Mobile technologies disruptive or enabling

1
Mobile technologies disruptive or enabling?

• ..well, that depends on how you do it..

2
Top down mobile learning

Invest significant money

Buy significant kit
Require significant training

Develop significant protocols
Significantly adapt teaching approaches
Manage significant investment


3
Top down mobile
Energy and effort
Finance procurement
Project management
IT support
Tutor
Learner
4
Bottom up mobile learning
?
Identify pedagogical advantage
Show staff how to do simple thing well
?
Support development time creatively
?
Support technical team as consultants
?
Incorporate resources into assessment
?
Involve learners as co-explorers
?
5
Bottom up mobile
Energy and effort
Tutor / learner
Project management
Technical support
6
Adding value to teaching

• What is teaching about..
• Information?
• Skills?
• Enthusiasm?
• Accountability?
• The view of teaching may determine whether it is
  disrupted or enhanced

7
Death by.

• Handout
• Whiteboard
• OHT
• PowerPoint
• VLE
• Podcast
• Vodcast
• Video etc

Embedding
Enthusiasm
Innovation
Obsession
Learner experience
Time
8
Evolutionary ecology - 1
Text
Web pages
Slide show
Flash cards
Number crunchers
9
Evolutionary ecology - 2
Tutor presentations
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Camstudio
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Learner presentations
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Video clip
Free Clipart or Photos www.ace-clipart.com
10
Evolutionary ecology - 3
Tutor talk
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
Audacity, Robobraille Readthewords.com
Synthetic talk
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
Learner talk
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
MP3
Free Clipart or Photos www.ace-clipart.com
11
Realities and expectation

• What is available
• How useful is it for me?
• How easy is it to get on my mobile device?
• What benefits might I gain from this approach?
• What skills might I need to develop to work this
  way?
• Who is responsible?

12
Straining at the leash

• Supporting learners with access needs
• Do I need a notetaker if the key points of the
  lesson are on the VLE and now on my phone?
• Do I need a scribe if I can record audio and
  photographic evidence in its place?
• How can they help me when they think BlueTooth is
  a sheep disease?

13
Conclusion

• Disruptive or enhancing depends on
  implementation.
• Staff training and learner awareness is more
  important than capital spends.
• Use what you have well before buying more.
• Modest sums invested where pedagogy is the driver
  will be more likely to succeed.
• Large investments only succeed where small
  investments have created conditions for success.
• Money doesnt buy happiness in any sphere