Mobile learning and

the student success

imperative
Mobile learning and
the student success
imperative This eBook includes:

Theory
Studies show that test results are higher The link between mobile learning
in classes where students have access to and increased intrinsic motivation
mobile devices. As a result, mobile learning is
User story
on the rise, growing by 18.2%* a year around
Using mobile learning in a real
the globe. Mobile learning enables schools classroom situation
and teachers to offer students greater
choice in how and when they learn, which Voice & choice
Five quick ways to increase
has a direct impact on students’ intrinsic motivation with itslearning
motivation. This presentation looks at how
you can use mobile learning to increase School leaders
For school leaders who want to
student motivation – and results.
implement mobile learning at their
school
The most important benefit of mobile learning is the ability to
increase students’ intrinsic motivation.

*SOURCE: Gen Z infographic

2
Theory
The link between mobile
learning and increased intrinsic
motivation
Research has established that intrinsic motivation has a
positive effect on learning and academic achievement.
Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to
engage in tasks willingly and are eager to improve their skills.

Theory 3
Theory
How can mobile learning
increase intrinsic motivation?
Intrinsic motivation is driven by interest or enjoyment
in the task itself. Through the combination of mobile
devices and a learning platform, you can increase
intrinsic motivation by giving students a voice in what
they learn and a choice in how they demonstrate their
understanding.
When completing a creative writing assignment, for example, you can encourage
your students to choose how to submit their final work: as a video, audio file, written
text or even a cartoon. In this context, the mobile device enables the students to
work in a format they enjoy and at a time that suits them. The learning platform
enables you to easily manage this work, by giving you a digital tool to collect and
review the assignments. In addition, you can make feedback available though the
learning platform immediately after you have reviewed the work, giving students
more time to revise their work before final submission.

Theory 4
Theory
Autonomy, competence and
relatedness
Perhaps the most well-known research on intrinsic motivation was completed by Edward
Deci and Richard Ryan. Deci and Ryan created the Self Determination Theory, in which
they identified three intrinsic motivators: autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Educators increasingly agree that when these three criteria are satisfied, students succeed
in higher-quality learning. In this eBook, we will look at a number of ways in which you can
use mobile learning to increase student autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Theory 5
 Mobile learning is
growing globally by

18.2%
per year

Theory 6
What is mobile learning?

It’s hard to define something that changes all the time,

Studies show that
but for the purpose of this paper, we have chosen this
standardized test results
definition of mobile learning by Crompton, Muilenburg,
are higher in classes where
and Berge.
students have access to
mobile devices. In the US,
test scores of low-income

Mobile learning is learning students climbed as much

as 30% after being given
across multiple contexts, access to smartphones.

through social and content

interactions, using personal Source: http://goo.gl/0kICAh

electronic devices”

What is mobile learning? 7

What is mobile learning?
Mastery + Autonomy = Motivation
Dan Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates
Us, says the secret to high performance and satisfaction at school is
the deeply human need to direct our own lives and learn and create
new things. He illustrates his point brilliantly in his short animated
video.

Source: https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc?t=14s

What is mobile learning? 8

 Standardized test
results have risen by

30%
when using mobile
devices

What is mobile learning? 9

User story | English Teacher Ann Michaelsen

Giving students a choice in how

they learn, to increase motivation
English Teacher “One of the greatest gifts we can give our
students is the opportunity to create their own
Ann Michaelsen’s
education instead of having it delivered to them,”
mobile learning says Ann. “With the teacher as an expert and
approach guide, students can learn how to take ownership
of the content and get a better sense of what
creates a ‘digitally
needs to be done.”
rich’ learning
environment where students The international high school where Ann works
drive the learning process and operates a one-to-one policy, in which every
student is provided with a tablet. The school
make their own discoveries rather
uses the itslearning platform to manage student
than being spoon-fed information. and teacher work. Ann takes advantage of
these tools to increase her students’ motivation
by enabling them to pursue their own interests
within a subject and conduct their own research.

User story 10
 User story | English Teacher Ann Michaelsen

Ann’s simple three-step

approach to teaching

Ann makes the The students choose Students submit their

curriculum goals a topic related to the assignments, are
available on the curriculum goals and tested and receive
itslearning course then research the their grades on
dashboard. topic. itslearning.

User story 11
User story | English Teacher Ann Michaelsen

As seen on BBC TV
Ann and her class wrote Ann can clearly see a link between
student choice and student motivation.
a 200-page book called
Connected Learners: a Step- “With this approach, a lot more students
by-Step Guide to Creating a are working hard because they have
chosen their topics and something they
Global Classroom in 2012.
like to work on.”
Available as an e-book on
Amazon, it is the first book As one of her students puts it:
dealing with the digital
“It’s more up to us now. We get a theme
classroom from a student’s
and can choose what we want to write
perspective. It discusses the about within that theme. We’re more
use of blogs, gamification, motivated when we choose for ourselves.
Then we really put our hearts into it.”
cloud-based servers, Twitter,
Skype, Facebook and search Ann’s teaching practice got the attention
engines in the classroom. of the BBC, who came to visit and film her
class.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/26689320
 User story | English Teacher Ann Michaelsen

Building real
connections with blogs
Today’s students use social media to connect and interact with
peers. Ann puts blogging into a pedagogical context by using
blogs to enable her students to get feedback on their work, not just
from her, but from students and teachers across the globe. She
encourages her students to write blog posts about their work, and
asks teachers and students from schools in Lesotho and China to
add comments – and vice versa.

