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Speak Up Report: Mobile Devices Increasingly Being Seen as Tools for Learning

Eager minds both novice and seasoned in nature took their seats and conversations gradually simmered down in preparation for vital updates. It appeared that most of the individuals attending the event were concerned not only with receiving information and comprehending it for themselves, but surprisingly, they also made it a priority to communicate their experiences to others—particularly, coworkers, superiors, and others they felt would benefit from the information.

Surely enough, participants were able to do so, but how? Findings regarding the use of technology in classrooms and the capacity for districts to accommodate them, as discussed at the latest Speak Up report, were dispersed beyond the walls of the well-lit room via Word documents, emails, and text messages. In other words, the distribution of knowledge was made possible by technology. Does the process I just described seem so obvious that mentioning it seems to be doing of an intern? Yes.

We don’t label the use of smart phones and computers at our jobs as “blended” working or the use of texting in our personal lives as “blended” relationships. Visual media is very much a part of our lives. This is the goal of education leaders today: to create a classroom in which technology is interwoven into every aspect of learning; and it’s on its way to being realized. The tide is turning.

While most of us have experienced the vexatious moment when the teacher takes away our phone because it was out during class, future generations may only have to imagine the feeling. In 2010, 63% of teachers said they were unlikely to allow students to use their own mobile devices. In 2013, that number dropped to almost half at 32%. Teachers and parents alike are beginning to embrace the use of technology in school. In fact, approximately 60% of all parents prefer their child to be in a class where personal mobile devices are allowed. In addition, professional development requests of teachers are common among new and veteran teachers.

During the panel discussion, Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools in Virginia said that the district was starting to explore changing classroom dynamics. He contributed the decrease in the dropout rate (by over 50%) to online classes. Studies found in the report, The New Digital Learning Playbook: Advancing College and Career Ready Skill Development in K-12 published by Speak Up shows that more than 40% of high school principals are now offering online classes for students in math, science, history and English. Similarly, Dr. Katherine Bihr talked about the positive impact technology has on helping students find careers in STEM and consequently, opening their eyes to jobs they may of not considered.

Implementation of digital tools and resources is a means to an end. The actual goal is to equip students with college and career readiness skills. Overall consensus among panelists centered on connecting classroom instruction to real world examples in an effort to prepare students for a tech-savvy job market. Tamika V. Culbreath, reading and English language arts teacher at Prince George County Public Schools emphasized the importance of being up to par with other students across the world. Dr. Patrick Murphy focused on expanding efforts via strengthening collaboration among teachers and community members.

In order to sustain efforts, school districts must evaluate and find ways to increase their own capacity to drive change. This brought us to the last question of the day. Panelists contributed their own takes but all had a common denominator, to increase collaboration across all systems and get everyone on the same page. Dr. Patrick Murphy said, “we need to change what schools look like and we need to change the way we are delivering instruction.”

Tigran Avakyan, CER Intern