Preparing Preservice Teachers to Use Mobile Technologies

Mobile technology is an essential for everyone's daily use, especially in distance education. Learning with mobile technology is a solution to distance learning problems for students to be able to study anywhere and at any time. This paper presents an implementation of a distance education model with mobile technology, designed to include input, process, output, and feedback to help teachers support distance learning of undergraduate students who are studying one of the three majors within Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University's School of Liberal Arts. Input consists of learners' analysis; determining learning objectives; teachers, learners and supportive staff; organizing learning environment and technologies to support learning; and media of distance education lessons through mobile technology. Process consists of conducting teaching and learning activities with step one: preparation of teachers and learners, step 2: conducting learning activities, and step 3: measurement and evaluation. Output consists of learning achievement and the efficiency of a distance education model. Feedback consists of information reaction from students. In addition, distance education lessons were developed for students to learn through the MOODLE learning management system, which includes mobile technology. Students can select their learning options with infographics pages or video clips. Social networks were provided as available channels for students asking questions or giving feedback at any time. Moreover, pre-tests and post-tests were included for assessment by themselves. Finally, students had made significant progress in their studies and were satisfied with the teaching and learning via mobile technology at a high level. Another important consideration is that some students dropped out because of their family and work responsibilities. That is why this paper intends to propose the use of mobile technology to support and stimulate the teaching and learning of students to successfully graduate as intended. In further research, this distance education model could possibly be applied to other schools of undergraduate and graduate students who study in a distance learning environment.

BackgroundMobile communication technologies provide novel opportunities to support clinic-based health initiatives. Adoption of technologies for daily use and for health communication can differ between communities, depending upon demographic and cultural characteristics.Design and methodsA survey was administered in adolescent primary care and subspecialty clinics to assess parent-adolescent preferences in use of mobile technologies and social media to support provider-patient communication in an urban Latino community.ResultsOf 130 respondents (65 parent-adolescent pairs), approximately half frequently sent and received text messages but lacked agreement regarding the other’s text messaging use. In contrast, adolescents only rarely used email compared to parents (15.4% versus 37.5%, P=0.006). Of social media, Facebook™/MySpace™ was most frequently used by parents and youth (60% and 55.4%, P=0.59); however, most lacked interest in using social media for health communication. Parents reported more interest than adolescents in receiving email (73.4% versus 35.9%, P<0.001) and text messages (58.5% versus 33.9%, P=0.005) for health, but had more concerns about privacy issues (26.2% versus 9.2%, P=0.01). Respondents who were American born (aOR 5.7, 95%CI 1.2-28.5) or regularly used Instant Messaging or Facebook™/MySpace™ (aOR 4.6, 95%CI 1.4-14.7) were more likely to be interested in using social media for health communication.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of targeted assessment for planning the utilization of communication technologies and social media in clinical care or research for underserved youth.Significance for public healthCommunication technologies provide novel opportunities to support clinic-based health initiatives for underserved youth. However, adoption of technologies among communities may differ depending upon demographic and cultural characteristics. We surveyed a sample of urban Latino parents and youth regarding their current use of mobile and social media technologies and preferences for use of these technologies for health communication. This is the first study to compare the perspective of underserved parents and their youth regarding use of a wide variety of mobile and social communication technologies, concordance between youth-parent pairs in perceived use of texting and preferences for the purpose of health communication. Our findings differ from those from adults surveyed in other under-served communities, highlighting heterogeneity between communities. Variations in use of communication technologies and social media and preferences between parent-youth pairs suggest that understanding these factors within target populations is crucial for successful use to support health and health services.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to quarantines and mandatory spatial distancing; people of all ages were encouraged to use technologies instead of actual human contact as part of COVID-19 prevention. The promotion of mobile applications (apps) during the pandemic influenced mobile technology use behavior. This study explored age differences in mobile technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot-tested survey was distributed using online survey software. Persons surveyed were 35 years of age or older, currently living in the United States of America with experience using mobile technology. Survey questions pertained to mobile technology use frequency and factors influencing the decision to use mobile technology. The nationwide response included 1212 individuals. The average age of participants is 56.12±12.26 years old (female: male = 1.24:1). Responses were categorized participants into three age groups, 35 to 49, 50 to 64, and 65 or older. Daily mobile technology use frequency increased significantly (p<0.01) for all groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants 35 to 49 having a significantly higher (p<0.01) use frequency than other groups. Regarding factors influencing the decision to use mobile technology, 64.1% of respondents aged 50 to 64 identified the necessity of using this technology during the pandemic as a significant factor, and 64.0% of participants in age 65 or older reported that the availability of functions on mobile devices is critical. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in mobile technology use with people in different age groups differentially valuing the factors that affected their user behavior.

