Adopting Mobile Devices in Classroom: An Empirical Case Study from Indonesian Teachers

Introduction

Mobile technologies (m-technologies) are integral part of human’s lives today in many parts of the world as they are powerful tools for communication and learning in the technology era. Learning via mobile technologies or mobile learning (m-learning) is increasingly gaining attention especially in the societies with limited access to Internet facilities such as Indonesia and South Africa. According to literature, not only is the Internet subscriber base in Indonesia significantly lower than in its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counterparts (see Figure 1), it is also lower than the ASEAN average. Internet growth in Indonesia is also lagging behind as can be seen in Figure 2 (Samarajiva & Zainudeen, 2008). Thus it is not surprising that m-learning is defined as “Knowledge in hand” by Brown & Metcalf (2008) as it facilitates the delivery of education or learning, foster communication, conduct assessments and provide access to performance support or knowledge.

Figure 1.

Internet subscriber in ASEAN countries (From ICT infrastructure in emerging Asia. Policy and regulatory roadblocks, Sage Publications (2008). Retrieved from http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/378-2/#page_141).

Figure 2.

Internet subscribers: Indonesia vs. India (1998-2005) (From ICT infrastructure in emerging Asia. Policy and regulatory roadblocks, Sage Publications (2008). Retrieved from http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/378-2/#page_141).

This chapter deliberates on the broad definitions of m-learning with identification of various controversial issues and problems of practice as reviewed from literature. Elaboration will be made on the mobile phone evolution in Indonesia and the pedagogical effectiveness of using it in educational context. The findings from the empirical case study on Indonesian teachers’ perception towards mobile learning in the science and mathematics classroom will also be reported with discussions on future trends. The useful research evidence of the value of ICT in education thereby serves as empirical basis for the formulation of ICT policy in educational institutions, particularly ICT integration in instruction.

The organization of this book chapter is divided into six sections: Section 2 (Background), Section 3 (Literature review), Section 4 (Research methodology), Section 5 (Finding and Discussion) and Section 6 (Conclusion). Section 2 describes the background of related research on mobile phones and its pedagogical effectiveness. Section 3 discusses literature review. Section 4 discusses research methodology such as sample size, instruments, data collection and analysis. Section 5 elaborates findings discussions & conclusion drawn. Section 6 offers research implications and limitations. Finally, this chapter comes up with recommendation on formulation of ICT policy towards the usage of mobile devices in classroom.