Challenges in Mobile Learning
Let us look at some of the main concerns faced by educationists and m-learning advocates and techniques by which these issues could possibly be overcome.
What if my teachers and staff usually are not tech savvy?
One of several key criteria for almost any new technological to hit your objectives is that it needs to be simple to learn, with immediate benefits. Cellphones are not new technology. Smartphones are created to be intuitive and do not require special training to use.
What may require some hand holding is the use of software that will your teachers to supply customized content to student mobile devices. While these are made to be easy to use, just like any new software you will have a small learning period through which teachers will become more familiar with the software features. Internet browsing and basic formatting skills are crucial, but they are not important to be able to offer mobile learning how to students.
If your teachers are already browsing the net, emailing and creating documents and presentations without difficulty, they will have no trouble transitioning to mobile learning applications.
Will students apply it to cheat?
To be honest. Some students will forever try and cheat. Whether it's crib notes, or old-fashioned copying, cheating does occur. Mobile learning enables students to utilize their studying time effectively by giving bite-sized chunks of material in a fashion that can be easily reviewed. No facilitate cheating.
While there is evidence that mobiles are increasingly used by students to cheat, implementing m-learning pedagogies won't necessarily raise the variety of cheaters.
To overcome cheating issues, many schools and academic institutions prohibit students from bringing mobile phones into the exam hall, or at the minimum have them switched off. Warnings and penalties can deter cheaters, but vigilance during examinations for all types of cheating including cellular phone usage will just must continue.
Will learning material have to be reformatted?
Most mobile phones are works with standard text, music and video formats on the market today. If reformatting is required it might usually be to standardize your formats and may probably be done yourself computer.
Based on your material, how you package your posts for mobile phone delivery is about you. Sometimes it is often as easy as recording a lecture or copy-pasting a laboratory process. The advantage of mobile learning could be that the small screen let's you appear only to the important points that ought to be reviewed. For multiple choice exam preparation just like the SATs, you can use m-learning software like Mobl21, which enable you to create quizzes and vocabulary flashcards easily, and supports popular file formats add media like car stereo.
Isn't this just a high-tech package for the same old dull and boring content?
With evolving learning tools, pedagogies must evolve too. From employing chalkboards to using OHPs (Overhead Screen Projectors), playing alphabet songs to computer learning, our strategies to instruction change with changing technologies.
While current learning pedagogies are still trying to incorporate mobile learning methods, it really is definite that today's students lean more towards active discovery instead of age-old passive absorption. And mobile learning is all about providing interactivity in mastering.
If the goal is education, content can't be "dull and boring". Learning and learning material have to be dynamic for it to be assimilated with the information-overloaded students of today.
Flashcards, quizzes, podcasts, videos, historical speeches, graphic timelines, real-time global collaboration, satellite maps... a complete interactive encyclopedia of information can be found in a few clicks. Deploying it effectively just requires some creative application.
Why don't you consider the digital divide? Don't assume all student is tech savvy.
While it's valid that some students continue to have no access to technology, precisely what is also true is that mobile technology is now globally available and pervading every facet of our lives.
In the 2009 Parent-Teen Mobile phone Survey, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, 75% of 12-17-year-olds now own mobile devices (up from 45% in 2004).
Implementation of m-learning methods early in schools is also a good way to overcome this digital gap. Classrooms give you the ideal equal learning ground, with students capable to mimic peers and quickly study on each other. Mobile learning will also enable students to switch data, find information and collaborate, all vital skills for today's wired world.
The way I measure learning effectiveness?
Exactly the same you do today. Find out on lessons which have been revised, have students write papers and assign projects which require subject understanding to become completed.
Additionally choose mobile learning applications that permit you to create content that you just know will be worthwhile to your students. Some applications, like Mobl21 offer the flexibility to create notes and flashcards and also monitor which learning material your students operate on.
While new technology are always exciting, creating the habit of using the cellphone for learning, requires effort and persistence from both the teacher along with the student.
