As the title points out, it is mainly about "learning by means of wireless technological devices that can be pocketed and utilized wherever the learner's device is able to receive unbroken transmission signals". After the definition of m-learning we can read about some statistical data of the method's use by institutions around the globe. Later it is deducted that the method is becoming increasingly popular and that students find mobile devices extremely helpful in supplementing their academic work. What follows are the author's predictions about the future of mobile learning with tendencies to incorporate augmented reality, location-based learning and other. The author concludes that there is still much to be done in the area of mobile learning and that teachers must be willing to give it a try because sooner or later it will become a game changing educational method.
The article is pretty short so I suggest you give it a read for more details or the parts that I haven't mentioned.
Additionally I would like to ask you the following questions:
- Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
- Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
- And for my last two questions I'll let you chose two that you find interesting from the article's "Key Questions to Ask" section.
I`d like to give my opinion before reading the paper. All in all, our English seminar is the form of m-learning, isn`t it? So, we are involving and creating the mobile learning platform. This is the anwser to the first Michail`s question as well.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point here but m-learning is not really the same as e-learning on mobile devices. There are some differences and this article describes some of them. With most notable being context and assessment.
Delete1. Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
ReplyDeleteI have participated in the development of the Nomad platform for mobile learning, which is now being used at our school. Nomadic learning sounds exotic, but I'm sure it can work as a teaching method in Poland just as well as anywhere else (I guess that's the premiss of this method anyway).
2. Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
Puzzle Based Learning is the subject that was chosen for the Nomad platform. It is also available as one of the subjects for our studies :). It is well suited here because students are required to solve the puzzles on their own. The platform offers tools to help with the learning process.
I wouldn't say mobile learning is over-hyped anymore. There was a time just as the very first smartphones came out, when the most competitive universities rushed to make use of them. Some even offered such smartphones to all students. That may have been hype and the result of the huge funding that those institutions had at their disposal. Now, just a few years later, almost everyone already owns a smartphone, so it becomes natural to create new and transition existing systems to mobile platforms. Whether that's better for education is another question, but people have been saying for a long time that handheld computing devices will replace desktop computers in the future. Now we can witness how it plays out.
3. How can we address the resistance to adoption that mobile learning is likely to foster?
The services should be multi-platform, so that students as well as teachers who prefer to use different devices can still participate (phones, tablets, laptops). Hopefully this won't be a problem as new generations of students arrive who are more and more accustomed to this technology.
4. At what speed, and with what degree of commitment, are we prepared to launch a mobile learning initiative?
I think we should deploy it gradually as new hardware and mobile network capacity becomes widely available. We should also listen to feedback from students and teachers and evaluate the results. It's difficult to tell at the moment what impact it will have. Will we be able to study at any school, anywhere in the world? Who knows.
The Nomad platform is not yet suited with a solid m-learning capability, although there are plans to add to it a mobile platform that provides much functionality from the mobile domain. Some of them being the ability to create tasks that are performed and evaluated through the use of GPS (like getting to some designated area, taking a preplanned tour to visit some points of interest, etc.). Since at first it is going to be launched for the elderly version of the educational platform it will also most likely include monitoring of the user's health parameters through the mobile devices sensors.
DeleteI agree with you that services should be multi-platform so that everyone that has a smartphone could make use out of them and not only a percentage of users with some specific OS version.
About multi-platform support, I suspect that may become a growing issue soon. Especially, if we consider tight integration with specific smartphone features as a requirement for true mobile learning. Older smartphones might be stuck with unsupported OS versions. At the same time apps will become outdated on the latest smartphones. In other words the mobile environment will be fragmented. Mobile devices are still evolving very quickly at the moment. Educational institutions may come to the conclusion that it's not worth it to constantly keep up with the changes - or go back to offering mobile devices of their own.
DeleteI will start answer questions from the article and then go to Michail questions.
ReplyDeleteHow can we stay in a world of mobile education? Will embracing mobile learning make our institution obsolete? Conversely, can we afford to stand on the sidelines as mobile learning takes off across all of higher education?
