My opinions of mobile devices in the classroom

There are many considerations when educators begin contemplating the idea of using mobile devices in the classroom. As mobile devices become more popular outside the classroom it is important to consider introducing these devices in the classroom. First of all, mobile devices now offer a variety of apps to aid in learning of different subjects. I believe these devices can be definitely be used as a supplement to learning but its important for educators to insure they have a plan for its use and not let it come a crutch. If the technology fails in the classroom (for example downed wifi, power outage, or malfunction) educators need to be prepare with a backup lesson as to make sure no classroom instruction is lost. I myself have been in a classroom where the technologically failed and the lesson stalled. Class time is precious and should be preserved even with malfunctioning equipment.

It should also not become a possible excuse for student not to learn or complete assignments in a timely manner. I've seen many cases not where students looking to by some extra time have simply stated "my internet was down", when asked about the assignment and their progress it was learned that the student has not even attempted to start the assignment. Even worst, is when a student does have a true malfunction or difficultly accessing classroom material and are not able to be prepared for the next class and then are lost through the next lecture. This is often the case with underprivileged students which a pet peeve of mine.  

Making the internet more education friendly

The internet has proved to be one of the biggest things to ever happen to human beings. Within the last thirty years alone, it has gone from the hands of few to the hands of many (almost all). It  an amazing source of endless information.

Endless amounts of information, we are finding, is not always a good thing as I came to find out from writer Michele Molnar. One of the biggest challenges facing us today is figuring out a way to sift through endless amounts of information, separating the relevant from the irrelevant, the appropriate from the inappropriate, and the credible from the non credible.

Luckily, it seems as though our education system is well on its way to addressing this issue. One district in particular, the Houstin Unified School District, made large forward strides in trying to figure out how to phase out expensive textbooks and utilize the internet in the classroom and at home. With the use of Cincinnati- based company netTrekkers’s Knovation programming, they were able to start ensuring that the information reaching their students was appropriate at in line with Texas standards. This system of weeding through information is high tech, which means algorithms are used to select desired resources and data.

Other districts are playing with a combination of high tech and high touch (meaning educator evaluated) to direct the flow of desired content to students. An example is OpenEd, a program which subject-matter confirm the findings of the program. Ratings on the data allow the machine to “learn” what data is desirable to educators and becomes more efficient at finding desirable data.

Today, it is hand held, portable, and at our beck and call whenever and wherever we want it. There is enough information at our finger tips to replace the heavy and expensive textbooks of today in schools and homes as we begin to effectively utilize it in the education system.  

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/13/flood-of-open-education-resources-challenges-educators.html

My thoughts and reflection of Sugarta Mitra's findings regarding student driven education

I just watched Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education. (TED Talk, 17:13) and am very surprised at what I learned regarding child-driven education.

I’ve been involved with education for approximately nine years now and I, at times, have had the impression that child-driven education is not something that is practical. After having watched this video, I am rethinking what the classroom could be. As this video explains, there is a shortage of teachers where education is needed the most, countries with limited resources and poverty. In the late nineties, Sugata Mitra began experimenting with ways to bring education to children that would otherwise miss out on the opportunities to learn. It started with computers being set into walls in slums. What he found was the children took the initiative to explore and figure out this machine, once they did that, they used it to learn about things that interested them. One of the most amazing things that he did, in my opinion, is that children began speaking better English through the use of the speech to text programs in the Microsoft computers; they would have to figure out how to speak English in a manner that the computer could understand them.

This had an overlap of ISTE standards but this ted talk exhibited most impressively that standard regarding research and information fluency. As mentioned earlier, these students were asked to answer a questions. The most impressive thing is these students were given very little direction and were able to use google as well as trial and error to find the answers to the questions posed to them. 

Sugata Mirta was adamant that children will want to learn when they have interest. Thinking back to my childhood and the children I see with their parents at a young age, it makes since to me now. I remember being bored at home and finding encyclopedias around the house (we didn’t have cable), and I would end up looking up things I was interested in, like birds and whales. My curiosity continued through elementary and middle school when I would go to my own library at school and I would check out books on these topics. I think back to young children that I babysat and anyone would agree, they ask “Why?” more then you can count. Children are naturally curious and so long as that is nurtured from a young age, they will continue to seek knowledge through their lifetime.