TOP TIP
Blogs don’t just have to contain writing. They can also include
different types of work, from video and audio files to presentations.
Voice & choice
Five quick ways to
increase student
motivation with
itslearning
Mobile learning does not require a
one-to-one device policy. There are
many ways you can implement mobile
learning through the use of itslearning
and home computers or computer labs.
On the following pages, you can find five
techniques that you could start using
today.

Voice & choice 14

 TOP TIP
Voice & choice |
If you are not sure which
Technique #1 topics to include, create
a survey in itslearning
with possible topics and

Using Groups to allow students

see which are the most
popular among your
students.

to focus on what interests them

most
Students are more likely to engage in their learning if the subject is related to their interests.
Using Groups within itslearning enables you to provide a wider range of topics for students to
choose from.

Explain that you want

your students to teach Use the Group function Create a folder for each
a topic within a subject in itslearning to create Group that only you and When the Group is
to the rest of the class. a Group for each topic the Group can edit. Ask ready, they use the
(For example, if you are and assign students to the Group to find and materials in the folder
teaching about Brazil, a Group based on what create their teaching to teach the topic to the
the topics could include topic they are most materials and add them rest of the class.
history, geography, the interested in. to the folder.
political system, etc.)

Voice & choice 15

 TOP TIP
Voice & choice | Technique #2 You can give the
student’s parents
access to the ILP so
they can also assess

Using ILPs for self- progress and add

comments.

assessment, competence
building and reflection
Students like to know where they stand and what they should do to make progress.
Here’s one way to use Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in itslearning to increase
motivation by involving the student (and their parents) more deeply in this.

Create an ILP for the student As the student works

and add skills related to the on the task, go into the
curriculum. Ask the student ILP and give feedback.
to assess their current skills, Encourage the student to
and provide a task with clear assess their progress as
goals that will help them they move towards their
improve those skills. goals.

Voice & choice 16

 TOP TIP
Voice & choice | Technique #3 Discussion forums
should be monitored
closely to ensure

Using discussion boards for

feedback is positive
and constructive.

peer assessment
Students like to get feedback on what they have done, especially if they can then use that
feedback to improve. This type of formative assessment is usually done by the teacher. Here’s
one way to widen the feedback to include the student’s peers.

Ask the student to complete Ask another student in The first student can then
a task and post the result of the class to go into the have another go at the task,
their work on a discussion discussion and give incorporating the feedback
forum. encouraging feedback. they have received.

Voice & choice 17

Voice & choice | Technique #4

Using the itslearning App for more

effective assessment for learning
Students respond better to feedback if it comes quickly after the
work is handed in. The itslearning App allows you to speed up the
assessment for learning process by delivering assessment feedback
to students between classes.

With itslearning, you can assess your students’ Once the assessment is completed, the student
work anywhere and at any time. Give feedback will be notified immediately by the itslearning
on how the student can improve their work and Mobile App on their smartphone. They can
ask them to make the changes before the final then review your feedback, make the required
deadline. changes and upload a new version of the work.

WWW.ITSLEARNING.NET/ITSLEARNING-APP

Voice & choice 18

 TOP TIP
Ask groups of students

Voice & choice | Technique #5 to work out the averages

for different surveys, and
then ask each group to
Using surveys to present their findings to
the rest of the class.

personalize class work

Teachers often use examples to create a bridge between school 1. Create a survey to get your initial numbers. (For
work and the wider world. But often, these wider world examples example, “how many trees are there in your garden?”)
are still not related to the student. One way to change that is to Ask the students to complete the survey.
use surveys to get general information from the class. In this
example, the students are practicing how to work out mean, mode 2. Give the results of the survey to the students and ask
and median averages, but it can be applied to a range of topics. them to work out the mean, mode and median average.

Today’s middle schoolers use mobile devices for many tasks:

78% 69% 56% 64%

Check grades Take notes Access textbooks Write papers

Voice & choice 19

 Download the
itslearning
App
The itslearning Smartphone App is the smartest
way to ensure every student knows what they have
to do and when. The app gives students a simple
overview of their tasks, homework and assessments
on the device they look at most – and notifies them
of changes in itslearning, such as new assignments
and upcoming deadlines.

For teachers, the real beauty of the itslearning app

is that you don’t have to do anything differently. If
you make a change in itslearning, the student will be
alerted automatically.

It’s that easy!

WWW.ITSLEARNING.NET/ITSLEARNING-APP 20
Mobile learning | What tool to choose?
As a central hub from which The internet is massive, devices Here’s a quick overview of
to direct digital education, the are numerous and content is which tools can be used to
itslearning platform helps you everywhere. itslearning lets you increase your students’ intrinsic
guide your students’ learning, harness the potential of these tools motivation, focusing on autonomy,
collect their work and assess and manage your teaching in a competence and relatedness.
their progress, and manage simple and smart way.
assessment and feedback.

