Motivating learning through mobile interaction

The acquisition of any goal happens only with the correct dose of motivation instilled in the individual pursuing it. Mobile technology is at the same time providing us with different sensors and technology which allow us to measure valuable attributes around a person who is engaged in a learning experience. In this paper we will be studying what motivates an individual while finding methods on the mobile device which will reach this motivation. The socio-cultural background of the individual undergoing learning will also be brought into context by acting as one of the driving forces of the presented recommendation technique.peer-reviewe

Mobile edutainment in the city

Touring around a City can sometimes be frustrating rather than an enjoyable experience. The scope of the Virtual Mobile City Guide (VMCG) is to create a mobile application which aims to provide the user with tools normally used by tourists while travelling and provides them with factual information about the city. The VMCG is a mash up of different APIs implemented in the Android platform which together with an information infrastructure provides the user with information about different attractions and guidance around the city in question. While providing the user with the traditional map view by making use of the Google maps API, the VMCG also employs the Wikitude® API to provide the user with an innovative approach to navigating through cities. This view uses augmented reality to indicate the location of attractions and displays information in the same augmented reality. The VMCG also has a built in recommendation engine which suggests attractions to the user depending on the attractions which the user is visiting during the tour and tailor information in order to cater for a learning experience while the users travel around the city in question.peer-reviewe

A mobile assistant in the city - M.A.C.

This paper proposes M.A.C., an intelligent mobile assistant in the city, specifically designed and aimed as an aid for the visually challenged. Such an aid makes use of a number of technologies, which are meant to help the person using his/her mobile phone, not only get to the target destination, but also avoid any imminent obstacles and dangers which might be on the way. This is a prototype project for demo purposes and it is expected that this project is further developed in, and tested with a number of real users under the assisted living ambient intelligence living labs. Lifelong learning will therefore have prominence in this paper, by highlighting an approach providing users with knowledge and skills which they need in the real world. This paper will also present possible applications of such a concept and show how added functionality can provide users with an overall richer experience contributing to an „openness‟ in mobility which would otherwise render use of such a technology based tool inaccessible.peer-reviewe

Innovation in Mobile Learning: A European Perspective

In the evolving landscape of mobile learning, European researchers have conducted significant mobile learning projects, representing a distinct perspective on mobile learning research and development. Our paper aims to explore how these projects have arisen, showing the driving forces of European innovation in mobile learning. We propose context as a central construct in mobile learning and examine theories of learning for the mobile world, based on physical, technological, conceptual, social and temporal mobility. We also examine the impacts of mobile learning research on educational practices and the implications for policy. Throughout, we identify lessons learnt from European experiences to date

Mobile-assisted language learning [Revised and updated version]

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) is the use of smartphones and other mobile technologies in language learning, especially in situations where portability and situated learning offer specific advantages. A key attraction of mobile learning is the ubiquity of mobile phones. Typical applications can support learners in reading, listening, speaking and writing in the target language, either individually or in collaboration with one another. Increasingly, MALL applications relate language learning to a person’s physical context when mobile, primarily to provide access to location-specific language material or to enable learners to capture aspects of language use in situ and share it with others. Mobile learning can be formal or informal, and mobile devices may form a bridge connecting in-class and out-of-class learning. When learning takes place outside the classroom, it is often beyond the reach and control of the teacher. This can be perceived as a threat, but it is also an opportunity to revitalize and rethink current approaches to teaching and learning. Mobile learning appeals to a wide range of people for a variety of reasons. It may exclude some learners but it is often a mechanism for inclusion. It is likely that the next generation of mobile learning will be more ubiquitous, which means that there will be smart systems everywhere for digital learning. Mobile learning is proving its potential to address authentic learner needs at the point at which they arise, and to deliver more flexible models of language learning

Effectiveness of mobile learning across various settings

This paper reviews three ‘mobile learning’ projects to understand the nature of and extent to which learning is enhanced and facilitated by the inclusion of mobile technologies in the different teaching/learning activities that were carried out. Reviews will be taken from a number of projects; Mobile Learning in Informal Science Settings (MELISSA),Mobile Clinical Learning and Out There in Here (OTIH) projects. Melissa was a European project dealing with a range of learning systems. The Mobile Clinical Learning project investigated the potential of learning resources provided in Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and the ways in which clinical learning within two comparative health care institutions can be supported by using small handheld computers. OTIH is seeking to support collaborative remote experimentation where learners work together in different contexts. Within these projects a range of mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, laptops, ipads) were used to allow a broader understanding of a changing mobile device landscape. The research literature suggests that learning opportunities are more likely to arise in environments where interaction is facilitated. By reviewing these projects we are able to identify elements that are facilitated by mobile technologies and explore ways that learning is supported

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 researchers’ 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