My professional experience placement at Caroline Chisholm has influenced my next research area. During the five rolling days I observed that the majority of students had a mobile or music device, such as an ipod, on them at all times. Some students even brought in their own laptops to work on. It is accepted now that most students will have an IT device on them while at school, with the age lowering to include those in Primary schools. What I found interesting was how the school as a whole and individual teachers were battling with students use of them. Rules at Caroline Chisholm state a no phone use policy in class. When students would use their phones, warnings would be issued and detentions given if they re offend. This battle between student and teacher over phone use disrupted the flow of the lesson and turned into behavioral classroom management. From these incidents in class, I realized that as a pre-service teacher I need to know what is available in the area of mobile learning. I also need to know how to use these devices in a positive way that is beneficial to the students learning.
- What is mobile learning?
- What is available?
- How can mobile learning be used successfully in the educational setting?
