Presentation at ED-Media 2014 conference, Tampere, Finland

1. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
LEARNING WITH MOBILE DEVICES
Perceptions of Students and Teachers
in Lower Secondary Schools in Austria
Margarete Grimus & Martin Ebner
Graz University of Technology, Austria

2. Research
in
Austria
Mobile
Devices
School
Learning
Teachers
Prospec6ve
Teachers
Pupils
Participants in 2013
157 teacher candidates
22 teachers
84 pupils, 10 – 14 y
Participants in 2009
20 teachers
1075 pupils

3. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Research Questions
Pupils
age 10 – 14 years
Prospective
Teachers
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
• Ownership of device
• Perceptions
• General Use
• Attitudes and perceptions of learning
• with mobile phones

4. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner ED-Media Tampere June 2014
Pupils
Ownership of Mobile Phones
2013 with
• Camera
• Bluetooth
• Memory……
52 % Internet
access

5. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner ED-Media Tampere June 2014
Usage - Pupils
Increase of
Internet Browsing
E-Mails

6. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Usage
Pupils
Survey year 2009 2013 2009 2013 2009 2013 2009 2013
Purpose never rarely often regularly
SMS 4% 20% 25% 47%
Photo/Video 6% 24% 40% 25%
Internet Surfing 71% 15% 5% 4%
E-Mails 81% 9% 2% 2%
ED-Media Tampere June 2014

7. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Usage of mobile phones for learning (2013)
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
2013 total never rarely often frequently
At school 64% 25% 6% 6%
At home, on transfer 32% 39% 23% 6%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
frequently sometimes rarely never
Learning with mobile phones
Girlsat home, on transfer
at school
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
frequently sometimes rarely never
Learning with mobile phones
Boysat home, on transfer
at school

8. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Learning with mobile phones (2013)
Girls Boys
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
at school at home, on
transfer
never
rarely
sometimes
frequently
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
at school at home, on
transfer
never
rarely
sometimes
frequently

9. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Pupils‘ Comments
in regard of learning in class teachi´ng
Benefits
• Using the calculator
• Find more relevant information
( „in addition to what is offered
in lessons‘“)
• Less handwriting
• Less books to carry
• Apps and tools to support
learning
• Learn more about proper
use of mobile phones
Challenges
• Distraction
• Cheating
• No clear guidelines
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
25% of the pupils expect
improvements in learning
achievements by use of mobile
phones in class teaching

10. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Teachers Teacher Candidates
(n=157)
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
All mobile digital immigrants
(def. by Prensky )
Ownership
100 % mobile phone
86 % computer
73% laptop or netbook
55 % tablet computer
81% can access Internet with
Mobile Phone
+9 % with WiFi
81 % Digital natives
(younger than 30 years)
Ownership
100 % mobile phone
54 % computer
91 % laptop or netbook
17 % tablet computer
81% can access Internet with Mobile
Phone
+8% with WiFi
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Teacher
> 50 y
41 - 50 y
31 - 40 y
Survey 2013

11. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Comments 2013
Teacher
Only about a third expect that mobile
learning will play an important role
in the future
Challenge Lack of technical
support
Nearly no appreciation of offering
material for learning material for
mobile phones
Teacher Candidates
57 % have no experience with mobile
learning
34 % already used a mobile phone for
some kind of learning
66 % perception of mobile learning in
the future.
Benefit:
flexibility, less paper, lighter
schoolbags.
Challenge: control, costs (Internet,
apps). Time to prepare useful
learning material, management and
service
ED-Media Tampere June 2014

12. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Device)
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
BYOD can be used for free in schools and at the same time save
the education system a vast amount of funds.
Preferable to showing them how to use them properly as a life skill (Life
skills = responsibility of educators)
• online safety
• instruction on the amount of technological power and applications,
• figuring out ways to deal with potential students’ abuse.
Low income groups have less chance to use own computers or laptops
for learning,
• Due to the fact that mobile phones are owned by the students there
is no need for financing more computer-labs or laptops.
1:1 means portability and always-available

13. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Discussion
Youth and Mobiles
• Ownership of device
(smartphones)
• Costs decreasing (flatrate)
• Mobile online (73 %)
• Internet (179 min. / day, JIM 2013)
• Fast connections, anytime
Used for social networking,
gaming, interactive
entertainment
Lack of knowledge for use for
learning
School
Benefits:
• Situated learning (here
and now)
• Authetic contexts
• 21st century demands
Challenges
• Distraction, disruptive
• Lack of didadical support
• Lack of material for K12
education (subjects)
ED-Media Tampere June 2014

14. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Discussion cont.
Guidelines
Besides the media-enactment of
the ministry of education there
is a need of guidelines for
• best practice of mobile device
in schools
• risks of mobile
communication and social
networks
• New educational policies
Teacher Education
Rethink curriculum
• Advanced training
• didactical aspects
• online safety and proper use
• Cooperative learning models
• continuing training
(professional development)
ED-Media Tampere June 2014

15. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner
Conclusions
Hands-on use of
technology is the
easiest thing for
students to learn on
their own
Children must be trained
to take advantage of
the opportunities
presented by modern
technologies
ED-Media Tampere June 2014
Use the 21st century technology to enable
21st century knowledge
More Resarch!

16. Learning with Mobile Devices , AustriaM. Grimus & M. Ebner EdMedia Helsinki June 2014
Graz University of Technology
SOCIAL LEARNING
Computer and Information Services
Graz University of Technology
Martin Ebner
http://elearning.tugraz.at
martin.ebner@tugraz.at
Slides available at: http://elearningblog.tugraz.at
mebner