Mobile Learning, Spring 2012

Instructor: Matt Curinga Meetings: Harvey 104, Wed. 6:30-8:20 (every other week) Weekly Topics 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

[mlearnau]

Final Class/Final Projects

We made it. The end of the semester is here and we are nearing the end of our study of mobile learning. I just want to make sure what to expect for tomorrow, our last class: 1. **Post or upload your final project**. You can post your final on Tumblr or you can [upload it to Moodle here](https://moodle.adelphi.edu/mod/assignment/view.php?id=465488) (log in first). If you post on Tumblr, please use the tag: [mlearning-final](/tagged/mlearning-final). 2. **Prepare a short presentation for class.** Everyone (or group) should prepare a 5-7 minutes presentation in class. You do not need to cover every part of your final project. Instead, focus on the most interesting parts, how it reflects your own understanding of mobile learning, and any open questions or critical commentary that it come from it. 3. I would like to invite everyone out to celebrate the end of the semester, and what (I think) was a great class, after our last meeting. **Meet at 6:30 in Harvey 104.** See you tomorrow.

[mlearnau]

Nutrition Unit -- Oh Hey Kristen and Ailin!

I was reading about the project [Food & Nutrition Project](http://periodicmlearning.tumblr.com/post/22724510814/final-project-description) over @periodicmlearning and had some ideas, but no way to reply through tumblr or leave a comment. So, here are my brief thoughts... Have the students keep a photo log of what they eat during the day. This will help them reflect on their own eating habits, and could be analyzed by the class and compiled into a database/spreadsheet. It could also spark a bit of a discussion about the home life of the various students in the class, and talk about the social role/pressue of eating and practices of different families and communities. If your (hypothetical class) doesn't have access to digital cameras/smartphones) you could modify it that each student borrows the class camera once during the project, to document their food for a day. Just a thought...please feel free to ignore.

[mlearnau]

Week 15: Final project work

This is our last online week, and I've decided not to assing any new readings. Instead, I would like to focus on final projects. **Due:** 1. Post a description of your project, and any relevant work in progress. Due by Wed May 9. 2. Post _at least_ one question about your project that you would like freedback on. Due by Wed May 9. 3. Comment on _at least_ two different people's project questions. Due Sunday May 13. **Readings:** _none this week_.

[mlearnau]

Week 14: Podcast 2

[all posts tagged #week14](http://mlearnau.tumblr.com/tagged/week14) It's time to work on your second podcast (and final). You choose the area that you want to focus on. We will meet _in person_ on Wed. May 2. Before you record you podcast, have a look at my [feedback from round one.](http://mlearnau.tumblr.com/post/20677192064/podcast-feedback) **Readings:** * you choose your readings, select 2 or three _or_ you can spend your time considering how you would use apps for teaching (by researching more apps. You should plan for about 2 hours of time to do the research **Due:** * try to post your podcast by Wed. May 2, or come to class early and we can do it together (bring your script) * prepare to talk about and show your app from your [app review](http://matt.curinga.com/static/courses/mlearning.html#educational-app-review) in class. this is not a formal presentation, I'm just giving you the heads up to bring a device and the app (or let me know and I will have it ready for you). See you on Wed.!

[mlearnau]

To join us:

Sign into google with a regular gmail account. Not your adelphi.edu account.

Follow the link to our hangout

Install the plug-in as prompted by google

Follow the link again to join the conversation.

[mlearnau]

Not much new for us in this piece, but a look at ipads in schools from popular press.

[mlearnau]

Week 13: Mobile interfaces & design

See all content tagged #week13

This week we are looking at mobile design, with an emphasis on ipads and other touchscreen tablets. It's important that we understand some of the constraints and unique considerations of mobile interfaces. They are not just big computer interfaces shrunk down. Keep this in mind while doing the readings, and, especially, when conducting your app review.

I have mostly assigned academic readings this semester: journal articles, book chapters, and other research papers. I do this because I have high expectations for you guys, and think that you should read the same research that experts in the field of mobile learning read. And, you have done a great job with it.

But experts read a variety of stuff...As promised, we're going light with the reading this week. Jakob Nielsen is a legitimate usability researcher and expert. The other article is a bit suspect, in my opinion, both on the methodology (observing his daughter) and terminology (I don't necessarily agree with his understanding of affordances). But, they are reasoned observations, and the author does an excellent job of referring to real apps, as they exist, to illustrate his points. Last, I link to Apple's detailed guidelines on designing user interfaces for iOS (ipod, iphone, ipad) devices. This is an optional reading, but may provide some insight if you skim it or read certain sections.

