Final Design Blueprint using the Learning Communities Framework with Augmented Reality (AR)

Design Blueprint Document – Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Study of Pollution

This PBL project on pollution provides opportunities for students to find multiple entry points into understanding. The problem is presented as a realistic scenario to drive the learning activity where solving it will require self-directed learning. Students’ own theories, photographs of pollution, and personal experiences will provide a meaningful building block for progressively solving the problem through the tutorial process.

The major components of the PBL tutorial process are present and connected to the theoretical framework and the activities. A clear progression of how the design and problem solving unfolds and what kinds of resources, collaborations, and scaffolds would be used along the way are provided.

Part I. Overview of learning context and topic

1. Context for instruction

School: Jakarta Intercultural School, Jakarta, Indonesia

Subject: Grade 7 Science

Students’ composition: English speaking international and some local (Indonesian) students

Available technology/media: School-supplied iPads, access to Internet

Unit title: Pollution: Causes, impacts and solutions

2. Ill-structured problem

Type: Design (create an environmental action campaign).

Jakarta pollution index in mid-year 2016 is ranked 20^th out of 78 cities in Asia or 27^th out of 211 cities in the world (https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/rankings.jsp). There is compelling evidence that pollution has a negative impact on health, cost of living and quality of life. The problem is ever present around us.

Desired outcome: Students understand the causes and impacts of pollution in order to help reduce/stop pollution in their local community.

Part II. Design Components (PBL)

1. Learning goals

Design an environmental action campaign on how to help reduce/stop pollution in their local community.
Discuss why it is important to keep the environment free of pollution.
Identify the sources of pollution.
Identify the different kinds of pollution.

2. PBL tutorial process

A. Problem scenario:

Homework:

Implement flipped classroom model to engage students in a relevant context to motivate learning by providing a framework of relevance. Use Khan Academy video lectures and other online sources on pollution as homework that will provide some background knowledge for activities in class:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/crash-course-bio-ecology/crash-course-ecology-2/v/crash-course-ecology-11
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/PollutionTypes.php
http://www.slideshare.net/zizou27300/pollution-causes-effects-and-solutions (slides and views are too extreme so will download and edit first before distributing with revised link)

In class activities:

Instruct students to download the following free mobile computer applications on their iPad:

Weather Station (by Netatmo)
Pollution (by aMobileFuture)
Plume Air Report (by Plume Labs)
World Air (by Digital Greenroom)
AirVisual (by AirVisual)

Individually, critically review each of the above apps.

Afterwards, encourage class discussions of their analysis and arguments for recommending (or not recommending) the use of each of the apps.

Use Poll Everywhere app (by Poll Everywhere https://www.polleverywhere.com/) to select the top 2 apps to use for this unit.

B. Identify facts:

Homework:

Capture photographic and/or video artifacts that represent students’ understanding of the cause and effect of pollution in their local community.

Field trip:

Field trip to a local market for sensory experience and observation of pollution on-site.

C. Generate hypotheses and

D. Engage in self-directed learning:

In class activities:

Make sense of the learning and observations by instructing students to post on their individual blog that was created for this unit:

Use Skitch app to annotate the photographic and/or video artifacts (for video please take a still image of the part of the video to annotate).
Share their knowledge and photographic and/or video artifact to:
- Identify the different types of pollution they observed in their local neighborhood and at the local market.
- Identify the source(s) of the pollution they observed.
- Determine the impact of pollution in their local communities and globally.

E. Identify knowledge gaps:

In class activities:

Facilitate collaborative interactions by having each student comment on two (2) classmates’ blogs and provide responses to comments on their own blogs.

F. Apply new knowledge to problem:

In class activities:

Divide class into 3-member teams to collaboratively work on a project to produce local community relevant environmental action campaign “Let’s Stop Pollution”.
Search for more relevant info as needed.
Consider the best among the alternative media to convey the message across to target population group(s).
Provide argument(s) for the medium chosen and the message(s) conveyed.
*optional: contribute to Weather Station app (by Netatmo) by making your outdoor data public so that it can be shared on Netatmo world weather map.

G. Evaluate:

In class activities:

Present their environmental action campaign to class and receive constructive feedback.
Play the game SimCityEDU-Pollution Challenge (I have not experimented with this game, but based on what I read in one of my classmate’s posting in a previous module in this class, I would like to possibly use it in this unit).

H. Reflect:

In class activities:

Go back to student’s post on their individual blog to do another write up of their original posting based on what they have learned.

