In this post we are going to talk about a conference in Barcelona that explains the use of smartphones in the classroom.
The Mobile World Congress published the document “Les tecnologies mòbils als centres educatius” that includes various considerations and elements of reflection on the presence and use of digital technologies at school in general and, in particular, the use of smartphones, the development of digital skills by the students and the potential of mobile technology to innovate educational practices. The paper concludes by offering a number of recommendations to guide educational policies regarding the incorporation of mobile devices in the centers and a set of examples of projects that illustrate the educational potential of these devices.
Regarding the potential of mobile devices to innovate teaching and learning, it is stated that:
-They allow for searching simulations or calculations, capture information and data, write quick notes, consult dictionaries or listen to music records, create and schedule applications, control devices and perform operations;
-They may be useful for personalizing learning processes because they offer great possibilities to adapt to individual needs (eg, present information in different formats and/or with different levels of complexity);
-They can simplify the feedback and evaluation because they provide immediate progress indicators (eg, the possibility of seeking answers at the same moment as students on a particular content or apps that guide solving mathematical problems step by step);
-They can support students with special educational needs (eg: apps that read written texts).
Fully agreeing with the potential identified to innovate educational practices, from our perspective mobile devices can offer greater value than any other technology when used to extend learning to other non-typical school settings and when used as a tool for personal learning.
In the first case, there are good examples of the use of mobile devices to extend the learning process beyond the classroom to other areas (natural, urban, cultural, social) where relevant educational practices for students are developed; for example, creating itineraries for tourism, cultural or economic development of a near environment, or measuring the degree of humidity, temperature and hours of sunlight to regulate the risks of a small orchard.
In the second case, the aim is to exploit the potential of mobile devices to build links and bridges between the learning that students gain in different contexts or environments in which they operate. Indeed, students go through different contexts that offer them opportunities and resources for learning (family, school, work, community, peer groups, etc.) and all of them usually use their mobile device. These devices allow them to carry the services and tools they use to learn and thereby make it easier to connect, relate and integrate the learning done in these various contexts.
