Mobile Learning Research Research Articles

Pedagogy 2 go: student and faculty perspectives on the features of mobile learning management systems

This study employed two surveys to explore the perceptions of university students and faculty regarding their patterns of use and usefulness of mobile learning management system LMS features. Results demonstrate that the patterns of using handheld devices and perceptions regarding mobile LMS features differed among students and faculty. Students preferred such features as Grades and Feedback, Content, Assignment Description, Course Calendar, and Parking Map, while the most desired features for faculty included Discussions and Class list. Gender influenced participants' responses relative to the perceived importance of the communication features. Female participants expressed more interest in using email, real-time chat, and text messaging for course communications using a mobile platform. The article is concluded with a discussion of implications for practice and future research in mobile learning.

LA ENSEÑANZA-APRENDIZAJE DE LA COMPETENCIA ORAL EN LENGUA EXTRANJERA EN EL CONTEXTO DE LA EDUCACIÓN ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA: DE LA CASETE A LA INTERACCIÓN VIRTUAL

This article describes the evolution of the teaching and learning of oral competence in foreign languages throughout the history of various institutions involved in distance education. It begins with a brief summary of concepts from distance learning and goes on to focus more specifically on the distance learning of languages. An analysis is also made of current practices and common activities in the distance teaching of oral language skills. The article concludes with a brief look at the new generation of distance language learning approaches, such as mobile language learning research and the use of virtual worlds on the part of some distance universities, following the recommendations of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) and the European Space for Higher Education (ESHE).

Supporting Learner Mobility in SCORM-Compliant Learning Environments with ISN Mobler Cards

About the author *IntroductionOver the last decade, mobile information technologies have become a ubiquitous part of daily life. Mobile learning research has been going on for less than ten years, given that the smartphone revolution only started in

A new trend of mobile and ubiquitous learning research: towards enhancing ubiquitous learning experiences

This paper overviews features and approaches of technology-driven researches on educational system development, describes research trends on mobile and ubiquitous learning, and explicates two cutting-edge mobile and ubiquitous research projects called LORAMS and SCROLL as a new trend of ubiquitous learning research.

Eliciting the potentials of mathematical mobile learning through scaffolding learning processes across contexts

Little is understood in terms of scaffolding learning processes in more dynamical contexts than the classroom environment. The scope of mobile learning research has so far been limited to the scaffolding functions of the mobile technology. Thus, in this paper, a larger grip was taken, focusing on all available means, such as teachers, mobile technology, pre-and post-activities as supportive structures. In doing that a sequence of learning activities were designed within the domain of mathematics education. We asked what scaffolding role the available resources can play in supporting the students learning processes, and further, how we are to orchestrate these resources across contexts in a pedagogical manner. The findings demonstrates how students' learning processes are to be scaffolded and how learning in an outdoor context can be meaningfully supported through the sequencing of activities and the utilisation of pre-and post-activities in indoor contexts.

Technologies for learning? An actor-network theory critique of 'affordances' in research on mobile learning

How is the link between learner and technology made in mobile learning? Whatis the value of the concept of ‘affordances’? And how does research articulatingthis concept act to position mobile devices as ‘technologies for learning’? Thisliterature review used both unstructured and structured search samples of publishedresearch on mobile learning to critically evaluate the prevalence and influenceof the concept of the affordances of mobile technologies. Actor-networktheory is drawn on as a theoretical lens through which to critically considerhow this concept is articulated, and in particular to explore the way it positionsand controls mobile devices as technologies for learning. Parallels in contemporaryaccounts of mobile learning are drawn with classifications of previous discoursesaround the introduction of computers into schools. An alternativeagenda for mobile learning research is suggested with a focus on authentic andinformal contexts rather than controlled experiments.10.1080/21567069.2011.624168

Technologies for learning? An actor-network theory critique of ‘affordances’ in research on mobile learning

How is the link between learner and technology made in mobile learning? Whatis the value of the concept of ‘affordances’? And how does research articulatingthis concept act to position mobile devices as ‘technologies for learning’? Thisliterature review used both unstructured and structured search samples of publishedresearch on mobile learning to critically evaluate the prevalence and influenceof the concept of the affordances of mobile technologies. Actor-networktheory is drawn on as a theoretical lens through which to critically considerhow this concept is articulated, and in particular to explore the way it positionsand controls mobile devices as technologies for learning. Parallels in contemporaryaccounts of mobile learning are drawn with classifications of previous discoursesaround the introduction of computers into schools. An alternativeagenda for mobile learning research is suggested with a focus on authentic andinformal contexts rather than controlled experiments.10.1080/21567069.2011.624168

Research of Mobile Learning System Equipment Environment

The diverse development of mobile terminal equipment and wireless networks makes more people choose mobile Learning, and how to select the appropriate equipment environment to support learning activities has become confusion in research and practice of mobile learning. In this paper , The terminal equipment and network access of mobile learning system environment are collectively referred to as mobile learning system equipment environment, it will separated describe the classification and characteristics of different mobile terminals and wireless network in detail, build an universal mobile learning system equipment environment model, have specific instructions of common mobile learning equipment environment based on this model, and the choice of mobile learning system equipment environment of existed typical mobile learning application cases home and abroad are classified and summarized. Finally, it will prospect the development of the future of mobile learning equipment environment.

