Apps: The Apples of Knowledge

Mobile applications are a fairly new invention, creating the opportunity to play games, find the latest headlines or discover sports results.  But these applications also give the teacher an opportunity to create a more diverse learning environment.  I have just started to discover the benefit of the educational applications available for Android. There are applications to assist us in learning maths, languages, geography and even to help us pass our driving test.  Currently most of these educational applications are designed for children, but we can only hope that as we continue to witness the growth of mobile technologies, we will also witness a growth in educational applications designed toward the further education of adults.  But although there are a lack of applications that specialise in subject area, there are still many apps that assist the student in taking notes, watching videos and keeping in contact with other students and lecturers, so applications are already assisting in the mobile learning revolution and changing the way we learn.       

My Experiences With Mobile Technology and Learning

Mobile technology is a relatively new experience for me, only receiving a hand me down I-phone earlier this year and recently purchasing a Kindle HD.  I was reluctant to adopt this new technology at first, but have recently changed my mind about its advantages.  The kindle has changed the way I use such technology. I currently use the kindle for reading, receiving emails, writing and many other activities. But it has not just changed the way I do everyday activities, it has also changed my learning experience.  I can now download journal articles and highlight text with the kindle easy note-taking and highlighting capabilities.  I have also purchased a keyboard, that has turned this android into a portable note book.  This means that I have been able to use my kindle in lectures to take notes, making the move away from pen and paper.  Mobile technology has began to drastically change the way I learn, both in and out of the classroom, and I believe I am just uncovering the opportunities it holds.

The Value of Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning: A New Style of Teaching, and a New Learning Experience

The uses of mobile devices in the learning environment can yield many benefits for students and teacher alike; for students in terms of motivation, collaboration, and creativity. (Hocanin, 2014)   For teachers in terms of empowering them to monitor students learning, engage students with learning activities, reduce tedious work, facilitate collaborative learning, record teaching and learning, and implement technology supported activities. (Llu, Wang, Chan, Ko, & Yang, 2003, p. 372)  Mobile learning is the newest type of ICT to enter the classroom, with the creation of I-phones, mobile tablets and notebooks, which are mobile and accessible to use in an easy to reach here and now environment.  Mobile technology is now changing the way in which teachers teach their students and the way in which students learn.  These technologies give students easy access to course material, assist students in working collaboratively on projects and help students to receive feedback and advice from their course tutors, giving students easy access to their tutor and tutors easy access to their students. 

Many studies have already been done on the effectiveness of mobile technology as a learning style. One study analysed the opinions of 4^th grade undergraduate students in their use of mobile technology in the learning environment. (Hocanin, 2014)  This study found that the students believed mobile technology provided many advantages; highlighting how mobile technology enriched the course by creating an ease in doing joint activities and giving them further access to their course and tutors. (Hocanin, 2014, p. 15)  However, they also believe that mobile technology in learning may also bring some disadvantages, by affecting student attention during class, causing health problems in the eyes and wrists and affecting the communication process between students, (Hocanin, 2014, p. 15), but general feeling was that the advantages of mobile technology outweigh the disadvantages. The students felt that mobile technology will create a wider variety of teaching and learning methods, there will be improvements in the materials presented to students and easier access to the course for each student’s particular needs. (Hocanin, 2014, pp. 16-17) There have also been other studies that have found that mobile technology generally has a positive effect on education, but educators are still generally hesitant to implement such technologies into their teaching sessions and some learners are hesitant in adopting such technologies to enhance their learning experience. (MacCallum & Jeffrey, 2013, p. 303)  

The adoption of mobile technology depends on whether teachers believe they can enhance the opportunities for students to learn, and whether students believe that mobile technology fits their particular needs; (MacCallum & Jeffrey, 2013, p. 303) but more research still needs to be done before this relatively new learning style is adopted completely into the learning environment.

Works Cited

Hocanin, F. T. (2014). Use of Mobile Tablets in the Learning Environment: Perspective of the Computer Teacher Candidate. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World , 4 (2), 13 - 18.

Llu, T. C., Wang, H. Y., Chan, T. W., Ko, H. W., & Yang, J. C. (2003). Wireless and Mobile Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning , 19, 371-382.

MacCallum, K., & Jeffrey, L. (2013). The Influence of Student ICT Skills and Their Adoption of Mobile Learning. Australasian Journal of Education and Technology , 29 (3), 303-315.

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 Mobile Technology and Learning - Bibliography