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Mobile learning is rooted in the idea that learning should transcend both space and time constraints by allowing learners to access content asynchronously and independent of their location.”
Crescente & Lee, 2011
Since the Covid 19 pandemic hit the world, every sector experienced some sort of change. From the economy of nations to the corporate markets, none of these were left untouched by its huge impact. The education sector was one of the few sectors that was affected massively by the pandemic. Learning revolutionized and attained a completely new form. Traditional learning transformed into online learning or much popularly known as “e-learning.” Students and teachers were forced to adapt themselves to this changing paradigm of learning. As a result, online learning took multiple forms and one of the most famous methods of it is “mobile learning”. Even if it was there for quite some time, Mobile Learning grew rapidly after the pandemic gripped the entire world.
It is simply the use of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and Laptops to facilitate learning. And mobile learning has been accepted widely and is going to stay and evolve.
This blog, ideated and written by an expert at AllAssignmentHelp, will present various aspects of mobile learning for you to make the most of it.
What is Mobile Learning?
What came about as a forced alternative, seems to be the choice of both learners and educators today. While students enjoy the ease that online learning offers, teachers find its convenience worth it too!
Often abbreviated as “M-Learning”, Mobile Learning is just what it implies. It uses smart devices to enable the virtual learning process and enhances the opportunity for Self-Directed Learning. A mobile phone is the handiest device that students and learners of all ages possess nowadays. Through mobile learning, teachers/professors can deliver lessons virtually from anywhere and at any time. Students also have the option to receive the lessons at their convenience.
Why is Mobile Learning Preferred for Online Learning?
Even if distance learning was in place, it accelerated after the pandemic. At present, out of 10 students, 4 to 5 students enroll in some sort of online course. And they prefer pursuing these courses using their mobile phones. Now an important question arises, “What makes mobile phones a popular choice for e-learning?”
Here are a few pointers that answer this question well:
- 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 well-off ones – every individual has access to mobiles. This makes them a good choice to impart learning to a wider range of audience.
- Mobile devices are our go-to electronic devices. Today, we stick to our phones for even the smallest of tasks. From communicating with friends to ordering food, we use it for everything.
- While desktops and laptops remain a necessity, mobile devices have become a more favorable choice. One compact device offers all facilities with just a few taps.
- M-learning is not just limited to school or college students today. It is also widely used for corporate training. Employees are trained through tutorial videos, virtual lesson plans, and through learning on-the-go apps.
Now let’s take a quick look at some of the recent and real data related to mobile learning:
- By 2025, The mobile learning market will be reaching a whopping $77 billion market and by 2026, it is expected to have a market value of $156 billion.
- According to research done by the search giant Google, 80% of the world’s population uses smartphones
- Around 91% of time consumed on smartphones is spent on apps which indicates learning through mobile games also hiked in recent times
- Another research found that 30% of those possessing a smartphone use it for on-the-go learning
- According to a report submitted by the World Journal of Education, mobile learning helped improve productivity by 43%
If you are about to start your higher studies or want to level up your educational skills while working, pursuing an online course can be highly beneficial. Considering the data and stats, maximizing the opportunities provided by mobile learning, you can take care of your studies along with improving your skills through various skill-building apps. And while pursuing an online course, if you face issues like managing your online class, you can get quick assistance from a professional just by typing Take my online course on Google. Yes, it’s that easy!
Also Read: Top Seven Trends for eLearning in 2022
How is Mobile Learning Implemented?
Mostly, mLearning is conducted with a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy. Students may access fact cards, a resource library, reminders, and even games on their own devices by using apps that work with several smartphone and tablet platforms.
Following are some of the popular ways for effective implementation of it:
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 to spread knowledge. Lecture videos are widely used in mobile learning. Students can easily download or save these 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 of the concepts through such informative videos. Moreover, these videos are also extremely attractive in nature.
Suppose you are not able to understand one specific topic in statistics even after going through the lecture video multiple times and you have a class on that topic for open discussion. This situation can be really stressful – isn’t it? At this time, you may think, I wish I could pay someone to take my online statistics class for me. No need to worry at all. When you are pursuing an online course, there are many doors open for assistance! You can hire a stats professional to take care of your class and appear in it by masking your IP address without letting anyone know.
