I
have recently read the article entitled Using
Handheld Wireless Technologies in School: Advantageous or Disadvantageous? by
H. Morgan. In this article, there were comparisons and findings from
studies that have been done over the last few years on education and the use of
handheld devices in the schools. Some of the studies were positive and
some not. One thing that everyone can agree on is that "students
need to learn how to use new technology if they are to be prepared to function
in the world" (Morgan, 2010).
There
are many electronic resources out there for students and teachers to use. The article mentions technologies that helps the teachers (and are widely
used in my district) to keep track of student grades, personal information, and
gives us the ability to communicate easier with parents
and administrators (Morgan, 2010). Morgan (2010) also writes
about the positive effects that handheld devices have on education, such as
being "green" (since no paper is needed to assign work to students
and none to turn in), and getting more interest from the students. On the other hand, these devices can be a
distraction and there are many schools that ban such devices.
Some
of the obvious uses that devices would have in the library would be to allow
students access to e-books. I have also had the privilege of
having access to a clicker system called eInstruction, which allows a
teacher to create quizzes, allow students the use of remote controls to answer
the questions and the system then records the grade achieved in the challenge.
While working with my students in the classroom, I was constantly referring
to books and articles. Had I had a handheld device in my possession that
was approved for school use, I could have given students more information about
those materials. Instead I had to wait until the students were working on
something else, and use the desktop in my classroom to chat with the librarian
to get more information.
Overall,
I believe that no matter what the schools say now, soon enough, handheld
devices will be in every classroom, though I don't believe that it'll make our
jobs any easier. I think that we will have a faster paced classroom and
we will have new challenges to overcome.
Morgan, H. (2010). Using Handheld Wireless Technologies in School: Advantageous or Disadvantageous? Childhood Education, 87(2), 139-142.
Retrieved September 20, 2012, from Research Library. (Document
ID: 2243616331).
