I had 2 key takeaways from the articles I chose this week: know your audience (and resources) and the importance of community. Both of these principles make the learning experience more personal, thus making it more engaging to the student. I think we spend a lot of time focusing on engagement in regards to traditional-aged students; however, adults need a certain amount of engagement also. In most cases, they are more motivated learners than younger students, but it does not mean they do not desire a more meaningful learning experience.

It is important for the instructor, trainer, etc.  to know their audience in order to better engage the student. Brown et al. discuss a graduate student clinician at The University of West Georgia Speech and Hearing Clinic  who learned her client had “interests in travel, sports, and the outdoors,” (Brown et al., 2013). She did an application search based on those interests to better assist in his therapy. “The student found the Fotopedia National Parks app, which displays photos from parks around the country,” (Brown et al., 2013). As a result, “the client increased his words per minute from 15 to 55 within a 2-month period, attending twice per week,” (Brown et al., 2013). Who knows if the results would have been the same if she had not taken the time to get to know her client.

Im and Chee report that use of Internet Cancer Support Groups (ICSG) increase “social support by increasing patients’ personal empowerment, self-esteem, and functional status, and by reducing social isolation, depression, cancer-related trauma, and symptom distress,” (Im and Chee, 2011). However, this resource is not being properly utilized by all groups. Although “ethnic minorities were reported to receive much greater social support from ICSGs than Whites,” (Im and Chee, 2011), they are primarily being used by “highly educated, high income” whites in the early stages of cancer, according to Im and Chee.

In order to better accommodate more ethnicities, Im and Chee suggest creating support with a certain amount of “cultural competence.” They define cultural competence as “ the acknowledgment and affirmation of cultural sensitivity embedded in cultural knowledge,” (Im and Chee, 2011). Later they suggest creating a support group based on country of origin to receive better usage results.

“As needs and trends evolve, educators and researchers also have to stay informed about how learners use personal technologies as members of communities that may be social, work-related or educational,” (Kulkulska-Hulme et al., 2011). This helps to know what limitations users and certain technologies have. For example, rather than introducing a new application, an instructor could use a popular one amongst students, thus making it more personal to the students’ learning experience. Kulkulska-Hulme et al. discuss how knowledge and use make things more available to users. They use the example of wifi becoming more available because more people are using it on their mobile devices.

Knowing your students technology background and what is available will help the institution make an educated decision, rather than using technology for the sake of using it. Create a plan, using Bates ACTIONS Model (This model measures Access, Cost, Teaching functions, Interaction, Organization, Novelty, and Speed when considering distance education technology.) or something similar. “Whilst some practices are worth adopting more widely, others may not merit it, but being better informed about evolving practices has to be a worthwhile goal,” (Kulkulska-Hulme et al., 2011).

In addition to knowing and understanding the technological background of one’s students, it is important to include their cultural background. For example, a large majority of the students involved in the Kulkulska-Hulme et al. study spent most of their time in different countries. According to the authors, Portugal was the only country whose students were primarily in that country. “We note that these student profiles reflect the increasingly international mix among those studying at master’s and doctoral levels globally,”(Kulkulska-Hulme et al., 2011).

When the teacher is more aware of the audience, it could lead to the creation of a learning community. As mentioned previously, Im and Chee report that use of (ICSG) makes the patient feel more at ease.

This community of sharing can lead to informal learning. “While the predominant use for mobile devices is communication, it seems that other aspects of social interaction can benefit, such as the ability to share media between mobile devices directly or blended across other social networking technologies like Facebook,” (Kukulska-Hulme et al., 2011). Mature students primary surfed the Internet, shared images, took notes, and texted within their communities. These communities share information on a regular basis, whether professional or personal. Students are also becoming ‘produsers,’ as mentioned by Kukulska-Hulme et al. (p.31). They are writing blogs, taking images, and sharing these creations with other learners.

Koushik et al. discuss a project combining iPads with social networking for the California Academy of Sciences.  In this case, this community is competitive in nature, motivating the participants to learn more. “Accessing the website from home allows the user to further personalize an avatar, learn more facts, and compare their scores on the mini-games and their avatar with those of their peers. Points can be redeemed to upgrade the avatar’s available attributes and attires,” (Koushik et al., 2010)

Near the beginning of this course I compared mobile technology to a Seven Eleven. I think it is a one-stop shop capable of fulfilling one’s needs while on the go. However, unlike my previous post when I relied heavily on mobile tech when my computer was down, I think it can also properly fulfill the needs of the adult learner.  Adult learners are constantly on the go and pulled in different directions. In addition to being informative and quick, it should be engaging. The result could be a lot of movers and shakers falling asleep on the Metro, while catching up on their studies.

Moreover, it can be used as a good review. For example, as I age, I am finding it more difficult to retain certain information. With the 21st Century workplace expecting us to know/learn more on the fly, I could be in a lot of trouble. Fortunately, I have learned to utilize this technology as a productivity tool, helping me keep track of important information. Thank heaven for Seven Eleven… Or mobile technology!

Works Cited

Brown, K. H., Heggs, A., & Millican, K. (2013). Technology: Project Using iPads for Clinical Supervision. Perspectives on Administration and Supervision,23(1), 4-11.

Koushik, M., Lee, E. J., Pieroni, L., Sun, E., & Yeh, C.-wei. (2010). iPad mini-games connected to an educational social networking website. ACM SIGGRAPH 2010 Posters on – SIGGRAPH ’10 (p. 1). New York, New York, USA: ACM Press. doi:10.1145/1836845.1836899

Kukulska-Hulme, A., Pettit, J., Bradley, L., Carvalho, A. a., Herrington, A., Kennedy, D. M., & Walker, A. (2011). Mature students using mobile devices in life and learning. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 3(1), 18-52. doi:10.4018/jmbl.2011010102

Im, E.-O., Lee, B., & Chee, W. (2011). The use of internet cancer support groups by Asian Americans and White Americans living with cancer. Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society / Transcultural Nursing Society, 22(4), 386-96. doi:10.1177/1043659611414142

Sadik, A. (2003). Directions for Future Research in On-line Distance Education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 4(4).https://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde12/articles/sadik.htm