Mobile Learning – How Learning Happens Through a Smartphone?

mobile-learning

Ever since the pandemic striked the world, there was a wave of change in all sectors. From the economy of nations to the corporate markets, no sector was left untouched by its impact. The education sector was one of the few sectors that were massively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning revolutionized and attained a completely new from. Traditional learning transformed into online learning or much popularly known “e-learning.” Students and teachers were forced to adapt themselves with this changing paradigm of learning. Mobile Learning grew rapidly amidst all of this.

However, what came about as a forced alternative, seems to be the choice of both learners and educators today. While students relish the ease that online learning offers, teachers find its convenience worth it too! 

Online learning took multiple forms and one of the most famous form was “mobile learning”. Mobile learning is simply the use of mobiles or smartphones to facilitate learning. In this blog brought to you by AllAssignmentHelp.com, we present the various facets of mobile learning. This information is showcased in an unbiased way with the aim of only sharing knowledge.

So, let’s dive deep into the aspects of mobile learning!

What is Mobile Learning?

Well, Mobile Learning is just what it implies. It makes use of smart mobiles and smartphones to enable the virtual learning process. A mobile phone is the most handy device which students of all ages possess. Through mobile learning, teachers deliver lessons virtually from anywhere and at anytime. Students receive the lessons with their convenience too. It is also sometimes abbreviated as “M-Learning”.

Why is Mobile Learning Preferred For Online Learning?

An important question that arises is that what is it that makes mobile phones a popular choice for e-learning? Here are a few factors that would answer this question well:

  1. The majority of the world population today possesses a mobile device. Whether it be teenagers or adults, males or females, people from low economic backgrounds or richer ones, every individual has access to mobiles. This makes them a good choice to impart learning to a wider range of audience.
  2. Mobile devices are the go-to electronic device. Today, we stick to our phones for even the smallest of task. From communicating with friends to ordering food, we use it for everything. 
  3. While desktops and laptops remain a necessity, mobile devices have become a more favorable choice. One compact device offers all facilities just a click away.
  4. M-Learning is not just limited to school or college students today. On the contrary it is also widely used for corporate training. Employees are trained through tutorial videos and virtual lesson plans.

Also Read: Top Seven Trends for eLearning in 2022

The Pros and Cons of Mobile Learning

Just like every coin has two sides, mobile learning also comes with its own pros and cons. It is important to be aware of both the sides of this feature to make a subjective choice when it comes to e-learning.

Pros of mobile learning:

Let us discuss some common benefits of mobile learning that make it the favorite choice of learners and teachers.

Learn anytime-anywhere

With mobile learning, the barrier of time and place is easily overcome. Students or even corporate learners can keep their learning resources handy with them. They can go through a lesson or a concept at whichever point and place they want. Whether it be watching an educational video while traveling or learning a concept in the comfort of your room, mobile learning allows it all. Also, students constantly feel the burden of doing their assignments. For this, they can always take online assignment help through their mobiles.

Increased motivation

When all it takes to learn is to unlock your mobile phones, it becomes much easier to motivate oneself for studying. In free time, or when a person feels that he or she is in the mental space to learn effectively, he can simply start learning immediately. 

Enhanced communication

In the traditional model of learning, the students have to wait for the next class if they have any doubts. When they physically go to the educational institute the other day, they clarify their queries and then proceed studying the next day. Whereas, in mobile learning, students can instantly ask their queries from their teachers. A simple message can save a lot of time that students otherwise have to spend waiting to contact the teacher the next day. 

Feedbacks

The teachers can analyze the performance of their students much more efficiently. They can review their homework and assignments whenever it suits them. Thereafter, they can also communicate the feedback to individual students via the smartphones. This not only saves time, but also builds a better student-teacher rapport.

Cons of Mobile Learning

Nothing that is good comes without its own set of disadvantages. Here we discuss some of the common disadvantages of mobile based learning.

Lack of connectivity

While mobile learning offers many convenient features, they all are subject to the condition of internet availability. If there is a disruption in the internet connectivity, this can not only agitate the learners, but can also break down the motivation. 

Size of screen

For certain concepts such as vast History battles, science lessons, language theory, etc, the size of the mobile screen often hinders learning. It would be much more convenient for the learners if such concepts be taught on a larger screen or board. 

Lack of concentration

As mentioned earlier, smartphones are used for various purposes today. This implies that there are immense chances that the learner may get distracted while learning. The wish to surf some other social media sites or chat with a friend can act as a distraction. Not just this, ordering food, making calls, receiving online orders, etc. are some small nuances that obstruct mobile learning.

How is Mobile Learning Implemented?

