Cellphones as an Education Tool Research Paper
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Nov 24, 2024
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Cellphones as an Education Tool
Research Paper
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Table of Contents
In the modern world, almost everyone has a smartphone, starting as young as
elementary school. However, their presence in the classroom has been highly
debated with some schools issuing widespread bans while others attempt to
embrace the technology. Smartphones have undoubtedly changed the way
people communicate. Instructors fear, albeit correctly most of the time, that cell
phones will be used for non-educational activities. However, issues with
enforcement of cellphone bans as well as numerous benefits that the
smartphone apps and student attachments to their devices can bring from an
educational perspective suggest potential to utilize it as an academic tool.
Cellphones can be used as a vital educational tool for organization, learning, and
communication but can easily become a detrimental distraction, which supports
an approach that encourages smartphone use in a supervised and responsible
manner in the classroom.
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Benefits
Mobile phones can be used as beneficial tools for information and organization in
the academic context in the classroom. According to Torbjörn (2017), “the tasks
for which the students wanted to use mobile phones were doing calculations,
searching for information, translating words, communicating, keeping a calendar
and taking pictures” (p. 74, par. 3). Information seeking and organizational
concepts are vital to a student’s success in the classroom. Using mobile phones
to search for additional information for help on their assignments or watching
resources provided by instructors can greatly enhance the classroom experience
and student performance. Data is key in the modern information society, and
mobile phones offer access to resources and the Internet with information that is
more updated than textbooks for example. With teacher guidance, the class
curriculum can be supplemented with relevant and reliable digital materials that
offers tools for copying, highlighting, or taking screenshots of vital facts to be
studied later. Meanwhile, certain application on smartphones can improve
organization by helping maintain due dates on assignments and class
announcement through notifications.
Cellphones can be used to reinforce material that is learned in the classroom
through peer communication. According to Ngesi et al. (2018), “these two
technologies proved to be not only viable but also sustainable because of both
their pervasive nature and their affordability” (p. 10 par. 6). Their study focused
on foreign language utilization through SMS and Mxit instant messaging and
found that it could be a vital tool for follow-up teaching and student reinforcing the
English language in direct communication during and outside class.
Unfortunately, historically the well-regulated and rigid frameworks of formal
education are not a good fit with connectivity of mobile phones. Mobility and
connectivity of mobile phones has the potential of being integrated into the
curriculum, and depending on the region and type of education, the device has
significant flexibility on its place in the classroom activities and beyond (Torbjörn,
2017). Based off this study, it is prevalent that students continue to utilize mobile
phones whether they are banned or not, and most often for social media and
communication. Therefore, it is in the best interest of instructors to embrace this
activity and find ways which smartphones can be flexibly included to reinforce
curriculum and learning without becoming overwhelming distractions.
Opportunities
Mobile phones hold the opportunity of revolutionizing the education sector by
introducing alternative learning processes and methods of instructional delivery
known as ‘new learning.’ “According to proponents of new learning, mobiles
facilitate designs for personalized learning in that they are responsive to
difference and diversity in the way learning occurs. They facilitate designs for
situated learning by providing learning during the course of the activity” (Valk,
Rashid, & Elder, 2010, p. 120, par. 4). Mobile technology digitizes and innovates
student learning, also helping students build on critical skills of the 21st century
which are creativity, communication and collaboration, research, critical thinking,
problem solving and decision making, and digital citizenship and technology
operations (Keengwe et al., 2014). Mobile phones which commonly include
capabilities of virtual reality, real-life rendering, and significant processing power
can be used to facilitate interesting and authentic learning, introducing real-world
problems or projects in a virtual setting that are beneficial to subject-specific
learning.
As technology capabilities increases, mobile phones contribute to new directions
in instruction such as mobile learning (mLearning) that can be utilized both inside
and outside the classroom, improving access to education. According to Valk et
al. (2010), mLearning “can also increase access in those situations where cost
represents a significant barrier to learning. For those in rural or remote areas
where environmental and infrastructure challenges hinder other learning
modalities…mLearning presents great opportunities” (p. 119, par. 4).
Smartphones are valuable technology in terms of capabilities for their price point.
