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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 (2012) 1554 1557

1877-0428 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hseyin Uzunboylu

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.860

CY-ICER 2012

The way we teach, the way they learn

Pir Suhail Ahmed*

English Language Institute, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 21589

Abstract

The journey of learning has gone through all the periods, from classroom teaching to e-learning and m-Learning. The evolutionof mobile devices has changed the way of learning and teaching. Learners have become tech-savvy and are keen to be practical inusing latest technology anywhere and everywhere. This is the society of digital natives who respect knowledge, wisdom andhuman experience less and less and rely on the technology around them the most. In this age, students are inventing the ways touse these devices to learn what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords: mLearning; postmodern pedagogy; teaching technology;digital natives; youth culture

Introduction

The journey of learning has gone through all the periods, from classroom teaching to e-Learning and m-Learning.

The evolution of mobile devices has changed the way of learning and teaching. Learners have become tech-savvy

and are keen to be practical in using the latest technology anywhere and everywhere. This is the society of digital

natives who respect knowledge, wisdom and human experience less and less and rely on the technology around

them the most.

Digital Natives and their World

Digital natives as Marc Presnky regards them are the ones who have grown up in the new digital landscape. For this

generation, there's never been a time when computers, the Web, cell phones, and all of the other digital wonders

haven't existed. He further writes, we are digital immigrants who speak, hear and think digital with an accent. Like

all immigrants some of us are better than others at adapting to the ways of the new country, but like all immigrants,we retain some degree of our accent from the old country . We have entered this digital era willingly or forcefully

but we are reluctant to learn the skills to face this change and gain the advantage. We use laptops, palm devices,

iPads, iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys and various other kinds of devices every day without exploring the other uses of

these gadgets. The days of chalk and talk are gone when the teacher used to bring a book and some chalk into the

classroom and students were content and learned in the way teacher taught. In order to survive, function, work and

teach effectively in this digital era we need more than just mere practical acquaintance with the pervasive nature of

*Corresponding author. Tel.: +966566387056

E-mail address: ppir@kau.edu.sa/ssarhandi@yahoo.com

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hseyin Uzunboylu

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these digital gadgets. Our learners are inventing the ways to use these devices to learn what they want and how they

want.

The Youth Culture

Our young learners or screenagers ( as Ian Jukes calls them ) are enthusiastic about using tools from their own world

and are impressed by the ultra-modern equipment they possess and expect the teachers to use the same tools.

l assignments as work or tasks that are done with their

latest gadgets; instead they are keen to learn and explore the various features of these devices and their implications

in the process of learning. Our learners are expected to improve communicative competence that would help them

exchange information with the members of the target culture. Effective use of these ingenious tools can make both

educators and learners aware of the learners' special skills, thus grooming their self-confidence and helping

educators to moderate the teaching techniques according to the skills of the learners in their youth culture.

Brown (2006) points out that attitude is related to thoughts as well as feelings and emotions. Attitudes govern howone approaches learning, which in the case of language requires exposure to a different culture and to the difficulty

of mastering a second language. Our limited traditional resources in a language class may not provide a sufficientlyproductive environment for the acquisition of communicative competence. Effective use of technology, combing thebest of behaviourist and cognitive methods may furnish a more suitable platform for students to experience thetarget language and culture. ds, iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys ,

increasingly they have internalized it." In order to meet today's teaching demands, the educators must become notonly experts in their fields, but facilitators of student learning. This technological era has also changed the face ofthe teacher-learner relationship; ing the teacher.

e to Learn

This is the time when educators need to assess the learning and teaching approaches, methods and techniques that

would fulfill and cater to the needs of this Instant Messenger Generation. As a language instructor, I feel a dire need

of the post-modern pedagogies that would satisfy me as an educator and my learners as digital natives.

Postmodernism, according to Clive Beck, is not just a philosophical movement: it is found also, for example, in

architecture, the graphic arts, dance, music, literature, and literary theory. As a general cultural phenomenon, it has

such features as the challenging of convention, the mixing of styles, tolerance of ambiguity, and emphasis on

diversity, acceptance (indeed celebration) of innovation and change, and stress on the constructedness of reality.

I deduce, it is never too late to learn. We should challenge our pedagogical myths and prejudices and welcome this

irresistible digital bombardment. The time has come to recognize new opportunities to put these ubiquitous devices

to practical use in the learning and teaching process.

