Week 6- Reflection 5- Mobile Learning

Reflection 5- Mobile Learning

It only seems like yesterday I was starting my very first blog post, wow how times flies when you are having fun. :)

But here we are into week 6 of our term talking about Mobile Learning and using QR codes as an ICT tool. I will give a brief overview of mobile learning detailing the use of mobile phones and tablets in the classroom and then give a detailed overview of QR codes and SAMR model to finish.

Mobile Learning
Mobile learning can be seen as having many definitions from people across the world, in my own experience I believe it is learning via mobile devices such as tablets, laptops, smartphones and any other media reading device.

Many schools throughout Australia and in my local town of Rockhampton are incorporating the use of these mobile learning devices into there classrooms. Smartphones and tablets are being used because of the ease of use, that is there ability to be maneuvered around the classroom without any chords or restriction.

Mobile learning is not just learning via a tablet or smartphone but incorporating these technologies into our everyday teaching strategies by allowing both students and teachers to benefit from this. Mobile learning aligns well with many of the goals from some of the educational institutions-

List below is from (Jisc, Mobile Learning, 2012)

1. Curriculum Design
   
2. Personalisation of teaching
3. Student satisfaction
4. Digital literacies
5. Reducing costs
6. Graduate attributes and employability
7. Enhancing assessment and feedback
8. Widening participation
9. Improving student engagement and retention
10. Energy efficiency 

QR Codes
Coming into this week I thought to myself what are QR codes? I remember seeing this weird bar-code looking picture in a Autobarn catalogue one day but it never clicked with me what it was actually called or used for. Anyway enough about me... And more about QR codes...

QR code is a type of barcode that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers such as smartphones and other compatible devices. Once scanned QR barcode readers display information such as text, images or other data (websites, promotions etc). As I mentioned before like myself you may have seen these in a catalogue, newspaper or magazine. Using QR codes are not just being limited to the three media sources as mentioned in the last sentence, but are now being used in an educational setting such as a classroom, newsletter or school handouts. I have added a group of how QR code can be used in the classroom below-

1. Take students to website without typing in the URL
2. Provide information hot spots throughout the classroom to access online media sources
3. Adapt text/books by adding in QR codes
4. Attach QR codes to the classroom calendar/ time table to point out important information throughout the term
5. Take students to a website that you are browsing on an interactive white board

Please take a look at the QR code I have created below. :) I believe QR codes are going to be a way of the future and save your students time and effort when browsing the web for information or media sources.

My QR Code :) Try it out.

SAMR Model

Substitution- QR code can be used as a shortcut, the same as a hyperlink to a webpage

Augmentation- Instead of using google to find a website or a search based website, the teacher will do all the work and use a QR code in its place

Modification- Instead of handing out multiple task sheets for assignments, teachers can hand out a page with different qr codes on it so students can download the tasks themselves.

Redefinition- Newsletters or school information packs can be used in a form of a QR code.

That's all for this week guys,

References

1. (Jisc, Mobile Learning, 2012) http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/mobile-learning/why-mobile-learning