How administrators can leverage mobile technologies

Four ways administrators can leverage mobile technologies to boost student engagement

mobile-devices-learningFrom tablets to computers to mobile phones, our access to information–and each other–is continuous. Young people not only embrace this constant access to information, but they have come to expect it. I would even argue that today’s students aren’t that interested in “going online.”

Booting up, opening browsers, logging on, navigating–they will do that when needed. But their preference is really to engage on mobile devices. One-third of children between the ages of eight and 10 have their own mobile phone, and teens aged 13 to 17 are the fastest growing age bracket for smart phone adoption. Even kids in higher poverty areas who don’t have access to other forms of technology have higher rates of cell phone access.

Yet, despite all of this, most students are still being asked to “power down” when they enter into classrooms. They go from a having constant connections outside of school to a static learning environment. The National School Board Association found that nearly 65 percent of students use mobile devices in schools, even when prohibited.…Read More