The Influences of Mobile Learning in today’s Education

Siti Khasbiah Binti Saleh

MPP141362
Major: Technical and Vocational Education, MPV

Abstract

The purpose of this paper to review on the application of mobile learning in higher education.

The backbone of this paper is ‘Mobile Learning: A Good Practice’ by Dawood Salim Al

Hamdani and majorly support by two articles, which are ‘Multimedia Applications and

Technologies for m-Learning’ and ‘Virtual Learning Environments: Three Implementation

Approaches. However, the author have chosen some others article which influences the topic

to give understanding form different perspective and give an opinion for further research within

this scope.

1.0 Introduction

The first section of that paper, the researcher was introducing the objectives. He also review

on related terms to give reader understanding the flow of that paper. He summarize the terms

and support it by appropriate research.

In the last paragraph of the first section, he state that “The purpose of this paper …. practice

of using of mobile phones as a cognitive tool to enhances students’ learning in frame of

constructivist approach”. But then, the tittle was “Mobile Learning: A Good Practice”.

The researcher need to state carefully whether it is mobile phone or mobile learning. Mobile

learning and mobile phones is two different things, it was a bit confusing what is the researcher

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 1

really focus on, mobile learning or mobile phone. According to Pocatilu and Pocovnicu (2009),

mobile learning is teaching and learning eco-system by using mobile devices, such as,

smartphone, tablet, mobile phone and so forth.

On the second section of paper, researcher focus on defining a mobile learning. However,

it is lack of current evidences, the researcher only choose one study in defining mobile learning.

So, it is pretty good for researcher to dive deeper on the topic and study others scope that

influences mobile learning, such as:

a) Mobile Learning

He just defining mobile learning in a sentences only, it may better if the researcher

states more on past study as proof that mobile learning really effective for higher

institution. Furthermore, the researcher offer less data to support his statement on

mobile learning as a tools that may boost student’s higher order thinking skills.

b) The Current State of Mobile Learning

One of the suggestion to make the literature of the study more preferable is

identifying the current state of mobile learning. This is because, there are several of

programs and activities in mobile learning that have been created to make an

effective environment of formal learning and also to support informal learning.

Plus, educational technology and seamless learning also one of the backbone in

mobile learning, as stated from UNESCO (2012) in its article, ‘The Future of

Mobile Learning – Implications for Policy Makers and Planners’.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 2

2.0 Pedagogical Approaches

The researcher were focus on constructivist as pedagogical approaches, it is to investigate

how far mobile learning influences in education. The pedagogical term was written and

summarize by him in better way, the reader could easily understand the content of that section

and see how much it is related with the topic.

In addition, the researcher choose the suitable model as a guidelines in during this study,

which is constructivism. It was in the fifth section of the paper and the researcher use previous

study to support the literature of constructivism that related with mobile learning.

Based on others research, constructivism is one of the model that have been used to evaluate

application of mobile learning in education and the result show that mobile devices really

influence in today’s learning environment. Such as, research from Zurita and Nussbaum (2004)

and Herrington (2009).

3.0 Instrumentation

Researcher use a quantitative approaches in this study. He use questionnaire in collecting

the data. The questionnaire was divided into the following section:

1) Students’ ICT background;

- Students’ ICT skills, use of social interaction technologies, and ownership of mobile

phone;

2) Mobile phones use in classroom and out classroom;

3) Mobile phones to promote of thinking skills;

4) Mobile to support collaborative work; and,

5) Problem faced while using Mobile phones.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 3

The researcher have choose good instrument during that study. However there are some

suggestion that could strengthen the data in future study. It will be explain on the next

paragraph.

Despite that, mobile learning is breakdown from the main, which is virtual learning

environment or VLE. VLE is backbone of mobile learning. There are some suggestion in

implementing research in VLE scope.

Study from Keller (2005) used three perspective of implementation to see how far mobile

learning has influences student in teaching and learning process. It also focus on how to engage

students with the content through mobile devices and communication aspects between students

and teachers. By mixing these three perspective, it could help the researcher in defining the

problem deeper. Those three implementation perspective are;

a) Implementation as technology acceptance

It is to see how far the students applied mobile devices for educational purposes by

completing the task given. She suggested to use TAM, Technology Acceptance Model.

It also investigate efficiency of the user in using it align with SCT, Social Cognitive

Theory.

b) Implementation as diffusion of innovations

It is questioning either the innovation is accept or reject the technology. To simplify, it

is to investigate the autonomy power of accepting mobile learning in T&L, it is rejected

by faculty, by the instructor or by student himself. Plus, it also to find out the level of

acceptance and decision process of applying mobile learning in T&L.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 4

 c) Implementation as a learning process

It is to find out either VLE is accommodating and supporting informal learning for the

user and social interaction within the community. Instead of that, learning process could

boost formal and informal communication skill between the learners and learners with

instructor. So, it also to study how far social interaction of the community happen in

supporting formal and informal education.

