As part of their Mobile Learning initiative, Abilene Christian University has begun a new program that involves giving iPhones to incoming freshman. With the iPhones and the software they’ve designed, an incredible amount of innovation is possible in extending the classroom and giving students access to learning materials that are both class-related and college-wide. Imagine having syllabi, access to research databases, and course readings available anytime with just a few touches! They also describe plans for the use of podcasting, hybrid online/in-class discussions, and instant polling throughout their “mLearning” initiatives.
This and other programs in their Mobile Learning initiatives are available on their website. They even produced a video entitled “Connected” which provides their vision of what it might be like for a student who has access to this powerful technology.
As you’ll notice in the video, the iPhones that students get are not restricted to educational use. Facebook and other social networking sites are accessible, along with general internet, texting, and emailing capabilities. You can also see how the technology may present particular problems for communication in the classroom and more generally between students and professors. For example, professors are texting students and encouraging online research during class discussions.
So, although their programs may have a lot of potential to change the way students learn for the better, I worry that they also risk creating distractions and promoting poor communication. How connected is too connected?
I have to say, I don't see this as anything to get that excited about, and to me it represents a perfect example of misplaced educational resources. As a teacher I see my students facing many challenges. It really is not a problem that they can't electronically access course material 24/7. I don't see how iphones will help improve their reading abilities, reading comprehension, critical thinking or writing. Only teachers can do that and it takes an incredible amount of time, energy, patience, knowledge and training. I WISH my biggest problem as a teacher was getting the course materials into the students' hands.
Interesting stuff, David. I agree, Diana, that here at CUNY we certainly face different challenges than our colleagues at small schools like ACU. That said, we will have content streamed for students' mobile phones very shortly — probably by the end of this academic year. In this case, iPhones (or any kind of "smartphone") will become more useful for Baruch students and will probably become more common on campus. Will the school start giving them out to students? Probably not.
Wow– and all I got for free on my first day of college was a Frisbee from the Student Activities Center! But seriously, I do wonder about the "message" being sent to students about access to technology. It's interesting to think about a college creating a potential sense of entitlement around certain technological innovations, the equivalent of which may not realistically be within their grasp when they graduate from college. Outside of its pedagogical pro's and con's, does a gift like this encourage students to lose track of the class dimensions involved in accessing certain technologies?