Mobile Smartphones as Tools for ICT Integration in Geography Teaching

Abstract

This article seeks to reflect on the opportunities that mobile smartphones (MSPs) present as ICT integration tools in teaching geography. The more extensive study, underpinned by the Professional Development Framework for Digital Learning (PDFDL) in ICT integration, employed a qualitative research approach. Lensed by the Professional Development Framework for Digital Learning (PDFDL), the article used the qualitative approach to garner insights from the participants regarding using MSPs as tools to integrate ICT in geography teaching. Data collection tools included interviews, observations, and document reviews. Researchers sampled (n = 4) schools, interviewed and observed (n = 13) teachers, and interviewed (n = 10) learners and (n = 8) parents in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Furthermore, they used a purposive sampling technique to access the participants, basing the research on the premise that MSPs promote virtual reality for an array of learners. As the findings revealed, although some participants viewed the use of MSPs as a distractor in the learning space, teachers felt compelled to heed the call to modify their teaching pedagogies, such that they integrated mobile phones fruitfully in their teaching. The findings further revealed that such a paradigm shift would benefit homeschooling and facilitate a dual teaching mode at learning institutions. Curriculum planners are responsible for helping teachers accept that uncertainty is the only certainty about the future, considering the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and augmentation (VUCA) challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Extended lockdown periods accelerated the use of MSPs in teaching, requiring every stakeholder in the educational space to become a life-long learner by using a range of technologies and platforms.

1. Introduction

Augmentation and redefinition (AR) in geography teaching and learning are crucial to improving learners’ comprehension of challenging concepts and simulating reality for them [1,2]. AR encompasses a wide range of technologies that present computer-generated images in three-dimensional (3D) form (dimension models, text, images, video materials, sound, games, and animations) to simplify reality and thereby benefit the geographer/user [1,2,3]. Similarly, Ellese Sulistianningsih [4] points out that electronic devices and gadgets of varying kinds appeal to even struggling learners and will serve them well—provided that their emotional intelligence aligns with their required outputs. Slower learners can, without doubt, be accommodated by technology, as most youngsters show some interest in digital devices, no matter how much they struggle with their academic work. This creates an opportunity for teachers and parents alike to factor in learning activities using suitable gadgets to assist, especially those learners who learn at a slower pace. To illustrate, learners are given set-pieces—a compilation of content-based activities that are key to ensuring that they will succeed academically. The materials should be presented in different formats to consolidate the content taught in class. This might occur outside of the normal classroom setting due to the time constraints teachers and learners face in their daily routines [4,5,6].

In addition, teachers who struggle to work individually with their learners in overcrowded classrooms (a scenario which often sees struggling learners being neglected and falling even further behind) can identify and develop a few highflyers to become mobile smartphone (MSP) champions and serve as tutors of their fellow learners.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. MSPs Herald a Paradigm Shift in the Educational Space

Geography teachers may use mobile phones by introducing the concept of ‘bring your device’ (BYOD) for fieldwork [3,7]. They argue that there are dual benefits in promoting learner engagement during fieldwork while allowing teachers to capacitate learners with MSP handling skills [3,6,7]. Many teachers innovatively resorted to using WhatsApp instant messaging to contact their learners during the hard lockdown, when not all school-going children were permitted to attend school daily. Some are doing so even now, with a shortage of floor space and desks in overcrowded classrooms. MSPs have heralded a paradigm shift in terms of how learners communicate. Recent studies revealed that geography learners can use MSPs to perform school-sanctioned activities. As the authors of [2,8] point out, geography teachers may equip their learners with skills to use MSPs to design digital maps. Products created this way can be easily edited, durable, and accessible anywhere and anytime [2,6,8].

However, Alam and Forhad [6]; Chawanji [9], and Hogan [10], warn that some schools’ information and communication technology (ICT) policies do not meet teachers’ expectations in that they have banned the use of mobile phones on the premises. This practice defeats geography teachers’ intentions of capacitating their learners with ICT skills while still at the school level. Therefore, schools are urged to grasp this opportunity and review their ICT policies to become relevant to 21st-century learners in a time when MSPs are omnipresent [6,9,10].

