Running Head: MOBILE DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM

Advocating for Mobile Devices in the Classroom

Carlee Nelson

Western Oregon University

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The growing popularity of mobile technology has had a noticeable impact on many areas

of our lives and one area that has particularly seen significant change is education. This essay

defines mobile technology as any technology that is portable; for instance, cell phones, laptops,

tablets, etc. In a survey of 2,600 school districts by Project Tomorrow (2014), they found that

68% of 6th-8th graders and 82% of 9th-12th graders had access to smartphones outside of

school. This technology use has impacted schools with 75% of the surveyed students saying that

its important for them to use mobile devices in school. As more students are using mobile

devices, schools need to look at the effects of integrating them--mobile devices can have several

positive effects on student learning from breaking down boundaries (physical and temporal),

increasing student ownership, and a change in knowledge and learning.

This essay argues that mobile technology has the potential to positively impact the K-12

classroom, even with some downsides. The topic of mobile devices and learning is a popular in

education with various journals (ex. Teaching of Psychology), at different universities (ex.

Xavier University), on websites (ex. EdTech), and for books (ex. Mobile Learning:

Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training). Some writers and researchers, like

Averianova Irina at Nagoya University, argue that mobile technology can detract from student

learning by being a distraction and impact student learning, while others, like John Traxler, argue

that mobile devices benefit learning. Many schools are looking for ways to improve student

learning, so they need to look at how integrating it can positively impact the classroom.

The topic of mobile technology in the classroom is relevant to anyone invested in schools

and student learning: teachers, administrators, parents, students, etc. Each of these groups should

be interested in this topic because they either believe that technology should be used in the

classroom and might be interested in how their opinion is supported or they do not think it
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should be used and this information can convince them that its presence can be a positive thing.

Specifically, this is relevant to teachers and administrators because so many of their students use

technology outside of school and believe that it should be used in the classroom. Student interest

can cause them to be more engaged, interested, and excited about learning.

The Opposition: Desocializing, Negative Behavior, and Distraction

Opponents to using mobile technology in the classroom argue that it can be a

distraction, eliminate the social aspects of the classroom, and create negative behavior. In a

study done at one university, 95% of student participants reported that they always brought their

mobile phone with them to class and about 92% admitted that they have sent or received a text

message in class at least once or twice, and 30% do this every day (Tindell & Bohlander, 2012,

p. 3). Even though mobile devices can be used to encourage positive interactions, students can

also get distracted by using their devices to waste time and get off task by surfing the internet,

playing games, make phone calls, etc. In one study done by Bernard McCoy (2013), about 90%

of the 777 surveyed students said that mobile devices cause them to not pay attention and

about 80% say they miss instruction (para. 15), which means they will miss the instruction,

discussion, or learning that occurs for more than three-quarters of the class.

When students are using their phones they can also miss the opportunities to engage with

their peers and establish a community and positive learning environment. Students are able to

learn a lot from immediate feedback, discussion, and dialogue as they challenge each other and

solidify their own understanding. Mike Sharples (2017), a professor of educational technology

at The Open University, echoed Dewey and described communication as the means by which

we negotiate differences, understand each others experiences, and establish shared meaning

(para. 4). In order for them to come to a shared meaning, students need to be actively engaged in
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discussions. As students text message or use their devices, their attention isnt on the lesson or

activity at hand which limits their ability to be actively participating.

Besides detracting from the classroom community and learning, mobile devices can also

be used for negative behavior, like bullying. Cyberbullying is a major problem in some schools

with students using social media and messaging to spread rumors or gossip about their peers,

which can lead to serious emotional and physical damage. In a study done by Lenhart, Ling,

Campbell, and Purcell (2010), over a quarter (26%) of teen cell phone users [that were

surveyed] reported having been harassed with both voice and text [being] used to deliver

threats and insults or sexual harassment (pg. 88). Another study by Kowalski and Limber

(2013), looked at the effects of bullying and cyberbullying on 11-19 year olds and they found

that about 12% of the students reported anxiety, about 14% reported depression, and about

1% reported suicidal ideation (pg. S16). This means that 1 in 4 students are negatively

impacted by mobile devices and these negative effects can make the classroom and school an

unsafe or undesirable place for students, which can make it hard or impossible to learn.

