Mobile Learning

Explore the game-changing technology that allows mobile learning to effectively reach K-12 students

Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Developers, Educators and Learners provides research-based foundations for developing, evaluating, and integrating effective mobile learning pedagogy. Twenty-first century students require twenty-first century technology, and mobile devices provide new and effective ways to educate children.

But with new technologies come new challenges—therefore, this handbook presents a comprehensive look at mobile learning by synthesizing relevant theories and drawing practical conclusions for developers, educators, and students.

Mobile devices—in ways that the laptop, the personal computer, and netbook computers have not—present the opportunity to make learning more engaging, interactive, and available in both traditional classroom settings and informal learning environments. From theory to practice, Mobile Learning explores how mobile devices are different than their technological predecessors, makes the case for developers, teachers, and parents to invest in the technology, and illustrates the many ways in which it is innovative, exciting, and effective in educating K-12 students.

• Explores how mobile devices can support the needs of students
• Provides examples, screenshots, graphics, and visualizations to enhance the material presented in the book
• Provides developers with the background necessary to create the apps their audience requires
• Presents the case for mobile learning in and out of classrooms as early as preschool
• Discusses how mobile learning enables better educational opportunities for the visually impaired, students with Autism, and adult learners.

If you're a school administrator, teacher, app developer, or parent, this topical book provides a theoretical, well-researched discussion of the pedagogical theory and mobile learning, as well as practical advice in setting up a mobile learning strategy.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter 1 Changing Education with Mobile Learning 1

A Brief History of Educational Technology: What Will Revolutionize the System? 3

Mobile Learning: Reaching Kids Today 6

What Is Mobile Learning? 8

Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Learning 9

How to Make Mobile Learning Work 16

Conclusion 19

Notes 20

Section 1 The Mobile Classroom 23

Chapter 2 The Science of Learning 25

Introduction 25

Information Processing and Learning 27

Other Critical Facets of Learning 33

Implications for Mobile Learning 37

Conclusion 45

Notes 46

Chapter 3 What Is It About These Devices? 49

Connected 50

Aware 52

Multimodal 55

Familiar 56

Personal 57

Comprehensive 59

Consolidated 60

Portable 61

Relevant 62

Secure 63

Conclusion 64

Notes 64

Chapter 4 Creating the Mobile Classroom 67

Theoretical Foundations 68

Instructional Methods 70

Problem-Based, Inquiry-Based, and Experiential Learning 77

Alternative Learning Environments 78

Conclusion 82

Notes 82

Chapter 5 Higher-Order Thinking Skills and Digital Fluency 85

Higher-Order Thinking Skills 88

Leveraging Mobile Learning 93

Critical Thinking 104

Classrooms for Higher-Order Thinking 107

Conclusion 109

Notes 110

Chapter 6 Instructional Management and Levels of Technology Access 115

Mobile Learning Programs 117

Levels of Access in the Mobile Classroom 122

1:Teacher 123

1:Many 125

1:1 128

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) 132

Conclusion 137

Notes 137

Section 2 Creating the Mobile Learning Experience 141

Chapter 7 Mobile Technology’s Defining Features 143

Hardware 144

Software 149

Accessories 156

Conclusion 159

Notes 160

Chapter 8 The Educational App Development Process 161

Research Stage: Is It a Good Idea? 162

Building the Right Team: Capturing a Variety of Expertise 164

Building the App 169

Case Study: App Development at SAS

Curriculum Pathways 175

Conclusion 177

Notes 177

Chapter 9 Design and User Experience 179

Designing a Great App: Make It Easy 179

Putting Great Design to Work 187

Conclusion 191

Notes 192

Chapter 10 Data, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics 195

Asking the Questions 196

Gathering Data 200

Sample Data Collection 206

Mobile Data Analytics: Turning Data into Information 209

Conclusion 212

Notes 213

Chapter 11 The Business of Educational Apps 215

The Educational App Market Is• • • 215

How to Sell Your App: Pricing Models 222

How Users Buy Your App 228

Marketing 230

Conclusion 233

Notes 233

Section 3 Mobile Learning for Everyone 237

Chapter 12 Informal Learning 239

Developing Lifelong Learners 240

Bridging Formal and Informal Learning 241

Conclusion 251

Notes 252

Chapter 13 Engaging Young Users: Apps for Preschoolers 255

Key Skills for Preschool Apps 256

What Makes an Engaging Preschool App? 264

Challenges 270

Conclusion 276

Notes 277

Chapter 14 Making Accessible Apps: Autism and Visual Impairment 281

Introduction 281

Advantages of the iPad for Special Populations 281

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) 285

Visual Impairment 291

Developing Accessible Apps 297

Conclusion 300

Notes 301

Chapter 15 Balancing Power: Data Use, Privacy, and Digital Citizenship 305

Privacy 306

Privacy Legislation 311

Open Issues 312

Digital Citizenship: Teaching Responsible Use 318

Conclusion 321

Notes 322

Chapter 16 Mobile Learning Today and Tomorrow 325

Introduction 325

Making Mobile Learning Work 326

The Future 333

Conclusion 338

Notes 339

Appendix A List of Apps by Chapter 341

Appendix B The Great App Checklist 359

How to Use This Checklist 360

The Great App Checklist 361

Notes 363

About the Authors 365

Index 367

SCOTT McQUIGGAN leads SAS Curriculum Pathways, an interdisciplinary team focused on the development of no-cost educational software. He developed his first app, SAS Flash Cards, in 2010.

LUCY KOSTURKO is a research scientist and curriculum specialist for SAS Curriculum Pathways. Kosturko's research interests include self-regulated learning and educational technologies.

JAMIE McQUIGGAN is a writer for SAS Institute Inc. She coauthored Implement, Improve and Expand your Statewide Longitudinal Data System: Creating a Culture of Data in Education.

JENNIFER SABOURIN is a research scientist and a software developer at SAS Institute Inc. Her research focuses on educational technologies and data analytics.

Digital learning has been slow to take off, in part because computers and smart phones lack features that can truly make technology-assisted learning engaging, interactive, and widely available. Tablets are poised to change all that. Their size, price, touch-based interfaces, and endless flexibility make them perfect for use in K-12 classrooms. However, the few educational apps developed to date have not taken full advantage of the tablet's educational potential. The reason for this has been a lack of communication and mutual understanding between K-12 teachers and mobile app developers. The authors of Mobile Learning have identified this critical gap and have written this book to bring teachers and developers together in conversation.

Teachers, education leaders, and developers alike need to get on the same page when it comes to the opportunities and challenges of educating students in a digital world. Dozens of interviews with -service educators, along with decades of development experience and thorough academic research, form the basis for the ideas presented in Mobile Learning. Readers are introduced to the possibilities that mobile devices offer in both traditional and informal learning environments. The authors' rich discussion of how students learn creates a synoptic view of the contemporary educational landscape, allowing readers to orient themselves in ways that will be of the greatest benefit to today's students.

Without a clear definition of what makes a good mobile education app, we risk subjecting students to technology for technology's sake. Countless educators have already made this mistake, striving to bring mobilelearning into the classroom without a clear sense of what makes mobile learning work.In this book, the authors–a team of educational software experts at SAS–develop a framework that will orient app development and provide teachers with a way to gauge whether current and future apps meet their students' needs.