Autonomy: Competence: Relatedness:

“I am choosing to “I’m getting better “My schoolwork is

do this” at this” relevant”
Giving students the Increasing motivation by Motivating students by
freedom to choose topics helping students feel that doing work that is relevant
that interest them and they are making progress to their fellow students and
demonstrate their learning and mastering topics. the world beyond school.
in ways they enjoy.
Timely, actionable feedback that Enabling students to connect with
promotes a feeling of mastery and others: Discussion boards
, Blogs
,
Giving students differentiated incorporates assessment for learning: Chats
, eportfolios
material: Folders, Assignments,
 Assignments
, Discussion boards
,
Groups Chats
, Email
, Audio/Visual recorder
,
Mobile App
Enabling students to choose how
they demonstrate their learning: Helping students feel in control by
Audio/video recorder
, Pages
, letting them know where they are
Surveys
, Crossword puzzles and what they should do to improve:
Learning objectives
, Rubrics

Letting students set and assess Progress reports
, Digital tests
their own learning goals and voice
their learning preferences: Individual
Learning Plans, Surveys

21
 School leaders
How to implement mobile
learning at your school
Mobile learning has huge benefits. Here are four things to keep in mind
when implementing mobile learning at your school.

Set out your Think pedagogy, not Concentrate on the Define some
strategy what device basics first guidelines

Before you start, decide Mobile learning is not device Every student wants No one likes to feel they
what you want to achieve specific. It can happen on to know what they are have to be online all
and how you will measure a laptop, home computer, supposed to do and the time. This applies
success. For example, tablet or even mobile when. Encourage all your to students as well as
decide if you want every phone. If your students teachers to use simple teachers. Define guidelines
teacher in every class using don’t have access to these tools in itslearning – like for when teachers should
mobile learning or just those things, allow them to use the calendar, planner and be available online outside
teachers in subjects where the computer lab at school tasklists – to ensure their classroom hours and make
mobile learning can have when they are not in class. students always have all the these clear to both your
the most benefits. information they need. teachers and your students.

School Leaders 22
 35% of teachers used a tablet or

+75%
e-reader in class in 2013, up from
20% in 2012.

That’s a 75% increase *.

*SOURCE: Gen Z infographic

School Leaders 23
itslearning is mobile
Learn Everywhere
The itslearning Mobile App gives students a simple overview of
their schoolwork on the device they look at most and sends a
notification when a teacher makes a change in itslearning. The
result? Students always know what they have to do and when
to do it.

Source: https://vimeo.com/125571081

itslearning is mobile 24
References and further reading

1. C.R. Smith (2014) “Extrinsic Motivation”. Person Allyn Bacon Prentice 20. Connectedlearners.com
Hall www.education.com/reference/article/extrinsic-motivation-children-
education/ 21. www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/26689320

2. Ryan, R. M.; Deci, E. L. (2000). “Self-determination theory and the 22. ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/05/should-kids-schoolwork-impact-the-
facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being”. real-world/
American Psychologist 55 (1) doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68. 23. ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/18/dan-pink-how-teachers-can-sell-love-
3. educationnext.org/steve-jobs-on-education/ of-learning-to-students/

4. Avi Kaplan (2010). “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation” 24. www.edutopia.org/discussion/what-does-21st-century-classroom-look-

www.education.com/reference/article/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/ collaboration?utm_content=discussion&utm_campaign=what-does-
21st-century-classroom-look-collaboration&utm_source=twitter&utm_
5. www.ejtn.eu/Documents/Motivation_workplace_Otilia.pdf medium=socialflow&utm_term=link
6. www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198710_brophy.pdf 25. https://books.google.no/books?id=mW4XnKr9Hi0C
7. theconversation.com/do-mobile-devices-in-the-classroom-really-improve-
learning-outcomes-38740
8. www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/intrinsic-motivation/
9. http://www.danpink.com/drive/
10. http://educationnext.org/steve-jobs-on-education/
11. www.rochester.edu/pr/Review/V72N6/0401_feature1.html (Deci and
Ryan)
12. http://www.jite.org/documents/Vol8/JITEv8p059-085Shroff416.pdf
13. Wang, S. K., & Reeves, T. (2006).
The Effects of a Web-Based Learning Environment on Student Motivation
in a High School Earth Science Course. Educational
14. Technology Research & Development, 54(6), 597-621.
15. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002).
An overview of self-determination theory. In E. L.
16. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research.
Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.
17. www.elearningindustry.com/motivate-learners-self-determination-theory-
e-learning
18. www.expandinglearning.org/expandingminds/article/rise-any-time-any-
place-any-path-any-pace-learning-afterschool-and-summer-new
19. www.gamified.uk/gamification-framework/the-intrinsic-motivation-ramp/

References and further reading 25

For more information about itslearning please visit:
www.itslearning.net