mLearning: Theory, opportunities, and use

Presented to the Turkish Private Schools Association

Roderick Gammon

January 2012

Personal mobile devices

iPhoneLeapster

Galaxy

NetbookVReader

Nintendo DS & Sony PSP

iPad

Mobile

• Extending learning to outside the class

Personal

• Bringing outside experience into class

A focus on phones

Useful features

• Camera

• Email/SMS/MMS

• Write/Type

• Audio play/record

• Maps & GPS

A focus on phones in Turkey*

As of 2010• 44% internet access– Top 5 in Europe– 32.7 hours per user in August– 35% use to plan travel– 76% within ages 16-24

• 78% mobile phone ownership• 23.7% smartphone ownership

*2011, European travel commission http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/regional-overview/103-europe

When introducing mobile, consider:

Learner: When, where will they engage?

Knowledge: What is the focus and purpose?

Assessment: How will performance be observed?

Community: How will it impact the class context?

Learner

What are the opportunities?• Pre-class prep

• In-class activities

• Dedicated study and assignments

• Self-directed study

• Unexpected free time

What is the student’s day like?

Knowledge

Where is the learner in the study lifecycle?

• Pre-enrollment

• Enrolled

• Certification

• Performance support

Curriculum + relationship to it

Assessment

What is the learner’s progress towards their learning purpose?

• Time on task

• Type of content

• Engagement

• Performance

Assessment as a prompt for engagement

Community: Educational contexts

Student:Teacher

Person:Technology

Example media

Classroom *:1 *:1 Interactive whiteboard, projectors

Media lab *:1 1:1 Desktop PCs, audio recordings, netbooks/tablets

Personal study

1:0 1:1 Mobile phone, netbook

Group study, in-person

*:0 1:2…n Paper and pencil to latest consumer tech

Group 2.0 *:* 1:1 Social network spaces

Example eLearning on iOS

Cambridge University Press

• Pronunciation (any age)

• 2 views of the same reference (secondary +)

Limitless Horizons, LLC

• Arithmetic (primary)

eLearning apps on iOS

How they are used*

• Engagement:

• 22% for 2-3 minutes per session

• 23% 3-10 minutes

• Frequency: 2 sessions a day

* Data on particular eLearning apps via Flurry.com

Pronunciation: Clear Speech

• Focused on one skill

• Teacher-developed

• Casual gaming

• Audio + physical response

• Any age

Cambridge Dictionaries• General reference• Secondary +• Multilingual• Multidevice (web and app)

Math in a Minute• Arithmetic only

• No writing required

• For young children

• Assessment as activity

• Scoring/progress as motivation

Before introducingTarget audience closely

• Daily & study lifecycles

• Age

Isolate skills, outputs and inputs

• Input difficulty

Putting into practiceUpgrading current methods

• Distributing presentation podcasts, notes & slides

• Send questions before, during class: SMS, Twitter

• Special needs: From single to multipurpose devices

Collaboration ideas (free)

• Digital stories: Tumblr, Create presentations

• Photo hunt: Flickr, Maps

Thank you

Roderick Gammon

Personal blog: http://lh-llc.com

Cambridge University Press:

http://www.cambridgemobileapps.com/

http://www.cambridge.org/us/esl/multimedia

Email: ra.gammon@gmail.com

@rodgammon

/in/rodgammon