Use Of Mobile Phones And Tabs In Education

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

In the present world of science and technology it is difficult to imagine schools and colleges without computers and internet. It is a big reality that students take a lot of help from internet nowadays. The use of computer and internet has led to a huge change in the lifestyle and attitude towards studies. Internet is not only a medium of entertainment; it is also used for learning new ideas and information that a student cannot get only from reading books. Students not only get knowledge related to their course but also related to other spheres of life. Different educational websites provide required information to the students helping them in their exams, assignments, projects, etc. Internet also helps in creating interest in learning a subject by providing various resources like videos, images and audio files from reliable sources.

Internet is very useful for those who wants to learn but are unable to attend regular classes due to some reasons. These students go for online courses and gather information and study from them to prepare themselves for competitions. Many video tutorials and lectures from famous faculties can also be downloaded and students watch them and learn from them in a very easy and cheap way. Many websites also provide facility to students to ask questions and clear their doubt which leads to effective learning. There are a lot of discussion forums on the internet where people having similar interests can discuss over the problems and provide solutions for them.

Students enhance their general knowledge by referring to different websites that provide news on the current affairs of the world or any specific region. Information related to history, geography, science, researches, new innovations etc. can also be collected easily from internet.

Students also share their work with their friends or any professors for their assistance or to appreciation. Students use internet to apply to colleges or institutes easily by uploading their work and qualifications on the concerned websites. In many institutions the student’s performance results are displayed on the websites and they don’t have to stand in queue to look for the same.

One of the important benefits of internet is that students also earn from internet through bloggers by sharing their knowledge. It provides a great source for income for a student and also improves his/her own skills.

The student who are shy and are not able to raise their questions in their class rooms get their doubts cleared online. They also get chance to see questions asked by other students and learn effectively.

If a student wants to learn something extra, other than the normal curriculum, he can refer the online resources and expertise in the desired area and stay ahead in this competent world.

Students also use internet to apply for jobs or internships or trainings. There are various sites that show the vacancies in the companies. Student can communicate with the companies according to their interests through these websites.

It is seen in the researches that students who use internet show increase in cognitive abilities such as memory, spatial and logical problem solving, critical thinking, concentration, abstraction and comprehension. Through internet the students are exposed to a much wider and large environment where there is much more and better competition. Through internet student’s language and literacy development is often promoted, increasing verbal and non-verbal skills.

The internet also helps the students to improve their social life. It allows the students to communicate to discuss their projects, assignments or doubts. The use of internet in classrooms often allows the students to work in a group and sharing their ideas. From these positive experience students can improve their attitudes about learning.

The internet has evolved to become a very useful, faster and easier way of learning by the students. However, the internet has also created difficulties for those who overuse it or try to exploit it. Although it provides a large amount of information but all the websites are not trusted ones. There are sites that provide unreliable information, which cannot be trusted upon.

Many students are there who completely rely on the internet for their work. This has led to plagiarism. Students have become lazy and think copy and paste as the shortcut to their work, but this is injustice to those who spent their time and knowledge to produce the original work. This is one of the most undesirable effects of internet.

There are many other negative effects of internet:

Thinking capacity is reduced. These days whatever work is given to the students, they search for it on the internet. They have lost the capacity to think on the topic and write in their own language.

Lower self-confidence- when students plagiarize they are dependent on the internet completely. They think the materials provided online are better than what they can do. They loose confidence in their work and continue to depend on internet in future also.

Addiction- internet also tends to be an addiction for students. They spend much time in chatting on the social websites, watching videos and other documents, playing online games, etc. that are complete waste of time. Once fallen a pray for this, it is very difficult to come back.

Insomnia – due to the addiction of internet many students shorten their sleeping hours. They sit on their laptops or computers, chat, watch videos or play online games till late night. If this continues it leads to insomnia where a person is unable to sleep. This causes mood variations, irritation, lack of concentration, headache n many more diseases.

Spelling and Grammar- in this generation students are generally using abbreviations and shortcuts to write and communicate. They are communicating thorough text-based symbols and intentionally misspelling words. As a result of this student find difficulty to write formal letters and applications.

No face to face communication- This leads to stage fear. Students are not able to speak in public.

