Examples of m-learning tasks

Some examples of the use of m-learning could be using a camera on smartphone to take photos of a school trip and using these to create a poster, presentation or visual dictionary (Brooks-Young 2010, p19); Updating a blog using an app on a smartphone.

Nicky Hockley (2012) gives some great examples of how m-learning can be used in different ways. Her article "The 1-minute guide to the mobile classroom" lists many types of task that utilise an m-learning device, although most of them focus on smart/mobile phones.

A few of the suggestions she makes are:

Using a mobile phone to take dictation: I imagine this could be done by students writing a text and sending it to their teacher to check or to other students for peer checking. Alternatives could be to orally dictate a message on a voice recording app such as soundcloud.

Simple reading comprehension or texting questions to a reading text: I like the idea of the students receiving comprehension questions to a text (could be an audio text/ podcast too) via sms. Would it be possible to have learners generate a short story by texting the group part of a story which another member will continue? This might be easier using twitter perhaps? Hockley suggests further reading on Carol's blog of an sms reading project at a primary school. Children were receiving texts and had to answer them by sms. They then received another sms with the answer later on. In an extension of this project, they are retelling a story sent to them via sms instalments.

Creating a treasure hunt: this was such an interesting example (for me) of using m-learning. A Danish school are creating student authored treasure hunts or 'treks' using SCVNGR. Anne Fox blogs about the event here. The subject the students are studying is  history, the aim of the task is for them to learn about the history in their local area.

The students are sent out initially to research and gather information. They use their smartphones in groups to photo, film or podcast facts about monuments or locations etc. Once this phase is complete, the students create their  trek by creating questions or 'challenges'.They demonstrate their learning by creating these challenges and ultimately their trek. The treks can be taken by other groups in the class to broaden learning.

The History Game:

View more PowerPoint from annefox.eu

Audience Response Systems: Another example of m-learning in practise and its benefits is given in the article "More than just Mobile + Learning" (Claire 2012).   

A study was conducted by Eric Tremblay into the use of audience response systems; participants text answers or input during an event to a central display, thereby interacting with the event and providing instant feedback. The study (Educating the Mobile Generation – using personal cell phones as audience response systems in post-secondary science teaching) showed 'renewed attention' during the lecture with students reporting they were 'less bored' and 'more engaged'.

Open publication - Free publishing - More android



Resources from the St Mary's website detail projects and lesson ideas along with the technology needed. http://www.smriders.net/Mobile_Learning/docs/LessonPlans.pdf

What is m-learning?

According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, reported in the New York Times (Lewin 2010), young people aged 8-18 spend more than 7.5 hours per day accessing media via different sources such as TV, computers, mobile phones etc. This figure excludes the time they spend texting and talking on their mobile phones.

Further, it discovered that on average 2 hours of this time was spent accessing media from an mobile device and that often users are multi-tasking; texting while listening to music, watching video while talking.

This increase in the use of mobile devices to access and/or create and share information has been highlighted and discussed in the education community. Questions such as 'how can we harness this change?" have been topics for debate and the potential for engaging learners through these devices and channels has lead to the rise of 'm-learning'.

In the article, "More than just Mobile + Learning" several reasons for the rapid increase in the adoption of mobile learning are suggested:

• The increase in number of content distribution channels (such as App stores)
• Rapid evolution of wireless handheld devices
• Growing number of mobile learning tools and platforms
• The sharp increase of new learning content and apps
• Growing number of buyers and users

The m-learning trend is currently a 'buzz' word in education and features as 'hot' on many educator blogs and discussions about the future in education for 2012.

So how is m-learning defined?

According to Sanchez-Terrell (2011) m-learning is "..on-the-go" (p4). It is where participants have access to a portable, handheld device which can be carried with them and accessed while moving.

Examples of m-learning devices:

smartphones, mobiles, iPods, iPads, ebook readers, media players etc 

The e-Learning Guild define m-learning as:

"Any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with, or creating information... through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries ..., has reliable connectivity, and fits in a pocket or purse."

Traxler (2005) defined m-learning as "any educational provision where the sole or prominent technology are handheld or palmtop devices" (p262). 


However, it is then pointed out that this definition centres on the devices and technology and not on the pedagogy. As Traxler explains, this limited definition "...draws attention to its technical limitations rather than promoting its unique pedagogic advantages and characteristics" (p263).




Traxler (2005) offers a list of characteristics that help separate and redefine m-learning from e-learning:

• Spontaneous
• Private
• Portable
• Situated [learning takes place in same context in which it is applied]
• Informal
• Bite-sized
• Light-weight
• Context aware

As Claire writes in her article 'More than just Mobile + Learning':


"By focusing on the advantages mobile learning provides, we can begin to think proactively about how to leverage mobile learning to capitalize on these benefits."

Brooks-Young. S (2010) Teaching with the tools kids really use: Learning with the web and mobile technology. Corwin Press

'Claire' (2012) Mobile Learning: More than just Mobile + Learning. http://dashe.com/blog/mobile-learning/mobile-learning-more-than-just-mobile-learning

Lewin. T (2010) If your kids are awake, they're probably online. New York Times online: nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html (last accessed 03.03.2012)

Sanchez-Terrell. S (2011) Effective mobile learning: 50+ quick tips and resources. http://scribd.com/mobile/documents/67369598  

Traxler. J (2005) Defining Mobile Learning. IADIS International Conference on Mobile Learning.  http://iadis.net/dl/final_uploads/200506C018.pdf

Mobile Learning: An Introduction

 "Mobile learning (or “m-learning”) offers many possibilities for both blended and fully online learning. Mobile learning is a kind of augmented reality - with the mobile devices enabling connectivity and information access in many... environments. Wireless fidelity (wifi) technologies and the broad popularization of many mobile devices (smart phones, iPads, tablet PCs, small notebook computers, and others) have meant that access to the Internet and Web really is ubiquitous for many. Even with traditional online learning, it helps to make digital learning objects mobile-accessible for broader points-of-access for “anytime, anywhere” learning. Further, mobile devices, with their built-in mics, cameras, and other... technologies enable the capture of real-world information into digital format and the sharing of that information in the world. The growth of creative apps enable much more human-to-human interactivity... and multimedia interchanges."

 http://elearningfacultymodules.org/index.php/Mobile_Learning#Takeaways