Social Components

Students frequently converse and interact with their peers during school, which can be

very positive experiences. As students have discussions and interact they are able to meet their

need to be social but also contribute to the learning environment with their own ideas, views, and

opinions. Learning and interactions can occur anywhere there are people and mobile devices can

break down the barriers of the classroom because learning isnt confined or restricted by time or

place. Mobile devices can be used to connect people across the globe and people also dont need

to be interacting at one particular moment in time or even be in the same time zone. In Mobile
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publics: beyond the network perspective, Sheller (2004) describes our interactions as a constant

flickering of conversation (p. 49) because we are able to always be in contact with each other.

Mobile technology use is ubiquitous for students--John Traxler (2010) describes mobile

devices as being woven into all the times and places of students lives (pg. 151). The presence

and integration of mobile devices to encourage conversation can be used to teachers advantages

to increase student learning because students are able to challenge and motivate each other when

they have discussions or do group work. Since mobile devices eliminate any boundaries or

restrictions, students are able to constantly have these positive interactions. As students

constantly interact their conversations can also be influenced by their surroundings, such as a

historic site, which can only add to the variety of their discussions. Also, they are able to cross

boundaries of culture, space, and time to have a diversity of interactions and create connections

that arent possible without technology.

Change in Learning and Information

Mobile devices also allow learning to become a continuous activity because students are

able to move about the classroom or continue learning outside of it. Also, they have made it so

information can be accessed at any time, place, or in any format. Mike Sharples is a proponent

of using technology to redefine and adapt teaching and learning and has written several articles

on the topic. In one of his articles, he says that mobile devices can enable young people to learn

by exploring their world, in continual communication with and through technology (Sharples,

2005, para. 28). There can now be continuous interaction between students and information as

students produce, store, share what they are learning opposed to simply consume information.

These interactions can create a deeper understanding and embedding of information as students

create deeper connections with the information.

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Students contributing to learning and information is another key shift with technology.

They are able to research, adapt, and share their findings as they have their own unique learning

experiences through their devices--using mobile devices students can create podcasts, videos,

wikis, blogs, websites, etc. to share what they learn. Sharing and contributing their own

understandings and views can solidify and challenge them. Each individual encounters and sees

the world in different ways, so now students are able to share that view and understanding with

others. As the students interact with their environment, other people, and information they

interpret and store the input, which can be retrieved based on their personal understandings.

The way information is presented has also changed with mobile devices because they

deliver information in different formats (ex. podcasts) and intertwine it in more ways through the

internet and various programs. Traxler (2010) describes the new delivery as more chunked,

structured and connected (pg. 154). Students can control how much and in what order they

access information, leaving it up to them to have control. Mobile devices can also deliver

information that is context-aware and location-specific (Traxler, 2011, para. 52), which further

changes the type of information that is presented and makes it even more specific and

personalized. These different formats and types of information and interactions have made

learning more individualized to the learners as they interact with their environment and have

helped the learning experiences improve as students continually learn.

Student Ownership

As students interact with information first-hand they will experience an increase of

ownership over their learning. This essay already mentioned how students can control the pace,

amount, and order in which they consume information, which gives them control over their

learning experiences. Learning can occur outside of the classroom as students pursue their
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different interests through links and articles, but their interests can also be taken advantage of in

the classroom. Along with more control and ownership, students can gain greater confidence,

agency, and familiarity with technology (Traxler, 2010, pg. 154). This confidence and

familiarity can increase the time that students spend using technology and change their

relationship with information and learning by making them feel less inhibited and less

intimidated by knowledge (Traxler, 2016, pg. 154). Students that are less inhibited and have

greater confidence are more likely to take risks and persevere through difficult problems.

The more teachers allow students to use technology in the classroom, the more confident

they will get as they become more familiar with it. Activities that result in students creating or

analyzing information using their devices can make the learning experience more personal and

seem more under the students control. For instance, an activity where students study about

earthquakes and then create a blog or video about what they learned or additional research they

found interesting. They can become the experts and take on the responsibility and ownership of

teaching their classmates about the topic they chose. In a class that was studying biomes, one

student pretended she was the girl version of Steve Irwin and filmed herself exploring the

grasslands as she described the wildlife and vegetation.