While some learners possess mobile devices, technical problems abound, or they do not have the correct programmes loaded. Instead of focusing on geography-related content, learners may visit other platforms that are not related to the subject. All these issues can hamper the learning process and may cause disruptions in class. For this reason, geography teachers need to upload digital software such as Google Earth-Live Earth map version, onto learners’ MSPs to entice them to change their mindsets and regard their digital devices as valuable tools for learning, instead of being sidetracked by them, as shown by Cyclone Idai [11], in Figure 1—where a colourful tropical cyclone can be uploaded onto the MSP, to indicate the presence of an ‘eye’ at the centre of the tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere.

Geography teachers may upload valuable aids, such as scanners or global positioning systems (GPS), onto learners’ mobile phones to engage learners fully during field trips or other educational excursions [7]. In the same vein, France, Park, Welsh, and Whalley [12] and Volioti, Keramopoulos, Sapounidis, Melisidis, Kazlaris, Rizikianos, and Kitras [2] concede that MSPs are a vital part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and our ubiquitously connected, pervasively proximate (UCaPP) world, and praise the ability of these devices to form part of the pedagogy’s teachers use, in the face of uncertainty, to ensure learners’ skills development for the future. Technology adoption will allow 21st-century geography teachers to be (and remain) relevant to modern-day learners who are technophiles and whose activities and lines of thought are aligned with ICTs (with MSPs forming part of that equation). Failure by geography teachers to incorporate MSPs in their teaching will add more challenges to teaching and learning processes [12].

Moreover, Voilioti et al. [2] and France et al. [12] are convinced that using MSPs in their teaching allows for the creation of personal learning environments (PLEs) where teachers can customize lessons to meet individual learners’ needs. MSPs enable teachers to reach their learners irrespective of either party’s physical location and address individual learners’ scholastic challenges (academic or socioeconomic), rather than following an umbrella approach where the teacher plans their geography lesson with the whole class in mind. The above scenario implies that geography teachers may be challenged to engage their learners using online teaching strategies, especially when face-to-face teaching in the educational space is impossible [12].

A rethink is thus required, as France et al. [12] further argues that assessments must also be offered online, requiring a new way of monitoring learners during their online assignments. To limit cheating and ghostwriting during assessments, an interconnectedness must be established between hardware and software-such as lockdown browsers to curb online cheating [12]. This will promote more active learner involvement, as indicated in Figure 2.

2.2. MSPs as an Alternative to Geography Textbooks

According to France et al. [12], MSPs can be regarded as educational tools that improve social contact between teachers and learners, even outside the physical schooling environment. A learner might, for instance, scan their textbooks and only take home a smartphone containing the digital pages. Learners will have a lighter load, their data retrieval rate will be higher, and fewer lost or damaged textbooks will be reported. Thus, BYOD initiatives will help learners achieve their educational goals and allow them to acquire skills such as working smartly, irrespective of their geographical location. They will be guaranteed the freedom and flexibility to learn, known as ‘anywhere-anytime teaching’, promoting access for teachers to diverse student populations from diverse backgrounds [12]. In this scenario, geography learners will not be restricted by the availability of either textbooks or libraries since they can access online learning materials readily available and retrievable at the touch of a button on their MSPs.

In the research of Voilioti et al. [2]; France, Lee, MacLachan, and McPhee [8] it was asserted that most learners now own more powerful MSPs and have better connectivity than traditional desktop computers (see Figure 3).

To keep abreast of developments in the field, geography teachers must grasp the opportunity and upload software that will benefit their learners onto the latter’s gadgets to ensure that learners use their MSPs optimally for academic purposes. MSPs are affordable, portable, and multi-functional, allowing learners to control their learning [3,13]. MSPs are compatible with various devices previously regarded as key to phasing in digital education in schools. Thus, they offer the potential to fast-track their integration into teaching geography. This creates an opportunity to alter any environment to serve as a learning space, thanks to the portability and flexibility of MSPs.

According to France et al. [13], the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of smartphones brought wholesale changes to the educational space, bringing the challenges of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) to everyday life. Given the rise in mobile technologies, most universities must accommodate dual teaching modes: residential and online. A blended approach accommodates students seeking university degrees without attending on-campus lectures. The same goes for schools, where home- and residence-based schooling can be accommodated. These learning modes are made possible by introducing MSPs in the learning space. For this scenario to be realistic, however, drastic changes, greater creativity, and some innovations are required in both basic and higher education institutions [12]. The benefit of such an exercise is the creation of life-long learners equipped with the 4IR skills that have become imperative in the workplace. Education will, out of necessity, become personalized to meet individual learner needs. MSP implementation, therefore, calls for a paradigm shift not only in terms of pedagogy, but also in assessment and assessment monitoring techniques [13]. By contrast, France et al. [13] point out that it is unfortunate that some students will use mobile devices to cheat during assessments, which defeats the purpose of using MSPs in the learning context [7].

