Summary of Mobile Learning Lesson Plan
A few weeks ago I made a lesson plan which utilizes mobile learning. The lesson was called “Understanding the Cost of College.” The purpose of this lesson plan was to have the students understand the difference between direct and indirect costs of college and help them realize they are in control of college costs. This lesson was a four day lesson aimed at ninth grade personal finance students. The activities were split up between these four days and involved mobile learning everyday. The first day the students completed a poll questionnaire online to see what they knew about the subject. This was followed by a class discussion with answers to the poll questions. After this the students were given a few minutes to work with peers around them to brainstorm about what kinds of things affect the cost of going to college. This list was written down on the whiteboard in the front of the room for the next day's activity.
The second day of this lesson plan began with a google slides presentation which included the students completing worksheets and branching off to do their own research on computers to finish the handouts. This allowed the students to manage their own time in completing this activity. They were given the third day to continue their research and complete the worksheets. Have the computers allowed the students to look into the cost of schools and programs that they were interested in for the future. If they did not want to continue their education beyond high school then the alternate activity was to assess the cost of living and the average wage in the city of their choice.
The final day of this lesson plan consisted of the students getting into small groups to discuss their research and findings. After each student had shared their findings they were then directed to use the group ipad to write a group summary of their discussion. This doc would then be shared with each group member's student account and the teacher. If the group did not want to do the google doc assignment, they had the option to instead make a short video via the group ipad or personal phone and this would be shared in class via class TV.
The goal of this lesson was not just to get students thinking about their future in terms of career and school, but to show them versatile ways they can incorporate technology into their learning. This also helps grab the students attention and find different ways of learning about their future.
Why should a teacher be prepared to allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives?
A: After observing this lesson plan being applied with students recently, I came up with seven different ways to answer this question:
- Research/More resources available
- When the students were given time to research on the computers, they were able to look at more options than just the typical same state colleges. Most of the students decided to look at places they had never been or only hear about in terms of college sports. The resources they used were endless. They were able to find a wealth of information and really absorb what they were learning to make it match their own personal interests.
- Connection with other students
- Given that the school were this lesson plan was utilized is a poverty stricken community, it was very interesting to see the students connect with technology was introduced. Having this new and exciting way of learning broke down some of the social barriers to allow the students to connect more. If there was a student struggling with a program or the use of technology, I found that another more experienced student offered to help right away. They were excited to learn and show each other how to use the technology. Thus, connecting them.
- More collaboration opportunities
- One tool of mobile learning that I have found extremely helpful for collaboration is Google docs. Students are able to collaborate on documents or projects from home or at different times while still working towards completion of a group assignment.
- Helpful for students with disabilities.
- Students with disabilities have more resources at their fingertips with technology to be able to perform in group work or individual work and still achieve the learning goal with the assigned lesson plan. Technology is so versatile that it can be used to help students with disabilities still be included in everyday activities in class. If a student is struggling then certain apps, computers or ipads can help with whatever need they have.
- Unique way of learning.
- One thing I noticed about this activity was that some students decided to do the google doc portion over the presentation video. The students expressed feedback that having the option helped them because some preferred writing a paper while some preferred showing the class and telling them in a unique way using a video. The overall feedback was a positive experience because it was different and really captured the students attention. There was not just one way of doing the lesson. There were multiple parts that really kept the students engaged while also letting them find their own ways of completing the activities.
- Help for the future.
- I really feel that incorporating mobile devices helps students for the future. Weather it be for a future job or for furthering their education. No matter what they choose having the experience and knowledge with mobile devices helps them to succeed in what they want to do in the future.
- More focus for the teacher to provide one-on-one time.
- During this mobile learning lesson the teacher is given the opportunity to walk around and help students individually. Having the mobile devices helps teachers find time to focus on teaching and not more time on prep.
Best practices in multiple teaching situations:
- Making sure all students are familiar with tools being used in mobile learning lesson plans.
- Monitor usage to make sure students are staying on track. (Use of a remote computer monitoring program)
- Make sure lessons are versatile and overall take away is achieved using different teaching methods.
- Since I am applying this lesson plan in a poverty area, I need to make sure I have the tools necessary to do my mobile lesson plans. So far mobile learning in the classroom is mainly used for research, collaboration and finding new ways of keeping the students attention.
- Using the flipped classroom method is something that I would like to try at this school in the future. Since some students do not have technology resources at home right now it’s not feasible.
- Right now we use videos, ipads, personal devices, and computers for lesson plans and preparing students for the future.
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