Landscape Study

on the use of mobile and wireless technologies for learning and teaching in the

post-16 sector

CETIS Joint SIG meeting, South Birmingham College

Agnes Kukulska-HulmeJohn Traxler

Project aims

Findings:

Current uses

Potential uses

Strategic implications

Overview

Project aims

• A birds-eye view of developments and practice in the UK and internationally

• Focused on learners and institutions

• Produced 3 reports and Summary report• to facilitate discussion in the post-16 sector

• Based on:• Existing case studies, conference papers, reports• Interviews and discussions• Think-tank meeting of experts/ practitioners

Tablet PCs

personal media players

video game consoles

Smartphones

mobilephonesPDAs

Wearable PDAs

Mini digital camcorders

Portable DVD players

laptops

digital voice

recorders

Current mobile devices

PersonalResponseSystems

Current uses - examples

Strathclyde University -Personal Response System in large lecture hall

Bangor University - Wireless laptops used by student nurses

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College - Wireless Tablet PCs in learning and teaching management

Current uses - examples

Dewsbury/ Bishop Burton/ Thomas Danby College –Use of PDAs in a range of contexts

Gloucestershire College of Art and Technology – Satvan and wireless laptops out in the community

Current uses - examples

SMS & language learning -e.g. Italian vocabulary at GriffithUniversity, Australia;Greek phrases at Olympic Games

iPods at Duke University, USA -lectures, audio books, language learning

e-learning

m-learninginteractive

hyper-linkedsituatedprivate

spontaneous

focused

media-rich

context-aware

usable

intelligent

institutional

desktop

premeditatedpersonal

Strengths of mobileLearning...?

connected

Current Uses of wireless and mobile devices

What is likely to work best:

•‘Drip,drip’ learning - little and often•Skill building - little by little•Self-evaluation and reflection •Alerting learners to information and deadlines•Rapid response by teachers•Mobile mentoring & moderating •Collaboration on task - spontaneous and ongoing•Information gathering on the go•M-portfolios - electronic portfolios on mobile devices •Connecting workplace learning with institutional learning•Recording experiences using multiple media •Learning in context - using contextual data•Internet or resource access, almost anywhere and anytime

Current/future uses

•Moblogging – mobile blogging (text, audio, video)

•Podcasting – audio file broadcasting and creation

•Museum and heritage – augmented experiences

Spanning formal and informal settings...or tying in mobile & desktop access, e.g.

Looking to the future

Technology driven potential

•Increasing use of technology in schools will create future learners with a greater awareness of possibilities offered by technology

•Increasing use of images, sound, video

•Instant capture of personal / group experience

•Instant access to reference information

•Context based, personalised, location-based learning

Looking to the future

New contexts and models for learning

Move away from content based learningTeacher’s role as facilitator Situated learningCollaborative learningConversational framework modelNavigation model

Strategic Implications

• Projectsfixed-term/small-scale access to funds

• Nichessmall-scale but sustainablespecific subjects, specific pedagogiesparticular constituencies , eg EO, assistivity

•Producers’, manufacturers’ and developers’ perspectives

technical and market trends, e.g.convergence, segmentation

•Institutional perspectiveson the nature of institutional barriers and processes technical support staff, staff developers, QA unitslearning and teaching champions

Strategic Implications

Possible trends

Institutional caution on mobile learning with PDAs:mainly from IT support

• SENDA, usability• network security• diversity/fluidity of devices, platforms and systems• lack of staff expertise• standards/interoperability with VLEs, portals, e-Portfolios, LOs • procurement, maintenance, ownership issues

Strategic Implications

Possible trends

PDAs in education may be squeezed by smarter phones USB sticks laptops maybe enhanced SIM cards

PalmOS (and Palm) squeezed by Microsoft (who’ve just bought them) and perhaps Symbian

one specific conception of mobile learning?SMS breaking through to institutional/large-scale use

assuming tariffs are stable operators trying to develop GPRS, MMS and 3G markets possibility of un-metered access and/or VoIP

Increasing but unsupported PDA/laptop use by academics continued concern about cost issues, working day, stress, privacy

Acknowledgement

Diane Evans, Open University – Potential Uses strand

Contact a.m.kukulska-hulme@open.ac.ukJohn.Traxler@wlv.ac.uk

Thank you!