A recent Wall Street Journal article claims that:

In developing the device, Apple focused on the role the gadget could play in homes and in classrooms, say people familiar with the situation. The company envisions that the tablet can be shared by multiple family members to read news and check email in homes, these people say.
For classrooms, Apple has been exploring electronic-textbook technology, these people add.

The classroom suitability of any Apple tablet is going to be heavily dependent on features, though.  Would a scaled-up iPhone-style device, able to access some websites (recall that Apple’s iPhone does not yet support Flash-enabled websites) and electronic copies of textbooks be a good investment for your school?  If the device’s sole means of text entry is an on-screen virtual keyboard, would this be a strike against using it in your classroom?

On the other hand, what if the new device is more computer-like than iPhone-like and can run applications like Microsoft Word in addition to providing digital textbook support and a good Internet experience for your students?  Would that be enough?  What if handwriting recognition joins the virtual keyboard as a means to enter and annotate text?

What features would such a device need to have to take the place of traditional laptops in one-to-one initiative?  Here’s my list:

• 8+ hour battery life to last an entire school day on a single charge (12+ hours would be better, to allow the device to be used after school)
• Screen large enough to allow a full page of text to be displayed without zooming or scrolling
• Multi-touch user interface with on-screen keyboard
• Stylus for direct handwriting input (written input must be more than a mere afterthought)
• An integral screen cover to protect the (almost assuredly) glass display
• Ability to run full applications, not just “apps”
• Full Internet experience, not just mobile-ready websites
• Wi-Fi

Things that would be nice to have, but not essential:

• Video/Still camera to create media that can be embedded in written work
• Capability to dock with external keyboard, mouse, and display
• Induction charging
• Built-in projector

Image by dvortygirl. Used under Creative Commons licence.

My dream classroom computing device would be able to replace every paper product a student normally carries (textbook, notebook, assignment book) in addition to taking the place of a laptop.  We’ll see if that device materializes Monday.

What do you think?  Does a tablet device have a place in your classroom?  What features would you like to see?  Let us know what you think via comment or in the forum.

Phone Home ~ ET

The world is different from 50 years ago, 25 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and even 3 years ago. In today’s world of education a tool is being stripped away from the students’ hand even before they enter the hallways. Here is one policy on Cell Phones that is like many other school policies:

CLASS II OFFENSE

According to HCS Policy – Use or visible possession of electronic devices including, but not limited to, cell phones, pagers, or other audio/video devices is strictly prohibited during school hours. In addition, the use of electronic devices may not disturb or impede extracurricular activities.

First offense: The first time a cell phone (or other electronic device) is taken up, the phone will not be returned for one week (7days). A parent/guardian may retrieve the device one week later between 2:30-3:30 pm.

Second offense: The second time a cell phone (or other electronic device) is taken up the student will receive one day of in-school suspension, and the device will not be returned for thirty (30) days.

Subsequent offenses: The next time a cell phone (or other electronic device)is taken up, the student will receive two additional days of in-school suspension, and the phone or other electronic device will be held an additional thirty (30) days.

I have read and agree to the conditions established at GHS regarding the use of cell phones and/or other electronic devices during the school day.

The school is not responsible or liable for any lost or stolen electronic devices.

Just recently the state of Pennsylvania is proposing a Bill (363) which is amending the original Bill that was created in 1949:

Section 1317.1. Possession of [Telephone Pagers] Electronic

Devices Prohibited.–(a) The possession by students of telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers, cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material shall be prohibited on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district.

So are having cell phones in the schools bad? Does this make them a drug dealer? Does this mean there is no educational purpose to cell phones?

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/07/16cellphone.h28.html

New educational uses of cellphones are challenging the “turned off and out of sight” rules that many districts have adopted for student cellphones on campus.
A growing number of teachers, carefully navigating district policies and addressing their own concerns, are having students use their personal cellphones to make podcasts, take field notes, and organize their schedules and homework.

And some recent, positive examples of how the phones are being used for academic learning may eventually lead to more nuanced policies. Indeed, more educators are concluding that cellphones may be the only realistic way their schools can offer the 1-to-1 computing experiences that better-funded schools provide with laptops.

“In our district, especially at high school, students have a cellphone on them at all

times, just like a pencil—it’s an underused tool,” said Rosemary Miller, the technology-integration specialist for secondary schools in the Buhler, Kan., public schools. “We don’t have a computer for every kid, as some school districts do.”

Good for those teachers. They are not afraid of what will happen if they try something new and rewarding to the students. Recently the 7th grade teacher and I redid our 6-8th grade computer curriculum including everyday application of technology. The students love it and are learning a lot more than step by step instructions.

