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

Part three: From E-learning to Mobile Learning: New Opportunities by Pieri and Damantini edited by Mohammed Ally (2009)

Part three: Applications of Mobile Learning
From E-learning to Mobile Learning: New Opportunities

MICHELLE PIERI

DAVIDE DIAMANTINI
UNIVERSITY OF MILANO-BICOCCA
TALY

Abstract

This chapter focuses on an experience of blended learning that is still on goin for the training of managers of Technological Transfer (TT), who work in an Italian Scientific Technological Park (STP). Their main activity is linked to technological transfer. In the STP the technological transfer manager is the key figure in the management of the transmission of scientific knowledge from the research world to the industrial dimension. The aim of this project is to conduct an experiment in a “Training course for the TT manager” in order to satisfy their training needs. The course is based on a blended learning model, with the use of combined traditional educational methodologies: (1) e-learning methodologies and face to face and (2) m-learning methodologies and face to face. This chapter will focus on the blended m-learning experience.

I sin inledning så berör de kärnan av mobilt lärande direkt, nämligen att den inte är bunden till en särskild plats utan att man kan studera i stort sett var som helst när som helst. Dötiden försvinner i denna typ av inlärning. De försöker också anamma en blandad inlärningsmodell vilket jag tycker känns spännande eftersom e-learning och m-learning är så nära besläktade.

"With mobile learning the learning phase is not bound to a location with specific characteristics, potentially becoming omnipresent learning. For example, delays during commuting and travelling on the underground become potential learning moments. In general, any moment which would otherwise be “wasted,” or that before now could not be enriched with didactic contents, has now become a potential learning moment thanks to mobile learning."

Så här gick de tillväga med m-learning:

The Blended Mobile Learning Course

It is thought that m-learning can make up for the critical factors that characterized the blended e learning experience. In the blended m-learning we decided to:

1. Administer a pre-questionnaire in order to understand how the learning instrument could be best used.

2. Familiarize the students with the instrument through a first face to face meeting of the course where the Pocket PC is presented and distributed to the students; the fruition of a learning unit on mobile learning and a second face to face meeting to share doubts about the new learning typology.

The Pre-questionnaire

The goal of this questionnaire is to understand how the learning instrument can be used, something which was not done in the blended e-learning experience. For this, it is necessary to understand what mobile devices our subjects have, how they use them and how they are willing to use them.

The Didactic Modules

The didactic modules, in text format and audio, constitute the learning objects which last approximately ten minutes each. Every MLO has a contents part followed by tasks to do (for example: “Try to reflect on one of the topics that was just presented to you,” or “Collect material on one of the topics which was just presented”).

The Assessment Questionnaire

The areas to be investigated in the assessment of the quality of the mobile learning experimentation have been identified also in the literature about mobile learning. In particular we have considered:

- The benefits of mobile learning, such as the chance to access the training contents anywhere and anytime.

- The features of the mobile device in itself, in this case the Pocket PC, both in terms of hardware and software.

- The way the user feels the mobile device is as a learning tool.

- The structuring of the course both in terms of content organization, the stimuli and the homework assignments proposed.

Regarding the features of the mobile devices in themselves, if subjects have never used a PDA before, they were asked if they had any problem using the Pocket PC. They were also asked to assess the following aspects using a five-point Likert scale:

•  readability of the contents on the screen

•  use of the pen

•  surfing and menu changing

•  screen colours

•  battery life

•  audio

Vad kom de då fram till i sin undersökning och vad tycker jag är intressanta fakta? Jo att m-learning både är roligare för eleverna samt enklare för de som skapar innehållet än vad e-learning är. Att dötid tillvaratas samt att det går att kombinera med e-learning utan problem. De inser också att mer utveckling inom området måste göras för att den skall bli effektivare. Kärnan är ju precis som de pekar på att man lär sig genom att "uppleva", den mobila tekniken handlar mycket mer om syn och ljud inryck än vad tidigare traditionell inlärning har haft. Därför så tycker jag att den kräver en annan synvinkel på hur vi ska utforma innehållet i lärandet. Att det dessutom verkar upplevas som ett mer lustfyllt sätt att lära sig på kan ju heller inte skada...

