Learning in a Mobile Age av John Traxler

Learning in a Mobile Age
John Traxler, Learning Lab, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Abstract

The launch of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning is one of several indicators that mobile learning globally is reaching a critical and sustainable momentum and identity. The past six or seven years have seen a host of pilots and initiatives across sectors and across countries and these have established firstly that mobile learning takes learning to individuals, communities and countries where access to learning was challenging or problematic and secondly that mobile learning enhances, enriches and extends how learning is understood. Environmental factors have meant that this development has been haphazard. The mobile learning community is now faced with broader challenges of scale, durability, equity, embedding and blending in addition to the earlier and more specific challenges of pedagogy and technology, but these developments take place in the context of societies where mobile devices, systems and technologies have a far wider impact than just mobile learning as it is currently conceived. This paper looks at the definition and evolution of mobile learning as the starting point for a discussion of this wider impact.

Traxler menar att vi måste definiera mobilt lärande och jag kan inget annat än hålla med eftersom den ännu inte känns som vedertagen utan behöver utforskas mera. Han tar upp det faktum att utvecklingen de senaste 10 åren har lett till ökade möjligheter både i form av hårdvara och mjukvara. Han tar upp sitt kära ”immigrants and native” resonemang och uttrycker sig så här ” These are some of the points of departure for mobile learning. They refer back to ‘conventional’ e-learning and perhaps this is the mark of early ‘mobile learning immigrants’ and not the mark of the growing number of ‘mobile learning natives’. “(sid 1). Just misstaget att blanda ihop e-learning med m-learning tror jag många gör. M-learning är något nytt, något eget men i.of.s en utveckling av e-learning men absolut inte detsamma tycker jag. Följande beskrivning som Traxler gör är något som jag kan tycka beskriver det ganska bra när han visar hur Keegan för enkelt och för tekniskt definierade m-learning.


I therefore define mobile learning as ‘the provision of education and training on PDAs/palmtops/handhelds, smartphones and mobile phones.’ One of the characteristics of mobile learning is that it uses devices

• which citizens are used to carrying everywhere with them,

• which they regard as friendly and personal devices,

• which are cheap and easy to use,

• which they use constantly in all walks of life and in a variety of different settings, except education.” (Keegan, 2005:3)

(sid 2)

Han menar att de bara sätter mobilt lärande i e-learnings spektrum av portabilitet. Osäkerheten om laptops och tablets ger mobil inlärning om det saknas spontanitet i att bära omkring dem och starta upp dem illustrerar svårigheten med en sådan här definition. Samt att utvecklingen av det ultra-mobila formatet utökar problemet vidare. Han tycker dock att utvecklingen av definitionen gått framåt och pekar på Sharples och Arnedillo-Sánchez som några exempel. Dock tycker Traxler att det ännu finns mycket att bevisa om dessa teorier, han eftersöker mer konkreta och vetenskapliga bevis på dess existens. Jag tycker också att det krävs mer ”kött på benen” för att man skall kunna påvisa mer exakt vad mobilt lärande är.

Sedan ja.... så bombarderar han med exempel på hur andra definierat mobilt lärande (sid 2-5) : (Kukulska-Hulme et al, 2005; JISC, 2005), and conference proceedings (for example, Ally, 2006; Attewell and Savill-Smith, 2004; Oliver, 2007), Niall Winters (2006), Naismith et al. (2004), Sharples, Taylor and Vavoula (2005:4), Ann Jones (Jones et al 2006).

Jag tycker dock inte han så konkret pekar på vad det är utan mer tar upp vad andra kommit fram till vilket jag tycker är synd. Jag blir således bara än mer förvirrad. För att göra läsaren än mer förvirrad i mina ögon så går han sedan över i att diskutera teorier som behövs för att bena ut begreppet. Detta gör han på ett liknande sätt på följande sidor (sid 5-7). Inte heller här lyckas han klargöra utan snarare så gör han det än mer invecklat när han bollar dilemmat vidare i teoretiska termer och resonerar kring vad andra har kommit fram till. Kuhn (1962), Laurillard (2002) and Salmon (2000), (Laurillard, 2007), (Siemens, 2004) and ‘navigationism’ (Brown, 2005), Sharples et al, 2005) subscribe to versions of Yrjö Engeström’s ‘Activity Theory’ (1987), (Er and Kay, 2005), JosieTaylor (2006).

Vad vill han ha sagt egentligen? Jo om jag ska tolka det han säger nedan så vill han att vi ska ställa rätt frågor för att få rätt svar. Att lärandet har förändrats i samma takt som tekniken utvecklats. Att förhållandet är annorlunda idag än vad det någonsin vart innan.

