Mobile Computing Devices in a Secondary School in New Zealand – Charting Paths for the Future in Mobile Learning

Abstract

The chief aim of this study was to investigate the different strategies that can be adopted in exploring how mobile computing devices can be used in curricular delivery. The research site of our study i.e a college in Auckland, adopted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) plan for mobile devices acquisition. Our research study focused on the mobile learning culture that has emerged in this school brought about by this BYOD policy and its impact on learning and teaching. A case study research methodology was adopted for this study. It was observed from the cases that students generally seemed more motivated in and excited about their learning when mobile devices were used during classroom curricular hours. However, the findings of this study also clearly attest to the fact that merely embedding technological tools within curricular design doesn’t necessarily transform teaching and learning to higher levels of pedagogical effectiveness. The teaching that was happening in the classrooms operated often at the elementary substitution level of SAMR model. It was obvious that technology needs to be wrapped around the critical core of effective learning design to match the affordances of the technology involved with the optimal learning pathways of students.

Keywords

• Mobile Learning
• Technology
• Education