Many teachers download educational materials using the facilities at a local teacher centre locally. Such centres are in districts, but there are also provincial teacher development institutes. The establishment of district education centres in South Africa represents an attempt by the government to bridge the rural–urban digital divide in terms of ICT provision and user access to resources [2,6,14]. Recent studies revealed that it is incredibly challenging in a normal classroom setting to integrate ICTs effectively since many schools allocate (at most) one hour a day to lesson presentations and assessments [15,16]. Most schools are overcrowded, especially in the townships and rural areas. That means teachers fail to work one-on-one with their learners, often seeing struggling learners lagging unassisted. To exacerbate matters, it becomes difficult for a learner who misses completing homework tasks independently [6,15,16,17].

Teachers now have a golden opportunity to capacitate individual geography learners with digital device-operating skills to ensure order and discipline in class. Every learner must be engaged in the learning experience, learn by using their device, and learn at their own pace. If that happens, teachers will have more leeway to pay individual attention to slower learners while accelerating the learning of highflyers by giving them enrichment exercises and differentiating their teaching approaches. Acknowledging individual capacity will boost learners’ morale, lower failure rates, and potentially reduce learner dropout rates.

2.3. Theoretical Framework

This article is underpinned by the Professional Development Framework for Digital Learning (PDFDL) [18], which sets the following standards for novice teachers (all of which are also applicable to geography teachers):

• Sound knowledge of the subject;
• Customization of teaching pedagogies to meet learner needs;
• I am mastering highly developed ICT skills while conversing with the seven roles of a teacher, which include the teacher being a life-long learner, subject specialist, assessor, researcher, interpreter, leader, and communicator.

The PDFDL framework requires any digitally compliant educator to possess the following competencies for ICTs to be effectively integrated into the teaching and learning space. S/he must proceed as follows:

• Be prepared to explore and experiment with ICTs, to enhance their teaching;
• Use digital tools to reflect on the challenges and successes of each lesson;
• Know when to use ICTs to enhance learning;
• Willingly form part of professional learning communities (PLCs);
• Use relevant ICTs to produce documents and present lessons;
• Integrate ICTs in various learning environments;
• Develop learners’ skills so that they may be benchmarked at the local and global levels;
• Use technology to facilitate learning that would otherwise have been impossible;
• Use ICTs to assess, monitor and give feedback to learners;
• Inculcate a culture of using ICTs ethically;
• Ensure the buy-in of the province, district, and school by implementing their ICT integration strategies;
• Be a team player who plans for and implements digital learning in the school;
• Be the digital learning champion at the school, earning peer support [18].

The PDFDL is highlighted as an invaluable model in terms of the critical contributions it makes towards improving those educator competencies required for the effective integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning space, especially in the 4IR era. This means teachers need to produce learners who can be benchmarked globally, are not technophobic, and can relate to the curriculum content and align it with their daily activities. Any geography teacher who is not sufficiently capacitated to deal with learners who are digital natives (i.e., thoroughly at home in the digital world) and who do not see the value in using mobile technologies to transmit challenging concepts will find it extremely difficult to manage classes that are taught via digitally mediated lessons [18].

Also worth discussing is the impact ICT integration theory might have in capacitating serving and pre-service teachers as their teaching skills are honed and finessed and their subject knowledge expanded.

In summary, the following research gap has been identified: despite the flexibility of the MSPs for geography learning and teaching, schools still miss the opportunities such devices bring to the educational landscape.

This study aims to fill the gap and provide answers to the following questions:

(1)

How can MSPs be used to learn and teach geography in South African schools?

(2)

What are the reasons for a paradigm shift towards adopting MSPs as critical tools for geography learning and teaching?

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Research Approach

The following qualitative methodological steps were taken: Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the lived experiences of how MSPs facilitate the learning and teaching of geography. In addition, documents were reviewed to ascertain whether school policies allow using MSPs for learning and teaching geography. Finally, formal and informal observations were made to verify the responses made by participants during the interviewing stages. According to [19], the qualitative approach requires researchers to dig deep to arrive at an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study; in this case, whether the study participants viewed MSPs as key in teaching FET-phase geography in South African schools. Since qualitative research accommodates and reflects the participants’ voices concerning how they view reality, this study relied on that approach to garner their perspectives on why they perceive mobile phones as indispensable in their contexts when seeking to integrate technology into their geography teaching [19]. The researchers employed case studies in this article. According to Starman [20], case studies allow researchers to understand concepts in depth through the lens of participants in their contexts. The data collected were analyzed into themes. Furthermore, researchers employed the document review to triangulate the data collected via interviews and observations.

