Thomas Steele-Maley is the Director of Innovation at GEMS World Academy Chicago, and is working on bringing mobile learning to K-12 education.
Mobile learning is a book of many chapters. In 1916, the beloved experientialist / author / educator John Dewey wrote: “A society which is mobile, which is full of channels for the distribution of a change occurring anywhere, must see to it that its members are educated to personal initiative and adaptability.” Dewey’s thoughts on mobile learning then have a new birth of possibility with the mobile technologies of today. Take a quick look around the educational landscape and it becomes obvious that the ascendency of mobile learning in education is happening and happening fast. Across the US and the world, it’s common to see labs of mobile devices in schools augmenting the learning environment and one-to-one mobile device programs starting to shift practice. Importantly, we are also starting to see the emergence of schools where mobile learning is at the heart of the learning environment.
One such school is GEMS World Academy in Chicago, IL, which approaches mobile learning as integral to its success in cultivating global learners. Alongside a well researched and designed curriculum infused with mobile learning, GEMS offers a robust one-to-one program of iPads that all have Fulcrum for field-studies-based mobile learning. The combination of good curricular design and educational technology that works is very powerful. Anywhere and anytime learning has measurably contributed to the success of students and the whole learning community.
A Transformational curriculum
GEMS World Academy is transforming K-12 mobile learning with a curriculum centered on innovative “innovation strands.” Its thoughtful one-to-one iPad program and apps like Fulcrum expand how mobile learning is designed. The school uses a comprehensive Field Studies program to research and deploy mobile learning in K-12 education.
GEMS designs technology-infused Field Studies for students aged 6 to 13 to cultivate global learners and citizens. The innovation strand “Landscape as Learning: A New View of Field Studies” integrates seamlessly into the school’s overall curriculum. GEMS believes students must explore, ask questions, empathize, and act to develop as global citizens. To achieve this, the school allocates at least four hours weekly for outdoor learning in local landscapes.
During Field Studies, students actively engage with their community through mobile learning labs and multimedia data collection. Using iPads and other tools, they explore sensory aspects of their community while studying systems and completing meaningful projects. This real-world learning challenges students’ assumptions about where and how education happens, broadening their perspectives. Mobile learning encourages students to observe the world as it is and imagine how it could improve.
GEMS considers this approach foundational to global citizenship, community-based learning, internships, and entrepreneurial studies.
Using Fulcrum in K-12 education
To move beyond simple “experiences in the field” and enable in-depth studies, GEMS needed an intuitive app. Fulcrum emerged as the ideal choice due to its ease of use, customization options, and data collection capabilities. The app’s functionality supports a wide range of users, making it effective for both teachers and students.
Recently, an interdisciplinary group of teachers collaborated with a first-grade class on a Field Study of lake trout release sites. Teachers created a custom Fulcrum app for the Trout Release Field Study to guide data collection and support learner activities. Students evaluated three sites on Lake Michigan against class-defined criteria, using Fulcrum to focus on their scientific tasks. While in the field, students recorded multimedia notes of their findings, staying engaged and organized throughout the study.
Fulcrum’s mapping tool allowed students to easily visualize their collected data and share it with others. These tools transformed their fieldwork into an accessible, interactive experience for both participants and the broader community.
The innovative Field Studies at GEMS are rooted in thoughtful curricular design and enhanced by Fulcrum’s capabilities. While no device or app alone drives educational effectiveness, tools like Fulcrum amplify creativity and engagement in student learning. As GEMS enters another year of Field Studies, the school plans to expand Fulcrum’s use across its curriculum. These efforts will also include participatory professional development for teachers to extend the impact of this approach.
See Fulcrum in action
GEMS World Academy (GWA) will offer experiential Field Studies workshops at both TechWeek Chicago (June 22-28) and at the ISTE Conference (June 28-July 1). These workshops will focus on field explorations with iPads and feature Fulcrum to collect and present multimedia data in multiple forms for use in learning. If you will be at either of these events, come learn about technology and innovation at GEMS World Academy, how the school leverages Fulcrum.