Mobile learning (m-learning) has key differences from e-learning due to the ubiquitous and portable nature and small interface of smartphones. To compensate for limited screen size and input, m-learning breaks down content into micro-objectives completed through short activities streamed daily. This shifts the paradigm from a single class layout to a sequence of daily lessons and assignments. Instructors must closely guide learning through frequent formative assessments. While smartphones can support many learning styles through mobile apps, their small interface may fragment cognition, limiting comprehension for some learning objectives.

1. Is m-learning a subset of
e-learning, or new species?

2. Convenient if we can scale down to smartphone
from existing PC format
But two key differentiating factors
Ubiquitous
• Anywhere
• Any time
Small Interface
• Limited window of content
• Limited text input

3. Emotional Location
81% of students use
a smartphone for
learning of some
kind
BLACKBOARD BITS

4. Intermittent On the go
Qualitatively Different
Not now, later
The big picture
Once a Day?
High cognitive load
Essays
Need at least an hour
Asynchronous
Whenever
Constantly on
Grab a few minutes
The instant piece
Low cognitive load
Twitter/Facebook sized input
Interact in real time
Minimal, in the handDiverse and rich
Data manipulation Communication

5. Same place in same course
Large PC window
Small
Smartphone
window

6. Navigation
stripped down

7. Annotation
stripped out

8. Images stripped
out

9. 27 characters title
display

10. In the big window all items are displayed, there is presentation of options,
you can see the big picture, you can compare, evaluate, prioritize.

11. • Navigation stripped out
• Annotation stripped out
• Images stripped out
• Titles curtailed
Instead of all at once, mobile
presents items in sequence, that
is,
as a stream
In the Smartphone window:

12. In the small window,
only the headings are
displayed
A Click opens up any
section
Videos can be
played, etc
Most functions are there
But streamed one element at
a time

13. The big picture on PC changes to
Activity Stream on Smartphone
According to Blackboard
Activity Stream
The majority of the time students spend in Bb Student will be spent on
the activity stream, the home screen. It represents a “smart view” of
prioritized events and actions, and pushes content to the student. We’ll
do the heavy lifting by helping students prioritize their work so they can
spend their time on the thing that matters the most, learning.
Note: “Events and Actions”
This signifies a paradigm shift from layout to events and actions
•What was layout of a unit of content, resources, exercises and
assignments on PC
•Becomes a stream of events and actions on Smartphone

14. Compensating for the limitations of
minimised presentation and display,
Activity Stream breaks features down
into a sequence. Activity Stream is
populated with daily activity
1.Teaching
2.Resources
3.Assignments
4.Deadlines
5.Grades
6.Collaboration
Break down unit/week
into daily stream
"Push" is a general term
that refers to technologies
that allow a central system
(such as the mobile phone
network) to send ("push")
information spontaneously
and quickly to an end-user
(perhaps via their mobile
device), without action on
the part of the user or
mobile device.
Facilitator needs to think
Push daily: populate the
activity stream for what is
relevant that day

15. Activity Stream
The PC class has work for
the week displayed
For the smartphone we
work in days. We stream all
the activity for the day to
the student

16. Micro-objectives
Since we break down the unit/week into days, we also break down those multi-
part unit objectives into Micro-objectives
A Micro-objective is
• an objective that can be completed in a short time
• with a limited content presentation
• with limited text entry
• with limited band width
For example, one of three unit objectives for PC: “Align objectives, course
materials, assignments, evidence of outcome in your lesson plan”
could become 3 micro-objectives:
Micro-objective 1 Align course materials with your objectives, in your lesson plan
Micro-objective 2 Align assignments with your objectives, in your lesson plan
Micro-objective 3 Align evidence of outcome with your objectives, in your lesson
plan

17. Question
Is a stream of elements of a
picture the cognitive
equivalent of a big picture?
Is fragmentation of cognition a limiting factor
in learning on Smartphones?

