Bonnie

Sibley June 2012 Bringing Student Owned Technology into the Classroom Introduction The smart phone, iPod touch, iPad, and other handheld devices have become an important element in my adult English as Second Language (ESL) students lives. These small devices have become companions and tools for personal expression. Mobile communications, and the modest, at least in terms of its weight, mobile phone have changed the basic types of human activities in several areas of life. (Benedek) When students step out of the classroom door they are stepping into a learning environment and I will explore the possibility of integrating some of what these mobile computers offer into student created presentations taking advantage of the available technology located in the students pocket, purse, or backpack.

Overview The idea of using hand held devices in the classroom has been examined in many ways and many identifiers have been created. The name highly mobile device was coined in the Mobile Learning: Context and Prospects Report on the EL Focus Session and refers to feature phones, smart phones and flip cameras. Tony Vincent (2012) calls the use of small hand held devices in the classroom as Learning in Hand. Terry Freedman (2012) says that if ever there was an idea whose time has come, it is surely Bring your own Device, BYOD, or, to be less restrictive, Bring your own Technology, BYOT. Whatever the name, mobile technology can add value to the classroom and provide learners with a sense of ownership and motivation in and out of the four walls of school.

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 For this paper, I will focus on examining the possibility of using student hand

held devices to capture images and audio to add to a PowerPoint presentation. To complete the task students need to use their smartphone (or other device) to save photos, video and audio on the device or an SD card, download the multimedia to a computer or online storage and insert the multimedia into PowerPoint, adding sound if appropriate (Herrington 2008). Presentations can be built using many sources such as iMovie, Windows

Moviemaker, Google docs and more, but I am going to look at PowerPoint as a medium. I chose PowerPoint as most students are familiar with the program and it is installed on the classroom computer and comes standard on most computers. Students can transfer their images to either their home computer or the school computer to complete their PowerPoint project. Advantages Many students already have mobile or wireless mobile devices and will likely be more comfortable using their own familiar device at school than using various other school owned equipment. Terry Freedman (2012) says that he feels it may be healthier too, because you will only be touching your own bugs. Further, using devices that students already carry with them everywhere can be used as an attractive teaching and learning tool increasing the inclination to become more involved in their education. The idea of portability for anytime, anywhere image capture creates an environment for spontaneous use and the mobility can foster a greater feeling of work ownership by students (Ally 2007).

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 Disadvantages or barriers There are a huge variety of mobile devices on the market and it is unlikely

that the whole class will carry the same device resulting in possible format incompatibility between the mobile device and the computer program. Video and audio capture may result in recording difficulties in low light

situations and there may be sound challenges. All of these situations may lead to the technology not performing as hoped.

Motivation for Moving out the Classroom The values of building presentation skills are many and for ESL learners the ability to express themselves orally is paramount. A PowerPoint presentation allows for both oral and visual expression. There are many opportunities and reasons for students to create presentations (Berthiaume 2012) Field trips Community Museum and gallery tours Walking history tour Creative writing prompts Step by step directions Sequencing Year-end memories Family traditions Digital story telling

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 Reporting Historical searches Data collection Scavenger hunts Educationally-once students learn that privacy concerns are as important here as anywhere else- [camera phones] are a gold mine. Cell phones with cameras are tools for scientific data collection, documentation, and visual journalism, allowing students to gather evidence, collect and classify images, and follow progressions over time. Creative cell phone photos can inspire students creative writing via caption or story contests. (Prensky, 2005) The newest of these handheld computers are equipped with a camera and are capable of recording voice as well as video giving the student to become more fully involved in their education (Roberson 2008) instead of using cut and paste off of the internet. Taking a picture from the Internet does not require much thought, just use what looks good. Taking a picture using a hand held device requires analysis of angle, lighting, and movement. Moving the classroom outside of the confines of the school offers more subjects and can create sparks of inspiration. Video capture, in the hands of the entire class, can be a very efficient data

collection strategy for fieldwork, or as a way to document service-learning projects. Video papers and projects are increasingly common assignments. Student-produced

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 clips on current topics are an avenue for student to research and develop an idea, design and execute the visual form. (Horizon Project 2008) Value for PowerPoint Presentation The student is afforded the opportunity to personalize the presentation with

pictures, video, or audio from the field trip or project. Students can choose when and where the material for the presentation is taken making the activity relevant to the learning situation. Once the audio and image capture is transferred to a computer the students can use the material to make their PowerPoint presentation their own using personal expression. Mobile technology can become reflective tools helping students view situations and express themselves in a whole new way. Conclusion Using mobile devices in education is one way to blend real life and school life to make learning more relevant, personal, and meaningful. Students have a powerful resource, which can be used educationally, sitting right in their pocket. Authentic learning in a real-world context (Bohannon 2010) enabled through mobile technologies is close at hand. Mobile technology is rapidly establishing itself as part of the learning blend (Brown & Diaz 2010) and should be considered. The devices are there to aid and enhance the learning environment, so we must keep in mind that its not about the devices; its about the experiences.

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 References: Ally, M., McGreal, R., Schafer, S., Tin, T., & Cheung, B. (2007) Use of Mobile Learning Technology to Train ESL Adults. Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Mobile Learning, Melbourne. Benedek, A (n.d.) Mobile Learning and Lifelong Knowledge Acquisition. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from http://www.socialscience.t-mobile.hu/dok/10_benedek.pdf Berthiaume, G (2012) 100 Ways to Use Digital Cameras. Retrieved June 04, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/100-ways-use-digital- cameras Bohannon, R (2010) Wherever You Are: There You Can Learn; Mobile Devices for Informal and Lifelong Learning. Paper presented (virtually): Global Learn Asia Pacific(AACE), 2010 Penang, Malaysia http://rubybohannon.weebly.com/uploads/8/1/2/7/8127991/globallearn.pdf Brown, M., & Diaz V. (2010) Mobile Learning: Context and Prospects: A Report on the ELI Focus Session. ELI Paper 1:2010 Educause Learning Initiative 2010 http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3022.pdf Freedman, T, Educational ICT Consultant Bring Your Own Technology retrieved June 8, 2012 from www.ictineducation.org/home-page/2012/3/8/bring-your -own- technology.html Herrington, A (2008) Adult educators authentic use of smartphones to create digital teaching resources. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascelite Melbourne 2008. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/herrington-a.pdf Pensky, M. (2005) What Can You Learn From A Cell Phone?-Almost Anything! Innovate1 (5). http://wwwinnovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=83 (accessed June 30, 2012). Robertson, J., & Haevik, R. (2008) Cell Phones for Education. Meridian Middle School Computer Technologies Journal Issue 11, Volume 11, 2008 retrieved June 4, 2012 http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/sum2008/roberson/index.htm The New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative (2008). The 2008 Horizon Report http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2008-Horizon-Report.pdf Vincent, T (2012). Project Based Learning in Hand Retrieved June 25, 2012 from http://learninginhand.com/pbl/

Bonnie Sibley June 2012 VonBank, A (2012) Ten advantages of BYOT v. 1:1. Retrieved June 03, 2012 http://clouducation.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/ten-advantages-of-byot-v-11/