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

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

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

KRISTINE PETERS
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
AUSTRALIA

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

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

mainstream learning? Based on a 2005 comparative research project commissioned

by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, this chapter reports on

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

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

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

and education providers. The research found that mobile technologies were

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

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

of twenty-first century learners.

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

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

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

- Relativt billigt och tillgängligt för alla i dagens läge.

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

that can afford large investment in hardware or specialized software.

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

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

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

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

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

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

groups in “tribal” communities of interest.

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

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

The three drivers  – consumers (particularly young

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

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

of new mobile communication and data management technologies. The trend

toward convergence of applications, the ubiquitousness of mobile phones,

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

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

however, following the same trend?

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

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

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

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

that can be adapted to suit individual learning needs.

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

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

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

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

new paradigm.

Hon diskuterar detta vidare så här:

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

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

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

technologies and learning organizations appear to fall into three categories:

1. A database focus that captures organizational knowledge

2. A human systems focus that allows synchronous communication and

information sharing at the worksite

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

technologies generates a more general drive for learning

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

Metoden som användes var följande i undersökningen:

Method

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

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

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

international corporations (Nokia and PalmAustralasia), and two developers

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

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

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

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

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

skills councils (the organizations that determine the content of national

vocational curriculum).

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

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

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

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

from outside the standard work environment, so that workers are

not restricted when travelling
-100 percent mobile

Providers were asked about student readiness for mobile technologies.

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

interesting to see what the following seven providers thought about student

readiness for using mobile phones for learning:

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

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

/Helge Lundgren

Part two: Informal Learning Evidence in Online Communities of Mobile Device Enthusiasts edited by Mohammad Ali (2009)

Part two: Research on Mobile learning
Informal Learning Evidence in Online Communities of Mobile Device Enthusiasts

Sant så sant att i nuläget så finns det åtskilliga användare av Smartphones och att den tekniken formligen exploderar i sin utveckling. Självklart så använder även dagens studenter sig av dessa när de ändå finns tillhands och späckade med ny teknik och program. Så bra att det då finns en studie om detta informella användandet av mobil inlärning.

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

UNITED KINGDOM

GILL CLOUGH

ANN C. JONES

PATRICK MCANDREW

EILEEN SCANLON

Abstract
This chapter describes a study that investigated the informal learning practices  of enthusiastic mobile device owners. Informal learning is far more widespread than is often realized. Livingston (2000) pointed out that Canadian adults spend an average of fifteen hours per week on informal learning activities, more than they spend on formal learning activities. The motivation for these learning efforts generally comes from the individual, not from some outside force such as a school, university, or workplace. Therefore, in the absence of an externally imposed learning framework, informal learners will use whatever techniques, resources, and tools best suit their learning needs and personal preferences. As ownership of mobile technologies becomes increasingly widespread in the western world, it is likely that learners who have access to this technology will use it to support their informal learning efforts. This chapter presents the findings of a study into the various and innovative ways in which PDA and Smartphone users exploit mobile device functionality in their informal learning activities. The findings suggested that mobile device users deploy the mobile, connective, and collaborative capabilities of their devices in a variety of informal learning contexts, and in quite innovative ways. Trends emerged, such as the increasing importance of podcasting and audio and the use of built-in GPS, which may have implications for future studies. Informal learners identified learning activities that could be enhanced by the involvement of mobile technology, and developed methods and techniques that helped them achieve their learning goals.

Detta tycker jag är viktigt att ta i beaktning, att det gamla sättet att kommunicera kompletteras av det nya. Det ersätts alltså inte utan det skapas bara en ny dimension av att kommunicera.

Roschelle (2003) identified two forms of collaborative participation:

“the normal social participation in classroom discussion (for

example) and the new informatic participation among connected devices”

(p.262). He discovered that in the classroom setting, where the learners were

in the same physical space, the normal face-to-face social interaction was

supplemented by the wireless interaction between the connected devices. In

this context, mobile devices added a new social dimension of participation

that was not otherwise available.

