HOW CAN MOBILE SMARTPHONE TECHNOLOGY DEVICES BE USED TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO LEARN AND BE ENGAGED IN CLASSROOM LEARNING?
BARRY D. THIBAULT
UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
Abstract
This preliminary study details the plans to utilize a mixed methodologies to explore students’ use of mobile smartphone technology devices and its effects on their motivation to learn and be engaged in today's classroom.
Data collection procedures will include an analysis from high school students in 9 Fine Arts classes (3 chorus, 3 theater and 3 band) in Atlanta, Georgia. Data will include usage logs, student work samples, student and teacher interviews, and classroom observations.
Findings highlight the personalization of learning afforded by such devices both in terms of individuals and individual classroom cultures, as well as their usefulness in extending learning beyond the classroom. They also suggest that increased motivation due to mobile device use leads to increases in the quality and quantity of student work. (Keywords: mobile technology, student motivation, integrating technology, PDA, cell phones, smartphones)
Introduction
Today's students come to campus with a variety of technology devices and Internet-based
accounts. Students may be engaged in online conversations and activities, but faculty, including those across the UW System campuses, continuously face the challenge of increasing engagement and communication in their classrooms. In particular, faculty teaching hybrid or online learning environment have found it difficult to communicate with students due to the mediated environment.
Mobiles enable ubiquitous access to information, social networks, tools for learning and productivity, and much more. Mobile devices continue to evolve, but it is the increased access to affordable and reliable networks that is driving this technology now. Mobiles are capable computing devices in their own right — and they are increasingly a user’s first choice for Internet access.
Educators have also recognized that students typically favor certain technologies over
others. For instance, students are rapidly adopting mobile devices such as laptops and Internet capable handheld devices and are quickly becoming power users. CUlTently, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has been conducting studies on how mobile technologies (e.g.,Web clickers and Twitter Back Chmmel) can enhance learning in face-to-face (f2t), blended, and online classes through the use of students' mobile devices (laptops, iTouch, smartphones, etc.).
While both studies have provided UWM with a preliminary foundation for understanding how
mobile technologies can impact the learning process, more research is needed.
This proposal is designed to explore the use of mobile technologies and the ways in
which they may support student learning. More specifically, this research will investigate the use of mobile devices to for the following purposes:
o Deliver content (e.g., announcements, PDFs, YouTube videos, simple augmented
reality);
o Foster experiential learning experiences (e.g., simulations, role play);
o Data collection (e.g., fieldwork, interviews, Internet research)
o Feedback (e.g., Twitter backchannel, mobile clickers); and
o Content creation by students (e.g., video, images, audio).
Dr. Barbara Means, director of SRI's Center for Technology in Learning states, "Schools that have adopted handhelds to date have done so without the benefit of research to guide them. Now, through the results of the PEP program study, teachers and schools can make informed decisions about adopting and implementing handhelds. Twenty-five (25) years of research on desktop computers has shown that, when used appropriately, technology can
have a beneficial impact on teaching and learning" (Vahey & Crawford, 2002).
· Teachers and students participating had a high acceptance of handhelds in the classroom.
· Teachers were enthusiastic about the support to teaching and learning handhelds had to offer.
· 89% said of the teachers found the handhelds to be an effective instructional tool for teachers;
· 93% of the teachers believe that handhelds can have a positive impact on students' learning;
· 95% of the teachers said their students were "very" (66%) or "fairly" (29%) comfortable using the handhelds
· 90% of the teachers plan to continue using handhelds in the classroom post-study
· 72% of the teachers said handhelds are more easily used in the "flow of classroom activity" than desktop computers (Vahey & Crawford, 2002).
As I have been researching my particular topic, I often read about training the students to handle the proper behavior, respect and maturity for the integration of mobile technology. It is most important to train these students on this technology etiquette at a very early age and not ban them from the use.
