Making a Case for Mobile Devices

Why should a teacher be prepared to allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives?

 “Mobile learning can and does make a positive difference in how students learn, and it’s not just because of the “cool” factor. When used the right way, mobile technology has the potential to help students learn more and comprehend that knowledge.” (Matthew Lynch, 2015)

One of the areas in which our world is hurtling toward the future is in the area of technology. Innovations in digital learning, though a tad slower, is making great progress as well. One way, we as teachers, can move forward with the rest of the world is by using mobile devices in our classes. Why mobile devices? Referring to the iPad, Marc Prensky points out “the incredible flexibility it provides to vary learning activities at a moment’s notice,” and that “with iPads students have the world at their fingertips– anywhere they might be.” One can say the same thing about other mobile devices. In one small device, students have access to an unimaginable amount of resources, and teachers need to be looking into how to tap those resources to enhance student engagement and improve learning. On students’ use of mobile devices, Lynch notes: “They stay on task, they correct mistakes in real-time and, most importantly, they get excited about learning.”

What’s great about mobile devices?

•          Ability to collaborate by interacting with peers anytime and anywhere.
•         Students own them and are using them in multiple ways.
•          “Mobile learning lets students benefit from interacting with their course content on the devices that they use to connect with every other aspect of their lives, nearly 24/7.” (Wilson et al)
•          If the school cannot provide them, students can bring their own.

Some learning strategies and activities that would work well with mobile devices:

•          Watching a short YouTube video
•          Game-based activities
•         Writing and sending short messages/email
•          Sharing thoughts and ideas
•          Taking and sharing pictures
•          Scavenger hunts
•          Drawing mental images and sharing them
•          Reading e-books
•          Listening activities

Guiding Principles for using mobile devices:

Clear objectives: Clear objectives are imperative because students can easily get distracted and lost in the world out there.

Structure and Control: An effective approach can provide control.

Short and to the point:

“2-minutes: for reinforcing information via interactive knowledge checks and updating existing information.

5-minute: for interactive learning games and short videos that communicate information.

10-minutes: high-level interactive games and integration of social learning.”                                  

                                                                                                    (Designing Digitally, 2016)

Simple navigation and user friendliness: “Easy to follow navigation is key in mobile learning.” (Chaffe, 2016)

Other factors to consider:

·         Personalised: First, personalised learning, which considers the learning style, interests, and abilities of each child should drive every learning task. Differentiated instruction which according to Tomlinson, “means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs,” will help our students to work at their own pace, “taking extra time in the areas where they need it most.” (Lynch, 2015)

·         Communication: We cannot let our students loose on the internet without teaching them how to communicate in an appropriate manner.

·         Creativity: The main focus should be on creating meaningful and innovative experiences for students. Perhaps, student-driven should be the guiding factor here.

Some activities that I would consider using in my class:

Mobile Devices: Phone, iPad, camera, tablet

Write-Draw-Share: 

• After reading or listening to a story, students could use a mobile device to write a descriptive paragraph or draw a mental image of their favorite character. 
• They could then share it with their peers and teacher using an app of their choice on their mobile device.

Write and Punctuate: 

•          Students should learn to communicate in a clear and concise manner.  Students could use mobile devices to send messages to each other focusing on not just text, but punctuation as well. Whether they type their message or use voice to text, they still need to know the punctuation rules.
•       After a language lesson, students could practice what they have learned by posting messages on a shared platform. 

·        

Scavenger Hunt: There are countless possibilities for this activity ranging from taking photos to looking for specific information, places, shapes, or objects. 

•          A geometry activity could have students looking for different shapes and objects and taking photos and sharing them.
•          History students are sure to enjoy hunting for historical objects or monuments in their area or in another country.
•          Scavenger hunts need not be confined to our world. Students could use their devices to look for stars and other heavenly bodies.

Some factors to keep in mind:

Connection speed and data plan limitations: This will be an issue, and we cannot expect all our students to have fast internet connection or be connected all the time.

Digital divide: The way the world is moving toward digital innovations and tech use is mind- staggering, but the reality is that there is so much inequality in this world that many children can only dream of owning a mobile device.

Expectations - What the experts say:

“Simply using mobile technology in the classroom does not guarantee a rise in comprehension or even the attention of students. “(Lynch, 2015)

“You cannot directly take a computer-based learning method and transfer it to a mobile device. The manner in which we learn from mobile devices is different from computer-based learning or traditional classroom-setting learning.” Designing Digitally, Inc.

“Face to face or computer-based learning should not be just automatically converted for delivery to a mobile device.” (Chaffe, 2016)

In conclusion, despite the evident benefits of using mobile devices in the classroom, we should not ignore the fact that we can never predict the direction a mobile device activity could take. Often, there is a big gap between the ideal and reality, and a good knowledge of our students as well as the activity is critical to ensure a positive and successful experience for all.

References:

Chaffe, Sophie. (March 5, 2016). Getting Mobile Learning Right: 6 Best Practices. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/getting-mobile-learning-right-6-best-practices

Designing Digitally, Inc. (June 20, 2016). Retrieved from http://www.designingdigitally.com/blog/2016/06/mobile-learning-content-best-practices#ixzz4IM1ouqaE

Lynch, Matthew. (March 31, 2015). Do Mobile Devices in the Classroom Really Improve Learning Outcomes? Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/do-mobile-devices-in-the-classroom-really-improve-learning-outcomes-38740

Prensky, Marc. (December 2, 2005). Shaping Tech for the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroom

Wilson, E., Kelleher, J., Day, L., Hives, L., and Lilleker, R. (n.d.). Getting Started with Mobile Learning. Retrieved from http://www.blackboard.com/cmspages/getfile.aspx?guid=0b434794-81ec-4eae-9367-6498052a66e0