Learning across contexts – mobile for fieldwork in Environmental Sciences, was published in a mobile learning best practice guide released by UCISA in January, 2014. It won a highly commended case study award from the Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA).

1. Learning across contexts –
Mobile for field and studio work
Adel Gordon | @adelgordon
Learning Technologist
University of Northampton
23 January 2014
UCISA - Effective use of mobile
technologies to enhance learning,
teaching and assessment
#umobtel

2. How can mobile benefit learning?
“Mobile and wireless technologies support learning designs
that are personalised, situated and authentic...”
“mobile learning should aim to innovate and to discover what
is gained through having portable tools that support
observations, interactions, conversations and reflections,
within and across various contexts of use...”
(Kukulska-Hulme, Traxler & Pettit, 2007)

3. How can mobile benefit learning?
Contextual learning:
place
timeLearner
Social
resources
Cognitive
resources
Physical
resources
Virtual
resources

4. Learning across contexts
Contexts for learning:
Adapted from Downward et al., 2008
Personal
workspace
Lecture
Theatre
Laboratory
Online / VLE
The field
Seminar room

5. Environmental Sciences
learning across contexts
Habitat Ecology & Management
Learning outcomes
- find, extract, evaluate, analyse, synthesise, interpret,
summarise and communicate
information relating to the
ecology of
terrestrial/wetland
ecosystems

6. What they did: recording habitat data in a
group blog
Environmental Sciences
learning across contexts

7. What they thought:
The mobile
technology helped
to put the location
of sites into
perspective
Dictation was
useful, because it’s
hard to type notes
while wearing
gloves!
The camera was
handy - I recorded
a lot more than I
would have with a
notebook
I found it useful
having it all in
one thing e.g.
notebook,
camera
Pretty hard
to get
internet out
here...
Environmental Sciences
learning across contexts

8. Art & Design – Studio work
creating learning contexts
Stage 2 of a Foundation course
Assessment Criteria:
1. Investigation, problem analysis and research.
2. Observation and analysis through drawing and mixed media.
3. Visual presentation and communication.
4. Skills and media and techniques.
5. Innovation, inventiveness and experimentation.
6. Personal direction, self motivation and time management.

9. Art & Design – studio work
creating learning contexts
Video intro
Full video – http://bit.ly/uonmobileart (9:09)

10. What they thought:
It was really useful to not have to
'lose the moment' in the long and
drawn-out process of looking for a
camera then going to the library to
find a computer to then upload the
image...
I like to be able to record
processes of how a piece of
work was made and the
app made that very easy to
do. It is also useful to look
back over your work
without having to haul out
huge sketchbooks etc.
Being able to post
via a mobile
means work in
progress can be
recorded in situ
and shared
spontaneously.
Feedback about the work
allowed me to be more
selective and move my work
forward
Art & Design – studio work
creating learning contexts

11. Lessons learned
• Can increase engagement and support activities that are
central to learning
• Be clear about the aims and manage expectations
(especially of internet availability!)
• Importance of preparatory work

12. This year’s students
Environmental Sciences
• Using iPad mini with the FieldTrip GB app
• FieldTrip GB:
– High quality background maps that
offer rich data in both urban and rural
environments
– Map caching to allow off-network
usage
– Data capture
– Custom data collection forms that
allow users to define the data they
want to capture.

13. Form Author

14. What they say, so far…
Like having access
to the forms before
the fieldwork
I like the bigger
screen on the iPad
mini – makes it
easier to use the
maps
Being able to sync
data once connected
is great, and the
FieldTrip GB app
facilitates data
collection really well
I really like the
iPad mini and
having a 3G
version makes it
even better in the
field
FieldTrip GB
is Great!

15. Future plans
• Oculus Rift – pre fieldwork activities to enhance the
usefulness of data capture and gathering in the field.
• In trials on generic maps and 3D environments student
have commented that…

16. References
Brown, E. (ed) (2010). Education in the Wild: contextual and location-based
mobile learning in action. A report from the STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous
workshop series. University of Nottingham: Learning Sciences Research
Institute (LSRI).
Downward, S., et al. “Podcasts and Locations”. In Salmon, G. and Edirisingha,
P. (eds) (2008). Podcasting for Learning in Universities.Maidenhead: Open
University Press, pp 57-69.
Kukulska-Hulme, A., Traxler, J., and Pettit, J., (2007). “Designed and user-
generated activity in the mobile age”. Journal of Learning Design, 2(1),
pp. 52–65.
Blackboard Mobile – http://www.blackboardmobile.com/
FieldTrip GB - http://fieldtripgb.blogs.edina.ac.uk/
Oculus Rift - http://www.oculusvr.com/

17. Contact
• Adel Gordon
– University of Northampton
– Adel.Gordon@northampton.ac.uk
– @adelgordon
– http://blogs.northampton.ac.uk/learntech