“Focusing on defining mobile learning in an age where actually nothing stays still is perhaps missing the point; the question, ‘what is mobile learning?’ must be replaced by the questions, ‘what is learning in a mobile age?’ or perhaps ‘what is mobile learning?’ Our societies are changing as mobile devices, systems and technologies become universally owned, accepted and used, and as a consequence the meaning and significance of learning are changing too.” (sid 7)


Innan han kommer till sin slutsats så penetrerar han användandet av framförallt mobiler och hur vi kommunicerar och håller kontakt sinsemellan idag. Han nämner de ”just in time, anywere-anytime, just for me” slogans som skapats av mobilkulturen och att vi ständigt är uppkopplade och tillgängliga. Hur ”informella möten” skapas utanför mötesrummet och att nya grupperingar och ”communities” skapas på bekostnad av de traditionella. Jag håller med i hans resonemang att mycket har förändrats på grund utav den nya mobila tekniken. Sättet att umgås eller snarare ”hålla kontakten” har radikalt förändrats. Allt är väldigt ”snuttifierat” och effektivt idag och de gånger man umgås längre stunder ansikte mot ansikte har radikalt minskat. Däremot så har möjligheten tacka vare Msn, Facebook och Twitter gjort att man är mer ”uppdaterad” än nånsin om hur familj och vänner har det. Detta gör i sin tur att dagens elever som är uppväxta i denna ”teknikålder” har ett annat sätt att se på lärande än den traditionella katederundervisningen. För att möta denna nya form av elever så behöver vi nog anpassa vår undervisning till att bli mer lik det sätt de är vana att kommunicera och ta till sig kunskap för att de ska bli bra i slutändan. Vi behöver helt enkelt ta och utvärdera och utveckla det mobila lärandet, och det är nu innan det är för sent.

I sin slutsats nedan så redogör han att han velat vara så bred som möjlig i sin förhållning. Att det är komplext och en utmaning det hade jag på känn innan men efter ha läst detta så blev det mångt och mycket än mer komplext och utmanande. Denna text känns som en bra inledning på en konferens i ämnet snarare än en redogörande text över vad mobilt lärande är.

Conclusion

This paper puts the work and evolution of mobile learning into the broadest possible context and explores the significance of ideas about ‘learning in a mobile age’ in the context of the current development of mobile learning. The mobile learning community has an increasingly clear sense of its achievements and its direction but looking beyond the immediate community reveals a far more complex and changing situation. At this point, we can only sketch parts of the evolving picture, guess how society, its conception of learning and the role of mobile technologies in supporting that conception will fit together and wonder at the place of our current work. The challenge for the mobile learning community is the balance between facing inwards, to develop its work, and facing outwards, to understand the context and importance of that work.

/Helge Lundgren

Kommande artiklar från IJMBL:

Efter att ha kommenterat och reflekterat över hela boken Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training edited by Mohammed Ally (2009).

Så kommer nu mina 8 val från artiklarna från IJMBL:  att följa.

Issue 1, 2009

• Learning in a Mobile Age
• Choreo

Issue 2, 2009

• Designing Participant-Generated Context into Guided Tours
• Improving Cross-Cultural Awareness and Communication through Mobile Technologies

Issue 3, 2009

• An adaptive and Context-Aware Scenario Model Based on a Web Service Architecture for Pervasive Learning Systems
• E-Professional Development and Rural Teachers

Issue 4, 2009

• Supporting Awareness in Ubiquitous Learning
• "Premierloytnant Bielke"

/Helge

Part three: Use of Mobile Technology for Teacher Training by JOCELYN WISHART edited by Mohammed Ally (2009)

PART THREE
Applications of Mobile Learning
Use of Mobile Technology for Teacher Training

JOCELYN WISHART
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

This chapter describes a small-scale project, funded by the UK Teacher Development Agency, where all teachers and trainee teachers in one secondary school science department were given handheld Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for the academic year. The aims were to build m-learning and m-teaching capacity, to enable school based associate tutors to join the e-learning community linked to the local initial teacher training course, and to encourage reflective practice amongst trainee teachers. However, not all these aims succeeded. The handhelds were viewed as personal devices rather than enabling access to a community of practice. Nearly all participants praised the personal information management functions of the devices; however, the teachers did not use the handhelds to access course information and trainees did so only rarely. The ability to access Google from any location to answer students’ and colleagues’ questions was more popular. Most popular were the multiple methods of recording available on the handheld: video, audio, and written notes. Teachers used these to record observations on each others’ lessons, students’ work, student behaviour, and trainees’ progress in teaching. The concept of using blogs to reflect on practice was not taken up though trainees did record personal reflections on their teaching in Pocket Word for later use in course assignments.

I sin inledning tar de upp det tidigare användandet av PDAs i skolor. Det understrukna liknar den känsla jag och många av mina vänner/kollegor har angående mobiler och internet. Nu när de finns så skulle vi inte vilja vara utan på grund utav med den enkelhet vi kan både hitta information snabbt och kommunicera effektivare.

Previous work with teachers using PDAs in schools (Perry 2003) has shown that PDAs can be supportive of teaching in that they offer considerable potential to make teachers’ management and presentation of information more efficient. One science teacher described their range of potential benefits to Perry: “I would never willingly go without one now; it is my instantly accessible encyclopedia, thesaurus, periodic table, diary, register/mark book, world map, and even star chart!” Additionally, whilst the trainees are directly supported by a mentor from the school when on placement, their university tutors need feedback on their trainees’ progress to assure themselves of their well being. Access to email and the Internet has become essential to managing this process.

 I och med utvecklingen av mobiler och då tänker jag på Smartphones i synnerhet så tror jag att de och även Surfplattorna för all del som är det allra nyaste, kommer att leda till att användandet av laptops kommer att minska radikalt framöver. När tillgängligheten till information via Internet och filer, både ljud och film samt utvecklingen av alla ”appar” (applikationer till Iphone, Android, Windowsphone) ökar så dramatiskt i dessa små lätta handhållna enheter som vi enkelt kan ta med oss över allt och med överlägsen standby tid. Ja då kommer nog väldigt många föredra detta istället för en laptop. Följaktligen blir dessa man även använder vid mobil inlärning, något som det här studien även pekar på och då relaterar de ändå till flera år tillbaka i tiden innan Smartphones exploderade på marknaden och hade den kapacitet de har idag.