3.2. Research Design

As Starman [20] points out, a significant body of knowledge in disciplines such as Medicine, Psychology, History, and Education is generated by case studies. A case study is a strategy used to research a specific phenomenon within its context, using various sources of evidence [21,22,23]. Furthermore, Starman [20] defines a case study as a thorough, detailed, and meticulous description of an individual case; the variables in a specific context may vary significantly from other cases at different sites.

In this article, the researchers used a case study research design to collect data from the participants and thoroughly understand the experiences they encountered in their settings. Further, a case study was deemed the ideal tool for answering why the study participants perceived MSPs as an integral component of their teaching practice.

3.3. Data-Collection Instruments

In the larger study, interviews, observation, and document analysis were used as data collection instruments, in keeping with the recommendations of [19].

3.3.1. Interviews

A research interview is a discussion during which the researcher seeks to collect descriptions of an interviewee’s real-life world, as per their observations and interpretations thereof, and the meanings s/he attaches to the phenomenon under study [21,23]. For a phenomenon to be correctly described, interviewers may rely on an array of techniques, including face-to-face sessions, telephonic and internet-related platforms (WhatsApp video calls or Teams calls), email messages, mobile software management (MSM) or voice notes, (VNs) or social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter [21,22].

The researchers interviewed 31 participants: 13 teachers, 10 learners, and 8 parents. The interviews lasted for fifteen minutes each.

3.3.2. Formal Observation

In this study, the researchers conducted 13 formal and 4 informal observations. At that point, they acted as non-participant observers, an approach that allowed them to observe first-hand how the participating teachers integrated MSPs in their geography classrooms. The interactions between the teachers and learners were also observed to determine their use of and responses to MSPs as teaching and learning tools.

3.3.3. Document Review

Reviewing documents such as the use of MSPs at school and the minutes of the meetings regarding MSP usage helped the researchers to triangulate the data obtained from the participants to ascertain the validity, reliability, and credibility of the findings.

3.4. Ethical Compliance

Researchers obtained written consent from all the parties concerned before commencing the study. The researchers sought and received permission from the provincial Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal to access the research sites. Participants were alerted that they had the right to withdraw participation at any study stage.

The researchers obtained written consent from all the parties concerned before commencing the study. The researchers sought and received permission from the provincial Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal to access the research sites.

4. Results

To answer the first question—How can MSPs be used to facilitate learning and teaching geography in South African schools? —geography teachers, learners, and parents whose children were taking geography courses were purposively sampled. The results show that the use of MSPs in teaching geography, irrespective of ICT applications (apps), was well accepted by all the participants in all categories. This is indicated by the high percentage of ICT app usage (see

Table 1. The results of MSPs’ use in the teaching of geography.

ICT Application	Number of Users	Percentage	Benefits of Using the Application
YouTube Videos	08 learners	80%	Watching videos to simplify abstract concepts
	11 teachers	85%	Downloading videos for lesson presentation
	06 parents	75%	Watching videos to assist children with homework
WhatsApp Portal	10 learners	100%	Communicate with teachers
	13 teachers	100%	Upload activities and support material to learners
	08 parents	100%	Receive and submit activities to teachers
Digital Cameras	10 learners	100%	Capture high-resolution images for our projects
	13 teachers	100%	Capture images to facilitate content taught to learners
	06 parents	75%	Able to zoom into images of activities sent via online platforms
Google Earth	09 learners	90%	Able to view three-dimensional images
	11 teachers	85%	Able to capacitate learners on how to measure distances on digital maps
	06 parents	75%	Able to view different locations and features needed for school activities
Writer Plus	10 learners	100%	Use Writer Plus to write the notes
	12 teachers	92%	Able to write critical items that are needed for lesson presentations
	00 parents	0%	Education is needed in this aspect
Sketch It	07 learners	70%	It enables me to draw simple sketches on my device
	08 teachers	62%	Assist in sketching customized diagrams
	02 parents	25%	Helps to draw rough sketches of images downloaded from online platforms
GPS/Navigator	10 learners	100%	Helps to locate places in real time
	13 teachers	100%	Assist in finding places
	08 parents	100%	Handy in ensuring that parents are well-positioned to assist children with homework

Source: adapted from participants’ utterances.