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 runs 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.
Online assessments
When learning takes place virtually, the practice also needs to be done virtually. Mobile learning is a very interesting and quick way of brushing up on the lessons that students have learned. 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 instant feedback. Moreover, these assessments can also be saved for later revisions.
Have such an online exam but you are not prepared enough for it? Another common issue students pursuing an online (or even offline) course face often. Instead of panicking or thinking Is there anyone to take my online test for me, visiting the search engine and typing the same will get you services that offer excellent online exam help assistance. Experts having years of experience in using LMS like Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard Learn (mostly used for offering online courses, online classes, and exams by the institutes in the USA and UK), can attend it and help you fetch good feedback from the professor.
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, and 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.
Some of the most used LMS for education are:
- Moodle
- Schoology
- Canvas
- Blackboard Learn
- Edmodo
- ISpring Learn
- Google Classroom
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 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.
Implementation of Mobile learning takes place in the ways mentioned above. These in short provide convenience to students as well as learners of any age.
Also Read: College Essay: Sneak Peek into Your Professor’s Expectation
Pros and Cons of Mobile Learning
Just like every coin has two sides, mobile learning also comes with its pros and cons. It is important to be aware of both sides of this feature to make a subjective choice when it comes to e-learning.
Pros of Mobile Learning
There are multiple things to look at when we talk about the advantages of mLearning.
Let’s check some common benefits of mobile learning that make it the favorite choice of learners and teachers:
Cost-effective
Online courses are inexpensive when compared with offline courses.
Increased motivation
When all it takes to learn is to unlock your mobile phone, it becomes much easier to motivate yourself to study. 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.
At any time, if you feel that you are not able to manage your assignments (as these are highly time-consuming and often boring), you may think Can I get someone to do my assignment? The answer is yes, you can! Weathered expert assignment makers are ready to take the load of doing your assignments and help you attain good grades making your e-learning a hassle-free and enjoyable experience.
Highly engaging
Students can engage much more when they are pursuing an online course.
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 advantage of online assignment help services available around the close through their mobiles.
Enhanced communication
Students can instantly raise their queries to their teachers/professors. A simple message can save a lot of time that students otherwise have to spend waiting to contact the teacher/professor the next day.
If you have a query regarding your recent assignment but are not confident enough to ask about it in the online class, you can get help from college assignment help providers. At a pocket-friendly rate and best-in-class in-house experts, professional companies can do it for you per your requirements.
Feedbacks
The teachers/professors 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 good comes without its own set of disadvantages.
Following are some of the common disadvantages of mobile-based learning:
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 other social media sites, chat with a friend, or even listen to your favorite song or watch a web series can act as a distraction. Not just this, ordering food, making calls, receiving online orders, etc. are some small nuances that obstruct mobile learning.
Screen size
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 were taught on a larger screen or board.
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.
It is a must for students to analyze and understand what is good (and what’s not so good) for their studies, life and career. As they are on their own and literally none is there to ask any questions, being responsible is highly required when one is thinking of or pursuing an online course and using mobile learning.
Also Read: Management Courses Discoveries
Tips for Effective Mobile Learning
Students are more inclined towards online courses and unleashing the true caliber of mobile learning. They need to know how to get the most out of their course.
Following are some students-centric tips for Effective Mobile Learning:
- Get to know the LMS used by the college or institute to offer the course
- Try to have a clear idea about the user interface of the LMS
- Make sure you have a stable connection while attending the course (live or even recorded)
- Interact with your peers and professor whenever needed
- Use game-based tools to improve your concentration power
- Take part in online quizzes related to your course to have a deeper idea about it
- Attend Mock tests online for better competitiveness and enhanced confidence
Mobile learning can give you immense of learning opportunities if you wish to get it. You need to keep your mind steady and focus on your priorities i.e., education and building your career.
Conclusion
In the present digitized and globalized age, mobile learning is propelling 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.
So, be creative and imaginative. Mobile learning is here to stay and affects the way education has been offered. It is only going to get more and more prevalent.
Frequently Asked Questions
| 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. |