I am a huge proponent of mobile learning. I have been taking advantage of mobile learning since before the term came into existence. While an exchange student in Japan I purchased an electronic English-Japanese & Kanji-English dictionary and made extensive use of it as I struggled to become fluent in Japanese. I believe that my usage of such a device made me a pioneer of mobile learning.
Today, I still own that dictionary but, I never use it. Apps on my iPhone have made it obsolete. Actually, apps on my iPhone have made most of my Japanese studying aids obsolete. I no longer need "501 Japanese Verbs." I have "Katsuyo" to refer to when the proper conjugation of a verbs eludes my memory. Likewise, I have apps to help me recall and learn grammar, vocabulary, and kanji. All of these apps are free or very inexpensive! As a pioneer of mobile learning, I spent a small fortune on that dictionary. Today's students, assuming that they already own a smart phone, do not have to incur such expenses.
Having said that, I feel the need to remind everyone of the old adage: Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware! Free does not always mean good. In my quest to find free mobile learning apps to help me keep up my Japanese and to help me learn to speak even more Japanese-like Japanese (日本語らしい日本語) I have discovered a number of apps that provide the Japanese language student with information that is simply incorrect.
For example, the app "Flashcards" which provides both written pronunciation guides and recorded audio tracks, mispronounces the word "day" in the expression "Happy Birthday." If the app contains errors at this, the most basic level of learning, what other errors might one find? How embarrassing for the poor student who memorizes the incorrect pronunciation or usage and then tries to use her/his incorrect knowledge in Japan! So, mobile learners really need to be careful. But, that is not to say that they should not take advantage of mobile learning opportunities.
As I said above, I am a huge proponent of mobile learning. The ability to access knowledge and informational resources any time and any where is incredible. I love to look up information on artists as I look at their work in a museum. I love to resolve fun conflicts with my friends by looking up information and finding definitive answers when they exist. Google and all the information it puts at my finger tips via my iPhone is incredible.
Besides in my personal life, I am also a huge proponent of mobile learning in my professional life. I teach photography courses in a way designed to facilitate and encourage it. I do not print any of the material that I create for my students. Rather, I use the University's course management software to post PDFs of my material.
From the very first day of instruction I encourage my students to download the material to their smart phones or other mobile learning devices. I tell them to use it out in the field as they work their way through each project. In class as we go over the specifics and practice each project, I give additional recognition and encouragement to those students who take the time to download and actually access the material on their mobile learning devices.
One unexpected lesson that I learned a long time ago when I was majoring in Japanese is that education is a very personal experience. To maximize any educational opportunity one must first learn how they as an individual learn. No matter how good and motivating one's teacher is, the learner must still sit down and do the hard work of educating themselves. To maximize the educational opportunity manifested in mobile learning, students need to understand how they learn. They also need the self discipline to use that knowledge to educate themselves.
Mobile learning provides an incredible opportunity for anyone with access to it and enough self understanding and self discipline. I am a huge supporter. I hope the trend of making these opportunities more available to more people will continue. The more the members of a society educate themselves, the more the society as a whole benefits. I only hope that today's younger short attention span kids will find the self discipline and self understanding required to make the most of these awesome opportunities.
Hi Don,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences with mobile learning. The cartoon you posted is very telling to people not using mobile devices even though they offer so many great opportunities. When I was teaching ESL at a University in Korea I encouraged my students to use technology and did not mind them using their phones in class. They were very diligent in their studies and mobile devices offered them immediate access to supports.
You made a great point about education being a very personal experience. I definitely agree with that. Teachers that are aware of students’ individuality I think get more out of them. Technology and mobile devices align with this concept perfectly. Critical thinking and exploratory abilities define real learning. Mobile devices allow access to solve problems multiple ways and from different perspectives.
I’m glad as a teacher you are integrating technology and mobile devices in your classroom. There are so many that need to catch up and fill the gap between the ‘education system’ and students usage (what is happening in the real world).
Thanks,
Mya