Kool for Kats…mobile credibility
and the older learner
Di Dawson
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

Your chance to be collaboratively
Kool
Step 1: In small groups identify someone with a camera phone and
Bluetooth facility.
We’re going to accumulate images of items of ‘Things in a Room’
(This will start our discussion in next week’s ESOL class!)
Step 2. Take a very short video of at least 3 items in the room. Say
what each item is. (Encourage every member of your group to
describe an item)
Step 3. Bluetooth them to me. My phone is called ‘Di’. If prompted
use the code 0000
You have 5 minutes!
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

What does ‘Koolness’ mean?
The culture capital and the response to technologies.
To be intrigued, must have the latest gadget, to be with
the in-crowd.
Wanting to use what the ‘young ones’ are using.. to
keep up with the kids or grandkids.
A popular culture – texting (with 1 hand!) or
listening to BBC podcasts.
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

Koolness in learning
Many adults are confident users of mobile phones.
Grab their confidence and then use the mobile
phones to differentiate activities and tasks in the
class.
I attend a ‘Step up your skills’ class. I didn’t know my
phone could help me so much!
My tutor helped me download WordBook to use on my
phone to check spellings. It speaks the words to me as
well… it’s great
I’m preparing for my Communication test so I’ve been
recording things and sending them to my tutor’s phone
by Bluetooth. It’s a little fiddly to do but it’s making me a
more confident speaker. Jim
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

We’re doing Healthy Eating at the
moment in class. I don’t really like
writing down things – and I haven’t
got time to reflect when I’m preparing
meals at home for the family.
So my tutor suggested I take a video
of the meals I produce, and talk about
the health rating. My son is 10 and he
loves helping me upload the video to
YouTube and he always wants to add
I forget things easily so it’s
his comments too!
perfect that I have video
clips on my phone so I can
have it near me when I
practice my yoga routines
at home. My tutor helps me
take the video at the class
and advises me of what to
do.
My grandson thinks it’s cool
that Granny is using her
phone at ‘school’.
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

What can your mobile do?
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

Collaborative mobile tools
Kate used YouTube to upload her videos from her
mobile phone.
There are storage places and various Blogs, and web
places to store SMS texts, images and videos from a
mobile phone so a learner can record progression
and achievement to share with the entire friend and
family group – and, of course, the tutor.
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

‘Handheld technologies for mobile learning’ and the
accompanying website at
www.niace.org.uk/mobiletechnology
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk

The M-Learning Accessibility
Model
A. Content
A = Does the content on
the device support me?
B= Does the task engage
and motivate me?
C= Can I see the screen
B. Task C. Interface
well? Can I work it?
D= What value do I put on
the experience?
D. Cultural Capital
The M-Learning Accessibility Model – Techdis
Handheld Learning Event – 2007 Di Dawson: www.didawson.co.uk