This study examined differences in pre-service teachers’ perceptions of practicum support systems according to the type of early childhood education institution. A survey was conducted with 298 pre-service teachers from nine teacher education institutions in the D and S regions. The results revealed significant differences in perceptions of both practicum support content and support methods by institution type. Specifically, differences were found in attitudes formed through practicum experiences, priorities and rationales for support, perceptions of support providers’ expertise and roles, support team organization, barriers to support, effective support strategies, timing and frequency of support, on-site visits, and the provision of educational resources. Based on these findings, this study provides foundational data for establishing an effective practicum support system for the preparation of pre-service early childhood teachers by suggesting concrete educational content and instructional methods.

Purpose. The article discusses the use of mobile technologies in teaching mathematics to engineering students. The relevance of the paper is due to the need to introduce new methods and means of teaching in connection with the increasing integration of mobile technologies into all areas of life, the interests and characteristics of the new, networked generation of students, the limited possibilities of using innovative methods and means of teaching mathematics due to the conduct of classes outside the computer lab.Materials and methods. The peculiarity of this study is that the integration of mobile technologies into the process of teaching mathematics is considered as a system of three components: technological, informational and social. The analysis of these components made it possible to obtain answers to research questions: where and how mobile devices should be used when studying mathematics; what mobile applications will provide the most effective learning of the discipline; how to organize the educational process using mobile technologies to increase interest and motivation in learning mathematics.Results. The main reasons for the lack of interest in studying mathematics and low motivation include the high level of abstraction of the discipline and the characteristics of the modern, networked generation of students. Analysis of scientific sources and our own observations made it possible to identify such characteristics as problems with understanding complex and long text, the ability to easily read from a small screen and process information in parallel, the choice of sound and images instead of text, the desire for short-term learning and instant results, and attitude towards mobile devices as vital items. Taking into account the interests and wishes of students, and relying on the didactic capabilities of mobile technologies, the paper proposes mobile applications for studying various topics of a mathematical course, assignment options that help increase motivation, develop group work skills and digital literacy. The importance and effectiveness of using social services for visualizing mathematical concepts and calculation schemes, as well as the WhatsApp messenger for instant messaging between students and receiving timely individual and group consultation from a lecturer, is shown. An important characteristic of the messenger is the presence of video communication.Conclusion. The analysis of scientific literature, the study of the requirements of employers and the interests of the modern, networked generation of students, indicated the need to integrate mobile technologies into the process of teaching mathematics. Working with different groups in terms of both the level of mathematical knowledge and the level of proficiency in mobile technologies made it possible to identify and outline ways to solve the main issues of using mobile technologies in teaching mathematics. With limited time to study mathematics, it is difficult for a lecturer to allocate additional time to present the capabilities and effectiveness of mobile applications. A solution to this issue may be to include a section “Mobile Technologies” in a course related to the study of information and communication technologies. It is noted that group work also contributes to a more effective study of the capabilities and techniques of working with mobile applications.

There are many theories that attempt to explain second language acquisition processes and factors determining success or failure. Despite a lack of general agreement between proponents of these theories, research has convincingly shown that the amount of exposure to target language input is one important predictor of ultimate achievement levels. „Time on task‟ is as important in language learning as it is in many other domains (cf. Reber, 1993) and it is therefore important to identify ways in which this can be increased. An obvious possibility is to encourage learners to engage with (and in) the language outside the classroom. Informal learning, in the sense of learning outside of formal education, has been shown to be a major aspect of adult learning (Cross, 2007) and, given appropriate preparation and support, learners can greatly increase opportunities for learning if they can do so independently. Mobile technologies have obvious potential in this regard. However, is it possible to improve language skills in this way? In this article we report on an exploratory study into the use of cellphones for extensive listening practice. We used input enhancement to draw learners‟ attention to not only the meaning of the materials but also the formal (grammatical) aspects of the input. We found that the use of mobile technology presented a number of challenges and in this study did not result in learners acquiring the target structures. We conclude with a number of recommendations for the use and future study of mobile technologies for (language) learning.