Mobile Revolution

Cell phones are ubiquitous and have become an indispensable element in the lives of our students who have grown

up with a digitally mediated life from cradle. Mobile technologies have excluded the idea of formal learning style or

the concept that learning only happens in the classroom by furnishing the teaching and learning materials where ever

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and whenever needed. Mobile learning provides new paths and real world resources to the teaching and learning

process. Due to its latest approach towards assessing and acquiring knowledge, it has a positive impact. Some

researchers (Waycott, 2005, Kukulska Hulme and Traxler, 2005) theorize that the use of mobile technologies such

as cell phones or PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have the potential to revolutionize learning. The mobile

revolution is a reality and no one can resist its impact."Mobile technologies, particularly mobile phones can provoke

a sense of personal ownership of learning tasks and technologies used to support learning in learners. (Waycott,

2005)

Under-utilized Devices

Mobile devices are omnipresent, especially mobile phones, which are widely used in many developed anddeveloping countries, and have become part and parcel of our lives. Instead of using other expensive mobile devices,it would be appropriate to use these pervasive devices as educational tools. Combined with visual, kinaesthetic andtactile learning styles, these under-utilized devices as educational tools can contribute to a more holistic approach tolearning,

Motivational Tools

There is a need to promote motivation amongst students to learn English. It is believed that students lack motivation

to learn language and are said to enter universities, especially Saudi Arabian universities, with poor EFL skills. In

fact, about 70 per cent of those who enroll at the university preparatory year program (PYP) are placed in the lowest

level based on the university's entrance exam. Motivation is regarded "as a key component of a model of language

learning" (Sponsky, 2000). It is the combination of desire and effortful behavior to learn a language. There is a need

of thinking innovatively and seeking new ways to motivate our learners. A blended learning like, mobile learning,

could be used as part of a learning approach that provides various kinds of activities. Mobile devices can serve as

motivational tools if used effectively and tactfully , we can

strengthen their confidence and self-esteem.Digital mobile learning approaches increasingly support the principles

of social Figures i a learner centered philosophy that allows for a high degree of

learner control and the in -Steele 2006:3).

It is my belief that , if the students are encouraged to use these mobile devices in their formal learning, this newaspect of the learning experience would help the teaching and learning process become more meaningful and result-oriented. Sharing this new pedagogical use of devices wouldn't only improve learners' motivation but also wouldpromote autonomy among learners.

timate attainment of goals is possible only

Modern technology has given ample opportunity to learners to participate in the choice of method and approach totheir learning that has placed them equal to the teacher. So the teacher is required to accept this change and waivesome of his/her power and control.

Conclusion

"Someday, in the distant future, our grandchildren's grandchildren will develop a new equivalent of our classrooms.They will spend many hours in front of boxes with fires glowing within. May they have the wisdom to know thedifference between light and knowledge?" - Plato

. We have stepped into the age where we can learn anywhere and anytime. Theutmost need is to know how to utilize these ubiquitous devices in our learning environment. The role of a teacher ina widespread computing environment is not only to support individual learning, but to blend individual learning intoa shared class experience (Roschelle & Pea, 2002; Swan, Kratcoski, Schenker, Cook, & Lin, 2007). As teachers we

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should accept this new trend and pedagogical progress with an open mind and welcome it in our classroom settingsand let the learners learn the way they want.

References

Clive Beck (1993). Postmodernism, Pedagogy, and Philosophy of Education

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/eps/PES-Yearbook/93_docs/BECK.HTM

Brown, B., Richard Harper and N.Green. (2001) Wireless world: Social and interactional aspects of the mobile age. Springer-Verlag New York,Inc.

Secaucus, NJ, USA

Bryan Alexander (2004).M-Learning: Emergent pedagogical and Campus Issues in the Mobile Learning Environment., Center for Educational

Technology, Middlebury College (Educase Center for Applied Linguistics, Research Bulletin (volume 2004, issue 16, August 3 rd,

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Don Tapscott (1997) Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0070633614

James P. Byrnes (2001). Minds, Brains, and Learning, Understanding the Psychological and Educational Relevance of Neuroscientific Research,

Guildford Press, ISBN: 1572306521

Karen Swan, Annette Kratcoski (2007). Highly Mobile Devices, Pedagogical Possibilities, and How Teaching Needs to Be Reconceptualized toRealize Them Research Center for Educational Technology, Kent State University (ET_May-June_2007_swan)

Kukulska-Hulme, A., and J. Traxler. (2005). Mobile learning: A handbook for educators and trainers. London: Routledge

Mark Prensky(a) (September/October 2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1, On the Horizon,

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Swan, K., Kratcoski, A., Schenker, J., Cook, D., & Lin, Y.(2007). The ubiquitous computing classroom: A glimpse of the future today. In M. van

Warlick, D. (2006, May 22). Curriculum is dead. 2 cents worth; http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2006/5/22/curric