Mobile technology has
developed at an amazing rate in recent years and now deserves a full assessment
of its place and value in teaching and learning. “Mobile phones have the
potential of becoming a teacher’s ally instead of the scourge of the
classroom”.
(Reece and Walker, 2009; 191)
In
this blog post I will be looking at three applications (apps), Socrative, Hot
Potatoes and Memrise, and the use of video for teaching and learning.
Socrative
is a good example of software that is engaging, whilst also being quick to set
up. The teacher sets the questions and
the class vote on a yes/no option. The
results are immediate, live and shown to the class via the Smartboard. It would be excellent in quickly revisiting
objectives of a lesson, as it enables the teacher and class to review main
facts of a lesson. It is limited by its
unsuitability for assessments as the answers are given anonymously.
YouTube video of Socrative in the classroom
The
Hot Potatoes app has arguably more diverse uses and seems already popular with
teachers. Teachers can set crosswords,
word searches and quizzes, and these can be done in the class or for homework.
The post sixteen learner is likely to be more engaged with the content
presented on screen rather than on paper. The limitation is that Hot Potatoes
is not innovative; it has merely made digital versions of traditional tests and
games and now feels like old potatoes.
If
a class needed to learn key facts then Memrise offers an innovative
solution. I discovered Memrise when
studying for an Intermediate Certificate in Welsh Language in 2012. Which is, as Dr
Aaron Balick tweeted, an "Impressive website combining the
addictive nature of gaming with memory improvement, really great!” (2012). Once downloaded, the application provides
options for different courses at different levels. It begins by planting the seeds of memory and
then tests by multiple-choice answers or requiring the participant to type in
the answer. Memrise is based on
scientific study and its designers claim that they are “working with
psychologists and neuroscientists at Oxford University and University College
London to push the envelope in the science of Memory.” If there is a problem word there users can
insert ‘Mems’, quirky phrases or images to aide memory recall. If the subject or level is not already
uploaded to Memrise you can upload your own. I fully recommend it and will use
it in future teaching.
Even
without a fully equipped class with smartphones, a simple but no less effective
way of using mobile technology exists.
One of the ways is to request a learner to record with a smartphone or
camera a demonstration given by the teacher. This video footage can be uploaded
to a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or YouTube and watched on the bus or at
home. This offers learners the chance to
catch up with a session they have missed or a chance to recall or review a
session.
YouTube
is a great source of knowledge and also misinformation. According to the YouTube website: “Over 6 billion hours of video are watched
each month on YouTube—that's almost an hour for every person on Earth” and
“Mobile [devices] make up almost 40% of YouTube's global watch time” (YouTube,
2014). This should not be overlooked.
Teaching
learners how to learn is perhaps the greatest gift teachers can give to
learners and in an increasingly technological era this should involve learning
on-line. According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt "Every two days we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilisation up until 2003" (Seigler, 2010). With this expansion of information comes the huge risk of
overload and distraction but huge potential for teaching and learning. In my view if we do not adapt to using mobile
technology in teaching and learning, we have failed to educate learners about
the new learning options revolutionising the world they inhabit.
References
Balick, Dr. A. (2012) 'Impressive website...' Available at: https://twitter.com/draaronb/status/268275184040034305
[Accessed 26th December 2014]
Petty,
G. (2004) Teaching today (3rd
ed.). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Reece,
I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching,
training and learning: a practical guide (6th revised ed.). Tyne
and Wear: Business Education.
Seigler, M.G. (2010) 'Eric Schmidt: Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As we Did Up To 2003'. Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/04/schmidt-data/ [Accessed: 26th December 2014]
YouTube. (2014) 'Statistics'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-GB/statistics.html [Accessed: 26th December 2014]
Bibliography
Seigler, M.G. (2010) 'Eric Schmidt: Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As we Did Up To 2003'. Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/04/schmidt-data/ [Accessed: 26th December 2014]
YouTube. (2014) 'Statistics'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-GB/statistics.html [Accessed: 26th December 2014]
Bibliography
Memrise looks interesting.
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