Personal Tech Devices Put Schools at Crossroads
I’m old enough to remember when the idea of a cell phone (a phone that you carry?!) was unreasonably extravagant. Now I can’t imagine life without one. Towards my last few years of high school, they emerged as a novelty–a few kids had them, most of us didn’t. The school’s logical response? Ban them.
But now, less than a decade later, the use of personal technology such as cell phones and mp3 players has become so pervasive that schools are forced to question their place in the classroom.
Last week, a research center based at the Sesame Workshop released a new report stating that the use of mobile technology in classrooms could significantly boost learning. Author Carly Shuler writes: “While these devices are undoubtedly a source of fun and entertainment, proponents of mobile learning believe they have significant potential to be a key ally in supporting learning experiences.”
While most schools continue to ban personal tech outright, some teachers have begun to embrace devices like cell phones and iPods as tools for learning, incorporating them into lessons.
Tech-savvy teachers have begun to allow students to use cell phones to create podcasts, take field notes, and organize schedules and homework. And many schools have already turned to portable media devices like mp3 players to encourage literacy.
Of course, these new classroom applications for mobile devices bring up a whole host of new problems, such as the potential for cheating, theft, and the fact that not every student has their own cell phone or mp3 player.
But despite the validity of these concerns, none will be as difficult to deal with than a basic lack of understanding and knowledge on the part of the educators who resist the use of personal tech.
We can reasonably expect educators to fear and avoid technology that students often have a better grasp of than their teachers.
Rather than learn and adapt to the growing use of personal tech devices, many schools have unfortunately sought to ban and forget about them.
An article in the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal claims that Wisconsin’s statewide ban on cell phones in schools was enacted because at the time, students with the means to own a cell phone or pager were thought to be dealing drugs.
The potential of personal tech devices’ use for both good (safety, communication) and bad (distraction, theft) is so polarizing that New York City Council last week enacted a law allowing public school students to carry their phones to and from school–but continues to uphold an existing ban on cell phones inside schools. This is a stunning lack of foresight that should leave schools and cities everywhere scrambling to make new decisions on outdated cell phone and personal tech rules.
Technology is growing more rapidly than schools care to keep up with. They can either get with it, or risk being left behind.
Further reading:
Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning – Carly Shuler
Students Turn Their Cell Phones On for Classroom Lessons – Education Week
Change in iPod Policy would be music to students’ ears – Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal
