Greetings!
My name is Jen Wagner. My undergraduate degree is in Chemistry and I have a secondary certification in Pennsylvania. However, I haven’t taught in the K-12 realm for more than 10 years. I’ve spent the time since being in the classroom working in distance learning. I spent 10 years developing instruction and training for distance learners and the agencies that support them. One of the best things about that job was that I got to work directly with learners and be able to speak first-hand to agencies about how best to serve distance learners.
For the last 4 years, I’ve worked at Penn State. Most of that time was working for World Campus as an instructional production specialist, which basically means I supported instructional designers in preparing new courses and made sure courses that were in “repeat” status ran every semester. For the last 4 months, I’ve worked as a trainer in an Enterprise Software management unit. I get to do what I love- design training and support staff in using a technology solution.
I’m enrolled in the LDT M.Ed program and this course is part of that program; however, I would be interested in this topic regardless. I find the use of mobile technology in the community to promote learning fascinating. My son was able to engage with content at Boston’s Old North Church via a QR code reader. We’ve also used a mobile device to interact in a corn maze. I think that contextual content can be provided to learners and the public via this technology.
Personally, I have a 13-yr old son. He consumes all my time after work, school, and whatever else I have to do. He’s in sports, so that keeps me busy. I love to kayak and hike. Last year we visited the Grand Canyon North Rim, which was amazing! The picture on the home page of this blog is from that trip. Oh, and I love to visit amusement parks.
My thoughts on WILD for Learning: Interacting Through New Computing Devices Anytime, Anywhere
In reading Pea and Maldonado’s (2006) “WILD for Learning: Interacting Through New Computing Devices Anytime, Anywhere,” I realized that the factors affecting the use of mobile technologies in the classroom include the physical attributes of mobile devices, the applications that can be utilized with them, and the pedagogical uses of those features. In essence, mobile technologies would be nothing more than a mobile way to interact with content from a desktop computer if it weren’t for the rapid evolution of applications across all devices and the differences in how we approach information and learning today. The power in using mobile technologies in the classroom is not in just using iPads in the classroom. The real power lies in the depth to which you use the technology for learning.
Over the last ten years, the flexibility and portability of software applications has increased exponentially. Even if we think about desktop computing, Microsoft Office applications now offer a web version of their applications. Even when Google Docs became popular, the editing and formatting functionality was limited. Google Docs offered the flexibility of sharing and collaboration, but you did not have the ability to create complex, publishable documents. Google Docs has come a long way, but Office 365 has revolutionized these tasks. OneDrive, DropBox, SharePoint, etc. provide a storage location where these professional documents can be stored and accessed anywhere, with any device. As Pea and Maldonado wrote, this “data synchronization across computers,” allows hand-helds to be “‘thin clients’ for accessing applications running on Web servers,” allowing for the “satellite design of hand-helds mak(ing) data backup possible by regular synchronization.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 432) This synchronization becomes a platform to “coordinate the flow of teaching assignments and student work.” (Pea &Maldonado, 2006, p. 432) I wonder whether Pea and Maldonado envisioned the extent that wearables and mobile phones would evolve to identify the “context” of a user and the “educational applications” that could be developed based on an application’s ability to “respond to the wearer’s current location.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 433) A few years ago I purchased a GPS unit for my grade school son to download geocaches and go exploring. The units were primitive, but they were great at helping us explore and find treasure. If you registered on geocaching.com you could track your explorations, creating that “act becomes artifact” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 433) that Pea and Maldonado reference. Now those units are almost obsolete because he can download a similar application on his smart phone and only ever have to carry one device. It is evidence of “ubiquitous computing,” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 427 ) where “every student has his or her own computer” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 427) and they are “embedded in everyday life activities to the point of invisibility.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 428) Who can resist the ability of applications to track your activities? In a previous job we used secure Google Docs to document student interactions. We called them “e-case notes.” I used to joke that I needed “Jen’s e-case notes” in order to keep track of when I completed a variety of tasks. My phone has made dramatic advances in reaching that juncture. I don’t even have to ask my phone to track how much activity I engage in and I can track my son’s grades/attendance, when I refilled a prescription, and made a purchase. The ability to track is limitless. As Pea and Maldonado mention, these “software applications can provide guidance and augmentation of the activities we engage in as they encode, shape, and reorganize our everyday tasks.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 429) We also continue to strive to make these applications more life-like. My son’s Alexa is often used to ask questions when his friends are hanging out. They like to joke with her and can ask random questions as they are having a conversation. The software evolution creates the petri dish in which these learning activities can thrive. Mobile devices add to this environment by allowing learning to happen anywhere, anytime.
