The article 7 Things You Should Know About Mobile App Development focuses on the world of mobile applications in relation to schools and universities. With the constantly advancing technology of our current world, mobile applications have become an important feature in many classrooms. Oftentimes teachers are able to use student's own mobile devices in lieu of school laptops or computers. This makes technology much more accessible and allows more time for meaningful instruction. However, dealing with mobile applications is not always as easy as it may sound. Despite the several benefits of including mobile devices in the learning experience, there are still challenges that many I.T. departments face everyday.
In dealing with mobile applications an I.T. department has the choice of implementing either native apps or mobile web apps. Native apps are built for one particular device (i.e. blackberry, droid, iPhone) and typically offer the user a rich and interactive experience. The negative side to native apps is that they are very specific in their compatibility. The native apps for an iPhone may be non-existent on a blackberry. This causes problems in the classroom because students have such a wide range of mobile devices.
Mobile web apps, in contrast, work on a variety of technology. These apps are equally effective on all mobile devices. The negative side to this is that due to this wide compatibility, these apps are often not as developed as native apps. Therefore, students using mobile web apps may not get the same rich experience that they could with native apps.
There is a third school of thought regarding mobile applications in the classroom. Some argue that native apps and mobile web apps can be combined to create optimum learning conditions. This would involve creating one base mobile web app and then enhancing it for different technologies. This would avoid any copyright problems and allow all students to get the most out of the technology that is so readily available to them.
The debate with mobile apps in the classroom does not stop with what kind of mobile app to use. I.T. developers must also consider the safety of allowing students to access sensitive material on their phones. If a phone is lost, a student's access to apps may open the door for criminal activity. Despite this risk, there are several benefits to using mobile apps in the classroom. One thing the article particularly focuses on is the increase in accessibility provided by mobile apps. The use of mobile devices helps all students to get a more hands on experience with learning- regardless of any disabilities.
Overall, I found the content of this article to be very valuable for students, parents, and teachers. In the four years since I have graduated high school, it is clear that technology has rapidly advanced. It is interesting to see how mobile apps could revolutionize the educational experience, but also to get a clear picture of the challenges facing this technological development. I think that in theory mobile apps could be beneficial in saving time and enhancing learning in a classroom, but there are still issues to work out. In order to continue progress on developing mobile apps teachers, students, parents, and I.T. developers must be in constant communication. Teachers need to tell I.T. developers what would be most effective in their classrooms, and in turn the I.T. department must find a way to make this desired technology equally accessible to everyone. I think one of the most important things the school community should recognize in relation to mobile app development is the benefits this technology possesses for all students. Schools are often criticized for accessibility issues. Mobile apps could be the answer to this problem. In including mobile apps in the classroom, teachers will be able to give students of all abilities an interactive, hands-on learning experience. This will make school more valuable for each and every student in the class.
Link: http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-mobile-app-development
Cell phones are present in our school systems regardless, so why not use them constructively? I like the idea of having students use their devices for educational purposes. If students don't have to "hide" their phones constantly during the day and are given time in class to use them for class work, it may deter them from having the urge to sneak and use them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers and the IT developers need to work together in constructing an educational technology atmosphere within their school. Teachers know what would work and the developers know how to make it happen.