It Takes a Mobile Village to Raise a Mobile Child: Developing Mobile Learning across the Community

1. It Takes a Mobile Village to Raise a Mobile Child: Developing Mobile Learning across the Community Sheryl R. Abshire, Ph.D.Chief Technology Officer Calcasieu Parish Public Schools Lake Charles, Louisiana sheryl.Abshire@cpsb.org www.cpsb.orgCalcasieu Parish Public Schools  Lake Charles, Louisiana

2. District OverviewCalcasieu Parish Public Schools Mission: Provide Quality Education for All Students • Southwest Corner of Louisiana • 30 miles North of the Gulf of Mexico • 2 Hours West of Baton Rouge • Borders the State of Texas • Fourth Largest School District • 1,094.5 Square Miles • 33,000+ students Pre-K through Grade 12 • 54% at-risk student population • 25,000 Computers (approximate ratio: 1.5 students per computer) • Strong focus on technology for over 20 years

3. Digital Shift “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” ~Marc Prensky

4. Shift from “What’s Taught” to“What Students Need to Be Able to DO” To succeed in 21st century college and careers, students need to be able to: • Solve problems • Communicate • Adapt to change • Work in teams • Analyze and conceptualize • Reflect on and improve performance • Manage oneself • Create, innovate, and critique • Engage in learning throughout life

5. Mobile Explosion • By 2015, 80% will access Internet via mobile devices, - Ericsson. • Mobile devices outsell traditional PCs, -Morgan Stanley.

6. Mobile is Where It’s At By the year 2020, most people around the world will be using a mobile device for their primary means for connecting to the internet. Pew Internet and American Life Project Mobile Subscribers 2012Total active mobile subscriptions or accounts . . . . 6.7B (was 5.9B in 2011, growth 14%)Unique mobile users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 B (was 4.0B in 2011, growth 8%)Actual mobile phones in use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 B (was 4.8B in 2011, growth 8%)Source: TomiAhonen Almanac 2013

7. Mobile Trend • Clear and present impact on schools. • Nearly 50% of middle & high school students are now carrying some form of smartphone - a 47% increase from 2009 Project Tomorrow • Computing devices are getting lighter and more mobile. • By 2014, education organizations will purchase twice as many tablet computers as laptops and notebooks. Gartner

8. Mobile Trend “Through mobile devices and instant access to the Internet, students now see the world as their classroom and they have clearly stated that using their own mobile devices anytime or anywhere to learn will help them improve their personal productivity and learning.” Project Tomorrow

9. Mobile Trend Paget Hetherington, 2014

10. Mobile Trend Paget Hetherington, 2014

11. Mobile Trend “Students will no longer come to school and power down their technology, but will use it to create an education environment that reflects their lives. The teacher becomes the learning coach, not a gatekeeper to all things academic.” ~Gartner Paget Hetherington, 2014

12. Mobile Learning & School Leaders Challenges for District Leaders • Providing a safe online learning environment • Filtering & protecting content & hardware • Enforcing AUPs • Protecting privacy • Ensuring equality for all students • Maintaining network compatibility • Supporting a variety of BYOD (bring your own device)

13. Mobile Learning & School Leaders Other Issues • Budget Constraints: Upfront costs have been traditionally prohibitive • Smaller, less expensive devices available • Lease options help defer capital investment • Battery Life • If handheld dies, student is left out • Extended battery life and faster recharging • Durability: Costs of maintenance & support • Professional development for teachers • Content • Purchased, district developed or open source Lightspeed Systems

14. Mobile Learning & School Leaders Future of Open Source in K-12 “This stuff isn’t without its costs. It’s not like free beer. It’s more like free puppies.” ~Steve Hargadon, Director of the CoSN K-12 Open Technologies Leadership Initiative

15. Our Responsibility • Enthusiasm for mobile technology is clearly quite high • K12 leaders must ensure that the vision is aligned with the reality. • K12 leaders are challenged with ushering in the tools, technologies and infrastructure necessary to make mobile learning effective and successful in K-12 schools. Intel - Going Mobile: Strategic Best Practices for K12 IT Leaders

16. Mobile Learning Critical Components • Visionary leadership and commitment • A clear and shared vision • Addresses the needs of the district/community • Technology is not the focus • Technology is the support tool for learning • Develops 21st century skills • Solves problems that are not “Googlable” • Engaging, authentic and relevant • Robust technology capacity to support mobile learning • Professional development geared to new learning approaches • Scalability • Policies that promote and enhance the initiative Leadership for Mobile Learning - CoSN

17. Why Mobile for CPSB? • Students’ Devices • Investment in Digital Content • Ability to Push Content • Raising Stakes with Common Core • Move to Constructivist Environment • 24/7 Access

18. Technology Infrastructure • Mobility, from the perspective of technology leaders, is essentially an infrastructure issue. • Raises questions about management, networking, server infrastructure, end user devices and security standards. • Some observers contend that schools should invest less per device and focus on making computing and communication capabilities available in a wireless environment. • Technology leaders can expect to invest more in centralized infrastructure—such as desktop virtualization and wireless local area networks— that cost-effectively support mobility. Intel - Going Mobile: Strategic Best Practices for K12 IT Leaders

19. Broadband Access • E-rate has been successful funding discounted network connections to the Internet…..infrastructure (priority 2)…not so much. • But E-rate does not cover data services. • K12 leaders must consider access demands and possible fees when planning to provide connectivity for mobile devices. • Consider other infrastructure decisions • Investments in wireless LAN • Critical to broadband campus access Intel - Going Mobile: Strategic Best Practices for K12 IT Leaders

20. Security and Control • School and student owned devices are in use and boundaries less clearly defined • Challenging to ensure that data and personal privacy are secure • Concerns about theft, vandalism & privacy are issues • These issues must be addressed – in advance • Possible solutions • Identity management • Access control • Mobile device management • Strengthen AUP & student code of conduct • Parent and student statement of assurances Intel - Going Mobile: Strategic Best Practices for K12 IT Leaders

21. Best Practices Lay the Foundation • A mobile device program demands a robust wireless network. • Most handheld devices have weak wireless antennas and can drop off networks quite easily. • As a result, manufacturers have ­developed robust wireless access points and management systems to meet the demands • Given how quickly technology evolves, even 5 year old networks may lack the reach and sensitivity needed to handle load. • Strong user policies and board support also are required. • Board-approved social media policies can provide teachers with a sense of security as they seek to develop appropriate uses for these tools in the classroom. Strategies for Making the Most of Mobile Learning Tools in the Classroom - Alex Inman

22. Powerful Opportunities, Powerful Results • Mobile learning is about power—the power of technology to connect for enriched learning. • Mobile devices allow students to learn around the clock –access to experts, original sources, state of the art tools, and ways to express and publish ideas to peers and beyond. • Concept of personalized learning has existed since well before the Millennium in “21st Century Learning” • Growing presence of mobile devices and their educational potential will force change in our concept of learning environments and curricula that finally allows us to realize the vision. Intel