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Getting smart collective, impact update, part 1: 44 smart ways to use smartphones in class.

This week an online article grabbed my attention. Its title read “ 94 Percent of High School Students Using Cellphones in Class .” I immediately scoped out the heading and thought to myself, “Finally, teachers are beginning to embrace the powerful little gadgets.” However, it did not take me long to realize the researched article took quite a different slant. One quotation in particular caused serious professional introspection on my behalf. The article quotes the researchers as stating, “‘The potential damage stemming from heightened cell phone use during class casts a pall on the entire educational system, on the school atmosphere, on the educational achievements of the class, on the pupil’s own learning experience and on the teacher’s burnout having to cope with discipline problems in class.’” I understand the tougher task of using regular cell phones in class versus internet ready smartphones, however , I could not disagree more with the above quotation. Although there is no doubt the very same scenarios mentioned in the above article are occurring in various classrooms around the globe, I now encourage all students to bring their cellphones or smartphones to class. Just a few years prior, my colleagues and I were struggling mightily with how to integrate the crafty handheld tools. A blessed trip to the ISTE 2011 conference in Philadelphia helped me devise a BYOD classroom management plan and opened my eyes to the infinite educational potential of smartphones in the classroom. However, one of my toughest baseball coaches once said, “Potential and a dollar will get you a Coke.” With this in mind, a simple, but effective, “Traffic Light” BYOD classroom management plan was born. Check out this post to read more about it. I believe the potential of smartphones, supported by a strong classroom management system, can be summed up with what I call “The Five C’s.” Collaborate, communicate, create and coordinate/curate. Of the forty-four ideas below regarding smartphones, twelve can be accomplished with a simple cellphone. Take a look below at this enormous potential.

Use Smartphones to Collaborate

• Have students peer-assess their classmates’ essays through a Google Form embedded on teacher page, and allow them to view real-time constructive criticism. Afterwards, polish up the spreadsheet and share with students. Believe me, they will be interested. Click here to see how successful this strategy can be.
• Allow texting in class to peer-edit and offer constructive criticism for writing projects. Just imagine students sharing thesis statements and introductory paragraphs without ever saying a word. This is just one of the strategies we use to create a quiet and successful writing atmosphere in Studio 113 . Check it out here .
• Make brainstorming visible via a projected image with Polleverywhere.com and Wallwisher.com . Using these two sites really is too simple. Although Wallwisher requires an internet connection, students may use a cellphone for Polleverywhere.com.
• Create a shared list of notes by making a Google Form available. I usually embed Google Forms on my teacher page for easy access. Afterwards, I make the spreadsheet of notes available to all students.
• Have students post relative links of videos, websites, etc. for a unit of study. I like to think of this as the Army of Talent completing a task in a fraction of the time it would take one teacher hours to finish. This strategy is highly effective as it invites students to co-create their learning environment and unit. A Google Form would easily serve this purpose.
• Make thoughts visible by having students post videos and text or by having them phone in their answers to Voicethread. Check out our recent Voicethread here .
• Engage readers in real-time as they work through the assigned reading by collaborating with their peers via a Twitter hashtag , Polleverywhere.com , Todaysmeet.com , or Wallwisher.com .
• Have students call in-class peers during an interactive learning structure. Click here to see a cool idea.

Use Smartphones to Communicate

• Use FaceTime on the iPhone to add outside audience members during class discussion or learning activity. This is perhaps one of the coolest things we have recently done in class.
• Allow students to read from their smartphones during SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) while sharing interesting articles via Polleverywhere.com .
• Allow students to video or audio record your assignment instructions.
• View student exemplary products from school YouTube channel .
• Augment lessons with excellent videos from Ted.com or RSA .
• Use a Twitter hashtag to augment the in-class lesson or extend the conversation after class. Click here to read about a tri-state conversation about a Presidential debate.
• Establish a Twitter class account to share class assignments and reminders. If students do not want a Twitter account, make it easy. Embed the Twitter feed on your teacher page.
• Send students reminders in-class/after-class through ClassParrot and Remind 101 .
• Have a silent discussion via Todaysmeet.com .
• Capture learning moments. Ever had a student raise a hand, make a connection, and say, “Have you seen the video that….?” Ask students to e-mail pertinent links during class and show the video in minutes.
• Have students assess the teacher through a Google Form.
• Use Google Translate to break down language barriers.
• Use Instagram or Twitter to advertise class projects.

Use Smartphones to Create

• Write with apps such as My Writing Spot and Evernote .
• Set up a portable writing station by connecting a keyboard to smartphone via Bluetooth.
• Use dictionary and thesaurus apps.
• Use Dragon Dictation for struggling writers. Interested? Click here .  
• Write on-the-go during a field trip or active lesson on campus with Tripline .
• Create “How-To” guides using apps such as SnapGuide .
• Write to Blog Post via the Blogger app.
• Peruse playlists while double-checking the lyrics on the internet to create a soundtrack that applies to current studies.
• Create Twitter parodies of certain characters, historical figures, chemical equations, geometry theorems, and animals of study in Biology class.
• Create a mini-presentation, skit, or formal response to a prompt and e-mail the video to teacher’s Posterous blog spot.

Use Smartphones to Coordinate/Curate

• Relax and write with apps like  Nature Music or iZen Garden .
• Listen to music as source of inspiration for creative projects.
• Have students access their peers’ blogs by sharing a Symbaloo webmix on teacher page. Check out this one .
• Point students in the right direction for creative tech tools .
• Save time and paper by accessing documents on teacher’s website .
• Share spreadsheets of notes with Google Drive .
• Get to know your students by having them complete a Google Form .
• Research key sites to bolster students’ projects.
• Manage students’ knowledge of current lessons by having them take a quiz directly from their smartphones via Socrative .
• Allow students to check their grades via on-line gradebook or learning platform .
• Have students question peers outside class and send their recorded opinions to Voicethread or Posterous .
• Use apps like Reminders and PocketLife Calendar to plan study times and project times. The Weather Channel app is handy for avoiding weather conflicts during outside project time.
• Use the calculator app to calculate scores during gamified learning structures.
• Use the stopwatch and timer apps to manage class time.

I hope these ideas help others appropriately manage and integrate cellphones and smartphones in the classroom learning environment. When used properly, smartphones act as handheld computers, not just overly priced texting gadgets. Please check back in two weeks for Part 2 of “Smart Ways to Use Smartphones in Class.” At this time, I will discuss using smartphones for videos, pictures and more. In the meantime, please share your thoughts below.

John Hardison

• @JohnHardison1

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20 comments, there is software called display note that allows you to colloborate with all the smart devices in your class (both android and apple at the same time.) i can help you get a free trial if you want. i just saw your tweet and wanted to responed. http://www..

see demo video too: http://www.touchboards.com/DisplayNote/DisplayNote.html

That would be an awesome way to link kids at home with a cold to the classroom.

Great post! If we are not allowing students to BYOD we are really missing the boat. This is how students learn today and to deprive them of their main learning tools just does not make sense! You have listed so many great ideas! The possibilities are endless.

Cindy, I totally agree. We have to think out of the box to tear down the classroom walls. Using technology to "bring" an at-home student into the classroom is the easier part. Developing challenging and engaging lesson plans that encourage at-home students to "attend"? Now that's the tough part at times. Thanks for your comments. Best wishes, John

Thanks, Tim. You're absolutely right. What sense does it make to fight the proliferation of technology in the classroom when tech gadgets have so much educational value? Thanks again for commenting. Please share any ideas you may have. Blessings, John

Laura Conley (@lconley86)

Great article. We use or have used several of the resources you've listed...all good! Thank you!

Not to be a naysayer, but how do you handle it when students use their device to be off-task? In a math class and they are tweeting about the baskeball game last night or playing Fun Run, how do you turn that into something of educational value? I see the benefits of using smartphones in their work but the reality is that smartphones are being used to NOT work. Any suggestions for this newbie in the classroom?

Rebecca, Thank you for commenting on this post. I definitely understand your concern. In doing my best to provide a helpful response, I can only speak from the success and failures in our classes. The majority of our classroom success can be attributed to our foundational setup. Leaning heavily on the ideas found in Henry Wong's The First Days of School, the students and I spend the first few days completing a "Training Camp." This three-to-four day setup covers everything from course syllabus, student behavior, and, most importantly, classroom procedures. Mini-lessons that begin to cover the assigned standards and literature are embedded in training that introduces all students to classroom procedures, such as: 1. turning in assignments 2. working productively in teams 3. following the BYOD policy (a traffic light system: see link below) 4. participating in traditional classroom discussions (raising hands and proper respect when commenting/disagreeing) 5. understanding consequences for misbehavior (with/without the use of BYOD) and 6. following other minor details (labeling of papers or digital documents). After introducing each one of these procedures, the entire class practices each one individually to the levels of expectation discussed in the "Training Camp." Finally, after three days of training, the students complete a test that covers all notes taken and procedures practiced the first three-four days. By no means does this training create a perfect class, but it does create an informed family of cooperative learners. Do I still deal with students who may use their mobile devices for non-class issues some times? Yes, but very minimally. In this case, I treat all violations of classroom BYOD policy as normal misconduct, and I follow the same disciplinarian procedures as I would for more traditional examples. To me, everything has changed in the class, while nothing has changed. In example, students still "pass" notes, however, their forms of "passing" these notes have changed. If a situation occurs, the first questions I ask myself are, "Is my lesson plan engaging? Are the students' interests taken into consideration when developing units of study? Do the students have a voice in planning project-based learning assignments and activities?" Ultimately, I have seldom seen students be off-task during an engaging, creative, and oftentimes non-sedentary assignment. I constantly seek to create these types of lesson plans and projects. If smartphones, which I consider to be powerful mini-laptops and should therefore be called "palmtops," are necessary for completing a particular assignment, a green light from our BYOD traffic light is visible. At this time, I am constantly walking around the class and assisting with the assignment. When, for whatever educational reason, no technology is warranted, a red light indicates that all mobile devices should be put away and not used. The positive, creative uses of smartphones and other mobile devices in the classroom far outweigh the negative possibilities. Just like I would never make all students quit writing just because Student A was passing a note to Student B in the back of the classroom, I will not have all students pocket such powerful learning devices for the duration of the class simply because one student lacks the discipline needed to follow and respect the guidelines of the learning environment. Again, thanks for your thoughtful, honest comment. I wish you and your students boundless success in all your classroom endeavors. Blessings, John The Traffic Light BYOD Management System in Studio 113: http://www.gettingsmart.com/gettingsmart-staging/cms/blog/2012/11/calling-all-resources-fostering-the-right-time-to-write/

Cell phones can be of great use in schools if they are well integrated. They support mobile learning and individual learning. Though guidelines should be set to govern the usage of cell phones in classroom by students because some of them abuse them and use them to cheat exams

wonderful article! Im trying to think of new ways to use smartpones in the school. The use of QRs seems to be interesting.

Glad you found this article helpful. If you're interested in a cool activity integrating smartphones and QR codes, check out this article: http://www.gettingsmart.com/gettingsmart-staging/2013/02/soundcloud-qr-codes-a-gallery-of-students-voices/. Blessings...

Thank you John for a wonderful article. It's amazing what can be truly achieved with creativity, imagination and thinking outside the traditional boundaries. Im referring to your fantastic article in my uni assignment and hope to bring you wonderful ideas to my classrooms in Australia ASAP!

Thanks so much for all this wonderful information. We are piloting BYOD in grades 3rd-8th and these resources are going to a wealth of information for the group. Kim T. Phoenix, AZ

muhammad asif

nice article

Okolie Anthony

I've always tried to make it clear to people and Lecturers that smartphones are of great help to college students. Thanks for sharing this information.

Hi! I am a student in the wonderful state of Virginia and I was wondering if there was any technology SPECIFICALLY designed for smartphones. We have been supplied with Chromebooks and most of these resources you have provided seem to be available on the these horrible laptops. The only one I found that seemed to best fit a cellular device is the Remind app. I use it and it functions wonderfully. But are there any apps that function the best on smart phones and add to the learning environment? Thank you for reading!.

Don Fischer

Wonderful article. There are expectations to use smartphones in rural areas. South Africa has done some policy work to implement UNESCO guidelines for mobile learning. Have you worked with smartphones where the students are geographically separated. How do you provide for them to submit separate assignments, particularly in math and science? What does the small screen size cause you to do?

Carlos Seoane

Extempore is a new app, just released, that enables foreign language teachers to move speaking practice activities from the classroom to their student's phones or tablets. We are based in St. Paul, MN, and we would love for you to try it and let us know what you think!

Smart Class

Thanks for Sharing .. i was wondering Is there any application for mapping Smart class Content !! hope somebody will reply?

Zulfiqar Anees

Students should make positive use of mobile phones. Using mobile phones for educational games and quizzes can help bring your class together.

Smartphones

Great article. We use or have used several of the resources you’ve listed…all good! Students should make positive use of mobile phones.

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Smartphone Essay

500 words essay on smartphone.

Smartphones have become a very important form of communication these days. It is impossible for a rational person to deny the advantages of smartphones as they are devices suitable for a wide variety of tasks. Let us try to understand smartphones along with their benefits with this smartphone essay.

                                                                                                                                    Smartphone Essay

Understanding the Smartphone

A smartphone is a mobile device that facilitates the combination of cellular and mobile computing functions into one single unit. Moreover, smartphones have stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems in comparison to feature phones.

