Why Moblie Devices in Schools?

In My Classroom?

Arguments are raging across the country as to whether or not mobile devices should be in the classroom.

I think that there is quite a bit of apprehension about this because using this type of technology is not the way that we learnt in school. The reality is that more and more students have these devices every single day in our schools.

Students that use these devices are more engaged in the classroom and bring in an incredible amount of knowledge to the classroom. These devices have become the dictionary's, the encyclopedias, the Atlas's of this generation. Let's not kid ourselves. They are not going to pick up a heavy resource book when they have everything they need on a device that is in their pocket.

The skills that students need are very different than they were a generation ago.

Students have to become:

• critical thinkers
• problem solvers
• collaborative learners
• analytical thinkers
• evaluators

Our students are being trained for jobs that don't even exist in our society right now. Why make them learn specific skills and why not teach them to be learn adaptive skills.

Here is a great clip that outlines some on the skills needed. One of the things that jumped out at me was that kids like digital media because they want to be analysed and evaluated because they want to know if they are doing things right or not. They want to be measured to see how they are doing and where they can improve.

Quotes that spoke to me:

"I want to be measured because I want to know if I am learning."

"Don't abandon traditional learning but get the students working together in a more coordinated way."

Please feel free to post comments and let me know what you think are the most important 21st Century Learning skills we have to teach today.