Introducing mobile learning

Some practical advise from MoLeNET project managers:

The Norwich Project Manager wrote: “The most important lesson for the use of m-learning in teaching and learning can be summed up in four words “Plan, Experiment, Embed, Enthuse” resulting in the memorable acronym PEEE, within which:

Plan: of the four this one is key. The use of m-learning must be planned for. Teaching staff need to get to know the device with which they’ll be working. They need early introduction to the technology and solid support around both its technical use and pedagogical value and implementation. One of the surprising outcomes from this project was how enthusiastically the devices were accepted by staff and how quickly they grasped the potential offered by m-learning. However, to implement the perceived possibilities teaching staff need strong technical support so that everything is in place and works when it’s required. They also then require strong support from staff development (and their peers) around how to use the device to enhance their traditional teaching and how to recognise new opportunities to put the device to practical, worthwhile use.
It cannot be stated too strongly how important it is to give teaching staff time and space to think about/discuss and formulate ideas for usage once they have had sufficient time to master the technical aspects of the device. It is equally important that staff are able to identify situations where m-learning may not be appropriate.

Experiment: The introduction of any new/innovative way of doing things requires that those involved are given the room to “play” - and to fail – in a non-critical space. For many institutions, and the staff within them, the advent of m-learning raises serious concerns; will the technology do what I need it to, do I know enough to make it work, do my students know more than me about these devices? Teachers are often being asked to step out of their “comfort zone” and interact in an area where the students are generally perceived to be more knowledgeable (how true this may be is discussed elsewhere). Giving them the space to experiment, especially with peers, is essential to develop both confidence and product/pedagogical knowledge.

Embed: After the process of planning and experimentation the teacher/practitioner should feel confident enough with, and appreciate the pedagogical effectiveness of, m-learning and the chosen device. They will now be able to effectively embed m-learning into their learning and teaching plan for the year. Everyone involved in this project has seen benefits that m-learning can bring but the general consensus has been that for m-learning to be truly effective it should lose the “M” and just become “Learning”. Embedding the use of a mobile device into learning and teaching from day one will help this to happen and help to remove the “shiny toy” or “added extra” feeling that has been widely evident during this trial.

Enthuse: The results of our internal research for the trial were disappointing; only 45% of those surveyed thought that using the smartphone device was “fun”. There was a mix of reasons for giving this response (from an overly complicated device to “it’s just added workload”) but, on reflection, it’s undeniable that the enthusiasm and “fun factor” is something that teaching staff could and should have a huge influence over. By going through steps 1,2 and 3 and having planned, confident usage teachers should have a more positive impact in this area. 

Matthew Boulton also provided 4 key tips for successfully introducing mobile learning i.e:

• On a project with ambitious targets and comparatively short delivery time have a strategy for making a big impact at the beginning
• Where staff ‘buy in’ is important try to set up an environment which encourages staff to demand involvement rather than one which relies on coercion
• Be flexible in terms of engagement and allow ideas to come through which you had not planned for or anticipated – let the outcomes be wherever possible demand led
• Be prepared to re-negotiate your outcomes, where possible, as the new ideas take shape and prove successful – don’t be over precious about your initial ideas particularly when trying out something new

Accrington and Rossendale note a “useful quality assurance and impact measure” is “to include m-learning as part of the lesson observation process” and they observed “tutors participating were often delighted to demonstrate its effective use.”

Part of the experimentation and planning stages recommended above will be piloting of mobile learning activities with a small number of learners and possibly with several different devices to ascertain which is most useful. Aylesbury describe this process saying “When undertaking pilot activity it is vital to have a clear purpose to the session to ensure the time spent is valuable for both the learners and the project team.”  A successful pilot session was:

The purpose of the session was to ascertain the effectiveness of using particular mobile devices in a practical session.  The devices used were iPod Touch, Asus EeePc and HTC TyTN II.  Each device was loaded with an instruction video either “how to make chocolate chip cookies” or “how to make muffins”. Each learner was asked to choose a device to work with. The learners then followed the instructional video on the devices to bake muffins or cookies” and the result? “Overall, the learners were enthused and motivated by the mobile devices, particularly the iPods. They appeared to enjoy the session and the novelty of using the devices.”

Aylesbury conclude “preparation, staff training and allocation of time are the key”