The strong operating systems of smartphones make possible multimedia functionality, wider software, and the internet including web browsing. They also support core phone functions like text messaging and voice calls.

There are a number of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chips within a smartphone. Moreover, such chips include various sensors whose leveraging is possible by their software.

The marketing of early smartphones was primarily towards the enterprise market. Furthermore, the attempt of the smartphone manufacturers was to bridge the functionality of standalone personal digital assistant (PDA) devices along with support for cellular telephony. However, the early smartphones had problems of slow analogue cellular network, short battery life, and bulky size.

With the passage of time, experts were able to resolve these issues. Furthermore, this became possible with faster digital mobile data networks, miniaturization of MOS transistors down to sub-micron levels, and exponential scaling. Moreover, the development of more mature software platforms led to enhancement in the capability of smartphones.

Benefits of Smartphone

People can make use of smartphones to access the internet and find out information regarding almost anything. Furthermore, due to the portability of a smartphone, people can access the internet from any location, even while travelling.

Smartphones have greatly increased the rate of work. This is possible because smartphones facilitate a highly efficient and quick form of communication from anywhere. For example, a person can participate in an official business meeting, without wasting time, from the comfort of his home via a live video chat application of a smartphone.

Smartphones can also be of tremendous benefit to students in general. Furthermore, students can quickly resolve any issue related to studies by accessing the internet , using a calculator, reading a pdf file, or contacting a teacher. Most noteworthy, all of this is possible due to the smartphone.

People can get in touch with the larger global community by communicating and sharing their views via social media. Furthermore, this provides a suitable platform to express their views, conduct business with online transactions , or find new people or jobs. One can do all that from anywhere, thanks to the smartphone.

These were just a few benefits of smartphones. Overall, the total benefits of a smartphone are just too many to enumerate here. Most importantly, smartphones have made our lives more efficient as well as comfortable.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of Smartphone Essay

Smartphones have proven to be a revolution for human society. Furthermore, they have made the whole world united like never before. In spite of its demerits, there is no doubt that the smartphone is a tremendous blessing to mankind and it will continue to play a major role in its development.

FAQs For Smartphone Essay

Question 1: How is a smartphone different from a feature phone?

Answer 1: Smartphones have stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems when compared to feature phones. Furthermore, the smartphone can perform almost all computing functions that a feature phone can’t. The internet and camera capabilities of a feature phone are nowhere near as powerful as that of a smartphone.

Question 2: What is meant by a smartphone?

Answer 2: A smartphone refers to a handheld electronic device that facilitates a connection to a cellular network. Furthermore, smartphones let people access the internet, make phone calls, send text messages, along with a wide variety of functions that one can perform on a pc or a laptop. Overall, it is a fully functioning miniaturized computer.

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Using Smartphones in Learning

Introduction.

According to Madden (2011), smartphones were introduced into the market in the year 1996, and quickly spread to all parts of the world. This is contrary to other technologies like landline telephones that took longer time before reaching the local and international market.

Before the introduction of smartphones into the market, most people including students could not believe that it was possible to use the gargets in learning. Later after it had been introduced, teachers and learners were able to accept the fact that smartphones can easily be used in various studies (Madden, 2011).

Additionally, people had been using the computer before for their studies and doing other jobs on the internet. This topic has been chosen following its relevancy, immensity, and vastness, which communicational gadgets and aspects enjoy in the current world. Additionally, these communication gadgets (Smartphones) are known globally following their competitiveness, novelty, modernization, variability, and appropriateness in the communication industry.

Individuals who need multipurpose gadgets, which can operate multiple tasks simultaneously, engage the mind, provide extreme entertainment services, possess other exiting provisions and appalling features should resort to these products. Precisely, the global fame, distinctiveness, technological variability, and convenience that these smartphones possess have necessitated the choice of the topics in the context of learning among students.

Mobile communicational and learning gadgets (smartphones) differ significantly globally and this claim is notable in the chosen topics. Globally, numerous students have introduced and embraced the use of these products despite the challenges. The aspects of competition, cost, convenience, and variability have played massive roles in the disparities noticed amidst these gadgets. Appropriateness similarly contributes to the choice of the topics (Nielsen & Webb, 2011).

The topic is understandable by majority following its suitability and relevancy indicated before. Additionally, the three Smartphone gadgets are comparable with one another. This provision gives opportunity to handle the assignment as demanded.

Since the gadgets differ significantly in various aspects, it is possible to compare and contrast them in the context of learning. Evidently, numerous touch-screen phones/Smartphone have rocked the mobile phone’s market. Nonetheless, this category of phones has outstood others in the learning arenas.

Recent history about the use of smartphones in learning

Currently, most students and teachers have embraced the use of smartphone devices to improve their learning standards. According to Shelly, Vermaat & Quasney (2011), the use of this garget has proved to be more convenient and reliable compared to other technological methods that can be used in learning.

It has been discovered that most students who are using smartphones are able to make a steady improvement in their studies compared to those who use ordinary learning materials in their studies (Shelly, Vermaat & Quasney, 2011). Besides, it was discovered that students from rich backgrounds were able to access the mobile device compared to those from poor families.

Learners were able to use their mobile applications to organize for group discussions. Moreover, applications like drop box were used by teachers to post assignments where students could also post back their homework. Consequently, this saved a lot of time since the students are able to submit their assignments online and at any time (Frederick & Lal, 2009). This is a critical provision in the context of learning and technological advancements.

Statement of the problem

There are a number of challenges that had been faced by teachers and students in their learning process. According to Stair & Reynolds, learners could spend a lot of money on producing copies of their assignments while teachers could also spend some money when printing out assignments or various exam tests (Stair & Reynolds, 2012).

Additionally, students took a lot of time before handing over their assignments simply because they did not have adequate facilities or equipment to do their homework. Both teachers and students entirely relied on the information from the books or journals hence they were not able to get enough information for their studies.

Learning institutions also had to spend increase their budget for buying computers that were used for studies. Consequently, introduction of smartphone usage in learning has reduced the costs that could have been spend on buying the computers as students can now obtain the vital information for their learning.

Purpose of the study

The study was majorly carried out to establish the importance of using smartphone devices as a learning tool. For instance, it should indicate how it has changed the learning standards of students using mobile devices in their studies as compared to other learning methods that had been used before.

Additionally, the other reason for carrying out the study is to find out the rate at which learners and teachers use the smartphones and how it has changed their learning abilities. The study was also carried out to determine the historical background about the usage of smartphones in learning.

This will eventually show how it was introduced into the market and the way it has been accepted as a vital learning tool (MobileReference, 2007). Besides, the study majorly focuses on the technologies employed when operating smartphones and how to use various phone applications to enhance learning.

The other reason for carrying out the study is to determine the challenges being faced by students and teachers who are using smartphone devices in learning. It also indicates how it has affected the performance of students who are using the smartphones in their learning compared to those relying on learning materials provided by their teachers (Stair, 2011).

The study also tries to give a clear description of smartphone and its features. The other purpose of the study is to understand the recent developments that have been made to the smartphones and how people are able to adopt the changes. This is a critical provision in the context of learning and technological advancements.

Recent statistics regarding the use of smartphones in learning

According to various statistics, the use of smartphone devices in learning has greatly and inevitably changes the student’s behavior. Consequently, learners using this mobile device have improved in their performance at a faster rate compared to those who are not using smartphones (Stair, 2011). The number of learning institutions that have accepted the use of mobile devices in learning is steadily increasing.

Currently, most students cannot do their homework without the use of their smartphones. Most students do not only use their smartphones for learning but also checking into social websites like Facebook and twitter. According to various researches carried out, 60 percent of learners use smartphones for their learning purposes where 70 percent have the feeling that they are hooked to their phones (Chao, 2011).

Additionally, 90 percent use the mobile device for social networking where as 50 percent of the students were found to be using their mobile devices to study for exams and tests. According to Shelly, Vermaat & Quasney (20011), Institutions have also reduced the cost that could have been used in buying computers for studies by allowing students to use their smartphones in school for their learning purposes.

Moreover, most of the learning institutions have adopted the use of smartphones in doing their operations. For instance, an individual can get information regarding an institution through their internet enabled smartphones.Conversely, the use of mobile devices in learning has not been fully implemented hence most schools still do not allow their students to use the phones.

New and advanced technologies such as WI-FI offer very fast and steady connection. The rate of data transfer is much quicker compared to 3G. This technology can be a predicament to all other investments in education as well as content providers within the intervention of mobile network.

The mobile phone builder Nokia and Cisco, wireless network creator, are already adopting this technology to make the Wi-Fi phone to enhance learning provisions. WiMax is another good technology that will help smartphone users to get into the industry at a cheaper cost. This is a wireless connectivity system that enables two operators to have an uninterrupted communication with no routing over a central switch.

Besides sending data, the operator on the other end can also act as a repeater or a router. Lastly is the Power line broadband technology. It provides fast internet connection through electrical grids. All these technologies are appropriate for mobile network operators.

Research questions

During the research, various questions have been raised about the effectiveness of using smartphones in learning. Additionally, the research is trying to find out the effectiveness of the mobile applications and how the students are ready to learn on how to use the applications. The other question is whether the use of smartphones in learning will make the students improve in their performance or not.

Precisely, major questions incorporate;

• How do smartphones influence the behaviors of young students in the context of learning?
• Which age group majorly use smartphones in learning
• What are the impacts of the smartphones on learning among students?
• What are the smartphone techniques employed by students to learn in schools?

Significance of the topic

The topic reveals various applications that are fitted in the smartphone and how they can be used. It also shows the rate at which students are able to use the smartphones in their studies. The topic is relevant since it shows how people are much involved in improving the academic standards.

Otherwise they could have not bothered to carry out some research concerning the use of smartphones in learning. Another significance of the topic is that it provides more information on regarding the people’s views concerning the usage of smartphones in learning.

Key definitions

The meaning of smartphone and its applications are some of the key definitions in the topic. The other definition is how the various applications of the smartphone are used for different purposes.

Key assumptions

There are numerous assumptions that had been made regarding this study. It has been assumed that the smartphones are only being used by the students for their learning and not to do any other work. For instance, it has not discusses how students can use them to communicate to each other.

It has not discussed how smartphones have negatively affected students. For instance, students can use their smartphones to cheat in exams and eventually affect their academic standards. The other key assumption is that the phones are not internet enabled hence it has not discussed about how to connect the phones with internet. The realization of the absolute scope of the project requires immense resources that most students are deficient of.

Key assumption is that, learning would only succeed or meet its target if computer literacy is enhanced among students, proper planning is executed, right software(s) is/are procured, adherence to timelines maintained, and appointing a responsible leadership executed. As assumed, learning might fail if proper performance strategies and identification of pertinent learning provisions are not embraced in regard to smartphones.

Limitations of the study

One of the disadvantages of the study is that most of the students are not able to afford the smartphones hence a research on using smartphones in learning will not be accurate.The study also needs some enough money to carry out various researches concerning the smartphones.

The study does not include non-students who are also using smartphones for their learning purposes like finding some relevant information they require. Additionally, the study does not include the disadvantages of using the smartphones as a learning tool. The regulation of technology in learning can be attained through different avenues.

Some of these may not be instituted by the concerned institutions. This study concerns itself with how students use Smartphones in learning. When policies are enacted, they ignore other governmental actions that could influence the use of smartphones in schools.

Historical background on the use of smartphones

Smartphones are cellular telephones that are fitted with some important applications and internet access. Besides, the current smartphones do not only provide digital voice services to the people across the world but also e-mail and sending text messages.

Through the phones, people can listen to their favorite music, watch videos, take cameras and make calls. Over the recent years, the number of people using smartphones has drastically increased across the world. Additionally, people of different gender, young and old are able to use the smartphones.

Conversely, most individuals using this type of phone are not able to understand how the technology has advanced. Specific technologies designed to develop the product had been invented. For instance, the know-hows has introduces some clear presentation that shows how the phone has steadily evolved since it was introduced into the market.

In addition, it also shows some of the old mobile phones that had existed before. In the early days, phones were considered to be huge machines that slowly evolved to become smaller with time. The introduction of iphones has created a massive change of mind as people have now put more focus on the phone’s screen.

Besides, phones have increasingly become bigger than before to accommodate larger displays. Mobile phones were invented in the year 1973 by Martin cooper. Moreover, smartphones were later introduced into the market in the year 1996. Since its introduction into the market, people were able to easily communicate with each other without any challenges.

Different smartphones were introduced into the market at different times. For instance, Blackberry was introduced into the market in 1999 while the standard Motorola was introduced in the year 2004. This is a critical provision in the context of learning and technological advancements. This is a critical provision in the context of e-learning and promotion of technology in the learning arenas.

This has greatly improved people’s living standards as many individuals can now read and write using their mobile phones. Consequently, smartphones have now become a device that can be used for both private digital help and a mobile phone.

Various mobile phone manufacturing companies have been introduced into the market hence there is a stiff competition within the local and international markets. Consequently, most of the companies are not coming up with some unique inventions to ensure that they actively and successively compete with other organizations.

For instance, the American market has been flooded with approximately nine technologies with different products. Unlike landline phones and mobile phones which has reached their saturation points, smartphones has steadily gained popularity and is still believed to move at a faster rate. For instance, their market share has been doubling each year.

