Mobile learning in Hong Kong teacher education: Students’ level of readiness and receptivity

To align with international trend on using information and communications in education, the Hong Kong government has recently announced a policy to broadly implement e-learning in schools through a more pervasive use of mobile devices (like smart phones and tablets) and electronic textbooks to support classroom teaching and students’ self-regulated learning. However, many local schools and their teachers are not yet ready and confident enough (in terms of their teaching methods, strategies and approaches) to adopt mobile devices in their classroom activities. A team of teacher educators has then initiated an e-learning project which aims to go far beyond the elementary practice of “Bring Your Own Devices” and take a pioneer’s role to help the education sector by offering relevant training to our pre-service student-teachers and in-service teachers. To achieve that important educational goal, we designed and applied new e-learning activities in two different classes of undergraduate teacher education courses. The activities included (1) using simulation and developing Android apps to help pupils learn science and (2) applying the Arduino open-source microcontroller platform with appropriate programming skills to simulate a traffic light system. A research instrument, which was consisted of Likert questions and open-ended questions, was administered to collect information from a total of 144 undergraduate students on their prior experiences, attitudes and views on mobile learning and to evaluate their learning effectiveness in those technology-enhanced lessons. Interesting qualitative and quantitative findings will be presented in the poster together with concrete examples of classroom e-learning activities. Copyright © 2015 World Institute for Advanced Research and Science.