Sheabutter processing and marketing is a major traditional enterprise among women in the Northern Ghana. The use of mobile technology has increased rapidly in many developing countries including Ghana. Looking at the unique marketing and other forms of transactions among women in the shea industry, it is essential for the industry to adopt mobile technology to ensure smooth transaction and market transformation. Mobile money technology adoption and shea butter marketing among women was studied by using cross-sectional survey data from Tolon District in Northern Ghana. A total of 250 women sheabutter processors and marketers in 13 communities in the district was selected randomly in 2022. The impact of mobile money technology adoption was analyzed using the Heckman Treatment model, and revealed that the adoption of mobile money technology had positive impact on sheabutter marketing. The factors influencing mobile technology adoption were also examined using the Probit model. The study recommends that expansion of mobile technology networks, increased investment in education, provision of credit facilities to processors can improve the sheabutter business. Women processors in rural communities should be trained on how to use mobile phones to access financial services by telecommunication companies and NGOs.

Business relationships have been studied for decades (Wilkinson, 2001). However, the literature has been criticized of the lack of focus on information technology (IT) usage within business relationships (Reid &amp; Plank, 2000). As managers have started to employ digital tools such as the Internet, intranets, and extranets, buyer-seller relationship scholars have realized the need to focus on IT deployment within relationships. There is a growing body of research that focuses on the different types of technologies being employed such as electronic data interchange (EDI) (Naudé, Holland, &amp; Sudbury, 2000), Internet-based EDI (Angeles, 2000), and extranet (Vlosky, Fontenot, &amp; Blalock, 2000) and their influence on business relationships. Nevertheless, mobile technology usage within business relationships is a nascent field of scientific inquiry. Besides buyer-seller relationship literature, mobile commerce (MC) (conducting commercial activities via mobile networks) literature also noticeably lacks academic research on business usage of mobile technology (Okazaki, 2005; Scornavacca, Barnes, &amp; Huff, 2005). By combining these indications for further research from the buyer-seller relationship and MC fields it can be argued that there is a clear call for research in this area. Hence, I aim to bridge some aspects of the identified research gap. The research gap is filled in by discussing bonding within buyer-seller relationships to illustrate how mobile technologies create a novel bond in business relationships. It is acknowledged that some research on the adoption of mobile technology in the business context exists (see e.g., Kadyté, 2005). The paper is organized as follows: First, a brief discussion of the background of business relationships, mobile technologies, and bonding is provided. Then, I highlight how mobile technologies are used within relationships with a case study. After that, future trends in this pertinent area are presented. The paper finishes with a concluding discussion.

PurposeMobile technologies have become indispensable in sales. However, there is a lack of agreement about whether mobile technology use facilitates the sales job or contributes to the salesperson’s stress and reduced job satisfaction. To address this controversy, this study aims to examine the effect of mobile technology use (smartphones, laptop computers and tablets) on salespeople’s role stress and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses are tested using responses of 265 sales employees working for a broad range of industries in Spain.FindingsThis study shows that mobile technology use during working hours has a positive effect on job satisfaction through a mediating process that involves role stress. In addition, the impact of mobile technology use on role stress is strengthened by technological compatibility.Originality/valueThe current study extends previous research by moving beyond a focus on technology-centric outcomes (i.e. sales performance) to understanding broader, more psychological outcomes, namely, role stress and job satisfaction. Importantly, previous research reporting that salespeople feel “plugged in” to a device all day have not made the distinction about when the mobile device is used. One important difference in this study is that it exclusively focuses on mobile technology use during working hours.

In this chapter the RASE learning design framework is proposed as a key strategy for utilizing multiple affordances of mobile learning technology. This learning design framework is based on the premise that an effective learning environment must include and integrate at least four core components, namely: Resources, Activity, Support and Evaluation. The activity component is the most important, requiring students to engage with intellectual and knowledge-based developments. Mobile technology offers a number of affordances that support learning, including: Resources, Connectivity, Collaboration, Capture, Representation, Analytical and Administration tools. Effective use of mobile technology includes deployment of these affordances in the learning design in a way that supports different components of the RASE framework and achievement of set learning outcomes. This chapter presents and discusses concepts, arguments, and a discussion of an example of an app that integrates multiple affordances, supported by all components of the RASE learning design framework.

Mobile technologies enable both education and science lecturers to provide the educational materials to their students on mobile technologies. But many science and education lectures educators were likely not using mobile technology to its maximum potential. The objectives were to examine the relationship between science and education lecturers and the effect of specialisation in the use of mobile technologies for instruction. The study was a descriptive research of survey type. 160 respondents were randomly selected for this study from the faculty of science and education. Frequency, percentage, multiple regression, and ANOVA were used for the analysis. The findings established that a positive relationship exists between science and education lecturers in the use of mobile technologies for instruction. It was recommended that lecturers should be encouraged to explore different ways in which mobile technologies can be used in teaching and learning.

