Some studies and lessons learned from ad hoc learning

[[abstract]]This work proposes concepts, designs, experiences and lessons learned from some studies of ad hoc learning supported by wireless and mobile technologies. The ad hoc learning activity model supports learners communicating with or obtaining help from classmates or teacher, interacting with environment, and accessing teaching material from mobile device or Internet. Example scenarios with prototype systems for ad hoc learning are presented. Preliminary experimental and trial studies are conducted with these example scenarios in elementary and high school students. The potential impacts, limitations, and lessons learned in this study are also discussed from both the educational and technological points of view. Learning in a lively, vivid, and new learning environment, students are motivated with interests for learning the target domains. Ad hoc learning potentially extends the scope of learning activities and with more flexibility than in traditional school curriculum.[[conferencetype]]國際[[conferencedate]]20050627~20050630[[booktype]]紙本[[conferencelocation]]Hsinchu, Taiwa

Proposal of a mobile learning preferences model

A model consisting of five dimensions of mobile learning preferences – location, level of distractions, time of day, level of motivation and available time – is proposed in this paper. The aim of the model is to potentially increase the learning effectiveness of individuals or groups by appropriately matching and allocating mobile learning materials/applications according to each learner’s type. Examples are given. Our current research investigations relating to this model are described

Challenges in personalisation: supporting mobile science inquiry learning across contexts

The Personal Inquiry project (PI) aimed to develop and implement personal inquiries in secondary schools in order to motivate engagement in scientific inquiry through its focus on inquiries of personal interest to young learners. This paper describes the authors’ experiences working with teachers in one school over three years, iteratively developing the nQuire toolkit* and pedagogical support across different inquiries which can be used in and across different contexts, ranging from the classroom to field trips and at home. As nQuire is web based, and can be accessed in different locations and on a range of networked devices it supports mobile inquiry learning and is the main resource for bridging between contexts. This paper discusses issues related to developing personal inquiries in schools, working across different contexts and focusing on three aspects of personalisation: choice, personal relevance and learner responsibility. It discusses the challenges faced when developing personalised inquiries in science, both in more traditional classroom contexts and in the less formal environment of an after school club. Drawing on technology supported inquiries from both these contexts it reflects on some of the constraints and tensions in providing learners with choice in their inquiries, identifying both the constraints and successes

iSpot Mobile - A Natural History Participatory Science Application

This paper reports on the progress that has been made towards the development of a mobile application to enable people to learn more about natural history by helping them to identify observations of nature as part of the iSpot project www.ispot.org. The paper identifies relevant research in mobile learning within the field of science and the challenges faced when designing and developing a mobile application for participatory science including the user-centred design approach and evaluation process that were adopted for the development. The paper includes lessions learned when adoptingan agile and iterative approach to mobile application development

Conceptual model of mobile augmented reality for cultural heritage site towards enjoyable informal learning (Marchsteil)

A mobile augmented reality (AR) is one of the emerging technologies that may provide interactive content to tourists at cultural heritage sites. Past studies show enjoyable informal learning experience is highly needed for tourists to broaden knowledge for tourists. Although many mobile AR applications have been developed to expose cultural heritage site information, they are still lacking in providing such experience due to lack of comprehensive models which taking into consideration the elements of enjoyable informal learning experience in the development of such applications. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive conceptual model of mobile AR where it considers the components of enjoyable informal learning experience at cultural heritage site. This study followed design science research methodology. The proposed conceptual model is reviewed and validated through expert review and focus group discussion The review was analysed based on frequency of the responses on each component. As a proof-of-concept, the prototype (named as AR@Melaka) was developed and then evaluated on its enjoyable informal learning aspects to 200 tourists of a renowned cultural heritage site. From user perspective, it is proven that AR@Melaka provides enjoyable informal learning. In conclusion, these findings proved that the conceptual model is useful for assisting tourists in learning at cultural heritage site in an enjoyable way. This study contributes a conceptual model to serve as guidelines for developing a mobile augmented reality that considers an enjoyable informal learning component

Striking a Balance Between Physical and Digital Resources

In various configurations—be they academic, archival, county, juvenile, monastic, national, personal, public, reference, or research, the library has been a fixture in human affairs for a long time. Digital — meaning, content or communication that is delivered through the internet, is 20 years old (but younger in parts). Basically, both approaches to organizing serve to structure information for access. However, digital is multiplying very fast and libraries all-round contemplate an existential crisis; the more hopeful librarians fret about physical and digital space. Yet, the crux of the matter is not about physical vs. digital: without doubt, the digital space of content or communication transmogrifies all walks of life and cannot be wished away; but, the physical space of libraries is time-tested, extremely valuable, and can surely offer more than currently meets the eye. Except for entirely virtual libraries, the symbiotic relationship between the physical and the digital is innately powerful: for superior outcomes, it must be recognized, nurtured, and leveraged; striking a balance between physical and digital resources can be accomplished. This paper examines the subject of delivering digital from macro, meso, and micro perspectives: it looks into complexity theory, digital strategy, and digitization

A Conceptual Framework for Mobile Learning

Several technology projects have been launched to explore the opportunities that mobile technologies bring about when tackling issues of democratic participation and social inclusion through mobile learning. Mobile devices are cheaper than for instance a PC, and their affordance, usability and accessibility are such that they can potentially complement or even replace traditional computer technology. The importance of communication and collaboration features of mobile technologies has been stressed in the framework of ICT-mediated learning. In this paper, a theoretical framework for mobile learning and e-inclusion is developed for people outside the conventional education system. The framework draws upon the fields of pedagogy (constructivist learning in particular), mobile learning objects and sociology.Mobile Learning, Digital Divide, Constructivist Pedagogy, Forms Of Capital

Augmented Reality and Context Awareness for Mobile Learning Systems

Learning is one of the most interactive processes that humans practice. The level of interaction between the instructor and his or her audience has the greatest effect on the output of the learning process. Recent years have witnessed the introduction of e-learning (electronic learning), which was then followed by m-learning (mobile learning). While researchers have studied e-learning and m-learning to devise a framework that can be followed to provide the best possible output of the learning process, m-learning is still being studied in the shadow of e-learning. Such an approach might be valid to a limited extent, since both aims to provide educational material over electronic channels. However, m-learning has more space for user interaction because of the nature of the devices and their capabilities. The objective of this work is to devise a framework that utilises augmented reality and context awareness in m-learning systems to increase their level of interaction and, hence, their usability. The proposed framework was implemented and deployed over an iPhone device. The implementation focused on a specific course. Its material represented the use of augmented reality and the flow of the material utilised context awareness. Furthermore, a software prototype application for smart phones, to assess usability issues of m-learning applications, was designed and implemented. This prototype application was developed using the Java language and the Android software development kit, so that the recommended guidelines of the proposed framework were maintained. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the University, with approximately twenty-four undergraduate computer science students. Twenty-four identical smart phones were used to evaluate the developed prototype, in terms of ease of use, ease of navigating the application content, user satisfaction, attractiveness and learnability. Several validation tests were conducted on the proposed augmented reality m-learning verses m-learning. Generally, the respondents rated m-learning with augmented reality as superior to m-learning alone