Part two: M-learning: Positioning Educators for a Mobile, Connected Future by Kristine Peters edited by Mohammad Ali (2009)

Part two: Research on Mobile Learning
M-learning: Positioning Educators for a Mobile, Connected Future

KRISTINE PETERS
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
AUSTRALIA

Abstract
Mobile learning is variously viewed as a fad, a threat, and an answer to the

learning needs of time-poor mobile workers, but does it have a place in delivering

mainstream learning? Based on a 2005 comparative research project commissioned

by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, this chapter reports on

research into web based information about the use of mobile technologies for

commerce and learning, which was then tested through twenty-nine interviews

with manufacturers of mobile devices, individuals involved in other businesses,

and education providers. The research found that mobile technologies were

in common use in some commercial sectors, but their use purely for learning
was rare. However, m-learning lends itself to new methods of delivery that

are highly suited to the “just enough, just in time, and just for me” demands

of twenty-first century learners.

Detta är en lite annan synvinkel på mobilt lärande som Kristine Peters i Australien har tittat på. Där även de som tillverkar mobila apparater har synats i sömmarna samt företag och utbildare.

Introduction
A distinguishing feature of our society at the beginning of the twenty-first century is the rapid rate of technological and social change. and new social patterns. Mobile information and communication technologies are important enablers of the new social structure. We are experiencing the first generation of truly portable information and communications technology (ICT) with the relatively recent advent of small, portable mobile devices that provide telephone, Internet, and data storage and management in products such as: i-Mate, O2, Palm, HP, and Bluetooth (all registered trademarks) that combine mobile telephony, removable memory chips, diaries, email, Web, basic word processing and spreadsheets, and data input, storage, and transfer. A mobile, connected society, however, creates new training delivery challenges. This chapter is based on research commissioned in 2005 by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, which aimed to provide a better understanding of the separation between real opportunities for mobile learning using small electronic communication devices (m-learning) and the hype surrounding the introduction of new technologies. The research provided an overview of popular media coverage of the use of m-technologies and m-learning, and compared this with the findings from a small number of qualitative interviews.  As the key aim of the  research was to separate the hype from the reality, the focus was on providing a snapshot of mobile technologies and their use. Indeed, a completely new generation of mobile communication devices (3G cell or mobile telephones) became available  during the six months of research for this project, thus illustrating the challenge  of maintaining publishing currency in a fast-moving field.

Vad kom då Kristine Peters fram till när det gäller m-learning och utrustningen därtill?

- Relativt billigt och tillgängligt för alla i dagens läge.

The availability of mobile and wireless devices is enabling different ways of
communicating. Mobile communications are no longer restricted to companies

that can afford large investment in hardware or specialized software.

Individuals now have easy and inexpensive access to mobile telephony, and

the cost of mobile access to the Internet is steadily being reduced.

- Att det är främst de unga (nya generationen) som nyttjar teniken och alltid är "uppkopplade" och interagerar i digitala nätverk.

Mobile technologies have enabled a new way of communicating, typified by young

people, for whom mobile communications are part of normal daily interaction,

who are “always on” and connected to geographically-dispersed friendship

groups in “tribal” communities of interest.

- Hon pratar om att det finns 3st drivande parter för utvecklingen (unga användare/professionella-journalister/specialister inom industrin) och att det har blivit "mainstream"= väldigt vanligt. Men hon undrar också om trenden för mobilt lärande också spinner vidare på detta? En väldigt bra fråga.

Hon tar även upp en av nycklarna i m-learning som är viktig nämligen att det är : "tillräckligt för mig-när jag har tid-bara för mig"

The three drivers  – consumers (particularly young

consumers), mobile professionals, and specialist industries – have created

strong demand, which is refl ected in the increasing rapidity of development

of new mobile communication and data management technologies. The trend

toward convergence of applications, the ubiquitousness of mobile phones,

and the continuing demand for smaller, more powerful devices indicates that

mobile technologies are, indeed, mainstream. Is their use for learning,

however, following the same trend?

While m-learning can be thought of as a subset of e-learning
(which is web-based delivery of content and learning management),
the emerging potential of mobile technologies tends to indicate

that m-learning, while mostly situated within the e-learning framework, also

has links directly to the “just enough, just in time, just for me” model of

flexible learning (see Figure 1), and is therefore just one of a suite of options

that can be adapted to suit individual learning needs.