Providing trainee teachers with PDAs is one way of resolving this issue and, indeed, previous research (Wishart, Ramsden, and McFarlane 2007) has shown that this can be effective where trainee teachers in science trialled the use of Internet enabled PDAs to support them in their teaching and learning. Another study investigating the development of e learning communities amongst initial teacher trainees dispersed on their school placements (Hughes 2005) found that the trainees preferred PDAs to laptops as they were smaller and lighter.

De delade ut den teknik som var tillgänglig då och följande var vad de ville åstadkomma med dem. De hade ganska höga tankar om vad de som skulle ingå i studien skulle åtaga sig att göra. Lite för höga tankar skulle det visa sig..

Method

Thirteen science teachers at a local community school and six trainee teachers on the PGCE one-year teacher training course at the University of Bristol were given handheld computers to use throughout the academic year. These were PDAs chosen from the Pocket PC range then available in the UK that contained cameras and used the mobile phone GPRS network to connect to the Internet. Previous research (Wishart, McFarlane, and Ramsden 2005) had shown that initial teacher trainees preferred Pocket PC-based handheld computers to Palm OS based ones.

On introduction to the mobile devices trainees and staff were shown how the PDAs have the potential to support them in:

• collaborating via the course Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)mdiscussion groups and email

• accessing course documentation (via the VLE or via synchronization with a PC)

• just in time acquisition of knowledge from the Web

• acquisition of science information from e-books and encyclopaedias

• delivering accurate figures for scientific constants and formulae

• organizing commitments, lesson plans and timetables

• recording and analysing laboratory results

• recording student attendance and grades

• photographing experiments for display and reinforcing student knowledge

• maintaining a reflective web log (blog) that could allow them to record lesson evaluations and other reflections on their teaching

I deras resultat så tycker jag att det visar sig att oavsett hur väl förberedd man är och vilka bra och djupa intentioner man har, så är alltid ändå den svagaste länken de som ska utföra själva studien. Att inte få med alla på tåget och utvärdera nya tekniska lösningar, är ett problem som jag själv ofta upplever inom skolans värld bland mina kollegor. Det finns en stor grad av "motvalls-pedagoger" som har svårt att gå i nya banor utan vill fortsätta köra i gamla beprövade spår.

Results from teachers

Four to five months into the study, during the Spring term, teachers were asked to report whether they were still using the PDA only half were using their PDA. On discussing reasons for not using the PDA three clear positions emerged: choosing to use an alternative technology to support teaching, lack of engagement with the study, and finding the PDA display difficult to read. Two teachers were not using the PDA as they now had alternative access to information and communication technology (ICT) which they found fitted their purposes better. Since the school had agreed to become involved with the PDA project each teaching laboratory had been equipped with a desktop computer, one teacher had purchased a digital camera and several had acquired USB memory sticks. All of these were suggested as being better for the purpose of designing presentations at home and bringing them to school for lessons. Another two teachers had failed to try out the PDA, and a third teacher found managing eye glasses (as the display was too small) and the stylus simultaneously too much trouble.

Resultaten var som sagt inte överraskande för mig då det alltid finns en ”tröskel” att komma över när det gäller att ta till sig nya teknik eller nya hjälpmedel för vissa. Jag kan dock hålla med om att en Pocket PC har sina begränsningar.

Det fanns dock de som hittade fördelar:

A list of the activities that were reported by more than one teacher as being used successfully to support teaching and mentoring trainee teachers is as follows:

• Making notes in meetings or for lesson observations using Word

• Calendar/Diary Scheduler

• Taking photos and videos

• Searching/Researching (Internet)

Figure 2 shows an example of the notes made by an experienced teacher during an observation of a trainee teacher’s lesson, these were then beamed using infra-red to the trainee’s PDA for her to include in her reflections on her teaching. The teachers noted the advantages of being able to use the PDA to quickly and easily make notes both in formal meetings and on accidentally meeting up with colleagues in the corridor between lessons.

Figure 3 is an illustration of how the Pocket PC Calendar can be used to display a teaching timetable. Whilst the diary design was not as appropriate for teaching as customized timetabling software, it was still one of the most popular applications.

Här är andra exempel på saker som de tyckte fungerade bra. Det visar tydligt tycker jag att om bara viljan finns så kan man använda sig av mobila hjälpmedel i sin undervisning på ett mycket smidigt sätt.

Access to the Internet was also reported particularly favourably, especially for keeping abreast of breaking news usually unavailable during the school day (such as the cricket scores). Additionally, one member of staff was very emphatic about how useful it was to set up a class administration system in Excel on a desktop computer and synchronize it to the PDA so that it could be quickly and easily updated during lessons. He used multiple windows for attendance, grades, practical skills achieved, and commendations.

Här är exempel på vad som sker när viljan inte finns..

However, when it came to participating in the e-learning community designed to support the trainee teachers in the school, the teachers were less forthcoming. In fact the teachers’ communication using the PDA was much less than anticipated with only occasional use of SMS texts and email to contact each other or friends and family outside school. More use was made of beaming files to the trainee teachers than messaging or emailing them.

