‘Sir, can I just take a photo of that?’
The inevitable question comes when the bells sounds as students, who haven’t been able or bothered to copy the notes down during the lesson, want to rush off to recess.
In the high school context of NSW, this all too common situation speaks to a broader question than just the recording of notes, i.e. does the affordance of the mobile technology improve or hinder learning for the students? And consequently, given that mobile technology is constantly evolving (Bower, 2017), how (if at all) should their use be controlled? The presence of mobile devices, in particular mobile phones, in schools is a hot button topic at the moment. A quick online search will highlight the prevalence this debate. From
and
to
it is clear that the discussion of mobile phones in schools is not only one of today’s most dominant educational issues, but very much a divisive one, too. And, like many divisive issues, the conversation in Australia has become politicised, with politicians use sound bites citing teachers as ‘constantly asking kids to put their phones away’ (Khalil, 2019, June 26th), as evidence to support their agenda. The Victorian government has since decided to ban phones ‘during school hours in state primary and secondary schools’ (Khalil, 2019, June 26th) from 2020. And, following a ‘Review into the non-educational use of mobile devices in NSW schools’, the NSW government ‘announced that in response to the recommendations… the use of mobile devices during school hours will be restricted in NSW public primary schools.’ (2019, August 29th). The divisive nature of this debate can be seen where some commentators highlight this sledgehammer approach to ban phones both as ‘common sense’, saying it is ‘about time’ and as ‘idiotic’ and ‘total ignorance’ (Khalil, 2019, June 26th).
Mobile technology, particularly phones, are used by the vast majority of young people in Australia. In fact, ‘9 out of 10 Australian teens aged 14 to 17 own a smartphone’ (Roy Morgan, 2016). And while there is much research to support the positive impact of mobile technology in the educational environment (Kim, et al., 2010), where, ‘mobile learning becomes a good instrument for pedagogical transformation’ (Domingo & Garganté, 2016, p. 21), there also seems to be holes in the research, where the ‘empirical evidence’ may be ‘limited’ (Pimmer, et al., 2016). Bower (2017) highlights this tension by listing a raft of positive potentials of mobile technology from, ‘Providing flexible and convenient access to learning’ (p. 273) to ‘Catering to special needs’, while also understanding the possible limitations, including ‘Cognitive overload’ (p. 281) and ‘Equity issues’ (p. 283).
Just as the conclusions regarding the effective use of mobile technologies within the high school context of NSW are neither entirely positive nor entirely negative, rather the discussion is quite nuanced, so too should be our control of such devices in schools. With, research suggesting that the teacher/actor delivering the learning, through the mobile technology, is the key to fostering effective learning (Bower, 2017), the total ban approach appears then to negate teacher agency and disallows any nuance that could be developed by the teacher for the individual learning context. The sledgehammer approach to control of mobile learning devices may just throw the educational baby out with the mobile technology bathwater.
References –
Bower, M. (2017). Design of technology-enhanced learning – Integrating research and practice. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Group
Domingo, M. G., & Garganté, A. B. (2016). Exploring the use of educational technology in primary education: Teachers’ perception of mobile technology learning impacts and applications’ use in the classroom. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 21-28.
Khalil, S. (2019, June 26). Victoria’s school phone ban labelled ‘idiotic’. Central Telegraph. Retrieved 22nd October, 2019, from https://www.centraltelegraph.com.au/news/vic-school-phone-ban-labelled-idiotic/3763795/
Kim, P., Hagashi, T., Carillo, L., Gonzales, I., Makany, T., Lee, B., & Gàrate, A., (2011). Socioeconomic strata, mobile technology, and education: a comparative analysis. Educational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 59, No. 4 465-486
NSW Government (2019, August 29). Review into the non-educational use of mobile devices in NSW schools. Retrieved 22nd October, 2019 from https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/strategies-and-reports/our-reports-and-reviews/mobile-devices-in-schools
Pimmer, C., Mateescu M., & Grohbiel, U. (2016). Mobile and ubiquitous learning in higher education settings. A systematic review of empirical studies. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 490-501.
