Blog Post 2: Article on Handheld Devices

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).