USE OF GSM AS A MEDIUM FOR LEARNING
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USE OF GSM AS A MEDIUM FOR LEARNING
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The globe is quickly becoming a global village, with telecommunications playing an important role in the communication process. The latest growth in Smartphone communication in Nigeria has completely transformed people’s perceptions.
Most notably, our society’s educated elite is particularly interested in adapting to new advancements that will allow them to better utilise their potentials. As a result, these social elites are increasingly reliant on mobile technology for learning and other activities. (Ekukudo, 2009).
The usage of smartphones for learning is not limited to students. Nonetheless, smartphones are used for exchanging ideas, converting currencies, using calculators and dictionaries, playing games, and communicating with family, friends, and well-wishers. Smartphones are currently being used for several purposes, including social networking.
In most urban centres in Africa and around the world, smartphones are used to transfer money from one financial institution to another on behalf of customers. The advantages of smartphones cannot be quantified. These Smartphone handsets used to come with additional capabilities, allowing the owner to add more features to meet his or her needs.
For example, these smartphones have a mobile Bible and Quran, internet connectivity options like as Facebook, Yahoo, and Google, and the ability to record, save, and play music and movies.
All of these features make the Smartphone one of the most powerful learning tools. Phone users can communicate with one another, record exceptional moments in life, listen to music, install games, programs, and videos, transfer data and files to other compatible devices, and access the internet (www).
These are a few key characteristics of the most contemporary Smartphone, which make it (the Smartphone) faster and easier to learn and search the internet for academic materials. Its impact and applications can be both positive and detrimental, particularly in the academic setting. (Ofonime 2009).
However, as the world’s technology advances, smartphones have remained an essential tool for communication. The global telecommunications sector is rapidly evolving, with one invention replacing another.
The telephone system, which is available on fixed wireless lines or via smartphone communication, is a significant advancement. Smartphone handset technologies have dramatically improved communication efficiency, allowing messages to be sent and received with maximum speed and efficiency around the world and within space (Bittner 1989).
In 2001, the Nigerian telecom sector expanded significantly. The Smartphone was introduced, and Nigerians embraced it. Smartphones were a welcome development in Nigeria because the world has become more globalised, and information technology is one of the factors contributing to this.
With these, Nigeria has joined the league of nations on the path to economic development through communication technology. According to the NCC (2012) study released by the National Communication Commission, around 90 million Nigerians have mobile phones. Without a doubt, this is a significant boost for the telecommunications industry.
According to the same survey, the percentage of mobile telecommunication subscribers in Nigeria is more than 90%, demonstrating how much the country has accepted smartphones as a tool for communication.
Smartphone communication has undoubtedly had a good impact on Nigerians’ lives, since it allows for effective communication not only in cities but also in rural areas.
Nigerian smartphone users can now use their phones to do a variety of things, including making voice calls, sending short message services (Texts), and other high-level services such as transmitting (sending) and receiving still and line images, and watching live events from anywhere in the world (Kazoh, 2008).
Many scientists, presenters, and authors, like Cook (2010) and O’Dell (2009), have studied and discovered that people use smartphones to convey business, texts, and relevant information. As a result, even educational institutions recognised the importance of Smartphone communication for knowledge acquisition. As a result, kids utilise mobile phones to look up assignments, transmit messages such as class schedules, talk, and make new acquaintances.
Smartphone use is now widespread throughout society and educational institutions. Farmers, market women, labourers, administrators, bankers, instructors, lecturers, and students all utilise smartphones for various reasons.
It is used to boost knowledge and learning across many disciplines. Despite its negative effects, the positive influence of information is said to promote development and learning across the nation and beyond the world. (Ofonime 2009).
Today, even secondary school students have access to smartphones. These students utilised it to make phone calls, play games, browse the internet, and socialise with one another.
Nigerian university students, including those at Kaduna State University, the University of Nigeria, and the University of Abuja, use smartphones for a variety of purposes, one of which is to acquire information for learning, which is their primary reason for attending school.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
According to Bones (1970), the technological boom in communication has both immense potential and great danger; the outcome is determined by critical decisions and where and by whom they are made.
Smartphone communication increased our access to information and enabled new forms of communication. It also provides a variety of online educational and informational services.
In a few pilot experiments, (Hanaver, Dible, Fortin, and Col, 2004) assessed the relative effectiveness of three forms of hypermedia systems: text, sound/text, and audio. The findings suggest that persons working with Sound can concentrate their attention on the most important information.
Those who worked with the material and Sound/Text versions, on the other hand, did not learn as much and expressed dissatisfaction with having to read so much material from the screen.
Based on this study, it is obvious at the moment that such Web-based innovations cannot serve as an adequate substitute for face-to-face live training.
Ilo and Ifijeh (2010) believe that schools should use resources to improve genuine education rather than investing in computer technology and relying on telecommunications for instruction.
They also stated that the computer was frequently used as a crutch, diverting time and resources away from programs that encouraged pupils to think critically and assess data.
Online learning instruction serves the same purpose as just-in-time delivery in manufacturing: it provides the necessary tools and parts when they are required. However, building online learning is often a time-consuming procedure for faculty development.
Smartphones are now used in many aspects of Nigerian life. Everybody uses their smartphones to communicate and learn. However, higher-education students are more likely to use smartphones.
This has resulted in an upsurge in the usage of smartphones for learning. As a result, the purpose of this study is to look into how students at Kaduna State University use smartphones as a learning tool.
1.3 Aims and objectives of the study
The purpose of this study is to foster a social scientific understanding of the extent, efficiency, and issues associated with students’ use of smartphones as a medium for learning in higher education. As a result, the purpose of this study is to identify the following objectives:
1. The prevalence of smartphone communication among KASU students.
2. To determine the impact of smartphones on students’ learning processes.
3. To identify the elements that motivated pupils to use technology and include it into their learning program.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
To focus the investigation, the following research questions were asked:
1. Do you have access to a mobile?
2. Does G Smartphone help pupils learn more effectively?
3. What is the level of smartphone usage among students?
4. What form of learning may students obtain from using smartphones?
5. Does the use of smartphones alter students’ studying habits?
6. Is students’ use of smartphones detrimental or positive?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is significant because it aims to provide us with a clear and precise picture of how students in tertiary institutions use smartphones to help their learning processes.
It will also teach students at KASU in Kaduna, as well as students at other higher education institutions, on how to best manage mobile phones in order to improve effective communication and learning. This study seeks to contribute to the existing body of knowledge while also providing secondary information to future scholars.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is limited to the usage of smartphones as a medium for learning among students, with a case study from Kaduna State University, Kaduna.
The study will look into how Nigerian students at higher education institutions utilise their smartphones. For convenience, it has been limited to students at Kaduna State University in Kaduna.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
This study is limited to the widespread use of Smartphone communication at Kaduna State University, Kaduna. Due to restricted resources, the researcher will be unable to undertake a census survey of all smartphone users at the University. Another constraint is financial, which is why the research is limited to the vicinity of KASU’s main campus in Kaduna.
Another constraint of this study, as with future applications, is the growth of information and communication technology (ICT). As a result, new firms and smartphone brands emerge on a daily basis.
1.8 Definition of Key Terms
Learning simply implies acquiring information or skills. In this sense, it refers to how KASU students use smartphones to learn.
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