Tittar vi sen på resultaten från trainees så tycker jag att de var förvånasvärt nedslående resultat. Jag hade förväntat mig mer från dom. Speciellt eftersom som de borde vara vana användare av ny teknik och tycka att få möjligheten att använda den i sin inlärning borde locka mera.

Results from Trainee Teachers

Results from the online questionnaires completed by the six trainee teachers (three from the autumn term teaching practice who were allowed to keep their PDAs when they moved to a different school and three from the Spring term practice) show similar trends. Just over half had given up using the PDA towards the end of the term. Two trainees had given up as they had allowed the PDA battery to discharge and lost their diaries and stored work, another found the PDA more hassle than a pen and paper, and another found it faster and easier to use a laptop that had become available. However, all the trainees agreed that using the PDA was easy and five of the six disagreed with the statement that the PDA was of no use to them as an individual. There was no clear agreement amongst this group as to whether having a PDA might support their learning and/or teaching. There was clear agreement though that the two most useful applications were the calendar for organizing their timetable and the task list for organizing their multiple commitments. The web browser was used (most often via Google) to answer queries and to find information to support teaching, but more often to support personal interest or need. They also used Word for making notes on lesson observations and for receiving feedback from experienced teachers on their own lessons.

I deras slutsatser så framgår det tydligt att denna teknik ännu inte har fått genomslagskraft inom undervisning trots att den visar på potential. I slutklämmen så tycker jag att de pekar på det som jag tror är viktigast i hela det här resonemanget, nämligen att det krävs att instutitionen erkänner resursen och lägger kraft på att utveckla och supporta den för att den skall bli effektiv. Även att man antar en ann syn på användandet att mobilt lärande. Detta är inte något som sker i en handvändning utan är en process som måste noga planeras och ges tid och resurser till att genomföras. Jag tror att inom en snar framtid så kommer även de som fattar besluten förstå att det är den rätta vägen att gå. Eleverna har ju redan förstått det och många av pedagogerna med, nu gäller det bara att övertala alla "motvalls-pedagoger" och skolledningar att förstå nyttan och resursen i mobil inlärning.

Conclusion

Despite acknowledging their potential for supporting collaboration, teachers mostly view PDAs as personal devices and used only the software that supported their personal information needs.

However, providing a PDA for all teachers within a department enabled a culture for trainee teachers where their use could be experimented with and the experienced teachers who continued to use the PDAs found that they provided individual teaching support through:

• Internet access

• taking photos

• class administration

• diary scheduling in particular

It was clear that the just-in-time nature of the individual support – having almost instant access to personal calendar, class lists and grades, and Google was important to the trainees and supported them in their learning. Additionally, recording notes on trainees’ lessons and using the infrared beam to share them was very useful to both the teachers and trainees who continued to use the PDAs.

Finally, for effective deployment of mobile devices in teaching and learning support there needs to be recognition of PDAs and other Smartphones as part of the whole ICT system within an institution. Issues such as using the WiFi to connect to the wireless network, connecting the PDAs to the data projectors and connecting the PDA cradles to the classroom desktops need a significant amount of facilitation in the school context where access to computer networks is heavily restricted.

/Helge Lundgren

Part three: Using Mobile Technologies for Multimedia Tours in a Traditional Museum Setting by Naismith and Smith edited by Mohammed Ally (2009)

PART THREE
Applications of Mobile Learning
Using Mobile Technologies for Multimedia Tours in a Traditional Museum Setting

LAURA NAISMITH

M. PAUL SMITH
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

Mobile technology can be used to deliver learner-centered experiences at a museum without compromising its aesthetic appeal. This chapter presents a study in which two Flash-based multimedia tours were developed for the Hypertag Magus Guide system and trialled with twenty-five visitors to the University of Birmingham’s Lapworth Museum of Geology. Trial participants found the system fun and easy to use, though they requested headphones in order to hear the audio more clearly. They provided several suggestions to improve the tours including creating stronger links between the tour and the museum’s objects and incorporating more interactive and competitive elements. We found that a structured multimedia tour approach was appropriate for visitors who can connect with the museum’s narratives, though more flexibility was required to meet the needs of other visitor types.

Målet med studien var att utforska om användandet av mobil teknologi för besökare ändå medförde att det traditionella utseendet och känslan av museet kunde bevaras. Dom utvecklade två ”turer” med olika innehåll.

TOUR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Two tours were developed, a fourteen stop “Climate Change” tour directed at a general, non-specialist audience and an eight stop “Predators and Prey” tour directed at a younger, non-specialist audience. The Climate Change tourcontained text, images and audio, while the Predators and Prey tour contained text, images, audio and video.

Det fanns tekniska begränsningar så de fick utveckla flash filer för ändamålet. Man använde sig av handhållna iPAQs det vill säga en pocket PC. Skulle de ha gjort studien idag så tror jag de skulle ha använt sig av Smartphones eller Tablets, två tekniker som formligen exploderat i både utveckling och användare. De löste saknaden av trådlöst nätverk med sparade filer på iPAQs.

As the Lapworth Museum did not have wireless network coverage, it was necessary to store the files on the iPAQs. This is supported by the Local Redirect feature of the Hypertag Magus Guide. It was originally intended that each tour would be developed as a single Flash file and embedded into an HTML file. Code could then be included in the HTML file to play the Flash file at a specific frame. Unfortunately this feature did not seem to be supported on the Pocket PC and it was necessary to create a separate Flash file for each stop on the tour. Though the content was not linked to a website for the purposes of the trial, it would be possible to include these on the Lapworth Museum website without further modification.

