Sara+Tines

Sara Tines Missouri-Baptist University EDET 553 Summer 2013
 * Are we dialing up disaster?**

“The use of cell phones has evolved as the devices have become more versatile through the integration of increased functionalities such as web browsing, sending and receiving e-mail, and audio/video capturing” (Engel & Green, 2011). Technology is vastly improving, readily available, and an amazing resource. So the question at hand is, are mobile technologies the future of learning? Well in order to fully understand this shift in education, we must understand what is our sole purpose of educating students and enriching their lives. We, as educators, are here to differentiate and tailor our approach to instruction in order to create capable and confident learners who can succeed through any means necessary. In order to accomplish this goal we MUST keep up with current technologies and utilize the resources that are right in front of us, especially in our classrooms!

According to Engel and Green, “66 percent of the 2,000 U.S. students (ages 8-18) surveyed indicated owning a cell phone”. With such large amounts of students having this resource at their fingertips, and many districts supplying additional resources, we must concede for the collaboration, communication, and differentiation of using these technologies in our classroom. Mobile devices can act as an, “audience resource system, research tool, and tool for collecting evidence of learning” (Engel & Green, 2011). With the plethora of resources available and the tools and applications directed toward learning, mobile devices are a wonderful way to enhance and encourage learning and promote success among students.

The pilot conducted by Engel and Green proves that mobile technologies are the way of the future. They found that there were “gains on personal observation and student comments. There was an observable rise in class participation when cell phones were used in class. Students also felt they were able to make contributions to the class using their phones…” (Engel & Green, 2011). They also found that their were substantial gains in understanding of concepts, as well as the higher ability for students to re-call and prove their understanding of topics through various forms of assessments. Many students had substantial improvements all around and even their parents began to notice that their once unmotivated child was succeeding and benefiting from the technologies used.

Overall, it is imperative that we incorporate mobile technologies into our classrooms and accept the new methods of proven and successful instructional resources. We must give our students the ability to respond to the challenges of the ever-changing world while allowing for the real-life implementation of resources that can only enhance our instruction methods and improve student understanding and grasp of content. .

References

Engel, George & Green, Tim. (March/April 2011). Cell phones in the classroom: //Are we dialing up disaster?// TechTrends//, 55, 2, 39-45.// Retrieved from: EBSCOHost

//Sara Tines is an educator with Parkway School District. She currently teaches 6th grade math, but is moving grade levels to test her skills with 7th graders next year. She plans to complete her Master’s in Educational Technology in the Spring of 2014 and looks forward to enhancing her understanding of teaching and how to incorporate technology in order to diversify her classroom.//