educational mobile games
Chapter 1: Introduction
Students move about busy college campuses as they have done for decades, some quickly hurrying from one class to another, others on benches gaining extra study time moments before an exam, and some grabbing a coffee for that extra boost of energy. At a closer look, an observer would realize that each student was carrying the same thing. Not a backpack full of books, but their mobile phone, a device that if asked, many would say they never leave home without.
A recent rapid advancement in the capabilities of mobile devices along with a decrease in price has enabled the mobile phone to become ubiquitous. In fact, there are now 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions globally, which is about 77 percent of the world’s population (International Telecommunication Union, 2010).
Although estimates are lower for rural areas, it is predicted that 80 percent of people living in rural communities have access to a mobile network. In fact, in places where infrastructure barriers have prevented developing countries from accessing the Internet, the majority of people access the Internet from their mobile devices (International Telecommunication Union, 2010).
Even where infrastructure is not an issue, people are increasingly choosing to perform a variety of tasks on their mobile phones. InJapan, authors are even now composingnovels on mobile phones. In fact,in 2007, five of the year’s 10 best sellers were originally written on cell phones (Onishi, 2008).
Undoubtedly, mobile devices are changing the way we live, work, and socialize. We can instantly access email from mobile devices, read articles, pay bills, send checks, buy clothing, play games, interact with others through social networking and SMS, and even check into a flight at the airport with a mobile boarding pass. Mobile devices are allowing users to perform a variety of tasks that once took multiple avenues to accomplish with the ease of a few clicks and touches, anytime, anywhere.
Students move about busy college campuses as they have done for decades, some quickly hurrying from one class to another, others on benches gaining extra study time moments before an exam, and some grabbing a coffee for that extra boost of energy. At a closer look, an observer would realize that each student was carrying the same thing. Not a backpack full of books, but their mobile phone, a device that if asked, many would say they never leave home without.
A recent rapid advancement in the capabilities of mobile devices along with a decrease in price has enabled the mobile phone to become ubiquitous. In fact, there are now 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions globally, which is about 77 percent of the world’s population (International Telecommunication Union, 2010).
Although estimates are lower for rural areas, it is predicted that 80 percent of people living in rural communities have access to a mobile network. In fact, in places where infrastructure barriers have prevented developing countries from accessing the Internet, the majority of people access the Internet from their mobile devices (International Telecommunication Union, 2010).
Even where infrastructure is not an issue, people are increasingly choosing to perform a variety of tasks on their mobile phones. InJapan, authors are even now composingnovels on mobile phones. In fact,in 2007, five of the year’s 10 best sellers were originally written on cell phones (Onishi, 2008).
Undoubtedly, mobile devices are changing the way we live, work, and socialize. We can instantly access email from mobile devices, read articles, pay bills, send checks, buy clothing, play games, interact with others through social networking and SMS, and even check into a flight at the airport with a mobile boarding pass. Mobile devices are allowing users to perform a variety of tasks that once took multiple avenues to accomplish with the ease of a few clicks and touches, anytime, anywhere.