Transformational+Phase

Story from the field


 * A mobile learning environment**

A learning environment that incorporates mobile devices would see: (Nalder, 2010, p.19)
 * 1) Educators and Administrators commit to active learning models that facilitate rich,collaborative instruction.
 * 2) Institutions align their overall educational goals and vision for learning with this commitment.
 * 3) Educators expand previous understandings of spatial/ classroom boundaries and the possibilities that active learning with mobile technology might provide, such as:
 * Enhancing existing learning within classrooms,
 * Recording or creating data anywhere on a school campus
 * Listening and viewing educational material whether on campus or not
 * Carrying and managing learning tasks and associated files everywhere that students lives take them.

Driven by new technologies, mobile devices and wireless capabilities educators can now move towards 21st - Century education as outlined in the chart below (Rankin, 2007).


 * What does this look like in a classroom and school?**

Schools that embrace mobile learning use various tools to communicate with the community, parents and students. "A 2008 Canadian report revealed that 51% of parents would be interested in having their children’s school communicate announcements over their mobile phones" (Harris/Decima, 2008). The school's website includes Twitter feeds to provide information about report cards, sports teams, new learning initiatives as well as showcase student work.

**Mobile learning and Professional Development**
Teachers participate in professional development (PD) to increase their knowledge around pedagogy but often PD is a one day affair and information is presented in isolation."Researchers have reported that traditional forms of PD provide little support for teachers to translate their learning into practice, and have recommended restructuring PD opportunities to promote teachers’ interdependence and collaboration rather than their dependence on outside experts" (Schmoker, 2006).

Mobile learning presents educators with the ability to access PD at a time and place that works for them. "Though mobile learning is still an emergent field, educators are starting to recognize the potential of mobile technologies to deliver PD that is job-embedded, ongoing, sustainable, flexible, personalized and available anywhere at any time" **(UNESCO Mobile Learning for Teachers in North America**, 2012). Rather than presenting a one size fits all PD, teachers are now able to access PD that applies to their practice, moving it forward.

In a transformational school, staff members use their Personal Learning Network (PLN), using tools such as Twitter, Facebook, nings, RSS feeds and Google Reader, that they can connect with on their mobile device. Connecting with other educators who share a similar passion is important when teachers work in a small school, a rural area or in a school with a low-incident subject, with no other colleagues working in the same content area. "One advantage of social networking sites is that they allow for personalized learning: in most cases, the teacher self-selects the people or groups with whom to connect, depending on his or her own needs and interests" (UNESCO) Mobile devices also allow other teachers into your classroom, virtually. Most cell phones have camera and video capability. It may be difficult to meet face-to-face.

Increased collaboration Teachers in North America indicate that they rarely collaborate with their peers. In a 2010 study, US teachers reported an average of 2.7 hours per week spent on collaboration, and only 16% said that cooperative efforts occurred among staff members in their schools (Wei et al., 2010)

What does it look like in the library?

What is my role as teacher-librarian?