Big Issues in Mobile Learning Mike Sharples Learning Sciences Research Institute University of Nottingham www.nottingham.ac.uk/lsri/msh

1974 1997 2002 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — The students at Liverpool High have used their school-issued laptops to exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses… So the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty — and worse. New York Times, May 4 th , 2007

Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — The students at Liverpool High have used their school-issued laptops to exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses…

So the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty — and worse.

New York Times, May 4 th , 2007

Big Issues in Mobile Learning

Big Issues What is mobile learning? Is mobile learning effective? Evaluation of mobile learning Conflict between mobile technology and school Ownership and copyright Privacy, in an always-connected world

What is mobile learning?

Is mobile learning effective?

Evaluation of mobile learning

Conflict between mobile technology and school

Ownership and copyright

Privacy, in an always-connected world

What is mobile learning? Learning with portable technology Focus on the technology Could be in a fixed location, such as a classroom Learning across contexts Focus on the learner Could use portable or fixed technology How people learn across locations and transitions Learning in a mobile world Focus on the mobile society How to understand people and technology in constant mobility How to design learning for the mobile society

Learning with portable technology

Focus on the technology

Could be in a fixed location, such as a classroom

Learning across contexts

Focus on the learner

Could use portable or fixed technology

How people learn across locations and transitions

Learning in a mobile world

Focus on the mobile society

How to understand people and technology in constant mobility

How to design learning for the mobile society

Is mobile learning effective? Classroom response systems (Draper, Dufresne, Roschelle) Group learning with wireless mobiles and phones (Nussbaum et al., Dillenbourg) Classroom handheld simulation games (Collella, Virus Game) Mobile guides (Tate Modern, Caerus, Mobile Bristol) Connecting learning in formal and informal settings (Butterfly Watching, MyArtSpace)

Classroom response systems (Draper, Dufresne, Roschelle)

Group learning with wireless mobiles and phones (Nussbaum et al., Dillenbourg)

Classroom handheld simulation games (Collella, Virus Game)

Mobile guides (Tate Modern, Caerus, Mobile Bristol)

Connecting learning in formal and informal settings (Butterfly Watching, MyArtSpace)

MyArtSpace Service on mobile phones for enquiry-led museum learning Aims to make school museum visits more engaging and educational Learning through structured enquiry, exploration, connection

Service on mobile phones for enquiry-led museum learning

Aims to make school museum visits more engaging and educational

Learning through structured enquiry, exploration, connection

School Museum Visits and Field Trips Visits often isolated from classroom work “ museums are informal learning environments where teachers usually have very little control over the ideas being implicated or the experiments that the students carry out “ (Guisasola et al., 2005) How to make the visit personal and relevant Static displays, generic labels Structuring inquiry learning. Children need specific support in: planning appropriate investigations managing investigations interpreting results (de Jong et al., 2006)

Visits often isolated from classroom work

“ museums are informal learning environments where teachers usually have very little control over the ideas being implicated or the experiments that the students carry out “ (Guisasola et al., 2005)

How to make the visit personal and relevant

Static displays, generic labels

Structuring inquiry learning. Children need specific support in:

planning appropriate investigations

managing investigations

interpreting results

(de Jong et al., 2006)

MyArtSpace Combines physical space (museum, classroom) virtual space (online store and gallery) personal space (mobile phones) Museum test sites Urbis (Manchester) The D-Day Museum (Portsmouth) The Study Gallery of Modern Art (Poole) About 3000 children during 2006

Combines

physical space (museum, classroom)

virtual space (online store and gallery)

personal space (mobile phones)

Museum test sites

Urbis (Manchester)

The D-Day Museum (Portsmouth)

The Study Gallery of Modern Art (Poole)

About 3000 children during 2006

In the Classroom Children and teacher discuss a ‘big question’ to explore, by collecting evidence from the museum visit E.g. “were the D-Day landings a success or failure”?

Children and teacher discuss a ‘big question’ to explore, by collecting evidence from the museum visit

E.g. “were the D-Day landings a success or failure”?

At the Museum Students are given Nokia 6680 multimedia mobile phones Use phones to ‘collect’ exhibits by typing a two-letter code, they then receive more information on the exhibit Prompted to type their reason for collecting encouraging them to reflect on what they see at the museum

Students are given Nokia 6680 multimedia mobile phones

Use phones to ‘collect’ exhibits by typing a two-letter code,

they then receive more information on the exhibit

Prompted to type their reason for collecting

encouraging them to reflect on what they see at the museum

At the Museum After collecting an item they are shown who else has collected that exhibit Record their experience photos, voice recordings, notes All exhibits and recordings are sent automatically to a personal web space

After collecting an item

they are shown who else has collected that exhibit

Record their experience

photos, voice recordings, notes

All exhibits and recordings are sent automatically to a personal web space

Back at school Personal website shows their notes, recordings, pictures, exhibits They can view other collections, and items provided by the museum They can organise their collections to present to the class or share with their family Content is moderated to ensure privacy protection and appropriate use Teacher acts as moderator can opt to publish student’s ‘gallery’ presentation on the web so that it can be seen by other schools, parents, general public

Personal website shows their notes, recordings, pictures, exhibits

They can view other collections, and items provided by the museum

They can organise their collections to present to the class or share with their family

Content is moderated to ensure privacy protection and appropriate use

Teacher acts as moderator

can opt to publish student’s ‘gallery’ presentation on the web so that it can be seen by other schools, parents, general public

