A general term used for cellular phones, both with and without internet capabilities.
Published in Chapter:
Using Smartphones in the College Classroom
Dani V. McMay (State University of New York at Fredonia, USA) and Jennifer L. Dyck (State University of New York at Fredonia, USA)
Source Title: Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior
Copyright: © 2015|Pages: 7
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8239-9.ch049
Abstract
As technology has advanced, cellphones have become smartphones, and ownership of smartphones by college students has become the norm. Smartphones are closer to mini computers that also make phone calls than cellphones with PDA (personal digital assistant) features. In addition to specialized apps that have been developed for use in the college classroom, activities that make use of the smartphone's immediate access to resources on the internet have been developed. The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of the most recent research on how smartphones have increasingly come to be included in the college classroom, including student and teacher perceptions of the value of using this technology for real time feedback during a lecture session. Future directions include the need for much more focus on best practices and a better connection between merely incorporating the technology and improving learning outcomes.