7 #BYOD Building Blocks for Success

As more and more schools make the decision to embrace student-owned devices for learning, it's important that they incorporate strategies for success. Lifting the ban on devices and inviting them into the school is a start, but it is also important to put building blocks for success in place. To follow are the seven building blocks you should put in place to ensure you attain success.

7 #BYOD Building Blocks for Success

1. Start with pioneers - Incorporating cell phones and other student devices into learning works best when teachers are on board. Find out if you have teachers in your building who want to pilot this work in your school.  Let them set the stage and support others when they are ready.  

Should cellphones be allowed in school? My Response.

Do personal devices support learning? That's what I was asked by "The Signal" blog which facilitates a conversation about communication, safety and making families work.

The question was prompted after a recent study that found students performed better on exams under a cellphone ban which has been used to cast doubt on city's like New York who have lifted the ban. Of course studies such as these are highly flawed for numerous reasons. For example they assess students as though they live in a disconnected world where the tools we need for success outside of school are considered devices of cheating. Additionally, they look at environments where teachers look at student devices as weapons of mass distraction, rather than those where educators are knowledgeable about using devices as tools of engagement. 

I shared my ideas about how cell phones become learning tools when they are a part of, rather than apart from learning by following a five step plan and incorporating strategic building blocks to success.  Find out how by checking out the article here.

Using Cell Phone Technology to Support Students Who Struggle with Writing

Guest post  by Jacob Gunicki

For a long time software companies have offered a number of applications that allegedly support student-writing skills. These offerings include Inspiration, Don Johnston Software, Clicker, Write on Line, Dragon Software, as well as some web based options. Unfortunately, these applications have had limited success with helping students who struggle with writing. This has happened for several reasons, which are as follows;

• The interface for specialized software often has a clunky non-user friendly look. Subsequently, teachers servicing high need students are reluctant to learn how to use this software. Additionally, the targeted students find the interface non-appealing and are less likely to want to use this software.
• Specialized software is often expensive. This limits the ability for cash strapped schools to invest their limited funds in the software applications noted above.
• Specialized software only targets the needs of a narrow audience. This makes the software impractical unless your needs happen to fit the expressed purpose of the software developer.

Interested in Teaching with Mobile Tech? Read This Month's Ed Leadership

In case you missed it, ASCD's Ed Leadership magazine has an entire issue dedicated to "Teaching with Mobile Tech." My Teaching Gen Text co-author and I had the opportunity to contribute.

Here is an excerpt:

Teaching with Cell Phones

Research suggests that students are eager to use their cell phones for learning. Are schools ready to catch up?

Cell phones need not be a distraction in schools. Instead, they can be tools for sustaining engagement, supporting real-world cooperative learning, and empowering learning on the go.

Students already know this. According to a Project Tomorrow survey (2013), 78 percent of middle school students say they use their cell phone to check grades; 69 percent credit it with helping them take class notes; 64 percent enjoy its aid in accessing online textbooks; 56 percent say it helps them write papers and do homework; and 47 percent say it helps them learn about school activities. If students are doing all these things on their own, just think how much more they can accomplish when educators incorporate cell phones into instruction.

New Research: Banning Cell Phones Prepares Students for The Past

A recent study from the Center for Economic Performance in London makes a disturbing recommendation to ban students from using their digital devices for learning. The study making the rounds in stories like this one (The Conversation), this one (ABC On Your Side), and this one (NY Mag) disregards what innovative educators know and research shows: Paper assessments are a poor indicator of student achievement. 


The study indicates that after schools banned mobile phones, test scores of high school students increased by 6.4% of a standard deviation, which they say means that it added the equivalent of five days to the school year. It goes on to say the results indicate the ban has a greater impact on special needs students and those eligible for free school meals.

But before schools and districts start pulling devices from the students who need them most, it is important to take a look under the hood.

