Mobile Learning and Digital Games in School

Introduction to Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning
Mobile devices in class? In many schools mobile devices are strictly forbidden. Students are good at handling mobile devices because they love them. Do we really want to waste such interests and talents?

Mobile Learning means using all kinds of mobile devices to learn anytime, anywhere: Reader, GPS, smartphone, flip camera, play station portable, mp4, mobile phone, ipad, iphone, ipod, video camera. That does not mean that teachers have to teach 24 hours a day. It means that we have a whole world of teaching possibilities to explore as students carry their access to knowledge with them everywhere. Mobile Learning is modern learning.

news.bbc.co.uk The idea behind mobile Learning is to use existent resources and modern learning channels. Let the devices of distraction be part of your lessons! Most students have smart phones and tablets with internet access, they already bring the know how. The advantages are more flexibility without time or space barriers. And what is the aim?

1. To be able to teach without paper reducing costs. bbc.co.uk.
2. To have more lessons outside school buildings (parks, art galleries, museums, zoo…)
3. To prepare students for the modern communication world and new kinds of jobs. ted.com

Here are six ideas for your mobile lessons:

1. Make a video. www.animoto.com
2. Poll as test. polleverywhere.com
3. Listen to stories or write your own stories. booksshouldbefree.com
4. Let students make a quiz on several exam topics. mobilestudy.org (for mobile devices)
5. Listen to podcasts and make comments. learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
6. Make puzzles with pictures and let students write a story or a summary about the picture. jigsawplanet.com message jigsawplanet.com picture.  

One of my experiments at school: 

1. Small teams of difficult mature students between 19 and 22 changed four scenes of films of their choice. They wrote scripts in English with little help.
2. Students learned their roles, practiced and discussed them with the rest of the class. No disciplinary steps were needed to supervise their work. The learning climate improved as well as the interest in literature genres and film.
3. Students filmed new scenes with their mobiles and cameras. I then converted the pictures with www.zamzar.com and cut the scenes with a free software. Students were proud of their work, their marks improved.

One was a thriller called “Murder at School” taken from “Scream” where the English teacher was the murderer (!) The second was the end of a box fight taken from the film “Fight Club” (no punching) another one was a creation of a student with him playing three different characters in a discussion. The last was a creation of four girls with a scene playing on a roller coaster.