Statistics indicate that this represents more than three quarters of the total sales in the United States mobile phones sales. In addition, approximately fifty percent of the American population is now in possession of smartphones. The pace at which it has evolved in the American market can only be compared with that of the television.

Consequently, other companies and businesses have resolved to the use of the smartphones to advertise their products and carry out some transactions. Smartphones including the iPhone 4S is a derivative of iPhone 4. The phone has additional features added to it making it exemplarily magnificent.

This gives it a massive competitive advantage over other contenders in its category. Being a product from Apple Inc., the company uses numerous segmentation variables unique to the phone in order to promote it within the learning environments and beyond. This renders the phone quite potable and convenient to use for learning purposes. For example, Apple Inc.

managed to reduce the bulkiness of iPhone 4S compared to the former iPhone 4, which is its predecessor. These features have impressed students thus giving the phone a massive market share compared to other phones in its category or below. It measures 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm in dimensions indicating how slim, portable, and convenient it was at the time of its inception.

These provisions have rendered smartphones quite competitive in the learning realms. Another notable variable in this phone is the language recognition provisions that it possesses. Most Smartphones have the software provision named SIRI (Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface), which is able to recognize and interpret voices, answer inquiries, compose recommendations, and execute actions, and connect to the internet by a set of delegated request.

For example, this feature forms the selling point of iPhone 4S. It is the only gadget with these provisions hence can be used by numerous categories of customers. The fact that it recognizes voices and interprets them into functional commands is a fascinating provision of its era. This has rendered the phone quite magnificent besides other provisions it has in its functionality.

This indicates the valuable use of smartphones in learning. Another variable used by smartphone to target its clients is memory provisions. The phone has no memory card slot but contains considerable internal 16/32/64 GB storage and a 512 MB RAM. This means that it has a faster processing unit and internal data storage capacity commensurate to storage provisions provided by the external storage devices.

In their data variables, smartphones have WLAN (Wi-Fi hotspot) making them capable of accessing wireless internet connections during learning sessions. They also possess Bluetooth for local transfer of information and a USB pot provision where they can be connected directly to computers for direct exchanges. This exhibits the important use of smartphones in learning.

Another variable that has rendered smartphones quite competitive in the learning provisions is their high resolution inbuilt camera (Touch focus, geo-tagging, face recognition, HDR, VGA, LED video light) capable of recording videos, capturing snaps, and offering image editing provisions. These factors have offered a considerable selling point for smartphones compared to other phones in its caliber and in the context of learning contexts.

These segmentation variables give the phones the psychographic and benefits sought. Students have a number of benefits they attain from the phone. This indicates the valuable use of smartphones in learning. For instance, this gives iPhone 4S a competitive advantage against other rivals in the market. The phone has a stronger brand name created by Apple allowing it to sell globally.

In features, as one of its segmentation variables that differentiates iPhone 4S from others, the phone has an operation system of iOS 5, sensors, Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, and varying messaging provisions namely iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, and Email among others (GSMArena.com.).

Other features include Google Maps, Audio/video thespian and editor, and variability in colors (Black and White), which are all important in the learning provision. This demonstrates the credible use of smartphones in learning. The market is saturated with numerous products of similar category; however, these commodities still thrill the market with novelty and appropriateness required in the currently changing world.

The marketers of these products have managed to bring them to the global limelight. In the context of e-learning, the products have attained a reasonable market share, global visibility, massive customer response, and considerable returns.

Discussions of theoretical framework for the study

According to Diane D’Amico (2012), over the past years, a number of schools did not accept the fact that cellphones can be used in various studies. For instance, most schools and institutions have barred the students from using the mobile phones arguing that students can use the gargets to steal their exams.

But currently, with the improved technology, most schools and learning institutions have accepted the fact that use of smartphones is a vital technology that should be embraced by the students (D’Amico, 2012). Besides, studies reveal that the use of smartphones will reduced some costs that can be incurred by the students when using the old technology in their studies.

Consequently, the use of the phones in their studies has become part of their life as they cannot easily do their homework or any other tasks without the involvement of the smartphones. The gadgets are able to access internet, take pictures, store information, record voices, and perform other numerous tasks demanded by their users.

However, they vary considerably from the services they offer, technological endorsement, physical structure, performance, and value among other provisions in the context of learning. The mentioned gadgets have considerable disparities ranging from their manufacturers to functionality and other provisions. This has rendered them quite considerable in this write-up.

Additionally, they belong to the same industry. Mobile phones, wireless communication, entertainment, pleasure, information storage, and variety are some of the lucrative provisions considerable in these products. The smartphones have rocked the global market and learning provisions since their inception several years back.

According to D’Amico (2012), the most interesting part is that the students themselves have realized the importance of using smartphones in their studies hence most of them are able to quickly learn and operate the gargets without the assistance of their lecturers or teachers. For instance, they (teachers and lecturers) do not have to show learners how the technology can be applied.

On the other hand, teachers and lecturers in various learning institutions have also resolved to the use of phones to improve their lessons. Arguably, the issue is not about the availability of the iphones but rather how it can be used to improve the level at which students are being taught in class. Conversely, most of the students are using the phones as part of their games hence teachers have the responsibility of ensuring that the students stay focused and use the phones appropriately (D’Amico, 2012).

Otherwise, the smartphones will not serve their correct purpose. Possibly, students are able to discover and experiment themselves past the lessons that they are taught in class. Teachers are also supposed to ensure that they use online services that can be applicable to all the students as some may possess different types of phones.

Conversely, some of the schools do not allow the use of phones in normal classrooms but only when they are doing their computer studies. One of the biggest challenges is that most of the teachers had not accepted the fact that smartphones can be used by the students as their classroom tool.

Statistics indicate that most of the students are now able to do their assignments back at home with a lot of ease hence they do not find themselves on the wrong side of the school rules. Consequently, they are able to give their teachers some easy time to move ahead thus completing their syllabus on time. Most teachers and lecturers strongly believe that the use of smartphones in studies has created more opportunities and saved time that could have been wasted in classrooms when carrying out manual teaching.

It has also reduced costs that would otherwise be used to print out some papers for studies as teachers can now transmit all the needed information electronically. According to Bolkan (2012), most students using smartphones in their studies are majorly interested in STEM subjects. Arguably, there is a huge gap between the number of people using their smartphones back at home and in school.

According to various surveys that had been carried out, it was evident that a number of students (approximately 40 percent) use their smartphones to do their assignment back at home (Bolkan, 2012). In addition, approximately 30 percent said that they use their tablets to do their homework. Among the students questioned, 60 percent believed that they were able to acquire more knowledge in mathematics and science through the use of laptops and tablets.

The same tendency was seen with the students that were using smartphones in their classrooms. Conversely, 60 percent of students using tablets said that they were not allowed to use them in their classrooms. 80 percent gave similar report concerning smartphones.

Most student studying STEM lessons have easy access to the job market in the united states hence most students are using their mobile devices to improve their concentration in STEM studies (Bolkan, 2012). Consequently, the number of scholars graduating with a degree in STEM has steadily increased over the past years.

According to the interviews carried out, most of the students who were using smartphones and laptops in their classroom studies had more inclined to the study of STEM subjects. Additionally, they said they were happy and felt clever to go for the STEM lessons. Conversely, 80 percent of the students coming from poor families were not able to purchase the smartphones or laptops hence they entirely relied on what they were being taught in class (Bolkan, 2012).

Among the students who were interviewed 60 percent accepted the fact that the application of the smartphones has made them to have the desire of learning more. According to Cathleen, Hossain and Elliot, the use of computers and smartphones had changed the whole learning curriculum that had been used before they were introduced.

Consequently, the application of the mobile devices in their studies has led to a 40 percent improvement in their final grades. The market price of the smartphone and tablets is steadily decreasing hence most of the students are able to purchase the devices. Consequently, schools will only have to organize on how to provide internet to the students and not how to purchase computers.

This will eventually reduce the costs that could otherwise been used to purchase computers for students. Arguably, a number of students preferred using the smartphones compared to laptopssince they considered it to be readily available and cheap compared to other gargets that they can use in their studies.

Additionally, smartphones are able to actively cope with the rapid improvement in technology. Unlike computers, students preferred using the smartphones as it was portable and always obtainable. Additionally, students were able to switch the gargets off and on easily thus it were considered as a time consuming mobile device.

It was discovered that most students who had smartphones were able to use them both at home and in school hence it they were able to improve in the way they carried out themselves academically. Besides, the mobile device has assisted the teachers to organize a comprehensive lesson. It has also helped the students towards improving their lessons.

Cathleen, Hossain and Elliot believe that most schools are supposed to encourage their students to adopt the new technologies to make them cope with the daily changes in the learning patterns. According to Carey (2012), a number of students use the smartphones cheating in their examinations and cyber-bullying. Conversely, they believe the mobile device can be an important learning tool.

Smartphones have an unbelievable computing power and hence are most preferred by a number of students who are ready to improve in their studies (Carey, 2012). Statistics indicated that if the students are not able to properly use their smartphones, then there is high possibility of them using them inappropriately. Therefore, teachers should direct the students on how to appropriately use the smartphones in their study rooms as learning tools.

Jennifer acknowledges that she teaches in an independent school where most of the students come from rich families. Consequently, all of her students possess some brand of smartphone device. This does not apply to all the teachers. Most students are able to carry out their discussions in groups where they can only use a single device in each group.

Smartphone devices are being used by the students and teachers for supporting their lessons and any academic activities within and outside the school (Carey, 2012). For instance, the tools make the lessons to become more captivating and productive. Consequently, students will not be intrinsically captivated with the mobile device they continuously use when out of school.

If they are not able to enjoy using the smartphone devices during their studies, then they can be desirous to use them in a wrong way. The use of the phones has given weak students a chance to express themselves as they are now able to ask questions during their lessons (Carey, 2012). The use of smartphone is growing rapidly in the learning arenas. The technology has revolutionized the education sector in regard to learning behaviors.

This might in turn influence their behaviors as students in the realms of decision making and learning preferences. Notably, colleges and universities are some of the areas that have adopted the use of smartphones in learning. Research indicates that the use of smartphones for learning provisions has grown tremendously over the past years.

Discussion of learning theories in regard to Smartphones

Students and teachers have used smartphones in a number of ways during their studies.They (Students and teachers) are able to install software called poll everywhere which they can use to carry out class polling of quizzing. According to Rai (2011), the software is free hence every student using the smartphones is able to access it.

Quiz questions can be generated using the software whereby students will be able to deliver their respective answers by sending text messages using their phones. The process is very cheap and convenient therefore students do not need to purchase, set up or maintain the sticker systems (Rai, 2011). As a requirement, students should register their smartphone numbers with their class teachers.

Consequently, the teachers will be able to check their answers for some of the unprepared quizzes or reviews. This will also help teachers identify the academic records and trends of their students and find possible solution to areas with weaknesses. Students have also used the smartphone devices for in-class back-channeling (Rai, 2011).

Through this process, students and teachers are able to use their internet systems and social media to ensure that there is a constant online spoken remarks. In addition, there will be an easy communication through the social media. Baldauf & Stair (2011) states that, through social media like twitter, teachers are able to give homework to the students.

Consequently, students are also able to submit their homework online hence it saves time since they do not have to wait until they reach school. Due to the improved technology, students can now study and do their exams online by using their smartphone devices (Baldauf& Stair, 2011). Moreover, people are able to use some common programs like Today’s Meet to create some provisional rooms to organize for some student discussions.

Students can also use Poll Everywhere to organize for their group discussions and control some of the comments. According to Balacheff (2009), students can use the smartphone devices effectively in their reading rooms as e-Readers for handouts and their study books. They can always find some of the needed information for their assignments using their internet enabled smartphone devices.

Consequently, this will improve their reading and learning skills hence they are able to make an outstanding academic improvement (Balacheff, 2009). Students and teachers can use their Drop Box accounts to attach their handouts, assignments or recorded articles on their phones (Rosen, 2009).

They can use their internet enabled smartphones to access reference materials in their drop box accounts without having to photocopy them out. Additionally, they will not ask for fresh copies of the references since they can always obtain them in their Drop Box space. Learners can use their smartphone applications like Nook applications and iBooks to obtain their traditional reading materials (Rosen, 2009).

Besides, a number of the mobile applications have free information and students can easily upload the necessary information they need. Consequently, they are able to save a lot of money they could have spent in buying the books and making photocopies. By using mobile applications, students are able to highlight and annotate their work.

According to Morley, Parker & Parker, learners can always use their smartphone devices to carry out research. They can take notes and data that are useful for the research. Besides, the power of carrying out successful research is in the mobile applications. They can use the smartphone’s fitted camera to capture some information that is important for the research (Cho, 2013).

Applications like Genius Scam+ can always be used to take pictures of books with large volumes, make them smaller and improve them for easy reading (Morley, Parker & Parker, 2010). They can always generate notebooks of documents by copying some pieces of books that contain the important information they need. Consequently, they can keep the information in their smartphones in a photo image or PDF format (MobileReference, 2007).

Learners can also use applications like Evernote to consolidate their class work and images. Stanza applications found in a number of smartphones can be used to change notes to word or PDF format. Generally, the dependence on investigation of most effective strategies would be applicable in enhancing the critical research outcomes of the study (Anderson & Little, 2004).