Metoden de använde sig av i undersökningen var följande, ganska logiskt egentligen när man tänker efter eftersom det handlar om mobil inlärning.

Method
In order to obtain insights into ways in which experienced users use mobile

devices to support informal learning, this research needed to plug into existing

networks and communities of mobile device users. A method was required

that would capture information about participants’ informal learning practices

and experiences. PDAs and Smartphones are mobile devices and their users

may be located anywhere in the world, so a web-based survey method was

chosen. This gave access to a wide pool of participants without requiring

them to be in any specifi c geographic location.

Fördelarna var uppenbara
By circulating the questionnaire via the Web, additional advantages would

accrue. It could be accessed from anywhere in the world, at any time of

day, regardless of time-zones, and it could be publicized via email and

the Internet.

Några av deras slutsatser visar på styrkan med mobilt lärande nämligen "tiilgängligheten". Det faktum att de flesta använde sig av smartphones innebar att de alltid fanns med. Samt att kapaciteten på dagens teknik är tillräcklig för dessa ändamål.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that this population of mobile device users

use their devices to support a wide range of informal learning activities, both

intentional and unintentional. The portability, storage capacity, computing

power, and convenience of mobile devices emerged as determining factors

in learners’ decisions to use them to support informal learning activities. The

fact that people generally carried their devices around with them meant that

they were “on hand” to support serendipitous learning opportunities as well

as planned mobile learning activities.

Det kommer heller inte som någon överraskning för mig att eleverna utvecklade matrialet för att passa dem. Många unga idag besitter stor förmåga att genom sina självlärda (samt från kompisar lärda) kunskaper i ny teknik modifiera sina Smartphones.

A more surprising finding was the extent to which some participants

adapted their devices to suit their learning needs, writing new applications

or tailoring existing ones, and adapted how they learned to suit the functionality

available with their devices. These adaptations seem to be a step

beyond the simple process of appropriation of PDAs as workplace and learning

tools as described by Waycott (2004).

This adaptation made it easier for them to enter text into the PDA

and enabled them to fi t the use of the PDA into their every-day preferred

practice. In this study some participants went to great lengths to tailor their

use of their mobile device to fulfi l their learning goals. The participant who

combined text and audio to support his language learning invested a considerable

amount of time and effort in adapting the notes application to

support his language learning needs. The participants who downloaded material

in advance of planned visits had taken the explicit decision to use their

mobile device as a learning resource in a mobile context.

En annan sak som de nämner är också väldigt viktig att ta i beaktning, även om många idag är väldigt kunniga i ny teknik så behöver det inte automatiskt vara så. Man behöver ta reda på detta i första hand, alltså vilken nivå eleverna befinner sig på rent "teknik mässigt". Däremot så håller jag med om att vi går mot tider där snart alla vet hur hur vi ska handskas med den nya tekniken och gör det väl.

The participants in this survey were selected

because they were keen mobile device users, so this finding may not be

reflected among less enthusiastic members of the current mobile device using

population. However as mobile connected technology becomes increasingly

ubiquitous, it is likely that growing numbers of mobile device owners will

employ their devices as learning tools.




Vad är då mina slutsatser av en sådan här undersökning med vana användare av ny teknik i form av mobila apparater. Jo att jag ser det ganska uppenbart som att våra nya Smartphones som håller på att ta över marknaden idag och som ständigt förbättras (tänker på den explosionsartade utvecklingen av apps på både iPhone,  Andoid och Windows mobile) borde vara det uppenbara hjälpmedletvi borde rikta vår uppmärksamhet mot. Många  lärare har nog varit uppretade och matta av att eleverna håller på för mycket med sina mobiler men nu kanske det är dags att använda dem till något konstruktivt och bra. De har kommit för att stanna så det är bara att gilla läget och istället jobba med den nya tekniken och inte mot den.

Det är ju även uppenbart att den nya mobila tekniken och tillgängligheten via 3G och Wifi överallt gör att det redan nu är möjligt att utveckla mobilt lärande som kan fungera tillfredställande till undervisning. Att det det dessutom upplevs som något nytt fräscht och roligt av dagens studenter är ju heller inte fel.