There are many more negative effects of the internet on students like their privacies are disturbed, moral corruption, cyber bullying, wastage of time, inactivity, etc.

CONCLUSION:

It has been observed that there are both pros and cons of using the internet amongst the students. It is actually determined on how much and for what purpose a person uses it. The negative aspects of the internet can be covered by not depending on the internet completely. Ideas and information can be taken from the internet but the projects and assignment should be done my oneself. Students should not be dependent on the internet; it should be referred when it is required for more information.

Use of Mobile Phones and Tabs in Education

Use of cell phones and tabs by students in the schools and colleges has been a boon and a bane. They have helped students in providing quick data searches, linking with their friends and families and even with their teachers and at the same time, students have misused them for cheating during exam, texting inside the lecture and entertaining themselves at times when they should study. So, mobile phones which today are known to be as smartphones have made students smart in their studies and also extra smart to exploit them for their benefits. Mobile Phones have been extensively used for remaining in contact with others and tabs provide the facility to read e-books, novels and any sort of material at any time and any place. Today, cellphone is a necessity for everyone. Even a child at the age of 10 wants a cellphone or a tab. It’s only in our hands to be exploited by them or make proper use of them. Studies have shown that almost all college students carry their phones into their classes and this trend has also started in schools. It can be helpful and harmful to them in various ways:

Advantages:

Cellphones are the best way to communicate with others, so the first most advantage of having cellphones is to be in touch with others all the time and any sort of emergency. As the students who are away from their homes for schooling and colleges, they need to be in contact with their parents, so cellphone provide the best way for this. Today’s mobile phones are as much like as our desktop systems which act as a source for dictionary, calculator and other numerous calculations for which they have to carry extra gadgets which are made available in a single mobile phone. As the technology is advancing students and faculties have used this technology to their advantage, they use various cell phone applications to provide assignments and tests that are monitored through cell phones as done through desktop-systems in schools and colleges. Cellphones also help in providing communication between teachers and students in case of any problem regarding their classes or their academic clarifications. Mobile phones can be connected to internet at any time and at any place which is advantageous to students to browse anything through it related to their studies. Not only students but teachers also use the mobile internet to manage the grades, attendance, and upload materials. And students use the internet to download e-books, PowerPoint Presentations and other materials and also give quizzes. Tabs have also been helpful in many ways to students as they are not able to buy each and every book so they download the e-book and read very effectively through their tabs. They also read newspapers, novels, feeds and increase their vocabulary and reading skills through cellphones and tabs. Cellphones are used to co-ordinate group study with friends. Students also entertain themselves during lunch time or break by the cellphones and tabs by listening songs, playing games, watching videos etc. Cellphones are used to set reminders for various important events like test and quiz dates, exam schedules, and last dates of assignment submission and store class time-tables, set alarms for these events. Cellphones have various applications in various fields which one can download and install, there are a number of applications which help students in their academic field. Using cellphones they know about the various technologies which are being introduced in the market. So, if used correctly, cellphones and tabs can easily become a tool of education.

Negative Effects:

As with a lot of advantages there are have been many disadvantages related to use of mobile phones and tabs by the students. Excessive use of these gadgets has exploited them in various different ways. Students need to be focused in their classes and if they have cellphones or tabs with them in their classes, they get distracted a lot as they do not concentrate on what teacher is saying but continue to use their phones and tabs to text messages, play games, watch videos etc. Getting phone calls during classes does not only disturb them but also the whole class and the teacher. Most of the students who carry cellphones to their class play games, watch videos, and also do chatting with their friends, using social networking sites like updating status on Facebook, posting comments on Twitter. It would not be wrong to say that physically they are present in the class but mentally they are in the world of texting. At the time when they should study, they indulge in these useless activities. The activities of playing games and watching videos also distracts the other students sitting around them as the other students are attracted towards these activities. Students can use this growing technology to their benefit by indulging in unfair means. Allowing mobile phones and tabs in schools and colleges has become a source of malpractice in the exams and quizzes from where they copy answers. They browse web or send text to one another for solution to their tests. In classes instead of listening to the teacher and taking notes, they just record teacher’s voice and take photos of other’s notes. Students are addicted to their cellphones as even at night they are found texting to their friends due to which they can’t complete their sleep which affects their performance in their class as well as their attendance in classes. This cellphone texting has also made them much lame and lazy that they use that texting language (like short notations) while writing exams. False rumors in the schools and colleges spread like a fire through texting, messaging and calling. The mobile phone technology is being indiscriminately put to negative activities as they have ruined the lives of many by vulgar recordings being made, black mailing people and getting people involved into things which they do not choose to. They have invaded other’s privacy by taking pictures and making videos without their permission. Students also disturb teachers by giving blank calls to them and disturbing them unnecessarily.