The appearance and perception of the teaching or instruction method when in application of the concise or accurate mathematical vocabulary within students’ written or outlined solutions would also be critical. The study will also analyze the effects of application of diverse proposed strategies in teaching the mathematical vocabulary.

There will be consideration of the most affected classroom grades within the education systems, most probably, the high school as well as the eighth grades. The proposed study remains of great importance to most other instructors, even those within other subjects. There will be provision of adequate information to these teachers, regarding the effect of basic languages on the particular subjects by the end of the proposed study.

Several studies in the past have majored and discovered basically the particular literacy methods that can be applied by instructors and teachers in the instruction and learning processes. These investigations have also majored on the ways of strengthening the conviction that literacy remains vital when students get to know the critical skills and comprehend the e-learning provisions. The students suffer difficulty in the application of concise language of smartphones.

Sections related to research question background

Numerous researches carried out indicate that approximately 80 percent of students from wealthy background are able to access and use smartphones. This is contrary to those coming from poor background whose figure was approximately 32 percent. Additionally, learners using smartphones were able to improve in their class work compared to those who entirely relied on their class work.

It was also discovered that a number of students preferred using the smartphone devices for doing their assignments and carrying out research. Conversely, more research should be carried out to establish how smartphone applications directly affect students who use them at school compared to those using them only at home. Research should also be carried out to establish the effectiveness of using smartphones.

Conclusively, given chapter one and two, it is necessary to carry out this research (Cho, 2013). Firstly, producers of the chosen smartphones have to deal with suppliers proficiently to ensure that they manage their production, operations, and marketing activities adeptly. Additionally, any hindrance in the supply chain process can cost the company massively in the realms of business and promptness.

Another issue is the raw ingredients/raw materials needed to prepare the concerned smartphones. These should be adequate, reliable and of higher quality enhance e-learning provisions. The providers of microchips, software, batteries, and assembly materials must be prompt in their services. The third aspect to be considered is the distributors in the sales and marketing chain to help student access smartphones in the market.

This must conform to the educational demands. Considerably, lives of individuals have been influenced positively through mobile phone infrastructures. Currently, mobile phone communications is quite prevalent and is applied in almost everywhere from businesses to government institutions and private entertainments. The applications are not only limited to elementary calls rather; different products and services are provided.

In all the applications, e-learning through smartphones has become very vital and feasible. The evolution of e-learning is influenced much by the progress and advancements in modern e-learning applications. Also, progression of main substructure constituents like fast wireless data networks like 3G plus mobile communication devices with multiple applications contribute immensely to improvements in the e-learning through smartphones.

This has numerous of benefits as already outlined in the above summery. The major factors that drive attractiveness to the e-learning through smartphones include easy usage, accessibility, and convenience. The implementation or integration of new IT systems in the learning institutions requires proper planning, coordination, and acquisition of the right software(s).

This is to ensure that every activity is undertaken within the scope of operation. The use of smartphones for learning among students might face the risk of poor planning and incongruence due to its expanded scope. The scope requires more time to aid the procurement of quality networks, infrastructure and strategic planning.

This is not achievable among some students and institutions they learn in. This may pose a serious risk that may compromise the expected quality standards in education. Major constraints appertain to lack of adequate resources including monetary provisions and IT specialists.

Chao, L. (2011). Open source mobile learning: Mobile linux applications . Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Frederick, G. R. & Lal, R. (2009). Beginning smartphone web development: Building JavaScript, CSS, HTML and Ajax-based applications for iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 . New York: Apress.

Madden, L. (2011). Professional augmented reality browsers for smartphones: Programming for Junaio, Layar, and Wikitude . West Sussex: Wiley Pub. Inc.

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Balacheff, N. (2009). Technology-enhanced learning: Principles and products . Dordrecht: Springer.

Baldauf, K. & Stair, R. (2011). Succeeding with technology: Computer system concepts for your life . Boston, MA: Course Technology/Cengage Learning.

Bolkan, J. (2012). Middle School Students Using Smartphones More Interested in STEM . Web.

Carey, J. (2012). Teaching with Smartphones . Web.

Cho, N. (2013). The use of smart mobile equipment for the innovation in organizational coordination . Berlin: Springer.

D’Amico, D. (2012). Teachers share tips for using smartphones as learning tools in class, at home . Web.

Morley, D., Parker, C. S., & Parker, C. S. (2010). Understanding computers: Today and tomorrow . Boston, MA: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

Pachler, N., Bachmair, B., Cook, J. & Kress, G. R. (2010). Mobile learning: Structures, agency, practices . New York: Springer.

Rai, P. (2011). Using Smartphones to Enhance Learning . Web.

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6 Ways To Use Student Smartphones for Learning

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Cell phones have had a checkered past in schools. When students first started bringing them to class, educators were fairly united in their opposition to the devices on grounds that they were a distraction and a means for easy cheating.

But thanks to an exponential increase in ubiquity and computing capacity, today’s smartphones offer endless possibilities for higher engagement, enhancement of student understanding and extension of learning beyond the classroom, particularly if a student doesn’t have internet at home or attends a school where 1:1 is not an option. Smartphones also provide an easy way for teachers to “facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity” while increasing motivation, as espoused by the ISTE Educator Standards . 

Best of all, research shows that when students are engaged in their learning — and they’re almost always engaged with their phones when given a choice — they are less likely to succumb to distractions. The goal is to give students ways to use this beloved technology to learn, collaborate, share and create in meaningful ways.

Here are six ways to use students’ smartphones for learning:

1. Create short videos. Videos of 5-20 seconds can give students a way to exercise their creative muscles. Students can create their own videos on the fly using their own mobile devices, or they can create one part of a video compilation that the teacher can then string together. Videos can express any type of learning in any style, from music videos to interviews,  book trailers , historical reenactments, tutorials and stop animations . 2. Scan QR codes. QR codes offer instant access to video, audio, websites contact info or any brief text. I use them to link German texts in a classroom scavenger hunt. Most phones now come with QR code readers installed, but if you students have a phone without one, there are plenty of free QR code reader apps.      While anything with QR codes will take a bit more effort to create, students love the twist on learning. QR codes can also generate answer keys beside each problem to allow students to self-check their work.  The codes can also link to websites or educational YouTube clips that provide more information.  My favorite use for QR codes is the scavenger hunt: Students choose the correct answer to solve a riddle or answer a question. If they choose the correct answer, the associated QR code will lead them to directions that tell them how to reach the next question. Students are engaged by both the technology and by the game-like activity. 3. Access an online dictionary and thesaurus. Once students learn how to use dictionary apps and websites efficiently, the difference in their work is spectacular. As a German teacher, I find it is incredibly helpful for students to be able to rapidly double-check whether a noun is masculine, neutral or feminine on PONS or LEO . Question about a verb conjugation? Go to LEO (for German). Confusion about a phrase in a text, or double-checking the use of a word in an essay? Try Linguee . Tired of using the same word over and over again? Find synonyms in many languages at Open Thesaurus ! 4. Collaborate and share with Padlet and Twitter. I grouped these two tools together because they both increase student participation and allow teachers to gather real-time feedback from students about their learning. Both Padlet and Twitter are more comfortable communication tools for shy students to respond to in-class questions or participate in brainstorming sessions, yielding a great deal of insightful information. 5. Listen to podcasts and read the news. For the voracious student who wants to keep learning outside of class, the struggling learner who needs more exposure and everyone in between, smartphones provide instant access to civics, social studies, English, psychology, math, foreign language and science related media sources, including journals, newspapers, online news sites, podcasts, and more. Yes, you can access this information on a desktop, but smartphones offer the added bonus of filling your spare time with anytime, anywhere learning. Riding the bus to school? Hunt for that article about World War II you were supposed to summarize for homework and take notes using a notepad app. Need extra German practice? Listen to Slow German podcasts on the way to softball practice! Smartphones can be especially useful for foreign language students, since it is almost impossible to learn a language quickly without listening to native speakers frequently and accessing culture directly through newspapers and magazines.   6. Use the apps, obviously. Many mobile apps, such as Memrise for languages and vocabulary, make learning instantly accessible. But don’t limit your students to the purely educational apps. Get creative and let them have some fun with games. For instance, you could change the language setting of a popular game like Trivia Crack to give students language practice while they have fun.  Polling applications, such as Poll Everywhere , are also useful for collecting direct feedback from both students and teachers during class and delivering the data in a way that’s more accessible and organized than the classic exit ticket. And those are just two examples. Play with the app store to yield thousands of options for a variety of content areas.

Turning a gadget that you thought was a distraction into a super-efficient mobile learning device does not happen overnight. Patience and deliberate practice is necessary, for you and for your students. But it is worth it to unlock the ease of access to unlimited information and resources — not to mention the engaged learning — that smartphones provide.

In the video below, educator Mary Montag explains how she allowed students to use their cell phones in class and discovered how she went from transferring knowledge to them to helping students find, own and use information themselves. 

Kelsey Ehnle has a B.A. in psychology and German as well as a master's in educational studies. She teaches at Carolina Forest High School in South Carolina, where she seeks out innovative ways to engage students in their learning.

This is an updated version of a post that originally published on Sept. 24, 2015. 

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What Role Should Smartphones Play in Education? 

Examine data from students about smartphone usage and consider how this affects the place of smartphones inside and outside the physical classroom space.

In a previous post, I advocated for taking a “mobile-first” approach to course design , offering 10 teaching practices that benefit students accessing your course from mobile devices.

In this post, I want to take a step back and ask a broader question about mobile devices in teaching and learning: What role should smartphones play in our courses?  

Let’s break this question down into two parts: Outside the Classroom and Inside the Classroom.

What role should smartphones play outside the physical classroom space?

I’ll start here, because evidence is clear that students are using mobile devices to access course content. Educause has been conducting student surveys about mobile devices in learning for more than a decade, and their recent findings are stark . 

91% of students say that they regularly access the Canvas mobile app, and 81% use their smartphone at least once a week for learning activities. The #1 reason students cite for using mobile devices is to make it “easier to access coursework” (77%). 

In other words, students will be using the mobile version of your course site – to access homework, find readings, check their schedule, take quizzes, and more. This is why I encourage all faculty to think about the mobile design of their courses, such as considering the teaching practices I outlined in that article about mobile-first course design . 

It’s important to recognize, though, that students generally use mobile devices as secondary screens when completing coursework. This can range from checking assignment requirements to searching for term definitions to verifying a due date. As the authors of the Educause report say, “students are content with small tasks via mobile rather than large ones.” 

Ease of access being the #1 reason for using mobile devices for learning also points to a key consideration: How can you help students fit their education into their lives? Smartphones can help students learn in situations where they can’t sit down at a desk and open a laptop. Whether it’s offering audio recordings of readings or splitting essay questions into a separate quiz, reflect on how you can enable students who are “on the go” to complete coursework directly on their phone.

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What role should smartphones play inside the physical classroom space .

This is where things get a lot more complicated. Most research into smartphone use in classrooms focuses on test scores. Unsurprisingly, most research has found off-task use of cellphones to result in worse recall and test performance. For example, Kuznekoff & Titsworth (2013) found that students who did not use their phone “wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than” students who did. 

However, test scores are not the only metric of learning, and few studies have investigated the effects of cellphones in class beyond test scores. Studies in on-task use of cellphones are similarly sparse. 

It’s important, then, to consider not just if you should use smartphones in the classroom but how you use smartphones in the classroom. 

I have long been against cellphone bans in the classroom on several grounds, especially concerns for equity of access (low-income students may only have cellphones for learning devices) and my stance that teaching should not be about policing. However, I fully understand why roughly half of the faculty Educause surveyed had instituted a cellphone ban. 

What’s striking to me, though, is how students feel about mobile devices in the classroom. When asked if they wanted instructors to “ask students to use mobile apps or devices in coursework,” only 36% of students said yes (down from 42% in 2018). 34% of students said no, while 31% said not sure. Students are generally ambivalent about using mobile devices more in the classroom. 

The authors of the Educause report speculate that the drop in “yes” answers could be due to burnout: “they don’t want another screen to work on.” They also speculate the proliferation of mobile apps during the remote learning of the pandemic may have caused students to struggle with some advanced features and essentially sour on mobile learning. 

Whatever the reason for student ambivalence, it’s clear that mobile devices aren’t an unambiguous good when used inside the classroom setting. Whether you prohibit mobile devices, ban them, or adopt a laissez-faire attitude, I recommend doing so with intention and purpose so that students know why they are being asked to engage (or not engage) with their cellphones. 

What does all this mean for me? 

My goal with this post was not to give you clear-cut answers about mobile devices in the classroom. In fact, it’s quite possible I’ve only muddied the waters for you. 

What I do hope is clear, though, is that efforts to make course sites (especially Canvas) more mobile-friendly are incredibly impactful and important. Students will use their phones to access your Canvas site, and it’s worth your time to consider how that use interacts with the design of your course. 

If you’re looking for a primer on mobile design of course sites, I highly recommend checking out the previous article, “Toward Mobile-First Teaching Practices.” It can get you started with some practical tips to make your course site easy to access on a smartphone. 

