RML: Using Mobile Devices for Community and Team-Building in the Classroom

This interactive, experiential BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workshop has its foundation in two guiding principles: (1) Building a sense of community in the classroom helps address the whole learner including achievement and academic success, and (2) Mobile devices are extensions of young people. As such, they should be leveraged in the classroom.

Young people are connecting with one another through technology in unprecedented ways. Computers, wi-fi networks, and smart phones allow young people 24/7 access to technology and to one another. Using smart devices in educational settings as learning and community building tools can promote interpersonal communication and encourage young people to positively express their individuality and build their student-to-student, student-to-educator relationships. The activities that will be presented and experienced during this workshop use the technology that young people use - cell phones, social networking sites, laptops, blogs, and digital cameras. These activities focus upon and build diversity and cultural sensitivity, teamwork and problem solving, self-reflection and self-exploration, and communication and self-expression (adapted from Wolfe & Sparkman, 2009).

Through participation in this workshop, you can expect to:
• Understand the importance of building community in the class.
• Explore the research about the use of mobile devices by young people.
• Learn through experience at least six community-building activities that you can use with your students.
• Develop ideas and strategies for integrating mobile-driven team building activities into your classroom environment.
 
This workshop is divided into three parts:

1) Exploring research on the importance of building a classroom community and how young people are using their mobile devices.

2) Learning, playing, and experiencing team-building games using mobile devices - see http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/team-and-communit... for a list and descriptions of these activities.

3) Large group brainstorming through Wallwisher and discussion - how these ideas and activities can be integrated into one's own work environment.

Supporting Research:    
Cisco. (2011). Air, Food, Water, Internet – Cisco Study Reveals Just How Important Internet and Networks Have Become as Fundamental Resources in Daily Life. Retrieved from http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleI...

Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., Purcell, K. (2010, April). Teens and Mobile Phones. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones.aspx.

Schaps, E. (2003) Creating Caring Schools. Educational Leadership, 60(6) p. 31-33.

Smith, A. (2011, August). Americans and Text Messaging. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phone-Texting-2011/Summary-of-F....

Shuler, C. (2009). Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning New York: Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Retrieved from http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports-23.html.

Teaching Today. (n.d.). Cell Phones in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/cell-phones-in-the-classroom.

Wallace. J. (2011). Student-Community Collaboration to Construct Mobile Learning Games Educause 24(3). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolu....

Watters, E. (2011). Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/texting-classroom-audrey-watters.

Wolfe, B. D, and Sparkman, C. P. (2009). Team-Building Activities for the Digital Age: Using Technology to Develop Effective Groups. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.