Mobile Learning: Engagement, or Entrapment?

When asked why a teacher should be prepared to use mobile devices in the classroom, the answer is quite simple: It is the wave of the future, and it's already passing over us. Mobile devices are an amazing tool that is going largely untapped in our schools and, frankly, most other parts of our lives, and the benefits of using it towards teaching are astounding. Even in my own personal mobile learning task, which I recruited middle-aged and older actors to do after a show (when everyone's brains are fried) the simple use of technology and one little question garnered a wealth of untapped curiosity and learning in people who wouldn't have given the topic another thought if I hadn't needed someone to video for my lesson.

The impact that technology has on teaching, and the availability of knowledge in any form you could want it, is staggering considering the world just 10 years ago, let alone 20 or 30. But we have to make sure this new tool is being used for good, and not just as a gimmick. There are plenty of advantages to it, sure, but the risks of distraction cannot be ignored. This is why the question of requiring mobile learning devices is still questionable at best.

For starters: not everyone will have one. At the moment, very few schools have the funding to give every kind of student the devices they'd like, or even the bare minimums. In my personal school district, they are aiming to have a computer lab for every grade, but many schools are running on about 100 computers shared between 1200 students... Not the best ratio. And, depending on where you are, there's no guarantee that every single student will have access to a computer, let alone a mobile device capable of the more advanced things technology can do nowadays, so even the best intentioned, most forward thinking teacher will need to have backups for the children, technologically, left behind at home without support.

But if we assume that the funding was there and all students had access to a mobile device purely for learning... it would have to be privatized to the school. There would need to be a private network, not for fear of other schools or students sharing ideas (sharing information is the main boon of the internet) but because public forums and systems are a danger. I honestly wish this weren't the case, but as soon as you have something open to the public, someone will come along and mess it up. It's the reason there's always graffiti and a broken toilet in any park restroom. If you're setting up a classroom network, you must make sure it is private to the students. They can share whatever they wish (though there would need to be someone making sure the content is appropriate and giving warnings and punishment to those who break the rules), and should be encouraged to, but if everyone's getting their own system, they need to be kept under watch for everyone's privacy and safety.

Finally, and the private network would do wonders here, there can't be outside distractions. Things like Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools to interact and coordinate with people outside of the classroom, or to bring parents into their students lives in a way they are much more likely to check on a regular basis, but within school walls they are a menace trying to pull people from their task and constantly making people judge themselves against the entirety of human existence. These are just sadness generation sites, and if people want to make themselves sad on their own time, fine, but no checking on it in class.

With the ground rules in place, let's move to how these devices can better the classroom: They engage every type of student. This, alone, might as well be a miracle. Creative learners, visual learners, auditory learners, avid readers... everyone can find ways to get the information presented to them exactly how they need it, if they go searching, and a teacher that is on the ball will have a list of possibilities on hand to give to students who are struggling, or just to vary up their own instruction.

On top of that, flipping the classroom, with videos at home teaching lessons, will free up the teacher to focus on the student's understanding, making sure they gain knowledge that lasts and not just memorized formulas and facts for tests. English teachers have already been doing that (books were the first technology able to be taken home and read on their own, with discussions happening in the class) but new innovations like the Khan Academy are opening up this door to more and more subjects.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Videos and reading, home research... it's all taking the old ideas and letting them follow into the home life. People are making games and tools that allow you to diagram anything from sentences to molecules to entire cities with a few strokes of your finger. Scavenger hunts with GPS could send students on an adventure like Captain Ahab, or get ESL students to take pictures of things they don't know to discuss in the class... The possibilities are getting endless, and the limits are now the teacher's creativity and their (or someone else's) programming capabilities.

If you plan on designing mobile activities for your own class, follow some simple words of advice:

1. Be Engaging: Not every lesson has to be a game, but if the students don't want to learn, they won't.
2. Real-World Applications are a Must: The biggest thing to stall learning is "Ugh, *eyeroll* why do I need to know this?" The biggest solution to that problem is showing them exactly why it's important to know.
3. Allow for Creativity: Whether it's a presentation, a report, or just how the student learns on their own, let them be creative. They might have an idea that really resonates with those around them that you never even thought of.
4. Be Flexible: The world, and its technology, is always changing. Be able to change and adapt, no matter what the world throws at you.
5. Be Willing to Say "No" to Gimmicks: Not every lesson needs to be on a mobile device. Sometimes, two students talking, or just some pencils and paper, is all you need to make the lesson work. Just because a million new ways have appeared doesn't mean you should throw the baby out with the bathwater.

With careful planning, some effort on the school's part, and creativity and intuition on your own, the wonders of mobile learning can be integrated into any curriculum and unlock wells of hidden potential in your students. Embrace the new technology... but carefully, lest we be swept under the wave of the future, rather than ride it towards a brighter tomorrow.