U-Learning: Education for a Mobile Generation
Steve Wheeler
Faculty of Education
University of Plymouth
Digital Shift
‘Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach (Marc Prensky, 2001)
Digital Shift
By the time they reach 21 most young people in the UK will have:

Sent over 200,000 text messages
Played 10,000 hours of videogames
Watched over 20,000 hours of TV
Talked 10,000 hours on mobile phones
Seen over 500,000 TV adverts
Spent less than 5,000 hours reading
Source: Prensky, 2001: The above figures are already out of date!
Household Devices (UK)
Source: National Statistics Office: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/
Mobile Phone Ownership (UK)
Source: National Statistics Office: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/
Paradigm Shift
Should we translate traditional learning environments into digital format, or should there be a complete reworking of our ideas about education and training?
Analogues
Progression of the Digital Age
Increasing Proficiency
Analogues
Digital
Immigrants
Progression of the Digital Age
Increasing Proficiency
Analogues
Digital
Immigrants
Digital
Natives
Progression of the Digital Age
Increasing Proficiency
Source: Prensky, (2001)
Which are you?
Digital Natives …
Video games
MTV
Hypertext and hypermedia
Music downloads
Laptop library access
Mobile phone connectivity
Instant messaging
‘Twitch speed’
A Digital Divide
Digital Immigrants find it hard to believe their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music, because they (the Immigrants) can’t.
Digital Natives think randomly, are able to multi-task, and concentrate in shorter and more intensive bursts.
Natives are always ‘on the move’
Mobile Devices
for U-Learning
Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs, are probably the most common type of mobile technology in education.
Tablet PCs are currently the most versatile form of mobile technology because they combine the functionality of a laptop and a PDA.
With technological advances and steadily decreasing cost, mobile phones are emerging as a viable option for mobile learning.
A Prediction
The mobile phone will become the dominant handheld device for mobile learning in the next 5 years.
Convergence
Video

Radio/Alarm

Internet

e-Mail

Music Composer
Camera

Desk Dairy

SMS/Text

MP3 Audio

Television
Interaction in U-Learning
Source: Moore (1989) American Journal of Distance Education
Decreasing Dependency
Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP)
Tutors can store learning
objects and menus in XHTML
so that students can access
them through WAP on mobile
devices
Source: ELearn Magazine, www.elearnmag.org
Moblogging
Moblogging is the practice of being able to update an online journal (or “web log” - “blog”) using a mobile device.
Source: http://mlearning.edublogs.org/tag/mobile-phone/moblogging/
Discussion
Are there areas of your own teaching in which mobile (u)learning could play a part?
If yes, what would you need to know in order to implement it?
If not, why not? (Identify reasons mobile learning might be inappropriate or unusable)
The Future?
Wearable Computers
University of Oregon
Source:
www.cs.uoregon.edu
Useful Resources
Learning Light e-Learning Centre (Mobile & Wireless Learning Projects)
http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/eclipse/Resources/mlearning.htm
Educause Review Going Nomadic: Mobile Learning in Higher Education
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0451.asp?bhcp=1
Glasgow Caledonian University: Mobile Learning Examples
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0451.asp?bhcp=1
Futurelab Report 11: Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/research/reviews/reviews_11_and12/11_02.htm
Learning with Mobile Devices: Conference Proceedings
http://www.lsda.org.uk/files/pdf/1440.pdf


Thanks for Listening
E: swheeler@plymouth.ac.uk
W: www2.plymouth.ac.uk/distancelearning
V: 01752 232332