Mobile learning has become increasingly popular, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic that forced many schools to close and shift to online learning. This trend also led to mobile educational applications to support students, teachers and parents.
These apps provide greater flexibility, accessibility, engagement, personalization, real-time feedback, innovation and empowerment, but they also pose some challenges and risks. Concerns about screen time, data privacy, and the growing digital divide are becoming more prominent. Meanwhile, I believe the benefits of these revolutionary experiences to support learning are being overlooked.
I see both the concerns and the benefits firsthand as my company offers an educational app to teach kids coding skills.
Although there are many benefits of these mobile apps, in this article, I will focus on how they can facilitate learning on the go. I will also discuss the latest trends in mobile learning, including the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in mobile education.
How Mobile Apps Facilitate Improved Learning
Redefining Traditional Learning Boundaries
Mobile apps have redefined learning by making it more personalized, accessible and flexible. They allow students to learn at their own pace, receive instant feedback and access various courses and skills from different platforms that offer education on general subject matter, to language and even coding. With features like AI-driven learning paths and gamification, these apps have added to the education sector, offering more opportunities for learners of all ages and backgrounds.
Personalized Learning Experiences
Mobile apps can use adaptive learning algorithms to cater to individual learning styles and paces. These algorithms adjust educational content to the needs and abilities of each learner, offering tailored on-demand academic resources. This can make education more student-centric, increasing engagement and retention. Adaptive learning algorithms can also observe learners’ actions and provide appropriate interventions, personalized content and customized learning paths. They can also enhance motivation and confidence by providing immediate feedback and support.
Collaborative Learning And Global Connections
Mobile apps allow for global classroom collaboration, which promotes diverse perspectives, cultural exchanges and collaborative projects. Educational apps offer features such as chat rooms, discussion boards, video calls, file sharing and feedback tools, which enable students to connect with peers worldwide. Collaborative learning helps students communicate, share ideas and work on projects together. Examples of educational apps with collaborative features are EdApp, Slack and Google Drive. These apps help students learn effectively through collaboration and efficiently by leveraging the power of collaboration.
Skill Development Beyond Academics
Educational apps teach more than academic subjects. They can also focus on developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and creativity. Apps like EdApp, Slack, Duolingo and my company, Tynker, offer opportunities for learning languages, coding and other niche areas.
Challenges And The Road Ahead
Mobile educational apps are a great tool for students to enhance their learning and explore new perspectives. However, it’s important to acknowledge some of the drawbacks that come with excessive or long-term use. Overuse of smartphones can lead to various health issues such as eye strain, poor physical fitness, sleep problems, pain, migraines, unhealthy eating habits, cognitive issues and changes in the brain’s gray matter volume.
Moreover, mobile apps often collect and store personal data from users such as location, contacts, browsing history, preferences, etc. This data can be used for targeted advertising, marketing, or even harmful purposes. Users may not be aware of how their data is used or shared by app developers or third parties. Data breaches and cyber attacks can also expose sensitive information and compromise user security.
At my company, we acknowledge the significance of maintaining a healthy and balanced approach to screen time for young learners. As a team, we have made efforts to highly encourage parental involvement in establishing time limits, monitoring activity and filtering content to ensure their children use the app responsibly. Additionally, we’ve built into our product the means to promote the importance of taking breaks from the screen and support a well-rounded learning environment that includes activities beyond screen time.
It’s essential to continue having these discussions around balancing the positive and negative impacts of these apps while ensuring that parents monitor their children’s usage of this technology. Knowing the apps they download, the websites they visit and the amount of time they spend on screens can help parents not only control their child’s educational growth but also their overall health and well-being.
Closing Remarks
Mobile applications have transformed and will continue to transform the education industry for students and teachers alike. The future of mobile apps in education is likely to be influenced by emerging technologies, including AR, VR and AI. AR and VR can create immersive and interactive learning environments that enhance learners’ motivation, creativity and collaboration.
As we look toward the future of educational apps, it is essential to prioritize user trust and transparency around data collection. In doing so, apps can offer increasingly personalized, adaptive and data-driven learning experiences. This will allow for tailored learning paths, identification of areas for improvement and targeted feedback, ultimately enhancing the overall learning experience. Companies can do this by clearly outlining privacy policies, giving parents control over their children’s data and collecting only the data necessary to provide services and improve the platform. It is also important to adhere to strict data security measures to protect user information and imbue the trust of users.
As a leader, parent, educator or simply an observer, I encourage you to keep learning about these emerging technologies and experiences. By doing so, you can better understand their impact and help us create a learning environment that is accessible to all.
This article first appeared on Forbes