In many cases, it may improve access to learning and technology for populations
unable to afford laptops or tablets that are commonly less efficient in comparison
to smartphones at lower-end price ranges. mLearning can contribute inside the
classroom as well through activities such as collaborating on a virtual project with
students from other schools to tuning in as a class to a digital lecture with
participative elements. This concept ultimately alters the character of education
due to the nature that mobile technology has with the instructional process.
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Challenges and Obstacles
While devices have benefits to learning, they hold significant challenges as well,
particularly the distraction and social components of smartphones. Distraction is
commonly cited as the biggest challenge and concern to educators in regard to
technology in the classroom. According to Keengwe, Schnellert, and Jonas
(2014), “…many school leaders only see them as a hindrance to meaningful
learning especially considering their host of likely distractions from student ring
tones, e-mails, texting, tweeting, and cheating” (p. 444, par. 2). Distracting
elements as noted by students and teachers alike include notifications and
access to social media, texting or gaming. With access to social media
communication, outside the classroom social elements such as harassment and
bullying can come into the classroom resulting in greater disturbances (Keengwe
et al., 2014). In the classroom, the cellphone has become almost symbolic as
youthful rebellion against authority, by shifting away from classroom tasks.
Distractions may also negatively impact students that are low-achieving or have
attention disorders in classroom activities where there is a lack of support for
structured use (Torbjörn, 2017). While some school districts attempt to resolve
this issue by virtually blocking access to certain websites or applications on
school grounds or teachers physically monitoring the use of devices in the class,
this creates significant management and cost burdens on the school (Dias &
Victor, 2017).
Digital learning on mobile devices creates certain technological and practical
barriers that can affect limited groups of students as well as the general
education process for everyone. According to Dias and Victor (2017), “However
not all children have access to modern technology at home not only in
developing countries but also in developed countries…Majority of mobile devices
used for education seemed to be messy and poorly executed” (p. 341, par. 6-7).
There is the concept of accessibility, as not all children will have similar
smartphone devices. Different operating systems and technological capabilities
of the devices based on cost make it virtually impossible to plan a unified
classroom activity. This can also contribute to the mobile phone status among
peers, creating unhealthy pressures and addictive behaviors impacting mental
health (Keengwe et al., 2014). Use of mobile devices requires constant internet
connectivity and other technological issues that may arise such as device
malfunctioning, low battery, and other aspects require teachers to have a back-
up plan or spend significant time on managing the nuances of these educational
technologies (Dias & Victor, 2017).
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Conclusion
Cellphones in the classroom are shown to be significantly beneficial on a number
of educational tasks ranging from organization to information search, with
significant opportunities for academic connectivity and studying. However,
applicable evidence shows that there are numerous technological, social, and
practical barriers to utilizing mobile phones in classroom settings. Ranging from
distractions to technical utility, it can be understood why many instructors are
reluctant to adopt this new technology which is touted as ‘transformative’ for
education. Going forward as smartphone accessibility and capabilities increases
and with a creation of more unified and stable educational networks and
applications, potentially the student devices has opportunities. Nevertheless, at
this time, banning the devices will have a negative effect and instructors should
encourage periodic and independent use of smartphones on some assignments
that encourages responsibility and academic interest from students.
References
Dias, L., & Victor, A. (2017). Teaching and learning with mobile devices in the
21st century digital world: Benefits and challenges.
European Journal of
Multidisciplinary Studies, 2
(5), 339-344.
Keengwe, J., Schnellert, G., & Jonas, D. (2012). Mobile phones in education:
Challenges and opportunities for learning.
Education and Information
Technologies, 19
(2), 441–450.
Ngesi, N., Landa, N., Madikiza, N., Cekiso, M. P., Tshotsho, B., & Walters, L. M.
(2018). Use of mobile phones as supplementary teaching and learning tools to
learners in South Africa.
Reading & Writing, 9
(1), 1-10.
Torbjörn, O. (2017).
Mobile phones in school: from disturbing objects to
infrastructure for learning
. Gothenburg: Department of Applied Information
Technology, University of Gothenburg.
Valk, J.-H., Rashid, A. T., & Elder, L. (2010). Using mobile phones to improve
educational outcomes: An analysis of evidence from Asia.
The International
Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 11
(1), 117.
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