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Mobile Search and Context Based Learning

Damien Darcy – Institute of Education, University of London

Niall Winters – London Knowledge Lab

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““The design of a mobile learning activity with The design of a mobile learning activity with students using mobile search in a museum setting”students using mobile search in a museum setting”

What is the relationship between the learning What is the relationship between the learning context and mobile search?context and mobile search?

What do the students search for?What do the students search for?

How do they search?How do they search?

What motivates their searches?What motivates their searches?

IntroductionIntroduction

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Energy Gallery at the London Science Museum

Why we chose here

What this environment offers in terms of a learning context

Outlining the ContextOutlining the Context

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Context defines & affects the mobile search

Mobile search affects the context

Student Motivations

Find more information about an exhibit

Search for their own material

Search for alternative viewpoints

Immediacy

Why does it matter?

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Scenario – What happens?

ExhibitsExhibits

Phones Phones

QuestionsQuestions

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Observations and Findings

A Pilot StudyA Pilot Study

How much searching How much searching occurred?occurred?

What about contextual What about contextual searching?searching?

Examples of searches Examples of searches undertakenundertaken

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Putting it all together ….. What steps were needed to organise the

learning activity?

Location and context analysis

Examining the students search skills

Analysing the Results

Considering “Learning Trails”