Why mobile phones are a powerful learning tool

Information technology has evolved to a point where it is indistinguishable from last century’s sci-fi concepts. I am interested in and passionate about education, and usually, I handle topics such as essay writing service reviews best service. However, my interest extends to all learning tools and enhancements. Hence this article is a love letter to our most miraculous day-to-day items: phones. 

This device’s name is almost a legacy term. Back in the very recent past, a mobile phone was simply a phone you could carry around. Today’s phones are so much more than that. 

They have evolved into powerful mobile computers with cameras, geo-location, recording capabilities, mp3, video players, and many more features. Amazingly, all of these functions fit in a device that’s the size of your palm.

The reason why we don’t walk around in an amazed stupor is that we’ve gotten used to the idea of having these phones. That being said, let’s analyse why these devices are powerful learning tools and should be used more often.

• Volume of information

It may seem like an alien concept, yet knowledge was only available to a chosen few for most of human history. Those of high birth or wealth could get their hands on books they required. After all, books were copied by hand, and this was a costly process. 

The printing press revolutionised the landscape and made copying books much cheaper, yet common people still were restricted in what they could read. 

Today’s technology has changed the information landscape. Using your phone apps, you can browse the same books that wealthy people read. The social stratification of information has been abolished. Almost the entire body of human knowledge is at your fingertips. 

Given enough time, a skilled autodidact can teach himself almost any subject, especially if that subject does not require didactic material such as lab equipment. 

Our phones are the greatest enemy that Ignorance has ever had, and only disinterest can keep us from becoming wiser and more informed. 

•  More fun, faster learning

Have you ever wondered why you can remember entire discographies of song lyrics yet struggle to retain a single page from your college or high school manual? 

The answer is as intuitive as it is true: memory is based on fun. Due to the brain’s hormonal and neurochemical setup, memories are kept or discarded based on how you feel while experiencing them.

This mechanism prevents clutter, letting you remember the highlights of your life and not every time you brushed your teeth.

Smart system, yet it can work against us. Academic work can get boring very fast, and only a select few manage to keep the interest ignited. 

What does this have to do with phones? Well, phones are multimedia devices that can introduce information in other formats. TV stations have been trying and failing for years to make some compelling edutainment programming. 

Yet, sites such as Youtube have built vast communities of people who watch informational videos for fun because the videos themselves are well-made and engaging. Channels such as Crash Course and Sci Show are basically free online entry-level courses. 

Using your phone, you can view these educational videos, listen to podcasts, or join like-minded students forums. 

You will learn faster because the format is more engaging, while the information stays the same.

• Constant access

Some fascinating studies point to a fatal flaw in our education system. As the body matures, teenagers and young adult’s circadian rhythms change. In plain English: most teens are natural night-owls due to their changing brains; thus, they are more learning impaired and exhausted in the morning. 

Maybe forcing them to sit to classes at 8 AM is counter-productive, given that their mind kicks into gear at 11 AM. 

The advantage brought by phones is that they are always at your disposal. You do not depend on a set time slot to start learning and reading. Whenever you are in the mood, at whatever hour your mind feels the sharpest, your phone will be there waiting for you.

Conclusion

Technical limitations dictated the way we learned. We often took a mass-production approach to teach our children. The result was an impersonal and bland system that failed to produce results no matter how much money was sunk into it.

Thankfully, your phone can complement traditional schooling. It is a learning tool whose capabilities outstrip even the vastest physical library, all presented in an accessible format at any hour of the day.