In history of education appear lot of new technology like for example computer, videos and laboratory equipment but those devices didn’t change institution of education. Off course radio in Australia cause that remote teaching are possible but in vast cases we still attend classrooms to learn from teacher.
Mobile learning, as far as I understand, is another blended learning tool. It can support us to learn for example history in the museum and upload are learning progress to teacher via internet. It can greatly improve military education for soldiers on battlefield or police officers on training, because they decisions can be rated in real-time so it can improve they learning from this feedback. And last but not least: Google Glass. Combine m-learning and this device can lead to almost infinity benefits for example in laboratory workshops. We see our progress and we can use help from our assistants in our job.
How will mobile learning impact our infrastructure? What infrastructure decisions, current and future, need to be reexamined in light of mobile learning’s needs and requirements?
Most of devices we have like: fast and reliable internet communication channel, microcomputers like Smartphones, cameras, displays, speakers, microphones, GPS, gyroscopes and other sensors. Sure we can imagine how cybernetic implants can support us in this new education experience but at this moment I can't imagine anything new from devices that are already invented. Software and integration is a key of success for this new education platform.
In majority of educational institutions there are not enough funds to establish fully functional educational environment but as i can imagine m-learning is a future of our education. We should watch development of Google Glass technology because sooner or later we can face that this vision comes true.
Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
I believe that mobile learning can improve speed and increase amount of acquiring knowledge. We should start from something easy like language education. For few years Google works for real time translator that can be used not only for WebPages translation but also voice and video streams. It also should be quite easy to learn history by walking in museum. Another easy application of mobile learning should find in driving course.
Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
Unfortunately I haven’t here anything about mobile learning.
I think that what is yet missing in this remote technology of learning is the natural feel of physical contact. Technology so far can't provide that and this is why remote learning like e-learning or m-learning aren't that widely used yet. Some time ago I was attending a webinar that had technical problems and the speakers were merely hearable, also it was only hearing and watching some presentation slides on your PC, you couldn't even see the speaker to at least feel that you are attending something more closer to what you get during a normal course or lecture. Sure such forms of learning are very beneficial for people that can't attend live presentations because of distance but other than that they are still inferior to normal methods.
DeleteFirst of all, I`d like to add some main conclusions coming from the paper. To sum it up, the article concerning modern teaching method and its possible futures in higher education. In my opinion, the better IT technology the better teaching methods is the conclusion of the article. As author said that “Devices become more personal” (…) and there are plenty of apps in the market of education category – “Android platform 12,129 (October 2011), iTunes apps 46,340 (September 2011) (…), so does learning”
ReplyDelete“What is mobile learning”?
According to Rick Oller m-learning is “learning by means of wireless technological devices” (mobiles, portable computers, audio players, tablets but not laptops, notebooks, exclusively smartphones)” that can be pocketed and utilized whenever the learner`s device is able to receive transmission signals”. Author said too, that “m-learning allows to break free of the classroom (…), untethering learners from their desks, dwellings (…) and can occur anywhere. What is more, m-learning have been developing very intensively for recent years. Its possible features include location based learning, augmented reality, wearable learning, ambient intelligence.
Yes, that is true. The increase in mobile device users correlates to the increase of m-learning (and even e-learning) popularity. It is a natural course of technological advancement and its adoption by people.
Delete1. Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
ReplyDeleteI haven`t heard and participated in any project involving m-learning so far. But on the other hand I have been participating in "The Puzzle Based Learning" for one month, so I can say I`m the member of m-learning.
What aspects of "The Puzzle Based Learning" make it belong to the m-learning domain?
DeleteThe way, than the platform gives all the course members mobile access to the presentations and possibilities to pass comments.
Delete2. Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wiktor that m-learning isn`t over-hyped. In my opinion m-learning is a very convinient way esspecialy in adults` eductaion. These social status cathegory suffers from shortage of time and m-learning features gives them possibilities to learn by mobile devices at any time they can. I think that m-learning fits the best to all subjects where multimedia can be applied.
