Mobile Learning: Handheld Education?

There are many different trends that appear in the educational world.  Some come and go, others evolve in stability, and still others raise controversy.  Recently, these trends have centered around technology and its utilization in, or in conjunction with, the formal classroom.  Educators are, for the most part, on board with tech integration.  The reason for such optimism in this ever expanding resource is that technology opens new doors into instruction that would otherwise be closed.  As David Lassner, Vice President for Information Technology at the University of Hawaii said, “The real power of interactive technologies is that they let us learn in ways that aren’t otherwise possible or practical.”  Technology is evolving instruction in many ways; one increasingly popular method is that of Mobile Learning.  I want to quickly look at the prevalence of mobile use and mobile instruction within the classroom and the corporate world, the benefits and negatives of using this expanding tool, and the ways we can implement Mobile Learning into our classrooms today.

First of all, is Mobile Learning really out there?  Are people truly using their mobile devices for more than games, planning events, and trolling people on the internet?  Pew Research Center states over 60% of adults in the United States have some form of smart phone and over 40% have a tablet.  They also state that over 70% of teenagers have smart phones capable of mobile learning and only 12% have no phone at all (Lenhart, 2015).  We can see that mobile use is prevalent in adults and children.  Total Maturity conducted a study of over 1,600 participants and found that 74% of the smart phone owners used their devices to aid in their job responsibilities.  And companies are responding to this desire.  67% of organizations now offer some sort of Mobile Learning for their employees in the form of online trainings, refreshers, LMS, or collaboration (Phillips, 2016).  This is proof that our culture is moving towards Mobile Learning as a normal and accepted form of remote education and instruction.  These practices don’t just work within a corporate setting, they also translate very well into an educational setting.

PEW Research Table: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/pi_2015-04-09_teensandtech_06/

Just like any new tool or practice, Mobile Learning has some good aspects and some questionable aspects.  The biggest controversy behind any device driven instruction for students is that it can take away from face to face interaction and physical manipulatives.  The fear here is that students will not collaborate or communicate.  Without a physical location or tangible resources, the discussion and group work will suffer.  And while this may be the case in earlier years - elementary education - I do believe those developing students need to learn how to behave around others and develop fine motor skills, the higher grades have been found to benefit and thrive in their online communities.  Aicha Blehch Amry, PhD from Taibah University stated, “Learning is becoming more personal and is becoming increasingly based on online social interactions that enable collaborative, networked and portable processes. Learning is becoming ubiquitous, durable and increasingly at odds with formal education. Increasingly, different types of learning happen outside of the classroom through social cooperation and collaboration between students to improve construction and knowledge sharing. (Amry, 2014)”  Students can create an online community that works well together and extends learning and collaboration outside of the school building if directed properly.  There are also many positives to Mobile Learning in an education setting.  Mobile Learning allows for more student centered learning.  Accessing the many multiple intelligences is often a missed opportunity.  It is much easier for educators to create a single assignment that can only be completed in one way.  This makes grading simpler and keeping track of student assignments more streamlined.  The problem is, this method can also limit students and does not create an environment where the learner can express their creativity in problem solving and their ability to portray information in a unique way.  As teachers, we want to encourage thinking outside of the box and allowing students to problem solve in order to demonstrate mastery.  Mobile Learning can allow students more creative expression.  Their mastery may take the form of a video, or a photo collection, a Google Slide presentation, or even a recording like a podcast or screencast (Krueger, 2014).  Our students have already bought into the device driven life, we as educators can re-direct this drive away from time wasting videos, to an expression of understanding through mediums they respect and relate to.  It reminds me of a story told by Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann in their book, Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day, where a student they had created a video game that he and other students could play to demonstrate he had acquired mastery of a given content area (Bergmann & Sams, 2012).  This was not an ordinary form of assessment, but it allowed the student to display mastery in a unique and effective method.  Mobile Learning is also, as the name implies, mobile.  This resource allows for remote collaboration wherever there is data or WiFi.  Students can access their projects and assignments anywhere and work with their classmates on their own time.  This is a great way to promote learning outside of the classroom and in an environment that they are comfortable in.  Mobile Learning also helps students take ownership of their learning by encouraging and developing time management skills.  Many Mobile Learning applications or instruction can be re-visited by students to truly grasp what was discussed.  This allows for greater comprehension and retention.  The learning becomes personal as they work through it at their own pace and in their own way (Krueger, 2014).  Relation to information is in direct correlation to their assimilation of new content.  When Mobile Learning is done correctly, our learning culture is not limited to the brick and mortar of the school building, but it is applied to our lives in a much more organic and comprehensive manner.