Mobile Technology and Student Learning

As mobile devices become ubiquitous, it is necessary to analyze if and how these devices can be used for learning. This systematic review is part of a larger review that analyzed 21 mobile learning research studies published from 2005-present. Eleven studies that focused specifically on student learning outcomes and processes are summarized in this review in order to better understand the direction of mobile learning in mainstream education. Overall, studies were found to be positive and indicated several benefits of using mobile devices for learning including an increase in achievement, productivity, engagement, and motivation. This paper also highlights recommendations for future research and practice in the field of mobile learning, specifically focusing on the way personal mobile device ownership may influence learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Tug‐o‐where: situating mobilities of learning (t)here

This article explores ‘mobilities’ as a research framework for learning not so much in terms of what has to be done to enhance learning using mobile technologies. Instead it focuses on our embodied ways of knowing and learning by ‘being mobile’ in physical and mediated spaces. It reviews current mobility frameworks used in mobile learning research and other technology integration studies. It proposes a practice‐based mobility agenda for learning by ‘setting in motion’ not just technologies, but also bodies and spaces from a sociological perspective and a phenomenological standpoint. It seeks to understand what is being done – the re‐configurations of bodies, spaces and technologies in a mobile society that is increasingly characterised by media convergence and ubiquitous connections and communication. To move educational research, a conceptual framework that articulates body‐types in relation to technologies is discussed.

A Survey of Research Methods and Purposes in Mobile Learning

In this paper, the authors present a survey of published research in mobile learning. The authors investigate 114 papers from mLearn 2005, 2007, and 2008, and classify them according to two dimensions: research method and research purpose. Research methods and purposes are important parts of how research is conducted. Opinions and approaches toward research differ greatly. The classified papers are evenly distributed among the research methods investigated, with one exception, there are few in basic research. In terms of research purpose, papers that describe research are well represented but there is a lack of papers targeting evaluation. Papers recounting both basic research and research evaluation are imperative, as they help a research field to mature and researchers to avoid repeating known pitfalls. This maturity, in turn, leads to better scalability and sustainability for future research efforts in the mobile learning community.

Towards Work-Based Mobile Learning

Mobile devices are increasingly being used to support learning in work contexts. In exploring the emerging field of work-based mobile learning (WBML), researchers need to give consideration to the theoretical and empirical findings from mobile and work-based learning. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of key issues and dominant debates in these fields with the aim of providing a systematic introduction for mobile learning researchers interested in exploring the use of mobile devices for learning in work-based contexts. This paper’s focus is aimed at scoping possible commonalities across mobile and work-based learning in order to establish a baseline for future conceptual work in empirical research towards WBML.

Deconstructing and reconstructing: Transforming primary science learning via a mobilized curriculum

The history of science education reform has been fundamentally centered around science curriculum development and implementation. The advent of mobile technologies has necessitated a re-examination of how students could better learn science through these 21st century tools. Conventional teaching materials may not prepare students to learn the inquiry way and to become self-directed and social learners who could learn “everywhere and all the time (seamlessly)” using mobile technologies. This paper is based on our first year of work in our mobile learning research project in transforming primary three science lessons into a “mobilized” curriculum for a classroom context in which students routinely use mobile technologies. Using an exemplar fungi topic, we discuss our approach as well as experiences in deconstructing and reconstructing an existing curriculum through a co-design approach with teachers in a Singapore local school. In doing so, we make a contribution to the methodology for developing mobilized science curricula for in-class learning that also extends to out-of-class learning.

Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: a research agenda

AbstractOver the next 10 years, we anticipate that personal, portable, wirelessly networked technologies will become ubiquitous in the lives of learners—indeed, in many countries, this is already a reality. We see that ready‐to‐hand access creates the potential for a new phase in the evolution of technology‐enhanced learning, characterised by ‘seamless learning spaces’ and marked by continuity of the learning experience across different scenarios or contexts, and emerging from the availability of one device or more per student. The challenge is to enable learners to learn whenever they are curious and seamlessly switch between different contexts, such as between formal and informal contexts and between individual and social learning, and by extending the social spaces in which learners interact with each other. In this paper, we review the potential of mobile learning research for designing seamless learning environments that can bridge both formal and informal learning, present a research agenda and discuss important methodological issues that concern research into formal and informal learning.

Mobile Learning projects – a critical analysis of the state of the art

AbstractThis paper provides a critical analysis of Mobile Learning projects published before the end of 2007. The review uses a Mobile Learning framework to evaluate and categorize 102 Mobile Learning projects, and to briefly introduce exemplary projects for each category. All projects were analysed with the criteria: context, tools, control, communication, subject and objective. Although a significant number of projects have ventured to incorporate the physical context into the learning experience, few projects include a socializing context. Tool support ranges from pure content delivery to content construction by the learners. Although few projects explicitly discuss the Mobile Learning control issues, one can find all approaches from pure teacher control to learner control. Despite the fact that mobile phones initially started as a communication device, communication and collaboration play a surprisingly small role in Mobile Learning projects. Most Mobile Learning projects support novices, although one might argue that the largest potential is supporting advanced learners. All results show the design space and reveal gaps in Mobile Learning research.

Innovation in Mobile Learning

In the evolving landscape of mobile learning, European researchers have conducted significant mobile learning projects, representing a distinct perspective on mobile learning research and development. Our article aims to explore how these projects have arisen, showing the driving forces of European innovation in mobile learning. We propose context as a central construct in mobile learning and examine theories of learning for the mobile world, based on physical, technological, conceptual, social and temporal mobility. We also examine the impacts of mobile learning research on educational practices and the implications for policy. Throughout, we identify lessons learnt from European experiences to date.