This interactive session invites participants to discuss and explore the practical implications of working with mobile technology in our classrooms. Smartphone and tablet computer ownership continues to grow in Canada (comScore, 2014). Mobile devices are a capable and pervasive personal technology, with many people accessing content on multiple screens and devices throughout the day. The market penetration and the technical maturity of these devices do not of course translate smoothly into universal acceptance in our educational institutions. Some argue that these devices drive new forms of digital divide, for example between students able to ‘amplify’ their learning experiences and those who are distracted (Halverson & Halverson, 2012). A further divide exists between institutions and teachers who engage with these technologies, and those that seek to restrict or block their presence. It is challenging for educators and students to navigate the inevitable slippages in the educational application of consumer technologies: informal versus formal use, private communication versus public collaboration, consumption versus production of content, and so on. This is an especially pressing issue as institutions start moving towards a Bring Your Own Device model of IT services, one that recognises how these devices can cut across many dimensions of academics’ and students’ lives in ways that sometimes render traditional campus boundaries or classroom walls irrelevant. Bring your smartphones and tablets to explore playful conventions to design engaging learning activities that utilize mobile devices. Participants will share approaches and discuss obstacles to the acceptance and adoption of these technologies within formal learning spaces.
Cameron, D. (2009). Mashup: Digital media and drama conventions. In M. Anderson, J. Carroll, & D. Cameron (Eds.), Drama Education with Digital Technology (pp. 52 - 66). London: Continuum.
comScore (2014). 2014 Canada digital future in focus. http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2014/2014-Canada-Digital-Future-in-Focus.
Halverson, E. R., & Halverson, R. (2012). The design and assessment of 21st century learning environments. Recorded presentation, Centre for Research on Computer Supported Learning and Cognition, The University of Sydney. http://webconf.ucc.usyd.edu.au/p7ek82a56rw/
Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Cummins, M. (2012). NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
