Mobile Learning - Quick intro
(This page is public-write access... modify it as you see fit.)
“Any sort of learning that happens when the learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location, or learning that happens when the learner takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies” (wikipedia)
Wireless, ubiquitous, seamless, nomadic or pervasive learning
- Personal digital devices in your pocket or bag
- Collecting data in the field
- Ubiquitous computing
- Centralize communication
Wang’s six dimensions of the M- learning context:
- identity,
- learner,
- activity,
- collaboration,
- spatio-temporal, and
- facility
(source: A Study of Design Requirements for Mobile Learning Environments)
Possible subpages
Trends - in New Zealand there are now more mobile phones sold than the size of our population! (source: Core)
Interest - anywhere/anytime, pocketable, owned by students, just in time content, touch better suited to kids, personalized learning experience, engagement.
Concerns - organisational, support, fragmentation, extra demand on support infrastructure
Recommendations - kiss - keep it simple, small nudgets, low information density, easy with multimedia
How to - how to use mobiles to collect data, how to use mobiles to find references, how to use mobiles for drill and practice.
Possible discussion topics
- Can you describe your intended use of mobile technologies in your curriculum resource?
- What would be the advantages of using mobile technologies?
- What would be the disadvantages or challenges of using such devices?
- How would you prepare teacher/trainers for the use the devices in your curriculum resource?
- How would you prepare students for the use the devices in your curriculum resource?
- Did you feel sufficiently prepared to create curriculum resources using mobile technologies?
- What were the most difficult aspects of creating the curriculum resource?
- What were the most positive aspects of the task?
- What other pedagogical uses can you think of for mobile technologies?
- What advice would you give to other teacher/trainers wishing to implement activities that use mobile technologies?
- What principles of good use can you suggest that have emerged out of your use of mobile technologies during the course of the activity?
(source: Survey analysed in "Incorporating mobile technologies within constructivist-based curriculum resources", A. Harrinton, Wollongong)
Relevant questions?
Answers to these 10 questions will get you started:
- Why a mobile learning project?
- What do you really want to do?
- How you know when you have met your goal?
- What unique result will you achieve?
- What do you need to get it done?
- For whom is your mobile initiative intended?
- What will your stakeholders need to be successful?
- How are you going to fund it?
- How are you going to sustain it, and for how long?
- How will you evaluate your effectiveness?
(source: Mobile Learning – the Big Picture)
or
- Can we use mobile capabilities to enhance learning?
- Which of those capabilities would interest would-be learners?
- Will ubiquitous connectivity better enable learning interaction?
- What services will help learners be more productive?
- What content is already on hand that could be made easier to access via mobile devices? Does content already exist in another form?
- What network will be used for distribution? What actions or activities will need to be tracked?
- Who will handle any needed user support?
Mobile devices for learning
Sharing resources and ideas about using mobile devices in the classroom