Examining How Teachers Use Mobile Devices in Their Teaching: A Multiple-Case Study

1. Examining How Teachers Use Mobile Devices in Their Teaching: A Multiple-Case Study Min Liu, Cesar Navarrete, Erin Maradiegue, and Jennifer Wivagg The University of Texas at Austin EdMedia 2014, Tampere, Finland

2. Mobile Learning • Benefits Using Mobile Technology in K-12 Education 1) Flexibility and accessibility 2) Interactivity 3) Motivation and engagement • Challenges 1) Devices are viewed as entertainment devices 2) Classroom management issues 3) Change of teacher-student interactions

3. ELL Student Support • Using Mobile Technology for English Language Learners (ELL) Offers: 1) ELL students access to “people resources” 2)Information access to facilitate academic language learning

4. Method • Multi-case study: elementary, middle school, high school • Research Context District Student Population: 18,000 ELL student: 810 (4.5%) District area: 600 sq. mi. • Implemented a mobile initiative by providing an iPod touch for every ELL student and allow 24/7 mobile learning access • The teachers were provided training and support

5. Teacher Interviews • 2010-2011: Four interviews were conducted with the two middle school teachers • 2011-2012: Six interviews were conducted two elementary and one high school teacher • Interviews were conducted at different times of the school year to gain an understanding of how the teachers were using iPod Touch devices

6. Interview Questions: • How are you using the iPod Touch devices? • How did you use the iPod touch in your teaching? How does that compare to student learning without the iPods? • Do you see any challenges in using the iPod? Please explain. • What, if any, challenges are there in developing iPod touch activities? Examples? • How is the iPod touch used outside of the school day?

7. Study Participants • Teachers and their students (Pseudonyms) Elementary: Clara and Lydia Middle School: Virginia and Claire High School: Monica • Data Sources Multiple interviews Classroom observations Data collected in two-year long project(2010-12)

8. Teachers’ Demographics

9. Elementary: Clara & Lydia Clara and Lydia- same school team teaching • Used for reading and math skills • aligned with state test • Clara was responsible for device management • Lydia used it with Accelerated Reader • Audio/ visual support for reading and writing

10. Elementary: Clara & Lydia Clara: ‘Okay, get it out and start working on your times tables’ or ‘get it out and work on Divisibility’[app].” Lydia: “There is less of me and more of them.”

11. Middle School: Virginia Virginia English language learning: reading, listening, comprehensionreference tool learning games Device as family-to-school resource: I had searches on one. It was a job inquiry. I was checking what the students were looking at and it came up, ‘job inquiry’ or ‘job application’. I went back to the kid and asked, ‘Are you filling out job applications?’ Oh no, dad was doing that.

12. Middle School: Claire Claire Student language development: audio recording readings every day grammar skills pronunciation and fluency Device as a “private tutor” • It always waits, patiently, for an answer. It doesn’t judge them. It’s all that kind of stuff… I think that’s big and nobody knows that they’re asking, it’s private, it’s between them and [the iPod], so they don’t feel stupid.

13. High School: Monica Monica Student academic language development: Small group for one-hour a day In-class support in content courses; Reference resources; Readings with Internet resources Games apps for learning Describing her use for reading practice: “We’re reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I’m having them look up pictures of maybe Scout or Jim… a mockingbird, so they could see what a mockingbird looks like and sounds like.”

14. Extended Learning Support easy information access and communication (Sharples, Corlett & Westmancott, 2002). Discursive learning: Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Traxler, J. (2005) Academic literacy in English and scaffold their content learning as well as language acquisition (Li & Edwards, 2010).

15. Language and Content Learning Video and audio enabled devices for multimodal support (Banister, 2010) Students learned at their individual levels (Koole, 2009).

16. Connection of School & Home Support of English language learners as a “Cultural tool,” that empowers the learner with a feeling of belonging is consistent with the iPod shuffle research (Craig, et al., 2007; Patten & Craig, 2007).

17. Teacher-student Relationship Mobile devices provide possibilities for student-centered learning (Hennessey, Ruthven, & Brindley, 2005; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Glazewski, Newby, & Ertmer, 2010). Discursive learning: Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Traxler, J. (2005)

18. Time Challenge • Time demand in developing proficiency and lessons Clara: “So, it is more preparation. It is more work.”

19. Technical Challenges • Technical glitches had impact on usability in schools Virginia describes: “I had, like 56 wireless [devices] trying to hook up to 1 hub. It overwhelmed the hub; the hub shut down and so we had to spread out all over the building, we couldn’t give them those directions, [we had to give] those steps, one by one.”

20. Maintenance Challenges • Management of devices, charging, updates, downloads, monitoring, etc.

21. Conclusion • Mobile learning can offer 1) flexibility and accessibility, 2) interactivity, and 3) motivation and engagement • Teacher classroom use needs on-going and just-in-time support from school administration • More empirical research is needed

22. Thank you Question? Contact Information Min Liu: mliu@austin.utexas.edu Cesar C. Navarrete: ccnavarrete@utexas.edu  Liu, M., Navarrete, C. C., Maradiegue, E., and Wivagg, J. (2014). A Multiple-Case Study Examining Teachers’ Use of iPod Touches in Their Pedagogical Practices for English Language Learners, In D. McConatha, C. Penny, J. Schugar & D. L. Bolton (Eds.) Mobile Pedagogy and Perspectives on Teaching and Learning(pp. 165-185), IGI-Global Publishing. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4333-8.ch010