All these distractions from the studies by the cell phones and tabs result in the poor performance in their academics and they are not able to deliver as to achieve their goals and fulfil their expectations. So, the students should understand that they must use this gift of technology to their proper use so that they do not end up achieving nothing but negatives from this gift.

As per few surveys carried out in a particular domain:

92% of teachers used the mobile internet to get content, resources and materials for their teaching.

69% of teachers used the mobile internet to share their ideas with other teachers.

67% of teachers used the mobile phones to interact with the parents and 57% are interacts with their students.

87% of students play games, watching videos and texting during lecture hours.

73% of students are using mobile phone during their exams.

53% of students bully each another with mobile phones.

20% of students are using phones for taking pictures and recording other people.

Having a critical look at the data received, it is evident that the technology is put to more of negative usage by the students but seeing the future prospects if it were used efficiently and in a well-defined manner then the outcomes are glorious, hence the students should be motivated and directed to use the technology in a well-planned manner to get something good out of it.

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND DISTANT EDUCATION

Introduction

As of today the basis for education has become highly technological, especially after the IT boom. Since the past few one or two decades the use of technology in teaching, self study, distance education etc. has become highly prominent. The use of technology is dependent on factors such as the acceptance of technology; it’s incorporation in teaching activities and its influence on students. Since the effective delivery of knowledge by the use of technology depends on its acceptance and proper use, all educational institutions as well as the government agencies are working for the incorporation of new techniques relating to the use of technology in teaching.

How teachers prepare, present and describe is highly dependent on their familiarity with the technology. They undergo training programs that help them in getting over with their technology phobia, driving them for acceptance and incorporation of technological techniques in their teaching activities. This is necessary for an impactful delivery of knowledge to students.

Another technology i.e. the communication technology is becoming highly popular in the field of education. Distance education is carried out by means of videoconferencing, educational television, instruction television, live streaming, telephone etc. The audience is generally high so that the expense of deploying expensive electronics and media is economized. The oldest form of distance education i.e. the mail correspondence is still in use. This form of education has both positive and negative impact on the education scenario. In this paper, a scenario of an engineering college is shown where technology is embodied in the educational system and its acceptance and impact on teachers and students.

Acceptance by teachers

In an engineering college arena high use of technology is made for efficient delivery and higher levels of understanding and this is not limited to the classrooms but the labs and even the campus. Teachers make use of presentations and software simulations in the classrooms for the better understanding of the students. In labs both software and hardware is used to let the students apply their practical knowledge and arrive to the results in real time scenario which they had studied in theory. This depends on the comfort level of the teachers dealing with techniques to deliver information.

To achieve the goal of being compatible with the technological education system, it needs to be widely accepted by the teaching staff and work force. New teachers face pressure from their job though there is less peer competition with respect to the resources but they have to become used to or compatible with teaching. New teachers might face difficulties in starting but eventually become used to and hence efficient in delivery.

Teachers are making use of power point presentations by means of projectors that are installed in each and every class. The fact that the projectors are available and it makes students more concentrated towards study inspires the teachers to create the presentations or to use the online available resource material. It also depends on how well the students cooperate which in turn depends the quality of material use. The main factor affecting the overall result is the type of presentations given, if it is boring then no one gains anything else it ends up parting education to the students.

The engineering college referred to has good number of teachers teaching using PowerPoint and other forms of presentation as all the classes are being provided with the projectors. The use of technology is not limited to classrooms or labs but delivery of information exists through an online information exchange system also wherein the teachers upload the materials online and the students download it and study. Each and every lecture taught in the class is uploaded by the teachers. In addition to this all information relating to a students’ profile like the attendance, marks etc. are also uploaded by the teachers and updated time to time. Email correspondence and other means are also being used by teachers and students for communicating with each other.