/Helge Lundgren

Part Two: Using Mobile Learning to Enhance the Quality of Nursing Practice Education edited by Mohammad Ali (2009)

Part Two: Research on Mobile Learning
Using Mobile Learning to Enhance the Quality of Nursing Practice Education

RICHARD F. KENNY

CAROLINE PARK

ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY

CANADA

JOCELYNE M. C . VAN NESTE-KENNY

PAMELA A. BURTON

JAN MEIERS

NORTH ISLAND COLLEGE

CANADA

Abstract

This chapter reviews the research literature pertaining to the use of mobile

devices in nursing education and assess the potential of mobile learning (m learning)

for nursing practice education experiences in rural higher education

settings. While there are a number of definitions of m-learning, we adopted

Koole’s (2005) FRAME model, which describes it as a process resulting from

the convergence of mobile technologies, human learning capacities, and social

interaction, and use it as a framework to assess this literature. Second, we

report on the results of one-on-one trials conducted during the first stage of

a two stage, exploratory evaluation study of a project to integrate mobile

learning into the Bachelor of Science Nursing curriculum in a western

Canadian college program. Fourth year nursing students and instructors used

Hewlett Packard iPAQ PDAs for a two week period around campus and the

local community. The iPAQs provided both WiFi and GPRS wireless capability

and were loaded with selected software, including MS Office Mobile along

with nursing decision-making and drug reference programs. Our participants

reported on a variety of benefits and barriers to the use of these devices in

nursing practice education.

Det var väldigt intressant att ta del av en studie där man använt sig av mobilt lärande i skarpt läge och se vad för fördelar och nackdelar de hittade med detta. Först måste vi bara sätta oss in i vad de menar med m-learning (mobilt lärande). Intressant är också att notera att de använt sig av Kooles Frame-modell när de ska analysera denna studie.

Keegan (2002, 2005) agrees that it should, declaring that the future of distance education is wireless and noting that there has never been a technology that has penetrated the world with the depth and rapidity of mobile telephony. He claims that the challenge for distance educators is to accept this fact and to now develop pedagogical environments for mobile devices.

What then do we mean by m-learning and what does it allow educators to do differently than other forms of teaching and learning? Keegan (2005) defined the term simply as the provision of education and training on PDAs4/ palmtops/handhelds, smart phones and mobile phones.

I det här fallet använde de sig av följande mobila hjälpmedel.

The HP iPAQ 6955

Erfarenheterna av användadet var att studenterna kände sig mindre stressade när de hade dessa till hands hela tiden och kunde kontakta kursledarna. Roligt att se tycker jag för annars brukar det alltid pratas om att den den nya tekniken "stressar upp" de som använder den.

Experiences with Mobile Learning in Nursing

Rosenthal (2003) outlines a number of useful functions identified by nurses using PDAs: address book, “to do” lists, date book, memo pad, expense tracking, “find” functions, diagnostic tools, clinical guidelines, medical dictionaries, lab values, and patient, student, and staff management programs. She categorizes these as tools that enhance productivity, promote risk management/error reduction, and through their rapid access to critical information lead to stress reduction. Newbold (2003) notes that if the PDA is also a wireless device, the uses increase in both number and complexity. She lists potential applications such as: interdisciplinary consultations, electronic ordering and test results, patient histories, progress notes and assessments, references, protocols, and prescription information. Increased PDA wireless capacity to include phone and camera capabilities permits rapid chart access, improved work flow, increased time for patients, cost savings, enhanced productivity and, therefore, boosts professional satisfaction.

 De kom även fram till följande faktorer för och emot användandet av dessa mobila hjälpmedel i sin inlärning och kommunikation med instruktörerna.

