This document summarizes a presentation about a 5-year study conducted in Kentucky to prepare teachers for mobile learning. The study involved collaboration between a university, school districts, and non-profit to train pre-service teachers and support in-service teachers in effectively using mobile devices. Results showed that teachers developed strong skills and positive mindsets about technology integration, and observed benefits for student engagement, critical thinking, and personalized learning. Next steps involve expanding the model to more schools and refining teacher training to develop competency in mobile learning.

1. Five Year Study:
Preparing Kentucky Teachers
for Mobile Anytime
Anywhere Learning
March 9, 2022
Session leaders:
DR. JULIE A. EVANS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PROJECT TOMORROW
DR. LU YOUNG
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

2. Welcome to our discussion today!
▪ Introduction to this innovative mobile learning project
▪ Why is this type of project more important than ever today?
▪ Big picture learning – results of the 5-year study
▪ Julie interviews Lu about the project impact: 3 big questions!
▪ What is next for this project in Kentucky and beyond?
▪ Let’s talk! Your questions and ideas

3. Getting to know each other!
Introduce yourself to someone you do not know and say hi!

4. About University of Kentucky College of Education
Dr. Lu Young

5. About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
▪ Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12
education since 1996
▪ Mission: to support the development of new capacities
and better decisions within the K-12 ecosystem
▪ Core belief: the power of transformational teaching and
learning to support students’ preparation for future
success.
▪ Programs and research : focus on role of innovation and
new learning models, particularly digital learning.

6. About the Speak Up Research Project
Speak Up:
▪ A leadership support tool for education leaders in
schools, districts and supporting organizations
▪ A suite of normed online surveys to collect authentic
feedback from your stakeholders – K-12 students,
parents, teachers, site administrators
▪ A Turnkey service with no charge/fee to participating
districts
▪ Provides summary reports with 100% locally collected
data + state and national data for benchmarking
▪ Accessible for all preK-12 schools and supporting
organizations – public, private, parochial, charter, virtual
Since 2003, nationally aggregated Speak Up reports inform
education, business and policy decisions in K-12 education

7. About Project Tomorrow’s research efforts
To learn more about this
project and/or to get a
copy of today’s
presentation sent directly
to you, add your name and
contact info to our print
sign in sheets or on this
online form.

8. Why is this project more important today than ever before?
What we have learned in the past two
years: (a few things!)
▪ Technology as a learning platform
▪ Teacher effectiveness with using
technology is key to impact
▪ Previous professional learning
approaches may have been
insufficient
▪ Time to rethink the types of devices
for learning

9. What did we learn about the effective use of devices
during remote or hybrid learning?
Other key challenges to address now:
▪ Homework Gap persists
▪ Students need a new generation of devices
o Always connected, always on
o Extended battery life
o Enables seamless video streaming
o Internal capacity for high bandwidth apps
o More smartphone like than laptop similar

10. Why is this project more important today than ever before?
Principals identify positive impact of
mobile learning on their students:
▪ Increased student access to
online content (87%)
▪ Increased student
engagement (85%)
▪ Students developing
information/media skills (85%)
▪ Learning is more personalized
(81%)
▪ Preparation for college or
workplace (80%)
Evolution of mobile learning:
Source: Speak Up National Research results
77%
40%
16% 17%
2020-21 SY 2019-20 SY
(during remote
learning)
2019-2020 SY
(pre-remote
learning)
2014-15 SY
Schools assign 1:1 mobile devices to
students to use in school and at home

11. Today: Increased student access to mobile devices for learning
Only 29% of
teachers say they
are very
comfortable using
technology to
differentiate
instruction
47% of principals in
high poverty
communities say
teacher integration
of technology is
their #1 challenge
47% of principals
say that training pre-
service teachers to
effectively use mobile
devices in the
classroom should be
a top priority
Challenges of effective mobile learning
Why is this project more important today than ever before?
Source: Speak Up National Research results

12. Mobile Learning Project in Kentucky
▪ Goal: Create a new model of preparation training to ensure that pre-service teachers are
ready to implement mobile technologies effectively
▪ Model implemented as a collaborative project: university school of education, four K-12 school
districts in an under-resourced region, a regional service center, and an education nonprofit
organization
▪ Project funded by Qualcomm’s® Wireless Reach Initiative™
▪ Project evaluation designed and implemented by Project Tomorrow
▪ Five-year project:
✓ Year 1: planning and pilot in one K-12 school district
✓ Year 2/3: implementation in K-12 schools across 3 districts
✓ Year 4: focus on impact of remote and hybrid learning
✓ Year 5: leveraging a new device – the always connected Chromebook

13. What are the key components of this new model?
1. Pre-service teachers use tablets/Chromebooks in college
classes and learn research-tested strategies from
university faculty about mobile apps and integration
strategies
2. Pre-service teachers develop and deliver mobile-enabled
lessons in K-12 classrooms to model strategies for
practicing teachers
3. Practicing teachers mentor pre-service teachers on real
world classroom device management issues and
connections to curriculum
4. K-12 students benefit from more effective teaching and
learning strategies and the increased engagement from
using the devices within core instruction

14. ✓ All devices have extended connectivity for in-school
and out of school access: students used their tablets
for remote learning in spring 2020
✓ Devices include special filtering software that
protects students at home
✓ Focus is on the use of high-quality mobile apps and
digital content to improve student outcomes while
developing confidence and skills of both pre-service
and practicing teachers
✓ Experiential insights from practicing teachers led to
development of a new online course for pre-service
teachers about the “whys” of mobile learning
What are the key components of this new model?

