I have an iPhone 3. I think that this device has great apps that can foster learning activities but I am not sure if learners (at least my learners: grade 5, 7, and 9) are able o focus on thinking tasks without distraction, because of the large number of apps for entertainment that the device […]
Continue reading Day 2: Activity 1. Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
I have gotten myself a blackberry phone since November 2010 and it has being tremendously useful to me in searching for content materials for my students and UBC MET courses. Hence I would regard myself engaged in mlearning, although at the time I started using blackberry phone I was not aware of this term. As […]
Continue reading Conroy’s Views for Day 1 Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 11: Mobiles
Thanks for your post!
It seems you use your mobile for:
– convenience (email)
– performance support (dictionary, maps)
How do you use your mobile to explain course content? Do you mean by answering emails?
How do you take digital images of math/physics phenomena? Is that with a camera out in the real world? Tells us more!
I have a blackberry and considers it to be a good device. Even though I would like use it, I have doubts at this moment. I would also need my students to have a reliable mobile and not many of them can currently afford such an expensive device. Personally, I am not satisfied with the […]
Continue reading Day 2 Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
What does “meaningful” mean to you? Why would your students have to have mobiles? What possibilities exist for you to use your mobile for collecting sounds, video and images out in the world that relate to things you want to teach in your classroom? How might you use your mobile as a guide and a performance support when you’re taking your class on field trips?
Currently, I am using my mobile for any great learning purpose. The fact is that my laptop is always close so I don’t necessarily have to use my phone. The most I would do is look up word meanings on dictionary.com. I just don’t feel comfortable using that tiny blackberry screen for those purposes plus […]
Continue reading Day 1 Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
I too rely on my laptop for just about everything. But I’ve started to ask myself about my lifestyle: I could be a lot more mobile; I could interact with a lot more people in different places; I could rely on mobile more to have a more roaming lifestyle. While my MacBook Air has provided me with a lot of freedom already due to being so thin and light… I wonder how I could transform my learning experiences by focusing more time out in the world, collecting photos, video and sound and recording my thoughts as they come, collaborating with others more in real time, and having a discussion situated in the world rather than in my home office. What do you think?
I also have been using my laptop as my main venue for learning…but it requires being tethered to a wireless location – whereas the smartphones use the cell technology and the freedom to learn anywhere increases exponentially. So perhaps we need to think outside WiFi – because as much as the hot spots are increasing dramatically, so many of them are encrypted, we don’t gain access anyway. 3G and 4G may be the best way to go.
Brenda
My current m-learning activities are ad hoc — when I need to quickly figure something out (for example, while cooking dinner I needed to know how many cups were in a quart) my phone is the go-to tool. I listen to a few podcasts, and while these can be quite educational, they’re chose for their […]
Continue reading Day 1 & 2 – Brain Food Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Thanks for your post. You’ve brought up some common uses of m-learning: drill-and-kill and performance support (looking up simple info when you need it).
Early e-learning on PCs was similarly limited… and yet now includes some pretty amazing alternatives. How might using augmented reality or the affordances for sound, video and photo capture combined with in-the-field authentic learning change your mobile experience?
Day 1 – What, when, where and how are you doing m-learning now? I use my smart phone mostly for communication: voice calls and email. Occasionally, I will get info from the web, check Google maps, or use one of the apps like the qrcode scanner. I have plenty of minutes and 6GB of data […]
Continue reading Are you doing m-learning now? Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Your use of your smartphone to access reviews is a great example of “performance support” or accessing information where you need it, when you need it.
The promise of mobile is to break down a lot more information into small pieces for quick consumption when you need it. One multinational creates bite-sized refreshers for their professionals to watch on their Blackberries just before going into client meetings.
That same company made a strategic decision not to try to conduct standard e-learning on their mobiles or to assess users who used content on their mobiles. Their focus is performance support… an area that may be worth a lot more thought. How can we re-conceptualize traditional classroom-based education into a roaming, performance-supported educational experience?
Instead of learning about physics in a classroom, why not learn physics in the real world with performance support from a mobile as a guide… and also a source for collaboration and mentorship via text and voice and maybe even voice chat?
As Juliana noted, the BB has a limited number of apps compared to other Smartphones, but I explored the Carlton University app found on the Day 2 page of this week’s presentation. One of the key problems it solved was helping new students navigate around the campus using the GPS feature and map graphics on […]
Continue reading Day 2: Carlton University App Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Hi Bcourey,
I agree with you that this app solves a huge problem of helping new students orient themselves with their new environment and I think it also gives the a sneak peek at what to expect in this new environment both academically and socially. I think the Carleton app is a good demonstration of how mobile devices are really good at delivering vital info in byte sizes as needed. A lot of productive time could be saved with this app and students are connected with their learning, literally moving around with their campus 🙂
Ifeoma
Thanks for your post. This is a great example of a couple of trends: first, letting students use their own mobiles to access information they need rather than forcing them to use some university-sanctioned service; second, using mobiles as performance support… delivering information as needed, when needed.
