Abstract:

With the arrival of mobile technologies (which includes but is not limited to, mobile phones, personal devices, handheld game consoles and tablets), a new paradigm of teaching and learning with mobile technology has emerged called M-Learning. This refers to opportunities to learn across multiple contexts, via social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices (Crompton, 2013). For many, M-learning is the most influential technologies for education in recent times (Johnson, Adams, & Cummins, 2012). Mobile technologies provide opportunities for new and interesting methods of teaching and learning, both beyond and inside the classroom. Some of the known technological affordances that mobile devices provide include portability, immediacy, connectivity, ubiquity and adaptability. Consequently, M-learning enables collaboration among pupils, knowledge creation, information searching and improved interaction and communication between teacher and student. In addition, it permits access to learning at anytime and anywhere and the use of multiple apps for educational purposes (Tseng, Tang and Morris, 2015). Many third level lecturers embrace their M-learning potential during lectures. University websites have been reconfigured to accommodate this ever-increasing viewing by mobile devices. This widespread usage of mobile devices by student teachers is the main motivating factor to look into their utility and efficacy in third level teacher education (Iqubal et al., 2017).

However, despite the obvious attraction and benefits of mobile devices, their potential adverse effects such as addiction in the form of nomophobia, Internet addiction, and social media addictions of Facebook and WhatsApp are issues on the increase in developing countries (Davey et al. 2018). In addition, the so-named phenomenon of “social phubbing” is occurring in lectures, whereby, the draw of keeping connected and updated with What’s App, Instagram or Facebook is so strong, that students favour using their device to listening to what is being presented (Davey et al, 2018; Ugur, Koc & Gecer, 2015). Research indicates such activities do distract other classmates as well. Other studies have found that students take better notes at lectures and obtain better grades when using mobile devices. With problematic device usage now considered a risk behaviour alongside alcohol and drug use, some educators and health professionals feel it is time to build in some of the health related implications of M-technology overuse and promote proportionate, productive and creative use of this multimodal technology (ibid).

Are we naive to think that student teachers are no less vulnerable to these compulsions than any other third level student? Consequently, this study investigates perspectives and practices of pre-service student teachers in relation to how they use mobile devices and how it acts as a help or a hindrance to their learning / teaching. It also evaluates mobile device addiction and phubbing scales (Karadag et al, 2015). Anticipated outcomes include a greater understanding and sharing regarding how they use mobile devices in teaching and learning and what initial teacher education programme M-learning activities are especially effective. Other outcomes would be a greater understanding of the overuse M-technology and providing some guidance ‘grounded’ from that data about measured mobile device use that will help rather than hinder student teacher’s learning.

Keywords:

m-learning, mobile technologies, nomophobia, phubbing, teacher education.