Mobile Learning

To think that mobile learning will not be more and more popular in the future, would be naïve to the desires of the masses. Mobile web browsing, which I personally dislike, has become the primary way of browsing the internet. Despite the seemingly obvious direction of student preferences, there are several benefits and drawbacks that should be thought about.

Mobile devices bring a lot of benefits. The strongest one is convenience or the ability to learn anytime, anywhere (Pereira & Rodrigues, 2013). Mobile devices provide the learner with the ability to learn when it is convenient. There are many times that I’ve sat in a waiting room and stared at the magazines spread across the table and realized that I’m in a doctor’s office and have no desire to touch anything or that I’m just not interested in what’s being offered me as temporary amusement. Instead, I’d rather be on my mobile device sifting through emails, reading a blog, or reading an article that I need for this class.

While the benefits are great, do not bolster its effectiveness. Mobile devices are permanently attached to most people, especially the younger generation. This is the reason they love studying from their personal computing device (PCD). They already use it for everything else, so why not? Well, that’s exactly why not. Gikas and Grant (2013) observed that students were more easily distracted when studying on their PCD. Another big drawback is the lack of training. Just because students are technology natives, does not make them technologically savvy. I think this distinction is lost on a lot of implementers and educators; thus, application training is not given, and the system is not used to its fullest potential. Without training, teachers will have limited knowledge and skill with the system and cannot aid their students (Crompton, Burke, & Gregory, 2017). Pereira and Rodrigues (2013) argue that device characteristics, such as the resolution or screen size, no longer pose an issue; however, that real estate is still a premium. While tablets offer more real-estate, they are not the common mobile device of most students. Mobile phones are still very restricted in size and require careful planning for presenting information in a clear and easily navigable fashion. Therefore, adaptive websites are a necessity.

References

• Crompton, H., Burke, D., & Gregory, K. H. (2017, July). The use of mobile learning in PK-12 education: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 110, 51-63.
• Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013, October). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18-26. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2013.06.002
• Pereira, O. R., & Rodrigues, J. J. (2013, November). Survey and Analysis of Current Mobile Learning Applications and Technologies. ACM Computing Surveys, 46(2), 27:1-27:35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2543581.2543594