Running head: MOBILE DEVICES IN EDUCATION 1

Mobile Devices in Education

Kristi B. Robb
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
August 03, 2014













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Abstract
This paper will discuss mobile technologies as they pertain to the educational setting. A
definition of mobile technology is presented along with recent statistics on the number of people
who own some type of mobile device, as well as qualitative evidence based on teacher interviews
regarding the positive effects that mobile technologies have on students. Finally, challenges to
implementing mobile technology into the classroom setting will be presented. This paper will
conclude by making the case that despite the challenges faced by teachers in a classroom setting,
mobile technology still has a valuable place in the modern educational setting.
















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Mobile Devices in Education
Todays students are a generation seemingly unfamiliar with a lack of technology; that is,
they are so accustomed to it that they cannot necessarily imagine a time when mobile devices did
not exist. Now that technology is a common tool for students in the modern educational system,
schools and teachers need to be in touch with technology. Schools and teachers have all had to
change their policies, practices, and instructional strategies in order to accommodate new
technologies that emerge daily. Since mobile devices have taken off in the last few years and
school-aged children and young adults have been one of the major reasons for this trend, schools
need to catch up to and match the technology found in the pocket of every student.
Due to the increase in access to these mobile technologies, teachers now need to begin
incorporating these technologies into their instruction and curriculum. Schools and teachers
need to embrace that these technologies are here to stay and find engaging and meaningful ways
for students to use these devices in an educational and constructive manner. With that said, this
paper will focus on defining what mobile technology and m-learning is, provide statistical
evidence as to the prevalence of this type of technology, highlight the benefits that this
technology can have on students, discuss the challenges for teachers seeking to implement the
technology, and finally summarize why educators, regardless of the challenges, still need to
implement mobile technologies for students in order to increase motivation, interest, and time
spent learning.
First and foremost, a definition of what mobile technology entails must be considered.
According to Pegrum, Oakley, and Faulkner (2013), mobile technologies include digital media
players (including iPods and iPod Touches), smartphones (including iPhones, Android phones,
BlackBerrys and Windows phones), personal digital assistants (PDAs), and tablet computers
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(including iPads) (p. 66). These same authors recognize a difference between what they call
mobile devices and portable devices in that portable devices, like laptops, are too large and bulky
to easily maneuver unlike devices that are smaller and handheld and can easily go with a student
to any location (Pegrum, Oakley, & Faulkner, 2013). Taking the definition even further, from
this broad definition stems another type of learning known as mobile learning, or m-learning
for short (Pegrum et al., 2013). Pegrum et al. state that mobile learning, or m-learning, is
perhaps the fastest growth area in the whole field of ICTs [Information and Communication
Technologies] in education (p. 66). Therefore, serious consideration needs to be given to
mobile technology and learning in schools.
Another definition of m-learning, and thus mobile technology, by Groupe Speciale
Mobile Association (2010) is the ability to access educational resources, tools and materials at
anytime from anywhere using a mobile device (as cited in Herro, Kiger, & Owens, 2013, p. 30).
Overall, mobile devices need to be portable in that they must be able to easily go anywhere
without the necessity of bulky or cumbersome accessories; however, a simple definition of what
the various devices are that meet these criteria is not sufficient. Broadening the definition to
include m-learning is important because it shows how users are actually using these
technologies, and the two go hand-in-hand.
Since consideration of allowing mobile devices into the educational setting seems risky to
some stakeholders and administrators alike, it is important to provide statistics that show the
popularity of use. According to a national survey from Project Tomorrow (2010), 85% of high
school students have access to an iPod, 70% had a laptop/tablet/netbook, and 67% had a cell
phone (as cited in Herro, Kiger, & Owens, 2013, p. 30). These percentages are relatively high
and show the prevalence of use of mobile devices by students. Rideout, Foehr, and Roberts
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(2010) say that since 2004, iPods, MP3 players, and laptops have become even more prevalent
among the 8-18 year old segment of the population with increases that are twice or three times as
much (as cited in Herro, Kiger, & Owens, 2013). Additionally, Madden, Lenhart, Duggan,
Cortesi, and Gasser (2013) report that for 12-17 year old kids, over 75% of them have cell
phones, of which half of those are considered smartphones (as cited in Herro, Kiger, & Owens,
2013). Based on these high percentages, it is clear why the use of mobile technology in
education is being pursued.
In general, the use of mobile devices and mobile technology by school-aged students has
taken off, and they appear to be the ones pushing the technology further than ever before (Herro,
Kiger, & Owens, 2013). Adolescence tend to use their mobile devices for the purposes of
communicating via text messages, playing video games, engaging with entertainment like music
and T.V., contributing content to the web, participating in social networking, as well as utilizing
streaming and sharing capabilities (Herro et al., 2013). With these purposes in mind, the next
logical step would be to take the devices that students are already familiar with and using on a
daily basis and incorporate them into the classroom and other educational settings.
There is some anecdotal evidence based on the case studies utilized in this paper that
