This paper gives an overview on a Location Based mobile Learning (mLearning) solution – Trail Shuttle, for educational purposes and seeks to highlight some of the key features of Trail Shuttle, and how it supports Singapore Schools as the students embark on mlearning. The experience of a Singapore School, leveraging on the emergence and increasing adoption rate of wirelessly networked personal and portal handheld devices to explore technology-enhanced on-the-go learning opportunities, will also be documented in this paper http://itunes.apple.com/mt/app/trail-shuttle/id448270306?mt=8

1. Location Based Mobile
Learning in Singapore
Presented by
Shawnz Neo, Thailand Jun Magata, Singapore
shawnz@codesporter.com jun@reload.com.sg

2. Overview
 Traditional Learning
 Shift in Paradigm
 Greater Interactivity and Engagement
 Innovative Pedagogies and Flexible Learning
Environments
 Location Based Mobile Learning Case Study
 Possibilities and Challenges

3. Traditional Learning
 Long-established customs in school
 Teacher-centred
 Students learn the “what” and not the “how”
 Teachers are the only instruments of transferring
knowledge
 Focuses on rote learning and memorisation
 Little or no attention to social development of the
students

4. Traditional Learning
 Students are taught the same material at the same
time, in the classroom, regardless of ability and
interest.
 Produce good citizens who are “robust, well-
educated, skilled, and well-adjusted.”

7. Shift in Paradigm
 First Masterplan for ICT in Education
 Preparing the young ones for the 21st Century
 Build the strong foundation for schools to harness ICT
 Provide basic ICT infrastructure
 Equip teachers with a basic level of ICT integration &
competency
 30% of ICT usage in curriculum

8. Shift in Paradigm
 Schools becomes fully networked
 Sharing of teaching resources within and between
schools
 Strong partnership with suppliers of hardware and
content providers
 ICT became an accepted tool for teaching and learning

9. Shift in Paradigm
 Annual evaluations conducted by MOE have
consistently revealed that:
90% of pupils felt that IT had made their lessons
more interesting.
The vast majority also felt that the use of IT had
increased their knowledge (82%), had improved their
learning (over 77%), and that it had encouraged them
to learn beyond the curriculum (77%).

10. Greater Interactivity and
Engagement
 Second Masterplan for ICT in Education
 Continued to build on the foundation of MP1
 Strengthened the integration of ICT into the curriculum
 Establish baseline ICT standards for students
 Seed innovative use of ICT among schools.

11. Greater Interactivity and
Engagement
 Rich and comprehensive repository of digital media
content
 Teachers can customise their teaching, switching the
sequence of topics and vary the amount of materials
used for students of varied learning abilities
 Differentiated Learning helped to draw out the best
from every student

12. Greater Interactivity and
Engagement
 eLearning promotes communication among students
 Learning largely takes place in a group
 Teacher scaffolds and guides students into discovery
learning
 Students have more motivation and take greater
ownership in the learning process

14. Innovative Pedagogies and
Flexible Learning Environments
 Third Masterplan for ICT in Education
 Extensive integration of ICT into the pedagogy within
and outside school
 Sharing of best practices and successful innovations
 Enhance ICT provisions in schools to support the
implementation of MP3.

15. Innovative Pedagogies and
Flexible Learning Environments
 Engineered towards Self-Directed Learning
 With greater autonomy in content creation, teachers
can tailor their teaching using different resources
 Authentic learning environment through real life
examples
 Learning can take place beyond curriculum time as
technology becomes more affordable

17. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study - Definitions
 Definition:
- Self-Directed Learning (SDL) involves initiating
personally challenging activities and developing
personal knowledge and skills to pursue the
challenges successfully (Gibbons, 2002)
- Collaborative Learning (CoL) is where students
work in pairs or groups to solve a problem or to
achieve a common learning objective (Barkley et
al., 2005)

18. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study - Platform
 App is designed by a private developer in consultation
with a leading ICT school in Singapore
 Generally affordable, with more than 90% of local
students already owning a mobile phone
 Available for download on App Store for iPhone and
iPad

19. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Possibilities
 Emphasis on Student-Centred Learning, with students
taking the active role in customising content for their
own learning
 Students can also decide their pace of complete the
task set aside by their teachers
 Seamlessly integrated for learning, anytime (beyond
curriculum time), anywhere (outside classroom setting)

20. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Trail Shuttle
Create Your Own Interactive Learning Trail

21. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Web-based Design Exploring Monitoring
Toolkit App App
(Student) (Teacher)

22. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Custo
Chat
Photo m
One
UGC Google Map
Video
Map
Quiz
Hotspot
Fill in the Info
MCQ Blank
Video
Text
Short Essay Web
Ans Page Audio
Photo

23. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Features - Augmented Reality (AR)
Hotspot
Hotspot
Location-Finder 3D Animated Object AR Code Scan

24. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Marker showing Marker showing Marker showing
location to go current location where to go

25. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
TRAIL SHUTTLE MONITOR APP
MONITOR
PROGRESS CHAT
Teachers can
Teachers can
chat with
monitor ALL the
everyone on the
groups or zoom-in
trail or chat with
to check an
an individual
individual

26. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Step 1: Create Step 2: Experience Step 3: Share and
Reflect
• Design using web •Outdoor / • eBook
browser Indoor learning • RSS feed
• Publish to iPhone/ iPad trail • Blog-Look and Feel

27. Location Based Mobile Learning
Case Study – Trail Shuttle
Control: anytime, anywhere access to contents;
Reliable: platform;
Easy to use: Wizard-style toolkit;
Active learning: MOE’s MP3 directives;
Timeless: customise to fit latest syllabus;
Engage students: learn beyond the classroom.

28. Location Based Mobile Learning
The Preparation Cycle
Creating Trail
Site Survey and
Brainstorming on Trail Shuttle
Collection of
and Planning web-based
Data for Trail
toolkit
Trail Run before Immediately
Revise Trail if
Actual Published on
necessary
Execution iOS Devices
View Report on
Execute Actual Monitor Trail Trail Shuttle
Trail Progress web-based
toolkit

29. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
In this lesson package, 15 year olds students are to learn
about:
 Water is Precious (English),
 Algebra (Mathematics),
 Rainfall and its Cycle (Humanities)

30. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
Subject Description Location
English Learning about Water is Precious Classroom
(100 - Students will be given articles to read on their e-
min) Textbooks. Teacher will solicit for a few responses on
key learning points.
- Students will then group themselves in fours and draw
lots to choose a country (which the teacher has
shortlisted before the class) which has programmes on
water technology.
- In their groups, Students will then search on the
internet, for information pertaining to the country they
have selected.
- Before the end of the lesson, teacher tasks students to,
in their own time, do a short write up on their research
and record their findings in a podcast. This podcast will
be uploaded and they must comment on at least 3
podcasts recorded by their peers in class.

31. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
Subject Description Location
Mathematics Learning about Algebra Classroom
(100 min) • Teacher will recap the basic rules of Algebra
on the whiteboard before teaching the new
concepts.
• Students will then be grouped according to
their ability types in pairs, to attempt e-
Worksheets prepared by the teacher. This e-
worksheets come with ready solution (to be
unlocked when students have completed
each question).
• Before the end of the lesson, teacher recaps
the lesson.

32. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
Subject Description Location
Humanities Learning about Rainfall and its Cycle Media Room
(100 min) • Teacher will show a video on the cycle of in School
rainfall.
• Using the Chorma Key Technology in the
Media room, students will take on roles of
weather reporters and report on the various
weather condition. Recordings will be made
and videos uploaded to the class blog where
their learning can be archived.

34. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
Subject Description Location
Inter- Learning of Water and Algebra Outdoor
Disciplinary • Students will visit the Marina Barrage, a water
(3 hrs) plant, to learn more about the cycle of water, as
well as why water is precious to Singapore.
• In this outdoor mobile learning trail, students will
answer a series of questions (prepared by the
teacher) pertaining to what they learn at the
plant as well as what they have learnt in the
former 3 classes (English, Mathematics and
Humanities).
• At the end of the trail, students will return to
school and share their learning journey
experience with their peers.

36. Location Based Mobile Learning
Sample Lesson Plan
Subject Description Location
Inter- Project Outdoor
disciplinary • After the learning trail, students are tasked, in
(1 day) groups of 5s, to create a learning trail on
Wildlife Conservation. Location and length of
time of trail will be pre-determined by the
teacher.
• Students will do their own research, collect
data and create the trails.
• When all the trails have been submitted by the
deadline, students can then embark on the
trails created by their peers at their own time,
outside curriculum time.

38. Challenges
 Centralisation verses Autonomy
 Acknowledging a gap continues to exist
 Effectiveness does not equate to familiarity
 Outcomes must be based on sound pedagogical
principles
 Experience should enhance learning

39. Location Based Mobile
Learning in Singapore
The End