The Value of Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning

Throughout this blog I have reviewed and analysed different softwares that focus around mobile technology and how they can add to the learning of students. The one question not posed is just how much do these actually add to the experience?

Firstly, I think we should look at how applicable mobile technology is. It's all well and good to discuss how we can use new technologies but is it actually feasible to use them? In order to make use of tablets and smartphones within a classroom we must first ensure that most, if not all students have a device they can use (we can assume that there will always be a few without, but supplying more than 3-4 could prove costly). In an article by the University of Manchester (Davies, 2015) the author analyses data gained from a number of different surveys on the percentage of students that own smart devices:

Comparison of device ownership 2012-14 at the University of Northampton (Davies, 2015)

The graph implies an increase in ownership of smartphones up to 90% in 2014. This can most likely be attributed to the mobile phone market and that new smartphones are becoming cheaper all of the time and, as time passes, more smartphones are available on the second-hand market. Although this implies that 90% of students would be able to use the apps previously covered in this blog, it is quite apparent that not all smartphones are created equal. A £20 unbranded Windows mobile would not be able to run the same amount of apps as the latest model iPhone, and with Windows, IOS and Android as competing platforms, many developers have not made the apps cross-platform-compatible and so we cannot guarantee that all of the smartphones in question would be capable of launching the software.

But let us assume that we can run the software on the phone or tablet of every student in the class. There are many ways in which the technology itself can be useful in a classroom environment. In relation to teaching languages, Joanna Norton notes that "The student can take a series of snapshots of moments in their day — for example, their alarm clock, a toothbrush, a cup of coffee, their walk to work, etc. — and describe the actions to the teacher. For example, ‘I take a shower and get dressed…’ This will often highlight aspects of language that require teacher input" (Norton, 2014). In my personal experience I encourage students to take multiple photographs during practical sessions as ways of referencing setups at a later date or if they have to return to a previous setup. This is also useful during the creation of blogs (something used for multiple assignments within my department) where the students would need to evidence things with photographs, videos and sound recordings. Having a device that can perform all of these tasks roves invaluable to a course designed in this way.

References

Davies, S. 2015. [M-Article Series] Mobile device adoption in UK Higher Education. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.elearning.eps.manchester.ac.uk/blog/2014/m-article-series-mobile-device-adoption-in-uk-he/. [Accessed 18 November 2015].

Norton, J. 2014. Teaching tips: how students can use mobiles to learn English | British Council. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/teaching-tips-how-students-can-use-mobiles-to-learn-english. [Accessed 18 November 2015].