mobile device application and its usefulness within the classroom helps increase student
engagement. Namely, based on qualitative information and interviews conducted with educators
who are engaged in using mobile devices within their classrooms, teachers expressed that they
believe that students are more engaged and interested in learning simply because of these mobile
technologies (Blackwell, 2013; Chou, Block, & Jesness, 2012). The Chou, Block, and Jesness
(2012) article simply, yet significantly, states mobile devices such as iPads increase student
engagement; teachers have commented that students were 100% on tasks and engaging in
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classroom discussions (p. 21). Another advantage of utilizing mobile devices is that they allow
the students to take the classroom not only home with them but wherever they go by extending
both the learning environment as well as the time spent engaging in the learning process
(Blackwell, 2013; Chou, Block, & Jesness, 2012; Liu, Navarrete, & Wivagg, 2014). The time-
saving attributes of these mobile devices was another benefit described by some researchers.
Students were able to enter the classroom and start working on an assignment immediately with
little delay (Blackwell, 2013; Chou, Block, & Jesness, 2012). This can have an accumulative
effect, particularly for those classes that are already limited on time.
While there are many positives to implementing mobile devices in the educational
setting, there are also many challenges that teachers have to face and overcome in order for the
use of these devices to be effective in producing the desired positive learning outcomes. Most
notably, professional development in regards to mobile devices is a significant challenge for
teachers. Learning to use new technologies can be overwhelming, as well as time consuming for
teachers who are already spread very thin time-wise. Liu, Navarrete, and Wivagg (2014), who
studied the implementation of iPod Touch mobile devices in English Language Learner
classrooms, reported several challenges, such as time constraints due to issues like finding
appropriate app content for the devices, developing new lesson plans based around the
technology, and the upkeep of the devices in terms of charging, synching, updating, etc. The
teachers in this study were not the only ones who reported time constraint issues. Chou, Block,
and Jesness (2012) corroborated the issues of time constraints while learning to use a different
but similar technology (e.g. the iPad), teaching students how to use a new technology, and the
difficulty in finding appropriate apps.
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Other challenges to implementing mobile technology in the classroom include
maintaining the devices when it comes to software, hardware, and other issues such as the local
internet connection available. In the case of their study, Liu, Navarrete, and Wivagg (2014)
report issues of the loss of Wi-Fi capacity, which allows for multiple devices to be connected at
once, as well as breakage, wear and tear, and settings issues when students took the iPods away
from the classroom location. Along these same lines, Pegrum, Oakley, and Faulkner (2013) cite
that proprietary issues with Apple and the apps that are available are a definite challenge for
teachers trying to utilize these mobile devices within their classrooms.
Even with these challenges and risks, the simple fact that teachers in the two studies by
Blackwell (2013) and Chou, Block, and Jesness (2012) reported that implementing some type of
mobile device into their classroom and instructional strategies improved motivation and
engagement in lesson content, which makes the case for using this type of technology difficult to
refute. Cantalini-Williams and Vitale (2012) make the case for utilizing BlackBerry mobile
phones in the classroom. They believe that while educational institutions have now implemented
technology, such as standard computers and interactive whiteboards, which were once on the
edge of technological risk, the same will have to happen with the newer mobile technologies, in
this case BlackBerry phones. However, this can be extended to include all types of mobile
devices other than phone technologies. If standard computers and interactive whiteboards can be
typical in todays classrooms, there is no reason that mobile technologies cannot and will not be
commonplace in the future. The authors quote a Horizon Report from 2011 that basically states
while schools are falling short with allowing the implementation and use of these devices, there
are some that are able to make the jump to technology that is currently in almost everyones
pocket. If the goal of all teachers and educators is to help students master the necessary content
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that will make them both good citizens and future successful employees, any tool that helps
teachers reach this goal is important to the field and should not be taken lightly. It is also
important to remember that any lesson plan can fail, regardless of its use of technology, so it
seems unfair to highlight lesson plans using technology as being so much worse than any other
non-technological lesson plan that did not go well.
Overall, after defining what mobile devices consist of and defining what m-learning is in
conjunction with these devices, statistically proving that these devices are present in almost
every students possession, providing examples of the ways that the technology has been utilized
in different studies along with the results of those studies, and providing a glimpse into some of
the challenges of using mobile devices in the classroom support the fact that the use of mobile
technology can be very beneficial if used along with good instructional content. All of the
aforementioned factors had to be discussed in order to show that these devices can serve to
enhance instruction if teachers are able to rise above the challenges and learn to use the devices
properly so they do not have hiccups during instruction. Engaging students is key to helping
them learn and become productive members of society at large, and if these devices are helping
teachers make learning fun or more engaging, then mobile technology needs to be continually
supported by schools, teachers, stakeholders, and administrators alike.



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References
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