USING MOBILE PHONES TO DEVELOP TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES FOR HISTORY EDUCATION

This paper describes the experiences of pre-service trainee teachers in Mauritius in designing and developing video clips with mobile phones, for use as teaching and learning resources for History at primary level. History is perceived as a dull and boring subject requiring rote learning. One way to make the teaching and learning of History lively and interesting is through the use of technology. Teachers are using mobile technology in their daily life to communicate and share multimedia information. This study involved a sample of trainee teachers to select a historical site found in their locality, work a storyboard, shoot with their mobile add narration and notes to produce a clip. While research has been done in the teaching and learning of history and the use of technology, no much research exist on the use of Mobile as a pedagogical tool. Also, no such work has been conducted in the local context. The purpose of this research was to investigate the experiences of trainee teachers in the developing of video clips for the teaching and learning of history. The data for this case study was gathered through an online questionnaire from 12 participants, structured and semi-structured interview and the analysis storyboards, and video clips produced. The findings reveal that the perception of trainee teachers about History Education has changed. The project also helped trainee teachers develop communication and interpersonal skills. The trainee teachers also realized the potential of Mobile phones as a pedagogical tool. This study shows use of mobile phones to develop teaching resources. Such activities engage trainee teachers in thinking, reflecting and researching about ways of taking teaching of history beyond the pages of textbooks.