Mobile+Learning

=Mobile Learning by Aaron Troisi=

Mobile Learning refers to the use of mobile devices for educational purposes: to connect to information, other people, and to learning activities through the internet or other wireless network. Mobility has been a key advance in technology in the past few years, with more and more people communicating and sharing information via smartphones, tablets, iPads, and more. According to NMC's 2013 Horizon Report, "At the end of 2012, the mobile market consisted of over 6.5 billion accounts" (16). Mobile devices and media are everywhere, and they are growing every day in popularity and use. This presents new opportunities for educators: as young people continue to connect via broad wireless networks, teachers may be able to connect students to meaningful learning activities. As the Horizon Report puts it, "Tablets, smartphones, and mobile apps have become too capable, too ubiquitous, and too useful to ignore" (16).

NMC's 2013 Horizon Report discusses the potential to utilize mobile networking and mobile devices for learning. This is referred to as Mobile Learning, or M-learning. The Report finds that there are a number of advantages to Mobile Learning, including increased student excitement and engagement, more easily accessible materials and content, use of a huge array of valuable tools, and increased collaboration and communication within and beyond the classroom. There are a few drawbacks to Mobile Learning, which (of course) relies on access to mobile devices. This may be a challenge, the Report states, due to limited access, lack of resources, or a straight-up lack of funds.

The Horizon Report puts forth a solution to these setbacks by dividing Mobile Learning into two categories: one-to-one and BYOD. One-to-one learning refers to when schools, institutions, or teachers are able to provide every student with their own device, such as when a school provides an entire class with iPads. This results in all students having access to the same hardware, which can be useful for instructional purposes and easier for teachers. However, if resources or funding is scarce, teachers may wish to implement a BYOD ("Bring Your Own Device") system in which students bring their own mobile devices in for use in the classroom. The Report states that while each have their advantages, BYOD may create the potential for more variety in the classroom. Students using their own devices may also lead to greater engagement and to students taking greater ownership of their own learning.

Whether students are provided mobile devices or a classroom policy is BYOD, Mobile Learning is a rich field for teachers to engage students in learning. This is particularly true in the realm of apps. The Horizon Report finds that "the incredible diversity of mobile apps has expanded the capabilities of mobile devices enormously -- and people love them" (16). Mobile device hardware is easy-to-use, intuitive, and ubiquitous. But the software is the real treasure. The networked world is overflowing with education apps, which are useful and more popular than ever. The most common education apps include e-reading software (textbooks online), lesson practice apps (testing, drills, etc.), and video-watching software.

The Horizon Report provides several excellent examples of Mobile Learning in the classroom as well as links to resources with more information. A good example of Mobile Learning in practice is Warringa Park School in Australia. At Warringa Park, teachers gave students with special needs iPads. In addition to helping students develop their "fine motor control, vocabulary, speech, and design skills," access to the iPads "were useful in facilitating individualized learning both within the classroom and out in the community" (18).

That is just one of the many potential applications of Mobile Learning within the classroom. Just as mobile devices will be improving and growing in the near future, so too will the opportunities for Mobile Learning.

Resources
http://www.nmc.org/publications/2013-horizon-report-k12 http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-k12.pdf http://www.education.nt.gov.au/parents-community/students-learning/special-education-disability/ipads-in-special-education http://www.edudemic.com/2012/12/mobile-learning/ http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/for-low-income-kids-access-to-devices-could-be-the-equalizer/ http://www.educationdive.com/news/17-ways-ipads-will-be-used-in-schools-in-2013/99550/ http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/ http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/mobile-learning/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-learning

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