Mobile+Devices+for+teaching+and+learning

So much to say! For the most part I will focus on the iPad, but that covers the iPod touch and iPhone as well.

In implementing mobile technology on a broad scale, the first most important thing is to plan carefully and get the buy in of all the teachers involved. The article I reviewed describes that in depth - describing a roll out of a one-to-one laptop initiative. Also I developed a lesson plan to share the iPad with some teachers. Here is that overview
 * Article and Article review
 * Lesson on iPad Overview
 * Survey Monkey and results
 * Class outline

Mobile devices is where the future application toward education has the most potential. The hardware has reached a point of stability and capacity to do so much, and wireless internet access has achieved a level of production and distribution where it is readily available. The real key is software that is simple and intuitive and easy to pick up and use.

The introduction of the iPad I believe has issued in an age where the hardware has arrived. While I am certainly partial to the iPad, the competition is intense and I do not think the iPad is the only solution. My main reason for being partial to Apple products is that they put a lot more emphasis on eligence and simplicity of use versus raw number of things it can do. The comparison of Apple versus Android is very reminiscent of the Apple versus Windows fight back in the 80's and 90's. I do think Apple has learned that they must encourage others to develop software for their platform, which is where they lost out in the earlier PC market.

Mobile Devices can be used a number of ways in the classroom: for digital textbooks, books, research, basic document creation, e-mail and other communication, and games. Incorporating the camera and GPS capabilities also provide unique capacities that are beyond laptops including documenting science observations, geography and travel assistance, and even locating lost children.

The problems with mobile devices will mainly be on the distraction they can cause. On the other hand, that distraction is a reality of the digital age, and so proper modeling and discussion about how to prevent that distraction is an important role that schools should play.

Below is the outline of a lesson plan introducing the iPad to group of teachers. Links to information about the various mobile Apple devices, operating systems, and apps are included. There is also a Surveymonkey.com survey I created as a demonstration of that tool: a free survey tool. The survey is still available on line. That is another tool that has multiple uses in education, especially in extracurricular activities and working with parents.

Reviewing the iPad briefly, I recommend investing in greater memory if you want to watch a lot of video. I don't recommend the cellular wireless versions unless money is not a big object, as wifi wireless is so common these days. The iPad 1 has a number of significant lacks including interface limitations (no possibility of cellular access, and no GPS), display limitations, lack of memory and processor power. The iPad 2 is a very functional device and most users will probably not realize the differences between it and the third generation. The third generation has an improved display, significantly more power, improved wireless access, improved cameras, and native voice recognition in the operating system. I use mine as a primary schedule, contact management, and e-mail tool. It's the primary device I use to review Facebook, and I love the It is not as capable as a full fledge computer, but oh so much more convenient. Understanding those limitations is key to not be disappointed, but the portability makes it capable of things no laptop can manage. I believe the iPad to be better for most teachers who are not technophiles, as the interface is much more intuitive and there is incrementally better review and quality control of apps from the app store. This by no means makes it perfect, some may still find the Android platform preferable, especially if you are already familiar with it.

I'll briefly point out a few notable apps that were popular and I believe have particularly strong potential for classroom use. But I will remain brief primarily because apps are constantly developing and what is great today will be old news tomorrow. So it is essential to understand the array of capabilities, but then focus on what you as a teacher or parent want to do. Once you know what you want: look for a tool that will accomplish that. Research web pages like this (take note of the date of writing!) and search on the app store (or Google Play on the Android platform). Be sure to look at the reviews, especially before paying for an App. One of the greatest things about these devices and their wide adoption is the incredible amount of software development that is ongoing.

A few really great apps for the classroom include educreations, Khan Academy, GoSkyWatch and the plethora of video apps. Educreations is a whiteboard app designed for teachers to record their voice and a lesson on a whiteboard with multiple colors. You can bring in pictures, video and even websites. Once you record your lesson, you can then post it publicly or keep it for just your class. Then students can watch the lesson at their own time. This works great for review, for students who miss class or as a flipped classroom: where the homework is to watch the lesson and classtime is used to apply the lessons and assure understanding. Teachers could also use the plethora of public lessons of the many other teachers who use the tool. I also plan to have students prepare and teach certain lessons: since my experience has always been the best way to really understand something is to teach it to someone else.

Khan Academy is a similar concept, although all the lessons are presented by Sal Khan, an MIT alumnus and former hedge fund manager. The site has over 3300 lessons and growing. It is great for science and math topics and other subjects have a growing lesson base. For math, there is also a great testing section that allows student to build points and awards, tracks their successful completion of topics and introduces new topics as they prove competency at the basic level. The critiques of Khan academy are fairly few, but a lack of pedagogical study results in a fairly narrow range of students who will benefit the most from the lessons. Also, there are mistakes that he makes fairly nonchalantly, not realizing that he may be installing misunderstanding that could be very problematic for certain students. I hope over time he will learn and improve the lessons, especially as he expands the lessons to comprehensively cover all high school topics.

GoSkyWatch and many other apps like it provide one of the greatest unique uses of mobile devices. This app allows you to hold the device up and look at stars and identify them. It also allows you to find the planets, galaxies and most distant sky objects. A great feature of GoSkyWatch, which is a paid app, is the ability to select any object and get additional information from Wikipedia. There are other free apps that do something similar. This is a really great way to learn constellations and find planets - which although I tried to as a kid, I never was able to until I spent much more time learning about it as a wilderness instructor.

Finally the various video sites on the web provide an incredible and growing resource. These are similar to what is available on regular computers, but You Tube, TED talks, and iTunes University provide a unique and easy ways to organize and watch them wherever you are. Especially TED talks and iTunes University have organized lectures into classes that can be downloaded and comments and reflections made right in the application. Of course downloading video will take up a lot of mobile device memory, but you can then watch it when you do not have Internet access.