Det var mest positiv respons men de som upplevdes som mest negativt var ljudet. De hade önskat sig hörlurar till sina Pocket Pc:s men de hade medvetet valt bort detta för att undvika att de blev isolerade utan istället främja interaktion. Detta är dubbelt tycker jag, ljud berikar en upplevelse men kan också som de antyder isolera. Detta skulle man kunnat moteverka genom att påtala att interaktion var nödvändig även om man använde hörlurar.

 

Positive Aspects of the System

Most visitors found the experience of using the Hypertag Magus Guide system to be fun and engaging. Participants were able to stay on task during the trial and did not seem to attempt to use the hand-held device for other purposes. The mix of media present in the designed content was highly desirable, particularly the audio segments

Negative Aspects of the System

The audio was very difficult to hear clearly in the changeable environment of the museum, and many trial participants commented on the necessity of headphones. Headphones were also felt to promote a more personal experience and address the potential “embarrassment factor” of using the system alongside other museum visitors

The original decision not to offer headphones was made in an attempt to promote social interaction and prevent isolation and a heads-down experience (Hsi 2003).

I deras slutsatser så kom de fram till att det var både önskvärt och roligt att använda tekniken när man besökte museet. De märkte också att den tekniken de använt krävt lite teknisk support men att ljudet och avsaknaden av hörlurar var det som stört mest. Jag tror också att ett besök på ett museum med hjälp av handhållna mobila enheter med mer information i multimedia form skulle höja graden av intresse på studenter. Tekniken är dessutom idag så pass utvecklad och enkel att använda så att det vore möjligt att genomföra i stor utsträckning utan kostsamma investeringar och teknisk support.

In this chapter, we have seen that it is feasible and desirable to use mobile technology to deliver learner-centered experiences in the Lapworth Museum of Geology without compromising the aesthetic appeal of the museum. The structured multimedia approach taken in this study is appropriate for visitors who can adopt a Follower role, though more flexibility is required to meet the needs of Browsers, Searchers, and Researchers. The Hypertag Magus Guide provides an easy to use mechanism for visitors of all ages to access web-based content, which can be stored locallyon hand-held devices in the form of HTML or Flash movie files. It is, however, necessary to provide headphones in order to hear the audio clearly. Overall, trial participants required minimal technical support and found the use of the system to be fun and engaging.

De inser att deras studie är begränsad och enkönad och att mer forskning behöver göras. De tyckte dock att studien hade gått över förväntan. De ser stor utvecklingspotential i detta sätt att besöka ett museum och utforma innehållet. De tycker att de har fått en insikt i kommande generationers innehåll och utformande. De tycker dock att det fortfarande finns stora utmaningar att i att utforma meningsfullt lärande möjligheter i en större skala. Där det tekniska inte minst är en sak att utveckla. De ser även att det är viktigt att utbilda personalen som ska tillhandahålla tekniken. Jag håller med dem i stora drag men jag tror dock inte att det hade blivit så annorlunda resultat om de även hade haft med bägge könen i studien. När det gäller detta område så tror jag att kvinnliga studenter är lika kapabla och intresserade av att använda tekniken, särskilt om det gjort studien idag när det är än mer utbrett i sitt användande.

 

Limitations

The results of this study are based on a small trial consisting mainly of young male participants. The response of young females to this system is unknown. Additionally, all participants were geology enthusiasts to some degree. Further research is required to determine whether this system could be used to engage people with no previous relationship with either the museum or geology in general.

Vision for the Future

The results of this study have exceeded expectations in terms of the potential benefits of mobile technology for museum staff and its popularity with visitors. One of the benefits that will be developed in the future is the ability to respond quickly to global geological events, such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.

Implications for Practice

This study has provided valuable insight into ways in which organizations such as the Lapworth Museum may develop the next generation of content and interpretation. It is important to note, however, that there are a number of remaining challenges in using mobile technology to provide meaningful learning opportunities on a large scale (Naismith and Corlett 2006).

Firstly, the technical reliability of mobile devices remains a concern. Whilst using the Hypertag system was easy and intuitive for most users in this study, the work involved to keep the Pocket PC devices charged and properly configured was significant. By keeping the device interactions simple and moving towards the use of user-owned technologies, both this workload and the cost-of-use could remain manageable.

What is necessary, however, is to provide appropriate training and support to ensure that staff members are confident in promoting the available learning opportunities and in dealing with unexpected challenges. Designing and developing new mobile learning content requires a flexible and learner-centered approach that promotes interaction with the environment, whilst keeping the device interactions quick and simple.

/Helge Lundgren

Part three: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of M-learning Within an International Distance Education Programme by Gregson and Jordaan edited by Mohammed Ally (2009)

Part three: Applications of Mobile Learning
Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of M-learning Within an International Distance Education Programme

JON GREGSON

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON EXTERNAL SYSTEM

UNITED KINGDOM

DOLF JORDAAN

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

This chapter provides a case study of a mobile learning project, involving postgraduate distance learning students based in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The project explores ways of enhancing the programme design and delivery, within the broader context of a global programme with students in over one hundred countries. The use of e-learning tools alongside traditional print-based approaches has created a more connected learning community that makes increasing use of interactive learning resources. However, new challenges have emerged in providing equivalent access and support to students based in developing countries. The authors outline the practical ways in which mobile learning tools help address the problems identified, and provide opportunities for innovation in design and delivery of distance learning. The approaches explored provide insights and not a prescriptive solution, since they are contingent on diverse and dynamic contexts, the student profile, and the nature of the problems arising.

