What are the Benefits of Mobile Learning?
Research findings substantiate the potential and factual positive impacts of Mobile Learning on student learning.
Students engaged in Mobile Learning reported that it gave them a “sense of heightened control, ownership, fun, allows enhanced communication and enables learning in context” (Seifert, 2014, p. 120). School districts with successful 1:1 Mobile Device initiatives reported “increased student achievement, more engaged learners, enhanced digital literacy skills, better understanding of digital citizenship, and improved college and career readiness,” and “attribute more innovative and engaging student assignment capabilities to the wide-ranging apps and programs available on personal learning devices” (Steckner, 2017, Successes and failures section, para. 2).
The researched advantages of Mobile Learning in face-to-face classrooms fall into 3 primary categories put forth by Grant et al. (2015):
Students engaged in Mobile Learning reported that it gave them a “sense of heightened control, ownership, fun, allows enhanced communication and enables learning in context” (Seifert, 2014, p. 120). School districts with successful 1:1 Mobile Device initiatives reported “increased student achievement, more engaged learners, enhanced digital literacy skills, better understanding of digital citizenship, and improved college and career readiness,” and “attribute more innovative and engaging student assignment capabilities to the wide-ranging apps and programs available on personal learning devices” (Steckner, 2017, Successes and failures section, para. 2).
The researched advantages of Mobile Learning in face-to-face classrooms fall into 3 primary categories put forth by Grant et al. (2015):
- Increases student engagement
- Fosters collaborative learning
- Enables authentic learning
Student Engagement
For the purposes of my research, student engagement is defined as “students’ involvement with academically meaningful activities” (Alioon & Delialioğlu, 2019, p. 656).
Mobile Learning engaged learners with constant connectivity, which allowed them to access content and communicate with classmates and instructors, no matter where they were (Grant et al., 2015). Wifi or 3G/4G capabilities allowed students to do internet research ‘anytime, anywhere’ without the need to be connected to a school network or the physical space of school (Project Tomorrow, 2011). This enabled students to learn continuously and increased the likelihood of students to engage in self-directed, informal learning beyond the classroom walls (Ciampa, 2014).
In one study, Wankel, Blessinger, Stanaityte, and Washington (2013) confirmed that increased student engagement and retention via mobile applications was due in large part to learning taking place in “a mobility context, located in a real environment” (p. 69). The personalized knowledge constructed by students’ engagement and experimentation with the environment and the ‘active’ learning that took place through “physical, social and digital mediums,” allowed students to achieve greater significance and meaning in their learning (Wankel et al., 2013, p. 69).
Mobile Learning engaged learners with constant connectivity, which allowed them to access content and communicate with classmates and instructors, no matter where they were (Grant et al., 2015). Wifi or 3G/4G capabilities allowed students to do internet research ‘anytime, anywhere’ without the need to be connected to a school network or the physical space of school (Project Tomorrow, 2011). This enabled students to learn continuously and increased the likelihood of students to engage in self-directed, informal learning beyond the classroom walls (Ciampa, 2014).
In one study, Wankel, Blessinger, Stanaityte, and Washington (2013) confirmed that increased student engagement and retention via mobile applications was due in large part to learning taking place in “a mobility context, located in a real environment” (p. 69). The personalized knowledge constructed by students’ engagement and experimentation with the environment and the ‘active’ learning that took place through “physical, social and digital mediums,” allowed students to achieve greater significance and meaning in their learning (Wankel et al., 2013, p. 69).
Figure 1. Active Uses for Mobile Devices (U.S. Department of Education, 2017).
As mobile technologies near ubiquity, they offer a “new paradigm in connectivity, communication and collaboration in our everyday lives” and huge opportunities for “education to provide an experience that is relevant and engaging” for both teachers and students (McQuiggan et al., 2015, para. 2). The ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to course material and support were important instructional benefits.
One study found that real time analysis and response allowed students to receive additional instruction and practice problems for any content area (Thomas & McGee, 2012). Educators in face-to-face classrooms could address learning breakdowns as they happened, helping students address or re-address any given problem and quickly return to productive course work. The connectivity of Mobile Learning fostered interaction and communication with teachers and peers, promoted a more active learning environment, assisted in the building of a learning community, and increased student motivation and feedback (Thomas & McGee, 2012). Figure 1 displays some of the many ‘Active’ uses that mobile technology can have in the classroom.
One study found that real time analysis and response allowed students to receive additional instruction and practice problems for any content area (Thomas & McGee, 2012). Educators in face-to-face classrooms could address learning breakdowns as they happened, helping students address or re-address any given problem and quickly return to productive course work. The connectivity of Mobile Learning fostered interaction and communication with teachers and peers, promoted a more active learning environment, assisted in the building of a learning community, and increased student motivation and feedback (Thomas & McGee, 2012). Figure 1 displays some of the many ‘Active’ uses that mobile technology can have in the classroom.
