Why+mobile+learning?

"Mobile learning involves more than merely incorporating new technology into current pedagogical strategies; it requires an instructional paradigm shift that promises to fundamentally change the way students learn. The move toward mobile learning is driven by increasingly high demands for student achievement and an understanding of the digital skills students need to compete in the twenty-first century global economy" (UNESCO, //Turning on Mobile Learning in North America, 2012,// p.7).

"Mobile devices & apps embody the convergence of several technologies that lend themselves to educational use, including annotation tools, applications for creation and composition, and social networking tools. GPS and compasses allow sophisticated location and positioning, accelerometers and motion sensors enable the apps to be designed and used in completely new ways, and digital capture and editing bring rich tools for video, audio, and imaging. Mobile devices & apps encompass all this, and innovation in the mobile space continues at an unprecedented pace."

- NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 edition, page 12

“Fast wireless connectivity, the collaborative web, and the increasing power of handheld devices mean that the benefits of the Digital Revolution are now accessibleanywhere” (Greenfield, 2006, p10) (Nalder, 20120, p. 14)

"Even more astounding is how mobile devices are increasingly being used as the primary way in which people connect to the Internet. In fact, Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel (inFisher, Baird, 2006) has said that 50% of Internet users outside the United States will most likely never use a personal computer to connect to the Internet. Instead, they will use a mobile device to access information, community, and create content on the Internet. Indeed, researchers predict that by 2010, mobile high-speed (or broadband) Internet use will overtakehome connections (Richards, 2008) in the same way that mobile telephony over took landlines in the 1990s" (The dawn of uLearning: Jonathan Nalder Masters thesis @http://www.scribd.com/doc/12398804/The-dawn-of-uLearning-Jonathan-Nalder-Masters-thesis p.9

Why mobile learning? video []

Students who have “grown up with different expectations and preferences for acquiring knowledge and skills” (Students’ ‘Evolving’ Use of Technology, 2007) and who know ‘what it can do’, are often faced with the loss of this upon entering their educational institution, leading to a disparity between social and schooling realities. This is a concept that has become known as ‘powering down’, basically described by one student thus:At school, you do all this boring stuff, really basic stuff, PowerPoint and spreadsheets and things. It only gets interesting and exciting when you come home and really use your computer. You're free, you're in control, it's your own world. (Puttman, 2007) (Nalder, 2010, p.10).

The idea of inviting students to bring their own devices to school frequently evokes anxiety, especially among teachers who see mobile phones primarily as a source of disruption in the classroom. However, many of those who have implemented this model cite the positive effect on student engagement and learning, although they acknowledge that – as with any instructional strategy, tool or resource – the use of mobile technology must be carefully planned and implemented to maximize learning (Project Tomorrow, 2010b). (page 22-23 UNESCO)

Should we add the reason "real world situations"?

"In fact, there’s no reason that today’s students should not have the same resources that they will find when they enter the workforce, including access to one or more mobile devices that may include smartphones, tablets, and laptops." (Bull, p.10)

Mobile devices are enabling students with disabilities to access a variety of applications to help. Apps for iPods, iPads and iPhones for (Special) Education “There’s something in the design of mobile that lends itself to a different way of learning and interacting,” Michael Levine said. “It’s a way of developing a one-to-one personalized computer in the classroom. There’s a powerful notion that you can walk away with the world at your fingertips.” In class, the mobile device provides the “one-to-oneness” that Levine said allows for what most educators agree is one of the most important tenets of a well-rounded education: personalized learning – students owning what they learn. http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/amidst-a-mobile-revolution-in-schools-will-old-teaching-tactics-work/
 * differentiation of instruction (blended, disabilities, support)
 * participatory (student driven) Voice and choice

If it was only about making learning more effective and transforming an aging educational model, desktop computers would work just as well but it is about accessibility. A computer for every student is an unrealistic expectation when budgets are continually being cut and educational funding at all levels is lacking. Mobile devices are more readily available and by allowing students to bring their own devices districts are saving money.
 * learning and sharing anywhere/anytime (global)

For the same price as a graphing calculator a school district can buy handheld devices that can be used by students •For word processing •For online information search and retrieval (including ebooks) •For testing in all subjects •For computation •For data acquisition •For visually displaying and processing information •For genuine access to diverse languages and cultures (Robson, 2003)


 * Mobile devices that students already own are much cheaper than purchasing and maintaining desktop computers. The money saved could be invested in mobile devices for students that don't own their own.


 * The knowledge students will learn is already on the web, up to date and available at their finger tips and more accurate than old textbooks that cost thousands of dollars every year.


 * move from transmission to transformational learning

[|http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ca/2012/07/5-reasons-to-allow-students-to-use-cell.html#more]

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