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

Interventions to Form Wellness Routines Among Young Elderly

The ageing population of Europe is a concern for political decision makers as the ageing population by 2020 will represent very large groups of people (18-23% of the population in most EU countries). The issues raised concern elderly people, the age group 75-90 years, as their need for health and social care is expected to grow beyond what national economies can afford. Not much thought is given the “young elderly”- the age group 60-75 years – as the serious age-related problems are yet not visible among them and, hence, they are not on the political radar. Nevertheless, interventions to form and sustain wellness routines among the “young elderly” as part of preventive action programs could significantly reduce the problems society faces when people become elderly. We propose that digital wellness services on smartphones can serve as interventions to form and sustain wellness routines

Mobile Services for the Hospitality Industry

Mobile services appear to be an obvious choice for travel and tourism as the travellers are on the move, which is the first criterion for mobile services to be relevant. The travel and tourism industry, which is one of the largest and most rapidly expanding industries in the world and one of the significant users of ICT in its operations, will no doubt be an important market place for mobile services. Nevertheless, according to a study we conducted in 2003, only a few of the respondents were using mobile services to support their travel but many expressed their intention to use these services when they become viable for them. The travel and tourism industry has seen many dramatic changes within the last decade because of the possibilities offered through the wired internet. When mobile services start to offer an effective alternative to presently used routines and services it is expected that they will have a profound impact on the business models of the travel and tourism industry. The available mobile services in the hospitality industry are not as many and as value-adding as expected and we contrast them with the travellers’ attitudes and expectations in an empirical study. The results and insights collected while studying travellers were later used to build a mobile booking system prototype for a major hospitality chain in Finland

Nice Mobile Services do not Fly. Observations of Mobile Services and the Finnish Consumers

When the short message service (SMS), was first initiated in 1992 nobody could foresee its tremendous popularity. Simple in design, easy to adapt and effortless to employ it rapidly became a profitable, matchless, globally used mobile service – referred to as a “killer application”. Ever since the quest for the next mobile service “killer application” has continued. Year after year the mobile service market(s) produce(s) new services and applications that due to complexity or lack of relevance fail to meet the consumers’ expectations. In this paper we will discuss three mobile services that commonly have been described as promising and innovative: mobile games, mobile television and snapshots with mobile phones, in an attempt to understand their potential for becoming successful services. We will study the Finnish mobile services market from two different viewpoints: on the one hand what Finnish experts and professionals on mobile commerce think the consumers want, and on the other hand, what the consumers actually use and will use in the future. In his way we will show some identifiable reasons for the discrepancies between mobile services offered and mobile services actually used. The analysis is based on our 2004-5 consumer surveys of mobile services com

Rakenneyhtälömallinnus puuttuvuutta sisältävällä aineistolla - tapaus DigitalWells

DigitalWells-ohjelma tutki ja kehitti vuosina 2019–2022 liikuntateknologiaa ja hyviä käytänteitä, joiden avulla pyrittiin ennaltaehkäisemään nuorten ikäihmisten (60–75-vuotiaiden) terveyden kannalta riittämättömän liikunnan aiheuttamia seurauksia. Osallistujat saivat käyttöönsä ilmaisen DigitalWells-sovelluksen, jonka avulla he pystyivät tallentamaan sekä seuraamaan omaa fyysistä aktiivisuuttaan. Ohjelman eräänä tutkimuksen kohteena oli uuden liikuntateknologian hyväksyminen ja käyttöaikomus. Tutkimusaineistoa kerättiin sekä DigitalWells-sovelluksen että kyselytutkimusten avulla. Yhdistetty teoria teknologian käyttöönotosta ja käytöstä (UTAUT) on Venkateshin ja kollegoiden vuonna 2003 esittämä teoreettinen malli neljästä päätekijästä, jotka kuvastavat yksilön uutta teknologiaa koskevia ennakkokäsityksiä. Yhdessä nämä neljä päätekijää selittävät uuden teknologian käyttöönottoa ja täten myös sen käyttöä. Mobiiliteknologian nopean kehityksen myötä UTAUT-mallia on päivitetty ja laajennettu koskemaan myös kuluttajia, kun alkuperäistä vuoden 2003 teoriaa sovellettiin lähinnä työntekijän näkökulmasta. Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan rakenneyhtälömallinnuksen sopivuutta analyysimenetelmänä, kun teoreettisena mallina on muunnettu UTAUT2-malli. Teoriaosassa esitetään rakenneyhtälömallinnuksen ensisijaiset ominaisuudet sekä estimointimenetelmät. Lisäksi tarkastellaan yleisiä käytäntöjä, joilla rakenneyhtälömallin sopivuutta arvioidaan. Teoriaosassa käydään myös läpi puuttuvan tiedon mekanismeja sekä esitetään rakenneyhtälömallinnukselle suotuisia menetelmiä puuttuvuuden hallinnointiin. Tutkielman soveltavassa osassa DigitalWells-ohjelman kyselytutkimuksen osa-aineistoon sovitetaan UTAUT2-teoriaa hyödyntävä rakenneyhtälömalli. Rakenneyhtälömallinnuksen avulla tarkastellaan ohjelmaan osallistuneiden nuorten ikäihmisten uuden liikuntasovelluksen hyväksymistä. Tutkielmassa huomioidaan myös kyselyaineistossa esiintyvä puuttuvuus, jota korjataan rakenneyhtälömallinnukselle suotuisilla imputointimenetelmillä sekä valituilla analyysimenetelmillä. Lopuksi eri imputointi- ja analyysimenetelmillä tuotettujen rakenneyhtälömallien sopivuutta arvioidaan rakenneyhtälömallinnukselle ominaisilla indikaattoreilla. Parametrisella ja epäparametrisella menetelmällä saadut tulokset ovat samansuuntaisia. Tutkielman muunnettu UTAUT2-malli sopii tutkittavaan DigitalWells-kyselyaineiston osa-aineeston kohtuullisesti

