Using Mobile Technology for Problem Need Identification in School-aged Children Environment

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the value of using smartphones as a notebook (SN) in young students' homework to support their ideation skills. Participating case study students easily made use of the SN at home for recording problems and needs (PN) as well as initial solutions they had identified in their environment. The study has proven that the SN is an important tool that also supported communication and collaboration with parents. Furthermore, it was an important media in transporting homework to school and a great help in starting off lessons. Moreover, the SN increased the students' interest for their homework, as they found it practical and easy to use. When the SN was used as a problem-needs identification tool it activated the students' ideation at the initial state of their ideation. The SN also enabled younger students to generate the content of their coursework and thus improved the home-school connection.

Assessing the Value of a Mobile Application in Fostering Ideation within a School Context

“…PNI played an important role in this enquiry, as the innovation process began in the students' own environment. Part of ideation is accountable to PNI and supports an individual's competencies in resolving PNs in everyday life [33]. Identifying and defining the finding of problem-needs is a significant aspect of ideation and, sometimes, PNs are remarkably difficult to deal with.…”

“…Ideation has been defined as 'the faculty or capacity of the mind for forming ideas; the exercise of this capacity; the act of the mind by which objects of sense are apprehended and retained as objects of thought' [27], [33]. In this research, students initiated ideation inside school and as homework, within their own environment.…”

“…PNI was also identified as a significant source of information, enabling the work of both students and teachers. Moreover, it allowed the teacher to establish the content of the course and understand the thoughts and undertakings of students [33].…”

“…Identifying and defining the finding of problem-needs is a significant aspect of ideation and, sometimes, PNs are remarkably difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, solutions are often obvious, once properly analysed [14], [33].…”

Input Methods in Mobile Learning Environments

“…In (Thorsteinsson and Niculescu, 2012), researchers describe the advantages of using smartphones in homework activity for young students. In this way students are able to use all capabilities of smartphones such as taking photographs or submitting information about a problem, sharing online information and accessing information from Internet through smartphones.…”