The educational sphere continues to actively upgrade with technology. As a result, newly discovered ways of obtaining knowledge are exceptionally convenient for students and teachers. One of them is mobile learning. Let's consider mobile learning definition in more detail.
What is mobile learning?
Mobile learning (or m learning) is a new phenomenon in education. It became especially popular in 2020-2021, when the educational sphere was completely rebuilt against the backdrop of the coronavirus epidemic. Then distance technologies became the basis for many areas, but it was in the context of learning that the greatest changes were implemented. So, the smartphone has turned from a distraction into an indispensable assistant.
Mobile learning technology lets you learn from anywhere at any time, since the mobile device is always at hand. Students and teachers get access to an advanced online platform to help turn boring lessons into fun experiences. For example, teachers can create automated tests and use interactive panels to present material in the classroom.
What are the challenges of mobile learning?
The goals of mobile learning are extremely simple, so they can fit into three key areas.
Learning new material
Mobile devices allow you to quickly access educational materials: mobile applications, audio and video content, as well as textbooks in .docx and .pdf formats. For example, ordinary maps for geography lessons can be replaced with an interactive map from Google Earth. And if you display an image of our planet from a satellite on an interactive panel, then it will be much more difficult for students to be distracted by other matters.
The same effect can be achieved in the lessons of algebra and geometry. So, mobile learning through the Geogebra application allows you to carry out complex calculations and build three-dimensional graphs and models. This solution of m learning will make math even more fun.
Conducting tests
With the help of mobile technologies, teachers can create an online course, interactive tasks with tests, open-ended questions, and other formats. They can add both mandatory and ongoing tasks.
And most importantly: knowledge testing can be automated. Thus, students can independently control their progress and save time for teachers.
Organization of project work
Educators can create online school, structure online courses and ensure fast and efficient exchange of information using convenient tools - instant messengers, online team boards, cloud storage, and webinar platforms. They can create a high-quality webinar or autowebinar and share their knowledge in a high-tech way.
Mobile learning definition proves it to be an effective tool for learning live or offline. And the use of smartphones attracts even the laziest students and guarantees greater involvement.
Advantages and disadvantages of mobile learning
Interestingly, there are more mobile device owners than toothbrush owners. According to Review42, over 2.87 billion users use smartphones and tablets. At the same time, about 70% of Internet traffic is occupied by the niche of mobile devices. It is not surprising because people hold smartphones in their hands for several hours a day. This led to the development of new ways of teaching, which brought the educational sphere to a new level.
With the help of mobile learning technology, students can freely view photos and videos, listen to audio lessons and podcasts, and take tests anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection. Here are more benefits of mobile learning.
- Fast access. Students can open the teaching platform and find the material they need in just a few seconds. The site itself is available 24/7;
- Mobility. M learning allows you to gain new knowledge or improve your skills anytime, anywhere. It often happens that the teacher and students are in different countries, but at the same time they freely communicate with each other and study;
- Thrift. Using mobile learning technology saves money, time and effort. Students do not need to spend time on the road to the classroom, and teachers save the cost of renting a room.
- Possibility to combine formats. The online teaching platform allows you to watch videos and presentations, read e-books and educational articles, and review photos and complex graphics. All this increases the involvement of students and improves the quality of the knowledge gained;
- Interactivity. Educators can add elements of gamification and personalize the learning experience.
However, mobile learning, despite its innovation and convenience, has several disadvantages:
- dependence of students' attention on the surrounding conditions at a certain moment;
- difficulties of working on a small screen with visual impairments;
- unstable internet;
- problems in mobile applications.
But all this cannot overcome the benefits of mobile learning.
What are mobile learning tools?
In general, mobile learning uses distant format tools:
- video and audio lectures;
- educational articles;
- abstracts;
- webinars (online seminars);
- presentations;
- mobile applications;
- cases, etc.
You can also add online training and master classes to this list, which can be attended from a smartphone or tablet.
Well-known examples of mobile learning
What is mobile learning? It is a trend that is gaining popularity. Many companies are investing in teaching platforms to make learning more accessible and efficient. Let's highlight the most successful platforms for mobile learning:
- MasterClass. This educational platform offers courses from many experts in various fields, as well as read high-quality electronic textbooks. Popular areas include cooking, writing, music, acting, and entrepreneurship.
- TED. This is a famous application with a collection of lectures from leading speakers from all over the world. The platform offers useful knowledge on different topics. In addition, this is a great opportunity to improve foreign languages, since most of the lectures are in English.
- CodeAcademy. A great solution for those who want to “get into IT”. Hundreds of lectures and practical tasks in different programming languages are available here.
- A.R.T.S.Y. Art lovers and future museum guides can develop themselves. Descriptions of more than 10,000 paintings are available here letting you learn a lot of interesting facts.
- Anatomy 4D. It offers mobile learning through a smartphone for those interested in pumping up their knowledge of anatomy. The only caveat is the English-language interface. However, high interactivity allows you to understand everything even with zero English.
- Algebra Tutoring Course. An online math tutor will help you deal with various problems: from the simplest equations to mathematical analysis. Moreover, you will analyze all kinds of errors in calculations and methods for eliminating them.
- Google Podcasts. It's an app from tech giant Google that offers thousands of categorized podcasts. You can listen to recordings of various authors and subscribe to them.
These applications are just a small part of the huge amount of knowledge that is available to people around the world and is increasing daily.
Mobile Learning Examples with Kwiga
The platform for creating online courses Kwiga also has several mobile learning cases:
- The Ruban School offers author's courses and webinars in a convenient mobile application;
- Educational courses allow you to learn how to create animated characters in just 3 days;
- Healthy Weight Loss Marathon Body Help offers a path to a healthy body through mobile courses.
And that's not all that mobile learning with Kwiga has to offer! Kwiga allows you to create an online course within 30 minutes.
Mobile Learning Definition and Perspectives
The outlook for mobile learning is very promising as it provides a unique opportunity to learn and grow in an ever-changing world. Huawei estimates that by 2025, more than 6.1 billion people will have access to the Internet through mobile devices. This opens up even more opportunities for learning on the go and has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning.
M-learning can be especially beneficial for students, who can now access course materials, lectures, and assessments from virtually anywhere in the world. It also enables educators to provide an interactive teaching experience, as mobile devices can be used to access engaging content (such as videos and animations). Mobile learning also provides a personalized learning experience as it allows instructors to tailor course material to individual students and provide unique feedback.
The possibilities of m-learning are only limited by our imagination, and with the ever-increasing number of mobile devices, there is no doubt that mobile learning will continue to evolve and become even more popular.
If you have any questions regarding mobile learning with Kwiga online teaching platform, write in the comments. We will gladly help you!