Readings

Nielsen, J. (2011, May 23). iPad Usability: Year One. Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox.

van der Merwe, Rian. (March 12th, 2012). A Dad’s Plea To Developers Of iPad Apps For Children. Smashing Magazine.

(optional) Apple, Inc. (2012). iOS Human Interface Guidelines: Introduction.

Due

Reading response, due by Wed. 4/25.

App Review due by Sunday 4/29. Click here for the assignment details.

[mlearnau]

**Low-tech texting . . .** flickr | [jonmott](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mott/)

[mlearnau]

Week 12: Apps4Ed

[All posts tagged week 12](http://mlearnau.tumblr.com/tagged/week12) This week we are going to continue our discussion of educational apps. Our readings this week are not about "apps" or mobile computing specifically. Rather, they deal with two central concepts of using computer for learning: multimedia and "cognitive tutors." I'm sure that all of you have a working definition of multimedia. The book chapter by Richard Mayer discusses how people learn when they are presented with information in two different formats (like text and a photograph, or an animation with voice narration). The second paper, on cognitive tutors for Math instruction, might be a little bit less familiar. The basic concept is that we can use computer to practice things that we are learning, and that the computer can adapt to the individual's learning. These papers are short (less than 30 pages total), but fairly dense, so you probably don't want to read them back-to-back. Earlier this semester we considered social aspects of learning. This week we will look more closely at the cognitive sides of learning. Many "apps4ed" incorporate some type of multimedia or computer based instruction. Some of them do it well, some of them do it poorly. When you read these papers, think of how you can use the information to evaluate the learning potential of mobile applications. ### Readings: * Mayer, R. E. (2007). Five features of effective multimedia messages: An evidence-based approach. In S. M. Fiore & E. Salas (Eds.), _Toward a science of distributed learning_. (pp. 171–184). Washington: American Psychological Association. [moodle](https://moodle.adelphi.edu/file.php/49382/mayer-2003-multimedia-methods.pdf "enrolled students can download from moodle") * Ritter, S., Anderson, J., Koedinger, K., & Corbett, A. (2007). [Cognitive Tutor: Applied research in mathematics education.](http://pact.cs.cmu.edu/pubs/Ritter%20Anderson%20Koedinger%20Corbett%202007.pdf) _Psychonomic Bulletin & Review_, _14_(2), 249–255. ### Due: * Reading response, due by end of day **Monday**, April 16. * Comments, due end of day Wed., April 18. * **Note:** I updated the syllabus so that the App Review isn't due until week 13, we can discuss it next time we meet in person * Come to class with an idea of what mobile App you will review

[mlearnau]

Podcast #2 due week 14

Just to be clear, the next podcast isn't due for a couple of weeks...

[mlearnau]

Podcast Feedback

I have listened to everyon's podcasts (I think), and was very impressed. I learned a lot about the various topics, and overall, they were really solid work. For your second podcast, due on Mary 2, I have some suggestions. Listen to your first podcast again and see which apply to you. 1. Shoot for a **5 minute** podcast this time. The shorter length will let you focus on the overall quality _and_ let your classmates listen to more podcasts all the way through. 2. Some people can improve their audio quality. If your audio was less than very clear, try one (or more) of the following: * use a microphone, not the built-in mic on your laptop (or phone) * make sure you record in a quiet place * if/when you export your recording, try higher quality settings 3. Refrain from using fillers: "umm", "uhh", "like", etc. Your listeners would rather have you pause. Either edit or re-record until these are all gone. 4. Try to offer a strong point of view, rather than just a summary of your subject area. This is a content, not a technical issue, but, a podcast (or lecture) is more intereting if it has a clear, strong thesis. 5. (advanced) Mix it up. If you had a great recording the first time, play around a little bit. After your initial recording, re-record some parts you want to change, and edit them back in. Put some music or other sounds at the beginning, end, or as background to your podcast. 6. **Have fun!**

[mlearnau]

[mlearnau]

[mlearnau]

Week 11: Tablets & eReaders

See all posts tagged #week11

For the next few weeks, we're going to think about Android Tablets and iPads, and how they are being used in education. This weeks readings are a little bit lighter than usual. The Hillesund article is a scholarly look that considers the physical aspect of reading, with a decent (short) history of reading, concluding with a study about reading etexts. The Hu article is from the New York Times, and just looks at some of the schools that have been adopting iPads. I've also added a short summary about trendsin ereading; talking about who and how American's use ereaders.