18. Micro-objectives imply Micro-assignments
Micro-Content
•Short text for readings, no equivalent of pages of textbook on smartphone
•Low resolution images
•Facebook clip length videos the norm
•Flashcard or graphic presentation
Micro-Assignment
Better a stream of inputs for assignments. Essays cannot be input, need short
input methods appropriate to smartphone
•A series of microblogs, or discussion threads
•Eportfolio
•Quiz
•Pictures
•Audio
App recommendation Voice-to-Text app within BB may allow dictation of
longer input than possible when typing
Traditional long discourse assessment methods need to be replaced with short
input methods which provide evidence of achieving learning objectives. This is
a reconceptualization of assessment, not an adaption.

19. Interactive Instructor
Blackboard on PC lends itself to an
interactive coaching style in which the
instructor intervenes frequently with
formative guidance. On Smartphone,
because of the lack of long discourse, a
series of short interactions is more than an
option, it is a preferred method.
Example 1: Instructor streams two short formative assessments on
consecutive days with feedback guidance, followed by a short summative
assessment with grading
Example 2: Instructor streams a blog assignment, “What are the problems
with the term mobagogy”, in which the students microblog their progress over
a series of days as content is streamed, and the instructor makes comments
in the developing blog
Instructor Warning – Smartphones may be more demanding of your time.
Merely grading at the end of the week is not appropriate for a daily activity
stream

20. The ubiquitous Smartphone -
Not completely asynchronous
There is a much higher probability that
other students are available on their
Smartphones than that they are on their
PC. This opens a synchronous window for
interaction and peer support.
“I can’t work this out”, can be pushed to
other students on their phone through
messenging. Messenging app is required
in Blackboard to make it smartphone-
friendly.
Then students may need to be able to open
Collaborate/Zoom on their smartphone (or
PC) for instant collaboration.
An Instructor will need to indicate their
limits and times for interacting
synchronously on smartphone.
facebook
mentality
in
learning

21. QUESTION: What styles of learning does Smartphone support?
Behaviourist – activities that promote learning as a change in learner’s
observable actions
Constructivist – activities in which learners actively construct new ideas or
concepts based on both their previous and current knowledge
Situated – activities that promote learning within an authentic context and
culture
Collaborative – activities that promote learning through social interaction
Informal and lifelong – activities that support learning outside a dedicated
learning environment and formal curriculum
Learning and teaching support – activities that assist in the coordination
of learners and resources for learning activities
Smartphone is device of choice for adolescent
Smartphone can be specific, just-in-time, self-directed, real life for
androgogy
Smartphone preferred over PC for Corporate training

22. QUESTION: What taxonomies does Smartphone support?
Arguably, all are possible, limited only by small window interface and
constrained ability to input. See creative app ideas following slide.

24. Summary of Smartphone as a learning device
•is primarily a communication rather than data handling device, has different
strengths
•Has small interface for content or input
•In the hand all the time
•To compensate for minimal presentation, smartphone streams daily activities
•What was layout of a unit of content, resources, exercises and assignments on
PC becomes a stream of events and actions on Smartphone
•Facilitator needs to push daily events and actions
•Micro-objectives - can be completed in a short time, with a limited content
presentation, with limited text entry. with limited band width
•Micro-content - Short text, Low resolution images, Facebook clip length videos,
Flashcard or graphic presentation
•Micro-assignment - microblogs, or discussion threads, Eportfolio, Quiz,
Pictures, Voice-to-text audio
•Interactive Facilitator – micro-assignments require many micro interventions
•Interactive Students – device-in-the-hand facilitates class twitter, peer support
and collaborative learning community

25. QUESTIONS
1.In view of the fragmentation of learning in streamed
micro-objectives, is fragmentation of cognition a limiting
factor in learning on Smartphones?
2.Can Smartphones support all styles of learning?
3.Are there target groups for whom Smartphones are
counter-indicated?
4.Are there apps and processes available on Smartphone
to support all levels of taxonomy of learning?