Conclusion

From this experience of blended m-learning still in progress, it seems that blended m-learning training method suits the needs of TT managers better than blended e-learning. Mobile learning allows trainees to use time and spaces formerly “lost” from training activities (for example, the time spent on the bus from the city to the STP) by blending it with e-learning. Among the positive elements of this experience, subjects mentioned the ease of use of the mobile device, its usefulness to fill up empty moments like traveling on the train, and the fact that taking a course via a mobile device was engaging and fun. This last point is a further confirmation of what has emerged from other numerous international experiences: Learning with a mobile device is enjoyable for students (Prensky 2001; Seppälä and Alamäki 2003; Savill-Smith and Kent 2003; Schwabe and Göth 2005). The work with blended m-learning also shows that there is the need to develop teaching strategies that focus on those experiential elements which can strengthen learning by building what in contemporary literature is  called “learning experience.”

/Helge Lundgren

Part three: Design and Development of Multimedia Learning Objects for Mobile Phones edited by Mohammed Ally (2009)

Part three: Appplications of Mobile Learning
Design and Development of Multimedia Learning Objects for Mobile Phones

CLAIRE BRADLEY

RICHARD HAYNES
JOHN COOK
TOM BOYLE
CARL SMITH
LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

This chapter discusses the design and development of a series of prototypes of a multimedia learning object for the mobile phone. It begins with the rationale for this development, and the underlying design and development principles of our learning objects. It then presents the iterative development process that ensued in creating four prototypes for the mobile phone, each of which was refi ned in light of use and feedback. The design issues and solutions are discussed in the process, documenting the development route that was taken. Student evaluation data is also presented, and this has informed the further development of the prototype. The development sections are followed by a discussion about the implications of this work, and the chapter concludes with where it is going in the future.

Detta tycker jag är en del av kärnan när det gäller mobilt lärande av idag, nämligen att använda oss av den redan befintliga tekniken i moderna mobiltelefoner. Eller som skribenterna säger:  "Our aim is to develop multimedia learning content for mobile phones which is interactive, highly visual, engaging, and effective for the learner, using Flash Lite for authoring and delivery (Flash Lite is a version of Flash for mobile phones). Such learning objects can easily be used by the student whenever they have the desire or opportunity to engage in some learning, wherever they are, taking advantage of this “always there, always on” technology."

Det här med att alltid vara påkopplad är ju något som verkligen ligger i tiden både för studenter och lärare. Med en mobil av typ Smartphone så finns kapaciteten redan där, det gäller bara att skapa innehållet.

Teamet tog fram en modell att jobba utifrån och bestämde sig för att använda sig av Nokia modellen N70 och N91 och programmet Flash lite 2 vilket var det senaste vid det tillfället just då. De beskriver det så här:

The team has designed and evaluated a suite of high quality, interactive, multimedia Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) for learning study skills. The suite of learning materials developed for the project included RLOs on how to reference a book, a journal, and a website.

Det krävdes såklart modifieringar för att kunna presentera material men de kunde dom lösa tack vare tidigare erfarenheter med mobila lösningar:

Rethinking Problems

In many areas the learning object content and the interactive devices used within it needed rethinking for the mobile phone. We had learnt from our work in designing learning objects for the PDA that smaller screen sizes are not necessarily a design constraint (Bradley et al. 2005a). You just have to rethink any problems that arise, consider available options, and find creative solutions.

Här är ett utmärkt exempel på att tänka om för att anpassa till mobilt lärande:

One example of this was the use of text in the existing learning object. We decided to replace lengthy pieces of text usually used for instructions and explanations with short audio clips. This substitution of text with audio not only alleviates screen overcrowding, but is easier for people to assimilate in mobile situations. Our research has also shown that some students find it easier to learn from audio (Bradley et al. 2005b).

Evalueringen

How useful would it be to access learning materials via your mobile?

