Digital Reading Spaces

With the rapid growth in digital texts and their use on mobile media such as iPhones, e readers and laptops there has been little time for educators to catch their breath and consider the implications that e books and e readers will have on teaching, learning and literacy.

As with any new innovations, there are alarmist claims surrounding the increase in digital reading, particularly with younger and younger children having access to mobile media.

Sensationalist yes, but Mod (2010), captures the sentiment of many online writers on the topic when he poetically states;

Print is dying.

Digital is surging.

Everyone is confused.

(http://craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/. Retrieved September 20, 2010)

A recent research paper by Terje Hillesund, ‘Digital Reading Spaces: How Expert Readers Handle Books, The Web and Electronic Paper’ offers a balanced consideration of the issues and implications  This paper gives a comprehensive overview of e reading in all its forms.

Hillesund begins with a history of print and reading, dating back to codex in the second and third centuries, and particularly focusing on the physicality of reading through the ages. Whilst there is much research on the cognitive aspects of reading, Hillesund is of the belief that there has been little research done on the physical nature of reading - the handling of books and technology (2010:2).

This lack of attention to the physicality of reading has been interesting to consider. When I have been introducing e readers (the Kindle) to staff and students in my P-7 educational setting, their first comments have overwhelming been connected to the look and feel of the device. Comments have included “wow the surface is nice and soft like the cover of a book”, “it is lighter than a book isn’t it”, and “I could read that in bed and my hands wouldn’t get sore like with my laptop”.

Hillesund’s research participants were academics, but similar comments relating to the actual devices were common, with focus groups commenting on the size, ease with which it fits in the hand, use of buttons and screen size, before commenting on function (Hillesund,2010:3).

This focus on the actual device should not perhaps be surprising, laden as we are with a multitude of mobile media devices. Though it must also have the functionality they require, many mobile media users are concerned first with the look and feel of their phone or laptop.

The 2010 Horizon Report has e-readers as on the ‘mid term’ horizon, that is adoption into the mainstream of institutions in three to five years (Johnson, Levine, Smith and Stone,2010:6). However e-readers such as the Kindle, Sony Ereader, Kobo, Eco Reader and iPad are in their infancy in educational settings, particularly in the P-7 setting (Smith, 2010, Alder, 2010).

Hillesund’s research findings suggest that the experience of reading of a dedicated e reader is comparable to reading on paper. The 2010 Horizon Report continues the theme of e-readers having the potential to take over at least some of our print collections;

The capabilities of (e) readers have advanced to the point where the experience truly rivals that of reading a paper book. Paper and ink color, font, type size, even the way pages are turned, are all customizable. Text is clear and crisp, with enough contrast to make it easy to read, and the devices are comfortable to hold for long periods of time…electronic books have enjoyed a dramatic rise in popularity over the last year.

                                              (Johnson, Levine, Smith and Stone,2010:17)

Some would question why an e reader – why not read an e book on a laptop, phone or desktop computer? From my own work with students I can already see a number of areas where an e reader is preferable to another mobile media device or a desktop PC;

• Many e readers (in this case the Kindle) are only for reading e books (the iPad is an exception at this point) meaning there is less opportunity for distraction.
• It is easier to have a digital text book next to your laptop if you are researching, flicking between screens from document to text book is not ideal.

Hillesund identifies a number of other areas in which an e reader device is a better option. The most noticeable differences are that computer screens do not create optimal reading conditions due to backlighting, low resolution and widescreen formats.

An area of great concern to educators is around the quality of digital reading. Detractors of digital reading claim that it is shallow, and that youth are no longer able to read for long periods. Hillesund states:

Screen–based reading behaviour is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one–time reading, non–linear reading, and reading more selectively, while less time is spent on in–depth reading, and concentrated reading.

(Hillesund, 10:2010)

A valid concern with digital reading, and one which I experience myself, is that readers are easily distracted (the urge to click on hyperlinks being an example), and that there is little chance for the reader to be ‘lost in the book’ – something that all readers of fine literature enjoy (Hillesund, 5:22).

This practice of clicking frantically on hyperlinks and getting further and further from the original reading is often referred to as ‘squirreling’ or ‘power browsing’. Whilst it would appear that this could cause shallow reading many of the academics in Hillesund’s study indicated that it broadens the picture of what they are reading, and can in fact be beneficial. You can create your own ‘reading pathway’ in finding the information you require. The point is also made that paper articles and books are often not read from cover to cover…you find the sections of relevance and interest.