Using a Physical Activity Application to Promote Physical Activity Levels Among Aged People: A Follow-Up Study

The share and life expectancy of the ageing population are increasing. However, aged people are threatened by insufficient physical activity. Therefore, finding ways to support people to live a physically active life in older age is imperative. Digital wellness technologies represent a potential solution, but in order for such technologies to be effective, research is needed to gain a better understanding on their use among aged people. To address this need, this study investigated whether the use of a physical activity application can promote physical activity among aged people. The physical activity levels were measured at three different time points: before taking the application into use, after four months of use, and after 12 months of use. The results show a modest increase in the physical activity levels. When examining physical activity categories (based on the IPAQ-E), a participant rather shifted to a higher than to a lower physical activity category. Overall, the changes were more substantial after 12 months than after four months of use. The results suggest that physical activity applications used in everyday life have potential in promoting physical activity levels among aged people

E-inclusion in Finland and Italy in the light of statistical data.

When young people drop out of school they are in great danger of being marginalized in society. Immigrants are another group of people who for several reasons often find it difficult to become integrated into their new home country. In both cases some less formal way of learning might help these groups avoid social exclusion. Well thoughtout development and application of new advanced technologies would be likely to level the way for continued education, communication and democratic participation in society. The term e-inclusion refers to these electronic means and how they could be applied to hindering social exclusion. This study compares the situation of school drop-outs and immigrants in Finland and Italy in the light of statistical data. It paves the way for a European research and development project whose aim is to study problems of e-inclusion in Finland and Italy empirically as well as develop technological and pedagogical solutions to them.mobile learning; e-inclusion; disadvantage groups; immigrants; drop outs

The experience and impact of chronic disease peer support interventions: A qualitative synthesis

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to synthesise qualitative literature about the perceived impact and experience of participating in peer support interventions for individuals with chronic disease. METHODS: We carried out a meta-ethnography to synthesize 25 papers meeting specific inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Thirteen concepts were identified that reflected participants' perceptions of the experience and impact of intervention participation. These were brought together in a conceptual model that highlighted both positive and negative perceptions, while also indicating if specific experiences and impacts had greater pertinence for mentors, mentees, or were mutually experienced. CONCLUSION: Although peer support interventions may establish uneven power relationships between mentors and mentees, there is also potential for initially asymmetrical relationships to become more symmetrical over time. Our synthesis suggests that emotional support is particularly valued when delivered under conditions that do not merely reproduce biomedical hierarchies of power. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This synthesis suggests that those developing and implementing peer support interventions need to be sensitive to their potential negative effects. They will need to manage the tension between the hierarchical and egalitarian aspects of peer support interventions, and consider the impact on both mentors and mentees

The successes and challenges of harmonising juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) datasets to create a large-scale JIA data resource

Background CLUSTER is a UK consortium focussed on precision medicine research in JIA/JIA-Uveitis. As part of this programme, a large-scale JIA data resource was created by harmonizing and pooling existing real-world studies. Here we present challenges and progress towards creation of this unique large JIA dataset. Methods Four real-world studies contributed data; two clinical datasets of JIA patients starting first-line methotrexate (MTX) or tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) were created. Variables were selected based on a previously developed core dataset, and encrypted NHS numbers were used to identify children contributing similar data across multiple studies. Results Of 7013 records (from 5435 individuals), 2882 (1304 individuals) represented the same child across studies. The final datasets contain 2899 (MTX) and 2401 (TNFi) unique patients; 1018 are in both datasets. Missingness ranged from 10 to 60% and was not improved through harmonisation. Conclusions Combining data across studies has achieved dataset sizes rarely seen in JIA, invaluable to progressing research. Losing variable specificity and missingness, and their impact on future analyses requires further consideration