According to the second question one more comment.
DeleteIn my opinion, stand-alone m-learning shouldn`t be developed. It should be in a form of blended learning. The percentage of m-learning and stationary classes is another, second important question.
Do you think that e-learning should be in a form of blended learning? If not then why m-learning should? Maybe in m-learning it is harder to create and evaluate courses and this is why it needs physical supervision, but I think that is only a matter of time till we find solid methods of automating the process.
Delete3. How can we address the resistance to adoption that mobile learning is likely to foster?
ReplyDeleteI think, that teenagers and people in twenties are very fluent with state of the art technology, so they will not have any problems with dealing with m-learning tech.
I agree to some extent with Wiktor`s comment that "the services should be multi-platform", so that both students and teachers can use it on different devices.
But there is another very important aspect to break the barrier of handling the state of the art tech by adults, mainly by +40. So to do it, there should be executed special programs directed to these social status cathegory describing what m-learning is and how to face it.
In some time we will be able to see the elders' version of Nomad's mobile platform in action and evaluate its results.
Delete4. How will mobile learning impact on our infrastructure?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Wikipedia`s definition infrastructure is "the basic physical (roads, bridges, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, etc.) and organizational structure needed for the operation of a society or enterprise" [1] (...) and "the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function" [2].
Based on the assumption that each kind of learning`s method is to develope our skills, infrastructure should be developed as a consequence of m-learning process.
What infrastructure decisions, current and future, need to be reexamined in light of mobile learning`s needs and requirements?
The Polish society is getting older and older, so in the future the most of us will need continuing education to keep up the modern technology. Taking the above assumption into consideration, in my opinion, national developement programmes how to use modern mobile devices and technology are needed.
There are still places where there is very scarce coverage of mobile telecommunication. I think we should start by introducing better and cheaper ways of internet connection (providing better coverage and making it as cheap as possible). Nowadays mobile internet (GPRS, LTE) is still too expensive for the average Joe to use regularly. There is also this free option in Poland called Aero2 but as far as I know it will end soon and it is hard to gain access to it.
DeleteThanks for all of your comments so far. Please keep them comming! :)
ReplyDeleteDo you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning method?
ReplyDeletethe main obstacles to the development of educational applications come from the technology itself: problems with touch screen sensitivity and reduced storage capacity, terms of binding input (stylus, keyboards too small), relatively slow processors to systems exploitation and partial programs "light version" more computer communication protocols still in the development phase. It seems that the importance of overcoming these obstacles that efforts to further advance the technology side rather than the educational side
Indeed, it is difficult to identify a specific mobile learning problem as a field of study and teaching practice. But as the use of M-Learning progress, practice and study of various aspects develop. Thus, Sharples (2006) identified three corresponding phases, first, the use of classroom response systems, electronic books and "classical" computer applications in the classroom, and in the second position, taking into account the mobility through field studies and visits to the museum in which mobile devices are used to collect and organize data and to help the student "nomadic" and finally at a stage where learning occurs in a context, often collaborative situation meditated, distributed cognition and communication with asynchronous or simultaneously in a learning community
The issue of conflict between personal informal learning and traditional classroom deserves special attention. Indeed, we face two physically separate systems: one is the system of education in schools; the other system is regulated by social networking. There is therefore a critical need for more research to establish the relationship between these two forms of formal and informal learning.
You are right we will probably have to wait till the technology matures enough for the educational aspect to settle in as well as possible.
DeleteIMHO, we are in the age of learning the interfaces, not the meta itself. Once you are familiar with the interface, you can reach the 'simplified' information pill that you need. This might not cover all the population but I believe it's the main stream.
ReplyDeleteQ: Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
> I'd made a research for a company conducting large scale education business. Back in the day, things were different as the connecting speed and reliability wasn't any similar to one we have today. Personally, I've never believed in a magical technological solution for today's educational habits.
