Does Going Mobile Always Make Learning Better?

In order to understand what mobile learning (mLearning) can contribute to the educational experience and learning outcomes of university students, an examination is made of three mLearning applications - lecture podcasting, interactive classroom systems, and studentgenerated mLearning. These are analyzed in the light of pedagogic theory and compared to the traditional, didactic lecture and to typical implementations of eLearning. The application of concepts such as student-centred learning, active experiential learning, situated learning, learning conversations and the affordances offered by mobile devices reveal that mLearning can be fundamentally different from the forms of learning that preceded it. However, it is also noted that not all mLearning leads to better educational outcomes and that more emphasis needs to be placed on learner engagement and student-centred learning as fundamental concepts of any mLearning adoption

mStories: exploring semiotics and praxis of user-generated mobile stories

© 2014 Taylor & Francis. Innovations in information and communication technologies have allowed people to actively author multimodal content and engage in new meaning-making practices. New Literacies research has gone some way to understanding new meaning-making behaviours. However, this research often derives its understandings from studies undertaken with students enrolled in formal educational settings. Mobile technologies are increasingly situated outside such domains; the informal use of these devices by adults remains on the periphery of scholarly focus. mStories is a creative participatory digital mobile storytelling project. Taking a multidimensional perspective, this article presents the in-depth case analysis of one participant and their mStory. A semiotic analysis found that the user-generated content demonstrated complex and sophisticated multimodal sense relations. However, control over the textual or compositional meta-function of the text was determined largely by the computer interface, with users habituated to relinquishing authorial control over this element. Within this study, mobile literacy praxis was characteristically ad hoc and contextually embedded, and though mobile technology invites such practices, users were neither determined nor limited by this, and happily turned to other devices where necessary

A Case Study of Technology Adoption in a Remote Australian Aboriginal Community

Aboriginal Australians have often been characterized as low users of modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This perception has arisen because of poor rates of adoption of fixed-line phones, computers and the Internet. In this study, we examine the various technologies available in a remote Aboriginal community in Cape York. Our findings demonstrate that Aboriginal people are highly selective, leapfrogging over some standard ICT to adopt 3G mobile phones and music technology such as MP3 players. Given that these are the technologies of choice, it is appropriate for governments to support their use by broadening mobile phone networks, improving supporting infrastructure and providing better technical support in the remote areas where many Aboriginal people live. In addition, these technologies could provide the platform on which to build applications to improve health, education and other services to their communities

mLearning in Malaysian Universities: Local Ethical Considerations for Mobile Phone Use

Ethical policies are significant in regulating the use of mobile phones for mLearning. However, in developing countries, such as Malaysia, this area is fairly new. This article discusses research conducted within the Malaysian university system to gain perspectives from academics and students about the use of mobile phones for learning. The research methods used were interviews and focus groups. The findings were grouped according to several themes: concerns about the use of mobile phones inside the classroom; regulation and self-regulation of mobile phone use; banning of mobile phones from the classroom; allowing their use in emergency and special situations; uncertainty about ethical policies for using mobile phones; and worries about students potential disconnection from social life. Various approaches to regulate mobile phone use were discovered and are discussed in this article

Considering the Human Element of Long-Term IT Outsourcing: A Case Study of an Australian Bank

While many studies on outsourcing have identified its advantages and disadvantages from an organizational perspective, there has been insufficient attention paid to the impact of outsourcing on employees. A case study methodology was used in the analysis of the effects of IT outsourcing on the well-being of IT professionals working in a leading Australian bank. Despite the success of the outsourcing initiative for the organization, evidence from an intranet forum established in the six months prior to the outsourcing transition and surveys conducted of remaining staff two years post-implementation revealed a high degree of non-acceptance by both sets of workers. This arose despite managementâs attempts to communicate effectively with staff. Within this same period, the bank also had to adjust to the effects of a new psychological contract to which the now outsourced IT staff were working. The study concludes that the disaffection of staff resulted mainly from a lack of consultation during decision-making steps and a sense of powerlessness to influence management. Suggestions are provided as to how outsourcing could be accomplished in ways that improve employee acceptance and reactions to change

Confucian or fusion?: Perceptions of Confucian-heritage students with respect to their university studies in Australia

