Mobility
The rapidly-accelerating trend toward the universal and
inescapable use of mobile devices actually started years ago with the advent of
the notebook, or laptop, computer. Although laptops may seem heavy and
cumbersome to today’s digital consumers, when compared to the very-stationary
desktop computer, the laptop computer was a mobile wonder. Of course, it is not
as portable as today’s hand-held mobile devices: the cell phones, the smart
phones, the iPads, and the tablets. Today’s hand-held devices are loaded with
apps that can work independently, connect to a school network, or connect to
the Internet. Software companies, developers, and even tech-savvy teachers are
writing apps to integrate the devices with content into all grade levels and
all subjects. Deciding which digital tools and content to access may be a
difficult choice for technology administrators and educators, but the more
difficult mobility integration challenge may be in how to achieve the
usefulness of the devices as digital tools without the distraction of inappropriate
or irresponsible usage.
As an educator, you may also need to address several
questions about mobile devices as you decide how to adopt their use in your
schools. Will you have students “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD)? How will you
avoid the disparity and Digital Divide which might be brought on by BYOD? Or, will
you provide 1-to-1 standardized devices for everyone? How often will you commit
to upgrading 1-to-1 devices? Either way, will your wireless infrastructure be
robust enough for the first day of classes? Who will train your faculty? Who
will train your students? The more resources you commit, the more resources you
may find you need to commit. Research and planning are key, as is having the
right personnel in place.
The Cloud
Another emerging global trend in technology that I have been
personally adopting this school year, with both Google Drive and OneDrive, is
“The Cloud.” Cloud solutions first became popular as remote alternatives to
in-house storage of files, email, and sometimes applications. Businesses could
now access their data over the Internet. Although there was not actually “The
Cloud” by name yet, after Hurricane Rita hit Southeast Texas in 2005 and left
many of the region’s school districts without email for several days, the
Region V Education Service Center implemented an off-site email “cloud” service
in North Texas, well out of hurricane range, to prevent another interruption of
service.
The Cloud now serves as much more than just a place to keep
files. Schools may use Cloud solutions for school administration software where
they communicate with parents, students, and teachers; for grading software;
for classroom management software, or for access to online textbooks. The
parents and students are accessing the information over the Internet, as are
the faculty and staff. The hosting server hardware and software are maintained
off-campus as part of the Cloud service. Software vendors, educational
websites, and entrepreneurial teachers might be hosting lesson plans, programs,
and assessments that can also be accessed through the Cloud.
Although the expansion of mobile devices and the expansion
of Cloud solutions began on parallel paths, more and more the combination of
the two, when implemented in technology integration, means that students and
educators will be have global access at all times. This can be a wonderful
resource, but it can also be a cause for concern.
Ensuring safe practices
How do we ensure safe practices for our students when using
mobile devices to access resources, especially those beyond the control of the
school network? Students have generally heard of many of the external threats,
such as identity theft, spam, viruses, spyware, and scams, but they may not be
as knowledgeable about phishing or other security issues. Online predators
could present the biggest external threats to a child, I believe, because they
hold themselves out as someone trustworthy, usually as another child. The
internal issues of sexting, cyber-bullying, harassment, and generally
inappropriate postings are all unacceptable behaviors that must be outlined in
advance with students.
A Special Agent with the FBI came to speak to the students both
at my children’s middle school and their high school about Cyber-safety. She
also held an evening session with parents about what they could do to prevent
unacceptable online behavior from home. This was all leading up to the issuance
of school-owned iPads. Rules and consequences were outlined and students and
parents had to sign an agreement. Again, the planning aspect is important prior
to implementation.
Who will plan,
implement, support, and teach?
Back in 1997, my professional development was almost exclusively informal, collaborative among colleagues, or self-taught. A certified teacher who also knew how to program was a rarity. What I have seen in the last eighteen years, since I began teaching with technology, is both the inevitable integration of digital learning into curriculum and the supply-and-demand growth of educational software and digital tools. What I see now as the most important up-and-coming resource in digital learning and leading is that person who has acquired technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, and thus has the ability to integrate technology into subject areas appropriately. She uses digital tools to enhance and accelerate learning. What I would like to see, in the future, is that the person who possesses this integration skill just happens to be every teacher in the building. It can be and should be every teacher who comes out of a teacher-education program these days. Of course, the specifics of how to integrate would be different on every campus, but a new teacher should understand the value of integration, the ways to start implementing it, and the digital tools at her disposal. Eventually, technology directors could serve as guides, not teachers. Teachers would share and work collaboratively with new tools and software.
Back in 1997, my professional development was almost exclusively informal, collaborative among colleagues, or self-taught. A certified teacher who also knew how to program was a rarity. What I have seen in the last eighteen years, since I began teaching with technology, is both the inevitable integration of digital learning into curriculum and the supply-and-demand growth of educational software and digital tools. What I see now as the most important up-and-coming resource in digital learning and leading is that person who has acquired technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, and thus has the ability to integrate technology into subject areas appropriately. She uses digital tools to enhance and accelerate learning. What I would like to see, in the future, is that the person who possesses this integration skill just happens to be every teacher in the building. It can be and should be every teacher who comes out of a teacher-education program these days. Of course, the specifics of how to integrate would be different on every campus, but a new teacher should understand the value of integration, the ways to start implementing it, and the digital tools at her disposal. Eventually, technology directors could serve as guides, not teachers. Teachers would share and work collaboratively with new tools and software.
If the responsibility of a
teacher is to present the best possible environment for learning, then certainly the
integration of technology to support and enhance learning is part of that
responsibility. The key for educators is to never stop learning, because
technology never stops changing.
