Here to stay...Mobile Technology

Mobile technologies are here to stay and will not be going away any.  As more students begin to tap into using mobile technology directly from the classroom more and more teachers and schools will need to take advantage of these cost effective, portable devices that allow users to connect, learn, and share anywhere.

Mobile technologies offer teachers and students a more flexible approach to learn than the more traditional computer labs because students now use technology in the classroom, in the school garden, in the study hall, in the gym, and on field trips (Wylie, 2013).  Teachers need to change the manner in which information is accessed.  The students now entering the classrooms have grown up with technology at the fingertips making them digital natives able to navigate technology with ease.  Unfortunately, the educational system we work in is not always known for its speed at latching on to new ideas and methodologies, but with mobile learning, it is catching up quickly (Wylie, 2013). 

Mobile learning devices can enrich the learning process for students because they are versatile, motivating, and active learning tools that can assist in bridging the gap for students with learning differences as they allow them to feel more like their peers and foster a sense of normalcy (Wylie, 2013).  By allowing students to use the mobile technology already in their possession, students will likely be more engaged in the learning process.

As Jeff Dunn (2012) stated mobile technology has come up as a popular means of adult education in recent times because these devices have been used so long for sending/receiving calls, writing messages, listening to music and taking photos that adults are comfortable with their use. With mobile devices, the educational event or activity follows the learner, instead of the learner having to arrive at a designated place in which to acquire it (Bonk, 2009).

 Smart phones in the classroom

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/40-simple-ways-to-use-a-smartphone-in-the-classroom/.
Smartphone technology puts a virtual mini computer in the hands of each user with internet capabilities, apps, video and image recording to name just a sampling of the possibilities.  Even though, upon immersion into the educational setting, smartphone devices were deemed a distraction and were often discouraged in the classroom, the technology is here to stay.  As educators we need to embrace this technology because the possibilities these devices hold are endless.  In the learning setting, smartphones can be used as e-readers, note pads, recorders of lectures/conferences, podcasts,  alerts, etc.  This site provided lists 40 ways that smartphones can be used in a classroom to motivate and engage the learner.  Many adult learners use a smartphone daily so it is a technology they are comfortable using.

12 Top eLearning Tools for 2012 and  Beyond

http://gettingsmart.com/cms/blog/2013/01/12-top-elearning-tools-for-2012-and-beyond/

10 Tips to Kindle in the Classroom

http://gettingsmart.com/cms/news/10-tips-for-kindle-in-the-classroom/

Adult literacy continues to be a serious educational and economic issue in the United States. Currently, there are an estimated 32 million adults living with such low-level literacy skills that reading a children’s picture book or understanding the instructions on a medicine bottle pose a challenge (Lipschultz & Figueroa, 2011).  By using the Kindle or comparable  e-reader, learners have access to a plethora of reading materials as well as apps that assist with spelling, writing, translation.  In the classroom the Kindle allows adult learners who struggle with reading to download materials at their specific level, alleviating the need for a course text, which may not meet the needs of each learner.  Additionally, applications can be downloaded to the Kindle to strengthen writing and text to speech for pronunciation.

References:

       Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education.        San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases
Dunn, J. (2012).  How mobile technology ushered in a new era of adult education.  Retrieved from Edudemic http://edudemic.com/2012/01/mobile-adult-ed/. 
Lipschultz & Figueroa (2011).  Placing adult literacy front and center.  Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/placing-adult-literacy-front-and-center
TeachThought Staff (2012).  40 simple ways to use a smartphone in the classroom.  Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/40-simple-ways-to-use-a-smartphone-in-the-classroom/.

Wylie, J. (2013).  Mobile learning technologies for 21^st century classrooms.  Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754742.