Part III. Scaffolding

Communicating process: Articulating the process to students. Example: Provide explanation, examples and rubric on the task to be accomplished.
Coaching: Provide guidance while students are performing a task. Example: Walk around and observe what students are doing. If there is a general misunderstanding, conduct a class discussion to clarify the task.
Eliciting articulation: Ask students to explain. Example: During presentation of the action campaign, allow students and teacher to ask probing questions. Also during reflection, ask students to articulate their thinking and reflection.

Final capstone project for learning with mobile computers

My philosophy on teaching and learning in the 21st Century: v2

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Video: My philosophy on teaching and learning in the 21st century

What was then

Teaching and learning have progressed fast since my early days in the 60s and 70s. I grew up in an environment where the teacher was the embodiment of knowledge, the know it all persona. Students sat silently in rows of desks and chairs rote memorizing everything that was thrown our way. Knowledge was power; the more you memorized, the smarter you were. The brain was like a black box. Educators did not care what was in the black box and how we processed the information, because what was important was how we behaved. The “behaviorism” learning theory focuses on the observable behavior that results from the learning and does not pay much attention to the process. Learning happened when the expected and desired behavior was observed. Teaching then is about controlling the environment to reinforce the proper behaviors.

What is now

Fast forward to the early 2000. Two decades of advances in neuroscience research have had an impact on education. Research has highlighted the brain’s functionality and there is a better understanding of how the brain learns. That mysterious black box is being cracked open. The early years of 2000 were marked by the birth of new learning theories, such as inquiry, user design, and constructivism. These active learning theories believe that learning is internally created within the student’s minds, and learning/teaching is negotiated as meaning is constructed.

The environment

There has been a pronounced shift from the more traditional direct-teaching-based philosophy of a “sage on the stage” to the student-centered philosophy of learning which engages students in active learning and problem solving. Learning environment has been characterized more and more by students seamlessly switching between formal and informal learning environments, in- and outside the classrooms, between different contexts, and between individual and social learning. The internet and the availability, versatility, social interactivity of Web 2.0 tools have, without a doubt, been a main factor contributing to and promoting this type of learning environment.

Characteristics of the learning environment:

Formal and informal continuous learning, in- and outside the classrooms
Interactive process of information/knowledge flow where information/knowledge and network of systems/communities connect and grow
Reinforcement of learning of 21^st Century skills
Technology as a nexus between formal and informal learning environments

The student

The learning environment of the 21^st Century creates opportunities for students to take advantage of the evolving emerging media literacy and take charge of their own learning as they make connections that are peer supported, and focus on engagement with communities.

Mancabelli & Richardson (2011, pp. 55) offered a spectrum of the levels of participation of students in the online network, from those who participate as consumers to those who make connections and actively engage as creators and producers. This participatory culture adds value which allows students to move up the spectrum, described by the authors as the “Social Technographics Ladder” shown here.

Characteristics of the students of the 21^st Century:

Building bridges among different learning media/infrastructures
Taking charge of their own learning in authentic, personally relevant context
Collaborating with others to solve real-world problems

Using technology for active engagement and collaboration with physical and virtual communities (making internal and external connections that are “friendship-driven and “interest-driven”)

The teacher

In the 21^st Century learning environment, as the students are shifting their role from just being consumers of information/knowledge, so do the teachers as their roles change in teaching and learning in the digital, network age. Unlike traditional methods of teaching where the focus was on didactic instruction, the teachers of the 21^st Century are mentors who facilitate the process of knowledge discovery and reinforce the attainment of 21^st Century skills and knowledge by using one of the active learning principles (i.e., inquiry, user-design, constructivism).

The 21^st Century learning environment also reflects the need for the teacher to be more active in linking together the formal and the informal environments.

Characteristics of the teachers of the 21^st Century:

Using inquiry, user design, and constructivism theories (active learning principles)
Facilitating learning
Effectively and appropriately integrating technology to support learning

Learning in the 21^st Century

How has this shift in learning environments been impacting student learning? Looi et al (2010, pp. 163) succinctly moved away from the traditional concept of learning of “what you know” to the 21^st Century learning of “what you do with what you know” (from consumers of information to producers of knowledge). The authors defined learning as:

Acquiring relatively permanent change in understanding, attitude, knowledge, information, ability and skill through experience.
Change in student value and character which can gauge students as lifelong learners and persons-to-be.