Conclusion/result

This shows the acceptance level of teachers has risen to a greater level and teachers are making use of technology not only for classroom teaching but also for gaining knowledge, updating and providing study material.

Technology and distance learning

With the advent of new technologies the concept of distance education is becoming more and more common now a days. Distance communication can be in the form of interactive telecommunication, correspondence courses, educational television, online courses etc. Talking about interactive telecommunication, it requires tutors that are specialized in a certain field and make use of technology to impart knowledge and have proficient communication skills to make it more interesting for the learners. Many colleges and universities are offering correspondence courses and online courses in India these include Anna University-Chennai , Delhi University School of Open Learning(DUSOL) , Thapar University – Patiala , Symbiosis- Pune, Sikkim – Manipal University , Guru Nanak Dev University- Amritsar and many more Indian Universities. Many programs for CAT, G-MAT and GRE preparation are also carrying out distance learning programs inside and outside campus in various colleges. Three important aspects of distance learning are:

1) The type of technology used

2) The effectiveness of delivery

3) The cost of delivery

All three are equally important and require a lot of pre-planning and organization of data so that at the time of presentation no problem arises.

These day’s students register for many online courses which they complete at home or in their hostel in conjunction with their current degree courses. The modules are passed to the students in the form of textual study material, video tutorials and other resources. Students appear for online tests and quizzes which help them in building and testing themselves and helps them achieve extra certifications to boost up their skills.

Using the distance learning technology, if a person has some special expertise in any field, then everyone has an equal access to that knowledge. There is no limiting factor in this kind of imparting of education.

Pros and Cons

The biggest advantage of distance learning is the flexibility and freedom with which an individual can pursue a course. One can do a degree course or a job in conjunction with a correspondence course. The most common example is MBA correspondence done by many people in parallel with their job in accordance with the convenience level of the people. This form of learning is time, energy and money saving.

But Compared to the conventional form of education there are also many cons in this form of education. The videoconferencing lectures might not be as effective as the conventional classroom teaching techniques as addressing while present physically to a smaller crowd is way different than a videoconference lecture to a large group of people, this also affects the doubt clearing strategy for the students. The number of students addressed need to be larger so that the distance learning is economic for both the one gaining education and the organization providing it.

Moreover distance learning requires higher levels of self-drive in pursuing in goal as there is no one to check and there is complete freedom of doing "what and when". One important factor which might prevent students from distance education is the fear of not being valued. Irrespective of how good the college or university is from which an individual pursues his/her distance learning programme, it is conventional for most of the employers to give preference to people who pursue a regular rather than a distance learning program.

Conclusion/Result

Technology has always influenced humans and its use in education has improved efficiency and ease of information delivery. Distance education is also playing a big role in the present education system. It has many advantages as well as disadvantages but anyone who finds it convenient can go for it and with the further advancement of technology the cons will reduce further. Hence there is high scope of improvement in this regard.

Introduction

The advancement in education through technological means has been for the past few years. As we look in the history approximately 10 years back, computers were not common inside the classroom. Present generation students and children are very close to the technology such that they are grown up with digital technology such as the internet, MP3 players, computers and cell phones. The availability of a computer within reach of student i.e. home as well as schools has increased student’s knowledge and also helps them in being aware in all respects, be it to their local environment or at the global level. Due to this they are logically sounder and have better general knowledge. Student today uses mobile phones that help them to do any imaginable things such as updates on their bank accounts, download something from the internet, watching TV. Now imagining ourselves without the help of a computer is almost impossible.

Technology goes far beyond the classroom to satisfy the needs of student with disabilities, rural background or being home schooled, they now find more options with them to learn and search things from across the world. Technology has bridged the gap between the disabled people and the education, now those who are disabled do not have to curse their fate but rather make use of the available technology to get them educated and progress, the best example being Stephen Hawking who even after being paralyzed continued studying and made appropriate use of the available technology and knowledge. Computers helps in opening gateways that synchronize learning and help developing extra thinking skills, when it is used in a meaningful sense. History is proof to the fact that technological developments have often connected innovations in industry and communications with improvements in study methods. The success of web based learning at all part of education proves the importance of technology to both students and teachers. The technology not only enhances the skills of student in the traditional classroom environment but also of the "distance learners", it also discovers additional ways for improving student’s education overall. The unique ability of computer to show study material in multimedia form, and to facilitate the real time student/teacher dialogue and exchange has led to the advances in online instruction, and it also increases quality of education in the new century.

