Mobile Learning in 2012
The future of technology lies in mobility. From iPads to smartphones, users want to access their information and connect with each other from any location. This goes for technology in schools too.
The Education Publishing blog put together its top 10 trends and predictions for mobile learning in 2012:
- Increased proliferation of tablet and smartphones in the market, forcing schools to relent and allow devices into schools. (In 2011 40% of teens had a smartphone).
- Improved broadband access to account for increased mobile tech use.
- A surge in “bring your own device” (and the need to accommodate for it) in schools as students use their own mobile tech for school and home learning.
- Expanded use of e-books and online instructional materials as the main learning resource rather than as supplementary pieces.
- Rise of digital content curation services to help users make sense of all available resources.
- Growth in creation of and use of open source materials that allow for greater collaboration and cross-device use.
- Further integration of social networking integrated into learning to increase student collaboration and connections with teachers.
- Move to cloud computing and online classroom management systems that gather student achievement data and allow for more personalized instruction.
- Adoption of the flipped classroom, where the traditional lecture is accessed at home through videos or podcasts, and the students spend their class time working with teachers and peers on projects, discussions and collaborative learning.
- Explosion of “truly educational gaming.”
Which of these trends are you most interested in? Have you begun utilizing mobile technology in your classroom?