I'm not much familiar with the things going on in Poland. I've been around for a year or two. AFAIK, not much difference comparing to other countries. How about the PJWSTK's portal as others suggested.
Q:Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
> It depends to the person, subject, solution, provider, costs..
Q:And for my last two questions I'll let you chose two that you find interesting from the article's "Key Questions to Ask" section.
1 - How can we stay relevant in a world of mobile education?
> We can keep up with the interfaces or develop a better interface for a material.
2 - Conversely, can we afford to stand on the sidelines as mobile learning takes off across all of higher education?
> Yes and No. Old school learning has a special interface that many of us know how to grab, and consume the information. Adaptation of the new interfaces lowers the costs, and brings more students in.
So yet again we come to the conclusion that we need to wait for technological advancement and adaptability for m-learning to have a chance of competing with normal educational methods.
DeleteI think it is an interesting idea because it gives us the possibility of learning wherever we are, however, going to school has also other advantages such as meeting people making friends and so one thats why use only this method of learning is not the best solution:)
ReplyDeleteHave you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning? Is it used in Poland at all?
I never took part in any such project and I haven't heard about such methods in Poland
Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
I think that this is an interesting method that can enhance existing methods but does not replace them, according to what I wrote above going to school has also other advantages in school we are learn how to work in teams we meet other peoples or we learn to make interpersonal relationships
How can we address the resistance to adoption that mobile learning is likely to foster?
I agree with Wiktor that services should be multi-platform, and also should be very intuitive and easy to use for everyone.
At what speed, and with what degree of commitment, are we prepared to launch a mobile learning initiative?
I think that we should do it slowly, step by step, looking at the results because it is something new and it is hard to say what impact it will give and how students will react.
Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning?
ReplyDeleteYes, I did hear about it. I did not participate in any of those projects as a developer or a team member but I've used mobile learning applications. Mostly Duolingo was my app of choice. It's not only mobile based (multi-platform) but it's great for spending free time, when there is no way to use laptop - as on the public transport.
Is it used in Poland at all?
I think that it is starting to be used as it is a new global trend. It will be more and more popular in the upcomming years.
Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
I do not think that it is a better way to learn, quite the contrary in fact. I think though, that it serves a completely different use case. It is to be used when it's convenient and there is no alternative. It's main advantage is accessibility.
I think it would fit best learning languages and computer science (like programming) but any knowledge could be transposed to that models (and, for example, gamified for better experience).
Have you heard or participated in any project involving mobile learning?
Yes, I did hear about it. I did not participate in any of those projects as a developer or a team member but I've used mobile learning applications. Mostly Duolingo was my app of choice. It's not only mobile based (multi-platform) but it's great for spending free time, when there is no way to use laptop - as on the public transport.
Is it used in Poland at all?
I think that it is starting to be used as it is a new global trend. It will be more and more popular in the upcomming years.
Do you think that mobile learning is over-hyped or is it really much better than current learning methods? What subjects it would fit the best?
I do not think that it is a better way to learn, quite the contrary in fact. I think though, that it serves a completely different use case. It is to be used when it's convenient and there is no alternative. It's main advantage is accessibility.
I think it would fit best learning languages and computer science (like programming) but any knowledge could be transposed to that models (and, for example, gamified for better experience).
Question about financial consequences and Question "Can we afford to stand on the sidelines...".
I think that mobile learning in current phase is for most educational institues a "nice to have" feature. It's not needed. It's just fancy. Introduction of new platforms come with costs (development, maintenance) and it is not clear if there exists a need for such solutions, at least not now.
I think that it is quite expensive for institute in terms of low ROI (return on investment). That ROI can be higher for institues in USA than in Poland due to prestige, higher budgets and bigger competition on the market of universities. In Poland it will remain to focus all efforts in terms of spent money on diversifying offer that is served to potential students by introducing new faculties, studies and courses.
Sorry for the late response but I had some unexpected network issues and I could not publish my comment.
Delete