How do you use mobile devices in your courses? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Chen, Baiyun, Aimee Denoyelles, Tim Brown, and Ryan Seilhamer. “The Evolving Landscape of Students’ Mobile Learning Practices in Higher Education.” EDUCAUSE Review, January 25, 2023. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/1/the-evolving-landscape-of-students-mobile-learning-practices-in-higher-education .

Kuznekoff, Jeffrey H., and Scott Titsworth. “The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning.” Communication Education 62 , no. 3 (2013): 233-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2013.767917 .

Eva joined the Division of Online and Strategic Learning in 2021. Previously, she taught professional writing courses in the English Department, including graphic design and web development. She launched Jacket Copy Creative (now known as Compass Creative), an immersive learning course in which students helped market the English Department (and now the entire College of Sciences and Humanities). She also served as a director of advertising at a social media advertising agency in Muncie. Her interests include UDL, digital accessibility, and design. She’s often busy “hacking” Canvas to do cool things.

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Ten ways your smartphone can help you learn.

The invention and popularity of smartphones have dramatically changed the way people communicate and gain information.

With a single device, you can Google a random question you have, text your classmate about the assignment you missed and call your spouse that you’d like to take them out for dinner. But the purpose of a phone has incorporated so much more than just the ability to call someone while connected to a cord.

While the youth of today may not be able to remember a time where there were no cell phones, others have had to learn and adapt to using a smartphone and all its many functions and capabilities. And with the increasing dedication to technology and innovation, it seems that there’s something new you can learn every day.

In addition to helping you communicate, smartphones can also be very useful tools in continuing your education. They may even offer opportunities to learn in ways you may not expect. Since chances are, you probably almost always have your phone with you, you’ll have an opportunity to learn no matter where you are. An article from GoConqr by Andrea Leyden shares some great ideas on how to use your phone to help you in the classroom.

Here, we share 10 ways that your smartphone can help you learn so you can be better equipped to pursue your goals.

1. Stay Connected to Your Assignments

With the power of the internet, you’re able to stay connected to your learning management system whenever you have access.

For example, Cornerstone University uses  Moodle where you can find all your assignments, resources and discussion forums. And, since Moodle is optimized to be mobile-friendly, you can access the resources you need when you need them, whether on a laptop or simply on your smartphone.

2. Record Lectures

Do you have a difficult time keeping track of your notes and fully paying attention to the professor at the same time during class? This is where your smartphone’s recording functionality can come in handy.

Using your smartphone, you can record the lecture or discussion for you to listen to later if needed. By having it recorded, you can be sure you don’t miss any details.

Be sure to ask the professor before your class if it’s okay to record the class discussions.

3. Use Notetaking Apps

Make a new folder aside from your Facebook, Bible and Solitaire apps and get some productivity-focused apps. There are numerous apps designed to help you stay organized and keep your notes in a convenient and safe location. Apps like Google Drive , Evernote and Dropbox help store your important files on your phone so you can access them whenever and wherever you are.

Better yet, these apps can also coordinate with your work on your computer. You won’t have to remember if you completed work on your phone or computer because your work will be in both locations.

Smartphones allow the opportunity to match learning with trends in culture. Here’s what Ray Kurzweil said about the influence of mobile learning: “Technology is enabling our need to be mobile. We want to ensure that learning matches our lifestyle.”

With an increasing focus on being mobile—accessing what we need from wherever and whenever—the way we learn is also affected.

4. Listen to Podcasts

With the opportunities of smartphones, the opportunities to convey information are numerous. Podcasts are becoming highly popular in sharing ideas, information and stories to interest and inform others.

You can find podcasts on practically any topic. From business to health to technology to science and so much more, there’s sure to be a podcast that you can both enjoy listening to and learn from.

5. Use Video to Record Presentations

Especially in online programs, you may need to record yourself doing a presentation for an assignment. But what if you don’t have a camera on your computer or it stops working somehow?

Good thing your smartphone has a video function.

With your smartphone, you can record quality video quickly and easily and submit your video presentation in no time.

6. Keep Track of Your Calendar

While a sturdy paper calendar has its benefits, keeping your calendar on your phone allows you to always be aware of upcoming assignments, appointments, meetings and other events. Knowing what you have coming up can help you prepare for what’s next so you don’t fall behind.

With your smartphone’s calendar, you can also set reminders for yourself to ensure you don’t miss a thing.

7. Read Your Books

If you get your books electronically, you can easily take your reading with you wherever you go. With the Kindle or other eBook apps, you can catch up or get ahead on your reading for class or just read a book for fun .

If you still prefer the traditional printed textbook, you can still use a combination of both printed and ebook varieties to suit your preferences. Audiobooks have also greatly grown in popularity.

According to a study by Pew Research , almost one out of five Americans listen to audiobooks. While this study also shows that traditional printed books are still the most widely read, it also notes that there is increasing diversity in the medium used in reading (or listening to) books.

8. Get Your Research Questions Answered

When you can’t make it to the library for a research project, you can still connect with a librarian for help. At Cornerstone, you have access to chat with a librarian via email, phone or text. With just a few taps of your finger on your smartphone, you can get your questions answered and get on your way to writing an excellent research assignment.

Even if you’re wondering about a random fact or detail you just have to know, a search engine is just a question away.

Tony Bingham said that “mobile sets learning free, and we can now learn virtually anything, anywhere and anytime—and that’s amazing.”

The ability to learn what we want when we want is truly amazing.

9. Set a Timer

Do you have trouble staying focused on an assignment, whether it be for work, school or home? Your smartphone can help you stay on task by using the stopwatch feature. Set a timer for a duration where you’ll stay committed to working on one single task. When the timer goes off, you can take a break or switch to something else. With a timer, you can work hard and know that you’ll get relief when that alarm goes off.

10. Contact Your Professor

Whether you have a question on an assignment or will be missing a night of class, there are times where you’ll need to connect with your professor at the earliest convenience. In such cases, a smartphone comes in handy as one of its main functions is for communication! Depending on your professor’s preferences, you can call, email or text him or her when you need help with something. At Cornerstone, our team of faculty is committed to assisting you and being available to you so that you can succeed.

A Smartphone for So Much More

Yes, a smartphone is great for calling your family when you’re running late. It’s useful for texting your teenager to remind them to finish their homework.

And a smartphone can also help you practice being a lifelong learner by assisting you in your work, assignments and enhancing communication. See what practices you can start today to use your smartphone for more than intense games of Solitaire.

With degree programs available fully online, you can engage in curriculum from your smartphone, tablet or laptop as well. Discover a program format that meets you where you are.

Learn more about our adult programs

Learn more about our graduate programs

Ellie Walburg

Ellie Walburg (B.S.’17, M.B.A.’20) serves as the admissions communications coordinator for Cornerstone University’s Professional & Graduate Studies division.

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Your life in their hands – privacy and your mobile device

Fellow of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney

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Rob Livingstone has no financial interests in, or affiliations with any organisation mentioned in this article. Other than his role at UTS, he is also the owner and principal of an independent Sydney based IT advisory practice.

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The explosive uptake of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets has us immersed in a complex, volatile soup of hyper-connected digital technologies, where not only is the perception of time being compressed, but privacy protections are being reshaped.

Smartphones and mobile devices are highly sophisticated micro computers packed with tightly integrated geospatial, optical, voice synthesis, radio transceivers, motion detectors and other technologies, glued together by very smart software.

The concentration and integration of these technologies into a single handheld device transforms the smartphone into a truly multifunctional device. This concentration, however then becomes a serious threat to privacy protection, as we are seemingly inseparable from our smartphones.

For the most part, we still appear to be concerned about our own privacy online.

The 2013 Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) Community Attitudes to Privacy study found the majority of those sampled were concerned about the loss of protection of their personal information online whether through identity fraud, theft, misuse or other means. These findings are also mirrored elsewhere.

Notwithstanding our concerns about privacy, will our love of smartphones lead us to willingly trade off our concerns of privacy for this convenience?

Privacy legislation meets the smartphone – who wins?

Legislation may be passed, but how effective it is in a virtual, volatile and jurisdiction agnostic digital world remains to be seen. The rapid pace of development and change in digital technologies stands in stark contrast to the comparatively glacial rate of change in legal and regulatory frameworks. The effectiveness of any legislation is based on considerations such as the deterrence factor, the actual protections afforded under the law and the practicalities of enforcing the law.

But when it comes to new and emerging digital technologies - which cut across conventional legal jurisdictions - the effectiveness of legislation is sadly lacking.

The effectiveness of privacy and data breach legislation is questionable, at best. The volume and severity of data breaches continues apace, despite the substantial increases in spending on information security measures as well as the existence of privacy protection legislation and mandatory data breach reporting in many countries.

The dismal rate of successful convictions of elusive cybercriminals is testament to the comparative ineffectiveness of our jurisdiction-bound legal frameworks in the face of rapidly evolving digital technologies and their associated applications.

A rich target

Given the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, they are rich targets for legitimate information harvesting as well as cybercrime as they concentrate, generate and broadcast a wealth of personal information about our lifestyle patterns and habits in one place. The array of systems and apps on your smartphone that continually harvest, interrogate and report back to their masters on the various types of your usage data including geospatial, phone call details, contacts and hardware information is where the real value lies to others .

Internet security company Kaspersky Labs, recently uncovered an extensive legal cyber sleuthing network with over 300 servers dedicated to the collection of information from users located in over 40 countries including Kazakhstan, Ecuador, Colombia, China, Poland, Romania and the Russian Federation. A number of these countries, however, are also associated with known cybercriminal activities.

The bottom line is that, as an individual consumer of smartphone and tablet based technologies loaded with apps, we are relatively powerless to do anything about protecting our privacy.

Your ultimate protection lies in your choice whether to download that app or not, or to limit the use of your smartphone to only making phone calls.

When deciding to load any smartphone services, in the majority of cases, you have to agree with non-negotiable terms and conditions of the provider. A Hobson’s choice at its best.

Tips for protection

Despite this, there are nevertheless a few fundamental steps you can take to help mitigate the risks to your privacy. These include:

Purchase reputable mobile device security software and install it to your mobile device. This will not only help keep your device clear of known malware and viruses, but also scan all apps and other software for known privacy risks.

If you are no longer using an app, remove it from your device.

Download apps from reputable sources only. If the originator is a real, legitimate business, delivering a real service using their bespoke app the risks of mal- and spyware are minimal. The challenge is that reading the standard “terms and conditions” of the app (if offered) can be not only onerous, but the full ramifications from accepting that the app will access other services on your mobile device (such as location, contacts, call details or any unique network or hardware identifiers) may not be fully understood.

Mobile devices are easily lost or stolen. Ensure you setup your power-on and screen lock security, as well as a other security measures including remote wipe and location identification services.

• When disposing your mobile device, ensure you remove any SIM and data cards then perform a hard factory reset. This will return the device to its original ex-factory settings, and remove all traces of your data from the device.
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13 Advantages and Disadvantages of Smartphones

  Smartphones have changed the lives of people dramatically. Before people had to make an extra effort to send messages and purchase a camera just to take photos. Today, these features are combined into one innovative, rectangular technology that keeps getting smarter and more intelligent every day. Since then, smartphones have never been found outside of people’s reach.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Smartphones

Nearly half of the population possesses a smartphone, according to reports. In a Bank of America survey conducted in 2016, 96% of millennials aged 18 to 24 years even said smartphones are very important to them. 93% of them also suggested that smartphones are more relevant than toothbrush and deodorant. The research also revealed out that a person checks his or her smartphone every 6.5 min.

Let’s learn about how we can benefit from smartphones and what the disadvantages of smartphones are at the same time.

Advantages of Smartphones

1. communications made easier.

Smartphones developed from the earliest devices for communication. It has therefore been built to primarily strengthen the way people interact with each other. The development of technology for smartphones modernized communications. It has paved the way for SMS, text messages, calls, video chat, and applications that allow individuals to connect with others around the world instantly.

Through the advent of smartphones, you don’t have to fear about your family members finding your personal texts and love letters.  Smartphones help you to save this information and protect it. A phone lock system is designed in most smartphones. A pin, code or even your fingerprint can be used to secure your phone. People are blocked from lurking in your private messages.  You only have to make sure others don’t know your password by using a unique password.

3. Web Surfing

Smartphones also make it easier for users to surf the internet. These devices are integrated with mobile browsers that allow websites to be searched and viewed anywhere and at any time. 10% of the total time spent by people on smartphones is used in order to open browsers to surf the internet, according to a survey. Through this, people have simple access to the information.

Your smartphone can work as a GPS device. There are several excellent applications for navigation that will allow you to quickly locate the place. You’ll get directions no matter if you’re a driver or a pedestrian, because you won’t have to go around asking strangers how to get somewhere. Many of the applications even display the traffic jam locations, so this will help you escape the mess and arrive more efficiently.

5. Education

Smartphones also support education, especially among children. Children can have more immersive learning by watching instructional videos and playing educational apps with easy access to information and helpful content. If they want to find out about a subject, they can also easily surf the internet.

6. Entertainment

You probably have come to the conclusion that smartphones are super useful, as you have read the things we described above. Not just that, though. Occasionally, we need to relax and have some easy fun. You can watch funny videos, listen to music or play your favorite games using your smartphone.

7. Useful Apps

With the assistance of applications, smartphones can do almost anything. There are over 2 million applications in the Google Play Store, while the Apple App Store has over 1.5 million apps. People spend 90% of their time using apps in which 36 apps are installed by an average user on their smartphone. The functionality of apps differs from each other – picture and video editor, ticket booking, online shop, payment system, data review, personal assistant, etc.