Implications for the classroom

Mobile device use continues to increase in and out of the classroom, so teachers and

administers need to be aware of the impact they can have in the classroom. If educators plan

wisely, mobile devices can be used to create a positive, engaging, and productive learning

environment. For instance, Johnson, Adams Becker, Cummins, Estrada, Freeman, and Hall

(2016) describe how one university uses a mobile-enhanced, inquiry-based learning model in

which students leverage their smartphones to view tutorials and record their own video footage
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in their lab work (p. 15). This technology integration resulted in deeper learning and increased

mastery in the course work as students created deeper and more meaningful connections with the

content. Many students positively respond to an inquiry-based and hands-on approach to

teaching and learning, so integration can lead to greater engagement and learning.

However, this growing mobile device use means there is a need for teachers and

administrators to be aware of how students may use them. As students use the devices for

negative behavior, they need to be aware of their actions and even though its hard to correct the

behavior without taking the devices away, there needs to be as much regulation as possible.

Even though its hard to prevent cyber bullying outside school, it can be limited in the classroom

with diligent observations and policies on the part of teachers and administrators. In fact, there

are different programs and apps that enable teachers to monitor students screens, like the

Classroom Management iOS app.

There are dozens of ways to integrate mobile device use into the classroom. Students can

create videos of projects on iPads to later share with the class, possibly editing on iMovie and

sharing on Youtube. Using just smartphones students can find helpful links and resources and

tweet or add them to a Google Doc, create a Voicethread or podcast, facetime or skype other

classes or experts, write a blog, etc. The options are endless with the hundreds of free programs

or apps. Allowing students to be creative and explore different topics can lead to discovery and

learning that might not occur otherwise, so it should be used as often as possible.

Conclusion

The use of mobile devices is a growing trend in schools and it isnt slowing down with a

majority of students owning or having access to devices. As students and parents show a desire

for technology in the classroom, teachers need to find ways to integrate mobile devices into the
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classroom. The potential for distraction or negative behavior can be combated with proper

implementation and policies. In the end, the pros for mobile device use far outweigh the cons.

Mobile devices can improve the student learning experience by allowing greater interaction,

changing how students interact with the information and how its presented, and have an increase

in student ownership over their learning.

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Resources

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Hall, C. (2016).

NMC Horizon Report: 2016 higher education edition. Austin, TX: The New Media

Consortium.

Kowalski, R.M. & Limber, S.P. (2013). Psychological, physical, and academic correlates of

cyberbullying and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1), S13-S20.

Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., & Purcell, K. (2010). Teens and mobile phones. Washington

D.C.: Pew Research Center.

McCoy, B. R. (2013). Digital distractions in the classroom: Student classroom use of digital

devices for non-class related purposes. Journal of Media Education, 4, 5-14.

Project Tomorrow. (2014). Mobile learning: In the United States. Retrieved from

http://www.tomorrow.org/docs/SU14MobileLearning_Infographic.pdf

Sharples, M. (2005). Learning as conversation: Transforming education in the mobile age.

Retrieved from

http://www.academia.edu/745903/Learning_as_conversation_Transforming_education_i

n_the_mobile_age

Sheller, M. (2004). Mobile publics: Beyond the network perspective. Environment and Planning

D: Society and Space, 22, 39-52.

Tindell, D. R., & Bohlander, R. W. (2012). The use and abuse of cell phones and text messaging

in the classroom: A survey of college students. College Teaching, 60, 19.

Traxler, J. (2010). Students and mobile devices. ALT-J Research in Learning Technology, 18(2),

149-160. Retrieved from

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687769.2010.492847
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Traxler, J. (2011). The learner experience of mobiles, mobility, and connectedness. Evaluation

of Learners Experiences of e-Learning Special Interest Group. Retrieved from

http://www.ingedewaard.net/papers/mobile/2011_JohnTraxler_TheLearnerExperienceO

fMobilesMobility_Connectedness.pdf