Learning happens when students internalize their knowledge and externalize their experiences. Technology and Web 2.0 tools make learning visible by providing artifacts of learning as students reflect, create, communicate and collaborate. In the 21^st Century learning environment, technology becomes an essential feature of learning. It allows teachers to access the best teaching materials available. The fast array of delivery methods allows students to choose the best way for how and when they learn. Effective and appropriate integration of technology in learning is a powerful tool that can be used to motivate students as they self-direct their learning, explore, participate actively in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, engage in social interactions to develop connections not just with the topic at hand but also with other students, critically evaluate the experiences, and develop higher-level thinking. These are 21^st Century skills that are key factors to be successful in work and life.

References:

Looi, C.-K., Seow, P., Zhang, B., So, H.-J., Chen, W., & Wong, L.-H. (2010). Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: A research agenda, British journal of educational technology, 41(2), pp. 154-169.

Mancabelli, R., Richardson, W. (2011). Becoming a networked learner, personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education, pp. 33-57.

Lesson 10 Part 2: Learning with mobile devices: My perspectives

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During Week 2 of our course, I wrote my definition of learning with mobile computers as:

Learners use mobile computers for formal and informal learning anywhere and anytime to:

self-direct their learning
participate actively and positively in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding
develop social interactions
develop 21^st century skills such as collaboration and communication

Now during Week 11, I have definitely expanded my understanding of learning with mobile computers to:

Learners use mobile computers for formal and informal learning anywhere and anytime to:

self-direct their learning in authentic, personally relevant context
participate actively in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding to make connections as consumers and producers in the online network
develop 21^st century skills
cultivate interactive social collaboration and sharing environments
seamlessly switch between different contexts, such as between formal and informal environments and between individual and social learning
bridge learning in- and outside of the classrooms

Lesson 10 Part 1: Designing educational environments that use mobile technologies as learning tools

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Over the past decade, learning environment has been characterized more and more by learners seamlessly switching “between different contexts, such as between formal and informal contexts and between individual and social learning, and by extending the social spaces in which learners interact with each other” (Looi et al, 2010, pp. 154). The portability, social interactivity and versatility of mobile devices have, without a doubt, been a main factor contributing to and promoting this type of learning environment. The authors strongly emphasized that when mobile technology is used for teaching and learning, there is the definite need to also facilitate for collaboration and sharing. Mobile devices are unique in how they could support student-centered learning and the different kinds of interactions and learning environments. This is also in line with Sharples (2013, pp. 5) who articulated the research finding that mobile technology when used in classrooms cultivates an interactive and collaborative environment where learners have shown significantly higher achievement and motivation. Kearney et al (2012)’s pedagogical framework further reinforced the importance of collaboration by providing insights that mobile learning experiences can greatly be amplified by enforcing social collaborative activities with other learners and teachers in face-to-face and virtual conversations.

Designing educational environments that use mobile technologies as learning tools

When mobile devices are used mindfully and with purpose with the right settings and activities, research findings show that these devices can bridge learning in- and outside of the classrooms and amplify learners’ engagement with the course content.

The context for the settings and activities is a key tenet that will be used in the plan to integrate mobile technology by providing the framework of relevance for learners to learn seamlessly, bridging the learning in- and outside of classrooms, developing connections not just with the topic at hand but also with other learners. Bransford et al (2006, pp. 210) looked at links between implicit learning and the brain, informal learning, and formal learning and their impact on effective learning, and saw that context was a key critical factor in learning. The authors indicated that there are two types of contexts: (1) setting-based, and (2) activities-based in the form of participation and type of interaction (p. 219). In terms of learning using mobile devices, Sharples, Arnedillo-Sanchez, Milrad and Vavoula (2009, pp. 236) also reiterated that “[c]ontext is a central construct of mobile learning. It is continually created by people in interaction with other people, with their surroundings and with everyday tools.”

In addition to the importance of context, setting, and collaborative activities, I have also learned that learning in the 21^st century is not just about consuming information or knowledge. Mancabelli and Richardson (2011, pp. 55) and Jenkins (2006, pp. 4) described learning in the 21^st century as involving new emerging media literacy and participatory culture that allow learners to move up the spectrum from learners who make connections as consumers to those who make connections as creators and producers in the online network. White & Martin (2014, pp. 64) similarly described the spectrum of digital consumers and producers by categorizing the use of mobile devices into four basic practices: (1) capturing and collecting information, (2) communicating and collaborating with others, (3) consuming and critiquing media, and (4) constructing and crating personal forms of representation and expression.

