When I think about my approach to integrating mobile technology into my classroom,
I’ve definitely resembled a “Luddite” as described by Prensky in Edutopia’s “Shaping
Tech for the Classroom.” I regularly use technology in my personal life, but in
the classroom I have been hesitant, mostly because I want to prioritize
academically-valuable activities and I haven’t always been sure how best to
use technology in that way. There are a few reasons why I have gradually become
more open to technology in the classroom. First, all students of this
generation are “digital natives” – they have never lived in a time when
technology wasn’t prevalent. Here is Presnky’s perspective on the digital
divide between teachers and students:
“These ‘digital
natives’ are born into digital technology. Conversely, their teachers (and all
older adults) are ‘digital immigrants.’ Having learned about digital technology
later in life, digital immigrants retain their predigital ‘accents’ – such as,
thinking that virtual relationships (those that exist only online) are somehow
less real or important than face-to-face ones. Such outmoded perspectives are
serious barriers to our students' 21st-century progress”(Prensky).
While I don’t think that emphasizing face-to-face relationships and
social skills is “outmoded,” I do see that educators must acknowledge the
reality of the time. There are academic and non-academic ways to use and interact with technology, and our students must learn to be "native" in both methods.
Second, effectively using technology in
the classroom increases student engagement, creativity, and student-centered
learning. Technology accommodates for more individualized pacing of learning,
collaboration between classmates or even other classes, and creative expression.
In my classroom, teaching a foreign language, technology allows my students to
experience and interact with Spanish language and culture. I thought of the
Latin teacher who eschewed technology because he couldn’t find a Latin app: “It
simply didn’t occur to him use the VoiceThread app to record his
students speaking Latin, or perhaps create a collaborative discussion of Cicero… There are so, so
many possibilities, yet he was oblivious to them”(Dacord).
A simple way to incorporate mobile technology into a
foreign-language classroom is to set up pen pals with native-speaking students.
(I will talk more about this idea later.) As Dacord says, “active learners learn
best”—students who can actively participate in their learning, express their
ideas creatively, and work at their own pace are students who will learn well.
Here are a few guiding principles I use when planning
mobile technology into my lessons:
1. First, I make
sure that the activity/technology is enhancing instruction, not
replacing it, and that I can clearly express how this is true.
2. Ask myself: is the activity/app encouraging
creativity, collaboration and student-centered learning? If so, how?
3. The activity should be modeled with a gradual
release of responsibility, without hindering students’ ability to be creative.
(This is especially important for kindergarten, as they are learning to use
some of these technologies for the first time.)
4. As a teacher, be open-minded and assume the role of
student. Let curiosity lead my exploration of new technologies. Talk to
other/more experienced teachers/IT department for ideas or tutorials. Don’t be
afraid to experiment.
There are so many ways to
incorporate mobile technology in a classroom (some examples here and here), but I’ll
highlight a few that I plan to use in my own classroom.
Video
camera or audio recorder
For Spanish immersion, exposure to
language and culture is vital to fluency and literacy. I am a proficient but
non-native speaker, so any apps/activities I can use to connect my students
with native Spanish-speakers or recordings of Spanish are substantial. Not
only must they hear the language, they must produce it and practice it. Students can record themselves answering a question or
conversing with a partner in a number of scenarios. They could do a
reporter/interviewee game, or role play different characters to practice
grammar and accents. Kindergarteners love to pretend, so they could make up
their own scenarios and record a skit or a conversation they planned with a
partner. In the past, I’ve had kids make up a cheer or
a short song using our weekly grammar focus. For example, the boys and girls
made up different chants about the present progressive, using “we are…” and
“they are…”
Camera
Each week we have a grammar focus, and
one day each week we have a “treasure hunt,” looking for the grammar focus (sometimes
a specific word, other times a part of speech) around the classroom. Instead of
just finding them and writing them down, they could take a picture. Usually,
the kids raise their hand when they find one, and we add it to a big list on
chart paper. Using the camera, the kids can all look around the room
independently, and after a specified amount of time, we can come together and
make a list as a group. This gives all students time and opportunity to search
for the grammar focus at their own pace.
E-book/audio book
While this isn’t a built-in feature of
many mobile devices, a number of apps provide leveled audio books with various
options, including letting the child decide the speed or when to turn the page.
Some are “read to me” and others are animated storybooks that allow the child
to read out loud. It would be easy for a student to finish reading an e-book
and use a tablet/iPad to record their thoughts about the story (a one-sentence
summary), draw a picture of the plot/character/how it made them feel, or even
just note what book they read in a memo.
Mobile technology, when used intentionally and smartly,
opens up so many doors for students, especially in a foreign language classroom.
Their worlds expand, they are better-connected to each other and other Spanish-speakers,
and they learn more effectively.
References:
Dacord, T. (2012, September 12). 5 Critical Mistakes
Schools Make With iPads (And How To Correct Them). In Edudemic.
Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.edudemic.com/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/
Prensky, M.
(2005, December 5). Shaping Tech for the Classroom. In Edutopia.
Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroom
