Awareness for Contextualized Digital Contents in Ubiquitous Learning Environments

Dirk Börner and Marcus Specht

Centre for Learning Sciences and TechnologiesOpen University of the Netherlands

Introduction

PersonI am working at the Open University of the Netherlands within the Learning Media Program of CELSTEC. In 2007 I graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Dresden with a degree in Computer Science. I wrote my diploma thesis on game-based learning applications and SCORM in collaboration with the department of Multimedia Communication at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics.

InstituteThe Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies (CELSTEC) is part of the Open University of the Netherlands. Within CELSTEC the Learning Media Program aims to improve the learning experiences at home, at work and on the move, using new learning media and devices. It contains three themes in which its projects are executed: immersive media, mobile media, and social media.

ProjectThe project highlights the challenges and explores the possibilities that lie in the convergence of mobile and ubiquitous learning in combination with the utilization of contextualized digital contents as valuable resources to support learning and re!ection.

Research Field

Research Field

ContentsA growing number of digital contents is created. Following the principles of participation, syndication, and tagging the contents are distributed and more and more enriched by metadata. Furthermore they are linked to physical and virtual objects and vice versa. These contents are a valuable resource to support learning and re!ection.

Research Field

ContentsA growing number of digital contents is created. Following the principles of participation, syndication, and tagging the contents are distributed and more and more enriched by metadata. Furthermore they are linked to physical and virtual objects and vice versa. These contents are a valuable resource to support learning and re!ection.

MobilityThe propagation of mobile technologies facilitates the relevance and usage of digital contents "anywhere" and "anytime". This mobile accessibility establishes a basis for formal and informal mobile learning scenarios complemented by an increasing personalization and contextualization of content.

Research Field

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

Task

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

TaskConcept

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

TaskConcept

Workspace

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

TaskConcept

Workspace Knowledge

Research Field

UbiquityBased upon the mobile learning paradigm but differentiated in its level of embeddedness in the environment, ubiquitous learning is mainly characterized by permanency, accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, situatedness, and adaptability. Learners need assistance and support to be able to navigate more efficiently through information and $nd the right information in any given situation.

AwarenessAwareness about the environment including the available digital contents is essential. Several types of awareness can be distinguished to provide the right information to the right person at the right time and the right place with the right form.

Social

TaskConcept

Workspace Knowledge

Context

Research Questions

Research Questions

ProblemsLearning and re!ection utilizing digital contents is currently not supported in a sustainable manner, due to missing awareness indicators, the wide distribution of contents, missing links and accessibility in a contextualized manner, and the growing amount of available contents.

Research Questions

ProblemsLearning and re!ection utilizing digital contents is currently not supported in a sustainable manner, due to missing awareness indicators, the wide distribution of contents, missing links and accessibility in a contextualized manner, and the growing amount of available contents.

ChallengesImprove the identi$cation of relevant digital contents, to simplify the access mechanisms, as well as to enable and facilitate contextual relationships between digital contents. New techniques of aggregation, visualization, and interaction need to be elaborated, as common techniques do not support ubiquitous learning and the required awareness for relevant digital contents in a sufficient way.

Research Questions

ProblemsLearning and re!ection utilizing digital contents is currently not supported in a sustainable manner, due to missing awareness indicators, the wide distribution of contents, missing links and accessibility in a contextualized manner, and the growing amount of available contents.

ChallengesImprove the identi$cation of relevant digital contents, to simplify the access mechanisms, as well as to enable and facilitate contextual relationships between digital contents. New techniques of aggregation, visualization, and interaction need to be elaborated, as common techniques do not support ubiquitous learning and the required awareness for relevant digital contents in a sufficient way.

The project focusses on the different types of awareness and their improvement capabilities in terms of accessibility and thus the utilization of digital contents resulting in an enhanced learning and re!ection support.

Research Questions

Research Questions

‣ Which types of digital contents can support learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments?

Research Questions

‣ Which types of digital contents can support learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which sensors can be used and how must they be aggregated, $ltered, and implemented in ubiquitous learning environments?

Research Questions

‣ Which types of digital contents can support learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which sensors can be used and how must they be aggregated, $ltered, and implemented in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which methods of visualization, soni$cation, hapti$cation, and so forth can be used to create awareness in ubiquitous learning environments?

Research Questions

‣ Which types of digital contents can support learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which sensors can be used and how must they be aggregated, $ltered, and implemented in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which methods of visualization, soni$cation, hapti$cation, and so forth can be used to create awareness in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ How are the awareness methods assimilated and perceived in ubiquitous learning environments and what are the implications for the design?

Research Questions

‣ Which types of digital contents can support learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which sensors can be used and how must they be aggregated, $ltered, and implemented in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ Which methods of visualization, soni$cation, hapti$cation, and so forth can be used to create awareness in ubiquitous learning environments?

‣ How are the awareness methods assimilated and perceived in ubiquitous learning environments and what are the implications for the design?

‣ Does the utilization of contextualized digital contents support and enhance learning and re!ection in ubiquitous learning environments and what are the effects?

Project Outline

Project Outline

AnalysisReview existing research about mobile learning, ubiquitous learning, the different types of awareness, and the utilization of contextualized digital contents and derive their in!uences on learning as well as the pros and cons for the learner in this context. Identify the involved entities enriched and linked to digital contents, e.g. people, objects, rooms, or concepts.

Project Outline

AnalysisReview existing research about mobile learning, ubiquitous learning, the different types of awareness, and the utilization of contextualized digital contents and derive their in!uences on learning as well as the pros and cons for the learner in this context. Identify the involved entities enriched and linked to digital contents, e.g. people, objects, rooms, or concepts.

DesignExamine the necessary aggregation and exploitation processes as well as the associated $lter and synchronization mechanism based on context parameters. Utilize artifacts represented by physical or virtual objects exploited as input/output instruments for aggregated information and interaction channels. Elaborate innovative interaction techniques that enable seamless and intuitive interaction within the environment.

Project Outline

AnalysisReview existing research about mobile learning, ubiquitous learning, the different types of awareness, and the utilization of contextualized digital contents and derive their in!uences on learning as well as the pros and cons for the learner in this context. Identify the involved entities enriched and linked to digital contents, e.g. people, objects, rooms, or concepts.

DesignExamine the necessary aggregation and exploitation processes as well as the associated $lter and synchronization mechanism based on context parameters. Utilize artifacts represented by physical or virtual objects exploited as input/output instruments for aggregated information and interaction channels. Elaborate innovative interaction techniques that enable seamless and intuitive interaction within the environment.

PrototypeAbility to create dynamic context models according to the environment and con$gure offered services to that to ensure different types of awareness for digital contents. Perform experiments covering different design dimensions for the selected awareness types.