). In addition to that, there is a need to capacitate all categories of respondents on how the Sketch It app can benefit them (see Table 1). From the results, we can see that MSPs are considered the missing link towards improving the teaching and learning of geography (refer to Table 1). Compared to teachers and parents, learners tend to be more comfortable using MSPs in their geography learning (refer to Table 1).

To answer the second question—is there a need for a paradigm shift towards adopting MSPs in the learning and teaching of geography? —we looked at the utterances made by participants on the benefits they enjoyed in embracing MSPs in the learning and teaching of geography. The results revealed that MSPs have the potential to improve parental involvement in the teaching of geography. This is indicated by parents who have embraced using online platforms, such as WhatsApp, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Google Earth, to support their children’s education (see table). However, parents must be encouraged to use other relevant apps like Sketch It (see Table 1).

5. Discussion of Findings

In seeking to examine whether MSPs are key in integrating ICTs in the teaching of geography, the discussions of the findings of this study are presented under the following themes:

o

MSPs, as a teaching tool, contribute to teamwork;

o

MSPs improve learner interest in geography;

o

MSPs promote virtual learning in geography.

5.1. MSPs, as a Teaching Tool, Contribute to Teamwork

MSPs can yield positive results in the teaching and learning space in 21st-century classrooms by helping learners think critically, encouraging a culture of life-long learning, and teaching social responsibility to them from an early age. MSP integration in teaching ensures that teamwork emerges, as learners invariably begin to assist one another during the learning process. During geography lessons, for instance, learners may also be given appropriate tasks and checklists which enable them to work autonomously, thus granting the teacher an opportunity to help those struggling learners. Digital learning through YouTube videos may solve many obstacles in teaching geography [24,25,26]. These findings align with the PDFDL recommendations, which call on teachers to master highly developed ICT skills and aspire to be life-long learners [17]. As one geography learner participant indicated:

[ICT integration in the teaching of geography] during the hard lockdown assisted me in many ways, such as not being asked by my teachers to submit group activities. Such activities are problematic in the sense that we work as a team. We are forced to wait for other learners to contribute to data collection, analysis of the data presented, and compilation of the whole project for submission. […] I managed to use my smartphone to research using […] online platforms such as Google and the Wi-Fi router from my mother. These gadgets enabled me to do a lot of work quickly.]

From the above comment, it appeared that as an MSP, technology enabled this geography learner participant to complete challenging tasks without face-to-face teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. S/he highlighted how working alone at their own pace helped them overcome the difficulties of working as a team. This comment confirms that participants can save time by relying on ICTs to teach and learn geography. If downloaded on their mobile phones, Google Maps and Navigator can, for instance, help learners to determine spatial locations [27,28]. Teachers, learners, and parents can use different technologies and platforms in times of uncertainty since they offer a solution to many education-related problems (a lack of internet connectivity, the different rates at which learners learn, enriched materials for high achievers) [24,26,29]. This attribute proved to be effective during the hard lockdown, as all stakeholders had to rethink their approaches to teaching and learning to avoid having the 2020 academic year scrapped, a possibility which the MEC (Panyaza Lesufi) of the Gauteng Department of Education was loath to entertain. He urged school leaders to find ways to equip learners in a way that would make them more resilient and learning more equitable. One recommendation was that the WhatsApp portal be repurposed by forming teaching and learning groups. First, teachers received and shared COVID-19-related information and teaching materials, which they had to share with learner groups via MSPs [24,26]. Had it not been for technology integration, such as using MSPs, the proposed move to start the academic year afresh would not have materialized. The above findings support the notion that geography teachers not only need to have a sound knowledge of their subject but also need to focus on self-development by working as a team (during the pandemic turmoil, by generating model lessons for their colleagues to use and receiving related input from them), thereby showing their mastery of technology-related skills, as per the PDFDL model postulated by [18].

5.2. MSPs Improve Learner Interest in Geography

According to Bikar, Rathakrisham, Rabe, Mahat, Sharif, and Talin [27], ICT integration in geography using geographic information systems (GIS) is affirmed as a tool in teaching and learning map skills that can improve learner performance and outcomes more than traditional methods can. Furthermore, technology integration in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects is gaining momentum. Still, excluding such technologies from teaching makes it difficult for geography learners (amongst others) to develop an interest in that subject since it is predominantly taught using conventional pedagogies [27,28]. In addition, Bikar et al. [27] concede that little attention has been paid to how the uptake and implementation of ICTs may help strengthen learners’ skills—for instance, by using educational games uploaded onto their mobile devices [27,29,30,31].

