Mobile devices in the field, the cloud and the classroom

1. Mobile devices in the field, the cloud and the classroom Philip Monk

2. The ‘traditional’ approach • Desktop PCs and laptops • Expensive • On-going software & support costs • Immobile • Lack of staff knowledge • Mobile devices being ‘trialled’ for extended periods • Evaluation against existing paradigms • Utility expected to ‘emerge’ from [novice] use? • Social Media banned or limited • Easier to ban than to use • Limited understanding of services at senior level • Media stories

3. Modern mobile devices • Characteristics • Increasingly feature-rich • Touch-based • Easy to learn • Interconnected • Long battery life

4. Social media • Social networking (e.g. Facebook) • Blogs and microblogs(e.g. Twitter) • Collaborative wikis (e.g. Wikipedia) • Content communities (e.g. Youtube, Podcasting) • Social bookmarking (e.g. Stumbleupon) • Benefits: accessible, immediate • Problems: trustworthiness, reliability, privacy

5. Cloud services Characteristics • Remotely accessible computing resources and storage • Free/low cost • Benefits: Low support costs, high up-time, competition driving development. • Drawbacks: smaller feature set for apps, reliant on internet connection, data/child protection. Providers • Google‘Apps for Education’ : Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs/Sheets/Slides; Forms and Fusion tables. • Microsoft: Skydrive, Office web apps • Apple : iCloud • Evernote • Dropbox

6. Implementation • Benefits: Flexibility, functional equivalence, mobility, ease of use, enriched experience • Problems: Reduced ability for extended work, limited content creation, theft, obsolescence. • Deployment • Training • Security • Management • Cases • Apps

7. Integration & use

8. Exemplar | Year 7Norseywood • Local cross-curricular fieldwork • Geo-located, annotated photography (iGotU/Skitch) • Film (phones, cameras, tablets : Cloud) • Tweets of located learning • Mapping (topographical, geological), aerial photography (context)(3G data) • GPS tracklogs (iGotU/Garmin/app) • Data collection and sharing via Cloud (e.g. Evernote, Fusion Tables)

9. Exemplar | Year 8WatTyler Country Park • Integrated fieldwork – The geography of my stuff • Google/Bing/Here/Openstreetmap/Digimapfor schools (OS Mastermap) mapping, iGeology and MySoil to provide context in both field and classroom • Film (more complex – narrative by editing) • Augmented Reality (AR) • Geo-located, annotated photography (iGotU/Skitch) • Data subsequently used to produce choropleth maps of land use, project work (written & app design) about sustainable building

10. Exemplar | Year 9Earth Galleries • Promotional fieldwork • iTunesU, Youtube, pupil generated resources on earth hazards & tectonics prior to visit • ‘The Elements’ app, Gems & Jewels, Wikipanion • AR creation (pictures/video) • Evernote collaboration – notes, pictures, questions • Utilisation of travel time– follow up work initiated immediately

11. Exemplar | GCSESnowdonia • Controlled Assessment in ICT equipped FSC centre • Digimapfor Schools OS 25k mapping in field • iGeology & MySoils • GPS tracklogsand site-waypoints to location data/graphs • Waterproof GPS camera/geo-located pictures (tablet/smartphone/iGotU) collated and annotated in the field with Evernote/Skitch • GPS Log app • Cloud services for field data entry and sharing: Numbers/iCloud, Sheets/Google Drive, Office webapps/Skydrive, Dropbox

12. Exemplar | A-LevelCumbria / North Yorkshire • Advanced integration • Evernote/Dropboxcollaboration across (sub)groups • Digimap mapping supplemented by iGeology, MySoils, Fieldtrip GB, GPS Log and Google Earth, integrated with desktop software and services such as ArcGIS online. • Photography/video, Vimeo • Cloud services for field data entry, sharing: and to begin processing in field: Numbers/iCloud, Sheets/Google Drive, Office webapps/Skydrive, Dropbox • Meteoweather apps • Twitter • GPS tracklogs, waypoints and geo-located photographs with Google Earth/Memory map

13. Delivery • Significant investment in User Interface design means lower training costs and quicker training • Pupils are mostly confident and intuitive users but lack the higher order skills teachers can provide • To be effective use has to be consistent and integrated requiring cultural change • Use Twitter/LinkedIn/RGS to develop the professional network you need to realise the potential of what you have

14. Development • Need to accept this is rapidly developing technology • Todays devices are transient but capable • Teachers should adopt a kinaesthetic approach and let the pupils help you see possibilities. • Use the resources you already have • Student digital leaders • Interested staff • Parents? • Services, devices and apps are constantly evolving. • App Store for Education • New software and devices reflecting focus on Education sector

15. Costs • Costings: 18 tablets, 1 mobile handheld device • Android c£7,500 • Apple c£10,500 Including: • Secure storage • Device cases • Subscriptions • Initial apps • 1month 3G in first year

16. Ownership • Ongoingannual costs c£135 (mostly ex VAT) • Evernote Education subscription (£20) • Google drive (100Gb) (c£38) • 3G data (for 18 tablets + 1 teacher device) (£66), • Weather Data subscription (£4) • Other app data subscriptions (£Variable) • Assume 4-year obsolescence • TCO pa Apple - c£2900 • TCO pa Android – c£2000 • Unique benefits & capabilities

17. Questions? Philip Monk prmonk@gmail.com @Philip_Monk