Mobile learning, sometimes called eLearning or online learning, happens when a student uses a mobile device that is connected to the internet to complete all or some of their coursework. Learning using mobile devices could be done within the confines of a traditional face-to-face class, a hybrid setting, or a completely online course.
Benefits
The world around us has changed in the way we use technology in the last 20 years, especially in the last three years. We were all forced to use technology in ways we may not have due to the pandemic. As a teacher, I had to learn new skills and change my pedagogy during the school closures. I believe many of those changes will stick around. Mobile learning is one of those things because there are many advantages, provided all students have access. These include:
It can be a great supplement to traditional in-person courses,
Increasing student engagement and participation,
Reducing barriers to communication by allowing all students to participate,
Providing opportunities for skill development and multiple ways of participation
Increasing efficiency of teachers in record-keeping and feedback,
Helping teachers gather data in real time through quizzing apps or gamified activities
Increasing effectiveness of teachers through the analysis of formative data collected,
Helping students more easily understand concepts through the use of simulations, multimedia, demonstrations, and more timely feedback (Collin et al., 2021; Chang, 2019).
In addition to the advantages of using mobile learning in the classroom, students are also asking for mobile access to their courses, teachers, and peers. Students are using mobile devices to access coursework and resources and to communicate. At the same time, there is often a disconnect with how the instructors view the matter as mobile phones are frequently banned from classrooms (Chen et al., 2023).
When designing instruction with mobile learning in mind, it is important to use a responsive design, so students can access it on any device and still see the content. There are a few keys to remember when doing this including:
Keep the design simple,
Package content in ZIP files and eliminate anything that does not add value (excess white space, borders, etc.),
Using readily available fonts for emphasis instead of icons that are images,
Make navigation clear and simple,
Look at your fonts to make sure they are adequate in size and contrast to background,
Look at it on many platforms, and
Build it with the learner in mind (Pappas, 2021).
How does Social Media Impact Mobile Learning?
My first thought when the topic of using social media in conjunction with mobile learning was why and how would you do that. As I read through the content for this week, here is what I learned.
Social media is open and available to anyone, and most people can conveniently access it on their smartphones at any time. There is easy access to great amounts of information beyond what a teacher might curate for students. It can allow for connection and communication outside the formal classroom between students and with the teacher, and it provides an avenue to share ancillary material (Arshavskiy, 2021; Norman, 2021b).
However, if a teacher plans to utilize the reach and ease of use of the social media platforms, careful planning must be done to provide structure to keep students focused. This structure includes explicitly stating what behavior is acceptable, setting up networks or groups within the platform, and moderation by the instructor (Arshavskiy, 2021; Norman, 2021a). Teachers can use blogs, Twitter chats and hashtags, Pintrest, and YouTube to provide content to students and interact with them (Norman, 2021).
Importance to Me
This information is important to me because it helps me to realize how technology has changed and is changing the face of education. Mobile learning has moved forward rapidly in the last five years, and it is not going to go away. Many teachers I’ve talked to have expressed the desire to just go back to the way it was before Covid. However, I do not think it will, nor should it. The silver lining of the Covid cloud is that it pushed open a door that needed to be pushed open in schools. Our students need to be prepared to work in a digital world, and if we continue doing things the way we have always done, that will not happen. The readings this week have helped me to understand a little more the history and direction of mobile learning.
I realized that I need to learn more about how to design mobile learning to make it responsive. Teachers and students are both accessing learning management systems on their phones, so I need to make sure whatever I design is responsive.
This video is a good resource to learn more.
Resources
Arshavskiy, M. (2021a, May 12). Social Media and elearning: How to improve formal learning with social media. eLearning Industry. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://elearningindustry.com/improve-formal-learning-with-social-media-social-media-elearning
Arshavskiy, M. (2021b, November 12). Social Media for elearning. eLearning Industry. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://elearningindustry.com/social-media-for-elearning
Chang, C.-Y. (2019, November 19). How mobile learning can support global student engagement. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2019/11/how-mobile-learning-can-support-global-student-engagement
Chen, B., Denovelles, A., Brown, T., & Seilhamer, R. (2023, January 25). The evolving landscape of Students' mobile learning practices in Higher Education. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/1/the-evolving-landscape-of-students-mobile-learning-practices-in-higher-education
Collin, M., Eastman, S., Merrill, M., & Rockey, A. (2021, March 19). Leveraging mobile technology to achieve teaching goals. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/3/leveraging-mobile-technology-to-achieve-teaching-goals
ELB Learning. (2017, November 16). Responsive Design Strategies for elearning. YouTube. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58qML-00ItM
Norman, S. (2021, May 12). 5 ultimate tricks of using social media as learning tools. eLearning Industry. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://elearningindustry.com/5-ultimate-tricks-using-social-media-learning-tools
Pappas, C. (2021, May 12). 7 TIPS to create responsive design for mobile learning. eLearning Industry. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://elearningindustry.com/7-tips-create-responsive-design-mobile-learning
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