Delivering IMS Learning Design Activities via Mobile Devices

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Delivering IMS Learning Design Activities via
Mobile Devices
Demetrios Sampson (sampson_at_iti.gr) Kerstin Götze
(goetze_at_lmr.khm.de) Panayiotis Zervas
(pzervas_at_iti.gr) Pythagoras Karampiperis
(pythk_at_iti.gr)
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Outline

• Introduction to m-Learning
• Some Definitions
• Dimensions of m-Learning
• Limitations imposed by mobile/wireless
  technologies
• The SMILE m-Learning Environment
• The SMILE Project
• Target Groups in SMILE
• Needs of Target Groups in SMILE
• The SMILE PDA Learning Design Player
• Desired Characteristics of Mobile Delivery Tools
• Characteristics of existing IMS Learning Design
  Players
• Characteristics of SMILE PDA Learning Design
  Player
• Short Live Demo of SMILE PDA Learning Design
  Player

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Definitions of m-Learning

• m-learning (mobile learning) is defined as the
  ability of using handheld devices to access
  learning resources 1
• Three ways of learning can be considered mobile.
  Learning is mobile in terms of space it is
  mobile in different areas of life it is mobile
  with respect of time 2
• m-learning refers to the use of mobile and
  handheld IT devices, such as PDAs, mobile phones,
  laptops and tablet PCs, in teaching and learning
  3

1 Kinshuk, Suhonen J., Sutinen E. and Goh T.
(2003). "Mobile Technologies in Support of
Distance Learning". Asian Journal of Distance
Education, 1 (1), 60-68 (ISSN 1347 9008) 2
Vavoula G. N. and Sharples M. (2002). KleOS A
Personal, Mobile, Knowledge and Learning
Organisation System. In Milrad M. , Hoppe HU and
Kinshuk (Eds), In Proc. of the IEEE International
Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in
Education WMTE 2002, pp 152 156, Los Alimatos,
USA 3 Wood K. (2003). Introduction to Mobile
Learning (M Learning) Available at
http//ferl.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?page65catid
192resid5194printable1
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Dimensions of m-Learning
Pedagogy (Scenarios Activities)
Devices
mLearning
Connectivity
Content
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Technological Limitations

• Device limitations
• Small screens limit the amount and type of
  information that can be displayed (mobiles and
  PDAs)
• Limited storage capacities (especially mobiles
  and PDAs)
• Connectivity limitations
• Bandwidth may degrade with a larger number of
  users when using wireless networks
• Design considerations
• Lack of common platform specifications (eg.
  Different sized screens - horizontal screens with
  some handheld computers, small square screens
  with mobile phones), difficult to develop content
  that will work anywhere

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Some Thoughts about m-Learning

• During the last years m-learning has attracted
  the attention of technology-enhanced learning
  community mainly as a side effect of the growth
  of the mobile communications industry
• While the educational added-value of m-learning
  is under investigation, technological efforts are
  much needed to align m-learning technologies with
  the current state-of-the-art in TeL.

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The SMILE Project

• SMILE Supporting Vocational Education and
  Training through Mobile Learning Environments
• Funded by the European Commission through the
  Leonardo de Vinci Programme
• Aims to address the urgent need for building a
  new generation of vocational training services
  for the provision of on-demand lifelong learning
  competence and skills development, not subject to
  time and place restrictions
• (http//smile.iti.gr)

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Target Groups in SMILE

• mTraining Content Suppliers the entity
  responsible for designing and developing
  independent mTraining Resources in the form of
  "Learning Objects", suitable for mobile delivery
• mTraining Activities Suppliers the entity
  responsible for designing mTraining
  Activities/Courses as a synthesis of a number of
  appropriately selected mTraining Resources based
  on a predefined scenario that reflects the
  training approach of this particular course.
• mTraining Services Providers the entity
  responsible for designing mTraining Programmes as
  a synthesis of mTraining Courses and delivering
  mTraining services to end users

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The SMILE m-Learning Environment
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Needs of Target Groups in SMILE

• mTraining Content Suppliers need to convert
  their existing eTraining Resources (or create new
  resources) so as to be suitable for mobile and
  wireless delivery
• mTraining Activities Suppliers need to define
  training scenarios populated with appropriately
  selected mTraining Resources in order to develop
  their mTraining Activities/Courses
• mTraining Services Providers need to have access
  to mTraining courses in order to provide
  mTraining services (course delivery and support)
  to their end users

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What is needed in the SMILE m-Learning
Environment?

• Tools to empower the different target groups in
  their various capacities
• To adopt and possible enhance widely spread
  international TeL specifications (such as IMS
  Learning Design), so as to be able to include
  m-learning in large scale TeL business cases.

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Why Adopting IMS Learning Design?

• Our m-learning activities will not be isolated
  form the rest of our e-learning activities and
  services
• Different m-learning service providers can deploy
  and re-use m-learning activities from common
  pools (like repositories of IMS LD learning
  activities)
• M-Learning activities can be inter-exchanged
  between different m-training settings
• Appropriate software can be developed to run
  these m-learning activities via different devices.

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Desired Characteristics of Mobile Delivery Tools

• Limited Internet Connectivity need during the
  execution of mobile activities.
• Lightweight, so as to be able to be installed at
  mobile devices such as PDAs or Smartphones, with
  limited storage capacity.
• Render the educational content to the display of
  the mobile device in use.

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Existing IMS Learning Design Players

• Coopercore (http//coppercore.sourceforge.net/)
• Reload Player (http//www.reload.ac.uk/)
• SLED (http//sled.open.ac.uk/web/tech/index.jsp)

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Characteristics of Existing IMS Learning Design
Players

• Server side players, which means that the user
  needs to be connected to the internet during the
  entire execution time
• If they are running locally to the users device,
  they need to load a Web Server, which implies the
  need for high computational power, extra memory
  and storage capacity from the mobile device in
  use.
• They have not been specially designed for
  delivery through mobile devices. The educational
  content can not be automatically adjusted
  (rendered) to the size of the display of the
  device

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Characteristics of SMILE PDA Learning Design
Player

• It is a client-side IMS Learning Design Player.
  This means that, it does not require the constant
  connection to the internet when executing
  learning activities, since both the player and
  the educational content used are stored locally.
• The size of the SMILE PDA Learning Design Player
  is very small (less than 1 MB), and no third
  party software components are needed in order to
  execute learning activities through mobile
  devices.
• Renders HTML-based content and flash files. The
  content can be scaled up or scaled down according
  to the size of the device display.
• Supports the enrolment of multiple roles/actors,
  such as individual learners, groups of learners,
  tutors, etc.
• Supports asynchronous messaging between different
  actors/users.

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Short Live Demo of SMILE PDA Learning Design
Player

• Open an m-Training Course
• Select the indented role for participating to the
  m-Training Course
• Navigate through the m-Learning Activities
  Structure
• Execute Activities and Complete the Course

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Contact Details

• Demetrios Sampson (sampson_at_iti.gr)
• Advanced e-Services for the Knowledge Society
  Research Unit (ASK)
• Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI)
• Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH)
  
• (http//www.ask4research.info)