For Complete Infograph: http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/How-Technology-in-the-Classroom-is-Affecting-Education-Infographic

So how can we incorporate Mobile Learning into our classroom?  There are many options available for educators of all different school budgets, but there is one thing we must always keep in mind.  Technology is just another tool in our educational tool chest, and it must be used appropriately.  We as educators have a responsibility to only use technology when it enhances learning.  We should not use it just for the sake of checking off our educational technology quota for the day.  There are times and places for Mobile Learning just like any other instructional resource.  That being said, one of the best uses for Mobile Learning is the application of online collaboration.  This can be done with many different Web 2.0 tools and applications - click here to see a list of my favorites - but the most accessible tool is the line of Google Apps.  Google Drive is full of applications that students can access on their mobile devices for collaborative purposes.  Google Docs allows for groups notes, Google Slides can create team presentations, and Google Hangouts can help facilitate group study sessions.  Online collaboration is a great way to get your students working together outside of the traditional classroom setting.  Learning Management Systems - or LMS - are also an effective way to connect with your students remotely.  These online classroom portals can create a stable and controlled environment where students can interact, read up on assignments, and post papers or projects.  Most LMS are mobile compatible and can help give students a sense of control and ownership of their assignments and responsibilities.  The last Mobile Learning option I’d like to mention is the idea of “gamification".  This is when concepts or skills are incorporated into a game format where students participate and compete on pre-determined levels to reach mastery of a given topic.  This format creates a safe place to “fail” and learn from mistakes (Kochattil, 2016).  Many times students who are afraid of failure or “trying the wrong way” find comfort in a game setting and can learn in a much more healthy atmosphere.

Mobile Learning is evolving within our instructional system.  It is permeating our corporate culture and working its way into our schools.  Students are already wrapped up in their mobile devices and many time-wasting applications are vying for their attention.  Are we as educators going to change and adapt with technology to better facilitate our learners?  Are we going to take advantage of the tools at our disposal and do our best to create an open atmosphere for creative discovery and learning?  Or will we stay comfortable in our tried and true educational practices that are slowly becoming outdated.  I hope we choose to do our best to keep up with the ever evolving state of educational technology and create learners who are not afraid to problem solve and express their creativity.     

APA Reference(s) 2

Reference(s)

Amry, A. B. (2014, August). The impact of whatsapp mobile social learning on the achievement and    attitudes of female students compared with face to face learning in the classroom. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.962.3745&rep=rep1&type=pdf


Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.


Kochattil, S. (2016, April 27). Top mobile learning trends for 2016 . Retrieved January 19, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/key-mobile-learning-trends-2016


Krueger, N. (2014, August 29). 3 benefits of mobile learning you're not leveraging. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from https://www.iste.org/explore/ArticleDetail?articleid=57


Lenhart, A. (2015, April 08). Teens, social media & technology overview 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/pi_2015-04-09_teensandtech_06/


Phillips, L. (2016, April 07). In-focus: Learning and performance on the move . Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://towardsmaturity.org/article/2016/04/07/in-focus-learning-performance-mobile-workforce/

Sage on the Stage, Guide on the Side, or something In-between?