Evaluation Lifecycle evaluation Micro level: Usability issues technology usability, lab tests individual and group activities Meso level: Educational Issues learning experience as a whole classroom-museum-home continuity critical incidents: learning breakthroughs and breakdowns Macro level: Organisational Issues effect on the educational practice for school museum visits emergence of new practices take-up and sustainability

Micro level: Usability issues

technology usability, lab tests

individual and group activities

Meso level: Educational Issues

learning experience as a whole

classroom-museum-home continuity

critical incidents: learning breakthroughs and breakdowns

Macro level: Organisational Issues

effect on the educational practice for school museum visits

emergence of new practices

take-up and sustainability

Results The technology worked Photos, information on exhibits, notes, automatic sending to website Minor usability problems Students spent four times longer on a MAS visit (90 mins compared to 20 mins) Students enjoyed the experience more than their previous museum visit Encouraged children to make active choices in what was previously a passive experience Problems with re-creating context back in the classroom Problems with engagement of museum staff Business model?

The technology worked

Photos, information on exhibits, notes, automatic sending to website

Minor usability problems

Students spent four times longer on a MAS visit (90 mins compared to 20 mins)

Students enjoyed the experience more than their previous museum visit

Encouraged children to make active choices in what was previously a passive experience

Problems with re-creating context back in the classroom

Problems with engagement of museum staff

Business model?

Conflict between mobile technology and formal education Social networking MySpace (“a place for friends”) – world’s 3rd most popular website (behind MSN and Yahoo) Bebo – social networking around schools In Europe and US mostly in fixed locations (e.g. bedrooms), but increasingly mobile, e.g. Playstation Portable In some other countries, e.g. Korea (Cyworld) informal online networking is already mobile

Social networking

MySpace (“a place for friends”) – world’s 3rd most popular website (behind MSN and Yahoo)

Bebo – social networking around schools

In Europe and US mostly in fixed locations (e.g. bedrooms), but increasingly mobile, e.g. Playstation Portable

In some other countries, e.g. Korea (Cyworld) informal online networking is already mobile

Conflict between mobile technology and formal education Disruptive devices “ Mobile phones are not for use during the school day - particularly during lessons. It is not only the person phoning or being phoned whose education is being disturbed - it is the progress of the entire class.” Doug McAvoy,Former leader, National Union of Teachers, BBC Online. Disruptive activities File sharing, gaming, messaging “ exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses” But… these are powerful devices, and valued activities

Disruptive devices

“ Mobile phones are not for use during the school day - particularly during lessons. It is not only the person phoning or being phoned whose education is being disturbed - it is the progress of the entire class.” Doug McAvoy,Former leader, National Union of Teachers, BBC Online.

Disruptive activities

File sharing, gaming, messaging

“ exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses”

But… these are powerful devices, and valued activities

School invasion of the home Homework Parental access to the school intranet Assessment of non-school learning Pervasive monitoring of children’s activity

Homework

Parental access to the school intranet

Assessment of non-school learning

Pervasive monitoring of children’s activity

Mobiles to monitor children Parents could soon keep a much closer eye on what children are up on their way to and from school thanks to a mobile monitoring system. Guardian Angel is a product which allows parents to map out the exact route a child takes to school. It will send text alerts to their mobile phone if the child deviates too far from that route or takes too long getting there. BBC News website 23 rd March 2003 Watch with mother The disappearance of Madeleine McCann has sparked new interest in hi-tech child monitoring equipment. But how far should parents go? Sunday Times, May 20 th 2007 Ambient Mobile Assessment utilises a new mobile services architecture to deliver interactive “smart” messaging automatically to send assessment questions and receive multiple choice responses via email or SMS which can then be auto-responded to with feedback, suggestions for further learning, or reinforcing targeted questions with full reporting capability. www.ambientperformance.com

Mobiles to monitor children

Parents could soon keep a much closer eye on what children are up on their way to and from school thanks to a mobile monitoring system. Guardian Angel is a product which allows parents to map out the exact route a child takes to school. It will send text alerts to their mobile phone if the child deviates too far from that route or takes too long getting there. BBC News website 23 rd March 2003

Watch with mother

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann has sparked new interest in hi-tech child monitoring equipment. But how far should parents go? Sunday Times, May 20 th 2007

Ambient Mobile Assessment

utilises a new mobile services architecture to deliver interactive “smart” messaging automatically to send assessment questions and receive multiple choice responses via email or SMS which can then be auto-responded to with feedback, suggestions for further learning, or reinforcing targeted questions with full reporting capability. www.ambientperformance.com

Ownership of mobile learning Who owns the technology? Who owns the learning? Control Content Communication

Who owns the technology?

Who owns the learning?

Control

Content

Communication

User centred Personal Networked Portable Ubiquitous Durable Mobile Technology

User centred

Personal

Networked

Portable

Ubiquitous

Durable

Personalised Learning Learner centred Individualised Collaborative Situated Ubiquitous Lifelong

Learner centred

Individualised

Collaborative

Situated

Ubiquitous

Lifelong

User centred Personal Networked Portable Ubiquitous Durable Mobile Learning Learner centred Individualised Collaborative Situated Ubiquitous Lifelong

User centred

Personal

Networked

Portable

Ubiquitous

Durable

Learner centred

Individualised

Collaborative

Situated

Ubiquitous

Lifelong

Entertainment 1907 1957 2007

Education 1907 1957 2007