Disadvantages of Smartphones

1. distraction.

With a smartphone, you can be distracted quickly. Since accidents can occur, you have to be careful. Put away your phone and focus if you are driving. Everything that’s on your phone can wait until you get home. With these handheld devices, do not endanger your life. Another problem is social etiquette.

There are several companies that would ask for limited use of smart phones. People appear to lose their attention when they hear a phone ringing and someone steps out to answer the call.   When you’re at an important meeting, don’t forget to keep your phone off. Even when someone is talking to you and you pay more attention to your phone, it can be rude.

Being a cell phone enthusiast, trend and fashion lover will leave you minus a substantial amount of cash maybe every 3 to 6 months.  You want to have that latest brand, that fresh and good looking phone accessory; all result in debits to your wallet. Not to mention airtime credits and internet costs every day.

3. Health Problems

Late night chats and playing games on your phone in bright screen results to eye issues.  Network waves can result in some skin cancers. There is even more if you plan to scrutinize the poor effects of using a smartphone. Among the problems are eye cancer, sleeplessness that induces chronic exhaustion during the day and infertility due to Wi-Fi connectivity.

4. Addiction

Interesting games and social websites are available on smartphones that can contribute to addiction, more so to the kids growing up before they reach the age of ten. Some schools have thus restricted the use of cell phones in school premises.

In the morning, several people wake up and check their phones first. You’re one of them? Yeah, indeed, that’s how important our smartphone is. It’s the first thing we look at before we say a friendly “Good morning” to everyone around us.

5. Risk of Data Loss

Information would no longer be confidential if your phone is stolen. It’s really important to lock and deactivate your phone. You should complain to your service provider that your phone is missing, and it will be deactivated.

To do online transactions, we use our phone and sometimes this information is saved. Someone will be able to access your personal details if you are not careful. It could be someone close to you who has access to your phone. You’ve got to be careful.

6. Uncensored Contents

Finally, there is a downside to quick access to data and the internet. Individuals, particularly children, could see uncensored material, including violence, pornographic content, etc., intentionally or not. If you have kids, make sure that their use of smartphones is limited.

• https://www.tutorialspoint.com/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-smartphones
• https://www.mobilecon2012.com/8-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-smartphone-technology/
• https://www.eukhost.com/forums/forum/general/technology-forum/17752-10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-having-smartphone

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How to choose a smartphone by brand, carrier, or features

Choosing a smartphone for yourself or a loved one is no easy task. Smartphones are generally high-ticket but critically needed items, and there are ways to narrow down your choices so that you spend your money wisely for the most important features for you. Hundreds of available options can make your selection process overwhelming, especially if you’re not clear on your priorities. We can help you narrow down your choices by analyzing all considerations you need to confidently choose the best phone. Below are the major questions you need to answer.

• What’s your price range?

What features do you need?

Which operating system do you prefer, what are the most important specs, choose a wireless carrier, pick a service plan.

For an in-depth look at what the current smartphone market has to offer, see our guides to the best smartphones , best Android phones , and best cheap smartphones .

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What’s your price range?

First, determine how much you’re willing to spend and how you want to spend it. If you’re an Apple customer, you already know that iPhones tend to be more costly than Android phones. However, a cheaper iPhone SE (2020) for around $400 may be the ideal budget phone for the iOS platform. Samsung is another relatively high-priced brand with models across the price range. On the lower end of the price scale, you’ll find brands like Nokia, Honor, and Motorola. You can save upfront costs with phones that are subsidized via a carrier that you can pay for in monthly installments over a year or two. While these financial arrangements won’t save money in the long run, they will make a more expensive phone with more features more affordable. Have a look at our roundup of the best cheap phones to get an idea of what’s out there. If you’re really on a tight budget, you can still buy a smartphone for $100  or less.

Start by drafting a list of the most critical features you need your smartphone to have. Use the list to compare devices. Ask yourself: Do you need a phone with a large screen? Do you prefer one that you can use one-handed? Are you looking for extended battery life or the  best camera phone available? Do you need a lot of storage for your music or photo collection? Maybe you’re a frequent traveler and need a dual-SIM phone. Is 5G going to be part of the landscape in your area?

There are only two smartphone operating systems worth considering: Android and iOS. Both are easy to use and support a wide variety of apps and games. While you can change from Android to iOS , or from iPhone to Android , there are learning curves in both directions. For familiarity, try to stick to whatever platform you’re used to — unless you really don’t like it and want to switch.

Android offers a wider choice of devices at different prices, more customization options, and Google’s excellent suite of services and apps built-in. If you already use Google Maps, Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Assistant , then Android may be the better choice for you, though you can download iOS versions of all of those tools from the App Store.

Apple’s iOS offers a more uniform, accessible experience, and operations are more secure alongside proprietary features like Siri, fingerprint scanning, FaceTime, and iCloud. The App Store and app quality are slightly better than Android due to Apple’s oversight of the app process. If you already have a MacBook or an iPad, an iPhone is probably going to make the most sense for you. You’ll also find an enormous choice of accessories for iPhones, something that can be limited for lesser-known Android devices.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the top two smartphone platforms, check out our guide to Android vs. iOS , where we compare them in various categories.

Listen critically to the salesperson at the store and then shop around to get hands-on experiences with different smartphones before buying one. If you don’t know much about specs, bring along a knowledgeable friend or family member. With more people shopping at home, you can still use chat apps and check forums and reviews for advice. Here are a few things to think about:

• Design:  If you want something you can use one-handed, try to pick it up and try it out. A lot of phones these days have glass on the front and back, which makes them fragile and prone to smudges. Check that the fingerprint sensor position suits you as well — on many phones, the sensor is on the back rather than the front. The right design for you should look and feel good.
• Screen:  You’re going to spend many hours gazing at the screen, so make sure it’s a good size for you and that it has a high resolution. We recommend a minimum of full HD, which is 1920 x 1080 pixels, or perhaps 2160 x 1080 pixels if the phone has a modern 18:9 aspect ratio. Anything that’s 1080p or higher will be sharp enough. In terms of the underlying technology, OLED screens have better contrast, with deeper blacks than LCD screens, and we prefer them overall. Some of Samsung’s Galaxy range and Apple’s iPhones feature AMOLED screens, but they can be pricey.
• Performance: This will be determined by two main things: The processor and the RAM. The processor is the more important consideration, and newer is generally better in terms of both speed and power efficiency. Apple’s A-series chipset tends to outperform the competition. For an Android phone, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus is the current cream of the crop. It’s debatable how much RAM you need in a smartphone , but we recommend looking for at least 4GB, at least for Android models. This doesn’t apply to iPhones, however, because they handle memory management differently and don’t require as much RAM. If in doubt, read reviews or play with your prospective smartphone in a store to test it.
• Operating system:  If you buy a new iPhone, then you’ll get the latest version of iOS, but this isn’t always the case with Android phones. Because the manufacturers often apply their own user interfaces on top of Android, it can take a while to get the latest updates. You may not get future versions of Android upon their releases, or even at all if the manufacturer decides not to update. Only stock Android phones from Google, such as the Pixel 5 , are guaranteed to get immediate and consistent Android updates. The current version to look for is Android 11 . Always try to get the latest version you can.
• Camera:  Smartphone cameras have greatly improved over the last few years. The choice can be bewildering, but note that good camera performance is about a lot more than just a high megapixel count. If you’re able to test the phone out for yourself, you certainly should, but you’ll also find useful information in reviews. We do numerous camera shootouts here at Digital Trends.
• Bloatware:  Be aware of bloatware or hobbled features, especially with Android. Sometimes carriers block specific features or change defaults. Carriers and manufacturers often add a lot of superfluous apps, and you may not be able to uninstall them.
• Battery life:  Removable batteries are rare these days, so you want a phone that can keep up with you. Check the consensus on battery life in reviews. The mAh rating will give you some indication, but the capacity is also impacted by the screen size, resolution, and software, so you need to look beyond the number.
• Storage: The latest smartphones generally come with enough storage built-in. When 16GB phones were common, which already had used up 10GB out of the box, you could run out of space alarmingly fast. A minimum of 32GB is good, but 64GB is better. Much depends on how you use your phone. You’ll obviously need more space if you like to load your music or photo collection. Having a MicroSD card slot allows you to expand your storage space relatively cheaply. However, Apple never includes MicroSD card slots, so this is something you’ll find only in some Android devices.
• Durability:  If you buy a predominantly glass phone, and you’ve got butterfingers, make sure to buy a protective case. You should also get a phone with some water-resistance. The top flagships tend to have IP67 or IP68 ratings nowadays, which means they can be submerged in water without damage. Many budget phones also come with some water-resistance.

It’s important to choose a carrier that offers good coverage in your area so you’ll have a strong signal. We recommend doing a little research at Open Signal , where you’ll find comprehensive coverage maps for different areas and carriers. Simply enter your location and pick a carrier to see what the coverage is like where you live and work. If you want to be able to do data-intensive things without Wi-Fi — like stream video or play multiplayer games — make sure that 4G coverage is good in your area. Newer phones, like the iPhone 12 range , are now also incorporating 5G, but that protocol is still in the early stages in most places, so it’s likely not a huge priority as yet. If you intend to hold on to your phone for several years,  however, 5G will become a factor in your buying decision.

The main network choices are Verizon, AT&T, and the recently merged T-Mobile/Sprint, but there are other carriers, too, such as MetroPCS, Boost, Cricket, and Virgin, that may be worth considering. If you plan to buy your smartphone from your carrier along with your service, make sure that they offer the phone you want. We recommend  buying an unlocked phone when possible because it will work out to be cheaper in the long run and give you the freedom to change carriers in the future.

There are hundreds of different cell phone service plans on the market today, and market competition can mean lower prices for consumers. However, you’ll need to shop around a bit to find the best deal.  These days, choosing the best and cheapest plan is easier than ever. We’ve done some of the legwork for you already by looking for the best family plans , best unlimited data plans , and best cheap phone plans .

If you’d like to save a bit of money but aren’t ready to quit your phone plan quite yet, try to negotiate a better deal with your carrier— research the offers and deals provided by other carriers. If you find a lower price available, with better features offered, contact your current provider and see if negotiation is possible. Be sure to request a representative from the customer retention department— they’re the ones with the power to work with you, apply discounts, and share incentives to keep at the company. 

Service providers are highly motivated to sell you the most expensive plan they can manage. Try not to get caught up in their salesmanship. Research the features you actually need and want from your cellular plan. The most expensive area of your bill will be data coverage; Consider the amount of data you may actually need in a given month, and use that as negotiation leverage when discussing a new plan.  

If you aren’t sure exactly how much data you use every month, you’re not alone. We’ve built a guide to data usage that we recommend you check out before contacting your provider. Once you pinpoint how much data, minutes, or messages you use regularly, you can determine what plan will fit best for you. From there, you can use something like Wirefly to compare cell phone plans. You can use the information you find there to negotiate price-matching plans. Keep in mind, another way you can save money with your cellular plan is through bundling. They may seem expensive, but bundling services may actually save you money in the long run. Putting in this research upfront can help put a significant amount of money back in your wallet.

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Smartphones tend to have pretty good camera systems these days, whether you're talking about the very latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 14. But even the perfect photo can sometimes need a little additional pizazz. A little extra sparkle can come in the form of a simple color filter, artificially added background blur, or can extend as far as diving into an image's levels and other advanced features. Heck, now that we're in the AI era, it can also include using a tool to transpose yourself into a medieval setting or swapping a face with a friend.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start on Monday, June 10. During the conference keynote, the company is expected to unveil new software updates for its major products, including iOS 18 for iPhones.

iOS 18 is expected to be a major iPhone update, likely ushering in a new design and AI features. If you are wondering when you can get your hands on the latest software version, here's everything you need to know about iOS 18's release date. When will the iOS 18 beta be released?

Happy Wednesday evening, everyone! You're unwinding for the day, getting ready for a relaxing night, and ... you realize that the App Store and a bunch of other Apple services aren't working. Don't worry, you aren't alone.

What Apple services are down? When did the problems start? Is the outage still ongoing? Here's everything you need to know. When did the App Store outage start? According to DownDetector, reports of outages with the App Store flooded in a little after 6 p.m. ET. Reports appear to have spiked at over 6,000, indicating pretty widespread problems.

Essay on Positive Impacts of Smartphone Technology on Learning

We live in the age of digital technologies in the globalized world today. Each part of our everyday life has its connection with technology. When opposed to old times, we have better services and much better luxuries with the aid of increasing technologies. Technological growth is not limited to any industry, and emerging innovations are developed for all industries and sectors of society according to their needs and demands. Technology is applied to each person’s lifetime tasks. Every day, we use technologies to perform particular activities or interests. Modern technology enhances human capacity, which has grown over the years. What used to work, could not work today, must be old or replaced by new technologies. We can chat with friends and family living far from us using mobile technology. Therefore, this paper will argue on how smartphones positively impact learning.

In 1993, the smartphone era started with Simon’s IBM smartphone (Sarwar, 2013). The smartphone movement began with the arrival in the mass media industry of blackberry smartphones with several features, including web searching, camera, email, and internet. Apple joined the industry in 2007 when the first smartphone was launched, and it was an important development in the market. In order to approach mobile consumers using cutting-edge technologies, the Android operating system by Google was unveiled in public before the end of 2007.