TABLE 1

Rating:  Extremely important    1 2 3 4 5     Not at all important

1  16,7%
2  66,7%
3  16,7%
4    0%
5    0%  
They all consider it to be important to be able to access learning materials via their mobile, 83 per cent, if you combine the responses to “1” and “2,” although one rated “3” in the middle so could be undecided, and one did not answer the question (see Table 1). We have received a much more positive response to this question from these students than when we asked 101 first-year students the same question in a mobile phone survey a few months earlier, when only 46 per cent thought it was useful to be able to access learning materials on their mobiles, and 29 per cent were undecided, rating “3.” This could be because the students in this evaluation study have had an opportunity to see and use learning materials on a mobile phone, whereas the others had not, and therefore couldn’t visualize the types of learning materials that could be created.


Det här visar på att om man bara anpassar det studiematerial man vill använda så fungerer det väl ut och studenterna reagerar positivt på att ta till sig materialet på detta sätt. Här följer några reflektioner som studenterna gav.

Vidare Evaluering

How would you view the university contacting you via your mobile for learning purposes?

TABLE 2

Rating: It would be a positive aspect   1 2 3 4 5     It would be a negative aspect

1  33%

2 67%
3  0%
4  0%
5  0%

Many of the comments made by students in the informal discussions afterwards reinforce the positive responses given in the questionnaire. Some of these are included in Table 3.

TABLE 3.

Student comments about the Referencing Books mobile learning object:

“I really enjoyed using it.”

“I thought it was great and really handy.”

“I think it’s brilliant.”

“I think it’s got a lot of potential. I would defi nitely use it if it was applicable to my course.”

“It’s cool.”

“I love it.”

“I think it’s something that’s really useful.”

“You can go home on the tube or the bus and just read it.”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

“I think it’s really good.”

Jag tror också att om vi skulle köra sådan här undervisning på min skola så skulle också "wow" faktorn bli hög och många studenter skulle uppskatta denna form av inlärning.

I deras slutsats så finner man många positiva aspekter på mobilt lärande med hjälp av mobiler och här är dom som jag tycker är de viktigaste faktorerna att ta fasta på och utveckla i framtiden.

Student feedback confirms that multimedia mobile learning objects are desirable, and this work is now developing in a number of parallel strands.  There are also opportunities to embrace the strengths that the mobile phone can bring to learning, for example in combining multimedia learning content with scenarios for learners to capture and contribute media files (user generated content), dynamically upload content on the move, and communicate with peers and/or tutors.

They can also identify ways in which they would use them, saying that they’re “really handy” and “really useful,” and can see the benefi ts of using them in periods of dead time, when traveling in cramped spaces, and in environments where there is no access to computers. Such comments suggest that multimedia MLOs can engage students into learning, and provide an interesting and enjoyable experience. 

“I think it’s got a lot of potential. I would definitely use it if it was applicable to my course.” Such feedback indicates that students are receptive towards multimedia MLOs, and that there is therefore great potential in continuing with this direction in mobile learning, providing that materials are well designed and based on sound pedagogic principles.

/Helge Lundgren

Part three: Practitioners as Innovators: Emergent Practice in Personal Mobile Teaching, Learning, Work, and Leisure by Kukulska-Hulme and Petit edited by Mohammad Aly (2009)

Part three: Applications of Mobile Learning

Practitioners as Innovators: Emergent Practice in Personal Mobile Teaching, Learning, Work, and Leisure

AGNES KUKULSKA-HULME

JOHN PETTITINSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

Mobile devices have become commonplace tools, yet little is known about how individuals use them in their teaching, learning, work, and leisure. We report on an investigation into personal mobile device use by students and alumni from the global master’s degree in online and distance education offered by the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University (UK). The study identified various types of activity undertaken, and focused on emerging issues in relation to innovative practices. Participants described their uses of four types of device, the frequency of specific uses, and their views on the attractions and disadvantages of mobile learning. The chapter is intended to inform those who are interested in the potential of mobile learning, designing learning for a specific type of device, or who own a mobile device and are simply looking to make better use of it in the future.

