While I've had access to mobile technologies for several years, mLearning is a new term for me. Mobile Learning. What does this mean to teachers, learners and to the process of education itself? How can I harness mobile technology to support learning?
There's a lot of negative press about mobile devices and children - see for example Cris Rowan's February 2014 article Ten Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under 12. Arguments such as these often come supported by a plethora of alarming research but fail to look at the other side of the discussion. Mobile technology is here to stay and children embrace it even when banned (often with even more tenacity). So what benefit is there to mLearning and mobile technology?
I thought it would be useful to pass this idea through a filter. Because it seems to me to be a respected 21st century skill, I chose Digital Citizenship as a filter through which to pass the idea of mLearning.
Terry Heick, of TeachThought.com, defines digital citizenship in his article of the same title. Digital citizenship is "the quality of habits, actions and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities." I appreciated the accompanying infographic as a tool which identifies these habits, actions and consumption patterns.
As part of my learning about mLearning I took these actions, habits and consumptions patterns of digital citizenship and asked how mobile technologies might support, inspire and/or enhance them. Below the infographic you will find 3 columns. In the first column are actions, habits and consumption patterns which Mobile Technologies GREATLY support, inspire and/or enhance. In the second column are actions, habits and patterns which mobile tech SOMEWHAT support and the third column are actions, habits and patterns which mobile tech DO NOT support or are IRRELEVANT to.
There's a lot of negative press about mobile devices and children - see for example Cris Rowan's February 2014 article Ten Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under 12. Arguments such as these often come supported by a plethora of alarming research but fail to look at the other side of the discussion. Mobile technology is here to stay and children embrace it even when banned (often with even more tenacity). So what benefit is there to mLearning and mobile technology?
I thought it would be useful to pass this idea through a filter. Because it seems to me to be a respected 21st century skill, I chose Digital Citizenship as a filter through which to pass the idea of mLearning.
Terry Heick, of TeachThought.com, defines digital citizenship in his article of the same title. Digital citizenship is "the quality of habits, actions and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities." I appreciated the accompanying infographic as a tool which identifies these habits, actions and consumption patterns.
As part of my learning about mLearning I took these actions, habits and consumptions patterns of digital citizenship and asked how mobile technologies might support, inspire and/or enhance them. Below the infographic you will find 3 columns. In the first column are actions, habits and consumption patterns which Mobile Technologies GREATLY support, inspire and/or enhance. In the second column are actions, habits and patterns which mobile tech SOMEWHAT support and the third column are actions, habits and patterns which mobile tech DO NOT support or are IRRELEVANT to.
Mobile technology strongly supports these actions/habits/ | Mobile technology somewhat supports/can support these actions/habits/ | Mobile technology does not support/is irrelebvant to these actions/habits/ |
What I notice and value most profoundly about mobile technology and mLearning is that mobile devices allow learners to take the learning out of the classroom and make it part of their lives in diverse places and at diverse times. In the middle column I added "limit your time sitting". I struggled with this one as in some ways, most devices encourage sedentary habits. As I observed my learning actions, habits and patterns today, I would argue that my mobile device enabled me to do all the things in the left column while limiting my time sitting. I spent the day cross-country skiing with my mobile device in my pocket. I was able to check Google+ contributions as I caught my breath at the top of a hill (after taking a breath-taking photo, of course). I quickly re-read Heick's article while eating my lunch between skis so that while I was skiing, I could process my thinking about mLearning and mobile technology more deeply.
While mobile technology keeps me connected to others while allowing me to have a fairly decent camera in my pocket at all times, it also allows me to extend and connect my learning no matter where I am or what day it is.
This flexibility allows learners to be more successful digital citizens.
While mobile technology keeps me connected to others while allowing me to have a fairly decent camera in my pocket at all times, it also allows me to extend and connect my learning no matter where I am or what day it is.
This flexibility allows learners to be more successful digital citizens.
References:
Heick, Terry. (Feb. 2014). The Definition of Digital Citizenship. TeachThought.com
Rowan, Cris. (Feb. 2014). Ten Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under 12. Moving to Learn: Exploring the Effects of Technology on Children.
Heick, Terry. (Feb. 2014). The Definition of Digital Citizenship. TeachThought.com
Rowan, Cris. (Feb. 2014). Ten Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under 12. Moving to Learn: Exploring the Effects of Technology on Children.