1. Parkland School Division #70: Grassroots Mobile Learning<br />Serving over 58,000 residents in an area of over 3,995 square kilometers, our division operates 22 schools and several alternate sites in north central Alberta, Canada. We are west of Edmonton, the capital. Our 22 schools are found in both rural and urban centres.<br />In regards to Mobile Learning, for the past few years our high schools have been using student cell phones in a few classes, specifically to answer online polls with Polleverywhere and to do a bit of research during cooperative group work time. Our middle years (grades 5-9) and early years’ schools (grades K-4) have always been interested in using mobile devices, however the infrastructure was not in place in order to do so.<br />For the 2010 – 2011 school year, we have a number of teachers who are interested in taking the next step in understanding what they can do with Mobile Learning to engage their students, assess their learning and differentiate experiences. At the moment, we have a number of teachers and “test” students who are working with the newest generation iPod Touches in the middle years’ area. Our overarching research question is:<br />How can the use of mobile technology (iPod Touch) contribute <br />to changing student learning and pedagogy?<br />At High Park School, they are looking at the various educational apps available for students in grades 7-9, exploring their usefulness and effectiveness in learning. They will also be comparing the iPod Touch to other devices such as laptops, cellphones, iPads, etc. As well, what kinds of expectations and structure will be required once the school opens up outside mobile access to students. The teachers want to build a proactive digital culture at the school.<br />At Greystone Centennial School, the applied for a grant in which students will be working with the community to tell their stories through video, audio and photos. The iPod Touch, digital video camera, digital camera, laptop, projector and other devices will be utilized and critically evaluated as to which devices are the most effective in which situation. As well, the digital storytelling aspect will be a rich experience for all who are involved!<br />Woodhaven Middle School is mainly looking at skill enhancement, engagement and having a device(s) available at anytime to freely connect students to continue their learning, reflections and discussions outside the classroom. They are also looking to connect the school division’s work on Citizenship and Social Responsibility to this digital initiative in regards to security, ethics and responsibility.<br />What resources are available?<br />We already have a wiki stalked full of web 2.0 resources found at http://psdtechpd.wikispaces.com/Cell+Phones for this Grassroots Mobile Learning project. A few great books on mobile learning are found in our Resource Library such as Toys to Tools by Liz Kolb and we have many teachers, students and our IT department who are more than willing to jump into this exciting, engaging and enthusiastic learning curve we are traveling on!<br />