Educating with Mobile Devices
Insight into the effectiveness of M-Learning in classrooms.
Introduction
Dr. June Atkinson -North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tim Magner - Director of Education Technology for the US Department of Education
Travis Taylor - Principal of Southern School of Engineering
Potential Benefits of Mobile Learning
- Most students are already familiar with these devices
- Ability to access information instantly
- Easily conduct research and share findings
- Provides an avenue for collaboration
- Allows student to learn within and outside the classroom
- Lower cost than computers
- Enhances in problem solving and creativity
- Ability to compile data on students comprehension of material
- Facilitates correspondence with students
Necessary Steps for Implementation
- Uniformity of devices (or application compatibility across devices)
- Monitoring system to ensure use is educational
- Strict standards & procedures
- Strong classroom culture
- Educators must be well educated in the platform to maximize benefits to students
Overview of Statistical Findings & Research Highlights
- 61.35% of participants had access to the internet
- 63.97% of participants had reported using or having used mobile devices for mobile learning
- Results of the experiment showed that participants are generally happy with using mobile phones for learning and would like to continue using mobile learning in the future
- Most participants found that mobile devices used for educational purposes increased their productivity as well as their efficiency
- Study showed that an overwhelming 88% of the population was interested in using mobile devices for mobile learning purposes
- 58% of 13-17 year olds own smartphones as of July 2012
Interview With Jonathan Trebble-Greening : 3rd Year High School Science Teacher
How can you get mobile devices for your school?
Project K-Nect is designed to create a supplemental resource for secondary at-risk students to focus on increasing their math skills through a common and popular technology – mobile smartphones. Ninth graders in several public schools in the State of North Carolina received smartphones to access supplemental math content aligned with their teachers’ lesson plans and course objectives. Students communicate and collaborate with each other and access tutors outside of the school day to help them master math skills and knowledge. The smartphones and service are free of charge to the students and their schools due to a grant provided by Qualcomm, as part of its Wireless Reach™ initiative.
Key results of Project K-Nect Program
- Students at one of the participating Project K-Nects schools, increased their proficiency rates by 30 percent on the State of North Carolina’s End of Course exam, compared to classes not in Project K-Nect, but taught by the same teacher.
- Teachers rely more on facilitating and less on direct instruction, encourage students to talk with and teach each other, and create relevance by creating assignments that help them see math in the world.
- The 2010 Evaluation Report prepared by Project Tomorrow found that 85 percent of students feel more successful in math and more than 50 percent are now thinking of a career in the math field as a result of participating in Project K-Nect.
- Source: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rrh9JAvBdo0J:https://www.qualcomm.com/media/documents/files/wireless-reach-case-study-united-states-project-knect-english-.pdf+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari
Want to know more about this topic?
NEA- Using Smartphones in the Classroom (http://www.nea.org/tools/56274.htm)
- This article by the National Education Association provides some great info on key advantages that mobile device use in classrooms presents. Also, this article provides examples and links to applications that students and teachers can use to facilitate learning.
Wireless EdTech 2012: From the Front Lines: Teachers' Views on Mobile Learning in the Classroom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOUF8jnoRCg)
- This video provides a thorough look into the arguments for and against the implementation of mobile devices into classrooms. Also, the video portrays the views of multiple teachers, which enables the viewer to hear the differing perspectives of educational professionals.
My 35 Favorite Free Apps for Teaching (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/12/my-35-favorite-free-apps-teaching)
- Interested in what apps are available for educators to use in their classrooms? This article provides a large and comprehensive list of applications educators can utilize to enhance student learning. Each app has a description and provides differing, but cool and interesting tools to enhance education with mobile technology.
Cell Phones in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators (http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/celuse-excerpt.pdf)
- Want to hear testimonials from actual teachers? This link provides real life testimonials from education professionals on their opinions of mobile learning in classrooms as well as examples of how they have used mobile technology in their classrooms. Also, the study provides results that will provide insight into which avenues mobile learning has been most effective.
Bradley Greening
Email: brg@uga.edu
Website: bradleygreening.wordpress.com
Phone: 770-286-3266