I will base much of the context, settings and activities for my technology integration plan on some of the ideas conveyed by Kamarainen et al (2013) and White & Martin (2014) where the authors described the findings of their empirical-based research (field trip and in-class activities) that showed learners gaining inspiration and significant understanding of science and math concepts when they used their mobile devices and the appropriate applications to participate and collaborate.

Note: I read 3 articles for this week. Out of the 3, only 1, the White & Martin article could be incorporated in this blog. The other 2 articles are:

Martin, Pastore & Snider (2012). This article is about designing mobile applications and how product testing is critically important to ensure the product’s functionality and usability meets the users’ needs and expectations.
Davidson and Carliner (2014). The authors provided research findings on e-Books in educational contexts relating to hardware, applications, attitudes, intellectual property implications.

References:

Bransford, J., Vye, N., Stevens, R., Kuhl, P., Schwartz, D., Bell, P., … Sabelli, N. (2006). Learning theories and education: Toward a decade of synergy. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 209–244). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Elerbaum Associates.

Davidson, A.-L. & Carliner, S. (2014). e-Books for educational uses, Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, pp. 713-722.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation reports on digital media and learning, pp. 1-4.

Kamarainen, A. M., Metcalf, S., Grotzer, T., Browne, A., Mazzuca, D., Tutwiler, M. S., & Dede, C. (2013). Ecomobile: Integrating augmented reality and probeware with environmental education field trips, Computers & education, 68, pp. 545-556.

Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Burden, K., & Aubusson, P. (2012). Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective, Research in learning technology, 20:1, 1-17.

Looi, C.-K., Seow, P., Zhang, B., So, H.-J., Chen, W., & Wong, L.-H. (2010). Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: A research agenda, British journal of educational technology, 41(2), pp. 154-169.

Mancabelli, R., Richardson, W. (2011). Becoming a networked learner, personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education, pp. 33-57.

Martin, F., Pastore, R., & Snider, J. (2012). Developing mobile based instruction, pp. 46-51.

Sharples, M. (2013). Mobile learning: research, practice and challenges. Distance education in China, 3(5), pp. 5-11.

Sharples, M., Arnedillo-Sanchez, I., Milrad, M., & Vavoula, G. (2009). Mobile learning: Small devices, big issues. In N. Balacheff, S. Ludvigsen, T. Jong, A. Lazonder, & S. Barnes (Eds.), Technology-enhanced learning, pp. 233-249.

White, T., & Martin, L. (2014). Mathematics and mobile learning, pp. 64-70.

Week 12: Reflection on The Future of Thinking

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With the explosion of Internet and digital media use over the past decade and in the way they are impacting nearly every facet of the way many people live and learn, there is an urgent need to look at how emerging technologies affect learning. Along with this, much empirical and theoretical research has been conducted to understand the different learning environments that are afforded now and how to best bridge the boundaries within and across learning institutions.

One thing is clear from Davidson and Goldberg’s book chapters The Future of Thinking (2010) we read this week that even though there is so much continuous self-directed learning that’s happening informally in the virtual community, the authors don’t argue that traditional classrooms are becoming obsolete. They also don’t argue that teachers no longer matter. These authors’ perspectives are very much in line with Thomas and Seely-Brown as they stated in the Arc of life of Learning (2011) that we read during Week 3 of this course.

The readings do propose however that traditional learning institutions need to respond and attend to the emerging trends in technologies and practices to augment and maximize learning. Davidson and Goldberg offered some novel ways for how traditional learning institutions could bridge the formal physical and informal virtual learning environments, in- and outside the classrooms.

Teachers to act as facilitator of learning to support learning.
Move away from “knowing that” to “learning how”, from content to process, from fact to question (pg. 62).
Act to mobilize social networking for learning.
Design courses that provide choice and customization.
Build 21^st century skills, especially in the areas of active participation, network interaction, collaboration, and creativity.
Incorporate technology in creative yet meaningful ways.