Nearly 60% of Teens Use Their Own Mobile Devices in School for Learning

The ultimate learning experience for students is both highly collaborative and extremely personalized, supported by mobile devices and digital content, reports Project Tomorrow in their latest Speak Up report.
Over the last few years of the Speak Up survey, more students and administrators have signaled the importance of being able to access mobile devices in the classroom, whether through Bring Your Own Device policy consideration and implementation or through school-provided technology. This year, nearly half of teachers (47 percent) said their students have regular access to mobile devices in their classrooms. Among high school students, 58 percent said they now use their own mobile device at school to support learning activities. 

Digital equity and access, particularly outside of school, remains an issue important to administrators. Of note this year, among students using mobile devices provided by their schools, half (51 percent of high school students and 46 percent of middle school students) say that their out of school internet connectivity is through a mobile data plan. Not to be forgotten, there are still students who report no regular access to technology in schools: 13 percent of high school students and 21 percent of middle school students.

9 Actions + Policies Necessary To Embrace Cell Phones for #MLearning + #BYOD

While interest is growing in the usage of mobile devices in school, a report on learning with mobile devices and social media tells us administrators still struggle with key concerns. Nearly half of principals identify teachers who are not trained in how to use mobile devices for instruction as the number one barrier. Teachers cite student distraction as their top concern of mobile use in the classroom.

Here are nine actions we must take to make responsible and educationally beneficial use of cellphones and other student devices a reality in the classroom.

Get Smart by Texting w/ @Text_Engine

When Teaching Generation Text was published in 2011 there were numerous ways to use text-only enabled phones for learning.  This was great for students and families who didn't have access to smartphones.  Back then there were terrific tools like Google SMS, Cha Cha, Wiffiti, and 4info. One by one as smartphones took the front seat, texting tools like those faded away, until now. 

Text Engine was developed to offer cell phone users a means to search the web using their text messaging service. This is great news for educators and students in low-income and rural communities.  

And that's a good thing, because while smartphones are popular, there is still a great need for text-only services in low-income and rural districts. There is also a need in districts like NYC that empower students to bring their own devices to school, but don't have the means to enable students to connect to the internet.  

The Evidence is Clear. When Used Responsibly Cell Phones Support Learning

Teens today.

Always on their phones. Lightening fast thumbs sharing content on Snapchat, Vine, Instagram, Twitter and more. While teens, teachers, and parents are familiar with cell phone's use as a social tool, more and more are discovering they are a great learning resource as well. There's even evidence and research to prove it. 

This is useful for the texting teen trying to convince school staff or a parent that they really do use their devices for learning. It is also useful for innovative educators who are trying to convince administration and explain to parents why they want to empower students by letting them use the devices they own and love.

Want to see the evidence showing how students can use mobile devices for learning?

Prepping for #BYOD ? Home-School Connection Is Key.

When schools lift the ban on cell phones, they need to decide if they want to embrace the use of student devices for learning. If they do, it doesn't "start" with inviting devices into the classroom. 

It starts in student's homes. 
What better way to help parents understand the instructional value of cell phones than to use these devices to strengthen the home-school connection? 


Cell phones provide a terrific means for connecting with parents. Teachers can begin using phones to develop and strengthen those relationships. This can provide a foundation and help develop understanding around the benefits and value of cell phone use in general and later for use with students. 

Here are three ideas to get started:

Confronting Fears - #BYOD for Students

While most adults understand the benefits of students having cell phones in school to stay in touch with parents for safety purposes, when it comes to classroom use, some have fears. These include concerns over data collection, privacy, being a distraction, replacing personal interaction, discipline, theft, use for bullying, and more. 

The concerns are real and they don't only apply to cell phone use. It's no different when doing many things at first: Crossing the street, using pointy scissors, talking to strangers, swimming, riding a bike, and more. While all of these activities have risks, because of their advantages, rather than banning them, we patiently guide children to do them with care and scrutiny. Personal devices are no different.

Here are some ideas to arm educators with strategies to address common concerns that may arise when students bring their own devices to the classroom.

