Mobile Learning

Unfortunately, I do not have my own classroom yet so I was unable to try any new tools. However, as an Educational Systems Coordinator, I am incorporating iPads into my curriculum and am really excited to see how those turn out. In the schools I work in, I would say we are more tech savvy then some other schools. We have Smart Boards, Smart Tables, computers in every classroom and now iPads. However, if I had my own classroom, I would be interested in seeing different ways that I could use cellphones. WhenI was in school, cellphones were known as a distraction, a toy and something that always got confiscated. I want to use it as a tool, a resource and something that students could benefit from. I think if we used the tools that they're interested in, it would help motivate them to learn.

I believe that mobile technology can be great for all sorts of things. Devices like cellphones would be great for taking polls, commenting on topics through social media and collaborating. Other mobile technologies such as iPads and tablets give students and opportunity to learn in different ways through applications and software that can accommodate any type of student learning style. In my classroom, I would really like to use cellphones during an activity where students could text each other a conversation in Spanish. I think it would be cool to learn the short-cuts of Spanish text messages as we have them in the U.S. I think this would give students an insight of how people in Spain their age communicate. I also mentioned this in a blog on Classroom 2.0, you can read my response below:

Blog Response:

I would definitely love to use cellphones in my classroom some day. I think they would be an awesome asset to a foreign language classroom. Like we have abbreviations in English while texting, I think it would be cool to have students text each other using abbreviations in the Spanish language. Then they could share their conversations with the class and have other students make out what they are trying to say. I think this would be a cute and fun classroom activity. Not only would it permit students to practice the language but they would learn a little more about the culture by understanding the words and abbreviations that they use. Has anyone else used a cellphone in a foreign language classroom? I would love hear the feedback!



Some challenges that I can see occurring when integrating mobile technology into the classroom is financial issues. Mobile technology is not necessarily cheap and may not be accessible to all students. Another issue is actually integrating these devices appropriately. I think it would be important for me to plan these lessons ahead of time to see how well they would actually work. Some times teachers don't use technology effectively and that is because they don't know how to properly use the technology. This is something I hope not to run into.

Below is the poll of questions I would've gave to my students if I had my own classroom regarding technology.