Runninghead: SMARTPHONES

Using Smartphones for Instruction in the K-12 Classroom Environment

Aves M. Ruffin-Justis

University of Maryland University College

EDTC 625

Professor Michael Ruffini

August 1, 2017
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Abstract

In this paper, I will discuss the cost effectiveness, pros, and cons for students and teachers

using Smartphones for educational purposes in the k-12 environment. The Smartphone has

become a staple with most teens today. Most schools/school districts have banned cell phones of

any kind from the classroom. Unfortunately, students have a reputation of using their phones in

school for texting, cheating and talking when it is against the rules. (Graham, n.d.)

Students have Smartphones in class anyway, let’s make good use of the free technology. I

am going to reveal the Smartphone can be as useful to class and home instruction as paper, pens

and pencils. (Ormiston, n.d.)

The cost of a Dell laptop for education is $349. (Dell.com) This price does not include

Microsoft Office and other programs that must be put on the laptops for the students. We have

14 of these laptops in our portable computer lab at Holly Grove Christian School. The average

class size is 18. Even with this portable lab, teachers cannot have their students work

individually on a computer. Unfortunately, students will have to share the laptops. The cost of a

student’s Smartphone is free to the school. Not only will the student be able to use the

Smartphone in the classroom but also outside of the classroom. The Smartphone is a great tool

for individual and group projects. Students can use their Smartphone in conjunction with free

apps to work on collaborative projects in the classroom and outside of the classroom.

Smartphones are a great tool to use with blended learning projects. Teachers can use

apps such as Edmodo, Google Classroom, Educreations and other free apps to give instructions
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and video tutorials to their students. Students can log in to the apps and post assignments.

Students can also receive feedback from his teacher and other classmates using these free apps.

With any new technology, there are also cons. Not all students own a Smartphone. There

are teachers that are not comfortable using the apps on a Smartphone because they have not had

the training on them. Teachers not understanding the technology or the apps that accompany it,

will be a hindrance to Smartphones being used to its fullest potential in the classroom.

Introduction

Technology is important to learning in the 21st Century classroom. Technology holds the

key to differentiated teaching. Unfortunately, most schools or school districts cannot afford to

purchase enough technological tools for each student in each classroom. Smartphones and

applications that can be used on Smartphones can be used in the classroom for project-based

assignments and collaborative assignments.

Smartphones in conjunction with free applications can be the answer to technology

deficits in our schools. Students are bringing their smartphones to school and are being

disciplined for using them to text, listen to music or to go on social media. Instead of

disciplining the student, we need to find a way to use this free technology (free to the school) in

instruction in our K-12 classrooms.

One program used in classrooms in IXL. This program has lesson plans, games, and

tutorials for math, science, etc. IXL can cost the school over $300. This cost only covers 30

students and 1 teacher. Each subsequent teacher must purchase another license to cover him and

his students. (S. Merlo, personal communication, July 27, 2017)

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IXL Program for 1 year

This is an email quote from IXL Learning: Thanks for contacting us! A single-subject

classroom license covers one teacher and up to 30 students for $359 per year. Students will have

unlimited access to all of our grade levels at Analytics to monitor usage, progress, and trouble

spots in real time. (S. Merlo, personal communication, July 27, 2017)

Note: This is the application Ms. Stein (Assistive Technology project) uses in her classroom.
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Integration

Virtual Reality is a fun and educational way to use Smartphone technology in the

classroom. Jesse Emspak, of Live Science says “Virtual reality means creating immersive,

computer-generated environments that are so convincing users will react the same way they

would in real life. The idea is to block out the sensory input from the outside and use the visual

and auditory cues to make the virtual world seem more real”. (Empsak, 2016)

The Virtual Reality apps I would use for my students are free. Students in each of my

classes must practice their public speaking skills through presentations and current events. Every

Wednesday each student must read a current event, prior to coming to class. During the class

time, each student must stand in front of the class and explain what they have read. This covers

public speaking and reading comprehension standards. This very simple assignment is very

difficult for some of my students. Standing in front of a group of people and speaking is a

phobia for a lot of students. I know this personally. When I was in elementary and middle

school, I was very shy. Speaking in front of a group of people made me sick to my stomach.

Unfortunately, Virtual Speech did not exist at that time. I got through my fear of public speaking

just by giving speeches in church.