Homework is Key When Preparing for #BYOD

When schools decide they want to embrace the use of student devices for learning, it doesn't "start" with inviting devices into the classroom. It starts with inviting the use of devices into homework. 

While parents understand why cell phones are important to stay in touch with their children and keep them safe, they may not understand their usefulness for learning. This is no surprise. Students haven’t been given the opportunity or guidance by teachers in doing so.

Rather than simply telling parents about the research and benefits of using cell phones for learning, show them!

Before using cell phones in your classroom with students, begin giving students the option to use cell phones to complete their homework. This gives the teacher the opportunity to allow students to use cell phones for learning without classroom management concerns. It gives students (and their parents) experience in using cell phones for learning. Yet another benefit is that using cell phones to support learning at home enables educational leaders see firsthand how these tools can support student learning. 

To follow are some Ideas for enabling students to use cell phones for learning at home. 

CELLabration Time! @NYCSChools Pave The Way for #MLearning with Cell Phones

Social Media isn’t the only area in which New York City is paving the way. As announced in the NY Daily News, the New York City Department of Education will lift the ban on cell phones and other digital devices in March.

Instead of banning devices, schools will have options including:

1. Store mobile devices in backpacks or a designated location during the school day.
2. Allow mobile devices to be used during lunch or in designated areas only.
3. Allow mobile devices for instructional purposes in some or all classrooms.

While there have been teachers, schools, and districts who have given students the freedom to bring cell phones and other technology to school, New York City is the largest. This will set the trend and help move others to open the doors for student devices in school.

Going #BYOD ? Educators Share Ideas on Using Devices for Learning

If you're in a school where students have access to technology they have amazing learning tools at their fingertips. While equity and access is wonderful for students, teachers must know how to harness the power of these devices. If they don't, these tools of engagement can turn into weapons of mass distraction.

Check out the slides below for some ideas.


Have ideas of your own? Please visit the presentation at http://tinyurl.com/textingideas and fllow the directions for sharing.

Teaching Gen Text authors explain why cell phones should go to school

My co-author Willyn Webb and I had the opportunity to speak with "Tech Page One - Insights from the Evolving World of Tech" to explain why cell phones should be allowed in the classroom.  You can read the entire piece at BYOD Goes to School, 

Here is what we said during our interview with the author of the article.  

Once considered a distraction, smartphones are now being used by teachers to expand teaching options

Lisa Nielsen, who blogs at The Innovative Educator and co-authored “Teaching Generation Text,” advocates for cellphone use in classrooms. She has taught students how to record podcasts, use Twitter and post photos to Flickr with their phones.

“My philosophy is that we should be preparing students for the real world, and it’s a world in which we rely on our cellphones constantly,” Nielsen says. “We can engage learners in really powerful ways that were never before possible.”

How cellphone capabilities are changing learning

Willyn Webb, co-author with Nielsen and a high school counselor and assistant principal in Colorado, says that when she started teaching only one video camera was available for her students. Now, thanks to smartphones, every student has the capability to take photos and video, and to stay in the loop when they are not in class.

Apps that Webb has used include Celly, which allows teachers to text students while not revealing phone numbers, and Poll Everywhere, which helps teachers conduct polls through text messages.

With their use of cellphones, students at Webb’s alternative high school are taking on more learning, even without being asked, she says. One time, during a brainstorming session, she took notes on the board and, instead of having students write down the information, she told them to snap a photo with their phones.

“Since they had the picture of the notes in their phones — and the phones are part of their real lives and real worlds — they made a decent amount of progress [at home],” Webb says. “It was a homework assignment I didn’t have to assign. It was part of the device they know, love and always have with them.”

The Innovative Educator named top 10 #BYOD (bring your own device) influencer

Onalytica put out their list of bring your own device influencers (BYOD) and The Innovative Educator was at the top of the list. 

You can see the top ten influencers below and the top 100 here. 

