Chapter One
Introduction
Background
of the Study
The development of science and technology has made great
contributions to the advent of mobile technologies in recent years
(Fujimoto, 2012). It cannot be denied that these mobile technologies made
up of mobile phones, tablet computers, and other means of wireless
communication change how we live, work, and socialize by allowing us to
carry out a variety of daily tasks such as checking email, listening to
music, playing games, chatting to friends via social networking, and so on
(Pollara, 2011). In addition to the above mentioned benefits, the question
arises as to whether mobile devices, especially mobile phones take the
potential to contribute to education in general learning in particular.
The fact that there might be some hesitation as well as
doubt towards the adoption of mobile devices for educational purposes is
conceivable. First and foremost, teachers and educators fear that students
can use these devices to perform non-learning activities which can cause
distraction to them, and even worse do the cheating in examinations.
Furthermore, they express concern over how to manage students’ learning
process, and assess and evaluate their academic performance fairly and
accurately. However, these drawbacks seem to be minimal, without
discouraging researchers and educators from paying their attention to
benefits that mobile devices bring to learners. Henceforth, the past
several years have witnessed a number of investigations ranging from
perceptual to experimental research studies on the use and efficacy of
mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, and MP3 players on learning (Fujimoto, 2012; Pollara, 2011;
Anaraki, 2008; Stockwell, 2010; Chen & Cheung, 2008; Belanger, 2005).
Such studies help justify the merits of these mobile devices as effective
learning tools in various educational contexts.
Thus, this current study fills this gap and contributes
to the literature by carrying out an inquiry into students’ attitudes
towards using mobile phones for learning purposes. The study also explores
more detailed information as to what learning skills and subs-kills
students would like to acquire on their mobile phones.
Statement
of the problem
The
classroom is a microcosm of society, and technology is having an increasing
impact in schools throughout the country. In the same way that little is
known about how technology affects communities in general, little is yet to
be known about the effects that increased use of technology is having on
school communities, in particular, on the sense of community of classroom
learners (Wighting, 2006).
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