Mobiles In The Classroom Interview

Kim Davis is a Technology Integration Specialist with the Harford Public Schools, as well as a certified Media Specialist.  I thought it would be interesting to go to someone who is in the business of integrating technology into classrooms.  And, since I am in the same district, I thought I might also be able to learn more about my own rights and responsibilities as an educator in Hartford. 

The first important piece that I learned (or, should say was confirmed) was the fact that my district does not have a policy regarding mobile devices in the classroom.  Coincidentally, teachers were just recently invited to attend a meeting this coming week that will attempt to create such a policy.  In my school, our policy is no cell phones in school, but we do not address other mobile devices. This year especially, we have had an influx of ipods, ipads and other tablets, including e-readers, and we can’t rightfully make the students put them away since we haven’t documented they do so.  We can ask, but a parent can call to complain, in which case right now we have to let the students use their devices, as long as they are not cell phones.

Kim has used cell phones in staff meetings to elicit feedback through mobile surveys.  One program she uses is “Wallwisher,” a web-based bulletin board.  I was a participant in one such meeting and thought it was a very productive, informative process until one teacher posted a, “Has anyone found a set of keys?” message.  We got a chuckle out of this, and it helped her to recover the lost object, but I could quickly see how the activity might go awry with students.  The next day, another teacher and I asked our Digital History students to take out their phones (they just about squealed in delight!) so that they could participate in a live history survey, like we had done in the staff meeting.  Students were to text message their answers to the account we had set up, which would in turn show up on the SmartBoard at the front of the room.  The activity started out great, with many thoughtful responses showing up.  However, it wasn’t long before off-task, even inappropriate comments appeared.  And since hardly any student uses his or her name as their identity, it was difficult to track who was saying what.   We ultimately had to shut the lesson down and instead talked about proper communication in a professional environment.

As far as other mobiles are concerned, Kim primarily uses iPads in classrooms with both students and teachers.  I asked her how the whole process works:

“Teachers must notify me in advance when they need the class set of iPads. Usually, there is a week limit on this but the teacher may keep the cart longer if no one else has scheduled it. I check the cart out to the teacher but for classroom management, I have created an iPad sign out sheet so that I know which student had access to the iPad in case I happen to notice something ‘suspicious’ with the devices. I have set up restrictions on the iPad that will not allow students to delete an app. If a teacher would like to upload an app onto the iPads, he or she should suggest what they need and why it is relevant to what they are learning in class.”

Imagining the potential for problems with an entire class using mobiles at one time, I asked her to explain the challenges she has faced:

“Overall, there haven't been any challenges on my part in regards to software updating or managing the iPad cart. I have gone into classrooms where students are using the iPads. I have noticed that some kids are off task, playing a game or checking email but the teacher is sitting in front of the room, not checking on student progress (which is a no-no) so I suppose I would take advantage of the situation if I was the student as well.”

I asked her what she has learned through the process, and she said that being prepared is the main key for success:

“It is important to make sure you have the accessories needed for the iPad to make certain actions easier. For example, if you want to showcase a student’s work on the projector, make sure you have an iPad VGA adapter. Or if you want to import a picture from your SD Memory card to put into your iPad presentation, you need to make sure you have that certain adapter. So planning is key when using the iPads, or any mobiles.”

To help with the preparation, Kim has developed a series of questions that a teacher must think about before using mobile devices in their classrooms: 

1. What are they needed for?

2. What apps should students be using?

3. How long will they be used? 20 mins/whole class period/days/week?

4. What is the end product?

5. How will students be sharing the information…presentation, email, etc?

6. What responsible student will help manage the cart and/or devices?

With all the uncertainty surrounding mobiles in the classroom, I found it refreshing to hear someone who is entrenched in the process throughout the entire school day to be so positive and excited to incorporate technology.  I believe her enthusiasm should be an inspiration to other teachers who are on the fence about the whole mobile device craze.