Roy Morgan (2016, August 22). 9 in 10 Aussie teens now have a mobile (and most are already on to their second or subsequent handset), Roy Morgan, Australia, retrieved 22nd October, 2019 from http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6929-australianteenagers-and-their-mobile-phones-june-2016-201608220922
EDCN865 - David Hall 
Hi David,
you gave a really good overview of the actual situation regarding the use of mobile devices in the schools in NSW. Differing opinions can be quite confusing and you managed to shed light on that. After reading your post I have to say that I totally agree with you. A ban of mobile devices is a very radical move. If teachers are the ones who are accountable for the students learning success, they should have the possibility to try new ways or as you said to find ‘nuances’ necessary to enhance learning and adapt to the changing learner needs through M-Learning (Bower, 2017). Maybe we just need to establish some important ground rules, including the acknowledgement of limitations and possible issues (like equity issues and the danger of cognitive overload, as mentioned by you).
Surely the possibilities to use apps for teaching seem to be endless and, thus, sometimes too complex and overwhelming. Nevertheless, neither schools nor teachers should be scared to implement M-Learning in their teaching. Quite the contrary should be the case, to support this process, schools can design programs that ‘offer teachers practical teaching opportunities’ which can help to change ‘teacher beliefs and anxiety’ (Chiu & Churchill, 2016, p. 324).
Particularly the posts in our study unit demonstrate what can be achieved if teachers take a closer look at opportunities and issues, and reflect on those in a critical way. Teachers need not only to have the courage to try mobile learning out and to risk something, but they also need to invest energy and time if they want to effectively use mobile devices in their classes. Schools can ‘suggest how to reduce possible extra workload when integrating mobile devices in classrooms. For example, they can hire teacher assistants to help in-service teachers in the beginning stages when implementing plans of mobile device integration, which the teachers would feel more comfortable or confident’ (ibid).
Lastly, teachers should always be looking for the best teaching methods and resources, teaching involves a life long process of learning. Now there are only greater technical possibilities. As the case with any other medium, the relevant pros and cons of mobile devices and apps must be weighed. However, the question is not if but when and how the usage makes sense.
Moreover, I wonder how successfully such bans can be enforced. I can imagine that students still manage to secretly use their phones. Indeed, most people can hardly imagine their everyday life without such devices. Therefore, clear rules should be better than a ban, or not?
Stefanie
References
Bower, M. (2017). Design of technology-enhanced learning: Integrating research and practice. Bingley, UK. Emerald Publishing Group.
Chiu, T., & Churchill, D. (2016). Adoption of mobile devices in teaching: Changes in teacher beliefs, attitudes and anxiety. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(2), 317-327.
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Dear David,
You post effectively addressed a number of the key issues relating to this new blanket ban on mobile phones that the NSW government will be introducing into its schools in 2020. With the staggering data that you referred to – ‘9 out of 10’ Australian teens aged between 14 to 17 own a smartphone (Roy Morgan, 2016) – makes me continually think that we as educators are missing out on an important opportunity to harness a tool that is already in the hands of our students (Bower, 2017). In order to not fall behind other, I have seen students use their mobile phones to access their maths app and complete their activities on the bus on the way to school. Similar when we have been faced with an unexpected Wi-Fi outage, students have to not hesitate to take out their mobile phones and either access the content on them through mobile applications or use them as hotspots.
I can’t but agree that this sledgehammer approach to the control of mobile phones is definitely throwing the educational baby out with the mobile technology bathwater, with the same ongoing issues occurring in classrooms. Students will adapt to their surrounds and find ways to communicate, perhaps email will become ‘cool’ again!
I believe that it may sadly will only take one emergency situation that a mobile phone could have prevent for this legislation to be under instant review!
References
Bower, M. (2017). Design of technology-enhanced learning – Integrating research and practice. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Group
Roy Morgan (2016, August 22). 9 in 10 Aussie teens now have a mobile (and most are already on to their second or subsequent handset), Roy Morgan, Australia, retrieved 22nd October, 2019 from http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6929-australianteenagers-and-their-mobile-phones-june-2016-201608220922
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