In support of this literature, increased connectivity via mobile devices was found to enhance motivation and engagement, leading to improved student learning (Falloon, 2014). One mixed methods study on Mobile Learning revealed the positive impacts of increased communication and connection on student engagement, with students reporting that Mobile Learning activities helped them to remember the “course content easily” and improved long-term retention (Alioon & Delialioğlu, 2019, p. 665).
Connectivity also represented an increased ease of access to learning resources associated with course material. Recent research on a 1:1 BYOD secondary school program asserted that students were more productive in class, better able to communicate with teachers and peers, enjoyed learning more, and had improved learning outcomes (Parsons & Adhikar, 2016).
Additionally, in a large review on current Mobile Learning practices, students identified a change in their learning behaviours that resulted in increased learning opportunities. Sixty-eight percent stated they were more likely to complete homework assignments with internet-enabled mobile devices and 76 percent said they had a greater interest in learning (Project Tomorrow, 2015).
The inherent value of mobile devices in motivating and engaging students should encourage educators to explore how these tools could be successfully integrated into the pedagogical process (Barbour et al., 2014).
Connectivity also represented an increased ease of access to learning resources associated with course material. Recent research on a 1:1 BYOD secondary school program asserted that students were more productive in class, better able to communicate with teachers and peers, enjoyed learning more, and had improved learning outcomes (Parsons & Adhikar, 2016).
Additionally, in a large review on current Mobile Learning practices, students identified a change in their learning behaviours that resulted in increased learning opportunities. Sixty-eight percent stated they were more likely to complete homework assignments with internet-enabled mobile devices and 76 percent said they had a greater interest in learning (Project Tomorrow, 2015).
The inherent value of mobile devices in motivating and engaging students should encourage educators to explore how these tools could be successfully integrated into the pedagogical process (Barbour et al., 2014).
Collaborative Learning
Fostering collaborative learning, where learners were offered opportunities to collaborate as a classroom community, is vital in creating a meaningful learning experience (Grant et al., 2015).
A movement emerging within the field of Mobile Learning has focused on how “collaborative learning could be enhanced by applying various mobile technologies” (Jaldemark, Hrastinski, Olofsson, & Öberg, 2018, p. 201). Parsons & Adhikar (2016) found that collaboration across formal and informal learning spaces enabled by mobile devices contributed to the development of students’ agency in their own learning.
In a study on the cognitive effects of mobile applications in the learning process, mobile devices were found to be particularly useful in encouraging productive collaborative learning, “where students are engaged in higher-level thinking activities, such as problem solving and discussion of complex ideas” (Stevenson, Hedberg, Highfield, & Diao, 2015, p. 368), while improving interactions between peers and instructors. A similar finding concerning Mobile Learning programs corroborated that Mobile Learning has gone hand-in-hand with a shift toward student-centered, inquiry-based learning, changing the educational environment into a modern-day digital workplace that encouraged higher-level thinking (Raths, 2013). In line with this pedagogical shift, Northey et al. (2018, p. 324) stated that “the ability for students to access course content and collaborate with others on their terms signals a major change in the traditional dyadic student–instructor relationship. First and foremost, it shifts the locus of control away from the instructor.” Mobile Learning Pedagogy resulted in greater student responsibility for their learning, which in turn offered students more “more freedom, flexibility and command over the learning experience” (Northey et al., 2018, p. 324).
A movement emerging within the field of Mobile Learning has focused on how “collaborative learning could be enhanced by applying various mobile technologies” (Jaldemark, Hrastinski, Olofsson, & Öberg, 2018, p. 201). Parsons & Adhikar (2016) found that collaboration across formal and informal learning spaces enabled by mobile devices contributed to the development of students’ agency in their own learning.
In a study on the cognitive effects of mobile applications in the learning process, mobile devices were found to be particularly useful in encouraging productive collaborative learning, “where students are engaged in higher-level thinking activities, such as problem solving and discussion of complex ideas” (Stevenson, Hedberg, Highfield, & Diao, 2015, p. 368), while improving interactions between peers and instructors. A similar finding concerning Mobile Learning programs corroborated that Mobile Learning has gone hand-in-hand with a shift toward student-centered, inquiry-based learning, changing the educational environment into a modern-day digital workplace that encouraged higher-level thinking (Raths, 2013). In line with this pedagogical shift, Northey et al. (2018, p. 324) stated that “the ability for students to access course content and collaborate with others on their terms signals a major change in the traditional dyadic student–instructor relationship. First and foremost, it shifts the locus of control away from the instructor.” Mobile Learning Pedagogy resulted in greater student responsibility for their learning, which in turn offered students more “more freedom, flexibility and command over the learning experience” (Northey et al., 2018, p. 324).
