constant flux in the evaluation of the “kind of person” one is or can be (p. 101). In the context of mobile identity, Gee’s concepts translate well. In an electronic environment, for example, while my n-identity is female, and my i-identity is instructor, my d-identity may be intellectual, nurturer, or mother depending on the context of others’ perceptions, and my a-identity is both (and often simultaneously) metaphysic and logician. Does this induce in me a sort of cyber schizophrenia? Of course not; these factors function both independently and dependently in the constant evolution of what is essentially ME. And this holds true for all of us.

But are we splitting ourselves in too many directions through the use of our mobile devices? Through constant connectivity we have morphed enough identities to rival the Wonder Twins. Turkle’s observations resonated with me as I mulled over her examination of the term “phoning it in.” She asserts that the term has come to provide “a metric for status” (p. 124), and that “our devices become a badge of our networks, … that we are wanted.” I’ve begun to consider the implications of those powerful words in my own life, both professionally and privately. In the professional realm alone, with three job titles between two different colleges I possess three different CMS server identities, two faculty identities, two college portal identities, and a host of other supplemental app identities to support my various content and extended projects. Add to this my PSU student identity, my social media identity, my professional network identity, my children’s school portal parent identity, my Pintrest account, my AmazonPrime, the DMV, Verizon, the utilities … Dear God, who am I?! ….

Mobile technology empowers us to connect. But it also enables us to disconnect. The implications of that phenomenon are vast in the scheme of teaching and learning. While it is important to open up the world to our learners, and perhaps equally important to access the world in the palm of our hands, we must never lose sight of the human element of our positions. After all, we did start this fire.

 

References

Gee, J. P. (2000/2001). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. pp. 99-121.

Pea, R., et al. (2012). Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking.

[Prince Ea]. (2014, Sep 29). Can we autocorrect humanity? (Video file) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ&t=9s.

Turkle, S. (2008). Always-on/always-on-you: The tethered self. pp.121-137.

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September 23

My Professional Meme

I consider this meme an adequate representation of the conceptions  (and/or misconceptions) that exist among my extended network as well as within society of my career.  Specifically in regard to mobile technology in the workplace, the images shown are quite adequate. Whereas my friends  believe I am at the top of my game, my children think I am a “boring  professor lady” just trying to keep pace; while society views my job as  cushy and slowpaced, my colleagues find my level of expertise powerfully magical.  The truth is, I spend most days simply endeavoring to facilitate  the learner’s process … but I will never stop believing I am a superhero.

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September 16

The World is Their Classroom

Four children live in my household. Four. They range in age from 7 years old to 18 years old; they are in 2nd, 7th, 11th, and 12th grades. There are more tablets, laptops, netbooks, PC’s, cell phones, and gaming systems in my home than there are textbooks in my children’s backpacks. The children each spend approximately 35 hours per week in school, more than that if we count extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, and band. What they dislike most about school is the restrictions placed on their connectivity. Let’s allow that to sink in, shall we? … What my children hate about school is the fact that in the very place our culture has assigned their learning experiences to be focused, housed, and ultimately assessed as pass or fail, they cannot connect (in what they perceive are meaningful ways) with engaging content. And when they walk through the door at approximately 3:15pm every weekday from September through May, the clamor they raise for broadband rivals their capacity to inhale granola bars at lightning speed. And I’m not mad. …. I embrace that my beautiful brood of post-millennials thirst to connect with learning environments in ways so seamless that their zeal transcends ubiquitous computing. What if I told them that over 90% of learning throughout their lifespan is happening outside of the classroom (Bransford, p. 216)? … I’m not going to mention it (similarly, I have failed to mention how I sneak spinach into the ravioli or occasionally pass off cauliflower casserole as cheesy mashed potatoes). But I bet they’ve already got an inkling. Informal learning encompasses nearly every context in the metacognition of real world education, and mobile technology exists as an integral facilitator of those ongoing and multi-faceted endeavors of lifelong learners.  But if the world is their classroom, why isn’t the world IN their classroom?

Today’s learners are evolving at a much more rapid rate than traditional educational settings. In an interview with Mimi Ito, Digital Media and Learning Research Hub (2012) poses the question “Might the information age free us to pursue learning centered on individuals and not institutions?” This inquiry opens an interesting discourse that mirrors the convergence theory of implicit/informal/formal learning wherein three (formerly distinct and separate) conversations become integrated in order to more effectively examine human learning with “simultaneous emphasis” (Bransford, p.210). Similarly, Sharples defines a combination of five points regarding mobility within the concept of mobile learning; these points encompass physical space, technology, conceptual space, social space, and cumulative learning, and reinforce the notion that mobile learning not only occurs across contexts but continues connectivity throughout the lifespan (p. 235). While theory may dictate a more inclusive consideration of mobile learning, practice simply has not kept pace. Compelling on a macro level is the DML question about individual-centered learning, and Dr. Ito’s (DML 2012) response: “We’re so used to … giving responsibility for learning to professionals instead of looking at how it’s part of the fabric of our interactions with everybody…. How can we use the capacity of these networked resources … to bring people together who want to learn together?”

I’d like to continue this conversation. And so would my kids. How about my house, 3:15 Monday afternoon? I’ll supply the granola bars … and the broadband.

 

References:

Bransford, J., et al. (2006). Learning theories and education. pp. 209-244.

