demic tasks in favor of games, media and so- cial networking. Given this view, educators are likely to resist the penetration of mobile devices into schools and institute rules to regulate their presence and use in the class- room. A second path is to accept the presence
of mobiles and try to find ways to integrate them into existing classroom practices. In this model, mobiles might serve as calcula- tors, calendars with homework reminders, browsers for information online, or as click- ers in a classroom response system, depend- ing on the classroom and the needs of the teacher.
Student skills as digital practitioners A third path, as we advocate here, is to
leverage students’ existing uses of mobiles – what we call their informal digital prac- tices – as entry points into STEM disciplin- ary practices. Instead of focusing solely on the potential utility of mobiles as convenient and potentially powerful tools, this ap- proach instead focuses on the students’ skills and knowledge as digital practitioners.
Capitalizing on students’ informal digi-
tal practices provides an avenue for doing more than simply providing an out-of- school relevant “hook” to try to motivate students’ interest on a problem or project. We believe it provides easier avenues for stu- dents to bring their own interests and identi- ties into the classroom context, where they can connect to STEM practices and path- ways. In doing so, we believe mobiles can help teachers move classroom work beyond the too-common focus on algorithms, facts and procedures, to also embrace mathemati- cal practices of modeling, testing, iterating, communicating and critiquing. n
References
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
White, T.; Booker, A.; Carter Ching, C. & Martin, L. (2012). “Integrating digital and mathematical practices across con- texts: A manifesto for mobile learning.”
International Journal of Learning and Media, 3(3).
Tobin White, associate professor of education at UC Davis, studies the use of technology in teaching and learning mathematics. Using a design-based research approach, he develops collaborative problem-solving tools and activities in order to investigate intersections between conceptual and social dimensions of learning. A former high school mathematics teacher himself, he has also worked for more than a decade in teacher preparation.
Lee Martin, assistant professor of education at UC Davis, studies people’s efforts to enhance their own learning environments, with a particular focus on mathematical thinking and learning. In everyday settings, he looks at the varied ways in which people assemble social, material and intellectual resources for problem solving and learning. In school settings, he looks to find ways in which schools might better prepare students to be more resourceful and flexible in fostering their own learning.
26 Leadership
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