A smartphone is a handheld device with a computer’s capability. This computer gives users advanced networking and processing capacities than conventional cell telephones with internet connectivity, high-quality cameras, and management equipment (Boulos, 2011). The latest phones are seen instead of a standard phone because of their strong processing capacities and amazing memories as portable computers. The ability to use functional software on smartphones has made smartphones an ever more powerful gadget that replaces several gadgets, including alarm clocks, computers, notebooks, GPS navigators, and digital cameras.

Over recent decades, higher education and learning have adopted ICT, which is seen as a vital component for adapting to social environment growth (Rung, 2014). The most popular trend in using ICTs is that mobile devices are dependent since they are not restricted to everyday activities but are still used in education environments. Access to course material, inspirational communication and dialogue between teachers and students, and information on students’ success are educational events that include mobile use (Cochrane, 2010). Thus, mobile use will have a significant effect on students’ success as this technology can enhance education and learning.

It is reported that different areas of student life will change as students start using smartphones to expand their academic skills (Woodcock, 2012). Smartphones will also help students to become conscious of the advantages of studying anywhere, every time, and at any time and inspire students to engage in learning practices. This indicates that technology will open up and enhance student prospects, in particular in its academic field.

A self-report study was carried out on students’ mobile telephony practices in classrooms and student success effects (Froese, 2012). The result shows that mobile telephone usage distracts students from studying, and their classroom learning is interrupted when learning code.

Smartphone learning is more successful because it improves the success of the student in the academic field. The use of smartphones is formal and casual since both teachers and students interact in classrooms and outside. As students visit Google, they immediately read the references they have discovered. In this case, it immediately improved their awareness. They instinctively know the details without wanting to know it. It has been shown that the use of smartphones often strengthens students’ skills and helps them focus more on academics. Students who use their smartphones correctly will influence their selves, parents, professors, and schools positively. The use of mobile phones inspires students. Since they get plenty of information with the use of search engines such as Google, they boost their ability to look for information using different applications on smartphones.

Students are inspired by the advantages of using smartphones as resources for students. They don’t just concentrate on classroom research but have the experience where and how they need it. Studies that make students relaxed and happier in their studies in another setting. In addition, students discussed the use of smartphones as education platforms more effectively by using the different applications on their smartphones. Some people use their smartphones for training purposes (Soyemi Jumoke, 2015). For instance, they use the calculator to measure something and set a date reminder such as analysis or testing. Some users use the mobile to enhance their academic abilities by downloading the program on the educational smartphone. For example, to better their knowledge, users download the dictionary application. Another example is that people download Ginger to enhance their grammar skills. So you can use your mobile applications here to enhance your skills.

Modern technological changes influence the way schools study. Consequently, smartphone use is the perfect option for future research in the school community (Issham Ismail, 2015). The use of smartphones enables the student to compete effectively in the university. The smartphones appeal to (Issham Ismail, 2015)), says that it will allow the use of learning resources for the future. The use of smartphones as learning instruments expanded parental participation in children’s schooling, and the schools’ websites already have parents checking their children’s exams.

Students have increased their trust in the efficiency of smartphones. When students are afraid to ask the teachers, they can ask the teacher by message or dial the educators. Long-distance students use mobile as their tool for receiving teachers’ and colleague’s information or news (Tim Vorley, 2016). For instance, at University London, Malaysian students can only use their smartphones to communicate with teachers. You can use Skype, except in the simulated version. They both are more straightforward because they can still reach one another behind the obstacles of gaps. There’s no cause for research and the use of mobile new knowledge. (Tim Vorley, 2016), however, it says that the library content is accessed via smartphones. Art students use smartphones to help them search through the library system for content. It has also been named smartphone applications. The studies for smartphones often name them mobile learning since users can learn anything by using smartphones.

The learning environment changes as technology comes. Students have more choices than ever before. In ancient times, people just learned in school. But nowadays, people require only a WIFI and a screen. You read, at home or in the coffee shop when it is best for you. The role of the teacher changes with the talents, knowledge, and needs of the student. Technology has changed how people learn. Innovations have changed learning from a quasi-individual effort to collaboration. Google Drive, Dropbox, and Evernote are ready to collaborate with typical task management applications, such as Astrid and Todoist. Technology has become an enabler that gives the pupil a humanized learning environment rather than an obstacle to genuine contact. It promotes cognitive and socio-emotional processes by engaging students to “see one another,” Zain Verjee writes.

Technology should be an instrument for constructive learning rather than passive learning. Learners, not just spectators, will be writers or problem solvers. The web provides them with the freedom to learn following their own choices. The more people used technology, the better the learning, says the scientist—students who use mobile apps to learn anywhere and be the most popular. The most vital teachers are the involved teachers who have a sense of power over their classes. The students can use the internet to view and resolve issues directly.

In conclusion, this paper reveals that smartphones influence the university life of students in many ways. There have been arguments about and for the effect of smartphones on student academic success. This research should end with the fact that smartphones have a more positive than negative effect on students.

Boulos, M. N. (2011). How smartphones are changing the face of mobile and participatory health care; an overview, with example from eCAALYX.  Biomed Eng Online, , 24.

Cochrane, T. D. (2010). Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: mobile Web 2.0 informing a new institutional e‐learning strategy. 221-231. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/09687769.2010.529110.

Froese, A. D. (2012). Effects of classroom cell phone use on expected and actual learning.  College Student Journal, , 323-332.

Issham Ismail, S. N. (2015). Mobile Phone as Pedagogical Tools: Are Teachers Ready?  International Education Studies, , 36-47.

Rung, A. W. (2014). Investigating the Use of Smartphones for Learning Purposes by Australian Dental Students.  JMIR Mhealth . Retrieved from http://mhealth.jmir.org/2014/2/e20/

Sarwar, M. &. (2013). mpact of Smartphone’s on Society. .  European Journal of Scientific Research,  , 216-226.

Soyemi Jumoke, O. S. (2015). Analysis of mobile phone impact on student academic performance in Tertiary Institution.  International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, , 361-367.

Tim Vorley, N. W. (2016). Not just dialling it in.  . Education + Training, , 45-60.

Woodcock, B. M. (2012). Considering the Smartphone Lerner: An investigation into student interest in the use of personal technology to enchance their learning. .  Student Engagement and Experience Journal, 1-15.

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What is in your smartphone? - Gary explains

Published on February 23, 2017

We often talk about the exteriors of our smartphones, the design language, the build materials and the ergonomics. But what about the insides? If we were to take a smartphone apart what would we find? What do all those components do? And how important are they? Let me explain.

While the display could be seen as an exterior element of a smartphone, it is also an interior one. As the principle method for interacting with our smartphones, it can be argued that it is the most important component. Displays come in a variety of sizes with a whole gamut of screen resolutions. The common sizes are between 4.5 to 5.7 inches (measured across the diagonal) and the key screen resolutions are 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080 and 2560 x 1440.

There are two main types of display technology: LCD and LED. The former gives us In-Plane Switching Liquid Crystal Displays or IPS displays, which don’t have the viewing angle problems of cheaper LCD panels; and the latter is the basis for Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode or AMOLED displays.

LCD displays work by shining a light (called the backlight) through some polarizing filters, a crystal matrix and some color filters. The crystals can be twisted to varying degrees depending on the voltage applied to it, which adjusts the angle of the polarized light. All combined, this allows a LCD display to control the amount of RGB light reaching the surface by culling light from the backlight.

AMOLED displays work differently, here each of the pixels are made up from groups of Light Emitting Diodes, which makes them the source of the light. The advantage of AMOLED over IPS is that OLED type displays can switch off individual pixels and so giving deep blacks and a high contrast ratio. Also, being able to dim and turn off individual pixels saves on power.

The electrical power for all the bits inside your smartphone comes from the battery. A battery can either be user removable, which means you can easily replace it or carry multiple batteries with you; or it can sealed into the phone, which means it can only be replaced by a technician. The capacity of the battery is a key metric, with most 5.5 inch phones having at least a 3000 mAh unit. When it comes to charging there is a whole spectrum of different charging technologies, however the popular is probably Quick Charge from Qualcomm. Most smartphone batteries today are Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) based, which means you don’t need to worry about things like the battery memory effect. For more information on battery tech check out should I leave my phone plugged in overnight?

System-on-a-Chip

Your smartphone is a mobile computer and all computers need a Central Processing Unit (CPU) to run software, i.e. Android. However the CPU can’t act alone, it needs the help of several different components for graphics, mobile communications and multimedia. These are all combined onto a single chip which is known as a SoC, a System-on-a-Chip.

There are several major SoC makers for mobile phones including Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek and HUAWEI. Qualcomm makes the Snapdragon range of SoCs and it is probably the most popular SoC manufacturer for Android smartphones. Next comes Samsung with its Exynos range of chips. MediaTek has carved itself a niche in the low- and mid-range markets with a set of low-cost processors marketed under the Helio brand. Last, but not least, are the Kirin processors from HiSilicon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HUAWEI.

The vast majority of smartphones (including Android, iOS and Windows Phones) use a CPU architecture designed by ARM. The ARM architecture is different to the Intel architecture that we find in our desktops and laptops. It was designed for power-efficiency and became the de-facto CPU architecture for mobile phones even before smartphones, back in the feature phone era.

There are two types of ARM architecture CPUs: those designed by ARM and those designed by other companies. ARM has a whole range of CPU core designs which it licenses under the Cortex-A branding. This includes cores like the Cortex-A53, the Cortex-A57 and the Cortex-A73. Companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek and HUAWEI take the core designs from ARM and incorporate them into their SoCs. For example the HUAWEI Kirin 960 uses four Cortex-A53 cores and four Cortex-A73 cores in an arrangement known as Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP).

ARM also grants a license, known as an architectural license, to other companies to design ARM architecture compatible cores. Qualcomm, Samsung and Apple are all architectural license holders. This means that cores like the Mongoose (M1) core found in the Samsung Exynos 8890 are fully ARM compatible, but are not designed by ARM. The M1 was designed by Samsung.

Qualcomm has a long history of designing custom cores including the 32-bit Krait core (found in SoCs like the Snapdragon 801) and the 64-bit Kryo core (found in the Snapdragon 820). ARM recently introduced the idea of a semi-custom core where a company like Qualcomm can take a standard ARM core, like the Cortex-A73, and together with ARM tweak it into a semi-custom design. These semi-custom CPUs maintain the essential design elements of the standard core however certain key characteristics are modified to produce a new design which is different and separate to the standard core. The Snapdragon 835 uses eight Kryo 280, cores which are semi-custom designs using the “based on Cortex-A technology” program.

The Graphics Processing Unit is a dedicated graphics engine designed primarily for 3D graphics, although it can be used for 2D graphics as well. In a nutshell the GPU is fed with triangle information along with some program code for the shader cores so it can produce 3D environments on a 2D display. For more details on how a GPU works please see  what is a GPU and how does it work?

There are three major mobile GPU makers at the current time, ARM with its Mali GPUs, Qualcomm with its Adreno range, and Imagination and its PowerVR units. The last of these three isn’t as well known on Android, however Imagination has a long term relationship with Apple.

ARM’s mobile GPU products have been through three major architectural revisions. First came Utgard, which you find in GPUs like the Mali-400, Mali-470 etc. Next came Midgard, a new architecture with support for the unified shader model and OpenGL ES 3.0. The latest generation is code named Bifrost. If you are wondering about the names of these architectures they are all based on Norse mythology. Anyone who has seen the Thor movies will remember that Bifrost is the rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard and Asgard. There are currently two Bifrost based GPUs, the Mali-G71 (as found in the Kirin 960) and the Mali-G51 .

Qualcomm’s Adreno 530 is found in the 820/821 and the Snapdragon 835 will use the Adreno 540. The 540 is based on the same architecture as the Adreno 530, but features a number of improvements and a 25 percent gain in 3D rendering performance. The Adreno 540 also fully supports the DirectX 12, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan graphics APIs, as well as the Google Daydream VR platform.

Although this is technically part of the CPU, it is worth mentioning the Memory Management Unit (MMU) as it plays such an important role and enables the use of Virtual Memory . For Virtual Memory to work there has to be a mapping between virtual addresses and physical addresses.

This mapping is done in the MMU, with a lot of help from the kernel, in Android’s case that means Linux. The kernel tells the MMU what mappings to use and then when the CPU tries to access a virtual address the MMU automatically maps it to a real physical address.

The advantages of virtual memory are that:

• An app doesn’t care where it is in physical RAM.
• An app only has access to its own address space and can’t interfere with other apps.
• An app doesn’t need to be stored in contiguous blocks of memory and allows the use of paged memory.

L1 and L2 caches

Although we think of RAM as being fast, certainly much faster than internal storage, compared to the internal speed of a CPU it is slow! To get around this bottleneck a SoC needs to include some local memory which runs as the same speed as the CPU. Local copies of data from RAM can be stored here and if managed right the use of this cache memory can significantly improve the performance of the SoC .

Cache memory that runs at the same speed as the CPU is known as Level 1 (L1) cache. It is the fastest and closest cache to the CPU. Normally each core has its own small amount of L1 cache.  L2 is a much larger cache, in the Megabyte range (say 4MB, but it can be more), however it is slower (meaning it cheaper to make) and it services all the CPU cores together, making it a unified cache for the whole SoC.

