The devices I used to review the affordances of mobile technologies were an android smartphone, android tablet and laptop.
The smartphone and tablet were equipped with camera (photo/video), email, GPS, browser, calendar, contacts, Polaris office, SIM/WiFi, blue tooth and internal storage.
The apps which were explored using smartphone, tablet and laptop are:
- Evernote, exploration activity can be found here - Tangible Benefits of Evernote.
- Blogger, exploration activity can be found here - Characteristic the future of mobile learning
- Google Drive (incl slides/sheets/docs) - Tangible Benefits of GoogleDrive
- Dropbox, used for storage of photos and documents
- Movie Studio, only dabbled a little
- Tellagami, mobile app that lets you create and share a quick animated video
- iLanguageCloud, create word generated clouds
- Tappestry, learners can capture and track what they have learned and what they want to learn
- written blogs with both smartphone and tablet
- taken photos with a smartphone and saved them in Dropbox
- added voice recordings in Evernote
- used voice to text feature in Evernote
- screen recording of usability of an app with Laptop
- accessed images in Dropbox and added them to Evernote
- access Evernote, Blogger and GoogleDrive from Laptop to edit and enhance final works.
- Pervasive and ubiquitous
- Portable - allow anywhere, anytime learning
- Allows data to be recorded and learning processes captured wherever they happen.
The task is developed for all learning outcomes of the unit. It asks students to work collaboratively to complete a set number of tasks using a smartphone, tablet and/or Laptop. It also asks the learners to decide as a team which application they will use; Evernote or Google Drive. It describes the activity and the expectations of the learners. If students complete all activities successfully they will have achieved a competent result for this unit.
The first part of the activity asks learners to identify current resources usage. They will do this by taking photos, video or audio recording or a written account using their smartphone/tablet of current resource usage in a workplace. This will allow for portable, pervasive/ubiquitous and data recorded at location where it happens. Storage could in the application, on the device or DropBox.
The next stage is to share these photos in the chosen application, collaboratively work with team on identifying current usage, and report to management and staff on areas for concern, in the form of a notification. This could take various forms, ie poster, email, leaflet, presentation, etc.
Stage 2 asks learners to conduct some individual research and then share information with the team on workplace sustainable procedures with the final product being a report to management. Again this learning is portable - anywhere anytime; data can be collected recorded and learning processes captured as learners are identifying new learning and ideas, finally pervasive as it stretches across a group of people and ubiquitous as information can be shared from anywhere and everywhere at the same time.
The last stage of the activity asks for learners to develop a environmentally sustainable plan, based on the identified resource usage and information they have gathered in task 2. This will allow for data to be recorded in a central location by all team members, pervasive as learners are collaboratively working on the plan, portable as learning happens anywhere and ubiquitous as learners share their information and develop the plan from their location.
The facilitators role in this activity is to provide the context at the start of the course, guide learners as they experiment with their devices and team choice, intervene if and when required, provide feedback and ensure learners are working collectively as a team.
The next stage is to share these photos in the chosen application, collaboratively work with team on identifying current usage, and report to management and staff on areas for concern, in the form of a notification. This could take various forms, ie poster, email, leaflet, presentation, etc.
Stage 2 asks learners to conduct some individual research and then share information with the team on workplace sustainable procedures with the final product being a report to management. Again this learning is portable - anywhere anytime; data can be collected recorded and learning processes captured as learners are identifying new learning and ideas, finally pervasive as it stretches across a group of people and ubiquitous as information can be shared from anywhere and everywhere at the same time.
The last stage of the activity asks for learners to develop a environmentally sustainable plan, based on the identified resource usage and information they have gathered in task 2. This will allow for data to be recorded in a central location by all team members, pervasive as learners are collaboratively working on the plan, portable as learning happens anywhere and ubiquitous as learners share their information and develop the plan from their location.
The facilitators role in this activity is to provide the context at the start of the course, guide learners as they experiment with their devices and team choice, intervene if and when required, provide feedback and ensure learners are working collectively as a team.
On reflecting on Koole's - A Model for for Framing Mobile Learning (2009), learners are completing their set tasks using their devices, collaborating with other learners and connecting with other people.
The exploring and design student activity considers many of Wong's 2012 seamless mobile learning features; formal and informal learning, personalised and social learning, across time, across locations, ubiquitous, physical and digital worlds, option for using multiple devices (if preferred), learners can rapidly switch between mulitple learning tasks (data collection, analysis, communication), knowledge synthesis and multiple pedagogy (mobile pedagogy, 21st century connecting and VET pedagogy).
The activities I have chosen for learners to complete are constructivist as learners actively construct their new ideas with each activity based on their previous and current knowledge; situated as it promotes their learning in an authentic context and culture; collaborative as the activities promote learning through social interaction and informal and lifelong as their learning is happening outside of the learning environment (Laurillard 2002).
