making mlearning work: utilizing mobile technology for collaboration, assessment, and reflection in...

J. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS, Vol. 35(1) 3-30, 2006-2007

MAKING mLEARNING WORK: UTILIZING MOBILE

TECHNOLOGY FOR ACTIVE EXPLORATION,

COLLABORATION, ASSESSMENT, AND REFLECTION

IN HIGHER EDUCATION

MERCEDES FISHER, PH.D.

National College of Ireland, Dublin

DEREK E. BAIRD, M.A.

Yahoo! USA, San Francisco, California

ABSTRACT

The convergence of mobile technologies into student-centered learning

environments requires academic institutions to design new and more effec-

tive learning, teaching, and user experience strategies. In this article we

share results from an mLearning design experiment and analysis from a

student survey conducted at the National College of Ireland. Quantitative

data support our hypothesis that mLearning technologies can provide a

platform for active learning, collaboration, and innovation in higher educa-

tion. In addition, we review mobile interface and user-experience design

considerations, and mLearning theory. Finally, we provide an overview of

mLearning applications being developed in the United States, the United

Kingdom, and Ireland including, Virtual Graffiti, BuddyBuzz, Flickr, and

RAMBLE.

INTRODUCTION

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which we teach, learn, and retrieve

information. The rapid spread of mobile and social media technologies has deeply

influenced the thinking, communicating, and working of entire generations. And

more and more, as the “Web 2.0” or social software movement continues to

unfold, our digital lifestyles are becoming increasingly mobile.

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� 2006, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.

The current generation of students, dubbed the “Net Generation,” has grown

up in a world that has always had the Internet, multimedia, and on-demand access

to information. As a result, today’s students have adapted to the onslaught of

digital information by media-multitasking and are open to discovering new ways

of integrating their digital reality into learning (see Table 1).

At the same time, increasing pressure has been placed on higher education to

teach masses of diverse students expecting both a quality education combined with

highly interactive multimedia. As a result, educating this Web-centric generation

has become increasingly more challenging. In this article, we illustrate how

mLearning technologies can support and provide a platform for active learning,

collaboration, and innovation in higher education.

For the most part, colleges and universities are just beginning to realize the

potential of mobile technology to improve the quality of student learning. In order

to meet their students changing expectations and digital learning styles, instructors

need to be provided with professional development opportunities to experiment

with current and emergingWeb-based technologies.

Another key indicator that the Internet is trending toward a mobile experience is

the move by media giants such as Yahoo!, Google, Disney Internet Group, Apple

Computer, and Sony to provide more and more of their content on mobile devices.

Moreover, a 2005 study conducted by the United States-based Kaiser Family

Foundation found that, although 90% of teen online access occurs in the home,

4 / FISHER AND BAIRD

Table 1. What Are the Key Attributes of Web 2.0 Technology?

Foundation attributes

•User-contributed value: Users make substantive contributions to enhance

the overall value of a service.

•Network effect: For users, the value of a network substantially increases

with the addition of each new user.

Experience attributes

•Decentralization: Users experience learning on their terms, not those of a

centralized authority, such as a teacher.

•Co-creation: Users participate in the creation and delivery of the learning

content.

•Re-mixability: Experiences are created and tailored to user needs, learning

style, and multiple intelligences by integrating the capabilities of multiple

types of social media.

•Emergent systems: Cumulative actions at the lowest levels of the system

drive the form and value of the overall system. Users derive value not only

from the service itself, but also the overall shape that a service inherits from

user behaviors.

Note: Refer to Schauer (2005).

most students also have Web access via mobile devices such as a mobile phone

(39%), portable game (55%), or other Web-enabled handheld device (13%).

The convergence of mobile and social technologies, on-demand content

delivery, and early adoption of portable media devices by students provides

academia with an opportunity to leverage these tools into design learning environ-

ments which seem authentic to the digital natives filling the 21st century college

campus (Prensky, 2005). Clearly, the spread of Web-based technology into both

the cognitive and social spheres requires educators to reexamine and redefine

our teaching and learning methods.

STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING

ENVIRONMENTS

Whether in a traditional, computer, or mobile-based learning environment,

communication rests at the heart of the human experience. Academic institutions

need to recognize the growing and important role Information Communication

Technology (ICT) plays in students’ lives and design instructional strategies

based on these digital learning styles. Meeting the rapidly changing needs of

different student groups and utilizing new content delivery channels creates real

challenges as we search for new pedagogical solutions.

As students use social media to collaborate with others, they shape their own

identities, find, create, and join communities, set goals, and negotiate ways to

reach them and learn (Hall, cited in Phillips & Terry, 1999). Education in the

21st century can no longer be defined by static guidelines but rather by grow-

ing, changing, and evolving sets of opportunities, projects, technology, and

communities.

In order to educate and train students to become highly competent lifelong

members of a learning community, we need to provide an environment that

aids retention and development of high quality thinking and reflection.

Social-constructivist theory views learning as a socially situated, collaborative,

and task-based procedure that occurs through interaction with others (Brown

& Duguid, 2000; Schwienhorst, 2000). As we strive to identify, test, implement,

and improve delivery of a range of effective learning technologies, including

new applications and capabilities, we need to keep in mind that students learn

by becoming actively involved and making meaning out of the content.

Social-constructivists recognize an important role for technology in learning.

For learners, this approach provides an unrivaled intellectual laboratory and

vehicle for self-expression and exploration using a new wave of highly collabor-

ative Web-based communication technologies.