This topic of “sage on the stage” or “guide on the side” is a very relevant one for anyone who finds themselves in the position of instruction or training.  There are many who heavily weigh in on lecture and the overwhelming effectiveness of this form of instruction.  But there is a growing section in education that encourages a more side-by-side instructional model referred to as “guide on the side”.  The problem that occurs with stances such as these is the pendulum effect.  This effect dates back to Galileo’s work in physics and states that ideas more often than not “swing” to opposite extremes (Pendulum, 2017).  When individuals desire change - with good intentions - they tend to pull away sharply and overreact in an effort to remove themselves from what they perceive as ineffective or detrimental.  This can be the case when trying to determine your style and portrayal of instruction.  I believe that either extreme can become ineffective.  I want to look at the benefits of a classroom saturated with guided social instruction and a smattering of lecture.  The fears of this conversion are real and need to be addressed for the sake of effective teaching.  A healthy balance of lecture and discovery learning is necessary if we are going to efficiently equip our learners.

Esther Wojcicki, vice chair of the Creative Commons board of directors, says this about instruction: “Eighty percent of learning takes place outside the classroom. Can you imagine learning to ride a bike by reading a book about it?  So why are we still teaching using lectures? We need to change the mindset and the role of the teacher from the ‘sage on the stage’ to the ‘guide on the side.’”  If her statistics are correct, we need to drastically reconsider how we present information to our students.  She calls educators to reject pure lecture-based lessons and incorporate experiential learning (May, 2016).  Now this doesn’t mean that we cannot include lecture into any lesson we prepare and deliver, but it does encourage us to readjust our priorities when constructing our unit lesson plans.  The biggest problem with a lecture-heavy instruction method is that during lectures, students are passively receiving the new information.  The mind that is most active in the classroom is the instructor’s himself.  Instructors are the ones relaying the facts, fielding questions, and engaging their minds in order to surface retained information.  The students are only recording what has been presented and will have to review on their own time in order to assimilate and comprehend.  While review and self-reflection are important aspects of learning new concepts, they should not be the major outlets for student interaction with the information.  When the class time is devoted to exploration and application, however, the students have the active minds and are building into their previously formed schema to allow for greater retention and comprehension (Bergmann & Sams, 2012).  This method also encourages students to take ownership of their learning and produces more creative and engaged minds within the classroom.  Too many times teachers believe it is their responsibility to carry their students through the course.  This may be because of fear of students failing, or their class looking badly, or not meeting benchmarks set by a district, which I will touch on later in this post.  There are many outside stimuli that encourage instructors to discourage exploration and true trial-and-error learning.  Students are spoon-fed information instead of being taught to savor the challenge and learn from mistakes (Jones, 2015).  This act of missing the mark and being encouraged to pursue mastery will be instrumental in creating long-lasting assimilation of information.  We need to call our students back to the art of discovery and the love of learning.

This idea of learning through interaction and guidance is not a new concept.  Many thinkers, instructors, and educators in history have urged the use of collaboration within instruction.  Lev Vygotsky, in the early 1900’s, greatly encouraged social interaction within the classroom.  His idea of a Zone of Proximal Development, ZPD, was essential to his pedagogy.  The ZPD stated that students learn best when leaning with peers and/or through direction of learning by a teacher or instructor (Powell & Kaline, 2009).  Students can be grouped to aid in concept absorption and the teacher can work within the groups to assist them in their goal of understanding.  This allows students to explore and ascertain information on their own and thus create a more solid extension to their previous scaffolding of facts and skills.  Students learn through experience and personal connection.  Whenever I am teaching a class and raise a generic question that the vast majority of students would have experienced, like “How many people watched the new __________ movie this summer?,” the response is reminiscent of the lightbulb experience.  They’re excited to chime in that they have seen or heard of it, and when I can connect it to the lesson we are walking through together, the concept becomes much more personal and meaningful.  This is the idea of “scaffolding.” We are building on top of already established thoughts or ideas.  If we can take things that the students already have personal connections to and connect them to the concept being discussed, the students will more likely retain that information.  They have made the concept part of their very own history.  They are taking ownership of it.  This guiding by the instructor allows for processing dialogue that helps students to naturally deconstruct and absorb information that is now personally connected (Fogarty, 1999).  This returns to the importance of self-reflection and assimilation.  Dialogue and discovery-driven learning conducted by and guided by a learned instructor is an effective, more conservative form of our “guide on the side” pedagogy.