If Quantum GIS 3.16 software is uploaded onto MSPs to teach map skills, it can strengthen and improve learners’ motivation to learn and help poorly performing learners develop the requisite skills at their own pace. Geography teachers may encourage learners to collect data using their MSPs before going to an internet café or the computer room, putting their research projects together, or submitting their research tasks online from their mobiles [27].

While completing projects, learners’ social skills will improve, and they will learn to work together (collaborative learning) by taking pictures on their mobile phones during fieldwork. Teachers can upload notes with diagrams to facilitate learners’ understanding on the geography WhatsApp platform so that learners who experience barriers to learning (e.g., the visually impaired) may be assisted by magnifying their learning material (zooming in and out), thus making their learning experience more exciting and accessible. This will encourage geography learners to enjoy using their mobile devices for educational purposes. Teachers should urge learners to ‘play’ with their phones constructively to familiarize them with their usage.

In the voice of Abraham and Fanny [28], caution is made that even though learners might be adept at handling a range of gadgets across multiple platforms, teachers need to be trained to use social media (e.g., WhatsApp or instant messaging) if such tools are to be used to facilitate teaching [28]. This was confirmed by a geography learner participant, who indicated the following:

[During the hard lockdown, I spent three months away from school, but with the introduction of WhatsApp learning in geography teaching, I managed to cover all the work that our teachers wanted us to do for the year. Without it [ICT integration in learning geography], our 2020 academic year would be wasted. Our teachers managed to send us activities to our smartphones, which we managed to submit within a specified time. They even ensured that we accessed the remedial work for our submitted activities. Our teachers used WhatsApp and emails to assist us with geography lessons.]

The above learner participant valued the integration of MSPs and related ICTs in the educational space to allow learners to thrive under the uncertain learning conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The PDFDL framework calls on teachers to explore and experiment with ICTs to enhance their teaching practice before they can qualify to be regarded as digitally compliant and capable of helping a new generation of young learners who are digital natives and, thus, highly comfortable with a variety of electronic devices [18]. As the above utterance confirms, the teacher employed two means of communicating with their learners and making remedial exercises/tasks available to optimize their learning opportunities.

5.3. MSPs Promote Virtual Reality in Geography

Google Earth is a geo-visualization ICT tool that allows geographers to zoom in and out of the virtual globe. It grants them access to digital images that cannot be captured in textbooks (which are relatively inflexible resources) [24,27]. Similarly, France et al. [12] concur that MSPs can record, transfer, or provide information to end-users in any given location if the user has sufficient mobile data. In addition, he asserts that MSPs help teach learners new content since they promote cooperative learning. The geography teacher might, for instance, use Google Earth to demonstrate to a few learners how to measure a distance on the MSP using this app [6,12].

From there, those learners could show their classmates how it is done on their digital devices, allowing teachers to individualize their teaching. This happens when digital content is displayed and highflyers work independently, leaving the stragglers to alert the teacher that they require assistance. Furthermore, Lo [30] explains that schools in Japan use ICTs to facilitate geography teaching using the problem-based approach [6,27].

GIS is an enabler, as it allows learners to access data from myriad sources that they can analyze, manipulate, and integrate, such that they can identify patterns and relationships between phenomena in different places, locally and globally [28]. This can be illustrated by a learner watching a video (on their MSP) showing a tropical cyclone, where relationships between high temperatures in coastal areas act as a source of energy for such a weather phenomenon to develop while making landfall slowly, causing it to dissipate. Geography learners will thus appreciate the importance of satellite images in ensuring that real-time information is available to weather forecasters and communities so that timeous evacuation plans may be effected if needed.

Using satellite images indicates the importance of integrating virtual learning in teaching geography, a much more colourful and exciting approach than the old talk-and-chalk method. As one geography learner participant indicated:

[Online geography learning turned out to be the missing link as a supporting tool for my studies. I used digital gadgets to access visual images of what my geography teachers taught me in class. [It] allowed me to be alone and do things individually before I could ask for help from my teacher. There are times when I manage [d] to [gain a] better understanding of concepts from my [mobile] since such concepts [showed] colour and dimensions that would have given my Geography teacher […] difficult times when asked to present the concept in question. Before the hard lockdown, I used to fail to submit tasks to my teachers and they [were] not […] in a position to reprimand me [for] doing that. Now that there are smartphones that can even send emails, my parents […] check [on] the progress of my studies by communicating directly with my subject teachers instead of asking me.]