A recent study conducted by the UK-based NESTA FutureLabs (BBC, 2005)

concluded that the educational model needs to be “reversed to conform to the

learner, rather than the learner to the system. Moreover, the NESTA study found

that social media should be used to enable learners to study and be assessed

MAKING mLEARNING WORK / 5

according to their own learning style (BBC, 2005). One way to accomplish this

goal is to allow students to utilize and integrate technology in an authentic context.

The NESTA FutureLabs findings provide additional evidence to support how the

learning focus should be on learners, not just technology.

The amount of student learning and personal development associated with

any educational program is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of

student involvement in that program (Astin, 1985). Due to its ubiquitous adoption

by the college-age student population, mobile technology is a particularly flexible,

authentic, and intellectually-rich medium for scaffolding information.

Digital Learning Styles

The current college-age population are hardwired to simultaneously digest

multiple information streams through various types of news and media. They

have grown up with the Web, are always-on, and expect to utilize and integrate

technology into their learning process. Students, especially on college campuses,

are perpetually connected to their peers, professors, and course content through

laptops, social networking, mobile phones, PDA’s, PSP, and audio/video iPods

(Davidson, 2005).

The net generation’s experience with Web-based resources, communities,

and digital media encourages students to be open to more diverse experiences.

Emerging digital learning styles include fluency in new media, communal

learning, and experiential, guided mentoring and collective reflection via

Weblogs, podcasting, moblogs, wiki, Flickr, and other types of mobile

social media.

As a result of the convengence of old and new media and increased use of

mobile technology, there is a dissolving line between traditional and online

education. Peer support and collaboration are hallmarks of a burgeoning digital

pedagogy which current research on student motivation and retention in online

learning environments has shown supports the digital learning styles of the Net

Generation (Fisher & Baird, 2005).

At the core of this new digital pedagogy is the ability of today’s student to work

in both an individual as well as collaborative learning environment. And for a

generation weaned on instant messaging (IM), text messaging (TM), and the

Web, there is very little differentiation (if any) between a virtual or in-person

collaborative meeting space. Evidence of this diminishing line between virtual and

“real” environments can be seen in the rapid adoption and subsequent explosion

of user-generated content on social networking sites such as YouTube, SelfCast,

Facebook, blogs, Flickr, and MySpace. While on a positive note this trend shows

that students are open to new technologies in the classroom, at the same time it

also illustrates how many have jumped into social networking without evaluating

the long-term consequences of how public digital artifacts may impact their

future relationships, careers, or employment.


As the first generation to be raised with the Internet, they have an intuitive

ability to use ICT as a means to foster, support, discuss, and explore new ideas.

As a result, a multifaceted approach that blends current learning theory, social

technologies, and Web-enabled mobile devices are the most effective in designing

online learning environments.

For example, students can utilize mobile and/or social technologies to con-

tribute using related stories, personal experiences, anecdotes, and questions to

reflect and actively encourage others to contribute as well. The interactive,

collaborative, engaging social activities, combined with the ability to self-publish

and remix content on the Web, enable students to use technology as a vehicle

for presenting and sharing their own work as well as provide feedback on

contributions made by other students.

Moreover, due to the wide variety and availability of social software, students

are able to choose from multiple formats including text, video, audio, or photos

to find the tools that best support their own learning style, interests, and goals.

A recent study by the Irish National Teachers Organization (INTO) found

that students are using their mobile phones for just about everything—except

making phone calls. According to INTO, only 20% of the 671 students surveyed

report using their mobiles to make phone calls, whereas 81% report using their

mobile to communicate via text or IM messages (Eircom, 2006).

The INTO survey seems to dovetail with the results of a 2005 Pew Internet

and American Life study on teens and technology. Like their peers in Ireland,

American youth prefer using IM or TM for everyday conversations with friends.

Other key findings from the Irish National Teachers Organization survey:

• 96% of 11- and 12-year-old students have a mobile phone

• 60% have a camera on it

• 72% say they use it to access the Internet

• 20% use it to make calls

• 81% use it to send texts

Recognizing the growing connection between mobile media and youth, the

popular social networking community MySpace.com, announced that they will

be launching a mobile version of MySpace in late 2006.

The combination of social interaction with opportunities for peer support

and collaboration creates an interesting, engaging, stimulating, and intuitive

learning environment for students (Fisher & Baird, 2005). Effective course

design will need to blend traditional pedagogy with the reality of the media

multitasking learner.

The results of the INTO survey are not surprising, given the characteristics

of today’s learner. Clearly, the nearly ubiquitous use of portable media devices

on the college campus has provided instructors with a unique opportunity to

design mobile learning environments and new innovative pedagogical approaches

built around the increasingly mobile landscape.


mLearning Pedagogy

A key tenet of social-constructivist learning theory is that drills have been

replaced with the practice of real-world situations in groups where ICT is used

to foster the exchange of ideas and materials. This combinabon of pedagogical

and technological advancement has created an opportunity to develop a richer

learning experience for many learners.

Moreover, constructivists argue that learning is active and superior to pedagogy

of learning by telling. They value a plurality of definitions, meanings, and ways

of knowing. Moreover, constructivists believe that learning requires taking a

stance, seeking and finding one’s intellectual identity, owning knowledge, owning

the artifacts of learning, and finding your own voice (Harel, 1993).

