Blog 4: New Forms of Learning Supported by Mobile Tools
June 1, 2019
For many of us, we were introduced to mobile devices in our late teen / early twenties. We went through grade school using pencil and paper and potentially our version of a mobile device (aka a graphing calculator).
For the most part, we had no choice but to create things from what we learned. Fast forward to today, kids are growing up with a device in their hands.
A few years ago I went to dinner on a beautiful night. We ate outside and the table next to us had a family of four. As soon as they sat down, the mother pulled out an iPad for each of the two children (who looked to be about four or five). Both her and her husband pulled out their phones and they all sat there on their devices not speaking a word to one another. In order to mitigate this dependence on consuming information without doing anything with it, Dr. Klopher discussed in his video presentation about how mobile devices can help kids be productive if they are empowered to create something with the device. This empowerment can help learners push themselves and not only learn more deeply about the topic at hand, but also construct something new. This internalization of learning can help the concepts stay with the learner longterm.
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I developed a training last semester for our college web managers. One challenge I had was figuring out a way to motivate the learners to complete the training. We don’t have any supervisory oversight, so the training is technically optional, even though I know it will help the users. When I saw a few of the readings for this lesson dealt with digital badging I thought that might be something to consider in future revisions of this web training. On page 1137 of “Personalized workplace learning: An exploratory study on digital badging within a teacher professional development program,” the authors described that digital badging can incentivize learning, capture credentialed learning experiences, and if this learning mechanism is personalized, the specific needs of the worker can be met. These basic tenets of badging could certainly help with the web training. Since each user has a different role (i.e., some users can utilize certain components like video and images while other users can only add text), I could foresee the badges tailored to various milestones of achievement. This could incentivize their learning, especially if as they progress they can have their access upgraded to do more on the website.
Rather than only read articles badging this week, I decided to explore a variety of topics to help me make a better decision on what I would like focus on for the project. The AR articles caught my eye, particularly “Augmented Reality Teaching and Learning,” since I recently downloaded the Statue of Liberty AR app (which is great) that teaches anyone, from the comfort of any location, about the history of Lady Liberty. In using this app, among other AR apps, I found that many of them use AR simply for fun or because it’s trendy. There are few that I tried (not saying I tried them all, just a bunch) that actually teach something. Thinking back, those apps did have a constructivist learning theory approach, as Dunleavy and Dede describe on page 737. The apps that appealed to me did “embed the learning within my environment, provide multiple perspectives, provide self-directed learning opportunities,” and supported my learning (Dunleavy and Dede, 737). They took me into the environment and guided my learning successfully and in a fun way.
Finally, I read a bit about wearables in “Wearing, Thinking, and Moving: Testing the Feasibility of Fitness Tracking with Urban Youth.” What I found most interesting is the conflict between behavior change and motivation to use the device. Early in the article on page 8 the authors discuss how wearables have the ability to track something about us and then help us change our ways for the better. What the researchers found, as described on page 14, is that motivating students to use wearables was much more difficult than initially thought. The authors did note a variety of reasons why students didn’t use the wearable consistently, but I think there is more to it. This paper took the wearable and introduced to the students and it could have been perceived as trendy, which is why the students participated. I imagine the researchers would have seen different results if the students already were active and wearables were introduced to aid in what they were already doing. The authors sort of went against recommendations of mobile technology in general. Instead of using the technology as an aid, they used it as the main focus. I do think this idea is true as I experience this on a daily basis. I have an Apple Watch and I purchased it to aid in what I already do (exercise, use Siri, listen to music, travel, etc.). It just makes things easier. However, I have family members and friends who also purchased similar wearables to help them get into better shape or do more of something. Instead of it doing what they had initially thought, it’s become more of a novelty as they aren’t reaching fitness goals or using other features of the wearable. Essentially, wearables, like any technology, should be there to aid us, not replace us.
Dunleavy, M., & Dede, C. (2014). Augmented reality teaching and learning. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. Elen, & M. J. Bishop (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 735-745). New York, NY: Springer.
Gamrat, C., Zimmerman, H. T., Dudek, J., & Peck, K. (2014). Personalized workplace learning: An exploratory study on digital badging within a teacher professional development program. British Journal of Educational Technology, 1136–1148.
Klopfer, E. (2012). Video. Mobile as a Creative Medium. Digital Media & Learning Research Hub.
Schaefer, S. E., Ching, C. C., Breen, H., & German, J. B. (2016). Wearing, thinking, and moving: Testing the feasibility of fitness tracking with urban youth. American Journal of Health Education, 47(1), 8–16.
Hey Rob,
I enjoyed the feeling of nostalgia that I got from reading your post. II remember the dawn of the graphing calculator in school. It looking back, many of the concepts we are currently learning would reject the implementation of the graphing calculator in the way my former schools utilized this technology (expensive, not really used directly in math but rather as a way of checking, those that had access to extra resources could use the calculator more proficiently or cheat – all of which leading to unnecessary integration that created a large gap in in number of measurable categories).
I have mixed thoughts about phone zombies (people who are in a trance while in public, stumbling through life looking deep into the screen). Whatever somebody is doing on their phone could contribute to learning, and even if not the case I am not sure how much agency I should have over a stranger’s screen time. I was on the subway around 11pm a few months ago reading an article for a class, about 6 other people also on the train looking into their screens, and a (presumably) homeless man came on and started yell about how this is the end of society (humanity controlled by machines, lack of social interaction, etc..). That moment seemed very telling in context of learning about mobile technology and what it could be used for, in my case reading an article for school during a long commute.
You made a great point about digital badging in the workplace, Most job training is not given an incentive and any recognition should increase the motivation factor (and increase retention of learning).
I love the idea of using AR to create embedded learning experiences, especially in the context of something like a tour. I’m sure that Statue of Liberty AR App was fun and educational, and I see AR seems like a great way to substitute limitations of a physical location. Tours can be fun and educational, so placing a person in a realistic simulation of a virtual tour should have similar effects. I think this type of learning could be effective in the case of historical events but maybe later for more abstract topics (Like the heart, similar to The Magic Schoolbus).
I think the design of a wearable can increase the motivation for a population to partake (Fitbit vs Apple Watch). You make a great case for increasing workplace learning, especially when using it as a supplement for existing work/training.
Hi Rob,
You bring up several excellent points about wearables and I wanted to specifically address the part where you discuss the motivation of students to actually wear the devices. I did not read this article, although I contemplated it as I teach about health, nutrition and food and have often thought about how to incorporate wearables into that unit. You made me rethink my original ideas and if the students would even be motivated to use them for their intended purpose. I think maybe if I did incorporate it would be an option for students to track their daily health habits instead of forcing all students wear. The students that are interested or already tracking their health and fitness would benefit far more than those without the interest. Thanks for your thoughts!