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Experts give advice on mobile learning

Mobile learning success comes from school board support and sound policies, experts say.

At this year’s Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) conference in New Orleans, not only did most attendees carry their iPads and smart phones from meeting to meeting; the annual conference also featured its main discussions around the topic of mobile learning.

Supporting national research that predicted mobile learning will become prevalent in one year or less [1], CoSN launched an initiative [2] to help school leaders understand how to lead mobile learning programs successfully in their districts. The organization also hosted notable school district, state, and national leaders, as well as private-sector experts, to discuss strategies for mobile learning implementation.

eSchool News, with the help of JDL Horizons’ EduVision [3], was on the scene to interview these leaders about their thoughts on mobile technology in education:

Karen Cator, director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, has devoted her career to creating the best possible learning environments for this generation of students. Cator discusses the crisis in the American educational system and how mobile devices can support every student’s 21st-century learning.

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Lucy Gray, director of the Project for Mobile Learning, explains how she views technology and new media as essentials in facilitating educational and societal change.

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William Rankin, director of Innovative Education at Abilene Christian University, has been active in exploring the ways that converged mobile technology—and especially Apple’s iPhone—can transform teaching and learning in the 21st-century classroom. Rankin also summarizes his keynote speech, which delved into how culture has adapted to new learning technologies throughout the ages.

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Shawn Gross, managing director for Digital Millennial Consulting [4] and executive director of the Institute for Personalized Learning, discusses mobile computing; specifically, how districts can implement mobile technology in the classroom with step-by-step guidance on everything from how to manage school boards to how curriculum can adapt to mobile technologies.

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Michael Flood, AT&T’s Education Solutions practice manager, provides expertise on mobile learning from a K-20 perspective. Flood also discusses the pros and cons of various mobile device implementation strategies, including BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

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Becky Fisher, director of educational technology and professional development for Albermarle Public Schools in Charlottesville, Va., discusses how policy infrastructure and professional development need to adapt to mobile technologies. Fisher gives specific examples of policy frameworks to support mobile learning from her work with CoSN’s new Mobile Learning Initiative.

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Other video interviews from CoSN include…

State and national experts:

Aneesh Chopra, United States Chief Technology Officer [5]

Keith Krueger, CoSN CEO [6]

Todd Hindmond, director of IT, Chair, Georgia K-12 CTO Council [7]

Vince Humes, chair, CoSN Small District Advisory Panel [8]

Darryl LaGace, chair, CA CoSN Chapter CETPA [9]

Todd Hindmon, chair, Georgia K-12 CTO Council [10]

Gayle Dahlman, CoSN director of Certification & Education [11]

Linda Sharp, project director for CoSN’s Cyber Security and IT Crisis Preparedness Initiatives [12]

Ann Ware, project director, CoSN, Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent and Data Driven Decision Making Initiatives [13]

Chris Dede, Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard [14] University

School and district leaders:

Gideon Sanders, director of Partnerships/Internships, McKinley Tech High School, D.C. [15]

Sheryl Abshire CTO, Calcasieu Parish School System in Lake Charles, La. [16]

Sarah Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the Year [17]

Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland [18]

Tim Wilson, Osseo Area Schools’ CTO, was awarded the 2011 Withrow Award [19]

Greg Whitby, executive director of schools, Parramata, Australia [20]

Don Manderson, IT director, Escambia School District, and Florida CoSN Chapter Chair [21]

Dr. Dan Maas, CIO for Littleton Public Schools [22], Colorado

Mary Ann Beseda, executive director of Technology, Spring ISD, Houston, Texas [23]

Alice Owen, executive director of technology at Irving ISD [24], Texas

Jean Tower, director of technology for Northborough and Southborough Schools, Massachusetts [25]

James Bosco, professor emeritus in the Department of Educational Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan [26]

Tammy Estes Fry, lead instructor of the 2020 Teacher Education program, Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kansas [27]

Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent Lake Washington School District, Washington [28]

Pete Just, chief technology officer, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township [29]

Mike Jamerson, director of technology, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, Indiana [30]

Lewis Wynn, technology director, Rockville School District [31]

Lissa Pijanowski, associate superintendent of academics and accountability for Forsyth County Schools [32], Georgia

Business leaders:

Kristen  Parsley-Atkins, director, Wireless Reach, Qualcomm [33]

Stephen, Breslin, CEO, Futurelab [34]

Karen Greenwood Henke, Managing Director, Nimble Press [35]

Vicki Bigham, President, Bigham Technology Solutions [36]