Researchers, however, are still discovering (and debating) how the various tools

affect communication and learning. Much of the focus on electronic collaborative

learning to date involves research on a specific tool; how people interact and

learn using the specific tool, and how the unique features of the mode itself

facilitate, or limit, the process.

To be clear: the mobile environment is merely another platform in which

interaction, collaboration, and knowledge transfer can occur. The use of mobile

technology defines only the parameters and building blocks on which the inter-

action can take place, providing opportunities for the social exchange of infor-

mation, interaction, and instruction. Moreover, the ability for students to reconcile

their authentic use of technology in a learning context can motivate and persuade

users to actively engage in the course content.

Designing a student-centered learning environment, however, does not mitigate

the instructor’s responsibility in helping students shape their learning experience.

In a student-centered learning environment, the instructor can embed oppor-

tunities for “seeded serendipity,” or what learning theorists commonly refer

to as constructivist-based learning. Engaging students in large classes, espe-

cially introductory level classes, can be difficult. Many students feel that due

to their large size they can be lost in the crowd. Likewise, it may be difficult

for the instructor to assess if the students understand and/or comprehend the

course content.

Providing opportunities for communal metadata creation and social interaction

helps prevent students from being marginalized. Student participation stems from

a perception of an information need and the emotional reactions of individuals in

the learning community (Goodman, n.d.). The act of sharing with their community

and receiving attention and/or feedback is a particularly simple example. Many

students mention how these types of collaborative activities helped them evaluate

their choices, motive them, and transformed their perceptions of learning.

Moreover, if an instructor with large classes creates active demonstrations,

especially ones that use technology to engage the students in interaction with

one another, they become more involved, understand what they have learned


better, and are more likely to interact further with other students or the instructor

out of class, and also values the faculty member (Light, 2004).

For example, instructors at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland

are using the AmibSense system to transmit handouts, timetables, lecture notes,

and other resources to student’s mobile phones (Gray, 2005). Additionally,

because the mobile device is nearly ubiquitous among college age students,

instructors can use mobile-based quizzes or public digital spaces for assessment.

Additional content can be delivered on-demand via podcast, course blogs, PSP,

Palm, or other portable computing device.

The use of mobile devices as a tool for social interface and co-creation of

communal metadata will reflect the priorities and norms of the community, as well

as provide collaboration to spaces unreachable via desktop computer (Goodman,

n.d.). The purpose of utilizing mobile technology is to invite students to think

together, since a class is typically a new set of people with new ideas. They may

challenge their own thinking around critical principles from the course material.

Students may also find value in the ability to move between differing delivery

systems of depending on the learning goal. Mobile learning is not only a new

technology, is also an exponent of new modes of learning. Increasingly, members

of the net generation are finding that the need is there to develop skills, access

knowledge and understanding on the spot, just when it is needed, and mobile-

based learning fills this need. This “on the go” learning style contrasts with

previous generations who were taught to learn what they needed to pass a

test, limited to resource materials in the library or textbook, and were limited

by what they were able to memorize.

Dede (2005) notes the influence of digital media on student learning, pointing

to what he termed the Napsterization of education. In this model users have

personally tailored learning paths, picking and choosing from multiple sources

of media, resources, projects, or other curriculum content which they can then

bundle together.

mLearning User-Experience Design

mLearning user design is different from desktop-based online environments.

Due to the relatively small screen display on mobile phones, content has to be

designed to fit on the mobile device. The mobile screen is smaller, and makes it

more difficult to read-large amounts of text. As a result it is vital that mLearning

course designers keep in mind the constraints and limitations of the platform

they are designing for and develop educational content with a specific type of

mobile device in mind. In addition to maintaining a simple, clean interface, other

environmental design considerations to keep in mind include limited memory

and battery life of most mobile devices (Kontio, 2004).

Effective mLearning (mobile learning) design should provide engaging content

which allows the pupil to draw connections between the contexts of the learning


objectives while utilizing multiple sources of Web-based media. Another vital

design element is the users’ ability to mediate their level of participation within

a social network or virtual learning environment (VLE).

What happens to student learning when a course is revised to incorporate

self-directed learning opportunities? The learning that students achieve goes far

beyond the boundaries of what they are taught because individuals create meaning

for themselves beyond solely the intent of the teacher (see Table 2).

Investing in understanding and making strategic investments in mobile learn-

ing environments will increase student motivation, provide fluency in distributed

modes of communication and empower different types of expression and experi-

ences. Collaborative work appears to be important to support motivation by

giving a sense of active involvement within the group (Fisher & Baird, 2005).

mContent and Interaction Design

While millions of students in higher education today use mobile phones to

extend and maintain their social lives, these tools are also headed rapidly into

the learning and content delivery universe.

For example, content being delivered onto a Palm or PSP will be able to

handle more text, graphics, or other interactive features, whereas mLearning


Table 2. Digital Learning Experience Attributes

•Interactive

•Learner

Centered

•Authentic

•Collaborative

•On-demand

Interactive, engaging content and course material that

motivates them to learn through challenging pedagogy,

conceptual review, and learning style adaptation. Students

expect to pick and use various types of media and create a

"mash-up" of content.

Shifts the learning responsibility to the student, and

emphasizes teacher-guided instruction and modeling.

Reconcile classroom use of social media to the authentic way

teens are using outside of the classroom. Technology use

should be tied to authentic/specific learning goal or activity.

Learning is a social activity, and students learn best through

observation, collaboration, and intrinsic motivation and from

self-organizing social systems comprised of peers. This can

take place in either a virtual or in-person environment.