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Within the scope of collaborative learning, research findings highlighted learner-led inquiry as a common feature of many current technology-mediated instructional models, such as Mobile Learning (Stevenson et al., 2015). Appropriate use of mobile device enabled online tools and applications in the inquiry process, supported students’ conceptual understanding and provided tools for the scaffolded development of increasingly complex ideas (Stevenson et al., 2015). Students leveraged communications capabilities to collaborate with peers, teachers, and even engaged with content experts on schoolwork using instant messaging, text messaging, email or other social media platforms (Project Tomorrow, 2011). This use of the internet, specifically with mobile devices, was second nature to the 21st Century learner and provided a critical link to unlimited sources of information. Internet-enabled mobile devices were excellent instructional tools for supporting communication, collaboration, the collection and analysis of information, and individual and cooperative problem solving (Thomas & McGee, 2012). In defense of this assertion, a study on student motivation established that with careful pedagogical considerations and access to an abundance of online applications and tools, mobile devices created more collaborative and participatory learning experiences, which increased pupil engagement and mastery of important concepts (Ciampa, 2014).
Authentic Learning
Mobile Learning is particularly well-suited to enable authentic learning. Discussions surrounding authentic learning agreed that it is rooted in contextual or situational learning, inherent to Mobile Learning pedagogical models (Ruhalahti, Korhonen, & Rasi, 2017, p. 375), as well as a focus of BC's New Curriculum.
Authenticity in Mobile Learning is generated from its ability to combine both informal and formal learning environments and learning activities that “allow students to solve problems…from real-life and work situations, formulating problems using language used by students, the starting point being their everyday conceptions” (Ruhalahti et al., 2017, p. 377). Based in this view, sources, materials, and tools are considered authentic when they are required to successfully solve a problem, understand a topic, or create a learning product (Ruhalahti et al., 2017, p. 375).
In a comprehensive review of Mobile Learning research in K-12 education, “[f]ive comparative studies...found positive learning gains when students learned academic content in a real-world context. These researchers found it was beneficial for students to experience situational learning supported by a variety of mobile devices” (Liu et al., 2014, p. 353).
Authenticity in Mobile Learning is generated from its ability to combine both informal and formal learning environments and learning activities that “allow students to solve problems…from real-life and work situations, formulating problems using language used by students, the starting point being their everyday conceptions” (Ruhalahti et al., 2017, p. 377). Based in this view, sources, materials, and tools are considered authentic when they are required to successfully solve a problem, understand a topic, or create a learning product (Ruhalahti et al., 2017, p. 375).
In a comprehensive review of Mobile Learning research in K-12 education, “[f]ive comparative studies...found positive learning gains when students learned academic content in a real-world context. These researchers found it was beneficial for students to experience situational learning supported by a variety of mobile devices” (Liu et al., 2014, p. 353).
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Current K-12 students have been born into a world that has always used mobile devices as tools for communication and learning. In the face-to-face classroom, mobile devices become an authentic tool to enact Mobile Learning Pedagogy and mediate learning in authentic contexts. With mobile devices, learners created live shareable documents with embedded image, video, and audio files, took photographs, geotag, microblog, received or sent text messages, and accessed social networking platforms and learning management systems for communication with classmates and their instructor (Grant et al., 2015). In two similar studies on literacy learning using iPads, mobile devices were used as authentic, student-centered, multimodal tools and were found to enhance students’ individual learning strengths and appeal to their interests allowing for greater learning personalization (Falloon, 2014; Gallagher et al., 2015). These findings assert the multimedia and interactive capabilities afforded by such technology allowed teachers to create personalized and differentiated learning environments that catered to multiple learning styles at the same time.
In support of this research, another case study involving tablet use in the classroom observed that when teachers personalized instruction according to students’ preferred learning styles, students demonstrated a stronger desire to learn when using the tablets, as they were given the opportunity to interact with information in a way that made sense to them (Ciampa, 2014). The highly personalized nature of mobile devices provided an excellent tool for the development of student-centered, inquiry-based learning experiences marked by flexibility, customization, collaboration, active participation and co-creation (Stevenson et al., 2015), all hallmarks of authentic and meaningful learning.
In support of this research, another case study involving tablet use in the classroom observed that when teachers personalized instruction according to students’ preferred learning styles, students demonstrated a stronger desire to learn when using the tablets, as they were given the opportunity to interact with information in a way that made sense to them (Ciampa, 2014). The highly personalized nature of mobile devices provided an excellent tool for the development of student-centered, inquiry-based learning experiences marked by flexibility, customization, collaboration, active participation and co-creation (Stevenson et al., 2015), all hallmarks of authentic and meaningful learning.
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