Podcasting and classroom-response systems are among the more than 100 uses of cellphones that educator Liz Kolb has collected, and in some cases invented, for her book Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education, published in October.

Bloom’s New Taxonomy has “creation” as the top level of intellectual behavior. Having students create Podcasts is a great way to evaluate the students on any topic you are covering. A quote from an unknown individual once said, “The one who is doing the talking is doing the learning.” Student response systems can be very expensive. If every student already has a cell phone, using free websites to create polls is a cheap alternative. Liz Kolb has taken her book and went to the web in her own blog: http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/, where Liz continues to find new ways to use cell phones in the classroom.

Cellphones with cameras also have great potential for simple data collection. They can enrich fieldwork or field trips by allowing students to snap images of, say, leaves, for later identification. Students also can snap pictures of museum exhibits and placards to fuel classroom discussions.

“Mobile citizen journalism” is another popular trend that schools can harness, Ms. Kolb said, though she did not know of any school newspapers doing it extensively yet. “Schools can definitely set up their own mobile journalism text-messaging numbers,”

so students who are traveling can phone in reports and images, especially if they find themselves in the midst of breaking news.

The possibilities are endless. Jon Orr of Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas has his bio students take pictures, on their cell phones, of the major organs and muscles of their dissections and upload them, by the way of text message, to Flickr. After the students uploaded the pictures they must go in and annotate on the pictures what is being shown. http://www.animoto.com has developed an application for I-Phone and I-Pod where you can create short video clips on the go. California Local PBS station even held a contest http://www.koce.org/filmonthefly/ where your mobile phone will receive a text message with the secret story prompt, along with the “tag” you’ll use to identify your video as part of our contest on YouTube. You will only have 20 hours to enter your finish product.

The main cause of bans is society is not ready for the power having a cell phone or mobile device, in a classroom, has. They are scared and uneducated of the positives. They only hear the horror stories that media plays for them. The topic of allowing cell phones in classrooms will go on for years. But, as the trend is increasing, every child will have a cell phone before long. 70% of my Elementary and Middle School students have a cell phone and use it regularly out of school. Why not use the tool they already have and engage them in some learning. If there is an educational purpose that can be defined in meeting a state educational standard, then the teacher is doing their job. Liz Kolb did a survey on Twitter: of 100 teachers, 97 of them said that their school had a policy that highly restricted cell phone use during school hours (either banning them completely or restricting their use to non-academic times). Yet in the same survey 40 of the teachers said they were using cell phones in learning, and 87 teachers said they would like to use cell phones for learning in their schools in the future. The educators are catching on. The administrators need to change the Acceptable Use Policies to captivate the students and how they learn. One poster made the analogy that automobiles are used in crimes can be dangerous, they pollute the air, and they cause accidents, but we don’t ban them. Why are we banning educational tools? Beth Holmes in a blog post was discussing a picture taken in 1905 and how they were 21^st Century Education in the picture titled:

“A modern training school.” Girls are sewing and cooking. Boys are woodworking. The students are using the TOOLS of the era to prepare for the work of the era. The teachers are working beside their students, coaching and mentoring them as they refine skills that transfer beyond the schoolhouse to life in the real world. Zoom in. Look a bit closer. The TOOLS include needles, knives, chisels, hammers, picks, heat, ovens. The tools of the age are potentially dangerous – but they aren’t blocked from the school. Teachers are teaching students to use the tools of the age – and use them safely.

The last line is a great sentiment for the use of cell phones in education. We need to teach students how to use cell phones and how to use them safely. A new trend is what experts’ call, sexting, where students are taking nude to semi-nude photos of themselves and texting it to other students. What students do not realize is they can be prosecuted for distributing under-age pornography and be labeled a pedophile, even if they are a minor themselves.

The way that students communicate, collaborate, and conduct business (personal or public) over their mobile devices could be both beneficial and detrimental to their futures in the 21st Century workforce. Currently with policies banning cell phones from school campus, teachers get the message that they should ignore cell phones altogether. Which includes talking with students about mobile safety, ethics, and legalese. Students do not understand the ramifications for the media they collect and send on their cell phones. Teachers have an opportunity to help educate students on how to use their cell phones appropriately, for the common good, and for their own upward mobility in the global workforce. (Liz Kolb)

Until we change the way we think, the culture, ourselves we will keep a close mind opinion on any topic, but especially where cell phones fit in this world of education. Let us stop and think about the students and what is best for them. Let us put their lives before ours, even if that means taking a risk to change. Remember all ET wanted to do was “Phone Home” and using tools he found around Elliott’s house he was able to achieve this goal. Let our students “Phone Home!”