Det är mycket att ta i beaktning när man ska dra igång sådana här projekt i utvecklingsländer när digitala resurser och ekonomi är begränsad:

The second major initiative within the DLP has been a move over the last five years to make the study materials available digitally. The driver for this was pedagogic innovation, but there was also a financial motivation to keep fee levels affordable and invest more in educational technology rather than printing and dispatch. Initially this process involved providing PDF or Word format copies of the study guide to students via the OLE, but a more ambitious agenda to enhance the materials also began to be implemented. This involved developing ways to make the content more interactive, and developing a flexible authoring model that would support reusability of content and ease of maintenance. Due to the type of subject matter, which is typically narrative or economic models, there needed to be a careful assessment of what would add value to the student experience. This leads to a focus on interactive content that helps explain difficult concepts, self assessment questions, and search features to support revision.

Dessa var de frågeställningar de ville få svar på.

Before commencing with any specific development work we sought to answer three further questions:

• What insights can we gain from relevant literature in relation to the context, educational and pedagogic approaches, and technical alternatives?

• What can we learn from the experience of others who have sought to develop m-learning approaches, particularly in the southern African context?

• What can we learn directly about the context that might influence our project approach?

Dom upptäckte genom sina undersökningar att det finns skillnader i hur snabbt studenterna tar till sig mobilt lärande beroende på hur mycket krav man ställer på att de ska "producera" tillbaka. Jag tror dock att i långa loppet så är det vägen att gå så att det blir en mer delaktig undervisning.

• Provision of audio visual content, and resources that replicate familiar experiences (such as lectures and quizzes), are quickly adopted, and these approaches suited the “Rural Development” module subject matter.

• Introducing ideas that encourage learning among peers, along with sharing and contributing to the educational process, represent more progressive and innovative approaches for the students to engage in The more collaborative activities designed around production of new types of assignment deliverables and learning-by-doing (as reflected in the "ICT for Development” module) may take more time to get student “buy in” as they have to become contributors as well as beneficiaries. Interaction with the tutor and a well designed support environment for mobile learning are likely to be more critical.

Som alltid när det gäller mobilt lärande så brottades de med tekniska lösningar för de små skärmarna på de Nokia N70 mobiler som de valt att arbeta med. Dessa hade importerats från England men de tror att man i framtiden kan lösa det mer lokalt när utbredningen av mobilnät och mobiler även nått denna kontinent i större utsträckning. Men många av de som deltog i studien påtalade att det gått framåt vad det gäller täckningen och att det inte längre bara är i städerna som täckning finns.

Designing for the small screen was a challenge, and drawing on the ideas of Jones and Marsden (2005), careful thought is being given to how best to do this. Audio and video alternatives to text are being developed where possible, and the usability features of the phone model and browser software also facilitate the design of effi cient navigation. In practice, a few unexpected technical challenges have been encountered relating to audio capture time limits and slow performance if audio or video fi les stored on the external card are launched via the phone browser. These problems are being investigated but should not be insurmountable as the handsets rapidly become more powerful.

Sätter vi detta i relation till  Sverige så är ju detta inget problem, de problem vi har är att väldigt få har utvecklat sätt att arbeta med mobilt lärande eftersom vi har så god tillgång på datorer och internet. Men precis som de påpekar så har ju utvecklingen av att sprida material via internet/mobilnätet gått väldigt fort framåt och detta kommer främja mobilt lärande.

Alongside the technological advances, we are also seeing rapid developments in the following relevant areas:

• Emergence of social software on the Internet and mobile devices, providing a global platform where individuals publish audio visual content from remote locations (for example, via mobile blogging), and collaborate on the creation and development of ideas. This trend is likely to make more people familiar with constructivist approaches.

• Emergence of standards for sharing content (learning objects), and development of new licensing approaches such as creative commons that provide incentives to innovators alongside dissemination of knowledge. Repositories of open educational resources are being developed and becoming accessible to mobile users

Tittar man på deras slutsater så kan vi se att de inte tycker att det är helt lätt utan snarare väldigt komplext och mångfacetterat. Den kräver sin specilella pedagogik och god hand med tekniken i fråga. Man måste tänka mer audio-visuellt vilket jag dock tycker är väldigt bra eftersom det är något som dagens genaration är väldigt familjär med och använder sig av dagligen. Det är ett nytt media att använda till inlärning/undervisning, då får man helt enkelt börja tänka i nya banor. Vilket aldrig kan vara fel tycker jag. Att utnyttja det nya sättet att interagera tycker jag är utmaningen i det hela.

Conclusion

The outcomes and lessons being learned from this project should not be regarded as prescriptive, but some of the key learning points for the DLP in relation to the specifi c SADC context are as follows:

• The introduction of mobile learning is complex and multifaceted, and a range of pedagogic, practical, and technical issues need to be carefully understood.

• Mobile learning approaches need to be considered alongside traditional and e-learning models, and some of the emerging technical requirements for m-learning (for example, greater emphasis on audiovisual content) in turn influence the design and authoring approaches needed for the DLP’s CD-based courseware and printed materials.