This learner participant valued the contribution MSPs brought to their personal learning experience, providing individual attention (also from their parents) and enabling them to assess their strengths and weaknesses in growing as a digital citizen.

In the Japanese context, learners must work in groups to view different parts of the world, noting similarities and differences, as [29] reported. To do so, teachers in Japan have had to upskill their learners’ online searching abilities [10]. This is performed by geography teachers asking learners to draw geographical features such as mesas and buttes in class by using applications (apps) such as Sketchbook Pro 9.1, which can be uploaded onto an MSP. Through active learning, learners can produce their learning material rather than receive ready-made content or learn passively as mere recipients of information. A study by [28] found that introducing artificial intelligence (AI) in ChatGPT4.0 has revolutionized teaching. The fact that this app can respond to questions poses a threat in that learners may use their MSPs to cheat during online assessment activities in instances where tests or assignments are uploaded onto their devices [30,31].

This innovation may negatively affect independent learning since many feel learners will no longer need teachers to mediate content if the material can be accessed at the touch of a button. Teachers must ensure that content is appealingly presented via various digital platforms, using tools such as tablets, laptops, cell phones, interactive whiteboards, and document cameras, to mention a few [17]. Working in groups, geography learners might, for instance, use GE to identify highly topical areas in the media space. While doing so, they may be assessed on their ability to work together and communicate extensively on their chosen topic.

The geography teacher might upload a YouTube video on tropical cyclones to the class’s WhatsApp group, which learners at home can view. They then must complete a worksheet, after which their responses are discussed in class. This will ensure the learners gain virtual experience and focus on distant places without physically going to such areas. The recommendation by [28] is that GE be used to expose geography learners to PBL (problem-based learning), with the teacher inviting learners to seek solutions to the manifold issues troubling people in different parts of the world by brainstorming ideas [27].

The 4IR has allowed teachers and learners to use MSPs to facilitate lesson delivery. As one geography learner participant indicated:

[Online learning enabled me to create a safe space to study without the fear of being mocked by my classmates each time I […] answered Geography questions my teacher posed incorrectly. This kind of behaviour ended [up] affecting me negatively, to such an extent that I did not ask my teacher any clarity-seeking questions in class. With the arrival of the hard lockdown, I had no alternative but to learn a new skill of asking teachers questions [from] the comfort of my home. In short, through ICT, I managed to use my home as an alternative space for learning how to use Google Maps to find directions and develop [ed] a culture of self-discipline, such that I continue learning even in the absence of my teachers.]

The above statement highlights the importance of technology integration in revealing learners’ untapped talents and innovation. Without COVID-19, learners could not dig deep and reveal some innovative skills needed in the 21st century to prepare them to become digital citizens. Apps uploaded on MSPs (e.g., YouTube videos and virtual reality images) can help geography learners better understand mapwork concepts such as 3D when features such as plateaus are identified using Google Earth [12].

Worryingly, the study conducted by [1] confirms that many schools continue to ban mobile phones on the premises, even for curriculum-based purposes. This practice, according to [1], appeals for technology akin to that of “a forbidden fruit”. In the present study, the researchers’ classroom observations corroborated a shortage of textbooks in the schools under study [1]. In many instances, that left teachers with no other option but to breach the policy on the use of mobile phones. Some participants indicated that they allowed their geography learners to use MSPs in class on the condition that the devices were kept in flight mode.

Besides the enormous benefits that MSPs bring to the teaching of geography, educators are aware of the challenges presented by cyberbullying and the digital divide, as well as the sense of exclusion that arises when parents cannot afford to purchase smartphones or data for their children. This, then, calls for a review of ICT policies in schools. These findings are confirmed by the parent participant of a geography learner, who indicated the following:

[I feel that the Department of Basic Education must pass a policy to make ICTs […] compulsory in all schools. This will lighten […] the load on our shoulders, meaning that the government will automatically finance its implementation. This is because not all learners are privileged enough to own digital gadgets, let alone to maintain them. The hard lockdown has put a lot of pressure on us, as parents, because we were forced to try to purchase such gadgets, even if it meant we go to bed on [an] empty stomach. Other geography teachers prefer to get their submissions done via email, and that makes my life difficult, as there is no laptop or […] smartphone at home, let alone the money for buying […] data bundles. This makes me feel I am not part of the ‘new normal’ [post-COVID]. Such challenges make us […] feel as if we are just spectators instead of adding value to the education of our children.]