The authors recognized the challenges that have to be addressed as institutions deal with the emerging mode of learning:

Issues on intellectual property and authorship, especially as collaborative work processes take precedence in creating and producing interdisciplinary knowledge.
The establishment of appropriate reward/grading systems.
Shift in trust from issues of knowledge authoritativeness to distinguishing good knowledge sources and substance from those that are questionable (pg. 62).
Addressing the impact of implementation on federal education program No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Transformation of traditional learning institutions will have to take on mindful and purposeful considerations. Much of the planning and implementation have to be done based on research on how people learn and the environments that affect it. Responding to emerging technologies and practices must be like turning a big ship for many of the institutions. Before I decided to take my online certification at Penn State, I researched many universities in the US. I saw that many of the well known universities still very much depend on their on campus, in class offerings. And many less known universities are taking advantage of this situation by focusing on providing online courses. Penn State University was 1 among only 3 in the top 15 that offered the best online graduate education programs while also having an internationally recognizable and reputable name for being the best education school (as indicated by their overall national universities ranking in US News and World Report 2014-2015). So far my experience has been beyond expectation (meaning, I was originally skeptical as to how much I would be able to learn online and whether it would be effective). Penn State University has done pretty well! I do believe strongly that the future of learning institutions in a digital age will have to incorporate both the traditional and virtual learning effectively.

References:

Davidson, C.N., & Goldberg D.T (2010). The future of thinking: Learning institutions in a digital age. (pg. 1-81).

Thomas, D., & Seely-Brown, J. (2011). Arc of life learning: New culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. (pg. 17-38).

Week 10: How do we effectively integrate new digital literacies within formal education?

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This course has been such an eye-opener for me. I knew about the Web tools for learning since many years ago. Two years ago, I designed and implemented a program to introduce basic computing skills and the Internet to underprivileged children between the ages of 10-12. I used free online applications and resources in order to help them expand their thought horizon on what is possible in the world of computing. At the time, I was already thinking how powerful it is now that free software and applications are available for the masses to consume. I explored many of the tools with these kids to show how they could develop their knowledge, skills, understanding and learning in any areas they were interested in – learning beyond the traditional setting in classrooms where the world is now within reach of their own fingertips. Reading Thomas and Seely Brown’s Arc-of-life learning (2011, pg. 17-38) during the 3^rd week of our course reaffirmed the reason that I had for developing the program. The authors proposed that learning is happening everywhere, all around us, and that it will likely not be taking place in a classroom.

As we further dived into this course in subsequent weeks, now I understand that learning is not just about consuming information or knowledge. Learning in the 21^st century involves new emerging media literacy and participatory culture that were described in detail in the Jenkins paper (2006, pg. 4). This notion was also stated in the article by Mancabelli and Richardson (2011, pg. 55) who offered the spectrum of distinction from learners who make connections as consumers to those who make connections as creators and producers in the online network. With all this in mind, however, backed by the Thomas and Seely Brown’s article, I am very convinced that, “although much of the new learning takes place outside traditional educational forums, we do not argue that classrooms are obsolete or that teaching no longer matters… believe that this new culture of learning can augment learning in nearly every facet of education and very stage of life” (page 18). As I have stated in my previous blog, certainly there will be individual differences, and some formal infrastructure is needed to help students “harness the power of almost unlimited informational resources and create something personally meaningful” (page 31).

So, what are the ways to effectively integrate these new digital literacies within formal education? As much as math and sciences and other subjects are streamed-lined across the curriculum from elementary to high-school and beyond, I believe that digital literacy also needs to be mapped and streamed-lined in subjects across the curriculum. As educators, we need to understand the factors to take into consideration as we help build learners’ ability to be digitally literate in effectively and productively gathering (consume), making (create) and sharing (communicate and collaborate) information and products/projects. Some elements to think of:

The extend to which school textbooks would be appropriate materials to still use
The extend to which traditional and use of digital media should be blended for best educational outcome
The extend to which tasks are age appropriate
The rationale and strategies as to when and how Web 2.0 tools should be used to support learning in different classes
E-safety
Managing distractions
Policy for computer/laptop/mobile units in the hands of the students’
Teacher professional development
Providing guidance on copyright, intellectual property and plagiarism

As was indicated by Dean and Heidi in the voicethread last week, context is one of the most important elements to have in ensuring that learners make sense in understanding their learning and the connection to the world. Within context, educators also need to keep in mind the development of 21^st century skills that are important to cultivate as they develop the task or projects for learners, such as:

The personal and community values to embrace
The ability to critically think and problem solve
To work in a team
To effectively communicate and collaborate
To be adaptable
To be creative
To be able to self-direct as positive learners
To be responsible world citizens, etc.

Context, 21^st century skills development from consumption to production, connecting with audience and social networks are all important considerations in integrating new digital literacy skills within the formal learning environment. Is finding and reading an appropriate article on the web the same as writing a blog? Is creating a game for one’s personal interest the same as putting it up on the web for input and feedback as in the example of scratch (https://scratch.mit.edu/)? Is taking a video the same as making a film?