There are of course many forms of reading – reading of a narrative requires continuous reading from beginning to end, magazines and newspapers are read more quickly and selectively and academic texts and non fiction works are read selectively, often with extensive use of the contents and index.

Whilst reading on a desktop computer or even a laptop can lead to disconnected reading, my own experience of Kindle reading and that of my students is that e readers can very much be read as a novel. There is still the opportunity to ‘fall into a story’ with an e reader!

Blanchard and Moore have also done much research in the area of digital literacy. Their research supports Hillesunds, with findings suggesting that digital reading can have a profoundly positive impact on children’s literacy and engagement with reading (Blanchard, Moore, 2010). Executive Director of the Association of Booksellers for Children, Kristen Mclean, talks of the active and empowered readers of the future (McLean, 2010). Though not academic in nature, her blog post ‘The Kids are Alright’ discusses the different forms of literacy which are fast becoming important in this age of digital reading, and the mindful attention and creativity which are needed in a digitally networked world (McLean, 2010)

Concerns around digital reading are valid, and indeed sobering. Debate is important, and time and long term research will give us a more complete picture of the impact of digital reading. My personal belief is that educators must proactively move forward with the technological changes in reading and libraries. I am witnessing first hand the active engagement that can result from e readers and digital technology and I’m keen to further explore tools which will appeal to my learners.

The future of paper books and publishing is indeed filled with challenges and changes, but reading (in all forms) is never in doubt.

References:

Alder, A (2010) Louise Adler talks about eReading [podcast] Retrieved August 19, 2010 from http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2010/2903319.htm

Blanchard, J. & Moore, T. (2010). The Digital World of Young Children: Impact on Emergent Literacy. The Pearson Foundation. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/literacy/research/emergent-literacy.html

Dorling Kindersley UK (producer) The Future of Publishing [streaming video recording]. Retrieved August 10, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_sHxghcg&feature=player_embedded 

Hillesund, T (2010),Digital Reading Spaces: How Expert Readers Handle Books, the Web and Electronic Reading Spaces. First Monday, Volume 15, Number 4 - 5 April 2010 Retrieved Julyl 18, 2010 from http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2762/2504

McLean, K (2010) The Kids Are Alright! Why Digitization and E-books are Good for Literacy. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=14607

Mod, C. (2010). Books in the Age of the iPad. Retrieved August 20, 2010 from http://craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/

Smith, K (2010) Edna Group, E-Books in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=2497

Pockets of Potential (Therese)

Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning

After months of research, discussion and collaboration, I’m beginning to believe that the concept of using mobile phones within the classroom is beginning to gain popularity among our academic peers.  Websites, blogs, YouTube, newspapers, journals, and reports such as Carly Shuler’s “Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning” promote the benefits this technology can offer, enhancing teaching and learning in the 21st century. 

Children of today are learners in a world of information that continually changes and challenges many of the traditional boundaries of education. Shuler’s study highlights the untapped potential of mobile learning and outlines key opportunities, challenges, goals, and relevant market trends and innovations, as summarized below.

Key Opportunities in mobile learning

·         Encourage “anywhere, anytime” learning

·         Reach underserved children

·         Improve 21st-century social interactions

·         Fit with learning environments

·         Enable a personalized learning experience

Key Challenges in mobile learning

·         Negative aspects of mobile learning

·         Cultural norms and attitudes

·         No mobile theory of learning

·         Differentiated access and technology

·         Limiting physical attributes (of mobile technology)

Relevant Market Trends and Innovations

·         Extreme convergence

·         Location, location, location

·         Consolidation

·         21st century button

Goals for mobile learning

·         Learn: Understand mobile learning as a unique element of education reform

·         Develop: Build mobile learning interventions

·         Promote: Engage the public and policymakers in defining the potential of mobile devices for learning

·         Prepare: Train teachers and learners to incorporate mobile technologies

·         Stimulate: Generate new leadership support for digital learning

Shuler’s report is based on interviews taken from a wide range of mobile learning experts. It focuses on how technology such as ‘cell phones, iPod devices and portable gaming platforms’  could be utilized more effectively to improve teaching and learning within the educational setting.  Over twenty five hand held devices were used and examined during the study.  The report also includes an appendix of contemporary examples of mobile learning from a U.S. and non U.S perspective. This, from an educator’s point of view, is invaluable in terms of providing an overview of possible programs and resources that could be used in the everyday classroom. 

