Mobile Phones in Education – A Positive Use

Mobile Phones in Education – A Positive Use

By Hassan Bashir

As The Drumbeats to “go mobile” gets louder, there have been some debates around the world, and even in Pakistan ,about the impact of mobile phones on education. And though there’s little evidence about mobile phone’s impact on student’s performance, they have, however, had a tremendous impact on education. For Example, in the past when a student missed school/college, he or she would have to physically go to campus or one of the parent collect assignments and other school works that were given on the day they missed school. Today, students use mobile to call their teachers or fellows and inquire about lessons taught, homework, any tests given during the days they were absent.
Mobile Phones have opened an uninterruptable line of communication between students and teachers on the one hand, and parents, administrators and teachers on the other. This line of communication which exist at both high school and college levels has no doubt had an impact on education.
Now mobile phones have gone way beyond just being used for communication in the learning environment. They can be used by institutes administrators, Teachers and parents to manage student’s grade, attendance and so on. However, despite the arguments made, mobile phones are still been seen as a disruptive influence in the learning environment and not as a “tool” that enhances education. Considering their utility and level of penetration, should we still talking about banning them or rather, should we be talking about integrating them? In Today’s article, I discuss the impact of mobile phones on education and the need to start thinking about innovative ways to integrate them in our learning environments.
in developing countries like Pakistan, a great number of children of primary school are yet to be enrolled. Secondary and tertiary education also face the same challenges. Furthermore, our adult population – most living in the rural areas – has no access to printed knowledge, new skills, and technologies that could improve the quality of their lives.
Mobile Phones have reached a level of maturation that now enables textbooks to be supplemented with mobile phone-supported-educational services such as flashcards, key, terms and self-quizzes.
But despite all of the advantages of mobile phones that i have mentioned, most “conservative” educators continue to argue that mobile phones should not be used in the learning environment. Now, don’t get me wrong i know they can be distracting and have their own disadvantages: phones ringing during class, cheating, chatting, updating Facebook statuses, and so on. Yet I strongly believe that when proper policies are put in place, mobile phones can be an educational asset. Instead of Banning them in schools, we need to start thinking about innovative ways to use them for educational purposes.
I know that for a country like Pakistan, that has no educational technology plan, and in which most schools do not even have a computer lab, it will take some time to start talking about integrating mobile phones in primary and secondary learning environments. But at the very least, we need to start thinking about doing this at the tertiary levels, since mobile learning has brought a “paradigm shift” in educational delivery.
Mobile Leaning is gradually surpassing e-learning, especially in areas where there’s a higher penetration of mobile phones. Mobile Learning increases access for those who are mobile or cannot physically attend learning institutions, or follow courses in a traditional educational setting due to the constraints of work household activities, or other things which demand their time..
Finally, I believe it is time for educators to seek out creative ways to use mobile phones as tools to prepare students for their future. We cannot continue to use old paradigms to teach a new generation of learners; this would simply sabotage our own efforts to achieve national literacy. The new generation adapts more quickly and easily to the culture and technologies of today; not those of yesterday. Seek newer and innovative ways to educate today’s learner, or risk having a nation that will always rely on outsiders.