mLearning: the classroom in your pocket?

This paper reports the findings of a 1 year project which focussed solely on the potential of handheld computers for teacher professional development. The paper considers the fit between theory and practice, viewing the developing literature on mLearning as it might apply to teacher professional development, in the light of research evidence from project teachers using handheld computers. The teachers themselves used the analytical framework for teacher professional knowledge developed by Banks, Leach and Moon to consider their own experiences with the handheld computers. The study finds that handheld digital tools hold a number of pedagogic and pragmatic advantages over laptop or desktop computers for teachers, especially in rural communities; however, further technical development is required to fully orient the devices to classroom rather than office practices

Mobile Learning: location, collaboration and scaffolding inquiry

Critiques of mobile learning pedagogy are concerned with whether such approaches are technology led. This chapter discusses how the particular features of mobile learning can be harnessed to provide new learning opportunities in relation to collaboration, inquiry and location-based learning. Technology supported inquiry learning is a situation rich with possibilities for collaboration. In particular, mobile learning offers new possibilities for scaffolding collaboration together with its other better-known features such as scaffolding the transfer between settings and making learning relevant by making use of the possibilities of location-based learning. These features are considered as part of mobile learning models, in particular mobile collaborative learning models

Merging MOOC and mLearning for Increased Learner Interaction

In this paper, the authors suggest the merger of the Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) format and mobile learning (mLearning) based on mutual affordances of both contemporary learning/teaching formats to investigate learner interactions and dialogues in an open online course. The paper presents a case study of how MobiMOOC, a course created using the MOOC format, demonstrates the synergistic characteristics between the MOOC format and mLearning, making a combination of both fields ideal for contemporary, digital, collaborative learning, and knowledge construction based on learner interactions and dialogue. MobiMOOC was a six-week online course focusing on mLearning that ran in April and May 2011. An endof-course survey providesinsight thatsupportsthe synergies between MOOCs and mLearning: collaboration, informal and lifelong learning, and dialogue.Fil: De Waard, Inge. Athabasca University; BélgicaFil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachusetts; Estados UnidosFil: Hogue, Rebecca J.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University Northridge (calif. State Univ. Northridge);Fil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad del Cema. Departamento de Ingeniería Informatica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unid

Using mLearning and MOOCs to understand chaos, emergence, and complexity in education

In this paper, we look at how the massive open online course (MOOC) format developed by connectivist researchers and enthusiasts can help analyze the complexity, emergence, and chaos at work in the field of education today. We do this through the prism of a MobiMOOC, a six-week course focusing on mLearning that ran from April to May 2011. MobiMOOC embraced the core MOOC components of self-organization, connectedness, openness, complexity, and the resulting chaos, and, as such, serves as an interesting paradigm for new educational orders that are currently emerging in the field. We discuss the nature of participation in MobiMOOC, the use of mobile technology and social media, and how these factors contributed to a chaotic learning environment with emerging phenomena. These emerging phenomena resulted in a transformative educational paradigm

A pilot of the use of Short Message Service (SMS) as a training tool for anaesthesia nurses

Background: Anaesthesia nurses form a critical part of the team providing perioperative care to patients, but no accredited training exists for them in South Africa. In this setting, short in-service training interventions are a pragmatic attempt at improving nurse performance and patient outcomes. Traditional didactic teaching formats have limitations, and mLearning (the use of mobile telephones to facilitate education) has proved equivalent or superior to traditional teaching methods in several settings. Despite very high levels of mobile phone ownership amongst healthcare workers in Africa, this form of educational delivery has not been tested in the hospital-based nursing population.Methods: A telephonic true/false pre-test was performed with 12 nurses of varying levels of training, to assess their preexisting knowledge of anaesthesia. A pre-learning package was then delivered to them in the form of daily SMSs for a month, covering relevant anaesthesia content. A telephonic post-intervention test was performed to assess whether anaesthesia theory knowledge had improved.Results: Median test scores out of 30 were compared using a Wilcoxon signed rank test and were statistically higher in the postintervention test: 25 (IQR 20–26) vs. 21 (IQR 20–21.25) (p = 0.018).Conclusions: The results demonstrate an association between a cheap and widely available educational vehicle, and an increase in nurse knowledge scores. The use of mobile telephones in medical education in limited-resource settings should be explored further.Keywords: anaesthesia nurse, eLearning, mLearning, nurse education, Short Message Service (SMS

mLearning, development and delivery : creating opportunity and enterprise within the HE in FE context