Ability to multitask and handle multiple streams of information

and juggle both short- and long-term goals.

Source: Baird (2006).

environments based on mobile phone interface will require designers to reduce

the amount of text and utilize mobile text reading tools such as the rapid serial

visual presentation (RSVP) interface which allow users to read more text.

One key design tenet to keep in mind is that a learner’s level of participation

will influence the design of content, pedagogy, and assessment based on the

individual preferences and needs. The user-experience allows for a student

centered and designed learning experience which the end user can personalize,

share, collaborate, and find intrinsic value in completing (see Table 3).

In terms of interaction design, when integrating social software into an

mLearning platform, course designers need to be careful not to overwhelm the

learner with too much content or software requirements. Most importantly,

course designers need to keep in mind that social software (mobile or otherwise)

is here to provide both the constraints and framework for social interaction.

Research on mobile game design by Ermi and Mäyrä (2005) found that

mLearning user design is not just about minimizing the cognitive load of the

user and making the software as simple as possible, instead it’s about designing

learning experiences that engage the student in the content, community, and

provide the architecture for meaningful exchange of knowledge.

mLEARNING AT THE NATIONAL COLLEGE

OF IRELAND (NCI)

The National College of Ireland provides multiple resources to assist students

to articulate their underlying needs and has developed an integrated collection


Table 3. Elements of Mobile Interface Design

Mobile

Real Estate

Limit Actions

Anytime,

Anywhere

The small keypads on most mobile devices can make it difficult

for users to navigate a mVLE and can also effect how students

use or don't use mLearning environments. Limit text centric

learning content.

Designers should limit the number and types of actions

required on the keypad. In addition, limited memory on most

standard mobile devices prevents users from handling too

many graphics, large files, or multiple actions on the keypad.

Include only the content which is the most important and

required in the mLearning environment. Provide expanded

versions of content and/or offer multiple versions, mobile, Web,

iPod, or PSP.

Source: Kontio (2004).

of technologies and training to address those needs. NCI recognizes that often

student technology needs to relate to simplicity of operation and enhanced

effectiveness.

To achieve these objectives, we view the overall solution holistically for appro-

priate points of integration, separation, and simplification. Most importantly, NCI

does not just integrate technologies strategies because it can; instead it takes

advantage of integration points when they result in tangible benefits for learners.

One of NCI’s earliest attempts to create a viable mLearning platform was the

integration of Macromedia Flash and the open source CMS Claroline platform

into a mobile virtual learning environment (mVLE). In addition, the Claroline

platform allowed faculty to create and administer courses through browsers

running on both computers and advanced mobile phones (Bergwall, 2004).

This Flash-based mobile Virtual Learning Environment (mVLE) has several

interactive features, including:

• Course materials

• Agenda

• Chat

• Exercises

• User Profiles

• Educational Flash Movies

• User/Course Statistics

• Links

Traditionally, a majority of college-level educators have focused on providing

content instruction rather than promoting learning. Most classes still have a

teacher-to-learner knowledge transfer process, and the present way of teaching

does not stimulate active learning (Barr & Tagg, 1995; Chen, Lawler, & Venso,

2003; Lord, 1994). Currently, the college has difficulty measuring how students

would apply these business communication skills beyond exams at the end of

the course. Despite much debate among educators over teaching and learning

strategies to improve student achievement, very little has been directed toward

eliciting feedback from students.

NCI: DESIGNING THE mLEARNING EXPERIENCE

The National College of Ireland identified a need in its large classes to meet

the needs within a tech-savvy group of learners where there is a diversity of

digital learning styles. In large classes, NCI started with the question of how

student learning can be enhanced or improved through the use of mobile and

social software.

NCI concluded that reconfiguring course content and activities to meet a

variety of digital learning styles, by utilizing the Web-based tools that students

were exposed to in their formative years, should result in enhanced learning


outcomes and user-experience. One aim was to utilize the student’s use of mobile

phones along with a collaborative dialog presentation tool to create a dynamic

learning environment for simultaneous use in the classroom and on the Web. In

addition, NCI sought ways to provide students with interactive opportunities to

explore and integrate other’s thinking in their own learning experience. In short:

NCI wanted to leverage mobile and wireless Internet for educational potential.

NCI felt that student’s nearly ubiquitous use of portable technology usage

provided an opportunity to conduct an innovative experiment on using mobile

technologies in a learning context. Mobile phones are readily accessible for the

majority of Irish college students. NCI also felt that these new methods to integrate

mobile technology into the higher education curriculum are likely to promote a

better balance because it gives students autonomy, flexibility, and freedom as

students add their knowledge in a community-based learning model.

This progressive mobile learning environment was designed to encompass

the best aspects of the traditional classroom along with real time technology

for posting into a class collaborative mural, interacting with peers and sharing

user and community generated content. Moreover, a mobile platform provided

members of the class with on-demand opportunities for further participation

and reflection via the Web.

This approach also provided students with the freedom to utilize technology

in a way that best fits their individual learning styles, and support current

research which shows that students process knowledge in various ways. Members

of the mLearning community were able to generate feedback, as well as create,

share, and utilize community generated content, knowledge, or artifacts (images,

video, diagrams, etc.) in diverse and creative ways.