For children today, the most ubiquitous technology in their lives are mobile devices –mobile phones, iPads, iPods, laptops, PDAs and gaming devices.  These tools are part of their everyday life and can be found in homes, schools, out of school and their social networks.   Used as a social networking device, a source of fun and entertainment, connection and identity, its immense popularity among youth can be the tipping point to encourage educators of today to embrace new media and effectively use this form of learning in the school context.  In this way we can bridge the gap between how students learn and how they live.  In this respect I agree with Shuler, that as educators we need to end this divide between what happens out of school compared to what happens formally in the classroom.

As an educator, I can relate to the challenges that Schuler outlines, in particular the following three.

1.  Negative aspects of mobile learning.  In particular the issue of monitoring children’s access is one that is highly debated within the primary school that I am employed.  While filters are used to help prevent access to inappropriate sites, is this allowing students to participate in a rich environment, where tools such as wikis, blogs, web2 tools and social networking sites enable students to collaborate, communicate and provide real world authentic learning?  Blocking sites such as ‘Wordle’ (an ongoing issue between administrators, filters and me) seems pointless when the educational aspects in terms of literacies – spelling skills, synonyms word banks, character analysis – far outweigh the negatives of stumbling across a Wordle with unsuitable language.  After all, isn’t it part of our role as an educator to fully explored and gained knowledge and understanding of the tool and/or website we intend to use prior to teaching a class?  Simply opening the Wordle page at ‘create’ rather than the home page overcomes this issue.     While some teachers extol the use of educational materials found on sites such as YouTube and social networking sites such as Wikis and Face book, other argue that students need to be protected from offensive material, taught responsibility and safety.  As with all technologies and the use of the World Wide Web, the importance of safety online is an area that will need to be consistently addressed in today’s educational setting.  Policies and procedures need to be addressed, citizenship taught and awareness essential.  Activities and lessons on being Cybersmart, part of the Australian Government’s cybersafety program, help students safely enjoy the online world and be responsible digital citizens (ACMA, 2009).

2.  Cultural norms and attitudes.  Ultimately, as with all technological devices used within a classroom setting, how they are implemented relies on the knowledge, outlook and attitude of the teacher.  Negativity or lack of knowledge can obstruct the possibility of mobile learning being delivered to students.  Perceptions that mobile phones are a distraction resulting in a lack of attention and productivity, a status symbol, or cause antisocial behaviour resulting in cyberbullying can result in negative attitudes and publicity.  For these ‘pockets of potential’ to become authentic and to have a chance of establishment within the school curriculum, Shuler’s goal to prepare and ‘train teachers and learners to effectively incorporate mobile technologies’ is essential.  Preparing and educating teachers through professional learning on how to effectively use digital media to support the curriculum that they are currently using, is essential.  Appropriate educational practices and pedagogies need to be researched and developed to help teachers integrate this new technology with skills and strategies a vital element.  Shuler sees this as a challenge that needs to be acknowledged. 

3.  No mobile theory of learning.  It is only in recent years that mobile phones have begun to be used for purposes other than a basic communication device.  Unlike young people today, who from an increasingly early age experience and are exposed to online media and devices, the chances of today’s teachers and as Shuler states, ‘even pre-service teachers’ having been exposed to mobile technologies in their own personal education is extremely slim.  It is through our experiences of being taught, or seeing something modelled that we can then take that knowledge and use it. Continued research is needed to outline the constructive nature of how they can be implemented into the classroom practice, removing the negativity and mindset that is often embedded in certain teachers who cannot let go of the traditional ways of teaching. Removing the fear factor and lack of knowledge can result in empowering teachers.

There are two sides that can be argued to each point outlined by Shuler.  There will always be that group of children who misuse technology without regard for rules and regulations, who abuse their privileges and create a negative view.  Just as there will continue to be educators who cannot see the potential that mobile media has in the 21^st century.  Engaging students in inquiry based curricula, creating and designing tasks that require them to search out information, to investigate, interview, collect and connect with people around the globe, to report, reflect and share with an authentic audience, result in young people who not only participate more in society but contribute to culture using media.  They are indeed producers of knowledge, capable of participating, contributing and creating more often than not, through devices that fit in their pockets.

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) (2009). Cybersmart. Australian Government. Retrieved from: http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/

Schuler, C. (2009). Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning, New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.

