Abstract:

The popularity of smartphones around the world during the last fifteen years has increased significantly, and users of these devices now explore new avenues to access, store and disseminate information. Although the smartphone sales have reached a saturated stage, the sheer amount of smartphone models still introduced to the market remains impressive. Furthermore, new smartphones have become more and more powerful with more functionality. As a result, users of such devices utilize them to process more information. In addition, the availability of more mobile apps makes these devices a very attractive for learning and exchanging ideas. For sometimes, the educators around the world have examined advantages and disadvantages of using smartphones in education. On one hand, the massive popularity of the smartphone makes them very attractive. On the other hand, the negative effects of smartphones cannot be overlooked, especially if unlimited access is granted. In this study, first, we attempt to take a balanced approach for the use of smartphones in the classroom at the university level and point out the major advantages of such an approach. Then, we discuss new trends in using smartphones in general and in particular we discuss the implications of the introduction of 5G Ultra Wide-band wireless network and its implication to the smartphones in education.

Keywords:

Smartphones, Classroom Performance, Ultra Wide-band Wireless, Storage Devices.