mobile devices as learning tools: present and prospective use by future professionals of education
TRANSCRIPT
MOBILE DEVICES AS LEARNING TOOLS: PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE USE BY FUTURE PROFESSIONALS OF
EDUCATION
Blanca García Riaza Ana Iglesias Rodríguez
Introduction
Therefore, our study intends to take the pulse, not only to the perception of the incorporation of the devices in the current university classrooms, but also to the prospect these future professionals have about incorporating MD to their teaching in the classroom.
- The use of mobile devices is increasing and generating new scenarios for communication, teaching and learning where students are increasingly involved.
- In this process, digital competence is an ability that transcends those acquired in the classroom and becomes a socio-communicative competition as students use mobiles devices as tool of communication.
- Our goal is to make these pedagogic tools transcend thier comminicative function and allow students of differente education levels use these devices in the teaching-learning processes.
Understand the relevance of MDs as learning resources in university classrooms of the degrees studied.
Knowing the degree of awareness of students about the potential of MDs to acquire skills and knowledge.
Knowing the self-perception of students on the mastery of didactic and methodological possibilities of MDs.
Get information about whether the interaction with MDs is easy and flexible (time, location ...) for students, making it simple and quick realization and delivery of work in the subjects.
Understand the impact of MDs on the teacher-student and student-student interaction.
Know the prospect of incorporation of MDs in the future teaching profession of students.
Get information about presence and degree of penetration of the use of mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) as learning tools in an environment of higher education.
Objectives
Hypothesis even if the use of these devices remains merely playful and communicative by students at university level, they are aware of the many potentialities of these devices although they do not have used them as learning tools, inside or outside the classroom, but would do at the right moment.
• We have followed a quantitative methodology, a non-experimental
method of descriptive type, together with a questionnaire as the technique for data collection.
• The instrument used to analyze the current and prospective use that is made of mobile devices as learning tools by Degree and Master students has been the questionnaire.
• Instrument: questionnaire, 21 items, Likert scale from 0 to 5 (0: Strongly disagree; 1: Disagree; 2: Somewhat disagree; 3: Partially agree; 4: According; y, 5: Strongly agree). This instrument is divided into two blocks:
– Block 1 (items 1-6): measures the perception of students about their digital competence.
– Block 2 (items 7-21): measures the perception of students on their proficiency in the use of mobile devices in the classroom.
Methodology
Sample
COURSE
24 students (4º Degree Primary / Early Childhood Education)
30 Students (Masters Degree in Secondary teacher:
English)
Total: 54 students
AGE Mode = 22 y 23 years
GENDER 13
men
41 women
Population’s profile
Block 1. Digital competence
Block 2. Mobile devices in the classroom
Item 5. "I master the didactic and methodological part of MDs (improve my learning process, do
practical tasks, look for information...)"
Sample by course, item 5
Pearson Chi-square significant (p = <0.05) result
Item 9 "I would to use MDs to acquire new competences related to my future career"
Sample by course (item 9) Sample by major (Item 9)
Item 12 "The use of MDs can make handing essays in my subjects easier and quicker"
Sample by course (item 12) Sample by major (item 12)
Item 13 “I think I wouldn’t have relevant difficulties when using MDs as complementary
tools for learning”
Sample by course (Item 13)
Conclusions
Block 1: digital competence, a skill they consider to be key in the teaching –learning process. Students who participated in the study: - Fully aware of the relevance and usefulness of MDs as resources to learn and claim to be competent enough when handling this type of devices. - Aware of the benefits at both functional and pedagogical levels [11] that mobile devices can bring to the classroom. - Even if they perceive themselves as mastering the use of MDs, there is a consistent answer claiming more training in the potentialities and exploitation of the aforementioned devices.
Block 2: the use of MDs seems not to be dependent on the age or gender of the user because, even if the number of female subjects in the study is significantly higher, men participating in it show a comparable tendency in perception, valuation and prospective use.
Conclusions
Pearson Chi-square significant (p = <0.05) result: Items 5, 9, 12, 13
• Undergraduate and Masters students very positive attitude towards the inclusion of mobile devices in their university studies: as tools to improve the learning process at higher education + as allies for their professional development as teachers in a near future.
• Regarding their readiness to use MDs to acquire new competences and the usefulness of these devices to hand in tasks in a quicker and easier way, students from the Early Childhood Education Degree show a more positive tendency towards the ideas than Primary Education Degree students students who will teach children between 3 and 6 years old are more receptive about the use of these devices than those who will teach children between 6 and 12. This could be due to different factors: Early Childhood education has turned into a competence-based and technology-booster stage in many Spanish schools, where digital resources (tablets, digital blackboards, mini-PCs…) have been introduced as tools for children to practice skills.
• Concerning the difficulties they perceive would have when using them in class and the mastery in the usage of the devices, the results show a tendency for students in the Masters program to recognize themselves as more ready to use mobile devices in class than Degree students, who, even in the last year, do not feel still so prepared for it.
Blanca García Riaza Ana Iglesias Rodríguez