mlearn 2011 conference keynote
TRANSCRIPT
Innovation in Mobile Learning: An International Perspective
Mike SharplesInstitute of Educational
TechnologyThe Open University, UK
10th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning
We are all connected by
A global economic crisis
A worldwide market for technology, culture and education
The Worldwide Web
And the need to educate and empower people for the 21st century
• ¼ of the population of China is learning English (300 million people)
• In the next 5 years all Chinese schools will teach English in kindergarten
• All state employees younger than 40 will be required to master 1,000 English phrases
• “ Numerous obstacles stand in the way of China’s quest, including a shortage of good English teachers and the country’s test-oriented education system”
• 1 billion people in China use mobile phones (67% of the population) of which 100 million are smartphones
• 21st century education opportunity: smartphones for language learning
Source: Indianapolis Business Journal, “Report from China”, March 2011
International Mobile Learning collaboration – smartphones for language learning
Sharp Labs EuropeUniversity of NottinghamTokushima University, Japan
Incidental second language learning
E-book
Readstory for
vocabulary
Mobile game
Practise sentence
construction
Personal vocabulary
Rehearse vocabulary
list
Selected words
Gamewords
Missingwords
Elmo Mark 2 for smartphones
Research question
Are there differences in the learning of English vocabulary through reading novels, depending on the mode of mobile interaction?
Three modes of interaction• Paper book• e-book reader with English
dictionary• ‘ELMO’: e-book reader with
enhanced software, including adaptive user modelling and additional interactivity
E-book
Elmo adaptive system
Paper book
Participants
• 39 students (24 female, 15 male) aged 15-17 at a Japanese high school
• 3 comparison groups balanced in terms of English vocabulary and gender
Crossover designCycle A
The Hound of the
Baskervilles
Cycle BThe Thirty-nine Steps
Cycle C Little Women
Wk1
Wk2
Wk3
Wk4
Wk5
Wk6
GpA
ELMO e-book book
GpB
e-book book ELMO
GpC
book ELMO e-book
Su
rvey a
nd
focu
s g
rou
ps
Post
-test
th
ree
Post
-test
on
e
Post
-test
tw
o
Base
-lin
e t
est
The study
• Pre-test: test of specific vocabulary from the three novels
• Two weeks to read a novel – students could decide how much, when and where
• Discussion of novel allowed, but no swapping• No school implications of results• Post-test: the same words as in pre-test
(scored out of 30)
The results Adaptive handheld learning device
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
Pre Post
Voca
bu
lary
sco
re
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
Pre Post
Adaptive
Book
Voca
bu
lary
sco
re
Comparison with paper book
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
Pre Post
AdaptiveEbookBook
Comparison with e-book
Voca
bu
lary
sco
re
Log dataid book
pages read
dictionary lookups
1 39_Steps 8 110 39_Steps 1 117 39_Steps 12 318 39_Steps 1 034 39_Steps 3 011 39_Steps 13 712 39_Steps 2 115 39_Steps 4 02 39_Steps 3 10
20 39_Steps 7 121 39_Steps 1 024 39_Steps 1 025 39_Steps 8 026 39_Steps 5 027 39_Steps 2 1028 39_Steps 8 129 39_Steps 15 23 39_Steps 1 2
31 39_Steps 1 032 39_Steps 5 037 39_Steps 1 238 39_Steps 3 14 39_Steps 3 8
41 39_Steps 1 243 39_Steps 28 244 39_Steps 10 6
id bookPages read
Dictionary lookups
1 Little_Women 7 108 Little_Women 1 011 Little_Women 16 1316 Little_Women 3 017 Little_Women 9 119 Little_Women 4 222 Little_Women 1 124 Little_Women 1 225 Little_Women 1 028 Little_Women 4 23 Little_Women 1 0
30 Little_Women 4 031 Little_Women 2 032 Little_Women 1 034 Little_Women 1 035 Little_Women 2 036 Little_Women 1 039 Little_Women 2 040 Little_Women 3 042 Little_Women 5 444 Little_Women 2 05 Little_Women 1 19 Little_Women 1 1
• “Made my eyes tired, so I recommend ‘paper book’”
• “It is good to write down whatever I want on ‘paper book’”
• “I do not want to bring another device with me other than my mobile phone to read novels”
• “Many say that if a small and light device with a satisfactory English-Japanese dictionary, smooth scrolling, less charging is possible, then Adaptive Device would be best” (Teacher)
Interview data
Conclusions
• The study was carefully set up and rigorously conducted
• It didn’t show any particular technology to be effective in enhancing incidental learning of English vocabulary
• The technology wasn’t engaging• The books were too difficult and boring• Since the work was not assessed there was
no external motivation• Japanese teenagers have little or no free
time in the evenings
Elmo Mk3 for Android device
Product launch by Sharp in Autumn 2011
• International collaboration• Iterative design• Comparative evaluation
But we are divided by
National and cultural differences
• Education system• Curriculum• Government education
policy• Access to higher education• Traditional teaching
methods• Cultural expectations and
inhibitions• Motivation of young people
to engage in schooling• Computers in schools
• Access to powerful personal technology
• Relations between formal and non-formal learning
• Opportunity for field trips and cultural visits
• Modes of travel to school or work
• Adult education and workplace training (e.g. apprenticeships)
• Work-life balance
• After-school activities
• Leisure and play
Africa M4D (mobile learning for development)
Focus on access,emerging contexts, basic technologies
United States Anytime, anywhere learningCorporate training
Focus on delivery, relevance
US/Taiwan/Singapore 1to1 learning Focus on personalised learning in classrooms and field trips
Europe Contextual learning, Connected learning
Focus on context, community, connecting formal and informal learning
Singapore Seamless learning Focus on continuity
Canada/Australia/UK Personalised distance education
Focus on learning design, open content, standards
Japan Ubiquitous learning Focus on availability and embedding in everyday world
Africa M4D (mobile learning for development)
Focus on access,emerging contexts, basic technologies
United States Anytime, anywhere learningCorporate training
Focus on delivery, relevance
US/Taiwan/Singapore 1to1 learning Focus on personalised learning in classrooms and field trips
Europe Contextual learning, Connected learning
Focus on context, community, connecting formal and informal learning
Singapore Seamless learning Focus on continuity
Canada/Australia/UK Personalised distance education
Focus on learning design, open content, standards
Japan Ubiquitous learning Focus on availability and embedding in everyday world
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Context
In a context
“that which weaves
together”
Source: Cole, M. (1996). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
“that which surrounds us”
Creating a context
Context as a ‘shell’ that surrounds the human user of technology
Context created by the constructive interaction between people and technology
Source: Dourish, P. (2004) What we talk about when we talk about context. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 8 (1): 19-30.
Computer User
Context
Learning in context
Data filtering and integration
Data filtering and integration
Nottingham Castle museum
CAGE system
• Navigation in a conceptual space through physical movement
• Location-based content delivery
• Ultrasound tracking system
• Context awareness:– which painting?– how long?– been there before?
Creating context
Learning as situated social interaction and knowledge construction
An interaction view of context• Context is a dynamic and
historical process• to enable appropriate action
(learning)• constructed through interaction
between people, settings, technologies, objects and activities
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Anytime anywhere learning
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Seamlesslearning
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Ubiquitous learning
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access
Connected learning
Global mobile learning
Relevance
Context
Continuity
PersonalisationLearning Design
Embedding
Community
Access