Virtual Reflective Mural (VRM)

The Virtual Reflective Mural (VRM) was used on a large sample of first- and

second-year students at the National College of Ireland. The class met in a large

public lecture theater. The lecturer’s laptop computer was linked to a digital

projector for demonstration purposes of the Web-board tool virtual reflective

mural. Due to its ease of use, VRM is suitable for people at all skill levels, and

students readily adopted the mLearning concept (Table 4). The students were

in a module on teaching and learning within the Business Communications

course and mobile content delivery seemed well suited to mLearning.

The mobile presentation of content shows how a learner can choose between

alternative instructional approaches. The freedom of choice encouraged student-

centered learning and made for a more effective and enjoyable experience.

Instructors were able to use mobile phones to take polls, check student com-

prehension, and foster interactivity in what otherwise might have been “down

time” in a large lecture class. It could be used as a model for interactive learning;


emphasizes a hands-on or learning by doing approach that focuses on what the

student does, rather than on what the lecturer does.

Benefits of this learning space for the students was threefold: potential for

maximum participation (all can be posting simultaneously), increased motivation

(authentic use of technology, so little technical advice or support is needed), and

student motivation was noticeable and achieved possibly because of the increased

peer feedback and collaboration.

The goal was to use mobile ICT as a way to create and foster a more learner-

centered environment. Another goal was to provide students with the ability to

access content and collaborate in a manner that meets their needs beyond what

the teacher is able to deliver in a standard class. This strategy was included in the

course design as a means to nurture the potential of each individual based on

their intrinsic motivation and learning goal(s).

By creating such a diverse learning environment, this strategy allows users

to learn through various kinds of resources enabling them to achieve a higher

standard of results. The module raised awareness, promoted student reflection,

self-assessment, and opportunites for a blended learning environment.

The VRM activity also impacted students assessment of learning styles, explor-

ing of learning options, guidance on improvement of learning and studying skill,

and availability of social media resources that promote better understanding

of learning. Throughout the VRM experience, faculty had been encouraged to

undertake research that underpins change and innovation in the classroom.

Virtual Graffiti

Virtual Graffiti was created by David O’Loughlin, a student at Trinity College,

while he was a student working on his degree in computer science. This is the first

time the tool was utilized in an mLearning context. Virtual Graffiti has a very

friendly user interface and as a result students are able to quickly utilize Virtual

Graffiti to send text messages, photos, and video via their mobile phone. Students

create links when they reply to posts.


Table 4. Virtual Reflective Mural Commands

Send

Reply

Comment

•Send your text/picture/video message to 086 861 2881

•To reply to a message, start your text with the number of that

message (in white circle)

•Add a caption to your picture message using the text or

subject fields of the MMS

The instructor referred to the Virtual Graffiti environment as a “Co-laboratory

or collaboratory” where students meet to make their shared reflections on

learning visible, or leave traces of their experience for others on the learning

community virtual mural. It provides an on-demand artifact for students to

look into afterwards. This gives them the potential to engage in reflective prac-

tice and reasoning as they look at their work and see others commenting on

their refections.

Posts that were not replied to were non-linear and showed up in an open

space on the board that was both visible in the class and on the Web. There are

various reasons why some of the posts remained in the “open space” and failed

to elicit feedback from the learning community. First, the question may have been

inappropriate, off-topic, or already posed. More often, posts may go unanswered

because students may have difficulty understanding the question and will prompt

their peers to restake or clarify the question.

Social capital in an online learning community is based on reputation and

the value that each member contributes to the learning eco-system. Students

who have not effectively negotiated their social standing, alienated, or offended

the community may find the value of their posts negotiated by the community

(see Table 5).

Virtual Graffiti manages the content on the board and archives the older post

to allow room for newer posts. The older posts can still be replied and linked too,

so the tool saves screen shots in layers with all linked posts. The tool connects

replies to the same artifact, which allows the student to analyze, organize, see

relationships and interrelationships, identify parts, and compare ideas and events.

As a result, students can better narrow down the focus to understanding as much

as possible about the topic under study.

In the past, online and class board discussions were limited to primarily

text-based forms of interaction. However, with the Virtual Graffiti tool many

students posted photos, diagrams, and short video clips. Virtual Graffiti may

provide a possible long-term solution because the data is very clean; no

need tidying up after as users and other tools link comments and functions

are available.

Students can design their learning path by determining which comment to

reply to, and can participate through both the classroom large lecture/dialog

and the Internet, enabling real-time, instantaneous communication. The students

may interact with and manipulate the posts, or they may simply “talk” with each

other in the created threads.

The critical issue in a knowledge society is that there is parity of esteem among

all the learners and that there is freedom for learners to move into and out of

learning environments irrespective of learning style (Light, 2004). Moreover,

mLearning tools like Virtual Graffiti allow learning and interaction to be carried

out in both individual and community level.


Virtual Graffiti at NCI

The collaborative mural allows learners to see more and do more. It gives the

learner the ability to easily see and act up vital posts or contributions to the dialog

at more places than any other strategy at NCI today. It provides additional Web

accessibility beyond just the instructor supervisory level to view information at the


Table 5. Overview of Virtual Graffiti

What is

Virtual Graffiti?

What is Digital

Public Space?

Contributing

to the Public

Space

Replies,

conversations,

and threads in

the Digital Public

Space

Virtual Graffiti is a new concept in interactive displays and

entertainment. Making use of commonplace technologies,

such as mobile phones, PDA's, and laptop computers;

Virtual Graffiti allows the general public to contribute to,

manipulate, and control a large digital display.

The Digital Public Space is our term for the large display

which is the main interface to Virtual Graffiti.