BlackBerry Courts Hip Twenty Somethings (Therese)



BlackBerry Courts Hip Twenty Somethings.

 
Ownership of a mobile phone by young people has been a global phenomenon in recent years.  Even more impressive is how quickly young people have adopted the technology, with the reduction in costs of handsets, smaller size and instant access being a few of the reasons.  It is now an integral part of their daily life and has turned from a technological tool to a social one.

In terms of identity and self representation, BlackBerry has gone to great lengths to improve theirs through commercialism - changing the nature and perception of the BlackBerry phone.  Commercialism relates to how the media sells popular culture to young people and in my opinion BlackBerry has struck gold with these ads.  The use of YouTube to sell the product and the language used in the news article itself, appeals to the audience Blackberry has in mind.   It covers access, inclusion; it builds on a culture that already exists, depicting an end product that appeal to the young – and in my case the not so young!

For young people the mobile phone is a status symbol.  Features, appearance, accessories and the need annually to ‘upgrade’ all attest to this.  It is an accessory that satisfies the need for individualisation. It signifies that one is socially connected, accessible and in BlackBerry case, hip and surrounded by like minded people.  In the era of ‘virtual co-existence’ young people want to be seen as modern, part of the community and in constant contact with each other.  BlackBerry’s new ads aim to promote this via the inclusion of young and popular social identities, modern music and a theme of “Love What You Do”.  This certainly gives credibility, in the eyes of the targeted audience, to BlackBerry.

After viewing the variety of ads aimed at different occupations, gender and social class, apple needs to get creative.  Owning a BlackBerry now seems popular to this not so young consumer.

Reference:

Blackberry Courts Hip Twenty Somethings Via Diplo - Entertainment News - Pedestrian TV. (n.d.). Music News, Fashion News, Cool News, Indie News, Hipster News - Pop Culture - Pedestrian TV. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/news/blackberry-courts-hip-twenty-somethings-via-diplo/24247.htm

Mobile Media Transforming Practice (Megan)

I was lucky enough to attend the SLAQ/IASL conference in the 2010 September holidays. With this CLN647 unit in mind I took a particular interest in a few sessions which dealt with mobile media, in particular Anne Weavers session, ‘Personal, Portable, Multifunction-Devices and School Libraries’.

I had expected more focus on e books and e readers at the conference. Anne Weaver did touch on e books briefly, as did a number of other speakers, including Pat Pledger, who’s paper ‘The future of the book? Challenge of the digital world’ makes for interesting reading. However I discovered little that I did not already know about e readers, and it seems the use of e readers in school libraries is still very much in its infancy. Having several Amazon Kindles in my library, with more on the way next year, I had hoped to delve more deeply into how these devices can be used with students.

I firmly believe that e readers have the potential to transform the school library, the role of the TL and how we engage students with literature. CLN647 has started the transformation in my thinking about digital teaching and learning, and this SLAQ/IASL conference was further confirmation that I am headed in the right direction.  

With this in mind I have updated my unit of work to introduce Year Six students to the Kindle readers.

E Book Unit Year Six 2010: Introduction to e books and the Kindle

I started work on this unit earlier in the year, but put it aside, deciding that I needed to learn to use the Kindles before I introduced them to students. However CLN647 has encouraged me to learn with my students, and taught me that I do not need to be the expert up the front of the classroom, adept at this new technology.  So I doing things differently in that I am embracing and experimenting with new and innovative technologies and pedagogies and learning as I go!

Having now finished the planning for this unit of work, I hope to give it a test run in Term Four 2010 and refine it as I go.

I plan to use my library blog in a similar fashion to our CLN647 blogs, as a way of students submitting work, and evaluation their own learning, and the unit as a whole.  Learners of today live in a world where communication and information is instant and participation in the information gathering and forming process is obligatory (Oblinger, 2008). Blogs and other web 2.0 technologies provide educators with a forum to allow students to engage in connected learning and utilize the power of their learning networks.

This unit of work will need to remain flexible and innovate in design, and be continuously revised. Mobile technologies such as the e reader are becoming more commonplace in educational institutions, and the next few years will see a greater uptake in use (Johnson, Levine, Smith and Stone,2010). As pedagogical approaches and teaching tools ‘catch up’ with the technology, so too my unit of work will need to evolve. Evaluation and renewal has always been a central facet of the teaching and learning cycle, but in the digital context this is particularly crucial in order that enhanced teaching and learning can occur in an environment that is stimulating and creative for learners.