Här tar de upp att mobilt lärande har nått ett stadium där dess teknik är så utbredd och spridd världen över att utbildare idag har börjat använda sig av den i sin utbildning. Den är nu öppen för innovation och för inte så länge sedan var den bara tillgänglig för forskare och specialister. Här är ett exempel på vad de menar ”Evidence is provided by the availability of case studies that show how educators are taking advantage of mobile learning to bring about significant enhancements and transformations in their teaching practice (see for example JISC 2005;Manolo 2006).”

Detta tycker jag är bra och något som vi som lärare borde sträva att försöka utveckla detta mera. Tekniken är ju nu 2011 än mer tillgänglig, utspridd och utvecklad än vad den var när det här skrevs 2009. Utvecklingen har lett till att majoriteten av mobilanvändarna idag har någon form av Smartphone. Inom en snar framtid så tror jag att runt 80-90 % av eleverna har tillgång till varsin Smartphone. Varför då inte använda tekniken i undervisningssyfte?

Målet med undersökningen var följande : Our research aims to contribute to the understanding of innovative practice at the level of the individual empowered by a personal mobile device and social networks that may amplify or modify its use.

Dom tittade på användandet av mobiltelefoner, smartpphones, PDAs, MP3 spelare i fem olika aktiviteter: Undervisning-lärande-arbete-socialt interagerande-underhållning

Här är två listor på upplevda fördelar och nackdelar med att använda mobila enheter i relation till inlärning:

What’s Special?

When asked about what they considered to be new and innovative about their experience of learning with mobile devices, respondents mentioned that the devices were always available, flexible, convenient, portable, inexpensive, easy to check again and again, and they mentioned the sense of being in control. Other aspects highlighted were as follows:

• Access to online data to support fieldwork

• Immediate contact with parents of disruptive pupil

• One can retrieve the most up-to-date material

• Learning while on the move

• Multimedia modules on the fly

• To be able to read blogs while traveling

• Ability to carry different types of media

• Using “dead time/hostage time”

• Could log thoughts electronically

• To keep up with email and online discussions

• With headphones, more immersive than a book or video

What’s a Problem?

When asked about the single biggest disadvantage that mobile devices bring them in relation to their learning, respondents mentioned issues of cost, privacy, and security or confidentiality of one’s mobile number. Technical or ergonomic issues were:

• Battery problems, lost files

• Device is unreliable, it jams, speakers are poor

• Lack of WiFi in many locations

• Fiddly small screen, tasking on the eyes; best used as audio devices

Interaction issues were also signaled:

• Easy to get distracted

• Text-based message lacks inflection

• Lacking interactive multimedia

• Interaction can be clumpy and stilted

• Everything has to be short and small making meaningful interaction difficult

• Limit to the depth of thinking and learning

De här visar tydligt på de styrkor och svagheter vi har att beakta när det gäller mobilt lärande. Jag tycker dock att fördelarna uppväger nackdelarna och att många av nackdelarna går att förebygga med en genomtänkt planering.

I deras slutsats så ser jag spår av det som jag tycker är viktigt nämligen att vi måste ta reda på hur vi bäst använder oss av den resurs som nu finns tillgänglig för att berika undervisning. Men då måste vi också sätta oss in i tekniken och arbeta fram metoder att använda oss av. Intresset för att använda mobila enheter finns ju bevisligen redan och det känns ändå som att vi ändå bara är i början av denna utveckling och att ingen riktigt vet vart den kommer att ta oss in i framtiden.

“We have uncovered a vast range and diversity of ways in which a mobile device can be used to support different aspects of an individual’s teaching and learning, and interactions with others. Since the devices are so personal, we think it is both challenging and important for educators and learners to find out how others are managing to use their mobile devices to help them in their teaching and learning. To enable this to happen, we need to find good ways of sharing and disseminating information about making effective use of the capabilities of mobile devices in education.”

/Helge Lundgren