• Attention needs to be given to a coherent learning environment for mobile distance learners that takes account of future trends, and the emergence of social software.

• Keep it simple, personal, and avoid device proliferation.

• M-learning supports the development of new study skills: ° learners can interact, create and share valuable learning resources such as audio versions of course materials they record themselves with appropriate regional accents, and share photos and videos providing insights into their context; and make use of brief study sessions in unusual locations.

I sin slutplädering visar de sin ståndpunkt som jag tycker är väldigt bra, nämligen att mobilt lärande är en resurs som gagnar utvecklingsländer som därigenom gör att vi får en mer global spridning i mobilt lärande som är mer jämlik världen över.

In all five cases, the pilot project is providing insights into how mobile learning can help achieve these objectives, and we hope this case study has shed light that will be helpful to readers. We set out in this project to focus particularly on the needs of students based in developing countries. It is interesting to reflect that the possible solutions emerging provide the best hope for a learning environment that has global reach, and where common approaches can be developed and enjoyed equally by all students irrespective of their location. This has to be one of the major enhancements and attractions of a model incorporating m-learning.

/Helge Lundgen

Part three: MobilED – Mobile Tools and Services Platform for Formal and Informal Learning by Ford and Leinonen edited by Mohammad Ally (2009)

Part three:Applications of Mobile Learning
MobilED – Mobile Tools and Services Platform for Formal and Informal Learning

MERRYL FORD

MERAKA INSTITUTE

SOUTH AFRICA

TEEMU LEINONEN

HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN

FINLAND

Abstract

MobilED is a South African initiative aimed at designing teaching and learning environments that are meaningfully enhanced with mobile technologies and services. The deliverables are the development of a set of scenarios and guidelines on how mobile technologies could be used for teaching and learning within and outside the school context. The applicability of mobile phones in an educational environment is examined, with a specific focus on the differences and similarities between the developing and developed worlds. The first phase of the project in South Africa focused on the use of low-cost mobile phones, which are readily available in the developing world, and the second phase examined the use of more advanced mobile phones with multimedia capabilities. Pilot projects in South Africa are being replicated in Finland, India, and Brazil to explore the cultural, social and organizational context of the utilization of mobile phones in and out of school in a developing and developed world context.

Den här studien är intressant för den utforskar tekniken och utveckligen inom området i en del av världen som länge legat efter. De uttrycker det så här:

Mobile technologies, particularly the mobile phone, are set to play a major role in the development of the information society in developing countries. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Africa’s mobile cellular growth rate has been the highest of any region over the past five years, averaging close to 60 per cent year on year. The continent-wide total number of mobile phone subscribers at the end of 2004 was seventy-six million (ITU Report 2006). The economic and social benefi ts of mobile phones are evident at all socio-economic levels of society and the penetration

rate of mobile phones is signifi cant, especially given the fact that access to these devices is often shared.

En annan intressant synpunkt som det tar fram är mobilens fördelar framför PC:

Contrary to trends in the developed world, where PC and Internet connectivity is almost ubiquitous, mobile phones are currently the most important networked knowledge-exchange technology used in the developing world. From a developing country perspective, features such as limited or no dependence on permanent electricity supply, easy maintenance, easy-touse audio and text interfaces, affordability and accessibility are the most important considerations for using mobile phones as potential learning tools (Masters 2005; Mutula 2002; Stone et al. 2003).

Å tänk på vilken fördel det är för en kontinent som Afrika om det fungerar att kommunicera mobilt med tanke på alla avstånd som föreligger.

The contention that a “socially and educationally responsible definition (of mobile learning) must view the learner as the one being mobile and not his/her devices” (Laouris and Eteokleous 2005), and the ability for “anytime, anywhere” learning is still applicable in the developing world, but more as a positive side-effect. If we separate “mobile learning” into “mobile” and “learning,” the learning aspect is the most important concept in the developing world. The computing device just happens to be mobile.

De påtalar det faktum att även om det funnits tillgång till PC så har den inte använts på ett utvecklande sätt för kontineten utan mer som ett redskap i undervisning:

Even in developed countries where computer technology has been used for educational purposes for several decades, the delivery has rarely met the expectation. Teachers have used computers for drill and practice, automated tutoring and instruction and only lately as a tool for communication, collaboration and problem-solving (Statham and Torrell 1996). The use of technology or media does not in itself improve learners’ learning achievements. Learning is infl uenced more by the instructional strategy than by the type of medium used (Clark 1985).

Det är hög tid för förändring...

There is thus a desperate need for a new approach to integrating technology into the classroom, particularly in the developing world environment. The model needs to take into account issues of usability, accessibility, and affordability, while ensuring that appropriate pedagogical models are adhered to.

Deras upplägg på studien i projektet tycker jag visar på att de är väldigt införstådda i den mobila teknologin och vad man kan använda den till. Deras visioner är konkreta och mätbara samt att de inte är överdrivet optimistiska utan känns realistiska att utföra och studera.

MobilED Philosophy and Principles

The idea of the MobilED project is to create technology that supports existing social infrastructures and increases the potential of current practices with mobile phones by introducing new opportunities for knowledge-sharing, community-building, and shared creation of knowledge in the authentic context of studying and learning.

