Mobile Technology

in Education

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Mobile Technology in Education

Getting the message across ANYWHERE, ANYTIME…

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

INTRODUCTION

/ What is mobile learning?/ What tools are classified as mobile learning?/ How is it currently being used in education?/ How to embed mTechnology into my current

teaching practice?/ Implementing mLearning with Web 2.0

applications for anywhere, anytime learning

Topics:

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

What is Mobile Learning?“Any sort of learning that happens when the learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location, or learning that happens when the learner takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies.” - wikipedia, Sept. 2009

•Mobility/Portability

•Context – anywhere anytime - Diversity

•Ubiquity, Connectivity

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

‘Mobile’ means portable and personal

What are the new mobile technologies, and why are they relevant to learning ?

• PDAS, Mobile phones, Smart Phones

• Iphones, portable media players

• Net Books, Tablets Pc’s with wifi/3g

• GPS, RFID’s, position awareness

Many of these tools are integrated with the network have the ability to connect with social software applications such as blogs and wikis and web2.0 services eg. Podcasts and vodcasts, that can be syndicated to personal spaces .

What is Mobile Learning?

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Mobile Phones

/ mLearning has it’s roots in the use of SMS/ MMS – images/audio/ Audioblogging/Moblogging/ Bluetooth/ Expense and interoperability issues

Image by sean dreilinger

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Podcasting/Vblogging/ Grew out of blogging in early 2000

/ Gains mass appeal with rss support in iTunes in 2005 and the adoption of ipods

/ Portable content anytime/anywhere

/ Broadcast & syndication model

Image by Steve Wilhelm

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Always on …

/ The mobile web – 3g, wifi

/ Smart Phones, Net Books, Tablets Pc’s

Image by robynejay Image by rose hill Image by Akihabara News

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

GPS

Image Telendro

Image by brewbooks Image by ishmell

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Teaching TheoriesConstructivism, Behaviourism, Situated, Collaborative

….. And now there ‘s Connectivism!

/ New practices against existing theories and see how many examples of mobile technology you could apply in each of these theories

/ How are learning theories impacted when knowledge is no longer acquired in the linear manner?

/ What adjustments need to be made with today’s learning theories when technologies performs many of the cognitive operations previously performed by learners (information storage and retrieval)?

/ How can we as educators continue to stay current in a rapidly evolving information ecology?

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

There has been small pockets of innovation across TAFE state-wide and nationally where mobile technology delivery has been implemented in VET.

However, for these implementations to be successful educators must be AWARE of some of these following issues:

1. Context – contextual info used and re-mashed can conflict with anonymity & privacy2. Mobility – the linking outside of the class to activities could lend to irrelevance to the course

learning outcomes as a form of ‘escapee’3. Learning over time – Industry based-learning needs good retrieval of learning experiences that

are sustainable and scalable over time eg effective tools for recording e-portfolios4. Informality – students abandon technology if it is perceived as an intrusion into their social

networks eg personal spaces/SMS etc5. Ownership – Student-centred learning is about personalised learning however, students want to

control their personal technology which challenges them when they bring into the classroom eg Consider costs, usability, technical and institutional support, copyright

What are the implications for learners, teachers and curriculum developers

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

Possibilities to consider in your teaching section:

– Providing student support tools and resources in a simple, easy to use format

– New ways of delivering our courses in a cost effective and timely manner that offers more flexibility to teachers and learners

– Assist disengaged students to become part of a learning community thus increasing retention and completion rates

How to get involved

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

As mobile technology becomes more ubiquitous (for the ULearner) and interoperable with networks applications ( organisation’s intranets and internets) with enhanced capabilities for rich social interactions using Web 2.0 type services it will become more and more embedded as a flexible learning option to students studying in VET.

These technologies will assist work-based learning environments as we will move more and more outside the classroom and ’in the field’ where industry base learning will be both real and virtual.

Thus, becoming more situated personal, collaborative, connected and lifelong.

What is the Future of Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning?

Ambition in Action

www.sit.nsw.edu.au

mmm…Learning

It’s no use his mobile is switched off…

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