Mobile Phones: time for an attitude shift?
Review of article http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/mobile-phone-licence-mooted-for-qld-kids-20111021-1mc06.html
The mobile phone debate has been raging in education ever since mobile phones have become a regular part of communication. On one side of the fence sits the ‘ban the mobile’ proponents who argue that mobile phone use interrupts learning, can promote cyber bullying and could be used inappropriately. (Brooks-Young, 2010, p17) On the other side of the fence sits the ‘use the tool’ proponents who view the mobile phone as a powerful tool that can be used effectively in education.
In 2009, an article appeared in The Brisbane Times (Hanna, 2009) urging teachers to rethink mobile phone bans. The article quoted Aidan McCarthy, who was a key note speaker at a forum on technology in education, as saying that schools that just banned mobile phones are not providing students with a 21st century education. He believes that
teachers need to reassess what it means to be a teacher today and to change the way they view mobile phones. McCarthy conceded, however, that there needed to be rules governing their usage.
This need for guidelines governing mobile usage in schools was in the news again recently with the recommendation by Dr Michael Carr- Gregg that students will have to get a “license” to take mobile phones to school. Dr Carr-Gregg was reported, in The Sydney Morning Herald on October 24th, 2011, as comparing mobile phones to cars in that students need to obtain a level of proficiency to avoid accidents and avoid breaking the law. His suggestion is that students sit a test that demonstrates whether they have the required level of understanding of the laws and implications of cyber-bullying.
On the surface it could be assumed that Dr Carr-Gregg is aligning with the banning argument however if a deeper look is taken it could be said that by stressing the need for education for safe and ethical mobile use rather than an outright ban, Dr Carr-Gregg can see the potential benefit for mobile phones in education.
These benefits can be wide reaching according to a 2009 study reported by Elizabeth Hartnell-Young and Nadja Heym which found that there were many educational benefits to adopting mobile phone use in education including increased communication, increased levels of autonomy and using the phone functions to aid learning. The study found however that attitudes need to change as there is a focus on the negative issues that may arise from use. The authors state there needs to be a shift of focus from the tool (mobile phones) to the behaviour and look at ways to address these behaviours through strong policy and guidance rather than blaming the tool. This appears to be similar to Dr Carr-Greggs approach. Brooks-Young ( 2010, p.18) also reiterates this stance by saying that we need to establish digital literacy and etiquette standards and educate students in these. Perhaps it is time for an attitude shift away from viewing the mobile phone as a tool that could create issues to seeing it as a tool that has great potential with the consideration that users need education in the boundaries, etiquette and skills that come with the use of this technology.
AAP. (2011, October 21). Mobile phone 'licence' mooted for qld kids . Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/mobile-phone-licence-mooted-for-qld-kids-20111021-1mc06.html
Brooks-Young, U. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use, learning with web and mobile technologies. Corwin Press .Retrieved October 20, 2011 from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=RdRBS9bC-oUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Susan+Brooks-Young%22&hl=en&ei=l2ilToygOe6ImQWVlJSgCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Hanna, C. (2009, June 24). Teachers urged to rethink mobile phone ban . Brisbane Times. Retrieved from http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/teachers-urged-to-rethink-mobile-phone-ban-20090623-cv80.html
Hartnell-Young, E., & Heym, N. (2009). Mobile phones and student learning in secondary schools. Curriculum Leadership, 7(26), Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/mobile_phones_and_student_learning_in_secondary_sc,28526.html?issueID=11897
Karen F commented -
ReplyDeleteThis is a relevant topic for my school at present. I was once on the side of the fence that banned mobile phone usage but I have since moved to the other side of the fence and agree with Aidan McCarthy.I have reviewed my opinions on phones (and other deivces) in schools. I find them beneficial on many levels. With administration’s permission I have allowed students to use mobile phones and iPods for class use. The unit we have been doing requires calculators and three quarters of the class do not have a calculator but lots have other mobile devices. I have allowed them to use the devices as a calculator or a storage device as long as they are on silent. I have also had students access the internet when we don’t have computer access.
It seems to be working but there is one or two students who I believe are checking text messages as well – although it is difficult to manage as they just say they are using the calculator. It was initially a novel thing to be allowed to use personal devices, but in time it will be second nature. I even have a student who brings an iPad for notetaking. Mobile phones can a useful communication tool as well - when students are absent and assessment is coming up I get students who are at school to text the absent students and remind them of the assessment. This is very effective as often the student will text back straight away so I am then aware that they received the message.
I think that as mobile phones become more integrated into all aspects of our lives, the acceptance of such devices will also increase. I remember maybe 10 years ago there was a debate about whether teenagers should have mobile phones and that the opinion of many around me was that they were devices for adults. This viewpoint has now changed and most teenagers have mobile phones and use them regularly. I think that new technology is often met with a sense of fear of what negative effects could eventuate from it's use, but as we become more familiar with them, this fear diminishes. I believe that as time goes on mobiles and various portable media devices will become commonplace in the classroom. The devices are only going to become more sophisticated and encompass more features applicable to education.
ReplyDeleteAs a language educator, many of my students use smart phones in the classroom for a number of purposes. Students use them in place of paperback or electronic dictionaries and use google to search for relevant images. However, there are two main issues I have come across in the classroom, firstly that such devices are being used to send messages in class or play games on, the other is that there exists a divide between the haves and the have-nots. I would say around half to two-thirds of the class use smart phones, primarily iPhones, but there are also students who cannot afford these devices and still use paperback dictionaries and are thus left behind in terms of their ability to quickly access definitions and the like. In terms of the appropriateness of use of these devices, I think it is a good opportunity to trust in the agency and intelligence of the students, but also a challenge to teachers to make classes more interesting and relevant to the students than Angry Birds.