Gen Z: Growing and Learning with Mobile (Infographic below) - itslearning

While educators have been busy trying to understand and teach Millennials and Generation Y over the past several years, a new generation of mobile natives has been growing up.

Generation Z, which includes those born after 1995, now fills our primary schools, and they’ve brought their mobile habits with them.

To give you a better understanding of these students, including the role mobile devices play in their home and school lives, we’ve put together an infographic, titled Generation Z: Growing and Learning with Mobile.

Mobile Trends around the World

Studies show that, by the year 2017, the number of smartphone users in the US will reach 80 percent – triple the percentage of users in 2011. In the UK, this number is set to reach slightly more than 80 percent, while in China and India, the percentages are set to rise at a slower rate.

By 2017, four countries will boast the highest smartphone ownership in the world:

98 percent in Norway
93 percent in the Netherlands
93 percent in Denmark
87 percent in Sweden

Globally, mobile learning is growing at a rate of 18.2 percent per year, suggesting that learning organisations will need to adopt appropriate technologies in order to keep up with growing demand.

Mobile in the Classroom

Today’s students use mobile devices for everything from checking grades to writing papers. Here’s a sampling of grade 8 students who use a mobile phone as part of class at least once a week:

44 percent in Sweden
51 percent in Denmark
38 percent in Norway

Impact on Student Achievement

Studies show that standardised test results are higher in classes where students have access to mobile devices.

In one case, test scores of low-income students climbed as much as 30 percent after being given access to smartphones – an increase attributed to the fact that students were able to keep connected with teachers and classmates, even while at home.