In 2003 Jamaica’s cell phone penetration was 78.9% compared with 48% in the USA (Horts & Miller, 2006). And, in 2006 of the 2.7 million people living in Jamaica there were 2 million subscriptions to cell phones.

Regarding physical infrastructure and support I think smartphones with internet connectivity, which are increasing in prevalence, may become viable options for facilitating discussions. Also increasing is the potential for Mobile Apps for education technology. There are other programs such as the one lap top per child program that may also help with infrastructure to support digital technology integration.

Most of the Apps we explored in the course were content specific and so I wanted to look more at management support, interface with students and potential in extending/facilitating classroom practice and support.

Mobile App Evaluation

1.       Blackboard on Android

Blackboard on Android

Problem – creating LMS (online learning) for access on mobile phones

Affordances – connection to university system, creation of widgets

Non-mlearning methods – Online LMS and CMS systems particularly open source systems.

Comparison – The App offers more user friendly and organizational elements in managing and interacting with content. For example, the creation and use of widgets and opportunities to organize courses according to favourites/ more frequently accessed. It also offers more social elements by allowing options to view groups associated within the University et al.

For further reading –http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Products/Mobile-Learn.aspx

Customisation – Addressing a problem I face in my classroom

An m-learning design based on:

• a problem I am experiencing in teaching/learning/performance
• how do the affordances of mobiles help solve that problem?
• what learning theory / approach I will use?
• how will  the m-learning solution use mobile affordances?
• what is a similar successful solution in the marketplace (m-learning or not) already?
• potential challenges in implementing the solution?

Problem – Time to review all students work, meet with students individually and provide personalized assessment, diagnostic checking and remediation activities.

Affordances: Mobiles can allow for increased accessibility and support of e-learning or mobile activities as well as provide immediate response capabilities.

Learning Theory – Constructivism (self-paced and self directed learning), Vygotsky ZPD (scaffolding- use of different levels, targeted instruction, remediation and student and teacher identification of progression needs), and some level of drills and practice (within content material and testing).

M-learning and mobile solutions: ability to create online content, accessing applications, linking to sites and delivering comments and feedback at point of access, for guided assessment and diagnostic testing and evaluation (pre organized feedback with testing, incorrect questions linked to reading, students can choose content for remediation in an area of choice, content can also be organized as diagnostic, instruction, testing, remediation), and alternative platforms such as sms services.

M-leaning solution: Based on performance (% result in preset, or on request of student). The app allows for setting of tutorial times: upload lecturers available times and slot in, new appointments are generated or linked to lecturers calendar and a new appointment message or notification pops up to the lecturer when a new time has been set. Reminders of tutorial times sent out. Test results are attached with highlighted areas for remediation and/or students can upload areas of focus desired.

Similar solution: From the mobile perspective Vclicker, Pocket school, and an open source option offer similar aspects but differ on levels of contact and setting of meetings/tutorials and self-directed topic or learning.

Challenges: Mobile with internet capabilities, design compatibility across platforms (interoperability), content created and delivered in an attractive and user friendly interface, flash capabilities.

Changes needed: Less differentiation across platforms, developing alternative methods that transmit info within sms capabilities.

 

Similar solutions

http://www.stanford.edu/~phkim/project/consulting.html

http://www.waset.org/journals/ijhss/v3/v3-4-39.pdf – Open source

http://www.einstruction.com/products/student-response-systems/vclicker-mobile-edition

 

Examples of Mobile Technologies being used in classrooms:

 

Mobile Edition

vClicker^℠ Mobile Edition -web-based version of eInstruction’s popular Classroom Performance System™ (CPS™) student response systems. It is designed to turn any computer or full Internet browser-enabled mobile device into a virtual clicker.

 

Anytime, Anywhere access – Results From Anywhere

Educators can deliver real-time assessments to both in-class and off-site students, then collect and aggregate the response data, and immediately view the results. Students can use vClicker^℠ to participate in interactive activities and real-time, graded assessments from anywhere.

 

Mixed settings

vClicker^℠ is ideal for either 1-to-1 classrooms where everyone has a computer, online courses, or blended environments where some students have CPS™ and others have mobile devices. Because it supports the same question types as CPS™, the responses from both are easily combined and reported together to give educators real-time feedback for all students, whether they’re using CPS™ or vClicker^℠.

 

http://www.actapress.com/Abstract.aspx?paperId=22543

Pocket School – tracking and monitoring of students performance. Uses personal digital assistance (PDA) to provide mobile and instant graphical display and analysis of students’ learning profiles that include trend analysis and predictive modeling.

It also generates reports and progress tracks for determining student achievement baselines, and improves the quality of teaching and learning

 

M – Learning – Integration possibilities

• Timing experiments with stopwatch
• Photographing apparatus and results of experiments for reports
• Photographing development of design models for eportfolios
• Photographing texts/whiteboards for future review
• Bluetoothing project material between group members
• Receiving SMS & email reminders from teachers
• Synchronizing calendar/timetable and setting reminders
• Connecting remotely to school learning platform
• Recording a teacher reading a poem for revision
• Accessing revision sites on the Internet
• Creating short narrative movies
• Downloading and listening to foreign language podcasts
• Logging into the school email system
• Using GPS to identify locations
• Transferring files between school and home

 

Adopting M-Learning in my current practice

 

Change needed – To adopt m-learning in my teaching and learning I would need increased operability and cheaper access. For the latter, particularly in viewing and accessing content, many of my learners do not have smart phone capabilities (although this is growing rapidly). However, a significant number do not have unlimited plans. Also, broadband capabilities and access to video content at an affordable cost for my students are severely limited. I would perhaps need a bypass system or an app that blocks or reroutes such costs incurred. For example, although not directly related, why can some phones have skype for free and not others?

 

Use of m-learning in my classroom:

• Photographing presentations/products
• Photographing texts/whiteboards for future review
• Receiving SMS & email reminders from teachers
• Synchronizing calendar/timetable and setting reminders
• Connecting remotely to school learning platform
• Google searches
• Recording a teacher reading/lecturing for revision
• Accessing revision sites on the Internet
• Logging into the class email system
• Transferring files between school and home
• Recording notes, thoughts and though tracking, recording assignments and things to do and linking such to calendars
• Using calendar options as study timetables, assignment completion and due date schedules and general time management

 

Other potential Uses:

• Bluetoothing project material between group members
• Downloading and using educational mobile Apps
• Creating live discussion groups
• Direct access through questions/contact forms/emails

 

 

References

 

Heather A. Horst and Daniel Miller.(2006).The Cell Phone: An Anthropology of

Communication. Oxford: Berg,