I will now also harness the social nature of the internet in order to stay abreast of how e readers are being used in schools. I have used social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Flicker for personal use…but have never really had any need to look again at SNS in a work context.

I have now joined several e readers groups online, and can recommend these groups to others who are grappling with how e-readers can be used in the educational context.

At the previously mentioned SLAQ/IASL conference I followed all the Twitter posts…there would often be 7-10 tweets in a one hour presentation. I found this astonishing, but also incredibly useful, and have stored many mentioned sites and papers to do with mobile media for future use. I picked several teacher librarians who are using e readers to follow on Twitter.

I also plan to start a blog, just for my personal use. I have been grappling for some time with how to store all the weblinks etc that one picks up at conferences, through study and through being a member of groups like the OZTLNet. I’m now going to create a blog for me to store my links and thoughts on where I am at e readers and other mobile media. It will keep me critically reflective of what I do and how I do it. That is the plan anyway…

References:

Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R. & Stone, S. (2010). The 2010 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved August 18, 2010 from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2010-Horizon-Report.pdf

Oblinger, D. (2008). Growing up with Google: What it means to education. Emerging Technologies for Learning.

Mobile Citation (Megan)

An issue that is surfacing more and more on education related blogs is how we CITE from an e reader and other mobile technolgy devices such as the Kindle or Ipad, and how do we as educators check the validity of student e-reader citations. 

Two blog entries on this contentious issue that offer some possible solutions are Will DeLamater’s  ‘Why is it so Hard to Cite a Passage on the Kindle’   and Kerrie Smiths entry entitled ‘Teaching with an E Book Part 1’

The introduction of e books into a classroom where there may be multiple e book readers, and some students using the paper version of the book has turned citation as we know it on its head. These two blog entries provide a concise guide to referencing ‘locations’ on an e reader, as opposed to a page number in a book and encourage us to not overcomplicate the issue, but to embrace the new terminology and way of thinking about a text. For the APA’s opinion on e reader citation see ‘How do I Cite a Kindle’. 

In order for teachers to check citations, there would need to be e readers in every format available to educators. Educational institutions will need to further investigate how to check the authenticity of citations. These two blog entries on touch on this briefly, but in fact it could become the more problematic of the two issues.

The advent of e-books is certainly causing waves amongst publishers, creators, readers, and educators (Smith, 2010, WillD, 2010, Mod, 2010) and it is true that traditional print books will form part of personal and institutional libraries for the foreseeable future (Blanchard & Moore, 2010).

However, with ever increasing new technologies available to today’s learners it is time for educators to expand the literary and literacy experiences of their students beyond traditional print texts despite niggling (but relatively minor) issues such as citation (Larson, 2009; Oliver and Herrington, 2002). 

This citation business is about to become personal for me…having recently purchased some Kindles for my primary school library I’ve been pondering issues such as this. I wonder how it will be tackled in my school? I suspect we’ll wait to see what the universities are doing and we’ll follow suite…but it’s an interesting one to consider in greater depth.

References:

Blanchard, J. & Moore, T. (2010). The Digital World of Young Children: Impact on Emergent Literacy. The Pearson Foundation. Retrieved May 15, 2010 from http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/literacy/research/emergent-literacy.html

Larson, L.C. (2009). e-Reading and e-Responding: New Tools for the Next Generation of Readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53 (3), 255–258.

Mod, C. (2010). Books in the Age of the iPad. Retrieved August 20, 2010 from http://craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/

Oliver, R. & Herrington, J. (2002). Online Learning Design For Dummies: Professional Development Strategies For Beginning Online Designers. In P. Barker & S. Rebelsky (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2002 (pp. 1500-1505). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://elrond.scam.ecu.edu.au/oliver/2002/edmedia1.pdf

Smith, K. (2010). Edna Group, E-Books in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=2497

Will D. (2010). Kindle Educators Group. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from http://edukindle.ning.com/

The influence of mobile media technology on my own pedagogy (Jo)

The types of mobile media technology available to learners today, both inside and outside the classroom has changed the way in which they acquire, use and produce information.   As a result of these changes it is clear that there is a need for myself as an educator to look at transforming my curriculum practice. I need to ensure that I provide opportunities for students to become discerning users of this technology in order that they develop effective information literacy skills.  They will then be able to use these skills to effectively and proficiently interact with knowledge in a variety of contexts and geographical locations.