As Parry (2011, p. 16) suggests ,“We are called on as teachers to teach them [students] how to use these technologies effectively, to ensure that they end up on the right
side of the digital divide: the side that knows how to use social media to band together.” Parry believes that mobile web literacy is as important as basic literacy and a necessary skill for future employment.
Study Findings:
The article discusses some very positive data of the integration of technology into the classroom. The recent 2011 Horizon Report projects mobile learning’s time to adoption as one year or less with two convincing statements: “By 2015, 80% of people accessing the Internet will be doing so from mobile devices” and “Internet-capable mobile devices will
outnumber computers within the next year” (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine, & Haywood, 2011, p. 12).
Creative ideas for motivating students utilizing mobile technology: 3 types of literacy (Parry, 2011)
1. Understanding Information Access- Polling tools, materials found online
2. Understanding the new sense of space- Engage in experiences outside classroom.
3. Hyper connectivity-Utilizing Facebook, mixable, hotseat, dropbox, twitter social apps to connect classroom discussion outside of class time.
Based on Ryan (2007) and Educause’s 7 Things You Need to Know, here
are some reasons why mobile learning is significant:
• Natural fit for distributed learning and fieldwork.
• Natural fit for students that includes ease of use (students know
how to work these devices).
• No need to call technology services (IT) to get the electronic classroom
to work. If there is wireless connectivity, students can just use
their devices.
• Promotes active learning, student engagement, and collaboration.
• Connects students with each other and with instructor in large classes.
• Supports lifelong learning as it is integrated within a tool used for
daily living.
• Provides access to experts, information, and knowledge at the point
of learning (Ryan, 2007).
• Builds a community of practice that extends learning beyond the
classroom or the online course management system (Ryan, 2007).
The article validates many downsides (CONS) of integration:
• Hardware platforms vary in terms of screen size and functionalities.
• There is no development standard for creating new applications.
• Cost of data plans on mobile devices.
• Wireless infrastructure needs to be in place for learning spaces.
• Re-purposing current learning materials to fit mobile devices can be
a challenge for IT, instructional designers, and, of course, faculty.
• These devices can provide frequent interruptions for a student
despite their engagement in the class.
• Faculty are not as familiar with the tools.
Quantitative and qualitative research designs would be used to formally evaluate these mobile
teaching and leaming activities. The results of this research would be shared throughout the UW
Educators have also recognized that students typically favor certain technologies over
others. For instance, students are rapidly adopting mobile devices such as laptops and Intemetcapable
handheld devices and are quickly becoming power users. While students may be actively
using mobile devices for personal reasons, they are just beginning to integrate these tools into
their academic experience. For example, the results of an Abilene Christian University (ACU;
2009) indicate that more than 80% of the 109 faculty respondents regularly use mobile devices in
their classes.
Today's mobile technologies bear little resemblance, functionally or physically, to first-generation cell phones. They include a broad array of devices such as music and video players, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, and netbooks, all with access to cellular carrier networks, WiFi, or both. And while features and performance continue to climb, prices regularly drop, making mobile devices virtually ubiquitous.
The potential enormity of this user base has attracted software developers large and small. Nearly every available mobile device supports third-party application development, providing a rich selection of productivity, entertainment, and education applications, along with core functionality such as instant messaging, e-mail, calendar, and Web browsing. And advances in processor performance, storage, cameras, and sound have all contributed to providing users the same rich media experience they've come to expect from desktop systems. The integration of QWERTY keyboards is making obsolete the days of pecking out text messages using a numeric keypad. Also common are large, high-resolution displays that offer onscreen keyboards, multitouch gestures, and the ability to clearly view the screen both indoors and out. All of this combines to create the equivalent of a pocket desktop, in a portable, always-connected form factor.
So what is all of this doing for K-12 education? Nothing short of disrupting and transforming the established teaching and learning paradigm. To start, mobile technology is helping to solve the two challenges facing education today: students'desireto learn differently, and students'needto learn differently.