The approach of the MobilED project is to integrate research-based ideas of using mobile technologies in teaching/learning with active scenarios of real learning programmes. The project includes the design, development, and piloting of prototype applications where multimedia and language technologies (voice, text, images) will be used via the mobile phone as tools in the learning process.

The aim will be to enable all members of society (especially those in the developing world) to become active participants in the information society by being contributors to, and not just passive recipients of, information.

MobilED Objectives

The MobilED project has four key scientific, technical, and developmental objectives:

• To explore and comprehend the cultural, social, and organizational context of young people in and out of school in three developing countries (South Africa, India, Brazil) and in a developed country (Finland) in their utilisation of mobile technologies, particularly mobile phones.

• To develop research-based models and scenarios of how mobile technologies could be used for teaching, learning and empowerment of students within and outside the school context.

• To develop concepts, prototypes, and platforms that will facilitate and support the models and scenarios developed.

• To test, evaluate, and disseminate the scenarios, models, concepts, prototypes, and platforms in the four countries.

Technology Used

The basic technology components being used in the project are:

• Mobile devices and network(s): GSM/SMS phones, multimedia phones, Internet tablets, PDAs, the US$100 laptop (OLPC project of MIT), etc.

• Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia.

• Social software: Mediawiki, blogs, knowledge-building tools, etc.

• Open Source language technologies: speech interfaces, audio usage,etc.

• Open Source telephony and software frameworks and platforms.

Jag blev inte förvånad över att se de goda resultat som studierna visade i projketet utan jag tycker snarare att de visar på styrkan i mobilt lärande med hjälp av mobiltelefoner. Bara det finns kunniga personer som designar projektet :

 

The results of the pilots show that the use of a mobile phone as technology tool to aid the learning process can work extremely well. The barrier of entry was very low – the learners themselves were very open to using the technology and the teachers could focus on facilitating the learning process, rather than having to grapple with new, unfamiliar technologies (as is the case with traditional computers). Thus both learners and teachers felt empowered and confident in using the phones as learning tools. In addition, a mobile phone is a portable device and can be used anywhere, anytime – the teacher does not need to take her learners to the technology (as per the computer lab model), but is able to take the technology to the learner. A mobile phone also opens up the possibility of using the technology on fi eldtrips and out of typical classroom environments, thus demonstrating again the potential to use the mobile phone as a complementary tool to a traditional computer.

 

Conclusion

The MobilED consortium will be refl ecting on the results of these pilots and

will use the results to develop future strategy. Some of the ideas that have been suggested in South Africa include:

1. Using the service to disseminate ideas and lesson plans to teachers by creating slide shows of lessons with audio narrations in all eleven of South Africa’s official languages. A teacher could send an SMS with the title of the lesson to the server and this would be sent the slideshow (if they have an MMS-capable phone) or he/she would be phoned back and the audio played. The teacher could add an audio/video annotation to add his/her ideas to the lesson plan.

2. Making existing educational video/animation “bytes” available to teachers and learners via MMS and data services.

Worldwide interest in the project has been overwhelming: Brazil will start its own MobilED pilots in the near future, and Colombia and Mexico are also planning pilots. Even comparatively wealthy countries like New Zealand are showing interest. For more information on the status of the project and future plans, refer to the MobilED website (http://mobiled.uiah.fi ).

En av de "orosmoln" de målar upp som skuggar deras framgång är en sak som ofta debatteras i Sverige och i hög grad i den skola som jag normalt arbetar i som lärare.

Despite this enthusiasm, however, a major problem being faced in trying to institutionalize the use of mobile phones is the current negative publicity regarding their illicit use in schools. There is no question that currently there is a lot of “under the table” use of mobile phones in classrooms and that they can be distracting influences. This came out very strongly in many of the interviews held while we were collecting data for MobilED. After the pilots, Cornwall Hill decided to champion the use of mobile phones in their school and started developing a strategy for institutionalizing the phones. Additional work needs to be done, but some of the results are discussed below.

Det som krävs enligt mig är också något som de förespråkar nämligen en tydlig förhållning till mobilers användande och en tydlig strategi från skolan:

Because mobile phone use is difficult to monitor in a classroom setting, the appropriate use of these instruments can be encouraged through valuesbased principles, instead of managing it on a rules-based system. Values must be clearly defined, understood, communicated, and practiced. Individual responsibility and accountability can be stipulated and its acceptance is to be encouraged amongst all stakeholders. Well established communication channels can also help ensure proper participant behaviour. Developing a clear strategy for the formal use of these instruments to facilitate learning is paramount to the success of adoption, and this strategy can be divided into three different phases.

- The first phase focuses on creating awareness amongst the various stakeholders in a school setting.

-  The second phase consists of an adjustment and developing period where competencies are identified and policies drafted.

- The final phase involves the identification of mentors to coach and form ongoing relationships with those already involved in the initiative.

 

 

Slutligen så tycker jag att den visdom de påtalar i om hur vi ska "brygga" gapet mellan I-länder och Utvecklingsländer talar för sig själv. Om vi tillhandahåller redskapen så besitter de förmågan att utveckla kunskapen....

Thus, the platform could be used for e-government, e-health, NGO support, SMME support, etc., in developing countries – all aspects integral to socio-economic growth. The MobilED platform enables all people in the developing world not only to access information, but also to contribute information back – thus becoming active participants in the information society. It is making a significant step towards bridging the “digital divide.”

/Helge Lundgren