using learners’ own devices

Go to View > Header & Footer to edit April 11, 2023 | slide 1RSCs – Stimulating and supporting innovation in learning

Using Learners Own Devices

Gordon Millner – Technical Advisor, RSC-EM

www.rsc-em.ac.uk

April 11, 2023 | slide 2

Can everyone

switch off their mobile phone please

On silent/vibrate will not be sufficient, I want it switched off

Can you all put your laptops and iPads etc away please and get out pen and paper

No texting or tweeting or taking notes electronically is allowed

"By now almost everyone owns one and uses one, often more than one.

Not only do they own them and use them but they also invest considerable time, effort and resource choosing them, buying them, customising them and exploiting them ….


“These devices express

part or much of their owners'

values, affiliations, identity and individualitythrough their choice and through their use


“They are

both pervasive and ubiquitous,

both conspicuous and unobtrusive,

both noteworthy and taken-for-granted

in the lives of most people …


“This explains in part why mobile learning is not just e-learning on mobile devices;

it also hints that we might leverage learners' own devices and in doing so take education into new modes, spaces and places."

(Prof. John Traxler, Univ. of Wolverhampton, 2011)


Let’s look at some

FACTS


1.2 billion text messages sent by people in the UK

every week

Mobile Data Association (MDA)


95 per cent of UK households have access to mobile devices



there are now more mobile devices in

use in the UK than there are people.



What’s missing?

“Technology is playing an increasingly

important role in people’s lives


“Staying in touch with friends and family by

email and arranging your life by SMS is fast

becoming the norm


And then there’s the

uploading of messages, posts and photos to

facebook and twitter

videos to youtube


“Similarly it must therefore be that technology is playing an increasingly

important role in a learner’s life


What about

netbooks,

notebooks and

tablets?

Which do you think are going up or going down in sales?


UK Netbook sales strong in 2009 but going

DOWN 22% in Oct 2010 and by

DOWN 40% in Nov 2010 compared to same month in previous year

Christmas 2010 was the end of the netbook PC phenomenon


Mainstream portable sales UP

32% in Oct 2010 and

24% in Nov 2010 compared to the same months a year before


Tablet sales UP

424% in Nov 2010Compared to same month in 2009

Remember though:

there weren’t many tablets about in 2009

Apple’s iPad – 60% of all tablet sales, the 3G version accounting for 80% of the

share

STATS: channelweb.co.uk April 11, 2023 | slide 19

So lets give our students a device to use then

Giving or loaning devices for the purpose of a learning activity may not always be a solution. In a recent project XDAs were given to learners for the purposes of the project, but were rejected as being too large and complex and because the learners already owned (and preferred to use) other devices.

Quotes from the case study include:– “They found the XDA too large and complex for everyday convenience, yet

too small to manage a full range of files.“

– “Our students do not seem interested in carrying an extra device.”


Do you have examples in your organisation of learners own devices being used?


Does your organisation have barriers that prevent students using their own devices?



So what now?

REAL scenarios:1.Management want to reduce their capital spend on equipment and suggests to not update PCs this year in some classrooms, even remove them altogether and let students use their own devices instead. This will also reduce the need for as many ICT technical support staff and so save money

2.Students and staff want to learn and work the “Martini Way” across the campus/organisation with their own device(s)

3.A student is caught viewing rude material on their laptop computer. They are using their own USB 3G dongle and so are not connected to your network

4.Students are using their mobile phones on a field trip

5.“Johnny” cannot afford to have his own mobile device and so cannot participate in lessons

6.Mary’s brother is always missing his learning support session

What issues are raised?

Will all students want to bring in their own device for fear of theft, bullying, getting broken

What about digital exclusion? Some students can’t afford their own personal devices

Devices are personal and will usually contain a great deal of personal data and information. Could this personal data be compromised during everyday use in a formal education context?

Is it ethical or desirable to ask students who have purchased their personal devices, to use them for purposes they may not have expected them to be used for?

What about wear and tear, or accidental damage of the devices during learning?

Who would pay for replacement or repair, or insure the devices during these kind of activities.

Supporting the range of devices, is more technical staffing needed Security of network


What issues are raised?

Legitimate use of device whether using network connection or own connection Needing appropriate actions in place in case of breach of “responsible use

policy” Expense of managed wireless network and continual virus checks/updates of

devices Separate areas of network may need setting up and what type of access are

you allowing to devices. Everything including workarea… or internet and email only??

Do students have their own work area, perhaps cloud-based? JANET acceptable use Are there more opportunities for learning spaces? What about charging facilities for batteries? Who’s responsibility? What about printing? Do they need to print?


What are the benefits?

It fits in with the learner’s way of life “Martini” learning and improved “ownership” of their learning 24/7 access Learners take photographs, record sounds and videos on trips or in the

classroom. Geotagging is now a possibility Flexibility and choice seem to be key, and link in with the idea of enabling and

encouraging creativity. Better communication … assignment submissions, deadlines and

announcements, SMS notifications of closures/timetable changes, keeping potential students “warm” before they start.

Use SMS positively and supportively as well as for chasing. Allow learners to subscribe to SMS, giving them choice which is empowering Learners taking notes in class, photos of board, copy/paste into assignments. Learners can carry around electronic versions of their handouts, PPTs, etc all

the time, also becomes searchable compared to paper. Also made available in different formats, eg. Audio/video/text, thus they can be more inclusive


Any Q’s

Gordon Millner – Technical Advisor, RSC-EM

E: [email protected]

T: 01509 618120


Further Resources

This presentation was part of the RSC East Midlands e-fair 2011“Becoming an agile learning provider” for more information and to see all the resources go to:

http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=227


using learners’ own devices

Education

personal devices devices

loaning devices

devices express

mobile learning

mobile phones

everyday use

money students

network students