myCSUNtablet

Making the Most of the mLearning Movement

May 13, 2015

Get ready to start hearing more and more about mLearning, or mobile learning, which allows instructors and students to use mobile tools in their teaching and learning. The myCSUNtablet initiative has been exploring mobile learning for the last two years and we have seen positive results for students and faculty due to the increase of active learning in classrooms, and students like that tablets allow them to study anytime, anywhere.

According to the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2014, smartphone ownership is close to matching that of laptops (see chart below). This pervasive ownership of mobile devices underscores the need to explore them as a tool for use both in and out of the classroom.

ECAR graph.

SOURCE: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2014

A recent poll by Project Tomorrow indicates that about 75% of K-12 students expect to use mobile devices in their learning and 45% of educators say mobile devices are having a positive impact on student learning.

These devices vary from tablets to smartphones, or wearable technology such as the Apple Watch. The Educational Technology and Mobile Learning website highlights trends in mLearning during 2015 and beyond, including wearable technology, the use of multiple screens, micro-learning bites, mobile gamification, geo-location and much more. With the plethora of smartphones and the recent release of the  Apple Watch, we are curious how you think mLearning could impact your teaching as more an more students bring their own devices to college? Feel free to share your thoughts by sending us an email at ftc@csun.edu or tweet us @csunftc.