The Value of Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning

Before the information age having a device in your pocket that could essentially answer any question imaginable would be unfathomable. Today most people take this wonder of machinery for granted. Because of this mobile technology is an unbelievably useful asset. Before the devices of mobile technology became accepted and accessible the only real way to introduce technology into the classroom was through desktop computers. The invention of mobile technology changed this forever. The mobile phone is packed with a number of useful features allowing communication through a variety of mediums, allowing quick and extensive access to the internet as well as access to e-mail and online lessons (Reece & Walker, 2007).

                Mobile Technology has opened up a whole new world of potential teaching and learning techniques. Gone are the days that a student was limited to sitting in a classroom staring at the whiteboard taking in information. In today’s classroom mobile technology has allowed for a great deal of interactivity in ways that have never been previously thought of. It is true that mobile technology is challenging the traditional concept of teaching and is “... inviting a more expansive possibility of ubiquitous learning supported by personal media communicators.” (Sharples, et al., 2010). A valuable way in which mobile technology can be used in education, which I have personally used, is to aide research during tasks. Due to the ease that a student can access the internet in a class and the speed at which students can now navigate web pages it is easy to set them questions and allow them time to research the answers before reporting back. Another way in which mobile technology can be used in the classroom involves much more interactivity. Websites such as TodaysMeet or even the more commonly known Facebook can be used to facilitate in-class discussion that benefits the lesson as a whole whilst not taking away from the teachers’ delivery of information.

                Although these examples are a mere snapshot of the fantastic potential mobile devices hold, they serve to illustrate a very important point. For any teacher that has stood in front of a class or even sat to one side observing a lesson, the words “phones away” are ingrained in their vocabulary. Almost every student these days carries a mobile phone and all of these will bring it into every lesson they attend. As early as 2005 scholars were predicting almost 3 billion people would soon own a mobile phone (Attewell, 2005) and as teachers it is our decision whether to, in a classroom, fight against the use of these devices or embrace them and use them to our advantage. I believe that it is not the teacher’s responsibility to prevent the use of mobile technology in class, but to harness that potential and use the fact that students are so fluid with the technology to benefit their learning. To do this however, teachers must be fully committed to the idea. Research has suggested that the most common use of mobile phones in education is in a didactic scope. This has been described as “pedagogically conservative and regressive.” (Herrington, et al., 2009). For this reason it is not only important simply incorporate mobile devices in a lesson but to use them in a way that aides student learning. As with every lesson it is important to offer a variety of activities including oral and written activities to best help engage the learner (Reece & Walker, 2007). Whilst I personally enjoy lesson in which I have no other activity than listening I can definitely see the benefits of a diverse lesson, especially in further education.

                 To limit the scope of mobile technology to phones however is severely limiting the potential of other devices. (Naismith, et al., 2004) take a broad definition of mobile technology and include such devices as tablets, laptops and PDAs. This definition only furthers the potential uses of mobile technology in a classroom. Whilst mobile phones can be considered pocket sized computers tablets and laptops offer much more in terms of learning. Flash support on tablets and laptops allows for access to flash animated quizzes and websites that use animations to help engage learners. It may also be the case that a teacher could incorporate a whole lesson onto a downloadable file fully equipped with video, audio, interactive games as well as links to further information that would previously not have been accessible on a mobile phone.

                In conclusion it is clear to me that the move towards a technology basis of learning is more of inevitability than choice. The fact that mobile technology has become such an integral part of society as a whole means that its benefits will be felt in education sooner rather than later.

Works Cited

Attewell, J., 2005. Mobile Technologies and Learning. s.l.:Learning and Skills Development Agency.

Herrington, A. et al., 2009. Using mobile technologies to develop new ways of teaching and learning. In: NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW PEDAGOGIES: MOBILE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION. s.l.:Unicersity of Wollongong.

Naismith, L., Sharples, M., Vavoula, G. & Lonsdale, P., 2004. Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning. HAL archives.

Reece, I. & Walker, S., 2007. Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide. 6th Revised ed. s.l.:Business Education Publishers Limited.

Sharples, P. D. M., Taylor, P. D. J. & Vavoula, D. G., 2010. A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age. In: Medienbildung in neuen Kulturräumen. s.l.:VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, pp. 87-99.