Recently a well respected colleague of mine sparked some really good questions. Albeit, through his own frustrations, but it started me wondering if we are trying to fit a square peg in a round whole. Or if we are just throwing the pegs out all together.
This post is all about: Controlling and Managing Learning Devices in Classrooms. Further, just because we can… Doesn’t mean we always should, right?
Here is the statement by a colleague that got me going down this path:
“I wonder how many hours are being spent on these devices. Everyone keeps talking about how they are changing the way classrooms work, but I am wondering if the change is really in how unmanageable they are and how technology people are going to have to get used to having to manage 1:1 again.”
Soooo… It is VERY true that it seems that new consumer based devices are coming through classroom doors by the bucket load. They are more affordable, easier to use (by the users), and have a “rock star” factor that is making everyone want one. This phenomenon is certainly good for sparking new thoughts on new/different ways of learning. Blended or hybrid learning environments are suddenly possible.
Now let’s attack the quoted statement.
- “hours spent on devices…” (getting them school ready)… Answer = a ton. Because these are consumer based devices, never designed for enterprise based management, folks are spending a ton of time trying to get them to act and behave like fleets of enterprise devices. It’s really tough. Take the simple operability of these devices on a standard school network. The final decision will continue to come down to: should we change the network (config) to make the learning devices successful??? OR should we should we only buy learning devices that work out of the box on the tried and true network??? One answer puts the network above learning. One answer could cause temporary chaos while troubleshooting what works best (could be tons of work)
- “Changing the way classrooms work…” Answer = teaching does not always equal learning. Therefore, if something is determined to improve learning, then it is not CHANGE… It’s IMPROVEMENT! When we have a choice to use or not use a tool, AND we chose to use it… That proves value add (most of the time). Hopefully we are not as concerned about the way classrooms work (a.k.a. “schooling”), as we are learning. Meaning, I’m hopeful that the learning process and learning environment is way more important than the process of schooling. Learning improvement actions should always win that debate.
- “how unmanageable they are…” I’m not saying “down with management.” I’m all for improved efficiencies (imaging devices, standardization, etc) that help keep the train on the tracks. However, that can’t always be the best solution for learning, for every teacher and for every student. Can it? For years now, we have not been managing cellular devices for teachers and administrators. Somehow that has worked out ok.
- “technology people…” Somehow we have to get on the same team. I guess, I see myself as a “technology person” AND an “instructional person” of sorts. Technology can’t always be in opposition all in the name of “ease of management.” I see a lot of division in technology people versus instructional people. When that is the case, a lot of time seems to be spent on the why’s and why not’s, as apposed to the solutions.
- “Managing 1:1…” Is there an opportunity to enable users to manage their own devices? I compare 2 school districts that have purchased iPads for all administrative teams. In the 1st district, iPads were passed out in a meeting still in the original package. Admins were instructed to unbox and sync with either their office computer OR their home computer (which ever makes more sense depending on where their “owned” content lives). They were also encouraged to setup their own personal iTunes account for their new devices, music and App purchases. In the 2nd district, all iPads were taken out of boxes and synced to one district level computer, one district established iTunes account was used on all devices. Admins were told to let the tech staff know if they wanted an App and someone would stop by and download it for them.
Examine both environments and think about “control of learning.” Question: should we ever get in the game of controlling learning? Imagine if someone told you that you could only learn specific things, at specific times, in specific places… Doesn’t feel very good, does it? I know that it would really cramp my style.
I’m just thinking these things through and trying to develope some ideas… I don’t have any answers. But questioning current practices is certainly valuable, as we charter new teritories.
Anyone have any ideas? More to come.