Article 1 – Here and Now Mobile Learning
Here and Now Mobile Learning: An Experimental Study on the Use of Mobile Technology
Mobile technology is transforming where learning can occur. Students are no longer limited to learning inside the confines of the four walls of the traditional classroom. The environment in which students learn is portable and available anytime with mobile technology. This study focused on a new term “here and now mobile learning” and how the internet is changing the e-learning with new mobile technologies. The purpose of the study was to explore student achievement and attitude with two different technologies, computer based instruction (CBI) and mobile learning with either tablets or smartphones/iPods.
The research was a quasi-experimental study of 109 undergraduate preservice students in an instructional design/instructional technology course. Students were surveyed on their mobile device ownership and percentage of their time using mobile devices. The population was divided over 8 sections of the same course and into one of three treatment groups using CBI, iPads, or iPods. The procedure of the study followed a pretest, an intervention using one of the three treatments, a posttest, and an attitude survey of the students’ learning experience.
The materials used within the study involved two art lessons in which students observed five paintings with the name of the artist, the artwork, the medium, and style of the art all provided for the students to view. The students in the computer based treatment viewed the paintings and went back to the classroom to then read about the paintings. In the mobile treatments both the iPad and iPod treatments had their mobile device with them as they were viewing the artwork and also could read about the paintings. The difference between the iPad and iPod treatments is the iPad materials were easier to read with the information zoomed out when compared to the iPods.
The results of the study contradicted prior research into the use of CBI and mobile technology for student learning. Prior studies indicate learning is supported when multiple channels of audio and visual cues are provided to assist the learner. The CBI treatment group scored higher than the mobile treatment group between the pre and posttests. The research concludes how students may have been overloaded and distracted with mobile devices in the learning environment. The results are not conclusive and further studies were suggested because of these contradictory results and overall limited research for the framework of “here and now mobile learning.”
While reflecting upon the article and the use of mobile technologies for learning, I was reminded of a common push among many districts for a bring your own device policy. If the results of this study provide any insight into mobile technology use in the classroom, then allowing mobile devices may not be the best policy for students? Students are motivated with new mobile technology and the power of “here and now mobile learning” environments. As a result of new mobile learning environments, students are afforded the opportunity to connect with the content, collaborate among students, create projects, and interact with the real-world at any time.
The ubiquitous nature of technology is a powerful resource to engage students with the content. However, the attitude of student engagement and their overall performance may not be correlated. The distraction of iPods, smartphones, tablets, mini-tablets, and other computing devices in the classroom is still being researched to their effectiveness. As students’ learning style changes and education adapts to the needs of students, I believe there will be many studies in the future on the effectiveness of “here and now learning.” Creating a learner-centered environment with instructional technology will continue to be a focus of administrators and teachers alike. My goal is to move out of the classroom and into technology department working to identify ways to keep students engaged in the content and remove distractions with and from mobile technologies.
References:
Martin, F., & Ertzberger, J. (2013). Here and now mobile learning: An experimental study on the use of mobile technology. Computers & Education, 68, 76-85.
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Brian,
Great choice for an article review. I have to admit, I was surprised by the findings in the study, but can see how distractions occur with personal devices. My view is that younger students would benefit most from school owned devices. They have too much to learn in too little time. Their access needs to be more focused on the skill or concept being explored. Middle school aged students, however, would benefit from having access to the tools, notes and online search, the key is to use it responsibly and at the appropriate times. To be honest, when I hear the ping of a text, I think of it frequently before I am able to check it, reminds me of Pavlov’s dog. When I search for information in an email or information on my phone, I frequently tap over and check my Words With Friends as if I might be missing something. Needless to say, I am only distracted by my personal device. School equipment has a purpose but is not a strong connection for me. We re looking at upgrades at our school. I will share your review with our librarian who is also our educational technologist. She is not familiar with apps in schools since it does not apply to us so this will be added information for her.
Toni, yes this study is interesting and the author mentions how the results differ from Mayer’s (2009) temporal contiguity principle, which states “students learn better when words and pictures simultaneously rather than successively.” I especially like your comparison to Pavlov’s dog and the pinging of text messages. I am going to have to use your analogy in the future.
References:
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.
Brian,
Your posts are always very insightful to me. I know you are a tech lover and I appreciate your objectivity in reviewing the data. I was part of a similar research study in college that we got extra credit for participating in. It was done by a psychology department and it also featured works of art. Why do you think this is a popular study design?
Anyway, thanks for your post and let me know what you determine about weather byodevices actually has a positive correlation with student performance!
Heather, art studies may be utilized in research, such as the one you participated in and in this study, because the researchers have a “controlled environment” that lacks any manipulation of the independent variables, the artwork. I believe there is a positive correlation to BYOD and distraction among students in the classroom. If students bring their personal electronic device to school, they may be more willing to use it for non-educational use because it has their interests and connections on it. A school issued device may have limitations to how students may be able to customize it. All very good questions with potential for future studies.
Brian,
The results found in this study are surprising. Students of this day and age have always been considered 21st Century kids who are able to gravitate toward and use technology very well. This made me think of my son and how he was able to operate my cell phone at 3. He could download games, take pictures, and punch in my password. This makes me wonder if the use of Ipads, Ipods, and other tablets will be truly effective for student use in the future?Maybe the good ole way of delivering instruction with technology works best. Great review!