Education experiences a shift toward mobile technology. Mobile devices and software bring freedom in instructional approaches and teaching practices. They increase student engagement and inspire curiosity inside and outside the classroom.
Mobile technology enables new forms of social interaction and collaboration. This provides the necessary support for in-person communication in the traditional classroom and substitutes it in the context of online education. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, and headsets create a learning experience undreamt of in the past and make quality education available to everyone everywhere. Here are some of the areas where mobile technology has the most impressive impact.
Better Learning Experience Outside the Classroom
The obvious benefit of leveraging mobile technology in education is its portability. Mobile devices are easy to carry around. Thus, they grant access to learning materials anytime and anywhere. Mobile technology has been used for simple activities like learning games and flashcards for a long time. Today, the area of its application is much wider. Students can perform more sophisticated tasks like custom essay service or use online tools to proofread and rewrite essays or other assignments. Therefore, mobile technology doubles learning efficiency and productivity.
Mobile technology also supports open access to information. It makes quality education available to everyone regardless of their socioeconomic status. For most tasks, a student does not need anything else than a smartphone. According to the findings of the Pew Research Center, 81 per cent of people in the US own a smartphone. Let’s take a look at the age group of 18- to 29-year-olds. It is the average age of undergraduate and graduate students. The number of smartphone owners in this group increases to 96 per cent. This makes mobile tools accessible for everyone who wants to learn. Mobile technology also promotes the concept of life-long learning. It is crucial for professional success in any industry.
Mobile technology eliminates differences between formal and informal education. It provides access to different sources with lectures and other educational materials. Students can learn new things or catch up on topics they skipped at school. The only drawback of such studies is that a lecturer does not check on your progress. Yet, professional guidance is crucial for success. It helps to reach objectives much faster. Besides, some learning platforms like Coursera, EdX, and Udemy give you a chance to contact the instructor and get feedback.
More Opportunities for Project-Based Learning
One cannot overestimate the importance of engaging students in meaningful projects. They give a chance to think about real-world problems and improve problem-solving skills. Mobile technology helps students to develop and share their ideas. This holds an impressive practical value.
Mobile technology fosters the always-connected concept, which enhances communication. With smartphones and tablet computers, students can use cloud services. They give a possibility to upload and edit files at any time and on any device. In group projects, all team members can work on their assignments without the need to meet in person. They can hold online discussions and share essay services reviews by NoCramming in group chats. It increases productivity and eliminates misunderstandings as each student can see the progress in real-time. It is a good substitute for face-to-face meetings in a context of social isolation.
Aside from improving communication among team members, mobile technology helps students to be in contact with their teacher and get guidance or feedback any time they need it. Therefore, it facilitates various forms of communication, resulting in high-quality learning. It is important both in individual assignments and group projects.
We can also notice a significant impact of mobile technology on team coordination. With apps like Trello, Notion, Basecamp, and dozens of others, it becomes much easier to plan any project, delegate tasks, share files, and track progress. Mobile technology also supports self-improvement with the help of detailed data analytics. Students can analyze their previous tasks and projects, see trends, and work on fixing weaknesses. In combination, all these features of mobile technology play a huge role in developing key skills and competencies.
Virtual Reality Simulation in the Classroom
Mobile technology empowers the learning process with virtual reality (VR) simulation. It immerses a user in a virtual world with a lot of opportunities for skill development. Students get to explore virtual trips, exhibitions, labs, surgeries, and 3D simulations. Such training provides hands-on experience.
The design of modern educational software that supports VR is similar to video games. Such a format is more familiar and exciting for students. It makes learning fun, promoting meaningful engagement with the content of lessons and stronger emotional involvement in the process. As the Project Tomorrow report shows, 51 per cent of teachers point out that it helps to explain abstract concepts. VR-empowered learning stimulates attention and concentration, improving knowledge retention at the same time.
When most people think of VR, they imagine expensive VR headsets like Valve Index or HTC Vive. Yet, there are more affordable smartphone solutions. They combine the possibilities of immersive experiences with the convenience of a mobile device. This makes VR simulations easy to use in any learning environment.
There are plenty of impressive VR apps that are ready for you to explore. Anatomyou VR is a great mobile app to use in biology and anatomy lessons. It shows systems of the human body that are hard to conceptualize. For geography lessons, students can try Ocean Rift or National Geographic Explore VR. The VR Museum of Fine Art app will be useful for art classes and the general aesthetic curriculum. Students can spend hours exploring such apps, maintaining deep interest.
Mobile technologies help to reimagine the format of learning materials. Instead of dull texts or lectures, students get an interactive environment. They can learn in a game-like format, which is a great tool to support motivation. Thus, leveraging mobile technology facilitates instruction and encourages interactive learning.
In Summary
It is time we stopped viewing mobile technology as a distraction. It has a great potential to transform learning environments, making them more engaging, open, and interactive. It gives students universal skills that are necessary for all areas of human activity. Thus, leveraging mobile technology is the only way to meet the constantly increasing demands for quality education.
Author’s bio:
Thomas Moore is a teacher who, in his free time, writes for a professional essay writing service. Holding a degree in Communication Studies, he works on improving learning and instruction with the help of modern mobile technologies. Thomas applies his expertise to help students become more productive and reach their learning objectives.