Anyone near this large screen or projection can read the

messages and contributions that others have left on the

display; as well as add their own message.

The general public can use their mobile phones to send

SMS (text) and MMS (picture, video) messages to the space

by merely sending their message to a particular phone

number associated with the display.

It is possible for the users to associate a new message with

a one already on the display, thus allowing replies to and

annotations of messages.

PDA and laptop users can connect to a wireless (WiFi)

network in the vicinity of the public space, and are then

provided with a Web interface to allow them to view

messages on and post messages to the public display; as

well as a host of other features.

Users can link their message to existing messages on the

display, thereby providing the facility to annotate and reply

to the postings of others.

Replies are graphically linked to the original on the display,

which permits threaded conversations to take place that are

easy for a viewer to follow.

Source: O'Loughlin (2005).

individual user level or across the entire mural network. This visibility means

you can: resolve problems faster, maintain user comfort better, minimize devi-

ations from course content strategies, posts are used faster, less need for

changes, and the lowest cost of operation. It could be integrated in most college

classrooms in the market today.

Ideally, future versions of Virtual Graffiti would enable the user to have the

post read to them via an audio option, or speak into their phone and it would

write/post their audio comment in text. Ideally, on the Web view you would be

able to pan and zoom very easily, also to zoom up in on areas they want to—i.e.,

diagrams posted. Also, maybe an auto-generated podcast of the threads from

each class session, and a slow motion option when viewing video clips posted.

NCI did adjust the font size on the Web-board tool so it could be read easily

from the large pubilc theater classroom and adjusted the color for yellow font

on black background for easiest reading. We also tried out ahead of class several

mobile phones on different plans to make sure they could get and send calls

effectively inside the building as some classrooms surrounded by cement slabs

may not have good calling signals.

The content students shared in class was accessible during class on the screen

and available later on the Web as well which allows for subsequent discussion.

It also allowed additional time for students to process comments and digest

their reflections. Moreover, interaction analysis and discourse analysis could

be used to understand if some innovative activities foster student achievement

better than others.

Overall, Virtual Graffiti provided students with multiple paths they could

take to contribute or elaborate on. The classroom takes on a life of its own. We

can reuse the content in future applications of reflection. Students become

enthusiastic about the work, and NCI strongly believes this strategy will continue

to grow and prosper.

NCI LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY SURVEY

The following section analyzes the results of a student survey conducted to

gather students perspective on the use of mobile technology in the curriculum

at The National College of Ireland. In addition, NCI used the results of the survey

to propose specific strategies that faculty can use to make mLearning environ-

ments engaging as well as informative, enhance student-centered learning, and

meet the digital learning styles of the student population.

In past the Business Communications Course at the National College of Ireland

(NCI) was traditional teacher-centered lecture format to approximately 150

students per course in the public lecture theater.

Instructors needed to get students to think critically, be engaged, and provide

an experience utilizing authentic tools such as mobile phones, PDA’s, and laptops


to assist and promote the development of critical thinking by posting to the

live class discussion board, we used the Virtual Graffiti tool.

Subjects

In this study, a survey of student opinions regarding college teaching and

learning was given in two sections of the course with 235 (137 first years, 98

second years) students completing the survey.

All students had access to the Virtual Graffiti tool through a mobile phone

number or the Web. Useful handheld remote technologies have been developed

to allow for this individual voice customization and participation in posting.

The NCI staff reported that 100% of the student population had access to a

mobile-enabled device.

The use of predictive text features on phones help learners who type slower.

It allows quick and easy connectivity and lowers the duration of the interactions

to more nugget-sized conversations. As recipients of information, knowledge,

and skills, college students should have a strong voice about the teaching and

learning process.

Survey Results

A short questionnaire was given to all students in the Business Communications

course. Instead of just end-of-semester feedback, we wanted to capture student

input early on in the course design process. The 235 students that participated

are representative of the student body. The survey was given in class, was

anonymous, and voluntary (see Tables 6 and 7).


Table 7. Learning and Technology

91%

98%

Instructors and students should use the latest technologies for learning

Students believe that they play the most responsible role in their learning

Table 6. Student Learning Preferences

67%

17%

8%

Group work and/or interact have discussions with peers and instructor

Short informal lectures, embedded with professional experiences

Straight teacher led lecture

Most students described the ideal components of a college level learning

environment as interactive classes, choice in modules, smaller classes, rooms with

up-to-date technology, informal environment, more visuals, and feedback.

Other findings of overall pattern of student’s opinion include:

• Two-thirds of the students surveyed identified similar characteristics of best

lecturers. Characteristics such as passion, motivation, charisma, approach-

able, creative, interesting, interactive were cited more frequently than other

characteristics, such as intelligent, knowledgeable, professionally experi-

enced, strict, clarity, organized, and ability to control class.

• Good communication skills seem highly valued among this group of learners

above being informative. Finally, over half the students wanted feedback

on how things can be made easier, written feedback, constructive criticism,

direct answers, and continuous assessment.

Generally speaking, both the first year and second year students expressed

similar opinions on most of the survey. Class status did not appear to affect student

perceptions of teaching and learning with one exception:

• The second year students wanted more critical thinking learning activities

other than group discussion to practice problem solving decision making and

teamwork skills. While many first years still prefer homework.

