Intercultural Mgmt
1
Your paper should include the page number in the upper right hand portion of every
page. This can be easily achieved by going to “Insert,”
“Page Number,” “Top of Page,” and then selecting
“Plain Number 3.”
Integration of Mobile Apps into Education
Student Name
Columbia Southern University
Course Name
Instructor Name
Date
SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER
APA 7th edition allows for a variety of different font choices for papers. Options include Times
New Roman (size 12), Calibri (size 11), Arial (size 11), Lucida Sans Unicode (size 10), and Georgia
(size 11). This example paper is written in Times New Roman, size 12. The same font and font
size should be used throughout the entire paper.
2
Integration of Mobile Apps into Education
Technology has become an important element in almost every aspect of people’s lives. It
has been integrated into the educational process over and over again throughout the years and
has given newer and better tools to help facilitate learning. One such tool, the Internet, has given
the area of distance education digital steroids that have propelled online learning into a major
league status. In keeping up with emerging technologies, schools are now hoping to incorporate
mobile learning into both their traditional and distance classes in order to enhance the learning
experience (Wankel &Blessinger, 2013). The question for educators becomes whether mobile
apps are valid and valuable tools or are just unneeded additions to their curriculums. Educators
should use any tool that will benefit the learners, including mobile apps.
Pros of the Issue
People email on their phones, shop on their phones, and look for the best gas prices on
their phones. Anything someone can do on his or her computer, he or she can do on his or her
phone. In most professions, it would be difficult to succeed without a mobile device. It allows
for more efficient work. To facilitate learning, one might ask why not access and use all that
mobile technology has to offer. Wankel and Blessinger (2013) discuss the flexibility of mobile
learning. Learners can access the information anywhere. This gives the learner more control.
Ahmed and Kaur (2017) list one benefit as being the game-like quality of apps, which may make
learning seem more interesting. Roy (2017) also mentions games as a benefit because they
provide the information in a new way. Looi et al. (as cited in Ahmed and Kaur, 2017) argue that
mobile apps might help students connect with each other by allowing them to discuss their
experiences, which will make the learning more student-focused.
The full title of the paper is repeated here, bolded and centered.
When paraphrasing information, text citations
should include the author(s) and the year of publication. If no year is available, use n.d.
for no date within the parentheses.
This is a level one heading. It should be centered and bold.
This is how you cite a secondary source. It shows that Looi et al. was cited in the article by Ahmed and Kaur. This is how to use the ideas of Looi et al. and still give credit to
Ahmed and Kaur, who are the authors of the article.
3
Cons of the Issue
As with any improvement to a system, there are difficulties and obstacles to overcome.
One issue that surrounds using mobile apps in education is whether or not allowing mobile apps
in the classroom will lead to distracted students. If students are distracted by the apps, they might
not recall the material (Gautum, 2018). Mobile apps being used in education could also be a
concern due to the increased screen time of the users. Another concern is whether using apps will
foster a deeper reliance on technology, which leads to questions about whether students will be
able to solve problems that do not involve technology (Gautum, 2018). Quillen (2011) also
explains that there are not many apps out there that have “content designed to fit the face-to-face
classroom” (p. 16). Most apps designed to run on hand-held devices do not let teachers monitor
student progress or save student data.
My Position on the Issue
As an educator, I want to use anything that will benefit my students. Looking at the
overwhelming advantages of mobile apps and their potential use within academia, I believe they
will become an important asset to education. I would like for my General Education
Development (GED) students to be able to use mobile apps to help them succeed in their test
preparation. There are not any adult basic education apps, but there are some apps for basic
subjects that could be integrated into our curriculum. My students might work harder and more
often if they could pull out their mobile devices while waiting in the doctor’s office or in the car
line and work on skills they need to build in order to pass the GED exam. Whether for GED, K-
12, or higher education, mobile apps can be an unparalleled resource for educators and learners
alike.
Academic writing does not usually include 1st person (I,
me, my) unless the assignment requires personal opinions.
If a quote is not a complete thought and is used as part of sentence, the quote will
NOT begin with a capital letter.
4
If someone were marketing a fantastic new brand of sneakers, he or she would study
demographics and put ads in places where the population is more apt to purchase the sneakers. If
someone running a restaurant was going to add a new sandwich to the menu, he or she would
add something people really liked to eat. Education should not be any different; educators need
to take education to where the students are. Among 18 to 24 year olds in America, 67 percent
own a smartphone (Lytle, 2012). Students want to have access to their technology no matter
where they are. Giving them access to their classes on their mobile devices just makes sense.
The world of mobile applications is the new frontier (Quillen, 2011). As educators
explore it, they will find even better ways to use apps to facilitate learning. As educators begin
to deal with those pesky obstacles they encounter, they will learn how to overcome them.
Quillen also mentions that inventive software has already been developed by LanSchool
Technologies. To combat the issues involving teachers not being able to access data from
student’s work on apps, a certification procedure has been implemented for apps. Apps
qualifying for certification give codes to teachers for them to be able to access student progress
and usage (Quillen, 2011).
To combat the issues of distracted learners and overreliance on technology mentioned by
Guatum (2008), parameters can be set by the educators. Using the apps in the classroom does not
necessarily mean that only the apps will be used. Educators can combine the apps with their
other teaching techniques. The positives of using the apps should not be overlooked because of a
concern of overreliance on technology. The use of technology can be balanced with other
methods.
Mobile apps can transform how students learn. As Mike Pennington so succinctly says
(as cited in Walker, 2012), “Schools need to embrace mobile technology and mobile learning.
If a quote is a complete thought, it will begin with a capital letter.
5
Students live in this world. These devices belong in the classroom” (para.3). Whether it is
allowing college students to save money by not having to buy expensive $100 scientific
calculators (because the app is only $1.99) or letting GED students practice basic algebra, apps
can be unparalleled learning resources. It is predicted that in the next five years, smart phones or
tablets will be in the hands of every student in the United States (Walker, 2012). Because of this,
using mobile apps in education seems to be inevitable.
6
References
Ahmed, N., & Kaur, G. (2017). Opportunity analysis of educational mobile app to provide higher
education in rural India. Abhigyan, 35(1), 35-46.
Gautum, P. (2018, November 23). What the advantages and disadvantages of mobile learning
are. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-
mobile-learning
Lytle, R. (2012, September 21). 5 apps college students should use this school year. U.S. News
& World Report. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/21/5-
apps-college-students-should-use-this-school-year
Quillen, I. (2011). Mobile apps for education evolving. Education Week, 04(02), 16-17.
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2011/02/09/02apps.h04.html
Roy, S. (2017, August 26). 5 benefits of using mobile apps in education. eLearning Industry.
https://elearningindustry.com/mobile-apps-in-education-5-benefits
Walker, T. (2012). Get smart! Using mobile apps to improve your teaching. NEA Today
Magazine. http://www.nea.org/archive/41992.htm
Wankel, L. A., & Blessinger, P. (Eds.). (2013). Increasing student engagement and retention
using mobile applications: Smartphone, Skype, and texting technologies. Emerald Group
Publishing Limited.
The word “References” should be
centered at the top of the last page,
boldfaced.
If you have any questions
about your references page, refer to
the APA Citation Guide.