The perceptions and integration of cell phone use in classroom clearly varies from school to school, district to district, and even state to state. The readings this week opened my eyes to the general perception of teachers of cell phone use in the classroom. I was particularly surprise to realize how many schools were not taking advantage of cell phone use. I assumed cell phone use was not particularly widespread, but I was shocked to find that 62% of schools still ban cell phone use all together (Nash, 2011). I believe even the entire NYC school district bans cell phones for its students. I wonder if they realize how much money they are wasting on new technologies while they are banning FREE technology from the schools? The Birch article stated: " Project Tomorrow (2010) reported that 98% of 9th—12th graders and 83% of 6th—8th graders own a cell phone (as cited in Kolb, 2011)". Why not take advantage of this overwhelming statistic?
The Birch article also focused on the perception of teachers on the topic of technology and cell phone use. It stated that "Teachers‘ own perceptions of their professional development needs in this area [technology integration] centered on finding enough time and getting enough help
from colleagues so they could explore planning and pedagogy to integrate technology into their everyday classroom practice. Goos and Benninson (2008)". Although our district does a great job at fostering a technology friendly atmosphere, there will definitely be a need for significant professional development in the area of BYOD in order for it to be successful. Even if teachers are willing to integrate BYOD into their classrooms, professional development will be necessary in order for the integration to be effective and more importantly for BYOD to have a direct impact on learning. Some teachers I believe still hold the perception that allowing BYOD in your classroom equates to allowing students play Angry Birds during classroom activities. If teachers were more aware of the extensive BYOD opportunities available to them, are were given the tools to make it happen, they would be more willing and able to integrate BYOD successfully into their curriculum and instruction.
As I look at the technology integration I have attempted in my own classroom, I can't help but to also think about how much my own perceptions have changed since my first year teaching. Prior to stepping into the classroom as a teacher in Oak Hills, I realized that although I was completely comfortable with using technology in the classroom, I had little experience with integrating technology effectively. Effective technology integration was never a focus throughout my college courses. I realized after my first year teaching, that I was integrating technology for the "fun" of it, instead of for the purpose of achievement. The Birch article states that research "determined that although teachers entering the profession today are more technologically literate and have a positive attitude toward technology, they have a limited knowledge of how to incorporate it effectively in their classrooms. - Lei 2009". The perception of technology and cell phone use in the classroom needs to start with pre-service teachers!
I agree with Kara's point of importance on PD. The need for PD in regards to BYOD will vary greatly from teacher to teacher, building to building, grade to grade. What makes this PD different than what one would traditionally think of is that staff are able to learn on their own and I believe will begin learning and experiencing a variety of technologies outside the school setting. A social studies teacher needs PD on the curriculum in order to teach it effectively. That teacher cannot get this information in their every day life. However looking at PD from a BYOD standpoint, anytime that teacher picks up their smartphone or their children get a new device, there is a chance for learning. The difficulty on our end is to help teachers bridge this gap and let them know that what they experience in their personal life in regards to technology can also be very useful and helpful in a BYOD setting.
ReplyDeleteI was just as shocked as Kara was with how many school districts were not taking advantaged of using cell phones as a leraning tool in the classroom. It was unbelievable to NY public schools, one of the largest school systems, bans cell phones in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kara and Christian that professional development is a necessary piece of of the technology puzzle. Just like when everyone got a smarboard we all received training, I can remember this being one of the first PD's I experienced after being hired. I believe teachers need to be trained on BYOD and how to use BYOD effectively in the classroom.
I agree that one of the main points of discussion for BYOD revolves around "fear of the unknown" and that PD is a definite need in order to quell the teacher anxiety. All previous post hit on the need for PD in relation to BYOD. As with everything in education, there are varying degrees of comfort from teacher to teacher. Our Google transition is a prime example. Although switching to Google seems like a simple transition, this caused a lot of anxiety for many teachers that were not overly comfortable with technology. I believe that districts should embrace the BYOD concept. However, I also think they need to dedicate time to allow teachers to learn best practices and the best ways to manage and incorporate BYOD into individual classrooms.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good point in regards to time. Districts need to put some real thought into timelines when going BYOD and know that this is not an overnight transition. We tell many districts visiting that when switching to Google Apps, it is very important to have a significant transition period where you continue to have and use Microsoft Office. Many of us in the class see the huge benefits of BYOD and the cloud but we have to allow time for others who may not be ready to take that leap of faith yet...we can will gradually hold their hand and walk them up to the edge, hoping that they will take it on their own when ready. Then if not ready, we push them off and be there to brace their fall!
DeleteOne thing that I have noticed in regards to giving time to teachers to learn best practices is that the teachers who find interest in the technology are typically the ones that try the tech and actually end up implementing it into their lessons. I'm not sure how to get all teachers on board. I almost think that there needs to be an accountability measure in place to hold teachers accountable to experiencing and trying new technology in their lessons. Any other ideas on how to effectively have all teachers incorporate technology into their classrooms?
DeleteThat is a great question Mr. Phillips. One key point they brought up in the article is the daily use of devices and technology in the classroom. As teachers, we need to model the behavior we want to have followed, and the same goes for our staff members who fear, or are reluctant to change. We are not changing the message, its just the delivery, we are substituting pencils and paper for clickers, or online quizzes, or socrative polls. I think it is an inevitability, and if a school is patient and allows the BYOD philosophy to grow naturally through teacher modeling, eventually peer pressure and internal expectations will bring every one up to par. It is hard to create a culture where people take their craft and their profession serious enough to adapt. We have to hone our craft, we need to see all of the possibilities, in a less than threatening manner. I believe that accountability, early on, can be counter productive, it will actually create greater resistance. I would rather see incentive. Teacher bonuses for tech grad work, acknowledgement for use of technology in the classroom, as well as teacher choice for classes to teach- more freedom- will give educators an incentive to work harder. If you do want to hold teacher accountable, make technology part of their evaluation or lesson plan guideline. Students can fill out course-exit slips to answer questions about technology use.
