Being Mobile: The Holy Grail of Educational Technology Is Within Sight

• By Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway
• 10/27/14

At the ISTE 2010 Conference (Denver), during our spotlight presentation, we made the following prediction:

Within five years every student in every grade in every school in the United States will be a using a mobile computing device, 24/7.

At the time, with cellphone bans in schools, and with the relatively high cost of smart phones, our prediction was met with skepticism — at best. Fast forward: 2015 is upon us, and “mobile learning” has most definitely become a real category in educational technology.  So, in 2015, what is the status of our 2010 prediction?

First, we need to be clear: the iPad is not a mobile device:

The iPad isn't any more of a mobile gadget than a MacBook Air. The iPad is just a PC — over 90 percent of tablet usage is done right inside the home. People need to stop calling the iPad and other tablets mobile devices. They're home PCs that are a little easier to carry around. 

Now, the above is absolutely true of 10-inch screened tablets, but we are less negative about 7-inch screened tablets. With today’s 6-inch screened, phablet craze in its infancy — that extra inch is not so troublesome. We know, we know: one inch here, one inch there.... It is a slippery slope: is a 7.9 inch-screened iPad mini a mobile device? What about 8-inch screened devices (e.g., Acer Iconia W3/W4)?  We leave those decisions as an exercise to the reader. (Smiley-face goes here.)

Inasmuch as we do not consider iPads to be mobile devices, our 2010 prediction has turned out to be wrong — wildly wrong! We were just too early — and we didn’t foresee the iPad Detour. 

But, here is another prediction — and THIS ONE you can definitely, absolutely, and unequivocally take to the bank!

Within five years — by 2020, but probably during the 2017-2018 school year — every student in every grade in every school in the United States will be a using a mobile computing device, 24/7.

Why? For adults the world over, having a smart phone is now a must-have, not a nice-to-have. And, as such, the cost of a smart phone is plummeting. For example, manufacturers in India and China are churning out low-cost smartphones; a 5-inch-screened Android OS handset can be purchased for about $100.

Even for K-12 youth, a smart phone is fast becoming a must-have, not a nice-to-have. From providing entertainment to supporting communications, from providing personal security to supporting social interactions, K-12 students will be equipping themselves, during 2015-2020, with smartphones — especially when they can be purchased for less than a pair of trendy tennis shoes! 

Keeping with the “religious” metaphor - but in no way meaning to be blasphemous! - there really are three elements — the Trinity — to the Holy Grail of Educational Technology:

1. Hardware: Each student has his or her own computer; we just covered that.
2. Software: While BYOD — Bring Your Own Device — will be the norm, with the maturing of HTML5/Javascript, the heterogeneity of the devices in a BYOD classroom will no longer be a problem: Educational software written in HTML5/Javascript will be “device agnostic” — such software will run on any device — inside a browser or as a standalone app. Finally, a teacher can count on all the students being able to run the same software — irrespective of what hardware they bring to class!
3. Network: Providing WiFi in K-12 schools has always been a problem. But, with the new generation of WiFi gear with Internet-administered WiFi hubs, there is much less need for constant IT support. A good thing since the budget crunch is forcing cutbacks in schools’ IT departments. Connectivity to the Internet, in general, is increasingly less a problem: Libraries to fast-food places, homes to public places — they are all moving to providing free WiFI.  With the telcos battling with each other, the consumer — and the learner — benefits: Internet connectivity via cellular is rapidly becoming a reasonable option from a cost standpoint.

Universal access to computing — the Trinity of hardware, software, and network - the Holy Grail of Educational Technology — is within sight. Lest there be any question about our position, we repeat our 2014 prediction:

by 2020, but probably during the 2017-2018 school year — every student in every grade in every school in the United States will be a using a mobile computing device, 24/7.

Technology is pedagogy-neutral: Technology can be used for drill-and-kill or for inquiry.  The important question is this: How will universal access change K-12? We will address that question in a subsequent blog.