Mobile Learning

Activity 1: Mobile Learning

M3.U5.A1

Growth

Technology has grown tremendously in the last decade - decade and a half. Think back to 1999 and Y2K. Man wasn't that a joke, and yet it seems like not that long ago! During the 90’s computers and the internet were on the rise. These technologies then are just a fraction of the possibilities that we are capable of now. Below is a list of some consumer electronics that came out between 2000-2010. I know 2010 was five years ago and since we are in the middle of a decade it is harder to find the new technologies from 2005-2015.
The list on the left is from pcmag.com and the ones on the right are from digitaltrends.com

pcmag.com	digitaltrends.com
Flat Screen TV’s	iPhone
DVR’s	Google
Hi-Speed Internet	Windows XP
Wi-Fi	Social Network
Smartphones	USB Flash Drive
Bluetooth	GPS
Online Media (Netflix, Hulu, etc)	TiVo
Online Gaming	iPod
Social Networking	Wii
Flash Storage	Wi-Fi

Both of these lists mention smartphones. Smartphones were around in 2010 but didn’t really see their growth until the last 4-5 years. Now, in S.Korea you can see kindergarten children walking around with phablets! If I were to guess,  90% or more teenagers and adults have a smartphone. Since so many people have them they can be such an effective tool to use while teaching!

Benefits to using smartphones in the classroom.

When the older cell phones started becoming popular every teacher forbid them in class. As a result when smartphones started coming out this was more of a reason to ban them. They could have the internet at their fingertips which would mean they would all cheat! Possibly it was because now there are countless games that can be played on smartphones and would just distract the students and their attention would now be elsewhere. This is true there are negatives to allowing smartphones in the class, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives in my opinion. Like mentioned before internet and games at the fingertips… that is a GREAT tool to have if done correctly!

Here are just a few benefits to having smartphones in the class:

• Access to the internet
• Access to email
• Take a picture of the board / Homework assignment
• Take video during the class
• Apps like Evernote to store, catalog and annotate photos
• Apps like ResponseWare that convert smartphones into classroom ‘clickers’ that can answer multiple choice questions
• Record lectures with Voice Memo and other third-party note-taking apps
• Use QR codes to find relevant websites
• Keep track of schedules and dates

(Hennessy, paragraph 7)

And a couple more reasons:

• Students learn in a way they are comfortable. Smartphones are young-person intuitive. More and more students know how to use them, and they are becoming the most used “tool” by teens.
• Students can get answers quickly. Smartphones provide the ability to get answers quickly. In some situations, a student may not ask for clarification to a question he or she has in an open classroom. Use of a smartphone in a classroom setting can provide those answers.
• Audio and video can bring learning to life. Audio and video capabilities of smartphones can put a voice to John F. Kennedy, a dramatic video image to the Hindenburg disaster, and allow students to hear the music of Chopin or Al Jolson. They can even connect with other students from around the globe and expand their learning world.
• Smartphones allow for social learning. Smartphones can allow students to work in groups on projects, sharing information and discoveries. They can move toward a common goal, again, in a format they are comfortable using.

(4 Benefits, paragraph 8)

How I use smartphones in the classroom.

Working as an ESL teacher in Korea, nearly every middle school student has a smartphone. One activity we do is read a passage out of a textbook then they have to translate it back into Korean. Before we read aloud I allow the students to look up any words or phrases they do not know in their smartphones. They really enjoy this time because many of their other teachers make them put their phones away during class, whereas in my class we use them.

How to use smartphones in other classes.

In other classes outside of a language class, students can use any apps that correlate with the subject that the teacher might find. In a science, history, or geography class they could use it for research if they are working on a project. Then there are other functions like the camera, audio/video recorder, and the calculator that can be used. One good tool to use for math homework would be to record a video of how to do a problem. They would show their work and solve the problem in the video. They could then upload that video to youtube to be seen by their classmates and the teacher.

There are many useful ways to include this technology rather than shying away.

It is up to the teachers to not be afraid of change.