Kids today are captivated by the personalization and socialization of online tools--the ability to build large networks of friends; share their thoughts, feelings, and goals; and communicate as they wish. Students have become so invested in mobile devices that our society has coined a new term for them--digital natives--to represent their having only known a world where all of this is possible. And not only is it possible, it's possible anytime and anywhere, via a plethora of devices and widely available cellular and WiFi networks.
The upshot is, these digital natives now have in their hands the tools to shape their own education in once unimagined ways. They have the ability to interact with other learners at their convenience, with differences in time and place presenting no hurdle. They can research, on the spot, any topic of interest. And they can capture the moment, whether it's in a picture, a video, or a blog entry.
Mobile devices are not the first technology to promise great improvements in education. Similar claims were made about e-books, distance learning, electronic whiteboards, and many more. But there are several differences between those earlier tools and the opportunity presented by the use of digital applications, resources, content, and the Internet in tandem with mobile devices.
To begin with, mobile technology and Internet access are already ubiquitous, requiring little or no capital investment by schools. Students--or really their parents--are the ones making that investment. Earlier educational technologies required schools to deploy the technology, incorporate it into the curriculum, and train the users. Once schools made it past the deployment and infrastructure issues, they often ran right into training as the next stumbling block.
This time around, students, generally already expert users, need little or no support, and faculty and staff quickly become acclimated. In any case, as opposed to requiring specialized support from a handful of experts, newcomers have an enormous user base to tap for assistance.
Plus, previous generations' tech innovations mostly perpetuated the traditional classroom structure, and in doing so missed out on perhaps the single most potent enabler of academic success--student engagement. Mobile technologies have no such failing. Students need no extra encouragement to use them. They already spend virtually every available moment on them, texting, instant messaging, posting personal status updates, and the like. All of that energy can also now be brought to their schoolwork.
Can you imagine telling a kid to stop spending so much time on algebra? Or not to go overboard on researching historical sources? Sounds like pure fantasy, but that could become the new reality if we have the courage to discard an outdated teaching methodology that doesn't reach today's students, and instead embrace their bustling, burgeoning digital world. Mobile devices applied in the context of education will engage students, foster deep and meaningful learning, and result in today's kids reaching frontiers that generations before them could never hope to glimpse.
Numerous reports indicate that the demand for mobile devices is on the rise. A repoli
produced by Morgan Stanley (Meeker, Devitt, & Wu, 2010) claims that the mobile Internet is being adopted at a faster rate than the desktop internet. At the end of2009, there were
approximately 4.5 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide, and that number is expected to reach 5 million in 2010. While the Clll1'ent economic recession has dampened sales in some markets, the demand for mobile devices remains strong (e.g., Parks & Teltscher, 2010). The comScore Report for August 2010 (Flosi, 2010) states that 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices from June-August 2010; 55.7 million people in the U.S. owned smart phones during that same three month period. Also, there has been an increase in spending on mobile leaming even in a recession. The
demand for education and training is increasing, as well. There has been an increase in venture capital money, new deals with educational publishers (content services and device makers), there
are new devices, more demand for location-based leaming, and 4G roll out in the United States.
Infonnallearning via mobile devices is changing the notion of space, community,
discourse, and knowledge. Mobile devices are "remediating our experience of place, creating a
new world where we are neither entirely here, nor there but in multiple, occasionally hybrid,
places of our own choosing" (Squire, 2010; p. 78). In the world of technology, there is a
convergence among gaming devices, PDAs, personal media players, tablets/slates, GPS, smart
phones, handheld ereaders. Stated another way, a device is created to do one thing, but with use
it evolves to include functions of other devices (cell phone - now a camera, mp3 player, phone,
computer, gaming device, etc.; Jenkins, 2006). Early research emphasized the potential for
mobile devices to realize the long-held dream of one-to-one computing (one device for every
student) from a classroom perspective. As Roschelle and Pea (2002) note, mobile computers will
"enable a transition from occasional, supplemental use to frequent, integral use" (p. 2).