In the past, some of my students, because of their public speaking phobia, have opted not

to present a current event Today, with the help of Virtual Reality App Virtual speech and a pair

of Virtual Reality goggles, I can assist my students with their public speaking phobia. This

resulted in a grade of a 0 for that assignment. Using Smartphone technology and Virtual Reality

goggles students can use a free app entitled Virtual Speech that can be downloaded to their

phones. Students can practice speaking in front of a virtual crowd. This will build the student’s
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confidence to give presentations or current events in front of the class. The Virtual Speech App

can be changed to include a small or large crowd.

I also use the interview aspect of Virtual Speech. Adventure Fitness is a business

simulation I use with my 8th grade students. Before receiving the job of Word Processing

Specialist, they must construct a resume, complete an application and go through an interview.

Most of my 8th grade students have never been interviewed. Being interviewed can be an

intimidating process the first time you go through it; therefore, I include it in the pre-simulation

work units. Using Virtual Speech, students can practice interviewing skills and techniques. The

virtual interview is in front of a panel of interviewers who ask questions of the student. The

student is given time to answer each question. Not only does this process give students practice

with interviewing but it also sharpens their critical thinking skills. Students can take the

questions are asked of them by the panel and research or construct good answers for the

questions. By doing this exercise before the Adventure Fitness interview, students will be better

equipped to answer the questions at the Adventure Fitness simulation interview and in a real job

interview in the future.

Virtual Reality games and apps can be used with math assignments. Business Math is a

remedial math that uses Microsoft Excel to better explain basic math and math used in business

applications. There are times I use online tutorials and games to assist my students in

understanding the concepts better. When some of the students go home, they no longer have

access to the tutorials. Using free games and tutorial apps on a Smartphones will even out the

playing field for students who do not have access to a computer and or internet at home. (Allen,

2011). In a blended learning environment, I can use the lesson the students learned that day,
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assign tutorials and game on their Smartphone for homework. The next day, I can use free apps

such as Kahoot to give a quiz on the newly learned concpts. (Allen, 2011).

Students can use the Smartphone for collaborative group projects. There are free

collaborative apps students can use on their Smartphones. A group project meeting can be held

using Face-time to talk to each other. Emaze, Educreation and other apps can be used for

students to collaborate on a presentation at the same time. If students can use their Smartphones,

these collaborative projects can be done not only during class time but also after students leave

the class. Students without internet at home usually have a data plan on their Smartphones.

They can set up meeting times and attend meetings from anywhere. Students can be on their way

to soccer practice or at home watching t.v. and meet with fellow classmates using free

Smartphone apps. Otherwise, the collaborative projects will be confined to a computer lab or

classroom (using a portable lab) which makes it inconvenient for the student and may make it

harder for each group member to fully engage in the assignment and complete the project on

time. (Ormiston, n.d.).

Advantages, Limitations and Cost Factors

Smartphones: Students 12-17 years old

Students who do not
own Smartphones
22%

Students who own Smartphones

78%
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One of the pros of using Smartphones for instruction is accessibility. Today, over 78% of teens

between the ages of 12-17 own a Smartphone. In 2004, 71% of teens between the ages of 12-17

owned a cellphone. In 2015, 78% of teens between the ages of 12-17owned a Smartphone.

(Pew Research Center, 2015). Not only do students own their phones, they spend a lot of time

getting familiar with their Smartphones. Since students have their technology with them, why not

put it to use.

Smartphones are mini computers. (Barack, 2007). Students can use Smartphones for

individual and group project assignments. For instance, if a student needs to research and write a

research paper on the upcoming eclipse that will be happening in August, he can use his

Smartphone for this assignment. He can research eclipses using the NASA and NOAA

websites. He can take notes from these websites using Evernote or another free notetaking and

organizational app. Then the student can use the free Office app to type his project. All of this

can be done using one device-Smartphone. (Edutopia, 2012).

Another pro of using Smartphones is how much money they save schools/school districts.