At the heart of this transformation is adapting the role that I play within a learning environment, and the types of learning environment in which I interact with my students.  Student centred pedagogy needs to be at the heart of my teaching practice.  Such transformation can not occur in isolation either.  I need to be proactive in acquiring relevant technological skills, and also be proactive in sharing this knowledge with teaching colleagues.

It is an important part of my role as a future teacher librarian to support school staff in effectively planning and implementing curriculum in which mobile media technologies are truly integrated.  It is also part of my responsibility to provide opportunities for staff professional development in this area. The more teachers use
technology, the more they recognize and value the positive effect it has on student learning and engagement and its connection to 21st century skills.

In order to be able to confidently adapt current teaching practices educators need to be provided with opportunities to:

• Develop knowledge about  the capabilities of mobile media tools
• Learn how to confidently use them
• See the merits of using these tools to enhance existing curriculum practices.

My own confidence in using mobile media tools has had an influence on my ability to effectively integrate them into my teaching practice.  Upon reflection of my curriculum practice, in the past I have attempted to use a number of these tools within lessons.  However I tended to use these tools as only information gathering tools, via fairly traditional forms of lessons.  I have also been significantly constrained by the financial limitations of my particular learning environment.  

These experiences however have allowed me to develop not just skills in using mobile media tools.  I now feel more confident in attempting to use a wider range of tools in a more authentic manner within my curriculum practice. 

As a future teacher librarian it is important that I actively promote this authenticity within my school community.  One way in which I can do this is to ensure that teaching staff have equitable access to these tools in order that they have opportunities to “play” and learn about potential benefits of using such tools to enhance their own curriculum practice.

Any curriculum development which I undertake must be authentic and meaningful for students.  It is not just a matter of providing the latest and greatest tools for student use.  Authentic curriculum development can only take place if I first consider what it is that I want the students to learn, and in what context.  Following this, I can then look at which tools I believe will best assist students in achieving these goals.

I need to consider the social and collaborative nature of knowledge acquisition and production today.  Students as members of a millennium culture do not interact with knowledge in isolation.  Using a variety of mobile media tools, members of this culture circulate information in a variety of formats to a wide audience.  Any authentic curriculum development needs to take this into consideration.  Students need to be provided with opportunities to negotiate and collaborate with peers on tasks.

As an educator it is essential that I develop an understanding of the role that mobile media tools play in the day to day lives of the students that I teach.  It is particularly important to remember that learners do not view these tools as important because of their potential use as educational devices.  Essentially these tools play a significant role in their lives because they provide opportunities for a continuous media experience.  Mobile media devices allow users to stay in continuous contact with friends, regardless of location.

Both educators and students need to consider the ethical implications of interacting with mobile media tools.  While users have access to information on nearly any topic they wish to explore, it needs to be remembered that the quality and accuracy of this information may be always be consistent.  As part of my teaching practice I need to provide opportunities for students to acquire information literacy skills, in order that they will become discerning users of online tools.  This should not be done in isolation.  It should be the skills which underpin all academic areas, and all curriculum development.  

Some people may  argue that youth will naturally acquire key skills and competencies on their own through their interactions with mobile media.  However there are three significant concerns which need to address when dealing with policy and  pedagogical development. 

• The Participation Gap (or the digital divide) — due to a variety of reasons (including geographical and financial) there  exists inequality amongst youth today.  These inequalities impact on a users ability to "access the opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge that will prepare them for full participation in the world of tomorrow."  There is however a growing awareness of this issue as can be seen in the following clip.

• The Transparency Problem — Youth today are heavily influenced by the information that they receive through their online interactions.  One of the greatest challenges for myself is to be able to guide youth in " learning to see clearly the ways that media shapes their perceptions of the world." for good or not so good.

• The Ethics Challenge — The question of ownership of any content found in an online environment is a difficult one, and one which is becoming increasingly blurred.  As an educator I am grappling with how to deal with issues that are arise when youth take on an "increasingly public roles as media makers". 

  (Jenkins 2006 Page 6)

By taking into consideration all the implications mentioned above, and recognising the challenges I also face I am working towards transforming my own teaching practice using the new knowledge and understandings I have gained through my study this semester.  I hope to be better able to implement innovative practices with a strong pedagogical framework as the basis, whether it be as a classroom teacher, or as part of my future role as a teacher librarian.  I aim also be a role model and support teaching colleagues in using mobile media tools as part of their curriculum practice in an authentic manner.