Vidare så tar hon upp det faktum att det finns i det stora hela två olika sorters lärare idag. De som har svårt att ta till sig den nya tekniken och därmed har svårt att använda den i undervisning samt de som behärskar den och som gärna använder sig av den och försöker utveckla nya sätt att undervisa, men även att dessa goda exempel är för få än så länge. Ingen nyhet med andra ord utan bara hur läget är idag tycker jag med tanke på min egen erfarenhet av att arbeta som lärare och samverka med mina kollegor på skolan och i området där jag jobbar.

These examples of good practice, and of m-learning in the field, are

by no means isolated; however, the widespread adoption of m-learning

is still some way off, and the application of m-learning requires a

new paradigm.

Hon diskuterar detta vidare så här:

Is the promise of mobile technologies a trigger to generate learning cultures

realistic? And is m-learning any more likely to increase interest in learning

than any other form of delivery? Articles about the link between mobile

technologies and learning organizations appear to fall into three categories:

1. A database focus that captures organizational knowledge

2. A human systems focus that allows synchronous communication and

information sharing at the worksite

3. A learning development focus that suggests that learning about new

technologies generates a more general drive for learning

Jag tycker att det känns som att debatten har tagit fart ordentligt om att att det finns många tecken på detta med mobilt lärande inte är någon fluga utan här för att stanna. Tekniken utveckals och blir bättre hela tiden och snart har så gott som alla tillgång till en handhållen mobil enhet eftersom naturligtvis priserna faller när volymerna ökar på grund utav efterfrågan. Det gäller bara för oss lärare att försöka hänga med i utvecklingen och börja skapa innehåll för mobilt lärande. Något som ännu inte tagit fart och behöver utvecklas mera.

Metoden som användes var följande i undersökningen:

Method

Based on the findings from the literature search, three survey instruments

were developed: software manufacturer/developer, business, and educational

provider. Four manufacturer/developers were interviewed: two working for large

international corporations (Nokia and PalmAustralasia), and two developers

of software for mobile devices. Six businesses were interviewed, including

large national corporations, medium sized fi rms, and small companies.

Nineteen educational providers (n = 19) were interviewed, representing universities,

high schools, private training providers, TAFE (the largest public

provider of vocational education and training in Australia), and industry

skills councils (the organizations that determine the content of national

vocational curriculum).

Resultat:
Businesses saw the next evolution of mobile technology applications for their businesses to be:

-  Greater choice in hardware, resulting in a better fit between commercially

available devices and the needs of individual businesses- More customers using phones, PDAs, Internet, and email to order and make bookings

- Blended training with an increased proportion of learning delivered on mobile devices
- Faster, more efficient technology as part of a normal work environment
- Simulated and interactive training using games to teach problem
solving and resolve issues
-Convergence of technologies and increased use of devices that can
do more than one thing
-Increase in wireless hotspots to provide improved access to the Internet

from outside the standard work environment, so that workers are

not restricted when travelling
-100 percent mobile

Providers were asked about student readiness for mobile technologies.

The most common mobile technology is the mobile telephone, so it was

interesting to see what the following seven providers thought about student

readiness for using mobile phones for learning:

Mobile phones are mainly used to SMS parents regarding attendance and other communications.Students already have mobile phones and it would be good if they were used more for learning.Students have mobile phones although PDAs are not as popular. Providers are less concerned with the device that students use, than with what they do with it.Some colleges already use mobile phones for communicating with students using text reminders. It is a cost constraint in providing the equipment. If all students already owned laptops, PDAs, or mobile phones, it would be easier to use them for learning; but providers cannot ask students to buy them because the cost would exclude some people.Teachers would like to use PDAs and laptops, but the problemSMS is already in place but the opportunities to use it for learning have not been considered in great depth – implementation will largely depend on practicalities and cost. Resourceful teachers are incorporating SMS because young people are using it anyway, it’s a great motivational tool.m-learning is ideally suited to adult education if it is used to extend the reach of programs. It allows students to get a response quickly, at all hours, they like the interactivity and the ability to receive a quicker response than they would via email. A number of educators mentioned that cost is a barrier; the following four quotes are good examples:Laptops enable students to dock into the student network, however these are not widely accepted because of cost.More students would like laptops and wireless technology, but there is resources to develop materials and provide support, and the infrastructure is lacking.

Detta tankar understryker det jag känner är viktigt nämligen nu när tekniken finns och är så utbredd så är det dags att arbeta med den och inte emot den. Att elever har en mobiltelefon är inget störande moment utan en resurs, om vi bara talar om för dem hur vi vill att vi ska förhålla oss till dem och hur vi ska utnyttja dens resurser.

/Helge Lundgren