Mobile Technology and Learning - Where did it all begin?

Throughout my learning, technology has always been there in some form. I still remember the excitement of the computer suite's grand opening in Primary School. I used to love going in there, and it's the place where I first realised my affinity to technology. In Secondary School, nearly everything was computerised. The registers, timetables, our exam marks, if they could put it online they would. This allowed for a more streamlined learning process, with the amount of stray pieces of paper being crumpled at the bottom of my bag diminishing every year.

However, University made me realise that technology wasn't always conducive to good learning. Nearly every lesson was "death by PowerPoint", boring most students into choosing a lie in over a 9am lecture consisting of a PowerPoint on the angular displacement of the ankle joint in high impact exercise (not the most riveting topic when taught well).

The use of academic journals was first introduced to me at University. Owing to the lack of interaction in lectures, I soon realised that sourcing my own information would be the best way to learn. Soon after, it became apparent to me that although the online journals were giving me the information that I needed to know, I was missing the aspect of someone teaching it to me.

From here, I understood that technology should be used a tool to supplement the teacher, as opposed to taking the place of a teacher. Teachers teach and inspire, they make sense of tricky subjects, they create excitement out of a topic that may initially seem mundane. This is something which technology can never do. Whilst a good PowerPoint presentation will tell students what they need to know, it will never make a student want to learn it.