The Use of Mobile Phones and Applications in Geography Classes in Primary School

V začetku 21. stoletja so izobraževalne ustanove na široko odprle svoja vrata informacijsko-komunikacijski tehnologiji (IKT). V učilnicah so svoj prostor najprej dobili grafoskopi, televizorji in radio, ob vse hitrejšem tehnološkem napredku pa so jih kaj kmalu izpodrinili računalniki, LCD-projektorji, pametne table in tablični računalniki. V zadnjih letih si v izobraževalnem procesu svojo pot vse bolj utirajo tudi pametni mobilni telefoni. V hitrem tempu razvoja mobilne telefonije in vse večji njeni zmogljivosti so nekatere šole in učitelji postali pionirji in začeli pri pouku uporabljati mobilni telefon kot učni pripomoček. Medtem ko so nekateri učitelji v novem elektronskem pripomočku videli priložnosti in nove izzive, so drugi na to spremembo gledali z zadržanostjo. In čeprav se zdi, da se v zadnjem času vedno več učiteljev odloča za vsaj občasno vključitev dela z mobilnimi telefoni pri pouku, marsikatere šole še vedno niso sprejele tega visoko tehnološkega pripomočka kot dela pouka. Prepovedi uporabe mobilnih telefonov v času pouka še danes visijo na stenah hodnikov po slovenskih osnovnih šolah. Pa vendar lahko mobilne telefone zelo dobro vključimo v pouk in učencem omogočimo, da svoje spretnosti uporabe tehnologije uporabijo s kakšnim drugim namenom za razliko od pisanja sporočil in nabiranja všečkov na družabnih omrežjih. Obstaja cela paleta uporabnih aplikacij in spletnih strani, ki jih lahko ponudimo učencem v času izvajanja učne ure, tudi pri pouku geografije. Anketni vprašalniki med učenci so pokazali, da si večina učencev želi del časa pri geografiji preživeti z uporabno mobilno aplikacijo. So tudi mnenja, da bi bile takšne ure zanimivejše. Pogovori z učitelji geografije so odstrli pogled na uporabo mobilnih telefonov pri njihovih urah. Večini učiteljev geografije se zdi mobilna naprava dober pripomoček za nadgradnjo znanja in drugačen način pridobivanja informacij, kjer učenec samostojno prihaja do informacij, ki jih ponuja svetovni splet ali mobilna aplikacija.In the beginning of the 21st century, educational institutions opened their doors to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). First, overhead projectors, televisions and radio got their place in classrooms. Soon, because of fast technological advancement, these were supplanted by computers, LCD projectors, smart boards, and tablets. In recent years, smart phones have also been making their way into the educational process. Mobile technology is becoming more and more advanced, there are high-performance mobile phones available, and some schools and teachers have become pioneers and started using mobile phones as a teaching tool in their lessons. While some teachers saw new opportunities and challenges in this new electronic gadget, others viewed this change with restraint. Even though it seems that lately more and more teachers decide to include mobile phones in their lessons, at least from time to time, some schools still have not accepted this highly technological gadget as part of the education process. Bans on the use of mobile phones are still hanging on the walls of Slovene primary schools. Still, mobile phones can be skilfully integrated in lessons. By allowing students to use mobile phones in lessons, we can help students use their skills in this area with a purpose other than texting and collecting likes on social media. There is a whole range of useful apps and web sites we can use with our students, even in geography lessons. Student questionnaires had shown that the majority of students wishes to use mobile phones in a part of their geography lessons. Students also think this would make geography lessons more interesting. Teacher interviews had unveiled teachers’ outlooks on the use of mobile phones in their lessons. Most teachers feel that mobile phones are a good tool for upgrading knowledge. They also believe mobile phones represent a different way of acquiring information where students can independently search for information offered by the internet and mobile application