Pea and Maldonado mention the physical characteristics of mobile devices that “contribute to the rise in hand-held use within schools.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 428) The size makes it much easier to provide a “1:1 computing” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 428) relationship in classrooms. The devices can exist as just a tool that learners pull out to use when they need to access an application. In a few classrooms at Penn State, the technology simply exists around the classroom, “ready-to-hand.” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 429) Students are able to “interact(ing) with the world as mediated through the use of objects (they) care about,” and “whose design allows (them) to remain engaged in the tasks to be accomplished” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 429) without even noticing the devices themselves until their use is pointed out. They can be pulled in randomly to sketch an idea out or create a collaborative document for students to use. The same has also become true of the modern workplace. Referring back to my comments about Alexa, we have become accustomed to searching for information when we need it. YouTube becomes a place where anyone can learn to do anything. You don’t have to be near a computer to get assistance on how to change your tire when you are broken down on the side of the road anymore. While I would comment that mobile device screen size poses a problem with use, the portability often outweighs the struggles one might encounter. As Pea and Maldanado mention, “prolonged periods of reading maybe better suited” for larger displays and there sometimes is difficulty in “porting any software to a hand-held platform. ” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 429 ) This transformation from desktop to mobile requires deliberate and intentional choice and placement of features. Also, there is great movement to allow educators to view group participation much easier. Software like NearPod and even Pea and Maldonaldo’s reference to Stanford’s CodeIt (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 430) are examples of how mobile can “cater to individual students’ needs in the classroom” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 434 )but also provide the instructor the ability to be involved in the learning process- whether providing just-in-time instruction or being a “conductor” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 437) of learning.
Rounding out the three pieces of this puzzle is the difference in the way we learn. Children in school today are “connected” learners. They never have to own the knowledge that exists in the world. They just need to know where to access it, “achieving the benefits of distributed intelligence.” (Pea & Maldonaldo, 2006, p. 428, referencing Pea) Outside of school, children cultivate their interests by seeking out information and becoming members of communities that support them. They consume information in small “learning bites” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 432) using such things as YouTube and online forums to find the information they need. “Using mobile phones, students can interact with learning content anywhere, anytime they choose. ” (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 432) Today, children feel empowered and recognized for their contributions to the collective knowledge store and that they can affect change. As a result, learning activities in classrooms have become more student-centered and peer-to-peer. Mobile devices provide freedom for students to create artifacts of their work easily, and as new applications evolve the projects become more multimedia in nature.
The biggest value from the authors is in understanding when and how mobile devices can be utilized in the classroom. They mention cost, audience, and curricula to evaluate technology use, including mobile devices. (Pea & Maldonado, 2006, p. 434) However, I believe the criteria they create beyond this list provides a guideline for when mobile devices become invaluable in the classroom- software that provides learning opportunities, devices that make using this software convenient, and the development of new “learning ecologies.” When an application exists that provides a platform for learning, a mobile device supports that learning, and it lends itself to the style of learning that millennials are accustomed to- that’s when you should absolutely use mobile devices in the classroom. How better to document to administrators how mobile devices and software supports the attainment of learning objectives?
References
Pea, R. D. and H. Moldonado. WILD for learning: Interacting through new computing devices anytime, anywhere. Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences. Sawyer, K. ed. New York. Cambridge University Press. 2006. 0521607779. pp. 427-441.