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Running head: Examining Mobile Phones in Education

Examining Mobile Phones in Education:


Exploring mobile phones as a tool and a gateway to social media in the
classroom
Jesse Costello
The University of British Columbia
ETEC 511

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

Introduction
According to Statistics Canada, as of 2013 more than 85% of people
owned a mobile phone in British Columbia, with the percentage being even
higher for younger users. Furthermore, year after year the numbers of user
continue to rise with many getting their first phone while still in elementary
school. The high number of users indicates that mobile phones are an
important part of peoples lives and suggests that many people have a desire
to be constantly connected to others. Along with the near saturation of the
mobile phone market, nearly 90% of people under thirty years old also use
social media, with the vast majority using Facebook, followed by Twitter (Pew
Internet, 2013). Considering the high demand for cellular phones along with
the rapid advances in the capability of mobile devices and one can imagine
that many educators are starting to feel the need to incorporate mobile
devices into their classrooms. We are still in the early stages of this evolution
or perhaps even the revolution of education, so it is important to review what
the effects of mobile learning are in order to determine if this is a path we
should be proceeding along.
While mobile phones and other personal devices such as iPads, tablets,
and netbooks are primarily designed for connectivity and entertainment
purposes, they are also becoming increasingly capable with many functions
designed into a single device. As students are increasingly technologically
fluent, educators can take advantage of these skills and adopt new
educational uses for the devices and their many affordances. The use of

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

mobile devices in the classroom can be divided into two broad categories.
First, the mobile device can be seen as a tool, much like a pencil, white board
or Smart Board. Current mobile phones can be used to access the internet;
send and receive messages, emails, and tweets; record and play videos;
store and read interactive text books; and use educational applications
among other possible uses. Educators must evaluate which of these features
are the most important and what are the most effective ways to implement
this evolving tool into their classrooms. Second, the phone can be seen as an
access point to various social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, or
educational sites like Edmodo or Moodle. Social Media sites have the
potential to encourage constructivist activities as students are easily able to
share ideas, make comments, and keep in touch with their peers. Using
social media can be helpful in engaging students as they move away from
being passive recipients of knowledge passed on from their teachers, to
active learners who build their understanding as they interact with the
material and their peers not only in the classroom, but anyplace and
anytime. It is hypothesized that using mobile phones both as a tool and to
access social media both in and of the classroom will improve students
learning, engagement, and social behaviours.
Mobile Phones in the Classroom
One significant reason that teachers may choose to implement the use
of mobile phones in their educational practice is to motivate and engage
their students. From personal experience, I have found that the vast majority

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

of my students displayed a lot of excitement and focus during periods that


get to use technological devices during my lessons. There often appears to
be an excited, yet focused hum in the classroom as students work on their
devices, while also interacting both in person and online in order to complete
a project, make a video or movie, or even simply research a chosen topic.
A recent survey of students found many benefits for incorporating cellular
phones in the classroom. The students reported that the use of cell phones in
the classroom helped them to enjoy their classes more, led to a
corresponding small increase in attendance, and improved their learning
while also enhancing success in their classes as well (Tessier, 2013). Finally,
they reported that cell phones didnt create a major distraction which is a
worry of many educators. I am personally suspicious of this last claim. It has
been my experience that even adult students are frequently overcome by
the temptation of accessing the more entertaining abilities of their devices
during inappropriate times. One only needs to sit in the back of a lecture hall
in any major university and observe how the many devices are being used in
order to see how many are students are actually off task. Since school aged
students are still developing their executive functioning skills, I worry that
the entertainment or connectivity functions of personal devices may be even
harder for them to avoid. Of course like any tool, the educator needs to teach
the expected behaviour, set high expectations, and use the tool during
appropriate times.

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

Another advantage is that students were motived by using mobile devices


in the classroom and that this motivation increased both the quality and the
quantity of the students work. Furthermore, mobile devices afford an
improvement in the personalization of student learning, along with extending
the learning beyond the walls of the classroom (Swan, vant Hooft, Kratcoski,
& Unger, 2005; Liu, Navarrete, & Wivagg, 2014). The constant
connectedness that is afforded through mobile phones encourages students
to frequently check in and look for updates, posts, or messages from their
peers or teachers, anywhere or anytime. Mobile phones allow learning to
move from simply in the classroom, to anywhere that the student desires.
The relatively lower access barrier of mobile devices is also potentially very
revolutionary in emerging markets allowing those who cant afford schools
access free online resources, including sites like Khan Academy, the
countless free mathematics or language sites, or even MOOCS for older
students.
While current devices allow for a wide range applications, it is important
to remember the limitations of mobile devices. While it is true that they have
great potential, it is important to remember that mobile technology wont
always be the appropriate tool and should be blended with other traditional
pedagogical methods. Furthermore, incorporating mobile technology can also
increase the amount of work for educators, create the need for more
training, and increase technical issues (Liu et al., 2014). However, for many

