Mobile Learning Technologies

            Over two thousand years ago a Greek philosopher named Socrates realized that his students understood more by answering questions then being told the answer (Abrahamson, nd). Today, students still learn more by answering the questions. With modern technology, teachers can provide the active learning that Socrates discovered so long ago.

            With a Classroom Communication System (CCS) or clickers, teachers can get their students actively involved in the class discussion, students can get immediate feedback about their answers and how the rest of the class answered the question. When clickers are used in the classroom the students are more actively engaged, enjoy class more, come to class better prepared, and pay more attention in class (Abrahamson, nd). Using the clickers has other benefits as well. When using the clickers, students feel more empowered to answer the question because their answers remain anonymous which leads to almost 100% participation. Clickers also help students who are shy or would not otherwise participate in the discussion become active participants and have the freedom to express their voice (Bojinova & Oigara, 2013). When the clicker technology was employed in the classroom student’s performance went up, they were better prepared for exams, they were more actively engaged in the discussion, and they found class to be more interesting (Vaterlaus, Beckert, Fauth, & Teemant, 2012).

            Another technology that can be used in the classroom is Augmented Reality (AR). This technology allows real and virtual objects to coexist in the same space, and allows the student to interact with the technology in real time. It also allows the overlay of virtual objects on real world objects (Bower, Howe, McCredie, Robinson, & Grover, 2013). This technology can support education by helping students develop their basic literacy and math skills to helping students learn another language by blending real world objects with markers with the new language word on the object (Bower et al., 2013). Students can upload pictures, text, and audio to create their own 3D stories. Other uses for AR in the classroom can give the student opportunities to explore the world beyond the classroom door. They can go on a virtual field trip, or explore space. Eventually teachers and students will be able to design their own AR systems. There are several websites that are designed for AR. They are: http://zooburst.com, http://questvisual.com, and http://www.terminaleleven.com/skyview.

References

Abrahamson, A.L. (nd). Teaching with Classroom Communication System-What it involves and why it works. Better Education Inc. Yorktown, VA.

Bojinova, E., & Oigara, J. (2013). Teaching and learning with clickers in higher education.            International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v25n2, 154-165.

Bower, M., Howe, C., McCredie, N., Robinson, A., & Grover, D. (2014). Augmented Reality in education-cases, places, and potentials. Educational Media International, v51n1, 1-15.