There are many obstacles to implementing this form of instruction in the classroom.  The largest fear revolving around this teaching style is that it drives instructors out of their comfort zones and requires much more accountability on their part.  Since the class time will involve more questions than lecture, teachers must have a greater mastery of the subject matter they are teaching.  No longer does the lesson stay within the strict boundaries a lecture sets up.  And let’s face it, teachers love to talk and love to be listened to.  It is much easier to “ramble” on and enforce the fact that the teacher knows best.  It is much more humbling and challenging to set up guided parameters and allow our students to discover the answers through their own ingenuity and collaboration (Bergmann & Sams, 2012).  Collaborative work is greatly encouraged in a class setting that steers away from the standard lecture.  This framework allows students to work with their peers towards the desired goals.  This can also be frightening for teachers.  I know it is for me.  Teamwork creates a sense of freedom and spontaneity that can seem dangerous and unruly.  In the end, the results are worth the effort and “lack” of structure (Davis, 2012).  Another fear is that students will not reach the desired standard or benchmark set by our districts, as mentioned earlier.  When assessing students for state testing, there is a very specific standard needed.  Creating lessons that revolve around collaboration and exploration can cause anxiety in this area.  Will my students figure out the content before I need to move on?  I don’t want to leave my students behind.  How can I keep track of their progress?  These are valid concerns, and will take time to evaluate based on your subject matter and state requirements.  However, this should not put a stop to creating experiential learning for your students.  Some subjects may not be able to transfer as seamlessly, and some may transition more naturally.  These are possible detours, not closed roads.  Network and find teachers within your state that have overcome these obstacles.  On the subject of assessments, grading can also take a turn within this structure.  Not every assignment is going to be a fill-in-the-blank worksheet.  Determining a student’s mastery of a skill or concept may be more difficult to define, and again, may require a greater understanding of the subject area for the teacher.  This is a sacrifice of time and effort that can seem daunting for instructors, especially those comfortable in their lecturing habits.  When teachers take the plunge into this form of instruction, after the reworking of their lesson plans and the refreshing of their content, they are left with a classroom experience that will benefit their students greatly in their journey to become lifelong learners.

So are we going to stay that “sage on the stage”?  Are we going to swing disproportionately to the other extreme and rely on an unhealthy version of “guide on the side”?  Or are we going to find that coveted balance of the two to create a classroom environment where our students can really grow and learn together.  I think we all want that balance.  I think in theory we want to work hard and encourage our students to do the same.  Yet are we really going to take the time and effort to craft a learning culture, specific to our student demographic, that fosters discovery and retention?  It will not be a comfortable road.  We will be tempted to take the easy way out and hide behind our lectures.  Our students need us to encourage and model exploration.  The love for learning has escaped our classrooms.  The desire to discover is lost.  Let’s create a place where our students aren’t afraid to search, aren’t afraid to learn from their mistakes, and aren’t afraid to grow.

** Collaboration and exploration isn't just for our students. Check out this TED Talk about the importance of working together as educators.

APA Reference(s) 1

Reference(s)

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.

Davis, M. (2012, December 5). How collaborative learning leads to student success. Retrieved February 5, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-college-prep

Jones, D. (2015, May 22). Guide on the side(lines). Retrieved February 5, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/guide-sidelines

May, K. T. (2016, February 17). When the audience takes the stage: The personal talks of TED University at TED2016. Retrieved February 5, 2017, from http://blog.ted.com/the-audience-takes-the-stage-the-personal-talks-of-ted-university-at-ted2016/

Pendulum effect. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/pendulum-effect

Powell, K. C., & Kalina, C. J. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom. Retrieved July 05, 2016, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.mylibrary.wilmu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=a99d517a-8c24-4eff-84be-b6d3c3989d3b@sessionmgr101&vid=0&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=47349084&db=aph