Teachmeet Abstract

1. Sowing the seeds of IL in the mobile wilderness: using creative mobile
DL tools to cultivate active learning in secondary schools
Tia Esposito, Boston College High School, esposito@bchigh.edu
Anna Martinez, Boston College High School, martinez@bchigh.edu
Developing secondary students’ IL skills in the vast mobile wilderness of information
today has become more challenging than ever for practitioners in the field. New DL
tools offer creative pedagogical approaches for librarians to cultivate active learning
of IL skills through mobility work in secondary classrooms.
“The proliferation of mobile phones and access devices suggests the potential of
mobile learning. Students are already using mobile devices to communicate, access
and share information, conduct research, and analyze data. These devices are the
gateway to digital learning.” (Alliance) The prolific use of mobile devices by young
adults grants librarians the unprecedented opportunity to meet students on common
ground and offer quality IL instruction integrating the technology that students are
already using. The use of mobile devices by students in a classroom setting has been
shown to improve their academic experience as well as providing them with a more
personalized learning experience with the ability to control their learning environment
(Schaffhauser 2011). These new DL tools if used in conjunction with each other and
in collaborative research projects, place the focus of learning on the learners with
guidance from the teaching librarian.
This presentation will explore the application of these mobile communication and
collaboration tools for education in secondary school library settings. The aim of the
presentation is to foster an understanding of how these new mobile DL tools in a
librarian’s toolbox can enhance secondary student IL experiences. Using the strategy
of mixing guidance and active learning without a traditional lecture on library skills or
bibliographic instruction, the students are actively engaged in a group research project
while at the same time discovering, processing, and applying information that may be
used in the library or remotely with mobile apps.
References
Alliance for Excellent Education (2011) Center for Secondary School Digital
Learning and Policy. Washington D.C.
Johnston, H. and Wellner C. (2011) Utilizing Blended Learning to increase cohort
graduation, access to courses and college rediness and awareness. Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools.
Schaffhauser, D. (2011) Mobile Initiatives ‘Breaking Down the Walls of the
Classroom’ at Abilene Christian U. Campus Technology.
Smith, A. (2010) Mobile Access 2010. Washington D.C.: Pew Research Center.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Mobile-Access-2010.aspx (Retrieved 24
October 2011)

2. Wise, B. and Rothman R. (2010) The Online Learning Imperative: A Solution to
Three Looming Crises in Education. Washington D.C.: Alliance for Excellence in
Education.