Rank	Twitter Handle	Name	PageRank (Normalised)
1	@MaribelLopez	Maribel Lopez	100
2	@MindShiftKQED	Tina Barseghian	75.25
3	@coolcatteacher	Vicki Davis	74.97
4	@NMHS_Principal	Eric Sheninger	60.83
5	@mssackstein	Starr Sackstein	43.17
6	@InnovativeEdu	Lisa Nielsen	35.91
7	@RossCoops31	Ross Cooper	28.06
8	@mluhtala	Michelle Luhtala	22.63
9	@andycinek	Andrew P. Marcinek	21.96
10	@jksuter	Jason K. Suter	21.93

Caution banning cell phones may interrupt learning

“The only difference between smartphones and laptops is that cell phones are smaller, cheaper, and more coveted by students” (Richtel & Stone, 2009). Students, parents, teachers, principals, and elected officials know it is time to lift restrictions and embrace these tools for learning. Below is their wisdom and the research to support it.

Students

• In general, 95% of teens use the internet and 74% are “mobile internet users” (Pew, 2013).  With or without us, students are using cell phones for learning despite the perception by some parents and teachers that cell phones are distracting to kids. A national study shows that 1 in 3 middle schoolers are using their devices to complete homework and learn better (Tru, 2012). 
• "... with cell phones tucked in the book bags and pockets of three-fourths of today's teens, many high schools are ceding defeat in the battle to keep hand-held technology out of class and instead are inviting students to use their phones for learning" (Malone & Black, 2010).

• Nationally, just over half (52%) of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of teachers of the lowest income students (Pew Research Center, 2013).  
• More than half of the world’s population now owns a cell phone, and children under 12 constitute one of the fastest growing segments of mobile technology users in the U.S. according to the The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (Shuler, 2009).  

10 ways the research behind banning #mlearning for children is flawed

You may have come across Cris Rowan's popular HuffPost piece explaining 10 reasons handheld devices should be banned for children under 12. You may also haveread the rebuttal from a librarian mom who explains why she will continue to give her children handheld devices. While the pro-device author explains the benefits of handhelds, what she doesn't uncover is that the research cited by the original author doesn't support her claims.

In fact, the research cited in the Rowan piece is so unsupportive of her claims, it seems possible that the real motive behind the article was to test the reader's gullibility. If readers had dug a little deeper, they'd find the truth.

The research focuses mainly on passive television consumption and video games that are either simple or for mature audiences. Much of it also is focused, not on pre-teens, but rather on teens and adults. The research shows a dearth of findings around the type of technology use in which the overwhelming majority of children engage.

How obsolete is your school? Take this quiz to find out.

In his recent article, "14 things that are obsolete in 21st century schools," Ingvi Hrannar Ómarsson, gives innovative educators, students, and parents some food for thought in their own schools. When I read the article, I couldn't help but think that an excellent activity would be to turn the article into a quiz for school staff, students, and parents. After taking the quiz, they could compare results, see where they are, discuss what is working well, and also figure out some ways to update practice.

The quiz is at the end of this post. Once you take it, share how you did in the below poll. Results from first poll:


In the comments, please share any tips, ideas, suggestions for how you've successfully updated outdated practices in your school. Hopefully we'll learn some good ideas from one another.     

Face off: @Twitter verses @Remind101 for family outreach via texting

To engage or not to engage? That is the question when it comes to figuring out the best platform for strengthening the home-school connection with texting.

Schools know that texting is a great way to reach out to families. It’s better than the “robo-calling” that is only one-way, is overwhelmingly reported as an annoyance to the Better Business Bureau, can disturb parents at work, or set off all the school staff phones ringing at the same time. They also know texting works well if you have a population that is less likely to have reliable, ongoing access to the internet. It’s also one of the best ways to get information right from your school and into the pockets of those who care about students.  

But with so many choices out there, which is the best one to choose?

Twitter and Remind 101 are two of the most popular free services available to text parents. But how do you know which one is best for you?