DeleteEssentially, adding incentives, teacher lead change, workshops or even student feedback can help naturally shift the staff towards the next level of technological advancement. Good luck- like a great coach once said "Those unwilling to commit, will be watching from the stands."
As with anything, the resistance is inevitable. I do feel that a gradual transition, like Ben said we need to dedicate time to allow this to happen. Some exploring and learning will hopefully assist the teachers that are unsure and may be needed in order to lure those teachers that are not as willing to accept all of the benefits of BYOD. I love the convenience factor but do struggle with the lack of being able to monitor what each of them is doing. I have implemented more of BYOD this semester than ever before and so far have only seen a few students that were off task and needed redirecting. For the most part as long as they have an end result/task and you are around and visible...they typically seem to understand the mutual respect of this inclusion of technology and have not challenged it knowing that they could lose their ability to use BYOD, which from what I understand - most of them prefer. I found it also interesting like Kara and Claus of how many districts don’t take advantage of BYOD. I am anxious to learn all of the ways that I can use technology in my classroom, especially using their own devices. It is fun to see how excited my students are to bring their own devices into my class...once I mention it...they can’t stop asking about when. So far I feel that it could only get better especially with professional development and with time. I also think that the training for the students or at least having more discussion about the policies/appropriateness of using BYOD would be beneficial so that they all understand what appropriate use is and with time and more exposure...this will allow them to be familiar with the idea and the thought/perception of it as a tool rather than just a toy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Kara and everyone else has stated about the need for professional development and the need to concentrate on pre-service teachers. However, Kara mentioned that if teachers were more aware of the tools and the BYOD opportunities around them, then they would be more willing and able to integrate BYOD into their classroom. In regards to that comment, I do agree, but I also think that if teachers were better at engaging the students in the pre-planning of the BYOD implementation process, they could potentially be much more successful. What I mean by that is that teachers should better know and understand their students by asking them what tools they could use to help engage them in the learning. I think that the responses will always be changing and teachers need to know that they won't always be the expert on every technology available. If kids know the objectives of the lessons, I believe they could more often than not tell the teachers what technologies would help them achieve the lesson's goals. They certainly will be able to tell the teachers what apps are out there that could help in the learning process. With cell phones in particular, there are so many apps out there that it's impossible for one person to know all the helpful tools available to help increase student engagement, understanding, and achievement in the classroom. However, if we combine the collective knowledge and idea of all our students, we could discover many more instructional resources.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jay brings up a really good point about allowing students to help their teachers and drive instruction. As I was reading what he was saying, I couldn’t help but think what would happen if I came into a class with an assignment and told them that they could use any tool on their devices to complete the assignment. I would be very interested to see what they would use as far as applications on their devices. While there would not doubt be some disorganization, I believe that our students would rise to the challenge. I do believe that our students can only achieve greatness if greatness is asked of them. By allowing students to take more ownership in what tools they use in order to solve their problem, we are not just teaching them Math or Science, we are teaching them how to think and be creative. Our society has so many tools at their disposal and there is no one person who knows it all. Therefore we must work with our students to learn and grow as educators. If we collectively work with our students to expand our own knowledge as well as their own I believe that we can truly prepare our students for the 21st century.
DeleteI agree with Kara as well. It drives me crazy to ready about how many districts don’t use technology effectively. I know that in my mother’s school they very rarely use technology. I am typically the one that is telling her about new things that she can use in order to bring more technology into the classroom. While buying technology can have a significant cost to it, with BYOD that cost can be greatly reduced. Take the cell phones for instance. There are so many different programs out there that can be used with the cell phone alone that it could be a helpful tool in classrooms.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that really got me thinking was when Kara talked about how her teaching has changed since she first began to use technology in the classroom. She talked about how at first when she used technology it was mostly for fun. She has grown as an educator using technology now more as an educational tool and is now one of the most well known teachers who uses technology in her classroom frequently. I believe that when we really start to implement this in our district there will be some teachers who will need direction on how to use it effectively in the classroom like Kara does. This leads me to PD. I think that one of the biggest challenges is helping teachers get started and finding them tools they can use as well as teaching them how to use it. It will not be a simple task but one that will be necessary if BYOD is going to be successful in our district. I believe this should be one of the main goals that we should have as a group. We are the pioneers in this area and can really help others as they begin to learn about BYOD.
1:1 is critical in the 21st century classroom. However, in the past, the implementation has been carried out more in the "READY, FIRE, AIM" mode. We have learned a lot from our mistakes, and many buildings have fallen behind, or have become disenchanted with new waves of technology. I agree with Kara, that we are definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and we are there again with BYOD. Our biggest dilemma is going to be creating the MLE (Mobile Learning Environment)with a focus on inquiry based learning- its a tremendous change in the pedagogical foundations of our classroom. Which is why teacher training is vital. Providing teachers with a variety of ways to allow students to use their phones, or tablets, effectively, on a daily basis, in the classroom. We have to be "all in." It requires modeling from administrators and key classroom technology leaders. The education of the staff must be done with the goal of how to reach our students more effectively, we are challenging a system in which the teachers, administrators and community have all been educated in the same archaic, agrarian model since the dawn of the 20th century- this is a daunting task. Like all change we need to be as gentle and helpful as we can in allowing those less inclined, to make the necessary changes to provide true 1:1 education.
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