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

educators the ability for mobile devices to motivate students outweighs the
challenges and when used appropriately can improve student learning.
Certainly one of the most important function of mobile devices have to be
access to the internet and the countless ways it can be incorporated into
lessons (Banister, 2010). Even for those who dont have data plans, schools
are increasingly implementing free Wi-Fi access for all staff and students.
iPads, iPhones, and other mobile devices are currently able to access more
than one million applications. Sorting through the abundance of choices can
be incredibly daunting for educators. Banister (2010) thoroughly organizes
many of these applications according to age and subject matter and makes
recommendations for which apps to choose for your grade and subject area.
See the article for an in-depth description of numerous apps and ways to use
them.
Herro, Kiger, & Owens, (2013) describe three case studies to illustrate
effective integration of mobile technology. Their key findings are that mobile
devices enhanced learning and instruction, improved personalization, but
also required significant technological support, especially while starting the
program, and that teachers also required additional professional
development and pedagogical shifts to successfully incorporate the new
technology. Furthermore, they suggest beginning with scalable pilot projects,
before moving school or district wide in order to work out potential issues.

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

The first case involved introducing iPod touches to primary students with
the goal of increasing reading literacy. Students read interactive books,
recorded themselves reading, and also used a variety of drawing, science,
and math applications. The project was found to be very successful and
popular which lead to a district wide implementation the following year. The
second case examined high school students using a variety of mobile devices
to created augmented reality storytelling games (ARIS). Despite some
technical and bandwidth problems the case was again very successful and
again led to expansion of the program as well as expanded educational
opportunities in the community, including an invitation to develop an ARIS
game for a local museum that taught visitors about the exhibits. Finally, the
third case studied adult pre-service teachers bringing mobile devices into
their courses in an appropriate manner. For this unit, the pre-service
teachers downloaded an iBook, made videos, literary analyses, as well as
using standard tools like Google Maps, and dictionaries. Again the
implementation was successful, however students reported challenges once
in their respective schools as there is a diverse amount of capabilities
between different districts and schools. As well, some faculty proved
resistant to the changes, much like is seen in many current schools. Overall,
Herro et al. (2013) demonstrated three unique ways to implement mobile
learning and show how adaptable mobile devices can be. Again, mobile
learning engaged students and moved learning beyond the walls of the
classroom.

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

It is important for educators to remember that simply adding more digital


devices into classrooms wont make digital learning effective and
meaningful. Instead, educators need to evolve and come up with new
pedagogical methodology in order to fully take advantage of the possibilities
found in mobile devices. Mobile allows for a change in pedagogy by merging
creativity, personalization, learner autonomy, and higher order thinking into
assignments (Clary, Kigotho, & Barros-Torning, 2013). Examples of enhancing
learning through multimodal methods include the use of digital storyboards,
eBooks, comics, cartoons, podcasting, digital storytelling, and digital
presentations. As well, students can use their mobile devices to answer real
time polls and even to give live feedback to teachers, letting them know if
they feel lost or confused during the class, furthermore, the devices can also
be used to keep track of statistics, such as how frequently each students is
participating in the discussions (Sung, Gips, Eagle, Madan, Caneel, DeVaul, . .
. Pentland, 2005). This live feedback can dramatically alter how one teaches.
Traditional, teachers often only through non-verbal cues that the educator
can tell if they have lost the group, sometimes it is only discovered too late
as many students struggle with an exam or assignment. Real time feedback
can be an invaluable tool for educators, and when combined with
cooperative interesting technologically based assignments can lead to
amazing buy in and results from students.
To counter all of the excitement that surrounds mobile learning, it is
important to remember that mobile devices are really just one more tool that

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

need to blend into the toolkit of educators, and no single intervention has the
ability to meet the high expectations that is often placed on incorporating
technology into schools (Dillenbourg, 2008). Technology, including mobile
devices, should one piece of an educators pedagogical toolbox, and used
when it is best practice. When used to their best strengths, mobile phones
can be seen as a tool that can motivate, allow for personalized learning, and
can encourage constructivist learning, and is one important part of being a
modern educator.
Social Media in the Classroom
A communication revolution is occurring with the explosive growth of
social media. In any discussion of social media one has to focus on Facebook
as they are the definitive market leader of social media websites, especially
with users under thirty years old. Currently more than 85% of students have
an account and amazingly 1 in 12 people on the entire planet use Facebook
(Aydin, 2012). It is also important to remember that social media is relatively
new phenomenon and we are therefore in the early stages of research on
this topic, especially as it relates to education. I would also like to caution
educators to check their schools policy regarding social media. In the
Vancouver School District where I work, educators are not allowed to connect
with students on social media sites. However, teachers are allowed to create
classroom websites, Moodles, or Edmodo pages which can work in a similar
manner to Facebook, but limit the risk of students coming in contact
inappropriate materials or users. Mendez, Le, & Cruz (2014) also caution

