Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning

• Why should a teacher be prepared to allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives?

Teachers should be allowed to use mobile devices for learning objectives for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, mobile devices are ubiquitous. They are an essential part of people's lives and a resource that can be utilized. Mobile learning can provide us with a variety of resources including social learning, access to knowledge resources, and the ability to quickly check student knowledge (Chaffe 2016). Furthermore mobile devices have a variety of resources and features built into them including audio recording, video/still photo cameras, access to/ability to create QR codes, polling of student knowledge, and access to online forums (Adeboye 2016). Mobile devices are thus a powerful tool to engage and empower students in the processes of learning and we should not shy away from their use. 

Guiding Principles

There should be some guiding principles on how mobile learning is used in the classroom. I came up with the following to connect to standards that I taught as well as greater concerns with student learning moving towards process, reflection, and thinking rather than acquiring knowledge. I had working in the International Baccelaureate System. 

Mobile learning in the classroom should do the following:  

• It engages the student in a process of inquiry and reflection.
• It allows the student to record, reflect, or check their comprehension in faster and more dynamic way.
• It allows the student to access, store, create and curate learning resources.

3. Without referring to specific apps, suggest two or three examples of mobile activities for your classroom. Include the principles or qualities of the activities that make them particularly worthwhile. Why are they good activities? To get you started thinking in the right direction, here are some examples of mobile learning that do not depend on any specific app:

Mobile Learning Examples for the PYP Art Classroom:

Voice Recorder Audio Dictation Reflections: 

At the end of a unit students are meant to be assessed on both creating and responding in their artwork. The creation is the actual artwork but the responding should be some kind of reflection. By using the audio record or voice memo feature of their mobile device, the students can record their reflection, listen to it instantly and revise it if necessary. This way they can practice putting down their thoughts verbally and can instantly revise and correct them. The students can practice throughout the unit and collect their audio reflections on their device before adding them to a drive or better yet a scannable QR code which anyone can access. The students can in a very basic way record one short reflection a week, review them, and then record a final project reflection condensing and synthesizing the past reflections.

Photo Documentation of Learning:

Part of the process of reflecting on one's learning is the ability to think about the learning as it progressed throughout the project. Photo Documentation is an excellent way to record and document student learning as it progresses. This is especially pertinent in arts, but can be used in science, PE, and even math. Photo Documentation works especially well for PBL. As a component of a project students can be asked to asked to document their learning in a visual way. The students can use the camera on the mobile device to record the learning process and make it visual. This can be tied to PBL through the development of student roles and responsibilities. One student could serve as the photo journalist per week and photograph the work and write annotations to explain what the photos were documenting. At the end of the project the students could then use the photos to create a slideshow illustrating their learning, the successes, failures, setbacks, and breakthroughs. 

Works Cited

Adeboye, D. (2016, July 15). 5 Effective Uses Of Mobile Technology In The Classroom. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/5-uses-mobile-technology-in-the-classroom

Chaffe, S. (2016, February 29). Getting Mobile Learning Right: 6 Best Practices. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/getting-mobile-learning-right-6-best-practices