The Use of Mobile Learning Technologies in Primary Education

Introduction

Today’s children are spending a considerable amount of their leisure time online (Kapp, 2012). Very often, they play games on mobile devices, including; tablets or smartphones. These developments have inevitably led to a new paradigm shift; as learning-via-play, or the use of mobile technologies in education have changed the way how students think and process information (Ge & Ifenthaler, 2018; Johnson & Mayer, 2010). Very often, technologies, including games provide an immersive, voluntary and enjoyable activity as challenging goals are pursued according to agreed-upon rules (Camilleri & Camilleri, 2019a; Hwang & Wu, 2012; Kinzie & Joseph, 2008). The students’ learning through gameplay is not only fun, but it also allows children to construct their own meanings as they can make sense of the world, in their own ways. This is in stark contrast to the traditional educational approaches, where the students stay passive and their instructor is the conductor of content and actions (Yelland, 1999). The games can be used to improve the students’ computational thinking skills in an innovative manner (Kazimoglu, Kiernan, Bacon & MacKinnon, 2012; Sung, Hillyard, Angotti, Panitz, Goldstein & Nordlinger, 2010). At the same time, these innovations are increasingly satisfying the basic requirements of the schools’ educational programs as they strive to provide an engaging learning environment for their students (Carvalho, Bellotti, Berta, De Gloria, Sedano, Hauge, Hu & Rauterberg, 2015; Connolly, Boyle, MacArthur, Hainey & Boyle, 2012; Crookall, 2010; Sandholtz, 1997). For instance, many games incorporate clear goals, achievement-based systems and rewarding mechanisms that motivate students to discover more (Kazimoglu et al., 2012). Course instructors can utlize high score charts to entice the players to improve their performance and to share their scores with others when they do well. Of course, such technologies may be utilized outside the context of entertainment; and are considered as part of a thoughtful progress toward discovery-based learning (Lugmayr, Sutinen, Suhonen, Sedano, Hlavacs & Montero, 2017; Wouters, Van Nimwegen, Van Oostendorp & Van Der Spek, 2013). The serious games are not created with the primary purpose of pure entertainment, but with the intention for use in education and training (Loh, Sheng & Ifenthaler, 2015). These games have defined learning outcomes that are designed to balance subject matter with gameplay (Kiili, 2005). The gameplay allows students to apply their conceptual knowledge. Previous studies have reported that such technologies in education can enhance the learning interests of students (Ebner & Holzinger, 2007) and could further increase their motivation (Burguillo, 2010; Dickey, 2011). Researchers have also indicated that the digital game based learning and educational apps on mobile devices are becoming an integral part of the children's cognitive development as they support them at home and at school (Camilleri & Camilleri, 2019b; Nolan & McBride, 2014; Huang, Huang & Tschopp, 2010; Zheng, McAlack, Wilmes, Kohler‐Evans & Williamson, 2009; Harris, Mishra & Koehler, 2009). Consequently, the mobile learning technologies hold great potential as students can improve their knowledge, skills and learning performance in an informal manner (through communication technologies (Hwang & Wu, 2012; Camilleri & Camilleri, 2017a; Ciampa, 2014).