The time is getting closer when you won’t need to travel to other cities or countries to get an education. With the development of technology, you can study anywhere, with a phone in your pocket and a good LTE signal.
Mobile learning is a relatively new way of learning, in which people gain knowledge through gadgets: a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Several years ago, special devices were presented and developed for this purpose: something like a PDA and e-books containing programs for learning. With the development of the Internet and phones, the latter took on the role of the “teacher”. And the curriculum is made up of applications that the user downloads.
Another aspect of mobile learning: organizational. Gradually, studying or transferring some information “remotely” is being introduced in schools and universities. Electronic diaries, groups in social networks, open-access documents – all this allows gadgets to help in studying.
Educational apps
You can start studying using your smartphone and without the help of universities right now by downloading a couple of free applications from the App Store or Google Play.
1. Duolingo
Probably the best language learning platform in telemarketing data the world, Duolingo uses game mechanics: lessons are arranged by levels, and to move on to the next one, you need to complete the previous one partially or completely. For daily visits, the user is given experience and various pleasant virtual bonuses.
2. Netology and Foxford
Netology is an online university for obtaining Internet professions. Training there is conducted in the form of webinars, which can then be downloaded and listened to again. At the end, a certificate of completion of the course is issued. There are also courses from video lessons, which can also be purchased and downloaded.
“Foxford” is a group of applications youtube channels about business from Netology. They will help you complete the school course in all subjects, find a tutor, and solve complex problems.
3. ABBYY Language
Three apps from a Russian company are also designed to help you learn another language. Only here, these aren’t sequential lessons like in Duolingo, but a convenient, high-quality translator, dictionary, and collection of popular phrases.
4. Khan Academy
Khan Academy provides more than 4,000 marketing list lectures on various subjects for free: mathematics, physics, history, biology, chemistry, economics and many others. You can watch them from the official website or download the application. Of course, there are more lectures in English, but a significant part has also been translated into Russian.
5. Quizlet
Quizlet teaches with flashcards. It includes exam preparation in any subject, memory training, and gameplay. You can either invent and create flashcards yourself or use the variety that other users have left behind. The app will help you remember any important information in a playful way, so it is suitable for almost all areas of study.
Pros and Cons of Mobile Learning
Most of the advantages of this form of acquiring knowledge are probably already obvious to many.
- The ability to study anywhere and, as a rule, at any convenient time.
- Affordability: Often, apps or online learning programs are either free or much cheaper than a tutor or a semester at a university (meaning the average cost of one lesson).
- Gamification. Many educational apps use game mechanics, so learning is much more attractive. Schoolchildren will especially appreciate this advantage.
- Educational programs do some of the work for teachers, helping them present information in multiple ways. Therefore, both the quality and cost of the teacher’s services increase.
It would seem that the disadvantages can only arise from the technical side. But no.
- Concentration. It is difficult to concentrate on an educational application when there are many other, more interesting applications, messengers and games on the phone. Therefore, the quality of the educational process may decrease.
- Lack of documentary evidence of results. Personal knowledge can expand rapidly, but there are still very few opportunities to take a nuclear physics course, learn Japanese via a smartphone and receive a certificate at the end. It turns out that mobile learning serves only as an auxiliary method of study.
- Not all things can be learned through programs or online courses. Even to fully know English, you need to speak it live with a person, and not dictate a phrase to an application through a microphone.