Several authors have outlined benefits and barriers to PDA use. Davenport (2004) identified 38 barriers and 68 benefits to PDA use and, based on a survey completed by nurses, she produced six themes in each category, ranked in priority order. The benefits were: a) quick access to current drug database and nursing reference books (highest ranking), b) the ability to manage patients and procedure information, bedside data entry, and data collection for research and teaching (tied for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4^th rankings) c) patient health management (ranked 5th), and d) improved team communication (ranked 6th). Davenport also found the following barriers, ranked by priority: a) the risks of storing confidential patient information, b) the cost of PDAs and ease of loss or damage, c) not enough research on PDA use in nursing, d) difficult to read, e) slow data entry, and f) difficult to understand. These barriers were rated as modest to moderate.

TABLE 1 Nurse Practitioner Insights – Park (2006)

Reasons to recommend

1. Valuable with right software

2. Lighter to carry than textbooks

3. Decrease in medication errors,

safer than memory

4. Convenient, useful tool

5. Information available is immense

and valuable

6. Back-up quick reference, security blanket

7. Concise and easy to transport

8. The way of the future

9. Looks professional

10. Can edit & highlight the most important

information & add personal notes

11. You can use it to explore options

with client

12. Organizational benefits

13. Up-to-date information

14. Aids mobility

Barriers to use

1. Cost

2. Lack of knowledge about technology

and software

3. Difficult to set up

4. No time to learn

5. Confidentiality issues

6. Technology failures (batteries die)

7. Loss of personal touch

8. They aren’t necessary

9. They don’t teach you to be

a Nurse Practitioner

Om vi tittar på hindren och om vi bortser från kostnaden så är det inte överraskande för mig att handhavandet av de nya tekniska hjälpmedlen är de största problemen. Det som dock är roligt att se är dock när de intervjuade eleverna (se nedan) så framkom det att de tyckte att de ändå var ganska enkla att komma igång att använda och dessutom så var det roligt med alla bra funktionerna de hade. Det är som att det förutsätts att ny teknik ska vara svårt men när de väl använder det så inser det att de egentligen är ganska enkelt och roligt.

Ease of Use

Despite the apparent complexity of the devices, especially the number of

features to learn, our participants uniformly claimed that these devices were

easy to learn and easy to master overall. While they found that the two orientation

sessions were not sufficient to allow them to achieve full mastery,

our respondents found that they only required an additional one to three

hours learning on their own after wards to become comfortable with the use

of the iPAQs. In particular, they found that much of their knowledge with

desktop computing was transferable.

More specifically, our respondents even found some of the more unusual

features simple to use. Referring to the transcriber (touch hand writing to

text), Jane commented that:

I found that to be just amazing, you could write in anything

and ... I have pretty messy hand-writing and I could hand write

words in and it would come up and you know, it would print

them on the Word document, it was amazing. I found that to

be very… kind of fun to use, you know.

Tittar vi på vad de kom fram till i deras slutsatser av undersökningen så tycker jag att det är de delar som jag själv tror är viktiga för att det ska fungera bra som är viktiga nämligen:
1. Bra tillgång till mobila hjälpmedel för att kunna interagera i sin utbildning.
2. Att de mobila hjälpmedlen är väl fungerande och att innehållet till dem är väl anpassat för det formatet.
3. Att det finns en hög potential för mobilt lärande men att det är viktigt att urforska detta mera.

Dessutom så är det ett väldigt roligt sätt att lära sig på och det kan ju aldrig vara fel..... :)

Conclusion

We noted that nursing care is

moving to the community where client complexity and acuity is increasing

and where up-to-date information at the point-of-care is critically needed

to support practice. As a result, we argued that the delivery of nursing education

requires physical mobility throughout the community and does not

lend itself to more traditional direct teaching supervision models. Instead,

guided by Koole’s (2005) FRAME model of m-learning, we judged that

access to and usability of mobile learning devices is critical to supporting

the context of learning and learning interactions.

In conclusion, Stage 1 of our study confirmed that the use of m-learning,

at least with the HP iPAQ PDAs, is feasible in actual nursing practice

education settings and that this use has the potential to be very effective

at least in affording students and instructors with ready access to resources at

the point of care. Our results indicate that the interactive uses of mobile

devices are also potentially very useful, but this aspect needs to be more

thoroughly investigated in the second stage of our study.

/Helge Lundgren