A Venture for Accountable M-Learning
I was tentatively planning to post my own A3 relative to one of my emerging ventures, but I’m not sure I’ll have time to create a pitch worthy of our upcoming Venture Forum (!).
However, as one on my ventures fits comfortably into the Mobiles discussion I thought I’d introduce it here, possibly for good critical EVA analysis as well.
Within my Mobile Muse innovation network we’ve launched a new project with a number of Vancouver-area collaborators, including local school districts, to demonstrate “accountable public engagement” within a project called “Friending Mother Nature” (brief below).
The general idea is to integrate mobile services, location awareness, social networks, and e-commerce engines to make self-guided or group-oriented m-learning fully “accountable” (in our case we intend to demonstrate accountability in terms of social capital, informal commerce, formal commerce and academic credentialing, all meshed together). Related to traditional education, think in terms of field trips staged on mobile devices where each portion of the lesson plan requires some action by the learner at some place in the real world, and each step of the learning journey is validated and ‘scored’ in real time).
I can provide further background for anyone that might be interested. Comments welcome.
And yes, if I get around to it this week, I’ll try to post one of my other emerging ventures into our Venture Forum!
Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
verenanz 1:13 pm on November 20, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David….
This looks really neat. Would I be able to use these kinds of Apps/services with my ESL students in China? Part of our focus, is to offer BC Brand teaching and the BC curriculum. I’m assuming that your partners would be in BC? Would this mean that students from all over might be able to experience BC field trips through m-learning?
I would love to learn more….if my assumptions are correct….
Verena 🙂
David Vogt 2:16 pm on November 20, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Verena –
The Internet is essentially the same everywhere, yet one of the unique features of m-learning in this context is that it couples intimately with specific real-world contexts. In other words, these apps will be very place-specific: they will be available from anywhere but essentially meaningless and inoperable except in the place(s) in which they are staged. So this approach to learning will work anywhere, but these specific apps will only work here. While this might sound ‘limiting’, the learning benefits of coupling directly with everyday experience are enormous…
David William Price 7:19 pm on November 20, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
“think in terms of field trips staged on mobile devices where each portion of the lesson plan requires some action by the learner at some place in the real world, and each step of the learning journey is validated and ‘scored’ in real time”
Very cool! This is the kind of m-learning creativity I’ve been pushing for this week… leveraging the affordances of mobile to support and encourage going out into the real world to learn (rather than doing a lot of reading on a tiny screen).
Thanks very much for sharing!
khenry 9:16 pm on November 20, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Really great David V. I am very interested. And yes David W-P I think it is a great example that frames your questioning this week. I particularly like the aspect of situated cognition and contextual learning while being interactive, engaged and empowered through technology in real world, real time activities.
Kerry-Ann
hall 11:31 pm on November 20, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David
I absolutely like your network. I think it is a wonderful network in Jamaicans and other people from the Caribbean could definitely benefit from this project.