The value of mobile technology in teaching and learning

I have used mobile technology ever since it was first introduced into the work place and later in further and higher education. I have a smart phone (android)a tablet and several lap tops. They have been indispensable to me in my social life, my work and creative writing and they continue to be so. But, until I started my PGCE PCET I had not considered that they would be invaluable in teaching and learning.
     Having spent my first eight weeks in U.W.T.S.D. Swansea I can now begin to describe the benefits they bring to the teaching and learning environment. Most if not all of today's learners and teachers have smart phones. They contain many devices that can aid them, calculators, internet access and interactive apps to name but a few. and Reece. I. and Walker. S. (2007) say that by engaging more than one sense and as long as you don't overload the student's sensory input they may be invaluable in the classroom. As well as the phone function they contain a plethora of other applications (Apps)that can be invaluable. A text message sent to say a student is ill and won't be attending university today is mobile technology in its most simple form. Voice recorder apps can help students to record lectures, they can then play back any of the lecture they didn't quiet understand on the day. Invaluable if you are a learner that needs that repetition for it to make sense. The technology can also be used to video a lecture and again, replay at leisure.
     One of the most innovative uses encountered has been that of the QR code. So much information can be embedded in it. Homework for the learners and information for busy parents being just two that spring to mind.
     This provokes thoughts about the environment. With so much information available in the codes, the need for printed hand-outs decreases dramatically, thus saving trees.
      The uses of smart phones are virtually endless. Tablets could be considered to be the big brother of smart phones. They have virtually the same functions but on a larger screen. In time they may push printed books to the margins of literature. They are small enough to be portable (mobile) but books can be read on them via reading apps such as 'Kindle'. This is a valuable feature for both teachers and learners alike. There is now no need to carry around heavy books. Most libraries have the facility to allow you to download books over the internet. The font can be increased in size for learners with impaired vision, negating the need for libraries to carry large print books in their catalogues alongside the normal sized print. Background and print colours may be changed to aid dyslexic learners and the brightness of the screen can be altered to suit individual needs. A tablet may be used to have 'Skyped' lessons when individuals are in different locations or even on different continents. Again, the uses are endless.
     Even the diminutive U.S.B. flash drive has a part to play in the 'Mobile Technology' revolution that is taking place in teaching and learning. Small, pocket sized and mobile it can be as high capacity as you can afford. Learners can store their work on them and then bring them to the classroom. Teachers can carry whole lectures, Power Point presentations and educational videos on one.
          However, Crawley. J. (2011) makes a pertinent point that it would be wise to take heed of. He tells us that we should not forget that e-learning is the tool but learning is the goal.
     In summation, there has never been so much help for teachers and learners. As mobile technology improves so too should the education of all those generations to come. In half a century, education has gone from 'listen and learn' and 'chalk and talk' to "Google that please", "email the assignment to me", and "upload a copy through Turnitin". Terms that were unheard of back then are familiar to all now. We can only imagine what the future holds.

Bibliography

Crawley. J. In at the deep end. A survival guide for teachers in post-compulsory education. Second edition. P 106. Oxford. England. Routledge.
Reece. I. and Walker. S. Teaching, training and learning A practical guide. (2007) P 156. Tyne and Wear. England. Business Education Publishers Ltd.