4.0 Conclusion and Suggestion

This study show that there are some part of paper are lack of current information and some

of if lack of evidence to support the sentences. However, some of the terms has been written

simply strong so that the reader could understood the models easily.

Some of the suggestion have been state on previous section and to conclude and there are

some opinion may beneficial for further research;

a) Universal design in mobile learning

In today’s education we can see much changes happen from the traditional of

teaching and now it is move towards virtual learning. So, we can see here the way of

delivering the content is changing but the student still the same and they need to keep

following the those changes. Plus, students came from different background, different

culture and abilities.

Universal design was first be found in architecture, its principles is to help people

or user with disabilities accessing and experiencing the same as normal people. The

main concept of universal design is as it accessible by most people is better. Along

with that, it has been applied widely in education to help learners understanding the

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 5

content and give opportunity to one who unable to learn as normal student (Centre of

Universal Design, 2009).

However, there are some population of student that is invisible in some eyes, such

as; students with disabilities. They born with less abilities compared to the normal

student. Based on Hellman (2007), elderly and student with disabilities is population

that has issues in accessing mobile devices. They have difficulties in interpreting and

connecting different information.

Personal computer (PC) and mobile devices may help and ease disabilities

students, it may not the best solution but it is flexible, portable and they have autonomy

to choose which way of learning they want to. Mobile learning also can be recognized

as personalized learning, which focuses on individualities and user differences. So they

could enhance their disabilities through mobile learning (Hawridge and Vincent, 1992,

and Ally, 2009). For example; one that have reading problem can choose audio format

to help them in reading the content.

Universal Design for education has three major approaches; 1) universal

instructional design; 2) Universal design for instructor; and; 3) universal design for

learning. These three approaches facilitate the teaching and learning process (Bongey,

Cizadlo and Kalnbach, 2010).

So it is better for researcher to concern a bit on universal design in mobile learning.

Today’s education are change towards virtual learning because it allow student to

engage personally with the content, teachers and members.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 6

 b) Broaden the population

The research scope was explain a bit in first, second and then summarize more on

the third section of paper. He states that his sample is forth year students in teaching

communicative language teaching course at Sohar University of Oman. The study

was applied in 4-8 weeks of lectures.

The author cannot critique much on the sample used by the researcher but it can

be suggest to broaden his sample. Rather than focus on that course, better for him to

focus on some other field/course and then differentiate the data to find out which

field/course are applying mobile learning in the best way and use it as.

c) Qualitative instrument

Based on ‘Mobile Learning: A good Practice’ study, the researcher use a

quantitative research. It was good, but to strengthen the study, qualitative instrument

can be applied along with that research.

By mixing it, each of instrument going to support others disadvantages.

Quantitative instrument may produce a statistical data and qualitative instrument helps

researcher to gain word or text of data. So it could help researcher to study the

phenomenon accurately. But, he need to choose the way of collecting data carefully

depends on the problem that need to analyze (Creswell, 2003).

Overall of the study, the author agree the way of researcher reviewing the term and

collecting data. However to strengthen it, the author has explain some of her opinion and

suggestion for further research.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 7

REFERENCES:

Main Article:
Al Hamdani, D.S. (2013). Mobile Learning: A Good Practice. Social Behavioral Sciences 103,
665-674.

Supporting Articles:
Ally, M. (2009). Mobile Learning. Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training.
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University ISBN 978-1-897425-43-5.

Bongey, S.B., Cizadlo, G., Klanbach, L. (2010). Blended Solution; Using a Supplemental
Online Course Site to Deliver Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Campus-wide
Information Systems, Vol 27 Iss 1 pp. 4-16.

Creswell, John W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method.
Published by International Educational and Professional Publisher, ISBN 0-7619-2441-
8.

Hawridge, D., Vincent, T. (1992). Learning Difficulties and Computers: Access to the
Curriculum. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN-13: 978-1853021329

Hellman, R. (2007). Mobile Learning: A Good Practice. Universal Access in HCI, Part I, LNCS
4554, 147–156.

Herrington, A., (2009). Incorporating mobile technologies within constructivist-based

curriculum resources In J. Herrington, A. Herrington, J. Mantei, I. Olney, & B. Ferry
(Eds.), New technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education (pp.
56-62). Wollongong: University of Wollongong. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/
Keller, C. (2005). Virtual Learning Environment: Three Implementation Perspectives.
Learning, Media and Technology, Vol.30, 229-311.

Pocatilu, P., Pocovnicu, A.. (2009). Multimedia Applications and Technologies for M-
Learning. Economy Informatics, vol. 9, 63-70.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 8

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2013). The
Future of Mobile Learning – Implications for Policy Makers and Planners. Retrieved
September 28, 2015 from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002196/219637E.pdf

Zurita, G., Nussbauk, M., (2004). A Constructivist Mobile Learning Environment Supported
by a Wireless Handled Network. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 20,
235-243.

The influences of mobile learning in today’s education 9