The landscape of college education is different from what it was thirty years ago; we have an entire new generation of college students who had grown up in a world of technology. The children who had grown up with the start of the internet are known as the “net” generation, while those who have grown up with smart phones, social media, and iPads may very well be the next “mobile” generation (Geist). This new age of students entering into higher-education have been immersed, almost their entire lives, in some sort of mobile technology. They are used to mobility, in which they have access to whatever they are working on, wherever they go. Books, homework assignments, and class textbooks are all available on mobile technology, and young students are constantly in search of a way to utilize these tools.
What makes technology in the classroom so unique is the increased intractability that is produced when the entire class is involved. Students who have grown up in this technology driven world aren’t just programmed to use technology, but prefer what technology has to offer compared to the traditional style classroom. In fact, more than six out of ten college students say that iPads allow them to study more efficiently and agree that they help students perform better in courses (Wainwright). Students can see that mobile technology provides more benefits and opportunities to both students and teachers.
Mobile consumer products, such as the iPad and the iPhone, provide education-specific apps that allow students to take their studies practice beyond the classroom, such as Pulse and Cram studying applications. Of course, textbooks that are available to use over tablets have become the most helpful for students, and allow them to escape the fortune of expensive hardback textbooks. What has become most recently popular to the world of education technology is the fabrication of MOOCs (massive open online courses). MOOCs have become increasingly used by students for their ability to adapt to the three things the “mobile” generation is looking for; availability, mobility, and flexibility. Even more, students have been able to save money on textbook costs, on-campus living costs, and sometimes tuition in general. These students, however, are still able to obtain a degree from that same 4-year university they have always wanted to attend.
Yet, universities have attempted to integrate MOOCS into their courses before, and they haven’t always worked. Where is the disconnect? Students, when inside MOOCs have lost their ability to interact with other students and maintain one-on-one attention with their teachers. When we analyze what has made mobile technology so successful, we realize that is the social accessibility users have when using iPads, tablets, and iPhones. Social media, in fact, is the main use for mobile technology users, and has allowed millions of people around the world to interact with each other from anywhere. If we integrate the collaborative qualities of social media into MOOCs, the distance can be removed from distance learning. iQ Technologies has found a way to allow mobile users to access a platform based on educating students through collaborative learning. The generation of higher-education students has changed, and it is time universities have an opportunity to change with them.
References:
Geist, Eugene. “The Game Changer: Using IPads in College Teacher Education Classes.” N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
Wainwright, Ashley. “8 Studies Show IPads in the Classroom Improve Education.” SecurEdge Networks. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.