15. Who benefits from this new model?
▪ Practicing teachers – in classrooms now with mobile
devices
▪ Pre-service teachers – college students learning how
to become teachers
▪ Students – who benefit from more informed
teachers today and tomorrow
▪ School and district administrators – wanting to see
a higher ROI from the implementation of mobile
devices within learning

16. What are the results of the 5-year study?
It’s really about capacity building to improve
learning experiences for all students!

17. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
1. Teachers’ confidence and comfort along with technical
skills using the technology increased dramatically over the
life of the project.
▪ Stronger personal valuation about efficacy
▪ Changed mindset about outcomes

18. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
2. Teachers in the program said that as a result of being more
effective with the use of mobile devices in their classroom,
they observed the following as the top outcomes from their
students:
▪ better able to understand abstract concepts
▪ ability to apply knowledge to problem solving activities
▪ development of critical thinking skills

19. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
3. Similar results with the pre-service teachers regarding their
confidence, comfort and competencies.
▪ At program years end, 80% of the pre-service teachers
reported their skills integrating students' devices within
everyday instruction to now be at the very proficient or
proficient level.

20. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
4. Pre-service teachers now have a vision for the effective use
of mobile devices can transform their students’ learning
experiences.
▪ 88% of the pre-service teachers say that they now
understand how to create more personalized learning
experiences for their future students using mobile
devices.

21. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
5. Student self-efficacy as a learner was enhanced due to the
increased teacher effectiveness and the recognition of their
own agency in the learning process
▪ Students said they were better students because of this
access to the devices – both for in-school and at home
usage
▪ At home access matters – beyond continuity of learning

22. What are the results of the 5-year study? Capacity building such as:
6. School and district ROI and operational efficiencies are
improved when pre-service teachers develop requisite skills
and mindsets within their teacher prep programs.
▪ Reduced time to be effective in your 1:1 classroom
▪ Greater focus on the pedagogy
▪ Ready for innovation
▪ Supports your equity imperatives

23. What are the results?
“I’ve learned that there are so many apps and other devices that
could be used to spark student interests in the topic. Adding
technology to daily classroom instruction not only helps
students gain technological literacy, but also investigate topics
through different mediums to construct their own unique
understanding of material.”
Pre-Service Teacher Candidate, University of Kentucky

24. Welcome to our discussion today!
▪ Introduction to this innovative mobile learning project
▪ Why is this type of project more important than ever today?
▪ Big picture learning – results of the 5-year study
▪ Julie interviews Lu about the project impact: 3 big questions!
▪ What is next for this project in Kentucky and beyond?
▪ Let’s talk! Your questions and ideas

25. Discussion with Dr. Young
What are the challenges
with helping in-service
teachers and pre-service
teachers develop capacity
to use mobile devices and
wireless technologies
effectively within
instruction?

26. Discussion with Dr. Young
What are the best
methodologies or
approaches to use to help
in-service teachers and
pre-service teachers
develop competency and
confidence with mobile,
wireless learning?

27. Discussion with Dr. Young
What are the lessons
learned from this project
that other schools and
districts can apply in their
classrooms?

28. Next steps with this project
▪ Implementation of a new type of Chromebook in two elementary
schools and at the University of Kentucky
▪ Continued evaluation of the impact and results across all audiences
▪ Refinement of the model – to understand levers as well as challenges
▪ Expansion of the new online course to supplement teacher prep
programs and support pre-service teachers’ skills with mobile devices
beyond University of Kentucky
▪ Exploration of how to support school of education faculty in their
learning

29. Let’s talk!
What your
questions, ideas,
comments?
Five Year Study: Preparing Kentucky Teachers for Mobile Anytime
Anywhere Learning

30. More resources at Project Tomorrow
www.tomorrow.org
Additional resources
▪ Speak Up Research report and infographics
▪ Evaluation and efficacy reports and infographics from
special projects
▪ Information if your school or district would like to to
use the Speak Up tools and be part of the larger Speak
Up movement
▪ Engage with us to further explore how to support the
more effective use of mobile devices within both K-12
schools and colleges of education

31. About Project Tomorrow’s research efforts
To learn more about this
project and/or to get a
copy of today’s
presentation sent directly
to you, add your name and
contact info to our print
sign in sheets or on this
online form.

32. Thank you for joining us
today.
We would love to continue
this discussion with you.
Please contact us!
DR. JULIE A. EVANS DR. LU YOUNG
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
PROJECT TOMORROW UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
@JULIEEVANS_PT @LUSETTLESYOUNG
JEVANS@TOMORROW.ORG LU.YOUNG@UKY.EDU