14,108 research outputs found
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Mobile Learning Revolution: Implications for Language Pedagogy
Mobile technologies including cell phones and tablets are a pervasive feature of everyday life with potential impact on teaching and learning. âMobile pedagogyâ may seem like a contradiction in terms, since mobile learning often takes place physically beyond the teacher's reach, outside the walls of the classroom. While pedagogy implies careful planning, mobility exposes learners to the unexpected. A thoughtful pedagogical response to this reality involves new conceptualizations of what is to be learned and new activity designs. This approach recognizes that learners may act in more self-determined ways beyond the classroom walls, where online interactions and mobile encounters influence their target language communication needs and interests. The chapter sets out a range of opportunities for out-of-class mobile language learning that give learners an active role and promote communication. It then considers the implications of these developments for language content and curricula and the evolving roles and competences of teachers
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A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education
This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, âPeals in the Cloudâ, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching
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The genesis and development of mobile learning in Europe
In the past two decades, European researchers have conducted many significant mobile learning projects. The chapter explores how these projects have arisen and what each one has contributed, so as to show the driving forces and outcomes of European innovation in mobile learning. The authors identify context as a central construct in European researchersâ conceptualizations of mobile learning and examine theories of learning for the mobile world, based on physical, technological, conceptual, social and temporal mobility. The authors also examine the impacts of mobile learning research on educational practices and the implications for policy. Finally, they suggest future challenges for researchers, developers and policy makers in shaping the future of mobile learning
Perspectives on human-computer interaction and culture
Due to the global distribution of technology and its use in highly culturally diverse settings, an understanding of culture, in particular the connection between culture and technology use, is becoming more relevant for distributors and developers of such technology, in order to survive in a dynamic market environment and to be able to offer products that are tailored to the requirements of the specific end user. Therefore, the overarching topic of this thesis is the exploration of the role of culture in human-computer interaction (HCI) as a key factor to understanding the user.
This thesis sheds light on the role of culture and socio-cultural systems and their multi-layered manifestations in human-computer interaction. The related research consists of two main strands: The first strand (manuscript 1 and 2) focuses primarily on examining the extent to which national culture is considered in HCI studies, and the extent to which subjects from different national settings are part of HCI studies. The key findings of the first strand are that HCI research tends to neglect culture, or, if it is considered, it is mostly treated narrowly, as a single variable that measures national cultures. The restricted cultural perspective becomes further evident when studying the participant samples from the most relevant HCI conference. There was a strong focus on participant samples from countries whose inhabitants tend to be Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic (WEIRD) and most of the other countries were clearly underrepresented.
The second strand of this thesis (manuscript 3 to 6) centres on the examination of the relationship between HCI and cultural as well as socio-cultural systems, particularly in knowledge-intensive practices. It shows the rich practices of technology appropriation in study settings outside of the typical WEIRD contexts. Furthermore, it explores the manifold, rich and often complex ways in which the use of technology is impacted by structures and practices of cultural systems, and, in the same way, transforms these systems.
The results from both strands of enquiry show that the HCI community should consider the diversity of potential technology users in its research and recommendations. Only in this way can technological developments be realised that are globally useful and usable on a broad scale. To support the HCI community on this path, alongside suggestions for further research projects, this thesis presents several detailed recommendations on how to increase diversity and the consideration of cultural aspects in HCI research and the HCI community
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Using ODL and ICT to develop the skills of the unreached: a contribution to the ADEA triennial of the Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning
Innovation in technology is occurring at rapid pace thus shrinking the distances and making information and knowledge more than ever accessible to everyone irrespective of where the person resides. This paper consists of four main articles. The first one deals with technological trends. The second one focuses on the deployment and use of open and distance education mode in rural areas by documenting initiatives that embrace information and communication technologies (ICTs). Due to challenges faced in rural areas only a few success stories/cases currently exist and some of these are cited in this article. The challenges faced in the deployment of ICT enhanced ODL have been highlighted as well as the potential of developing and delivering effective and relevant ODL programmes in rural areas in order to ensure that issues of educational equity and social exclusion rural communities are adequately addressed. ICTs in ODL are perhaps the greatest tool to date for self-education and value addition to any communityâs development efforts, yet poor rural communities particularly in Africa do not have the necessary awareness, skills or facilities to enable themselves to develop using ICTs. Inadequate ICT infrastructures in rural areas remain a major source for the digital divide in Africa and for under-performance of distance learners. The third one analyses the support provided to ODL learners who often encounter difficulties in completing their studies through the distance education mode due to loneliness, uncertainties and de-motivation. ICT has not been able to sufficiently support distance learners in overcoming those obstacles efficiently. An investigation regarding those learning supports has been conducted in ten distance learning institutions, along with an intensive literature review with the aim of understanding the high percentage of dropout rates of distant learners. The learnersâ interactions have been scrutinized through content analysis of their synchronous exchanges, during a completely online course. After taking into account the limited technical and human resources in Africa, a technological virtual environment along with a pedagogical framework has been proposed with the aim of giving adequate educational support to them. The fourth article has explored The Open University (UK) and its efforts to use new technologies to deliver online courses to difficult-to- reach learners in prison environments. The case study analysed here is an international course (called, B201- Business Organisations and their environments) which also touches an African cohort of learners. The implications for designing and delivering online ODL to the complex unreachable environments of prisons anywhere, and particularly in Africa, have been discussed
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Developing sustainable business models for institutionsâ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn usersâ motivations and experiences
Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OERâs value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education.
This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open Universityâs (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learnersâ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience
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