Greetings Class,
Today’s theme is the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Devices in the Classroom.
We welcome you to visit:
- http://admin.teachhub.com/13-reasons-using-technology-classroom
- http://admin.teachhub.com/advantagesdisadvantages-ipad-classroom
With that in mind we have a question to kick off the discussion.
- After reviewing the following articles, what do you personally think are the advantages/disadvantages of having mobile devices in the classroom? How can a disadvantage be transformed into an advantage?
devicesintheclassroom 
Smart phone and tablet usage in the classroom is beneficial, because it employs platforms that many students already utilize. When teachers apply tools that are widely used by students, it shows the teacher is willing and able to meet on the students’ turf in order to facilitate learning. The ultimate goal of education is to enable, inspire, and empower students to learn. If mobile devices make up the new landscape of student learning, then teachers should harness their full capabilities to illicit student participation and learning. In my opinion, the advantage of mobile device usage in classrooms is not necessarily its superiority over other tools. The advantage is its appeal to students. Learning activities in school should incorporate methods that students use to learn outside of school.
While the articles talk about practical disadvantages of mobile devices, I have thought of a few risks or concerns related to mobile device usage in the classroom. Teachers should be mindful that not all students have access to these devices. Teachers shouldn’t be overly reliant on mobile devices. They should be able to teach with or without the devices. Teachers should strive to create a well rounded classroom, and bust out the crayons every once in a while.
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Posted by laurabeby | September 22, 2014, 7:39 pmAlthough mobile devices in the classroom has long been thought of as a distraction, it’s beneficial to meet students on their turf to keep them engaged. School systems like Henry County have adopted a Bring Your Own Technology policy. I know some teachers that enjoy using websites such as Kahoot because it provides feedback and allows them to see what areas their students need improvement immediately rather than waiting to grade a paper test or rely on students to ask questions when they don’t know.
Prior to using that type of technology in the classroom, it is important to see which students don’t have mobile devices and recognize students who don’t mind sharing so everyone can be a part of the learning experience.
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Posted by sthompson73 | September 23, 2014, 12:48 amLaura,
Thanks for your thoughts about the appeal that mobile devices have to students.I agree that teachers should capitalize upon their interest and bring them into the lessons.Of course, mobile devices are just that:
mobile and very accessible!
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Posted by bhorner2 | September 22, 2014, 9:30 pmMobile Devices are a way of life and becoming part of our culture. Face it, as adults we are all connected now. Our kids and next generation are even more digitally connected then we are. We can either try to fight against it and drown, or surf the wave for a brighter tomorrow.
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Posted by patfisk | September 22, 2014, 11:09 pmI agree with Laura when she says that mobile devices are beneficial because it allows students to use the technology that they are already using daily. It also allows the teacher to use a different platform to teach from. The school the my cousin goes to provided laptops to all of the middle school students that they are responsible for. They are responsible for the laptops for the current school year. This is beneficial for both the students and the teacher because it allows the students to start their assignments while they are at school. It also allows the teacher not to be dependent on a mobile lab that they have to share with the entire school. Although mobile devices can be a distraction in the classroom, I think that their advantages out way their disadvantages.
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Posted by lay33217 | September 23, 2014, 7:50 pmHello, everyone,
Please be sure to click on the” devices in the classroom” below on the left to see the new post for each day.
Thanks, Bonnie
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Posted by bhorner2 | September 23, 2014, 8:07 pmAre your classrooms (including business) equipped to take advantage of mobile devices? After reading these articles, identify what prevents or inhibits mobile devices from being used. Is there anything you can do to move things along? Do you want to move things along?
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Posted by Beverley Taylor | September 23, 2014, 9:48 pmI think two keys when looking at mobile devices in the classrooms are: how we define “mobile devices” and how they’re paid for.
In an educational utopia, every student has a brand-new iPad waiting for them at the start of class, in a classroom with fiber-grade wireless, and not even the strongest thunderstorm can knock out the power. That’s a vast difference from a BYOD setup, where the connections could be spotty, and the students with the fastest/newest devices have a huge advantage over students with older models (or none at all.)
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Posted by Will (the other one) | September 24, 2014, 2:28 pmIronically, when attempting to visit this blog and participate, I used two different browsers on my Dell laptop and could not get to the blog. A security issue message displayed. In frustration, I tried to pull it up using my iPhone’s internet browser, Safari. It was successful! However, the screen was so small and the keyboard inadequate for lengthy posts, that another solution had to be found.
After negotiating with my teenage daughter, I managed to get my hands on the Apple laptop and was able to connect without issue. This is a perfect example of how using devices in a classroom can pose issues completely unrelated to the content. Also, I teach an undergraduate class here at GSU. It is an introductory course in Learning Technologies (LT). One of the first assignments requires students to create a blog. I cannot tell you how many students provide me URLs for the assignment that do not work (mostly because they give me the URL that an admin would use in maintaining the blog, requiring login). Giving students zeros for the assignment because I have no evidence of the work is one solution, but it does not mean that the student could NOT create a blog. It just meant that they didn’t know which URL to send me. Of course, I work with students on this issue. But, I also have students that create the blog but cannot figure out how to PUBLISH what they have written, so it is only viewable to them. Providing grades for work can be a bit tricky since we want the grade to reflect whether they know the content, not whether they understand the technology.
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Posted by bluewellyfarm | September 25, 2014, 1:17 amName: Molly Lance (bluewellyfarm)
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Posted by bluewellyfarm | September 25, 2014, 1:32 amVery Strange. I use both Google Chrome and Firefox without issue. What was the warning you got? I’m glad you found a solution. I”m not sure what would caused that error.
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Posted by patfisk | September 25, 2014, 12:49 pmI was at a conference at GSU called Instructional Innovation. At one of the short presentations, we discussed a research study that used a hybrid class that involved the use of Ipads. The hybrid course was half in school and online and the students used IPads for all of the classwork. The traditional course used in class teaching time and they did not have IPads. The class being taught was Psychology. The presenter talked about how we a running out of class space so that it is important that we begin to find ways to facilitate all of the new learners coming in. The hybrid course is one of the ways that we can help relieve this situation. Well, the study showed that hybrid course had greater improvements in learning than the traditional course.
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Posted by kshepherd2014 | September 27, 2014, 7:01 pm