Readings

Hillesund, T. (2010). Digital reading spaces: How expert readers handle books, the Web and electronic paper. First Monday, 15(4).

Rainie, L., et al. (2012) The rise of e-reading. Pew Research Center.

Hu, W. (2011, Jan. 4). Math That Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad. The New York Times.

Due

post your reading response by the end of day Monday. Comments by Wed.

post a short (1 paragraph) description of what you might do for your final project, by Wed.

[mlearnau]

Mobile Learning and Our Schools: A Panel Discussion

At the Adelphi Manhattan Center, March 21 2012. See the original announcement for the panel.

Special thanks to Mitch and Tom from FCPE for the excellent and quick work in getting this online.

[mlearnau]

Week 10: mLearning in Domains (1)

[See all posts tagged #week10](http://mlearnau.tumblr.com/tagged/week10) This week is open for your own self-directed study of mobile learning in an area of your choice. This is your chance to dig deeper into one of the topics we've touched on so far, or to branch out into something new. I recommend, but it is not required, that you choose a subject related to your own work or studies. For example, if you are teaching Spanish, you might want to look into how mobile devices are being used to teach languages. It doesn't have to be an academci subject area though, you might want to look more deeply into GPS/GIS, adult learning, job training, etc. ### How it will work 1. As soon as possible, post your topic area, just so we know what's going on. A short post on you Tumblr that says, "I'm going to look at how moble devices are being used for discovery science education." 2. (optional) Find someone to work with. 3. Find 2-5 articles in your subject area. You should plan to read at least as much as we do for a regular week (around 50 pages of academic scholarship). You will probably have to scan many articles to find the ones you want to focus on. 4. Post your audio podcast. Even if you work as part of a team, you each need your own podcast — split up the topic so that you don't overlap too much. ### About the podcast * write a script before you record your podcast * it _must_ be between 8-12 minutes in length * post your podcast to your Tumblr as an audio post - it must be an mp3 audio file - it cannot be larger than 10MB in size (this is not a problem for a 12 minute mp3 file) * you can, but don't have to, record the audio on your phone * I use a USB mic and a laptop to record and edit audio with [audacity](http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), a [Free Software](http://fsf.org) audio editing program * don't worry about getting the audio perfect, it's much more important that you have something interesting to say ### Due 1. Audio podcast posted by end of day on Monday, 4/2 2. At least two comments by Wed., 4/5 3. If you didn't attend the mobile learning panel last week, a ~300 word response to [the video of the panel](http://gaia.adelphi.edu/Mobile_Learning_&_Our_Schools_03-21-2012.mov) _See you next week, in person!_

[mlearnau]

Location & Mobile Games For Learning

[See all posts tagged week 9](http://mlearnau.tumblr.com/tagged/week9) This week we're going to read about two location-based, augmented reality, mobile games for learning. Both are complex examples of mlearning, which integrate several of the things we've been discussing this semester. In particular, they try to take advantage of the specific _mobile_ and _location aware_ nature of handheld wireless computing. When writing your response, you may want to consider how these projects relate to Weiser's vision of augmented reality, as well as their relation to traditional classroom learning. **This is an online week.** ### Readings * Facer, K., Joiner, R., Stanton, D., Reid, J., Hull, R., & Kirk, D. (2004). [Savannah: mobile gaming and learning?](http://vmequator.mrl.nottingham.ac.uk/var/uploads/Savannah_paper2004.pdf) *Journal of Computer Assisted Learning*, *20*(6), 399–409. * Rosenbaum, E., Klopfer, E., & Perry, J. (2006). [On Location Learning: Authentic Applied Science with Networked Augmented Realities.](http://www.springerlink.com/content/mu2840u33784w1u7/fulltext.html) *Journal of Science Education and Technology*, *16*(1), 31-45. ### Due * reading response to the two articles * since I posted these links late, let's make the RR **due by End Of Day Monday** instead of Sunday * leave (at least) 2 comments * start thinking about the subject are you going to research for your own report and first podcast