Many school/school districts cannot afford to buy laptops for each student in a class. Also

because students take notes, organize, and submit their projects from their Smartphones, this

saves money on the school use of copier paper and printer ink. Students buy their own

Smartphones. Because most students own cell phones, those in class that do not may share with

others. (Ormiston, 2017). For my class, I plan to write a grant for 2 Smartphones. The

Smartphones will be purchased to compliment the Virtual Reality units I will be using in my

classes this year. The Virtual Reality apps such as Virtual Speech will be used in conjunction

with Google Cardboard and the Smartphone. Google cardboard and Virtual Speech can be used

with either an Android phone or an iPhone. Schools, school districts and even teachers can apply
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for technology grants. I plan to apply for the Community Foundation Education Technology

Update Grant.

A con of using Smartphones in the classroom is not all students own a phone. If 78% of

students between the ages of 12-17 own a Smartphone, in a class of 27 students, 6 students do

not own a Smartphone. These 6 students are at a disadvantage. One way to get around this

deficit is to write a grant for 6 phones to be used in the classroom. Another way to get around

this deficit is to have the students share the Smartphones. With Smartphone sharing, arises

another problem, students talking to each other instead of concentrating on the assignment. This

will require the teacher to be vigilant about keeping the students on task. (Edutopia, 2012).

In my school, there are filters on the server so my students cannot view websites that are

not school approved. However, with Smartphones there isn’t any way for the teacher nor the

tech team to monitor what students are viewing. With any technology, teachers must be vigilant

in monitoring what their students are viewing Smartphones are not an exception to the rule.

Professional Development

Institutions such as Simple K-12 and Edweb.net offer free webinars for teachers on

mobile technology use in the classroom. However, teachers must be proactive and register for

these webinars. In the past year, these webinars have covered subjects such as Virtual Reality,

Augmented Reality and how to complete your E-Rate forms in order to afford these

technological tools. These webinars are not mandatory. If a teacher chooses not to attend, he

does not have to attend.

Tech Talk Live is a great face-to-face professional development resource. Tech Talk

Live is a 2-day professional development conference for educators. The conference is held every
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year in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The conference is fueled by leading tech personnel in their

field. Not only are there presentations but also demonstrations on the new technology. There is a

registration fee. The information I receive is worth the cost.

For the Association of Christian Schools, there is a web based professional development

forum entitled ConNexus. ConNexus offers online video driven tutorials and trainings that can

be done at the teacher’s leisure. ConNexus offers training and tutorial channels in all subject

areas. The Formative Assessment channel offers 3 tutorial videos on using mobile technology

for assessment. (Salerno, n.d.)

The Educational Technology channel offers 6 tutorial videos on using mobile technology in a

blended classroom environment. (Beadle, n.d.). These tutorial videos can be viewed at any time.

As an added incentive, after each video teachers are given continuing education credits.

In the past, I have attended the Simple K-12 and Edweb.net webinars and I have watched

several tutorial videos on ConNexus. I took good notes from each of the webinars and tutorials.

The live webinars were also recorded for teachers to be able to refer to them at a later date.

Summary

The use of Smartphones in the classroom will take care of several budget issues. Using

Smartphones will provide school/school districts with free technology. Smartphone technology

in conjunction with free apps will also save on copier paper and ink. Students will take notes on

their Smartphones, organize their information on their Smartphones and in some cases, submit

their assignments from their Smartphones. In a project based learning environment, students will

be able to meet with their groups via Smartphone and collaborate on their projects in and out of

the classroom. This gives students flexibility and options of when to work on their projects.
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With any technology there are cons. Smartphones are no exception. Teachers will have

to be vigilant in keeping students on task with using Smartphones. Not all students own

Smartphones. If 78% of students own Smartphones, in a class of 27 students, 6 students will not

have a phone. Teachers will then must decide whether to allow students to share or find other

ways for students who do not own a Smartphone to complete their assignments.

According to Robledo,(2012) Put simply, mobile devices are becoming as essential to

students’ daily lives as, say, breakfast . Since this free technology is available to use, why not

take advantage of it. Instead of making Smartphones the enemy why not befriend it and use it in

the k-12 environment.

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References

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Barack, Lauren (2007). Hangin’ with the Cool Kids. School Library Journal. (53) 2. doi:
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Beadle, Mark ACSI, ConNexus. Blending Classrooms with Mobile and Online Technology.
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Crawford, Christy (2014). 10 Terrific Ways to Use One iPad or iPhone in the Classroom.
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Salerno, Mitchell. ACSI, ConNexus. The New Classroom Model: iPads, an LMS and Google
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