In addition, several participants were interviewed after the reflective mural

building with mobile class activity which gave a more detailed picture of some of

the participants’ experiences, motivations, and reflection on the process. Among

the successes identified in these interviews were the flexibility of the content

and format in the event, and the fact that this was teacher-led. High attendance

and completion rates resulted from this approach. Motivation and support were

central to the whole process.

Good quality posts had been produced, which were an important outcome of

the project as well as demonstrating participant-learners’ technical awareness. The

return posts to the Website after the classroom event was another demonstration of

its effectiveness, as well as indicating that they had positive experiences.

There were many constructive suggestions made for future directions of the

event. This included ideas for the project expansion to cover the whole course not

just one dialog, refining the existing support in place for participating learners,

and a potentially greater role for some of the group activities in the middle. Having

students summarize themes and patterns in the dialog weekly or by topic.

Key findings of the NCI mLearning project:

• High levels of participation and completion from learners.

• Realization and publication of student-initiated, learner produced content to

the classroom mural and Web.


• Creation of an expanding model suited to the Irish curriculum, tried and

tested in the classroom.

• Awareness-raising of the potential uses for mobile technologies in education,

and encouragement of curricular use of the resources produced in class.

• The creation of a community of learners.

• Creation of user and community generated content.

In light of the project’s key successes, the evaluation suggests that its flexible

model of peer collaboration is responsive to students’ needs and interests remain

at its core. Another hidden outcome of the project arises in the context of the

“reusability” of the resources which is now receiving some considerable attention

in educational technology research (D. Hernández-Leo et al., 2005).

There is further evidence that working with students to self-publish on the

Web also provides them with a better understanding of how to evaluate and

use other usergenerated content resources in learning. Moreover, as the flow of

user-generated content continues to grow, developing an awareness of how to

evaluate content will continue to be a critical information literacy skill.

This suggests an even greater need for widespread dissemination of the

projects achievement and need for projects like this in years to come. Overall,

the NCI mLearning experiment promoted and encouraged student-centered,

discovery-based, group learning orchestrated via collaboration. Additionally, it

helped improve the motivation of both lecturers and students by widening the

traditional avenues of communication and encouraging participation.

mLEARNING TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS

Looking toward the future, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the next

frontier of learning will take place in the mobile space. Already, teachers are using

podcasting as a means to distribute content, provide customized on-demand

opportunities for learning and collaboration.

The rapid adoption of wireless, mobile, and other handheld computing devices

will require educators to begin designing mLearning courses for delivery on

multiple wireless, mobile, or other portable Web-enabled devices (video iPod,

PSP, Palm).

BuddyBuzz

BuddyBuzz is an application that allows users to quickly read text on a mobile

phone using a variation of the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) interface.

Instead of presenting large chunks of content on a mobile phone screen,

BuddyBuzz shows one word at a time, creating an interface which allows users

to read and comprehend text on mobiles. Users are able to control delivery via

the arrow keys on the mobile phone to speed up, slow down, or repeat text.


Developed in the Persuasive Technology Labs at Stanford University,

BuddyBuzz delivers customized content directly to a mobile phone. Currently

BuddyBuzz delivers mostly news (Reuters, CNET) and content from several

leading Weblogs. But what makes BuddyBuzz unique is its ability to predict and

deliver content users will find relevant and/or interesting based on their previous

ratings. Because BuddyBuzz is mobile-based technology, it allows students to

have anytime, anywhere, customized, on-demand learning opportunities.

BuddyBuzz has several mLearning applications, including the ability to serve

as a content delivery system. Instructors can upload articles directly to their

BuzzBox and then share them with students in their BuddyBuzz community.

Students can rate the articles from the instructor, and have BuddyBuzz fine

tune future content to meet their needs. In this manner, BuddyBuzz is utilized

as a techno-constructivist learning tool to support student’s intrinsic interests,

motivations, and learning goals.

As mobile technologies and mLearning become more ubiquitous, applications

like BuddyBuzz, which provide opportunities for instructors to distribute content

via mobile phones, may well indeed provide a huge opportunity toward bridging

the digital divide in education.

Mobile Blogging: RAMBLE, Yahoo!, and Google

RAMBLE (Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for Learning Environments), a

project of Oxford University, is investigating how students use handheld devices

to reflect on their learning experiences and provide feedback on lectures, tutorials,

practicals, and student life.

Google’s Blogger Mobile allows users to send photos and text directly to their

blog via their mobile phone. In addition, Blogger Mobile has audio capabilities.

AudioBlogger lets users call Blogger and leave an audio message that is posted

to your blog as an MP3 file.

One of the key benefits of Yahoo! 360, in terms of educational blogging, is

that it provides the user with the ability to manage who can view their personal

information based, in part, on user-defined criteria. In other words, the user

controls who has access to any and all parts of the content on their blog. Yahoo!

360 also allows users to upload content and photographs via their mobile phone,

or via Yahoo Instant Messenger.

FlickrEdu: Mobile Photo Social Networking

While not originally developed as an education tool, Flickr and other mobile

social networking technologies have the ability to play an important part in

student motivation, retention, and learning, especially in distributed learning

environments.

Sharing photos is an inherently social activity and Flickr is the first Web-based

photo hosting service to successfully translate this experience into the online


space. The key element that makes Flickr so unique is that active exploration

and community are interwoven as main components of the design.

Flickr, a Yahoo! company, is important because its ease-of-use allows students

to keep their focus on acquiring new skills, building on existing knowledge

while at the same time developing writing, software, and strengthening social

ties within their learning circle. This is especially important in geographically

dispersed learning communities, where students may have limited face-to-face

time to build a support network with their peers.