The idea is that if the requested data isn’t in the L1 cache then the CPU will try the L2 cache before trying main memory. Although the L2 is slower than the L1 cache it is still faster than the main memory and due to its increased size there is a higher chance that the data will be available.

A CPU core design like the Cortex-A72 has 48K of L1 instruction cache and 32K of L1 data cache. SoC makers can then add between 512K and 4MB of Level 2 cache.

Display processor & Video processor

There are a few more dedicated bits of hardware inside the SoC which work in conjunction with the CPU and GPU. First there is the Display Processor which actually takes the pixel information from the memory and talks to the display panel. An example of a Display Processor would be the Mali-DP650 from ARM . It offers a wide range of post-processing features such as rotation, scaling and image enhancement, support for resolutions up to 4K. It also supports energy saving technologies such as the ARM Frame Buffer Compression (AFBC) protocol, a lossless image compression protocol and format, which minimizes the amount of data transferred between IP blocks within a SoC. Less data transferred means less power consumed.

While the GPU is specialized at doing 3D processing, there is also a component for doing video decoding and encoding. Whenever you watch a movie from YouTube or Netflix then the compressed video data needs to be decoded as it is being shown on screen. This can be done in software, however it is much more efficient to do it in hardware. Likewise whenever you use your phone’s camera for video chats then the video data needs to be encoded before sending. Again this can be done in software, but it is better in hardware. ARM supplies video processor technology to its partners and its latest and greatest is the Mali-V61, which includes high quality HEVC encode and VP9 encode/decode, as well as all the standard codecs like H.264, MP4, VP8, VC-1, H.263 and Real.

Memory & Storage

A SoC can’t function without Random Access Memory (RAM) or permanent storage. The practical minimum amount of RAM for a 64-bit Android 7.0 smartphone is 2GB, however there are devices with much more. RAM is the working area used by Android to run the OS itself plus the apps you are using. When you are working in an app it is known as the foreground app, when you move away from it then the app moves from the foreground into the background. You can switch between apps by using the recent apps key. The more apps you have open the more RAM is used. Eventually Android will start to kill off older apps and remove them from RAM to make way for the current apps. The more RAM you have the more background apps you can keep open. iOS and Android work slightly differently in this respect and you can find more information in my article does Android use more memory than iOS?

Smartphones use a special type of RAM which doesn’t use as much power as the memory you find in desktops. In a desktop you might find DDR3 or DDR4 memory, but in a laptop you get LPDDR or LPDDR4, where the LP prefix stands for Low Power. One of the main differences between desktop RAM and mobile RAM is that the latter runs at a lower voltage. Akin to the RAM in desktops, PDDR4 is faster than LPDDR3.

Google recommends that Android smartphones have at least 3GB of free space for apps, data and multimedia, which means that 8GB is really the minimum internal storage size. However I wouldn’t recommend anyone gets a smartphone with 8GB of internal storage, it is just too small. 16GB is really the workable minimum. Some phones are worse than others when it comes to the amount of free space left on the internal storage. Although manufacturers quotes sizes like 16GB, 32GB or more, in fact a least 4GB of that is taken up by Android itself and any pre-installed applications that come bundled with the phone. On some phones the space used by Android and the apps can closer to 8GB. There are some other technical reasons why large chunks of the internal storage might be used by Android and the OEM, but the bottom line is this, don’t expect to get the full amount of internal storage as advertised with the device.

Some Android phones have the option to add additional storage via a microSD card. It isn’t a feature that you find on all phones, however if you are getting a device with 16GB or less of internal storage then a microSD card slot is recommended.

Connectivity

The “phone” part of the word smartphone reminds us of the key feature of our devices, the ability to communicate. Smartphones come with several different communication and connectivity options including 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. All these protocols need hardware support including modems and other auxiliary chips.

All the major SoC makers include 4G LTE modem inside their chips. Qualcomm is probably the world leader in this respect, however Samsung and HUAWEI aren’t far behind. MediaTek’s chips don’t tend to have leading edge LTE technology, however the company is aiming at different markets than the other three. The key thing to remember here is that without a carrier network which supports the latest LTE speeds, it doesn’t really matter if your phone has support or not!

Qualcomm’s latest and great 4G LTE modem is the Snapdragon X16 LTE. The X16 LTE modem is built on a 14nm FinFET process, and is designed to produce fiber-like LTE Category 16 download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, supporting up to 4x20MHz downlink across FDD and TDD spectrum with 256-QAM, and 2x20MHz uplink and 64-QAM for speeds up to 150Mbps.

Here is an overview of Qualcomm’s most recent LTE modems:

You will also find chips for Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi. These tend to be built by companies like NXP or Broadcom.

Camera and Image Signal Processor

Most smartphones have two cameras, one on the front and one on the back. These camera are made up of three components: the sensor, the lens and the image processor. Some devices have dual sensors (and lenses) on the rear camera for better low light photography and also to mimic effects like shallow depth-of-field.

You are probably familiar with the main characteristic of the sensor, the megapixel count. This tells you the resolution of the sensor (how many pixels across multiplied by how many pixels high) with the idea being that more pixel means more resolution. However the megapixel count only tells you part of the story. There are more things to consider including the sensitivity of the sensor and the amount of noise it generates in low-light situations.

A key component in producing photos is the Image Signal Processor. It is normally part of the SoC and its job is to process the data from the camera and turn it into a image. The image processor is responsible for doing things like HDR, but it can do much more including spatial noise reduction, auto exposure for single or dual sensors, white balance and color processing, and Digital Image Stabilization.

If you move your smartphone camera, even a little, at the moment when you take a picture then the resulting photo will be blurred. In most cases, a blurred picture is a bad picture. As Canon puts it, “Camera shake is the thief of sharpness.” Therefore some smartphones also include Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a technology that reduces the blurring caused by movement as you take a photo. For more details see  Optical Image Stabilization – Gary explains!

Sound is a big part of the smartphone experience. Whether it is for calls, for playing games, for watching movies or for listening to music, the sound output from our devices is important.

DSP & DAC

DSP stands for Digital Signal Processor and it is a dedicated piece of hardware designed to manipulate audio signals. For example any equalization processing that is needed will be performed by the DSP. Qualcomm’s DSP is known as Hexagon and although it is called a DSP, it has expanded beyond audio processing and can be used for image enhancement, augmented reality, video processing and sensors.

A DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) takes digital data from your audio file and converts it into an analog waveform which can be sent to headphones or a speaker driver. The idea is to reproduce the analogue signal with as little added noise or distortion as possible. Some DACs are better than others at doing this conversion and producing cleaner analogue signals. Most smartphone makers don’t make a big deal of the DACs they have built into their devices, however occasionally a company will highlight their choice of DAC. For example LG with its V20 handset:  What is the LG V20’s “Quad DAC” and how does it affect audio quality?

Speakers come in all shapes and sizes on smartphones. Some are on the back, others on the side or on the bottom edge, however front facing speakers are generally considered the best. One thing to note is that many phones actually only have one speaker, not two, and that some devices have two speaker grills, but actually only one speaker!

There are a selection of other components in your phone which are worth mentioning. Don’t forget the GPS circuitry, which is used to pinpoint the location of your device and is essential if you are using any kind of navigation software or services. Then there is the vibration motor, a tiny little unit that allows your phone of “buzz” when you need things to be a bit quieter.

Another chip that you will find inside your smartphone is a PMIC, a Power Management Integrated Circuit. It is responsible for doing various power related things like DC to DC conversion, voltage scaling and also the battery charging. PMICs comes from a variety of manufacturers including Qualcomm, MediaTek and Maxim.

Finally there are the ports. Most phones have a charging port of some kind, either a micro USB port or a USB Type-C port. The majority of devices also have a 3.5mm headphone jack. It is feasible to build a phone without any ports that is charged using wireless charging and only works with Bluetooth audio.

Because we are so familiar with using our smartphones it is all too easy to forget just how complex they are. A smartphone truly is a computer in your hand, but it is more than that, it is a camera, an audio system, a navigation system and a wireless communications device. Each of these functions have their own dedicated hardware and software which enable us to get the best experience from our handsets.

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Hand in an assignment

This article is for students.

You hand in your work online in Classroom. Depending on the type of assignment and attachments, you'll see Hand in or Mark as done .

Any assignment handed in or marked as done after the due date is recorded as late.

Important: 

• You can only submit an assignment before the due date.
• If you need to edit an assignment that you have submitted, unsubmit the assignment before the due date, make your changes and resubmit.

Open and work on files that you own in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and Drawings and then attach them to your assignment.

• Attach one or more files to your assignment.
• With the scan feature, you can combine photos into a single document, crop or rotate photos and improve lighting.

Turn In an Assignment Using Google Classroom (Android)

Don't see the Drive icon? Go to about Drive files with earlier versions of Android .

• Select the attachment or enter the URL and tap Select .

Note : On mobile devices with Android 7.0 Nougat, you can drag materials from another app to Classroom when the two apps are open in split-screen mode. 

• Tap Add attachment .

Note : You can attach or create more than one file.

The assignment status will change to Handed in .

Important : If you get an error message when you tap Hand in , let your instructor know.

Hand in a quiz assignment

• Tap the quiz file and answer the questions.
• In the quiz, tap  Submit .
• Tap Mark as done and confirm. The assignment status will change to Handed in .

Mark an assignment as done

Important : Any assignment that is handed in or marked as done after the due date is marked as late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date.

•   Tap Mark as done and confirm. The assignment status will change to Handed in .

Unsubmit an assignment

Want to make changes to an assignment that you have already handed in? Just unsubmit the work, make the changes and hand it in again.

Important : Any assignment that is handed in or marked as done after the due date is marked as late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date. If you unsubmit an assignment, make sure that you resubmit it before the due date.

• Tap Unsubmit and confirm. The assignment is unsubmitted. Resubmit it before the due date.

About Drive files with earlier versions of Android

• Use a computer rather than a mobile device.

Related articles

• See your work for a class
• How attachments are shared in Classroom
• Work with a doc assigned to you
• Google Docs Help Centre
• Use a screen reader with Classroom on your computer

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Opening the Snapchat app in this third-floor museum gallery summons a moment of unexpected magic.

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The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East recently launched an augmented reality Snapchat Lens that offers a new way to experience their “From Stone to Silicone” exhibition . Visitors can view the AR on a smartphone or tablet anytime by searching “Intimidation Art” in the Snapchat app and aiming the device at the art. Every detail of the scenes — from colors used in the animation to music playing in the background — is based on historical research.

“One of our goals at the museum is to enhance the visitor experience with interactive and immersive technologies where appropriate,” said Peter Der Manuelian , director of the museum. “Not to compete with the art, but rather to add a layer of mixed reality to our exhibits that we hope will be engaging, informative, and fun.”

“The Art of Intimidation: Journey to Assyria” immerses visitors in the ancient city of Nineveh — located in modern-day Iraq — circa 640 B.C. It even gives them an assignment: to deliver a critical message to the king. All are welcomed by palace overseer Dan-Assur, an animated character who directs visitors’ attention to the wall art while they await the busy king.

Carved with scenes of battle, hunting, and ceremony, the wall panels are examples of powerful royal propaganda. But they also shed insight on everyday life in the ancient Near East.

Adam Aja , the museum’s chief curator, wanted to use modern storytelling techniques to engage audiences in the history of the panels. Part of his inspiration came from video games like “Assassin’s Creed: Origins,” which is set in ancient Egypt, and “Apotheon,” which is animated in the style of ancient Greek vase painting.

“As a player in a game, you create a character that you inhabit for the time you’re playing that game,” Aja said. “You roam the world and you become invested in the success of that character and the story as it plays out. I thought, maybe there was some way we can provide that kind of experience for our visitors.”

Gojko Barjamovic , senior lecturer on Assyriology in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department, co-wrote the script with Aja, incorporating ancient Assyrian phrases such as the greeting “Good health, visitor.” Narration was voiced by Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Shady Nasser , a specialist on Arabic literature and Islamic civilizations.

“Even though the narrator is speaking in English, there is still a turn of phrase that will strike the modern ear as, ‘Well, that sounds a little archaic,’” Aja said. “It’s actually from Assyrian text.”

Assyriologist Shiyanthi Thavapalan from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam advised on the colors based on her knowledge of recent infrared and ultraviolet imaging techniques that can detect remnants of ancient pigment. Archaeomusicologist Richard Dumbrill, formerly of the University of London, advised on the period music and soundscape. Dan-Assur’s character design was inspired by Donald Barkho, an Assyrian costumes and weaponry specialist and content creator who lives in Australia.

“It’s been a team of people from literally around the world that we’ve tapped into, to make this a bit more interesting and authentic, and based upon scholarship,” Aja said.

This isn’t the museum’s first foray into augmented reality. One floor down, visitors can use an app called “Dreaming the Sphinx” to immerse themselves in a story told by hieroglyphs inscribed on a replica of the “ Dream Stela ,” a stone slab that sits between the paws of the Great Sphinx in Giza.

“The visitors to museums approach the art in different ways,” Aja said. “I’m hopeful that even if this doesn’t appeal to every single museum visitor, that it will provide a new avenue of exploration for those who are interested.”

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