When it comes to the use of technology in education, I often say that it is not a generational gap, but a learning gap that prevents our older generations from accepting new technology tools for learning. I think I may have to amend my position. There are a few things about mobile devices that point to a generational gap that may be preventing by some an acceptance of these devices as tools for learning. I am a true believer that we consider an item as technology if it was invented in our lifetime. Therefore, I consider a cellphone technology, but my car in some form or another has always been with me since the 60’s and to me that is my car and not technology.
My younger daughter has had her own cellphone since Grammar school and full access to the Internet at home all of her life. She was Social Media involved as a toddler with Penguin World. She has always had a laptop, iPad and an iPod. We are fortunate enough and grateful to have afforded her those tools. She is now headed off to college with these experiences and tools in place. I often learn from her simply by observing how she uses things to learn.
This weekend we were spending time at the beach house that is pretty much cut off from the world. My daughter was working on a final paper and asked if she could download a book she needed from Amazon. I gave her permission and watched her download it to her Smartphone as she continued working on her laptop. In consideration of my own ailments and frailties, I asked if she would not better be able to read the book if it were on her laptop instead of her smartphone?
“No, this will be just fine,” was the answer.
That is when I got it. I would struggle with reading a book from a Smartphone, but not so much a teen’s problem. Teens are reading text on their phones 24/7. They watch full-length movies and TV shows on their Smartphones. They do not need to make adjustments from previous habits. I had to adjust from Desktop use to laptop use as an adult. That is not a problem for kids who are multi-users when it comes to the devices of technology.
The other big stumbling point when it comes to the acceptance of mobile devices used as tools for learning is the fact that the older generation perceives a cellphone as a phone, as the name would imply. Actually, the smartphone is a complex computer with phone capabilities in addition to thousands of other applications. Again, the youthful generation just uses the technology for communication, curation, entertainment, research, and photography without the oohs and aahs, while the older generation just marvels at all the bells and whistles of the new technology vicariously, through the experiences of others, often younger. While the older generation tries to figure out how to grant permission, while maintaining control over this new-fangled technology, the youth is employing it everywhere and all of the time, except in some cases in school. Adults are delusional to think that they have the power to control this technology.
If schools need to control Smartphone use, let them figure out ways to incorporate them interactively into lessons. Teaching kids responsible use is the best form of control. It is lifelong skill. Mobile devices provide a gateway to more relevant content than could ever be placed in a textbook. Why are we not preparing our kids with the skills to access, assess and utilize that content? Will they not need these skills in the technology-driven world in which they will live? They come to us trusting that we will be preparing them with what they need to thrive in their world in the future, but many of our educators are not even in the world of today. I have said this before. If we are going to educate our children for what they will need, we must educate our educators first. Technology is changing things too fast for us all to keep up without a little help from others. There is so much to know, that we have reached a point where many of us do not know what it is that we do not know. Whether this roadblock to technology use in education is a learning thing or a generational thing, collaboration may be the map to the way out. Educators need to connect and collaborate in all of the methods we have available to us in order to learn and share.
My Island View 
Once again Tom, you speak the truth. It is our responsibility as educators to engage our students in their world. It is here where they will establish meaningful connections, and become immersed in authentic learning endeavors.
I agree with you that allowing smartphone in class is a great way to teach responsibility. Administrators also need to help educate the educator on the learning potential of these devices. What I love about smartphones is that students can take a photo of the notes placed on the whiteboard, or use it to voice record the lecture. This is great for classes heavy in content.
Great post Tom!
Thank you for this much needed shift in perspective. I’ve been getting annoyed with students constantly using their devices for non class-related texting. I should take that as a sign that the devices aren’t busy enough!
Not a comment but an anecdote. Last weekend, I upgraded to an iPhone 5. Unlike previous phone upgrades, the service provider told me how to download all music and apps from the 4 to the 5. As I left the store, my new phone rang but old phone notified me of a Tweet. I was my surprised! I didn’t expect my old iPhone 4 to still function. I was able to go online, play games, and as I already noted, my Twitter feed was still coming through the iPhone 4. I said to my husband, “I may not have a phone any longer, but now I have a little computer.” My husband, much less the “techie” than I reminded, “You’ve always have.” Like you, I thought of my iPhone as a phone first and computer second.
One problem with smartphone use in schools is the smartphone policy creation process. Often times, the people in charge of creating the policy for smartphone use in schools are people that do not have much experience with the smartphones themselves. I would like schools to gather a lot of input about possible uses of smartphones form teachers and students who have a lot of experience using these devices. A policy becomes very “locked down” and limited when it is created by someone who is fearful of the technology they are policing.
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Getting our head around this technology can be difficult. We are not wired to quickly take on the implications of new technology. However, this generation are most definitely wired to soak it all in. I wrote something along these line in my blog, Press Play!
We are living in a mobile world and we are responsible to adapt for the sake of our students and their future. Everything is likely to be done on mobile devices in the future. It may even eliminate offices as we know them today.
A great article, thank you for sharing this with us. In order to use the tools that are available we must first learn how to properly use them. The potential uses for smartphones in classrooms are many, but if they are viewed simply as devices that deviate students’ attention away from learning then we will never be able to harness their full abilities.