We are sure that you have understood the basics of mobile learning by now! The next step is to know the ways in which it is executed. Here are some of the popular ways:

Lecture videos and explainer videos

This is by far the most convenient form of virtual learning. The lecture videos are created by teachers of the institutions. They can also at times be created by some generic professors with the aim of spreading knowledge. Lecture videos are widely used in mobile learning. Students can easily download or save such videos and watch them on repeat if needed. 

Not just this, there are many explainer videos as well which act as tutorials for students. Students can get brief overviews about the concepts through such informative videos. Moreover, these videos are also extremely attractive in nature. 

Also Read: Management Courses Discoveries

Gamification

Gamification is the practice of infusing game based elements into the learning process. It gamifies concepts into levels, scores, quizzes, and other interesting elements. Most education based games are designed on software that best run on mobile devices. Thus, mobile learning is hugely executed through game-based learning. 

Enrolment in some popular online courses

In today’s digital age, there is a trend to learn whatever we can to expand our knowledge base. Through mobile learning, students and adults can expand their horizons of learning by enrolling in some online learning courses. Some of the popular courses for instance are the Digital Marketing Certificate course by eCornell. Not just this, the Bachelor of Science Business Administration – Marketing course offered by Georgia Institute of Technology is also a good option.

Online assessments

Merely learning a concept is never enough. There is always immense need to practice the subject thoroughly. When learning takes place virtually, its practice also needs to be done virtually. Mobile learning is a very interesting and quick way of brushing up the lessons that students have learnt. The teachers can design fun quizzes, pointers, MCQs, etc., that can aid education. All the students have to do in such a case is attempt the online assessment and submit it timely to their respective teachers. The teacher can also check the performance and give an instant feedback. Moreover, these assessments can also be saved for later revisions.

Online study material

Teachers can share as much study material as they desire through mobile learning. Notes, lecture summaries, PDFs, research papers, theories, relevant links, documents, all can be easily shared. This helps in creating a very useful and accessible resource bank for the students. They can save it for future use as well. During exam time, they can sort their material in an organized manner and refer to it quickly. Not just this, students can also make folders where they can demarcate all their resources systematically. 

Learning Management System (LMS)

An LMS is a one-stop platform that facilitates all activities of online learning. It is a customized platform or portal that is designed as per the requirements of the instructors. The LMS provides access to perform multiple activities. This includes marking attendance, conducting online assessments, accessing resources, evaluating performance, etc. it keeps a track and acts as a report card of the day to day activities of e-learning. Mobile learning is widely executed through learning management systems. This is because most LMSs work best on a mobile device. Additionally, the activities can be managed through a click.

Some Popular Mobile Learning Apps

Dropbox

  • This application is widely used for storage purposes.
  • Students have to manage a lot of things such as assignments, submissions, homework, notes, etc. Dropbox makes it all easier and organized.
  • With the aid of the excellent app Dropbox, you can manage all of your material in one easily accessible location, including:
    • Papers
    • Documents
    • Degrees and Certificates
    • Pictures
    • Videos
  • You can view those data from any location, including your house, college, or even a garden.
  • The app offers 2GB space free of cost.
  • It works with all the popular mobile operating systems, including iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

ExamTime

  • As the name suggests, this application is used during examinations.
  • It is one of the top student-friendly applications.
  • ExamTime enables learning while you’re on the go and using the internet’s 1.5 million learning resources.
  • You won’t miss a second of your exam time.
  • You must keep in mind that before downloading this app, you must register with ExamTime.

Kindle

  • It is a highly popular application among voracious readers.
  • With the Kindle reading app, your smartphone can function as a book.
  • The Kindle app can give you a mesmerizing digital reading experience and elevate your reading habits.
  • The ability to highlight terms and use the built-in dictionary to check their definitions is the best feature.
  • Because it prevents you from performing repeated Google searches.

Mathway

  • It is one another famous app for practicing math.
  • It can help you with your math problems and relieve the stress of speculating.
  • You can choose from a variety of mathematical operations, including algebra, calculus, and everything in between.
  • It is a good way to practice mathematics in a fun and on-the-go way. 

Also Read: College Essay: Sneak Peek into Your Professor’s Expectation

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Conclusion:

Therefore, in today’s digitized and globalized age, mobile learning is acing the education domain. Both, the learners and educators are inclined towards the ease and convenience that it offers. It is a good method to explore the advantages that technology offers to us today.

Question: Is mobile learning beneficial?
Answer: Yes, mobile learning has its own advantages. Students can learn from anywhere and at anytime with ease. It also helps in accessing multiple online study resources.
Question: What are some good applications for mobile learning?
Answer: Some good applications that facilitate mobile learning are Kindle, ExamTime, Mathway, Dropbbox, to name a few.