Is it crazy to think of a future where higher education is done out in the field with mobile performance supports and we spend little if any time in class?
I think a well designed Apps can be quite useful, but unfortunately I have a Blackberry and there are not a lot of apps available for this device. I had a quick look at the How Stuff Works app as I have often used this site for my teaching, but unfortunately it was not available […]
Continue reading Day 2 – Mobile Apps Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
I am looking forward to exploring some of the apps you mention Juliana for the BB – My biggest frustration is that my BB is owned by my employer – they monitor my data usage and when I am out of the country I cannot use it unless I am prepared to pay the huge roaming charges…and there is something creepy-feeling knowing that they can check my BB at any time – so my Twitter and Facebook use is only for professional networking just in case! And I do really like my Evernote app since I use it constantly on all of my devices. I will take a look at some of the other apps tonight!
Brenda
I understand the creepiness of the employer watching over you. Truth be told, if you are using a work computer, laptop or mobile device, the employer has the right to monitor your usage, no questions asked. They can monitor all your emails and other communications, so you do need to be aware of this.
Juliana.
Juli,
I would be happy to know when you found out. Do we have to use the apps on the mobile for it to be considered mlearning? or even if it is transferred it is classified as that? What if I bluetooth graphics from my BB to laptop for class; or transfer a few videos, is it still mobile learning?
Everton
There is a debate… some see m-learning as learning using any kind of mobile device regardless of circumstances. Other see m-learning as learning while you’re roaming and depending on devices while you’re out in the world, untethered. Which do you think makes most sense and why?
I personally am not a big user of Apps and I don’t consider it to be the only mode of mLearning. I would say the ability for me to access the Weblogs and Moodle make it more of an mLearning experience for me. My viewpoint is that mLearning is any learning that can be done by using a mobile device. The luxury of this type of learning is that it can happen during anytime.
Future updates that I would like to see with mLearning is having immediate notification of replies to my posts in WebCT. I would like the flexibility of replying to those posts much in the same way as I do with my emails. May be this is ability is already present, I don’t know. As can be seen through my various posts, I am not a huge mLearner. If this capability is already present with WebCT, I would love to hear about it 🙂
Juliana.
Your Blackberry experience exemplifies the issue of multiple platforms… how does a venture choose which platform to focus on? What happens to your learning venture when that platform loses favour in the market? The multinational I spoke with focused on BlackBerry for their pilot… but it seems that they may be looking elsewhere for future projects.
My sense is that many people just don’t want to develop Apps for BB. I don’t know if it is a function of the users or if there are technical issues with the device itself. For instance, if I am typical of most BB users then I wouldn’t get an App unless a) it was useful b) free. I feel that I have already spent enough on my phone and frankly spending more money on Apps wouldn’t be feasible unless it is especially worthwhile. Also I find that many Apps have a tendancy of trying to access different other applciations that they really shouldn’t have to (ie. GPS etc.), which drain battery power.
Juliana.
Hm… that’s an interesting point about not wanting to spend $$ on apps. Are BB apps more expensive than the ones at Apple (a few dollars to $50)?
How does this make you feel about the potential for developing a learning venture and getting paid for it?
I can’t answer that well myself. I don’t have an iPhone and I don’t know many people who have one right now. Most people I know have a BB.
As for your second question, if I have the opportunity to develop a learning venture and get paid to do it, I would be more than happy to do it. In some ways that is why I am in this program and it is one of my interests. I would like to see that the technology and applications that we develop for education get used appropriately. Too many times things have fallen flat because the correct questions were not asked.
To give you an example, I did a survey about my experiences with the BEd program. I can’t remember all the questions that they asked, but I do remember that they didn’t really ask about things that weren’t covered well by the program. I remember giving them an earful about how there should be more emphasis and support on classroom management skills and some other gaps that I experienced.
Juliana.
I use a Blackberry Torch and it is set up well for mLearning in most respects. I don’t need to worry as much about exceeding my data plan because the information is compressed. I can watch YouTube videos without much interruption from pretty much anywhere. Surfing the net is pretty easy. It’s flexible touch screen […]
Continue reading Day 2 – Blackberry Torch Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Thanks very much for your post…. great to hear from a smartphone user.
It sounds like your mobile works best for relatively bite-sized information (WebCT/Wordpress posts) but not for a lot of data entry… that makes sense given its affordances. I’m very interested in your Moodle LMS experiences (why do you use Moodle on a mobile…. how does it compare to a desktop experience) and what you see as the real strengths of your device for m-learning…
You don’t talk about your use cases… in what situations do you use your mobile most?
