Can social media and mobile devices be used to design transformative, augmented

contexts for learning?

#somobnet #lmlg(1 of 6 guiding principles http://slidesha.re/GYYP7X)

John CookLearning Technology Resarch Institute

London Metropolitan University

Papers online: http://www.mendeley.com/profiles/john-cook6/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnnigelcook

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/johnnigelcook Academia.edu http://londonmet.academia.edu/JohnCook/About

One Day Seminar at CLTTUniversity of British Columbia – Vancouver (CA) – April 16, 2012

Introduction

• The LTRI has successfully explored how the use of physical space could be augmented using mobile devices so as to mediate active and reflective learning in field trips in such diverse contexts as – landscape architecture (Cook, 2010), – urban planning, second-language learning (Smith,

Bradley, Cook, & Pratt-Adams, 2011), – and marketing.

• Designed carefully, new digital media can promote active learning that has the effect of promoting– location-based time travel – where perception and attention are scaffolded to

provide – collaborative focus for learning that is not possible

with other media.

Back to the future

www.ukzn.ac.za/cae/pfi/sqd/lev.htm

• We claim that the mobile tours we have designed and tested appear to be acting as part of what Vygotsky calls – the ‘more capable peer’ – and are assisting the learners as they move

through stages in a Zone of Proximal Development.

• This work is being extended by project and post-graduate work in the LTRI.

• Carl Smith is exploring the following question in his PhD thesis: – what potential does the use of mixed reality

environments have for supporting informal, professional, work-based learning?

• New EC funded projects

• This remainder of talk will provide a mainly visual overview of the above work from a practice and practical point of view.

Landscape architecture at Cistercian abbey (Fountains Yorkshire, North England)

Link

Task

“The ability to be in a particular position but get a variety of views/different visual perspective was a very useful opportunity. The whole thing also got everyone talking in a way I hadn't experienced on field trips to Fountains before.”

Urban planning

Task• Some examples of the varied learning activities involved in the application

include a section where the user is asked to examine both the physical architecture and the virtual architecture in the same physical location. The virtual architecture in this instance includes areas which are not available to view on the day of the tour and visualizations of the building as it was in the late 19th century. The user is then asked to examine what the building was originally used for when it was established in 1870. The user also has the opportunity to listen to the oral history of a former pupil at the school and adopt their point of view whilst in the same physical space where the events took place. The user can reinvest the insight gained back into the context and augment the space.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-month-of-mary/query/Catholics

In another section the user is asked to look at a newsreel of a religious procession from the 1930s that was filmed in Eden Grove whilst they are standing in the same location where the film was shot. The students can reflect on the significance of religion (in this case Roman Catholicism) on the locale and its influence on schooling.

“The information given was underlined by the 'experience' of the area and therefore given context in both past and present.”

“it was triggering my own thoughts and I was getting to think for myself about the area and the buildings.”

Tutor comments• The tutor, who was interviewed after the tours had taken place, believes

that there are lots of benefits to the Urban Education mobile tour and that it can provide more effective learning experiences and opportunities to utilise new and different pedagogies.

• Points made include that students move from being passive to active learners, they can take more control over their learning, and they can be engaged in more productive pedagogical approaches, such as small group work and investigative problem-based learning.

• The mobile tour can be more focused, but at the same time provide a multi-tasked and multimedia experience that allows students to get below the surface of the tasks.

• He also feels that the mobile technologies employed excited and intrigued the students, and helped them to become more engaged in the tour.

My question at the start was this:Can social media and mobile devices be used to design

transformative, augmented contexts for learning?

• I think the answer is yes!• But am happy to debate …• Thank you

References• Cook, J. (2010). Mobile Phones as Mediating Tools Within Augmented

Contexts for Development. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 1-10. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-mobile-blended-learning/1115

• Smith, C., Bradley, C., Cook, J., & Pratt-Adams, S. (2011). Designing for Active Learning: Putting Learning into Context with Mobile Devices. In A. D. Olofsson & J. O. Lindberg (Eds.), Informed Design of Educational Technologies in Higher Education: Enhanced Learning and Teaching. doi:10.4018/978-1-61350-080-4.ch016