Presented by Angela Maeirs, Katherine Burdick, Tom Wolf, Matt Federoff
Mar 26, 2015
Presented by
Angela Maeirs, Katherine Burdick, Tom Wolf, Matt Federoff
Katherine BurdickBlended Learning @iAppleLearnerkatherineburdick.com
Intervention @esparklearning.com
Matt Federoff1:1 MobileVail School DistrictVail, AZ@federoffm
Schools Should Blend Mobile Learning with
Traditional Approaches
Katherine BurdickLearning A-Z
Schools are not ready for 1:1 Mobile Learning
Money is not there to buy the hardware, train the administration and staff, buy the software
Some teachers are not tech savy and have no desire to be.
There is not enough software available to create a complete mobile curriculum
WHY?
Blended Learning is the Solution
Core Instruction comes from textbook, in comfortable, traditional ways
Mobile Devices provide supplemental instruction and practice providing motivation and engagement
Three Ways to use Mobile Devices to Blend InstructionUse Mobile apps as a motivational
tool to provide additional practice.
Use Mobile apps as another way to practice the same text material.
Use mobile apps alongside text to gain a deeper dive into material.
1. Use mobile apps as a motivational tool for additional practice.
Provide practice on tools students have easy access to - the average age for getting a cell phone is eight.
Provide practice that allows for constructivist learning, get kids out of their seats using text messaging, cameras, creating.
2. Use mobile apps as another way to practice the same material found in core text.www.readinga-z.com K-5MobileReading
3. Use mobile content alongside book instruction
http://carnazzosclass.wikispaces.com/The+Lorax
PRO• better match to school
budgets• meets many teachers
where they are most comfortable
• provides practice in matching content in a different modality
• motivates and engages students
CON• hardware, software
and training require investment $
• not all teachers want to learn the new technologies
• not enough content providers have apps with matching content
The Best Place for Mobile Learning is as an
Intervention Tool
Tom WolfLead DevelopereSpark Learning
As an Intervention Tool• These programs involve smaller numbers of
students so smaller investment
• Additional funding sources available exclusively
for intervention & after-school programs
• The existing resources of the school can be aggregated and used more effectively
• There is opportunity to take advantage of the tools already in the hands of students in their homes
Extends Instruction Beyond School Walls
• Over half of all students have regular access to a mobile device by the 3rd grade
(Common Sense Media, 2012 http://www.commonsensemedia.org/research)
• Leverages existing student knowledge and access to content
• Keeps students engaged after the official end of the school day
• Potential to increase parent engagement
• Takes advantage of personal nature of the mobile devices
Opportunity to Build Teacher Capacity
• Allows schools to targets interested teachers first.
• Great opportunity to develop teacher competency around educational technology.
• Intervention and after school programs offer a rich environment for students to take ownership of their own learning.
• Thomas Suarez is a California 6th grader who developed an app and has spoken at TEDx about student involvement in developing technology-based curriculum.
Exploits Heterogeneous Content• Intervention programs can exploit lots of
different resources around very specific topics
• Easy to take advantage of multiple styles of content presentation on mobile platforms
• No expectation or need to attempt complete curriculum coverage when the tools are not yet ready
• Offers a low-stakes environment for exploring new approaches
eSpark as an Intervention Tool
• Diagnose learning needs using existing test data or eSpark diagnostic
• Collaborate with students to set academic goals
• Build a personal learning journey through apps, iBooks, videos, and more
• Empower students to create video projects to demonstrate understanding of material
Proven Academic Success
After School Pro/Con
PRO• Minimizes cost of
deployment
• Motivates students beyond the school day
• Perfect environment for building teacher capacity
• Proven positive results
CON• Monitoring student
activity is more difficult
• Time consuming to find appropriate content
• Limited IT support