I will be honest in saying that the only reason why I used my BB for Moodle was because it was a class activity where we were to explore mLearning. Otherwise, my learning is done through my laptop because it is easier to type (I’m a touch typer and have difficulty just using my thumbs). Also by using my laptop at home it is quieter and I do have less interruptions.
Currently I use my BB for email mostly. Sometimes I use my browser if I need to get info about something (usually to settle a bet 😉 ) or get info about a restaurant (ie. menu info).
Juliana.
Sorry this is a little late. I don’t do a lot of m-Learning right now simply because I have a hard time reading things on my small screen. I had tried to do some of my WebCT readings on my Blackberry, but it can get frustrating as I am scrolling back and forth a lot. […]
Continue reading Day 1 – My m-Learning Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Interesting post!
As you point out, small screens are not great for doing a lot of reading… BUT they can work for content and tasks that fit the screen size and interface inputs of your device, such as reading and commenting on discussion posts.
The key strategy of a multinational I interviewed about m-learning was the decision to focus on bite-sized pieces of information to support a learner when they’re just about to deal with a problem (just before a client meeting) or are in the middle of solving it.
I’m curious about your concerns of being distracted while on public transport. What do you focus on while commuting on a bus? Why is that important to you? One of the characteristics of m-learning is that it has to cope with environments that provide short amounts of time and involve a lot of distraction.
When I’m commuting on a bus, I usually don’t do much. I’m fine with watching the scenery go by. It is usually my time to decompress and relax after work. If I do need to read anything for school, I usually print my articles and papers out and read them. By printing things out, I can make notes in the margin or highlight things. I know it isn’t good for the trees, so I try to always double-side and only print out those things that I really need.
My other reason for not wanting to be too engaged with my mobile device is that I see the effects of that in my co-commuters. I have found that people who are to engaged with their mobiles tend to be distracted and inadvertently discourteous to their fellow commuters. They don’t move out of the way or give room to people.
Another issue is that you can make yourself a target for thieves (or worse) when you are working with your mobile device. As a woman, I unfortunately have to be aware of these things. I am always envious of men in this respect because they don’t have to worry about this issue (at least not as much 🙂 ).
When I went to a self-defence class, that was the first thing that they told us…don’t be distracted with your mobile device. They said to always be aware of your surroundings because you never know who is watching. I myself have snuck up on many of my friends who were distracted by their mobile devices. They didn’t even see me coming until I was right in front of them.
While I may be one of the few who may feel reluctant with using mobile devices while commuting, I do think that it is a good technology that would need to be developed further. Bite-sized information does need to be made available so that it can be easily accessed through mobile devices. I will speak more on this in my Day 2 post.
Juliana.
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
David William Price 8:38 am on November 16, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your post.
If you could “lock down” an iPhone to use certain apps and nothing more… how might you use iPhones with your students to do the kinds of learning you list in your post?
As a side note, what do you think of “scaffolding” attention management in order to help kids build their abilities to stay on task? I read a journal article in the Winter about a classroom where the teacher circulated through the students to keep them on task while they used technology to accomplish set goals.
Angela Novoa 1:13 pm on November 16, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David, scaffolding would be a good idea. I think that on Social Studies (my subject) we could use the apps for recording (either video, photo or voice) to make stories about a previous research or a fictional story about the characteristics of a period or a place. They could also record stories related to civic education. Yesterday I found on a website that iPhone will release a game-app (created by two chilean engineers) about Mapuche ( an indigenous culture of Chile). Learning about indigenous cultures or any other topic related to Social Studies through gaming would be awesome.
Angela.
Everton Walker 2:53 pm on November 16, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Angela,
They are really easily distracted and it will take a lot of discipline for them to concentrate. It’s almost impossible for me to get some of my students to focus in class. They are overwhelmed by the various apps at their disposal. The saddest thing is that many of them only use their phones for social networking and are clueless about the educational benefits.
Everton
David William Price 12:58 pm on November 17, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Distraction is a symptom of high anxiety and in psychological parlance would fit into “avoidance”. Anxiety reduces availability of working memory, reduces the effectiveness of the brain’s ability to maintain focus (“inhibition”) or to switch focus based on what task is most important (“shifting”). One approach is to focus on reducing anxiety first to provide students with the working memory they need and to enhance the function of their inhibition and shifting abilities to stay on track.
Studies show that a combination of anxiety management and scaffolding anxiety management through exposure help learners manage their anxiety and improve their performance. There is also an area called “implementation intentions” where learners create if-then scripts where they plan ahead of time for what may distract them and how they will deal with it… apparently those scripts work very well for test anxiety. Worth looking into!