Handheld Learning 2008

Background

The Bristol City Learning Centre (CLC) is a state-of-the-art Information Communication Technology centre committed to raising standards in education, run by Bristol Council. As part of the Government’s ‘Computers for Pupils’ project, the CLC adopted 530 Mobile Broadband enabled T-Mobile Ameos, PDA style devices for selected secondary school students across Bristol to offer them access to the internet from any location.

Under the ‘Computers for Pupils’ initiative, the ICT department works to deliver safe and easy to use internet access to pupils in the homes of some of the most disadvantaged secondary school pupils in the most deprived areas of Bristol.

The Government believes that giving children access to the internet from home can motivate pupils to learn, help develop key IT and life skills, and provide pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds the same opportunities and experiences as their peers. The CLC’s decision to adopt the mobile devices supports these ambitions.

The Challenge

The introduction of mobile technology into the schools’ educational programmes had to be treated with some care; it involved challenging the perception of parents, students and teachers regarding how young people use mobile technology. Teachers had to become familiar with the concept of using mobile technology in their lessons. Pupils had to be persuaded to see the devices as valuable educational tools, rather than distractions within the classroom. Parents were called upon to encourage the pupils to use the technology at home wherever possible. Their support for this ambitious project was essential, as they contributed to its funding.

Andy Menzies, the Technical Director for the project, explains, “Despite the innovative nature of this project and the initial level of adjustment it demanded, as the project has progressed, parents, teachers and pupils have fully grasped the ways the Ameos can be used to enhance learning and we are happy to say that all parties are now embracing the technology.”

The safe and productive use of the mobile internet by pupils was evidently at the forefront of the CLC’s concerns, particularly considering society’s current fears regarding children’s excessive and unprotected use of the internet. A content lock was therefore applied to the devices alongside standard filtering. Teachers have also taken time to ensure students understand how to use the devices securely, and not to give out any personal information.

The Solution

The ‘Computers for Pupils’ initiative allows local councils freedom to decide the type of internet technology which would be of most benefit to pupils. To thoroughly enhance pupils’ learning experience CLC did not simply want pupils to have internet access from their homes, they wanted to supply advanced technology which could be used in a range of locations and situations. After a competitive tender process involving several different network operators, the school chose the T-Mobile Ameo with Mobile Broadband speed connectivity, as the range of familiar applications and functions it offers were ideally suited to a learning environment.

The schools now use e-books where possible, preventing the students from carrying too many heavy textbooks around in their bags and saving on expenditure. The Ameo’s large screen is particularly helpful for this function. The device has two inbuilt cameras which can be used for still pictures and videos, as well as the facilities to record audio notes and make written notes quickly and easily by using the touch screen transcriber or the mini keyboard.

CLC was also impressed by T-Mobile’s extensive Mobile Broadband network coverage, as it was important that the devices allow internet access to pupils wherever they are.

“The T-Mobile Ameos advanced features are ideal for use in education. We have found them popular with both students and teachers, due to their ease of use and stylish design, as well as their diverse range of applications,” comments Menzies.

Access to online resources from any location

The Ameos offer high speed internet access from any location through T-Mobile’s Mobile Broadband service. This allows pupils to remain connected within the classroom, at home and even when on a field trip. This familiarity with wireless internet will help students to become accustomed to using the internet effectively for research purposes wherever possible from any location.

ICT Advisor, Nick Pears-Dent, whose role in the project involves analysing the educational benefits of the devices, commented, “The unlimited internet access offered on the T-Mobile web‘n’walk price plan encourages students to look beyond the confines of a textbook and expand their ideas and sources of knowledge, broadening their learning experience.”

High Quality Camera Phone

The Ameo devices have high-quality cameras, which means the students can include photographs within their work, offering them greater creative expression. They also have a sound recorder and video facilities which can be very helpful in drama and English lessons, where students can record performances of the texts they are studying and analyse them.

“The camera is the aspect of the device used and enjoyed most widely by pupils. It adds an extra creative aspect to many projects and can also help them with revision through offering a visual log of things they have studied,” says Andrew Menzies.

Focused lessons

The advanced capabilities of the software installed on the pupils’ devices helps them to save time in lessons by performing more menial tasks for them such as drawing graphs, tables and charts. Cutting down on the time that would otherwise be spent on these activities gives teachers longer to focus on the key objectives of the lesson, which might be the analysis of results.

Nick Pears-Dent describes one such example of its use, “When a teacher was conducting a science lesson on Hook’s Law, he installed a basic graph onto the pupils’ Ameos, and they filled in the results. This focused the lesson entirely on the outcome of the experiment and the principles behind it, which was exactly what the teacher was aiming to do.”

The Future

It is hoped that the project will act as an example of how mobile learning can be successfully integrated into education. In the short term, the CLC plans to work with T-Mobile to ensure the devices are used by more year groups within Bristol schools. In the long-term, the CLC believes that, as the Ameos become more thoroughly integrated into the pupils’ education, the family, school and wider community will also benefit from the technology through increased involvement of parents in their child’s education.

Andy Menzies is especially satisfied that the CLC has explored and adopted mobile learning ahead of many educational institutions, commenting, “We are happy to be working with T-Mobile on this innovative project. The many capabilities of the Ameo, combined with the excellent strength of the T-Mobile network, have played a huge role in ensuring its success. Mobile learning is an important and growing trend which will become more prevalent in the future. We have succeeded in fulfilling the Government’s ‘Computers for Pupils’ aim, providing all students with the chance to benefit from access to advanced mobile technology and the internet, rather than a privileged few.”