I searched the web for examples of digital literacy in practice. I came across tons of helpful articles for tips and examples! Educators need to plan in order to best foster the different skills and making purposeful connections across related subjects. I found one planning tool for digital literacy in the article Hague and Payton (2010, pg. 47) that could be used by educators in ensuring that particular task or project includes elements of the different components of digital literacy.

source: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf

This is just but one example. There are many other examples, but keep in mind that it is important to plan and coordinate the teaching and learning so that it will be purposeful, from classroom level, to grade level to whole-school level.

Week 9: Voicethread Summary and Synthesis

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Hello everyone,

Last week we commented on the Voicethread that Professor Sharma uploaded. The topic was on Social Networking and Learning: Connections, Practices and Communities.

This week I’m one of the curators and I specifically focus on summarizing and synthesizing the comments addressing the question:

I tried to be creative and made a video + slides with voice over (my voice and the original voice of those who made the comments) but I have technical issues loading it up. It’s probably a combination of 2 problems. My internet is currently very slow and the file is very big (63M). I used HB (handbrake) to reduce the file size but I lost audio as a result of that. Until I figure out how to successfully insert the video here in this blog, I did a short cut and put it up on youtube for now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlWfPSJGEnE

If any of you techies out there can help with suggestions please let me know. In the mean time, the following slides are part of the video and I show them here for quick reference in case you don’t have the time to go through the video (about 12 minutes long).

Lesson 8: Mobile learning environment: Bridging learning in and out of classrooms

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Over the past decade, learning culture has been characterized more and more by learners seamlessly switching “between different contexts, such as between formal and informal contexts and between individual and social learning, and by extending the social spaces in which learners interact with each other” (Looi et al, 2010, pg. 154). The portability, mobility and versatility of mobile devices have, without a doubt, been the largest factor contributing to and promoting this type of learning culture.

First off, what are the indicators of learning?

Looi et al (2010) cited a few references that could be used to account for learning (pg. 163):

Acquiring relatively permanent change in understanding, attitude, knowledge, information, ability and skill through experience.
Change in student value and character which can gauge students as lifelong learners and persons-to-be.

So how does formal learning in- and informal learning out of classrooms facilitated?

As described by Looi et al (2010), when context specific, self-interest-driven learning on mobile devices is followed by online social discourse, the process “provides a platform where students can move from the individual space on the mobile devices to the public space to facilitate collaboration and sharing” (page 159). They strongly emphasized that when mobile technology is used for teaching and learning, there is the definite need to also facilitate for collaboration and sharing.

The pedagogical framework investigated and confirmed by Kearney et al (2012) describing the three central features of mobile learning: authenticity, collaboration and personalization, further reinforced that “learning is a situated, social endeavour, facilitated and developed through social interactions and conversations between people, and mediated through tool use… process of learning mediated by a mobile device.” Mobile learning experiences can greatly be amplified by enforcing collaborative activities with other learners, teachers and other peers in face-to-face and virtual conversations. Kearney at all (2012) used collaborative video blog after augmented learning museum activity, and face-to-face class discussions after math games activities, as opposed to the more contrived and structured passive listening to instructional podcasts or students’ use of hand-held devices to complete class-based polls, as examples that provided insights on the importance of social collaboration in capturing the value of connected aspects of mobile learning that enhances mobile learning environments.

On a slightly unexpected twist, Junco (2012) suggested that proper educational practices using Facebook could have a positive impact on learning outcomes. He looked at the relationship between student engagement and success where “…environments that emphasize close interactions between faculty and students are related to improved critical thinking, knowledge acquisition, analytic competencies, and intellectual development” (pg. 163). His research showed strong positive correlation in specific Facebook communicative activities such as commenting on content and creating or RSVP-ing events to academic outcomes (pg. 169). These activities engage students in interactions with others and support the previous frameworks supported by Looi et al (2010) and Kearney et al (2012) in mobile devices being great tools to bridge learning in and out of classrooms, as long as they are supplemented by active collaboration and sharing activities.

References:

Junco, R. (2012). The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement. Computers & Education, 58(1), 162-171. Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.004
Looi, C.-K., Seow, P., Zhang, B., So, H.-J., Chen, W., & Wong, L.-H. (2010). Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: A research agenda. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 154-169. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00912.x

Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Burden, K., & Aubusson, P. (2012). Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. Research In Learning Technology, 20:1, 1-17. doi:10.3402/rlt.v20i0/14406