Contextual queries and situated information needs for mobile users

The users of mobile devices increasingly use networked services to address their information needs. Questions asked by mobile users are strongly influenced by contextual factors such as location, conversation and activity. We report on a diary study performed to better understand mobile information needs. Participants’ diary entries are used as a basis for discussing the geographical and situational context in which mobile information behaviour occurs. The suitability of user queries to be answered by a portable knowledge collection and web search are also considered. We find that the type of questions recorded by participants varies across their locations, with differences between home, shopping and in-car contexts. These variations occur both in the query terms and in the form of desired answers. Both the location of queries and the participants’ activities affected participants’ questions. When information needs were affected by both location and activity, they tended to be strongly affected by both factors. The overall picture that emerges is one of multiple contextual influences interacting to shape mobile information needs. Mobile devices that attempt to adapt to users’ context will need to account for a rich variety of situational factors

Mobiles for Reading: A Landscape Research Review

This landscape review takes the broad domain of new information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education, and focuses on the fast-evolving sub-domain of mobiles for reading, or M4R. The \u27mobiles\u27 in this review primarily refer to mobile technologies— ICTs that are portable, typically battery powered, and may be connected to cellular networks and/or the Internet. The term \u27reading\u27 refers to the joint abilities of understanding and producing written language, for children, youth and adults. This review of M4R focuses primarily on the use of mobile ICTs designed to help children learn to read, practice reading (reading to learn), and acquire a broader range of learning skills that support a literate society

Quick response (QR) codes for audio support in foreign language learning

This study explored the potential benefits and barriers of using quick response (QR) codes as a means by which to provide audio materials to middle-school students learning Spanish as a foreign language. Eleven teachers of Spanish to middle-school students created transmedia materials containing QR codes linking to audio resources. Students accessed the audio tracks by scanning the QR code with an application on a smartphone while completing a homework task. The teachers assigned two tasks in a systems approach model: first a formative, and then a revised summative trial. After each attempt, the Spanish teachers shared their experiences of creating and using the transmedia materials by participating in interviews. Data was collected by means of a needs analysis survey, recordings and transcription of the two interviews, and by obtaining copies of the transmedia materials. The data analysis included a content analysis of the coded interviews, the results of which were triangulated with the responses collected in the needs analysis survey and an examination of the teacher-created materials. Several benefits to using audio QR codes were identified as a result of the analyses. These include the minimal amount of time and expertise required for teachers to create the transmedia materials, an increased student exposure to audio-only materials to aid listening comprehension, and the way in which the use of this technique allowed for transformative learning activities and a conservation of instructional minutes in the classroom. Some barriers were also noted, the largest being that device ownership and Internet access were not universal among students. Additionally, parental restrictions on smartphone use and some school administration polices regarding personal devices made the practice of using mobile technology for homework tasks difficult in certain cases. Implications include the possibility that training pre-service and in-service teachers in the use of transmedia materials that link to audio-only content may help decrease students’ cognitive load and lead to an increase in foreign language learners’ listening comprehension skills. Further study in the use of transmedia materials and mobile technology to support foreign language learning is recommended

Writing for mobile media: The influences of text, digital design and psychological characteristics on the cognitive load of the mobile user

Text elements on the mobile smartphone interface make a significant contribution to the user’s interaction experience. In combination with other visual design features, these words curate the path of the mobile user on a journey through the information to satisfy a specific task. This study analyses the elements that influence the interpretation process and optimum presentation of information on mobile media. I argue that effective digital writing contributes to reducing the cognitive load experienced by the mobile user. The central discussion focuses on the writing of text for this medium, which I suggest forges an entirely unique narrative. The optimum writing approach is based on the multi-dimensional characteristics of hypertext, which allow the writer to facilitate the journey without the user losing control of the interpretation process. This study examines the relationship between the writer, the reader and the text, with a unique perspective on the mobile media writer, who is tasked with achieving balance between the functionality and humanity of digital interaction. To explore influences on the development of the relevant writing techniques, I present insights into the distinctive characteristics of the mobile smartphone device, with specific focus on the screen and keyboard. I also discuss the unique characteristics of the mobile user and show how the visual design of the interface is integral to the writing of text for this medium. Furthermore, this study explores the role, skills, and processes of the current and future digital writer, within the backdrop of incessant technological advancement and revolutionary changes in human-computer behaviour

A generic framework to create and use QR codes and a usage case in the field of access control under Android

This project describes the development of a framework for secure exchange of secret information based on QR codes. The framework is programmed to be platform-independent. A possible usage scenario in the field of access control is described and a program to fit said scenario is presented, which runs on Android. Various design considerations are discussed and a number of possible off-the-label uses are considered. At the end, a road map for future improvements is presented. The present document has been drawn up to show the steps in the development of the framework in detail.El presente proyecto describe el desarrollo de un framework para el intercambio seguro de información secreta basado en códigos QR. El framework se desarrolla independientemente de la plataforma operativa. Se describe un posible uso en el ámbito del control de acceso y se presenta un programa ejemplo de su uso bajo Android. Se sustenta el diseño elegido y se presentan algunos posibles usos en otros ámbitos. Al final, se presenta una posible vía de futura evolución de la plataforma. El presente documento tiene como finalidad la presentación detallada de todos los pasos en el desarrollo del framework.Ingeniería Técnica en Sistemas de Telecomunicació

Literacy for digital futures : Mind, body, text

The unprecedented rate of global, technological, and societal change calls for a radical, new understanding of literacy. This book offers a nuanced framework for making sense of literacy by addressing knowledge as contextualised, embodied, multimodal, and digitally mediated. In today’s world of technological breakthroughs, social shifts, and rapid changes to the educational landscape, literacy can no longer be understood through established curriculum and static text structures. To prepare teachers, scholars, and researchers for the digital future, the book is organised around three themes – Mind and Materiality; Body and Senses; and Texts and Digital Semiotics – to shape readers’ understanding of literacy. Opening up new interdisciplinary themes, Mills, Unsworth, and Scholes confront emerging issues for next-generation digital literacy practices. The volume helps new and established researchers rethink dynamic changes in the materiality of texts and their implications for the mind and body, and features recommendations for educational and professional practice

Designing MOOC:a shared view on didactical principles

The innovative impact of the paper can be highlighted by the following statements: 1. Applying the Group Concept Mapping, a non-traditional and power research methodology for objectively identifying the shared vision of a group of experts on MOOC didactical principles. 2. Defining MOOC didactical principles and their operationalisations in more concrete guidelines. 3. Formulating suggestions for combining xMOOC and cMOOC.Supported by European Commission, DG EAC, under the Erasmus+ Programm