[DMLResearchHub]. (2012, Oct 31). Connected learning: Everyone, everywhere, anytime. [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viHbdTC8a90.

[DMLResearchHub]. (2011, Aug 4). Cultural anthropologist Mimi Ito on connected learning, children, and digital media. [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuV7zcXigAI.

Sharples, M., et al. (2009). Mobile learning: Small devices, big issues. pp. 233-249.

 

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September 9

Challenges of Global Connectivity

I used to envision the world as a revolving big blue marble , but now I picture it more as an enormous geo-brain surrounded by a glorious, glowing mesh of electric connectivity.  The world has gone wireless, and the implications of that singular phenomenon fire off in as many directions as the synapses carry neurotransmitters in the human brain. Around the planet, people are learning through the use of mobile technology in ways that not only inspire innovation but also raise concerns about issues such as accessibility, language, and safety.

Equity in accessibility seems to be a global issue as marginalized populations – not only those limited by educational and economic barriers, but those geographically isolated (Traxler, pp.130-131) and physically compromised as well – remain at risk.  Traxler quite eloquently points to the need to bridge the digital divide, “the separation between most of us and the rest of us” (p.138), by developing focused initiatives to provide learning opportunities that transcend accessibility boundaries. Reaching learners through programs that target underrepresented populations seems a viable (albeit small-scale and slow-moving) impetus for innovation, but presents challenges in funding and policy-making.

While marginalization constitutes universal concern, other aspects of mobile learning on a global scale also exist in a context of alienation. Both the preservation and evolution of language have been identified as challenges. Cultural traditions such as story-telling and tribal dialects can be preserved through the utilization of mobile technology to proliferate the integrity of the content (Traxler, p. 141). Efforts such as these to sustain the cultural significance of language are in stark contrast to the fear-based responses aroused by the evolution of “txt-spk”  (Pachler, pp. 89-90) in which critics assert that mobile literacy contributes to the disintegration of modern language. The paradox in human communication to simultaneously preserve and evolve is clearly not lost in the digital age.

Similarly, the need to protect our children while still providing them affordances for development in the context of the mobile learning environment presents another challenge on a global perspective. Social media and the continued location advancements of mobile technologies create potentially rich learning environments while simultaneously putting children at risk in terms of identity protection and susceptibility to crime (Pachler, pp. 80-81). However, in order to continue the effort of seamless learning, wherein “students can learn whenever they are curious in a variety of scenarios” (Kukulska-Hulme, p.14), educators and parents must provide opportunities for growth outside of the traditional academic environment.

Throughout the world, ongoing challenges of connectivity serve to perplex and advance the development of mobile learning technology. As these issues continue to evolve, so too will the contexts in which we serve our learners.


 References

Kukulska-Hulme, A., et al. (2009). Innovation in mobile learning: A European perspective. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning. 1(1). pp. 13-35.

Pachler, N., et. Al. eds. (2010). Mobile devices as resources for learning: Adoption trends, characteristics, constraints and challenges. Mobile Learning. Boston. Springer. pp. 73-93.

Traxler, J. M. (2013). Mobile learning across developing and developed worlds: Tackling distance, digital divides, disadvantage, disenfranchisement. pp. 129-141.

 

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September 2

Scaling the Digital Divide

Accessibility to mobile learning devices influences both the quality and quantity of learning experiences available to all individuals. Further, the ability to use those devices with a functional degree of skill becomes paramount in pursuing those opportunities. While we often consider age as the biggest barrier to accessing technology, Yardi and Bruckman assert that SES and race also play a significant role. In contrast, Warschauer and Matuchniak contend in their (much more thorough) exploration of the topic that while ethnicity plays a notable part in accessibility, the largest factors affecting the issue are level of education and income of families (p. 183); they further contend that improving accessibility in schools can potentially “help compensate for unequal access to technologies in the home environment and thus help bridge educational and social gaps” (p. 180).

Use of mobile technology seems to vary among age groups as well as ethnic groups, and it is clear that children are universally surpassing their parents in technical know-how. And while it is clear from Yardi and Bruckman’s study that different social classes utilize mobile devices in different ways, their research seems a rather narrow and uncharacteristic sample to be considered an adequate representation of any nationwide trend. In fact, the study examined only two small groups: 16 upper middle class white families from the northern Atlanta area and 18 lower class African American families from southern Atlanta (p. 3041); despite making a beginning in researching trends in mobile usage, the study was far from inclusive and lacked the kind of depth offered by the Warschauer and Matuchniak chapter.

Differences and limitations aside, however, one thing is clear: a “digital divide” exists wherein equity is compromised. In his TedX talk, Navarrow Wright discusses the lack of hope in the perspective of inner city youth due to lack of opportunity. In endeavoring to foster 21st century learning skills in our students, we as educators must adopt an attitude of accessibility for all students – regardless of race or status – in order to move forward in the digital age.

 

References:

Warschauer, M. & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds. (pp.179-225).

Wright, N. [Navarrow Wright]. (2015, June 12). The new digital divide: the perception problem. [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDr0Q6gqbSM.

Yardi, S. & Bruckman, A. (2012). Income, race, and class: exploring socioeconomic differences in family technology use. In Proceedings of the 2012 ACM annual conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 3041-3050). ACM.

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