Digital Thinking and Mobile Teaching

Digital Thinking and Mobile Teaching

Communicating, Collaborating & Constructing in an Access Age
Dr. Renee Robinson , Dr. Julie Reinhart Saint Xavier University, Chicago

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Description

Regardless of instructional level the classroom is a dynamic environment filled with opportunities to explore various subjects as well as to experiment with teaching and learning practices. Due to the pervasiveness of technology and student owned mobile devices, learning spaces are all the more dynamic. To assist teachers and students in thinking about how to utilize mobile devices in instructional spaces, this book explores how mobile devices can be incorporated into learning environments to promote a digitally-rich curricula resulting in a framework that identifies a right time, right place and mobile device aimed at maximizing student learning. Consequently, the authors explore how mobile devices can be used to create mobile learning environments built upon educational theories, methods of assessing mobile devices, apps and student learning and infrastructure considerations required of liquid learning in formal and informal instructional spaces. The text also includes case study examples from elementary, secondary and post secondary settings to assist readers in applying the book’s concepts in a concrete fashion.
Preface

A mobile device is any hand held tool that permits Internet access and allows for communication and collaboration between the end user and others; they are devices that are constantly connected to the Internet. Some specific examples of mobile devices include iPads, smart phones and tablets. Access to these devices has grown significantly as well as the mobile device’s capabilities. For example, The 2011 Horizon Report, sponsored by The New Media Consortium shares, “According to a recent report from mobile manufacturer Ericsson, studies show that by 2015, 80% of people accessing the Internet will be doing so from mobile devices. Perhaps more important for education, Internet- capable mobile devices will outnumber computers within the next year” (Johnson, et. al, p. 12). In part this outnumbering will occur due to mobile device advancements and the opportunities they provide regarding access to information, collaboration with others and construction of documents and other materials required of individuals’ personal and professional expectations and responsibilities. The increased pervasiveness of these mobile devices will significantly affect educational spaces in various ways.

Educators, as instructional designers and facilitators, will be directly impacted by mobile devices. While educators are experts in their specific fields, they frequently do not possess the knowledge and skills that manifest in the pedagogical practices required of how to incorporate mobile devices into their instructional spaces. This deficiency occurs due to a lack of education, preparation, and training in how to deliver instructional content to a diverse student population (Robinson, 2012) incorporating instructional practices involving mobile technologies that can promote engaged and experiential learning opportunities for students. Technological literacy and fluency, what it means regarding instructor preparedness to teach, and how technological and pedagogical strategies intersect with the educator’s content area of instruction as that relates to student learning is an area of concern because of the complex nature of the teaching and learning process, societal expectations and practices consisting of student preparedness to enter the ‘real world’/workforce and societal technological prevalence.
Content

    Introduction to Mobile Devices
        Mobile Device Characteristics
        Importance of Mobile Devices
        Prevalence of Mobile Devices
        Mobile Learning
        Instructional Challenges to M-Learning
        Summary
    Educational Theories to Consider when Instructing with Mobile Devices
        What is experiential learning?
        Why is experiential learning important?
        Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model
        Understanding by Design (UBD)
        Summary
    Assessing Tools and Ways to Assess
        Assessment Strategies for Mobile Technology
        Assessing Applications for Mobile Devices
        Assessing Mobile Devices
        Summary
    Infrastructure: Learning Spaces
        Paradigm Shift
        Learning Spaces Defined
        Summary
    Mobile Technologies and Assessment of Student Learning
        Formative Assessments
        Summative Assessments
        Selected Response Assessments
        Performance-based assessments
        Summary
    M-Learning Instructional Application
        Theoretical Perspectives Revisited
        Case Study 1 (Elementary School): Advancing Creative Writing Skills via Student Generated Multimedia Books
        Case Study 2 (High School): Exploring Biological Concepts via Student Created Video Projects
        Case Study 3 (Higher Education Setting): Investigating Historical Figures via a Class Created Documentary
        Preparing for Your m-Learning Experience
        Summary

About the Author

Dr. Renee Robinson Bio

Dr. Renee Robinson is an Associate Professor of Communication at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. Her communication areas of expertise include organizational communication and instructional communication. Dr. Robinson has published and presented numerous papers on classroom assessment, communication pedagogy, computer mediated communication and classroom instruction as well as mobile technologies and student engagement. Robinson is a curriculum developer and previous department chair. She has served as a university-wide faculty developer and has worked in a number of leadership positions in various higher education institutions working to prepare both faculty and students for a changing work world.

Dr. Julie Reinhart Bio

Dr. Julie Reinhart is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. Her area of expertise is in Instructional Systems Technology. Dr. Reinhart is an active researcher who publishes in the areas of technology integration, distance education, and school reform. She also serves as the Director of the STEM Education Center at Saint Xavier University.