One of the unique features of Flickr is the ability of users to use their camera

phones to take and upload pictures directly to their photoblog. Since most students

already have access to a camera phone enabled cell phone, students can integrate

Flickr into a mLearning activity. For example, students can use their camera

phone on a field trip to take pictures, and easily post them to their own Flickr

photoblog. Later, students can write about their experiences on the field trip,

reflect, and share their thoughts with their learning community (Baird, 2005).

Flickr holds great potential as part of a multi-faceted approach that blends

constructivist learning theory and mobile technologies in the curriculum. To be

sure, Flickr and other mobile social media cannot, and should not, replace face-

to-face communication between teachers and students; rather, it should be used as

one of many digital tools that, when skillfully integrated into the curriculum, has

the potential to open lines of dialogue, communication, and learning.

PSP, Video iPod, and Mobile Devices

A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation noted that 55% of American

teenagers had access to a portable gaming device. In fact, other studies from the

United Kingdom indicate that more young people have a Sony PSP than a

handheld computer. Among its many features, the Sony PSP has an integrated

multimedia player, video and audio capabilities, an e-book reading application,

and an HTML compatible browser capability with WI-FI. In light of the high

adoption of mobile gaming devices, instructors need to leverage the adoption of

mobile gaming devices as an opportunity to aggregate educational content and

provide active, authentic learning opportunities for students.

In like manner, the video-enhanced Apple iPod provides yet another oppor-

tunity for instructors to distribute both audio and video content to students. This

will provide students with the ability to learn on-demand based on their own

learning styles.

Content downloaded from Google’s Video Search can be downloaded in

either a video iPod or Sony PSP compatible file. This makes it even easier for

instructors to aggregate video-based content for use on mobile devices. In

addition, Google Video and YouTube provide users with the HTML snippet

required to easily embed video into a course blog, which in turn may be viewed

by students on a Web-enabled mobile device.


CONCLUSIONS

Students no longer want to be passive recipients of information, but to be joint

participants in the creation of knowledge with their instructor and peers. This

new digital pedagogy occurs when the instructor creates expectations for their

active participation and holds students to those expectations.

The ways in which youth use the Web has also changed, from a static experi-

ence to a more active experience. An entire generation has now grown up building

their own context, community, and user-generated content around community-

based learning environments.

This architecture of participation model equips the learner for the information

age and allows them to take advantage of their talents and abilities with the tools

they grew up with in their formative years. We believe this approach to dialog,

reflection, content delivery, and collaboration could apply to most courses.

The use of mobile technologies is growing and represents the next great frontier

for learning. Increasingly we will continue to see academic and corporate research

invest, design, and launch new mobile applications, many of which can be used

in learning context.

At the 2006 International Consumer Electronic Show, Yahoo! CEO Terry

Semel outlined the explosive growth of Web-based and mobile technology.

According to Semel (2006), there are 900 million personal computers in the world.

But this number pales in comparison to the 2 billion mobile phones currently

being used in the world.

Even more astounding is how mobile devices are increasingly being used as

the primary way in which people connect to the Internet. In fact, Semel notes that

50% of the Internet users outside the United States will most likely never use a

personal computer to connect to the Internet. Rather, they will access information,

community, and create content on the Internet via a mobile device.

In order to create a better learning environment for the digital learning styles

of the Net Generation, there is a need to use strategies and methods that support

authentic uses of technology to support and foster motivation, collaboration, and

interaction. The use of mobile devices is directly connected with the personal

experiences and authentic use of technology students bring to the classroom

mLEARNING RESOURCES

Table 8 provides a listing of mLearning resources and Table 9 an mLearning

glossary.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to thank David O’Loughlin for creation and use of

the Virtual Graffiti tool.


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Table 9. mLearning Glossary

Term Definition

•Social Software

•Blog

•Moblog

(mobile + blog)

•Vlog (video + blog)

•SMS (Short

Message Service)

•PSP (Play Station

Portable)

•Palm

•Social Networks

•Web 2.0

•Instant

Messaging (IM)

•Text Messaging (IM)

•Really Simple

Syndication

(RSS)

Social software enables people to connect or collaborate

through computer-mediated communication (wiki,

weblog, podcasts) and form online communities.

A blog, short for "weblog," is a Web site in which the

author writes their opinions, impressions, etc., so as to

make them public and receive reactions and comments

about them.

A site for posting blog content from a mobile device,

usually a cellular phone. Most often refers to photo

sharing via a camera phone.

A weblog using video as its primary presentation format.

Written messages that you can send through a mobile

phone.

Mobile version of the Sony PlayStation gaming system.

PSP has WiFi and browser connectivity.

A handheld portable device or personal digital assistant.

A term used to describe virtual or online communities of

shared practice.

Web 2.0 generally refers to a second generation of

services available on the Web that lets people collaborate

and share information online.

Instant messaging is the act of instantly communicating

between two or more people over a network such as

the Web.

Another term used to describe SMS.

Really Simple Syndication feeds provide Web content or

summaries of Web content together with links to the full

versions of the content.

RSS is used by news Websites, weblogs, and podcasting

to synch and deliver content.

Source: Adapted from Wikipedia and Wiktionary (2006).

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Direct reprint requests to:

Dr. Mercedes Fisher

National College of Ireland

School of Informatics

co/5724 N. Lake Drive

Whitefish Bay, WI 53217

e-mail: [email protected]


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