Positive Effects of technology on Academic Performance

Academic performance is one of the measures to check success or lack of success in any educational institutions. For classrooms to be successful, the technology must be up-to-date that improves the academics. It is said that computer simulations and Instructional Learning Systems (ILS) are effective only when they are integrated into the "regular classroom instruction". It is observed that when teachers used technology to a greater extent, the student scored significantly more than the students where use of technology in the classroom was less by the teachers.

The teacher are differentiated on the basis of the extent to which they use the latest and up to date technologies in their method of teaching i.e. use of computers with students, use of projectors in classroom and also on the attitude of teachers toward the value of technology for learning and it was seen the performance of students with more technologically advanced teacher is far better than the other.

The interactive computer programs also help students ultimately increasing the zeal to learn on their own. These "intelligent soft wares" are particularly significant in the success and improvement of mathematical and other logical and technical skills.

Positive Effects of technology on Meaningful Learning

"Meaningful learning occurs when there is a link between the concepts; better understanding of concepts will result from proper negotiations of meanings across links that are created with relevant prior knowledge". The complex ideas and information are combined with student’s own experiences and knowledge to conclude personal and special understandings. The need of installation of computer in school is evident since the environment, in which students learn, grow and the ways in which people work and live are always changed by existing and upcoming technologies. A study has shown that technology leads to the positive attitude amongst the students, enhances their performance and motivates them and also creates meaningful learning when the students find the learning experience resembling to the real life.

The latest technology has helped students in performing better on standardized test, interactive video programs have also been an additional hand to increase problem-solving methods by the students of present generation. The video software helps the students to retain things for an increased number of days and it also helps in their better understanding. The use of technology has a stronger psychological impact on the lives of students as compared to normal studying as it is an all together a new experience. The comparative study has shown that the use of the Jasper video programs in classrooms made the student perform better in solving complex problem as compared to the normal scenario.

As teachers get used to the growing technological advancements, those who get fluent in teaching on line or e-learning need to be able to transfer their knowledge to their students as well as other teachers. Accepting these challenges and learning these new technologies should be inculcated in the lives of those teachers who are scared of the technologies being used in the 21st century. For example, by setting a computer with all the software in the classroom is not good enough since the teacher in the class must have a hands on experience with the system which will help the student to learn it from them, then only the study can be translated into meaningful learning. The integration of technology into education also depends significantly on important factors such as the perspective in which teachers interact, their thought, and their attitude towards teaching and learning.

Positive Effects of technology on Learning Disabilities

Student with mental retardation along with students who are low performers or students with any other learning disability benefit with assisted technology for learning. Various soft-wares like expert tutoring soft-wares presents instructions in sequential steps, with varying levels of difficulty which can let the student use it according to their standard and requirements. Most critical and effective feature of the software used for the help of weak, at-risk, or learning handicapped students is the capacity of the software to analyze performance and give respective feedback to the teachers and the students. The advanced technology has given new ways to support people with various disabilities specifically to those with mental retardation to go beyond their limits and learn different aspects of life such as academic, vocational, survival, and social skills necessary to live independently in this modern society. As per the study of the US Census Bureau approximately 18.7% of the 2005 US population had some kind of disability while 12% had some severe disability. By continuous assessment of the student’s individual performance through the computer assisted programs the level can be adjusted to the difficulty in task which ultimately gives us the present level of the student. The frequent student feedback provided by the technological tools motivates to teach disabled students and remain cognitively engaged, particularly when we get the corrective feedback immediately.

Also the use of technology to educate the disabled people makes them feel more confident. It proves to be a life changer for them and has a deep and positive psychological impact on their minds. As seen by us whenever technology is applied to student’s lives we get a positive outcome. By accepting technology in the education system teachers, students and parents will come across positive improvements in many different spheres of their own life as well such as:

Motivation

Attitude

Real life work skills

Academic performance

Critical thinking skills

Literacy

Way to perceive problems