Supporting University Learning Through Mobile Technologies: A Global Perspective (original) (raw)
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Building Mobile Learning Capacity in Higher Education:E-books and iPads
2012
The growing popularity of e-books, e-book readers and tablet devices is forcing a reappraisal of the various functions of 'the book' in education. Furthermore, e-books are becoming a more salient element in the ecology of mobile learning, as new devices make reading a more comfortable and sociable experience. We report on the results of an 18-month project (2010-12) undertaken as part of The Open University's Building Mobile Learning Capacity initiative. The project introduced a group of Associate Lecturers to interactive e-books produced by the university and to the iPads® on which they could be accessed. The proliferation of increasingly interactive e-books and e-book collections calls for an examination of their evolving pedagogical purposes; an important aim of the project was therefore to enable this group to form ideas of how these resources could be incorporated in distance education and professional development of academic staff/faculty. The project used surveys, focus group meetings, online forum postings, blog posts and wikis to enable participants to record their experiences and ideas. One project output has been the identification of a spiral of six key use case areas for e-books. In particular, the categories 'situational reading', 'collaborative/group learning' and 'e-book production' inspired a collaboratively designed group activity for a face-to-face outdoor tutorial, which was trialled and is described in this paper. The experience has relevance for the design of blended learning as well as for mobile learning activities in many other settings.
Journal of Educational and Social Research
The Fourth Industrial requires new concepts and skills to be acquired by learners at various levels. This has led to a new breed of learners joining our education institutions at various levels with prerequisite knowledge on technology which can be harnessed for learning and teaching purposes. This scenario has generated a lot of interest and more research on how first the process of knowledge acquisition is changing. There is excited attention among researchers, educators, education commentators and stakeholders on this aspect of learning. The new generations of techno savvy leaners joining institutions are a challenge to the old pedagogy of teaching. These young generations are creating a digital gap between the old ways of teaching and learning to new approaches in education. The nature of the generation change needs to bring some reforms in education especially in higher education in Kenya where electronic mobile devices penetration has escalated for the last ten years. This res...
Design, Implementation and Institutionalization of Mobile Learning in Higher Education
2010
INTRODUCTION For a long time new technology had been slow to penetrate sub Saharan Africa. The costs of most of the technologies, including land line telephones, computers and internet are still very high and hence prohibitive to majority of the people in Africa. Governments on the other hand have been slow in providing the necessary policy provisions for access and utilization of the technologies. However, in the recent past, African countries such as those in East Africa have formulated policy frameworks for information communications technology (Wamakote, Ang’ondi & Onguko, 2010).
Learning with mobile devices - insights from a university setting in Ghana
Education and Information Technologies
Mobile learning is the newest and emerging technology embraced by universities and this seems to be fast establishing itself as the preferred mode of learning in many countries. However, ways in which mobile devices are used to meet learning goals seem under-researched and may require more effort from researchers, especially in the context of Africa. This empirical study sought to investigate the state of mobile usage among higher education students, their experiences, and available facilitating conditions that influence mobile learning in a Ghanaian university setting. A total of 222 students (distance and vacation students) were engaged to respond to the questionnaires employed for the study. Findings revealed that mobile learning exists in a somewhat structured form as the environment showed most of the salient characteristics of mobile learning but largely remained unharnessed. To a large extent, facilitating conditions for mobile learning were available; students showed positive experiences with their mobile devices and their use in accessing learning, but largely such learning did not occur via the deployed learner management system of the institution. Implications for policy formulation for the Institution and other similar ones that are striving to incorporate mobile technology to increase access and improve the quality of instruction delivery are discussed.
International Journal of Research Studies in Educational Technology, 2014
Mobile technologies are promising features that point to the future of instruction and learning. This paper reviews literature on mobile technology in order to identify areas of focus for researchers with interest in Africa towards contextualizing the use of mobile technology for mobile learning (m-learning) within the African experience. It examined the uses of mobile technologies as explored by researchers and pointed out the benefits and drawbacks. This paper extracted the recommendations of researchers on how to overcome or correct the setbacks to the implementation of mobile technology into the learning environment. It recommended offline access to learning materials on mobile devices to be seriously contemplated for m-learning in Africa. There is need for further research in the developing world of Africa to measure the outcome of offline mobile learning and its effects on cost reduction, and to develop theoretical frameworks that will evaluate programs, learners and instructors for building effective instructional design using the mobile technologies. This paper draws a roadmap and sets the ball rolling for designers of mobile learning modules, instructors and researchers in the field of education to work in situating learning with mobile technology as a method of choice in the learning environment. It also demonstrates to learners the much functionality their mobile devices offer them in attaining their educational goals.
Mobile applications in university education: The case of Kenya
Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 2018
The widespread adoption of mobile phones has brought an increasing interest in the development of mobile applications for higher education. In this paper we examine the use of mobile applications in university education, focusing on Kenya, a leading country in mobile services. The main goal is to investigate if university students are using or would like to use mobile phones and apps, in particular educational apps. Information gathered from the study gives an insight on which apps to adopt or implement in university education.
Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are becoming increasing popular among students, setting out a new way to communicate, collaborate and learn. The use of portable devices has the capability to inspire new approaches to learning. It is therefore important to examine the students " viewpoints about the educational use of mobile technology in supporting the learning process. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of mobile devices for learning purposes by exploring the kinds of interactions that students in Nigerian universities have with their portable gadgets. A sample of 240 higher education students participated in the study by completing the researchers " questionnaire. The results of the study indicate the students use their portable devices to exchange education-related messages and academic files with classmates, search the internet and library databases for academic materials, practice online quizzes or tests and hold discussions with classmates among others. The statistical analyses result show that there is no significant difference in the students " use of mobile devices based on gender.
Use of Mobile Technology in Education
Technology has played a significant role in changing the face of higher education. Mobile technologies are playing an increasingly important role in college students' academic lives. Devices such as Smart phones, tablets, and e-book readers connect users to the world instantly, heightening access to information and enabling interactivity with others. Applications that run on these devices, let users not only consume but also discover and produce content. As such, they continue to transform how college students learn, as well as influence their learning preferences, both within and outside the classroom. A complex relationship exists between education and technology. The learners of 21 st century live technologically integrated lives. They do not distinguish between cellular telephones, text messaging devices, cameras, internet browsers, email readers, music players and satellite navigation systems. They just carry them in their packets. Mobile learning (m-learning) is an extension of e-learning that includes the use of technology that can be carried easily in a pocket or purse, used 'on the go', turned on instantly without the need to boot up, is internet capable through a wifi connection and other features such as word processing ability, html browser, SMS messaging, camera, MPs players, GPS etc., The popularity of mobile technologies among college students is increasing dramatically. Many universities now use mobile technologies and create mobile-optimized versions of their websites or build stand-alone applications that can be downloaded from mobile application stores. This paper will help us to understand how mobile technology very much useful in the field of Education.