This parent participant highlighted the challenges faced by poor communities that are expected to become digital citizens without the ways and means to do so. It would be imperative to consider the socioeconomic conditions of communities, which might require the DBE to phase in technology-based assistance in local schools gradually. In addition, policies must align with any of the government’s plans to prepare teachers and learners for technology-mediated education. The need to review policies on the use of MSPs to promote virtual learning in geography teaching is affirmed by the comments made by a geography teacher participant, who indicated the following:

[I find it challenging to ensure that learners strictly follow […] ICT integration during my lessons. Our ICT policy at school indicates [s] that learners will only use their mobile gadgets under the supervision of teachers and that learner gadgets should be in […] plane mode. Surprisingly, I get disturbed by learners’ mobile phones that ring in class during lessons. This leads to unnecessary disciplinary measures [being] taken against such a child. From there, the time that should have been used for teaching is spent dealing with […] disciplinary issues that add no value to the school’s curriculum.]

This teacher participant highlighted the challenges s/he faces each time MSPs are used in class to promote virtual reality learning. In this case, the teacher meets the competencies set out by the PDFDL, which requires every teacher to be a life-long learner, yet learners make it challenging for such a teacher to gauge the efficacy of MSPs in their geography lesson [18]. The documents in the form of minutes of the meetings held by various stakeholders at research schools revealed that there were contradicting views in terms of allowing the use of MSPs in schools. It was shown that some stakeholders favour using ICTs, while the majority were totally against it.

Surprisingly, from the researchers’ observations, some stakeholders, in the form of learners and teachers, continued to contradict the policies and resolutions on using MSPs, as they indicated the flexibility and convenience such devices bring to access real-time solutions.

6. Projections of This Study

We projected that all the geography teachers have fully embraced the power of ICTs in their teaching. Our study also projected that schools have adequate devices to integrate technology. Surprisingly, schools have crafted policies that ban the use of MSPs and have a shortage of textbooks. They could have uploaded e-books as an alternative to the shortage of learning materials.

7. Limitations of This Study

The researchers could not avoid the limitations of our research. With the choice of purposive sampling, some participants with possible divergent ideas were left out. This study covered one district in KwaZulu-Natal, meaning that the results of this study cannot be generalized throughout the whole Republic of South Africa.

8. Conclusions

The current investigation focused on why participants viewed the integration of MSPs as disruptive yet highly valuable educational technologies to use in teaching and learning geography as a subject. The research findings revealed that a paradigm shift is called for, requiring teachers and tertiary institutions to rethink their modes of teaching. This is indicated by how participants embrace using MSPs in this study. Since geography is multidisciplinary and deals with current issues, learners, teachers, and parents must become life-long learners and researchers by taking MSPs in their stride. This practice may have a ripple effect on other subjects as well.

Furthermore, the literature reviewed and the theoretical framework underpinning this study support the notion that MSPs are indispensable in facilitating geography learning and teaching. Research results revealed that learners are already enthused about using various devices to learn. The introduction of smartphones as mobile technologies in the educational space, whether in primary, secondary, or tertiary educational settings, has become unavoidable. The results show that MSPs have the potential to increasingly involve parents in the education of their children as they collaborate with their teachers. As the findings revealed, learners in the era of 4IR expect to use multiple devices and platforms to learn, and with distance education becoming a reality, online teaching will become the new normal in this century. This study highlighted the need to involve parents in their children’s education, as they use ICTs to assist them with learning activities. This highlights the ability of ICTs to transcend the walls of the classroom and introduce self-regulated learning.

9. Recommendations

Teacher self-development: geography teachers need to upskill themselves to deal with the inescapable reality of adopting MSPs in their teaching.

Conscientizing learners: learners, for their part, will have to be conscientious to focus on learning on or with their MSPs rather than merely using them for entertainment.

Tighter classroom controls: schools must implement stricter classroom controls to ensure learners do not display unbecoming behaviors’ during learning processes.

Reviewing existing policies: various stakeholders may need to review existing policies on using MSPs to accommodate the new normal in the teaching and learning space.