This research project was funded by ESCalate in 2006-7 to support Somerset College in developing the curriculum, as well as widening participation via the use of mobile communications technologies such as mp3 players and mobile phones. The Project represents a highly topical and timely engagement with the opportunities for learning provided by the burgeoning use of mobile computing/ communications devices. Activities bring together colleagues from Teacher Education and Multimedia Computing in an innovative approach to designing for and delivering the curriculum. The Project addresses pedagogic issues and also vitally involves current and future learners, providing them with a new context for skills development and entrepreneurship. Anticipated outcomes include informed development of new HE modules and professional CPD activities which address the skills and context of this emerging approach to delivering the curriculum. The Project also intends to trial and evaluate the use of mobile technologies to support a blended learning approach to programme delivery and the development of a FD module which could be delivered via a mobile computing device. An interim report and a final project report are available as Word and PDF file

Emotive Vocabulary in MOOCs: Context & Participant Retention

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have been growing in popularity with educational researchers, instructors, and learners in online environments. Online discussions are as important in MOOCs as in other online courses. Online discussions that occur in MOOCs are influenced by additional factors resulting from their volatile and voluntary participation structure. This article aims to examine discussions that took place in MobiMOOC in the spring of 2011, a MOOC structured around mobile learning. This line of inquiry focused on language from the discussions that contained emotive vocabulary in the MobiMOOC discussion forums. Emotive vocabulary is words or phrases that are implicitly emotional (happy, sad, frustrated) or relate to emotional contexts (I wasn't able to...). This emotive vocabulary, when present, was examined to determine whether it could serve as a mechanism for predicting future and continued participation in the MOOC. In this research, narrative inquiry approach was used in order to shine a light on the possible predictive qualities of emotive text in both participants who withdrew from the course as well as moderately or moderately active participants. The results indicated that emotive vocabulary usage did not significantly predict or impact participation retention in MobiMOOC. (Contains 5 figures and 4 endnotes.)Fil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of London; Reino UnidoFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Inge de Waard. Institute of Tropical Medicine; BélgicaFil: Hogue, Rebecca Joanne. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Emotive Vocabulary in MOOCs: Context & Participant Retention

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have been growing in popularity with educational researchers, instructors, and learners in online environments. Online discussions are as important in MOOCs as in other online courses. Online discussions that occur in MOOCs are influenced by additional factors resulting from their volatile and voluntary participation structure. This article aims to examine discussions that took place in MobiMOOC in the spring of 2011, a MOOC structured around mobile learning. This line of inquiry focused on language from the discussions that contained emotive vocabulary in the MobiMOOC discussion forums. Emotive vocabulary is words or phrases that are implicitly emotional (happy, sad, frustrated) or relate to emotional contexts (I wasn't able to...). This emotive vocabulary, when present, was examined to determine whether it could serve as a mechanism for predicting future and continued participation in the MOOC. In this research, narrative inquiry approach was used in order to shine a light on the possible predictive qualities of emotive text in both participants who withdrew from the course as well as moderately or moderately active participants. The results indicated that emotive vocabulary usage did not significantly predict or impact participation retention in MobiMOOC. (Contains 5 figures and 4 endnotes.)Fil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of London; Reino UnidoFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Inge de Waard. Institute of Tropical Medicine; BélgicaFil: Hogue, Rebecca Joanne. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Perceptions of Pedagogical Affordance of Smart Mobile Technology

Smart mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous among educators and students in Palestine. Mobile devices can be used to provide learning that is contextualized, personalized and unrestricted by location and time. Although these device capabilities are available, many faculty in higher education are not effectively incorporating this technology into their teaching. This study therefore examined academics’ perceptions of the value of integrating mobile devices into their teaching activities. A questionnaire survey collected data from 56 academic staff of the Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie, eliciting perceptions of the pedagogical affordance of mobile devices and challenges to their use in teaching. The findings show that participants were still at the stage of actively experimenting with smartphones and iPads, trialing their use at different levels and for different purposes. In general, although participants were unaware of the full potential of their functionalities, they viewed positively the various pedagogical affordances of integrating these devices into their teaching activities. The most important affordances were linking formal and informal learning spaces by providing anywhere-anytime learning opportunities, and developing interest in the subject matter, thus making learning more enjoyable, meaningful, and accessible. The results also identify various challenges including lack of experience and knowledge, finding the time to design and implement such integration, and selecting appropriate apps for the content being taught. Participants also expressed concerns with the limited connectivity and unreliability of Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in Palestine