I have to admit that what I read in the "Mobile Learning in Europe" took me by surprise; for some reason I thought that Europe would be closer to where the United States is concerning the integration of mobile devices in a formal educational setting. I realize that it's almost 2020 and this report was published in 2012; however, I can't imagine EU has done a complete turn around from then to the present date. From what the report states, the EU policy makers are uneducated in the educational benefits and usage of mobile devices in and out of the classroom and/or haven't been persuaded by what they've seen to enact policies that support the integration of mobile devices within their schools' classrooms. As well social attitudes of parents, teachers, and the like are negative concerning the educational value of using a mobile device for educational purposes in and out of the classroom. Recently, in July of 2018 France banned all cell phones in K-9th grades; this ban started in the 2018-2019 school year. So, it doesn't seem like France's policy makers and other stakeholders in the educational field have changed their attitudes that much since this was published in 2012.
What can be done better in Europe is for the EU to take note of how Denmark has successfully been integrating mobile devices for educational purposes in their classrooms. The EU is already educated in all of the ways a mobile device can be distracting; they need to be shown how the utilization of mobile devices in the classroom can offer learning opportunities that are currently being missed. There is hope in that "the use of mobile phones for administrative purposes is accepted as uncontroversial, which may pave the way for their acceptance in classrooms".
My big take
away from this report is the importance of showing the stakeholders in my community exactly how the integration of ePorfolios will benefit our students, both while they are our students and after graduation. Using technology, our students will represent themselves, their unique stories, evidenced through artifacts, skills, and reflections; the skills they learn in both ICT and in their educational experiences will move on with them to college and/or career.
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