Students are demanding the introduction of mobile learning in schools, with approximately 63% of students carrying a mobile device in the classroom1. Most of them own a cell phone, tablet, and 40% of students want to access texts online. With mobile devices easily accessible, students want to browse the school website, the class/course catalogs, online calendar, and examination details via these mobile gadgets.
Mobile learning breaks the artificial barrier of constrained learning (within a limited time and space). Mobile devices enable you to effectively learn 24/7 and from any place across the world! Enterprises have realized the potentiality of mobile gadgets. You can use such devices to instantly inform, educate your employees and customers about the latest news, products, company rules, and so on.
Mobile learning technology allows you to learn while on the move. One can say it is a step ahead (if not few!) from traditional computer-based learning. Especially cell phones, they have become a part of our daily life without them we seem to be completely lost.
From a student’s point of view, mobile learning includes high portability, accessibility, instant deliverability, and sharing of content in real-time. Students can easily browse through the ebooks for reference materials as well as connect with their peers to online discuss about a lesson or assignment. They can quickly search for the meaning of a word on the internet while the professor delivers lectures in the classroom. In addition, students can access multiple educational materials and complete assignments from both home and school.
Mobile learning can benefit teachers as well. How? Well, online mobile education can create a highly interactive and engaging learning environment, allowing students the freedom to ask unlimited questions and instantly discuss a specific classroom assignment with the teacher anytime of the day or night. Mobile education is a great platform for knowing the students better, especially those who are a bit shy or avoid speaking in front of a large group of people.
Thus, the introduction of mobile learning is believed to help increase class engagement and lead to an enriched learning experience over time.
1 ZDNet USA published some statistics (as provided by PEW research, Nielsen, and others)
