In today’s world, students and educators are experiencing more digitally inclusive educational content than ever before. Industry experts from the m-learning (mobile learning) domains have observed a growing trend amongst youth: more young people are using smartphones for educational purposes.
Smartphones are rapidly becoming the leading technological tool for online learning, followed by tablets and laptops. The reason smartphones are becoming increasingly popular is because of its multi-functionality and various dynamic features which allow us to share masses of information with people all around the world. Additionally, it is one of those ‘anywhere, anytime’ devices that can be accessed at the user’s convenience.
Smartphones are capable of being fully-functional learning devices. By carrying them around with us every day, we are automatically making them an integral part of our day-to-day lives. Smartphones also bear their share of criticism, from device failure to mental health concerns (‘smartphone addiction’) and many others. In terms of facilitating an educational experience, smartphones are used for mobile learning. This allows for learning to take place seamlessly and in a unified manner. In LPU alone, we used our LPU touch to access our Quick Quiz before, during or after class. The short quiz (MCQ-based) is completed on the app and the results are instantly sent back to the teacher.
Millions of high school students around the world are using mobile learning to:
- View course content, syllabus, progress reports
- Conduct tests, quizzes, short surveys, etc.
- Correspond with relevant faculty and other peers
- Update their student profiles
- Upload and share important educational resources
- Download educational material uploaded by the teacher
The ever-growing advantages and practicality of adopting this technology are plenty, to name a few, increasing access and availability of educational material, bridging the gap between formal and informal education and providing a more personalized and refreshing approach to learning.
Mobile learning is beneficial to every stakeholder in the learning (education) stratosphere. One of the expected challenges for mobile learning technologies is a poor internet connection. To tackle this barrier, some companies have taken it upon themselves to introduce alternative systems, for example, enabling an SMS-based system to forward relevant educational content to students and get instant responses. Some applications offer easily downloadable material so that students can also learn offline.
Technology is transforming the education industry, and smartphones play a major role. However, many educational institutions often prohibit or ignore smartphone devices as a learning tool, saying it disrupts the formal education system. This represents a missed opportunity. Smartphones have great potential, and their functionalities are ever-increasing. It addresses many educational challenges in new and innovative ways. It can also be used effectively without compromising the existing educational infrastructure.