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

10

against using Facebook as a communication median between students and


educators due to liability concerns. Despite these worries Facebook is the
most commonly studied social media site because it is extremely popular
among students and is an easy method to efficiently reach many students at
once.. Despite the concerns, social media is growing very quickly and is very
important to many students lives, and educators can take advantage of
social medias strengths in order to motivate students and encourage
constructivist learning.
The main attraction of social media is the ability for people to connect
with and build relationships with their family, friends, and classmates, while
also functioning as an effective online knowledge-building network (Aydin,
2012). It is this last piece that really interests a lot of educators and fits
really well into the constructivist world view of education. One of the greatest
strengths of Facebook is that it is an ideal environment for interaction
between students, which helps learners to improve their language skills as
they communicate with their peers, friends, and families (Aydin, 2012).
Furthermore, students can easily collaborate in group projects and teachers
can easily communicate and guide the groups as they work towards their
objectives and reinforce in class learning. College students report that
Facebook enhanced their sense of social learning and connectedness and are
generally more open to using it for educational purposes (Barczyk, &
Duncan, 2013; Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, & Witty, 2010). Whether
you choice to use Facebook or an education friendly version of social media

Examining Mobile Phones in Education

11

like Edmodo, social media can be a valuable tool to reach students anywhere
in the world in a way that encourages constructivist learning.
Conclusion
As cellular phones continue to rise in popularity and improve in
functionality, it will be more imperative that educators learn to effectively
incorporate their uses into classrooms. The main strengths of mobile devices
is that they motivate students, allow for personalized learning, and can be
used anyplace and anytime. Furthermore, the mobile devices can also be
used to access social media sites, which are potentially excellent ways to
communicate with students, and encourage constructivist learning. There are
some potential drawbacks including, distractions, social conflicts, extra work,
and technical issues. However, the benefits seem to outweigh any problems,
and educators would benefit from incorporating mobile devices in a way that
works for their pedagogical styles. This is also an area that would benefit
from further research, particularly regarding social media in the classroom.
References
Aydin, S. (2012). A review of research on Facebook as an educational
environment. Educational Technology research and development,
60(6), 1093-1106.
Banister, S. (2010). Integrating the iPod Touch in K12 education: Visions and
vices. Computers in the Schools, 27(2), 121-131.

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Barczyk, C. C., & Duncan, D. G. (2013). Facebook in Higher Education


Courses: An Analysis of Students Attitudes, Community of Practice,
and Classroom Community. International Business and Management,
6(1), 1-11.
Clary, D., Kigotho, M., & Barros-Torning, M. (2013). Harnessing mobile
technologies to enrich adolescents' multimodal literacy practices in
middle years classrooms. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 21(3),
49.
Dillenbourg, P. (2008). Integrating technologies into educational ecosystems.
Distance Education, 29(2), 127-140.
Herro, D., Kiger, D., & Owens, C. (2013). Mobile Technology: Case-Based
Suggestions for Classroom Integration and Teacher Educators. Journal
of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 30(1), 30-40.
Liu, M., Navarrete, C. C., & Wivagg, J. (2014). Potentials of Mobile Technology
for K-12 Education: An Investigation of iPod touch Use for English
Language Learners in the United States. Journal of Educational
Technology & Society, 17(2).
Mendez, J. P., Le, K., & De La Cruz, J. (2014). Integrating Facebook in the
classroom: Pedagogical dilemmas. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies,
13, 1-6.

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Roblyer, M. D., McDaniel, M., Webb, M., Herman, J., & Witty, J. V. (2010).
Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college
faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites.
The Internet and Higher Education, 13(3), 134-140.
Sung, M., Gips, J., Eagle, N., Madan, A., Caneel, R., DeVaul, R., ... & Pentland,
A. (2005). MobileIT Education (MIT. EDU): mlearning applications for
classroom settings. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 21(3), 229237.
Swan, K., Hooft, M. V. T., Kratcoski, A., & Unger, D. (2005). Uses and effects of
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Tessier, J. (2013). Student Impressions of Academic Cell Phone Use in the
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