Ready to Go Mobile?: It’s time for schools to leverage student devices

Photograph by Johan Larsson (www.flickr.com/photos/johanl).

Students, take out your cell phones and get ready to learn. This will be the year that schools realize the untapped computing potential that’s been walking through classroom doors each day in the pockets of their students. And why not? In most cases, those devices are more powerful than the aged desktops and notebook computers that schools are struggling to maintain on meager budgets.

According to a recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 35 percent of all cellular devices in the U.S. are now smartphones. It also appears that the growth of these handsets is helping to bridge the digital divide: 44 percent of black and Hispanic adults own smartphones compared to 30 percent of whites. When looking at household income levels, even though only 22 percent of households making under $30,000 a year have smartphones, younger members of this group are almost twice as likely (39 percent) to have a smartphone. This number is on par for all but the highest income brackets. Even more significant, for 38 percent of African Americans and Latino owners, their smartphones provide most or all of their Internet access (compared to 17 percent for whites).

Smartphones aren’t some magical panacea for the many issues we face in education. Despite making good strides toward closing the digital divide, we all know that the myriad problems associated with poverty will not be cured by the iPhone. Even so, the time has come for schools to stop wasting time and effort banning student electronics. Instead, we need to figure out how to work with students to find effective instructional uses for smartphones. And if a good percentage of our kids already own these devices, so much the better.

So what does this mean for school libraries? First, it would be great if your website displayed on those phones. For those stuck with a Flash-based content management system, consider pushing for a non-Flash mobile site that iPhones can access. If you’re creating or managing your own website, then it’s time to play. Andrew Dutcher, a librarian at the Dryden (NY) Middle/High School library, taught himself how to use a bit of Javascript to detect an incoming browser and automatically redirect smartphone visitors to a mobile version of his library’s website.

Next, plan on spending some time looking into mobile apps for learning. Bone up on cool smartphone tips and tricks from schools and libraries that have already taken the leap at the iPad Educators Ning. Put your own handheld to work and download apps like eClicker, a personal response system, or Gale’s suite of mobile resources for libraries (www.gale.cengage.com/apps), and give those a whirl. You’ll find more educational apps at the new Genesee Valley School Library System Appvaluator.

It’s essential to document instructional uses for handhelds in classrooms and libraries. Then you’ll have some leverage when you advocate for student use of personal devices.

Finally, get ready for the big ask, as in “We need WiFi.” It’s key to making everything work. Wireless access throughout the library and the school will allow students to access library resources—which are becoming increasingly digital—from wherever they are. In order to remain relevant, our libraries need to extend beyond our four walls and push services into classrooms and onto student devices.

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