This research aims to uncover the perceptions of first-year Confucian-heritage students towards their lived experience of university study in Australia. Data was gathered from the students via interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. From the students' perspective, prior experience of western-style pedagogy was found to be helpful in giving students an idea of what the Australian learning environment would entail, although many students still had difficulty with classroom interaction due to persistent cultural conditioning. In terms of teacher behaviour, important factors include the lecturer demonstrating an understanding of the student's culture, using humour in teaching, being a role model, developing a good relationship with the student and demonstrating a commitment to their learning. Issues included the students' lack of understanding of the true significance of assignments and lecturers' misunderstanding of the valuable role of memorization in Confucian-heritage students' learning. The findings of this work allow academics an insight into the lived educational experiences of the student participants. They may also be tentatively offered as a means of informing future course design and delivery, with the goal of improving the quality of student learning and, therefore, academic success. © Common Ground, Frank Gutierrez, Laurel Evelyn Dyson, All Rights Reserved, Permissions

Literacies and learning in motion: Meaning making and transformation in a community mobile storytelling project

Copyright © 2018, IGI Global. Mobile and participatory cultures have led to widespread change in the way we communicate; emphasizing user generated content and digital multimedia. In this environment, informal learning may occur through digital and networked activities, with literacy no longer limited to alphabetic and character-based texts. This article explores adult learners' new literacies within the context of a digital mobile storytelling project. A qualitative approach is used to explore the artifacts and practices of nine adult participants who comprise the study. Participants created a range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and diary-style content in a variety of modes and media. Outcomes from content analysis, interview and survey methods depict mobile digital literacies as characteristically situated, experiential and multimodal. The mobile and participatory nature of this project was catalytic to participants' imaginative re-interpretation of the world around them as sources for meaning making and transformation. This paper contributes a case example of mobile learning with adults in a community setting

Enrolling Mobiles at Kowanyama: Upping the Ant in a Remote Aboriginal Community

Actor Network Theory is used in this paper as an approach to analyzing and interpreting mobile technology adoption in a very remote Aboriginal community in Cape York, Australia. Following the actors and insisting on the principles of generalized symmetry and impartiality towards all actors, the narrative centres on an event in the Wet season when the mobile network ‘fell over’ and all communication by mobile phone and mobile broadband ceased for a time. This extreme weather event acted as a catalyst for residents, business people and service providers to talk about mobile technology in their community and how it impacts on their lives. By setting aside arbitrary distinctions between groups of people in this community, the researchers rejected simplistic notions of cultural difference, and, instead, recognized place and cultural pratices associated with place as determinants of mobile phone behaviour

Managing employee expectations of organizational change: A case study of IT outsourcing at an Australian bank

While many studies on outsourcing have identified its advantages and disadvantages from an organizational perspective, there has been insufficient attention paid to the impact of outsourcing on employees. This case study of IT outsourcing in a leading Australian bank explores its effect on the well-being of IT professionals working there. Despite the success of the outsourcing initiative for the organization, evidence from an intranet forum established in the six months prior to the outsourcing transition and surveys conducted of remaining staff two years post-implementation revealed a high degree of nonacceptance by both sets of workers. This occurred despite management's attempts to communicate with staff. The study concludes that the disaffection of staff resulted mainly from a lack of consultation during decision-making steps and a sense of powerlessness to influence management. Suggestions are provided as to how outsourcing could be accomplished in ways that improve employee acceptance and reactions to change

A student-generated video careers project: Understanding the learning processes in and out of the classroom

Copyright © 2018, IGI Global. This article describes how in recent years, the multimedia recording capabilities of mobile devices have been used increasingly to create a more active, learner-centred educational experience. Despite the proven value of student-generated multimedia projects, there are still gaps in our understanding of how students learn during them. This article reports on a project in which first-year information technology students interviewed IT professionals in their workplace and video-recorded the interview to enable sharing with their peers. In order to understand the statistically significant increases found in students' learning, student diaries and reflections were analyzed qualitatively. Factors found to contribute to learning included: the iterative nature of student activities; the multiple, evolving representations of knowledge as students proceeded through the project; the importance of the workplace context in engaging students and enhancing learning; the affordance of mobile technology for capturing and sharing this context; and the collaborative and metacognitive processes fostered by the project