Education 2.0: Mobile technology in education
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"Have you switched on your mobile phones?” could be the first question teachers will ask students in class sometime in the near future. Although, there is resistance from educational organizations to let mobiles intrude into campus, educationists are taking the view that they need to be more adaptive. And rather than reject a trend, embrace it. Besides, why not let students use a mobile – which they have already paid for – and take advantage of it

Bangalore’s Seshadripuram First Grade College is setting an example of how mobile technology can be used in education – and it did not even wait for students to purchase their own mobiles. The college distributes low-cost handsets to students after disabling services such as gaming and uses them to administer multiple-choice tests, record attendance etc. The system allows the college to create and administer tests, track results and evaluate students. At the end of each day, students return the handsets to the college administration. For a small college it is a brave and visionary step to integrate mobile technology into formal education.

A July 2011 study released by the Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project showed that more than half (52 percent) of 18 to 29-year-old US adults owned smartphones. This is indicative of a global trend. Not surprisingly, educationists are attempting to integrate mobile technology in a blended learning environment that includes multimedia tools, computers and the Internet to create new teaching methods.

Mobile Assisted Learning is helping Millennials use voice recognition, text, multimedia, NFC, GPS, downloadable education apps, Bluetooth and browsing capabilities of mobiles to pick up languages and subjects, like math and history. The mobile technology is also helping them record observations and complete assignments.

Imagine what technologies such as Augmented Reality can do for education, as students can now simply point their phones at places and objects to learn more about them. A study by Ambient Insights, a company that forecasts market opportunities for the US Mobile Learning Products and Services (2010-2015) industry, noted that amongst the major drivers for education products on the mobile are the growth of app stores and content distribution channels, the growing number of native learning tools and an explosion in new learning content. Today, academic testing for Graduate Management Admission test (GMAT), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Medical College Admission tests (MCAT) etc., are available on mobile handsets.
Source: Information Week

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