Introduction
Mobile Learning or M-learning is all about the adoption of knowledge with the use of portable mobile devices. One universal definition of mobile learning is that it is the learning without physical boundaries; consumption of knowledge that abounds with the help of portable technologies. Likewise, mobile learning decreases the limitation of learning location with the mobility of general portable devices. Nowadays, students are coming to school with portable computers and devices such as an iPhone and iPod in hand. They are used to gathering information on the web, getting email, watching lectures, getting directions, or pinpointing exactly where their friends are in no sweat. Now they can learn anytime and anywhere they want, too. Students in general prefer devouring lectures when it is delivered through the iPod or iPhone. Audio and video podcasts let students study at their own pace, which is the gateway to making students learn genuinely without forcing them because they like the mode of education.
Benefits and Practical Uses of Mobile Learning
Providing this technological advantage for the use of students as well as the educators makes a fluid flow on the exchange of education. M-learning has many advantages in the mobile world, in schools and in the workplace. Technology has made it possible to communicate over vast distances with a very wider audience. M-learning has reached out to many individuals who can now access learning materials at their own will regardless of their commitments (, 2004). It ensures all students in having equal access to education whether they personally have the gadget. Technology today is a way of living and people who are interactive are everywhere and help people to stay connected. M-learning also fosters hassle-free interaction and collaboration within the students and the educators as they effortlessly engage their students in learning because of the attractive mode of education brought by technology’s endless information overload. Access to a variety of online resources exposes them to limitless knowledge and information. M-learning also enhances self-directed learning that helps in personality growth. It also makes learning fun by making technology ubiquitous throughout the educational experience and the channeling of ideas is interactive. When students came looking for a job, being technologically savvy is an advantage employers are in demand of technical skills. There are a myriad of practical uses and benefits M-learning brings and the advantages goes on and on. There could also be disadvantages as it could make students lazier because all the information are just a click away and they can cheat easily, for example. As mobile learning devices evolve and are getting close to having the functionality of computers, people who are technologically inclined will rejoice because it all the information is in one handy portable package.
The iPod
This portable media player from Apple allows users to download music, audio books, podcasts, photos, and video. It has an address book and calendar that synchronize with Microsoft’s Outlook or Outlook Express. It can also serve as a mass-storage device. With the iPod, students can download podcasts of relevant instructional material along with audio and video lectures. Although the early devices have rather small screens, future versions probably will have bigger screens so that users can read e-books on them. Students can exchange information files, collaborate on projects, review coursework and prepare for exams, highlight their work, and share project results. The educator can provide visual, systematic directions that are difficult to convey with words only. Students and educators can add a microphone to their iPods to capture material for educational use. It appeals to digital natives’ need for immediacy of information (, 2001). This mobile device is the suitable gadget for mobile learning because is a hand carry gadget and can store mass quantities of files and information. Although the screen are small which can make it hard to read on, knowing the never-ending changing and upgrading of gadgets, the iPod in the near future would have a wider screen for students and educators alike to utilize.
The Digital Present and Future
The next few years will see a period of rapid growth for mobile learning, with evolutionary rather than revolutionary changes (2001). Mobile learning capabilities will continue to expand with the launch of smaller, more sophisticated and impressive gadgets capable of delivering data in a variety of set-up. Whether the educators and students will adopt the mobile learning trend will depend largely on how efficient and necessary they consider its services and features. We should prepare to take advantage of their benefits in higher education by planning how best to employ mobile devices in online and traditional classes.
References
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