Mobile Learning Best Practices
Matthew Andrew, Instructor in University College, shares how he has used the iPad and the apps Explain Everything and Creative Book Builder to transform traditional writing activities such as paragraph and essay development. Matthew finds that mobile learning technology helps students to not only develop and reinforce English-language skills, but also provides an opportunity for students to use their creativity, take ownership and personalize their learning experience. What’s more, by combining text with digital images, students tend to reflect and see relevance of their work. Matthew believes that the iPad has helped him increase learner motivation and facilitate the sort of active and learner-centered classroom Zayed University promotes.
Sascha Ritter, Instructor of Communication and Media Sciences, explains that the iPad is an entire production suite in one hand, with which his media and communication students can use with little-to-no previous experience in order to create movies and podcasts, user-generated content and citizen journalism that reflects today’s multimedia rich and social media-connected world. Sascha believes that the iPad adds another layer to the learning, whereby students are empowered by expressing themselves and their interests creatively, thus personalizing the learning experience. Sasha also believes that the iPad facilitates an active, technology supported and student-centered learning environment, which are at the core of the the Zayed University Pedagogical Model.
Heba Barazi, Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Science and Public Health, describes how using the iPad with her biology classes facilitates a more active and engaging learning environment. Heba, along with her Dubai colleague Janine Tan, share classes that interact with each other using a course eBook. Heba feels that this interaction creates a sense of community as students explore 3-D visualizations of complex organ systems that brings the learning experience to life in a way not previously possible. Using apps such as Notability and Socrative, Heba and Janine have streamlined class workflows while making the learning environment more student-centered.
Tiffany Cammidge, Instructor in the Academic Bridge Program, reflects on how she has used a number of apps to make her language classes more creative and motivating. For instance, Tiffany’s students used the app Pinterest to find and create a craft item, for which the students recorded the process in English using iMovie. Tiffany has also had success with the apps Soundnote and Schoology to reinforce speaking, listening and skills like prediction, vital to language fluency. Tiffany’s students enjoyed creating and sharing their work, which lead to a more engaging, varied and personalized learning environment in line with the Zayed University Pedagogical Model.
Janet Roberts, Instructor in the Academic Bridge Program, recounts how, using the iPad’s built-in camera and the app Pic Collage, she was able to create a spontaneous in-class grammar lesson that was meaningful and authentic. Another interesting activity saw students exploring and discovering a book fair, resulting in Keynote presentations that afforded students the opportunity to personalize their learning through pursuit of their own curiosity. Interestingly, Janet points out that an instructor-directed activity would have resulted in less meaningful learning. Janet believes that the iPad has allowed her and her students to break down artificial classroom walls while achieving Zayed University Learning Outcomes such as critical thinking and information literacy.
In this video, Nick Yates, Instructor in the ABP and CEI Faculty Fellow, explains how he integrated iPads into an English Language classroom. Part of the course was to prepare students for the exeternal benchmark English language proficiency exam, the IELTS. Nick used the iPads to transform this regular IELTS writing activity into one which was student centered by having students become authors of the content. The students were motivated, engaged, and had created a pool of IELTS preparation materials for one another.