In an increasingly digital era, mobile technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, permeating various aspects, including education. with their portable nature and wide range of functionalities, mobile devices offer new opportunities for learners to access information, collaborate with peers, and engage in interactive learning experiences. This article investigates university learners' experiences with mobile technology, as well as their perceived barriers to such experiences in the context of English language learning. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, comprising surveys and interviews to investigate students' practices and barriers related to using mobile technology for language learning. The quantitative stage involves a sample of 142 participants, while the qualitative stage focuses on a subset of 16 participants selected for representation and diversity. The findings show extensive reliance of students on their devices for on-campus and off-campus learning activities, including chatting with AI models, social networking, app-based learning, and watching course-related videos. Furthermore, several barriers pertaining to the device, the teacher, and the learner were identified as obstacles to the effective use of mobile technology for academic purposes. Overall, this study stresses the potential of mobile devices for language learning and offers valuable insights into how students use them. Language teachers and researchers can utilize these findings to maximize the benefits of mobile technology while mitigating its drawbacks.

The current explosion in mobile computing and telecommunications technologies holds the potential to transform "everyday" time and space, as well as changes to the rhythms of social institutions. Sociologists are only just beginning to explore what the notion of "mobility" might mean when mediated through computing and communications technologies, and so far, the sociological treatment has been largely theoretical. This article seeks instead to explore how a number of dimensions of time and space are being newly reconstructed through the use of mobile communications technologies in everyday life. The article draws on long-term ethnographic research entitled "The Socio-Technical Shaping of Mobile Multimedia Personal Communications," conducted at the University of Surrey. This research has involved ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a variety of locales and with a number of groups. This research is used here as a resource to explore how mobile communications technologies mediate time in relation to mobile spaces. First the paper offers a review and critique of some of the major sociological approaches to understanding time and space. This review entails a discussion of how social practices and institutions are maintained and/or transformed via mobile technologies. Ethnographic data is used to explore emerging mobile temporalities. Three interconnected domains in mobile time are proposed: rhythms of mobile use, rhythms of mobile use in everyday life, and rhythms of mobility and institutional change. The article argues that while these mobile temporalities are emerging, and offer new ways of acting in and perceiving time and space, the practical construction of mobile time in everyday life remains firmly connected to well-established time-based social practices, whether these be institutional (such as clock time, "work time") or subjective (such as "family time").

In this study relationships between preservice early childhood teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and their mentor teachers’ mentoring were examined. Quantitative research method was used in the study by the using multivariate data collections. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) was administered to 96 pre-service teachers and mentor teachers. Time spent teaching and observing science was recorded also recorded by participants by the using time trackers. The Mentoring for Effective Science Teaching (MEST) instrument measured perceptions of the teachers’ mentoring activities, including modeling and feedback. Correlational analyses estimated the relationship between the preservice and mentor teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, beliefs and time spent teaching, and beliefs and modeling and feedback. The findings suggest that mentor teachers play an important role in the preparation of preservice teachers, and that this role is particularly true for those mentors with higher science teaching self-efficacy beliefs. It also showed that how teaching practices have significant roles while preparing future teachers. For teacher education program could be pay attention to teaching practices while giving a decision for choosing mentor teachers. For future researchers may also look at the different sections of mentoring practices and their impacts on preservice teacher’s teaching skills.

The objective was to appraise the current use of mobile technologies for the conservative self-management of urinary incontinence (UI). Moreover, we aimed to explore whether they integrate recommended features for the use of mobile technologies in healthcare and recognized parameters for optimal conservative UI treatment. We conducted a literature search on Medline, Embase, CINAHL, REHABDATA, Cochrane Library and PEDro databases. Eligible articles included people with UI of any type and use of a mobile technology for the conservative self-management of UI. Two reviewers independently screened, reviewed, and extracted data on study design, type of mobile technologies, valuable features, and outcomes related to UI. Twelve articles (level of evidence II to V) were retained. Technologies used were a mobile app alone (n = 2), a Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) device and app (n = 2), a PFMT device and telerehabilitation (n = 1), a smartphone messaging system (n = 1), and an internet-based program (n = 1). PFMT programs prescribed a daily frequency for at least 8weeks. Between 1 and 4 valuable features were reported out of 6 identified. After intervention, at least 1 outcome on UI severity was reported improved in 6/7 studies, satisfaction was high in 3/3 studies and adherence was high (daily usage) in 4/5 studies. There is level 2 evidence that there are benefits of using mobile technologies in terms of improvements in UI, satisfaction, adherence, and costs. Mobile technologies reviewed seem to follow optimal PFMT parameters, but users could benefit further from more built-in features that may optimize rehabilitation outcomes.