Pedagogical and technological augmentation of mobile learning for young children interactive learning environments

The ubiquity and educational potential of mobile applications are well acknowledged. This paper proposes six theory-based, pedagogical strategies to guide interaction design of mobile apps for young children. Also, to augment the capabilities of mobile devices, we used a humanoid robot integrated with a smartphone and developed an English-learning app that applied the design strategies to this environment. Our observations of children's one-on-one use support the promise of the strategies and the combined use of robots and mobile devices to be a viable option to help optimize mobile learning.     

How Parent Perceptions Relate to Elementary Children’s Portable Technology Use by Gender and Grade Level

This study examined how parents' reports of children’s technology use in the home varies by a child’s gender or grade level. Framed by technology adoption models, this mixed-method study gathered parent reports of their elementary child’s use of portable technology for entertainment and learning in the home, collected from 120 surveys and 13 individual interviews with survey respondents. Results across the four 2×2 ANOVAs yielded three significant main effects: gender and entertainment devices, gender and entertainment apps, grade level and learning apps. No significant effects were found among any of the interaction variables or within the ANOVA summary for learning devices. Interview data revealed girls are interested in reading with Kindle, whereas parents are reluctant to provide boys with portable technology because of their preference to play games. Strategies are provided for teachers, support specialists, and parents to improve how children use technology. Implications for app developers are suggested.     

Effects of mobile apps for nursing students: learning motivation,social interaction and study performance

Abstract

This study examined the effects of mobile apps on the learning motivation, social interaction and study performance of nursing students. A total of 20 students participated in focus group interviews to collect feedback on their use of mobile apps for learning and communicative activities. Two consecutive cohorts of students in a nursing programme, each with about 200 students, were recruited for assessing their learning motivation through a survey and study performance by two tests. The results showed that the students actively used the mobile apps for studying supplementary materials as well as participating in in-class activities and clinical assessments. The students had a relatively high level of motivation for performing and learned well, but relatively low perceived satisfaction and self-efficacy with mobile learning. They showed better study performance after practising mobile learning. The results also suggest that students’ perceived intrinsic value with mobile learning has to be enhanced for improving study performance.     

Mobile phones and/or smartphones and their apps for teaching English as a foreign language

Currently, there is an increasing trend in the shift from the use of traditional technologies such as a desktop computer towards the use of mobile technologies such as a mobile phone. Nearly all students nowadays own a mobile device and about half of them own more than one. Therefore, students are nowadays well equipped for mobile learning. The aim of this review is to explore the use of mobile phones and/or smartphones and their apps for teaching foreign languages, specifically English, and highlight their benefits and limitations for their use in the teaching of English as a foreign language. This was done by conducting a literature search in the databases Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect, and consequently, by evaluating the findings of the relevant studies. The findings indicate that the use of mobile phones and/or smartphones and their apps generate positive effects on learning English as a foreign language, especially in the development of learners’ vocabulary and their increased motivation to study. Nevertheless, more longitudinal randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of the use of mobile phone and smartphone apps on specific language skills and knowledge.     

学习策略在移动学习平台中的应用

随着移动互联网的发展和移动通讯设备的普及,移动学习逐渐走进我们的生活。一方面,学习者可以利用移动设备进行随时随地学习;另一方面,学习者在学习过程中可能会受到各种因素的干扰从而影响其学习效果。文章以学习策略为出发点,探讨如何采取有效的学习策略,提高移动学习的学习效果,为移动学习平台的开发提供相应参考。     

Understanding and supporting the use of feedback from mobile applications in the learning of vocabulary among young adolescent learners

Understanding how young adolescent learners interact with mobile vocabulary learning applications can aid them in becoming more engaged with the information and feedback they are receiving. Inspired by the literature on learner-oriented feedback practice, this study asked two research questions: 1) what kind of feedback from the mobile apps can predict their learning experience, and 2) what features are useful in the support of self-assessment practice? Both survey data (n = 259) and interview data (n = 12) were collected from students at a junior school in southern China. Quantitative analysis suggests that high levels of satisfaction and perceived usefulness are associated with two factors: 1) visualizing the learning gaps with reference to external standardized tests and curricula, and 2) encouraging independent rather than social learning strategies. The qualitative data identified four main features or principles which may support young adolescent learners’ use of apps for self-assessment practice: 1) explicit links to curricula and tests; 2) immediate feedback on answers and learning strategies with more similar tasks; 3) maintaining relationships with teachers and peers, and 4) emotional support. Implications include the integration of quick automatic feedback to app users, clear alignment of self-assessment tasks with national curriculum and tests, and stronger emotional and cognitive support from both peers and instructors.     

Mobile Devices and Apps as Scaffolds to Science Learning in the Primary Classroom

Considerable work over many years has explored the contribution technology can make to science learning, at all levels of education. In the school sector, historically this has focused on the use of fixed, desktop-based or semi-mobile laptop systems for purposes such as experiment data collection or analysis, or as a means of engaging or motivating interest in science. However, the advent of mobile devices such as iPads supported by a huge array of low or no cost apps, means that new opportunities are becoming available for teachers to explore how these resources may be useful for supporting ‘hands on’ science learning. This article reports outcomes from a study of primary (elementary) school students’ use of a series of apps integrated with practical science activities, in a topic exploring Energy concepts. It used an innovative display capture tool to examine how the students used the apps and features of their iPads to scaffold their practical work at different stages during the experiments. Results identify device functions and app-based scaffolds that assisted these students to structure their experiments, understand procedures, think about the influence of variables and communicate and share outcomes. However, they also discovered limitations in the apps’ ability to support conceptual knowledge development, identifying the critical role of teachers and the importance of task structure and design to ensuring conceptual knowledge objectives are met.     

The Use of Mobile Learning in Science: A Systematic Review

The use of mobile learning in education is growing at an exponential rate. To best understand how mobile learning is being used, it is crucial to gain a collective understanding of the research that has taken place. This systematic review reveals the trends in mobile learning in science with a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of studies from the year 2000 onward. Major findings include that most of the studies focused on designing systems for mobile learning, followed by a combination of evaluating the effects of mobile learning and investigating the affective domain during mobile learning. The majority of the studies were conducted in the area of life sciences in informal, elementary (5–11 years) settings. Mobile devices were used in this strand of science easily within informal environments with real-world connections. A variety of research methods were employed, providing a rich research perspective. As the use of mobile learning continues to grow, further research regarding the use of mobile technologies in all areas and levels of science learning will help science educators to expand their ability to embrace these technologies.     

虚拟实验移动Web平台设计与开发

面对多样的移动终端,在开发移动应用时如何实现在不同移动系统的无差异化移植显得越来越重要,移动Web应用能够很好地保证跨终端,跨平台的同一用户体验。将移动学习,翻转课堂聚焦于大学物理,选择构建虚拟实验移动Web应用平台和基于该平台开发虚拟实验和物理模型,能够辅助物理课程的教学和学习,为翻转课堂提供学习支持。     

How Tablets Are Utilized in the Classroom

New technologies are a large part of the educational landscape in the 21st century. Emergent technologies are implemented in the classroom at an exponential rate. The newest technology to be added to the daily classroom is the tablet computer. Understanding students' and teachers' perceptions about the role of tablet computers is important as this can provide information for future development and implementation of table technologies in the classroom. To gather users' perceptions, observations of eight classrooms and interviews with 23 students and three teachers were performed in a middle school that implemented 1:1 iPad program, toward the end of the first-year implementation. Themes elicited from the interviews included like/dislike of the iPad, iPad as an educational tool, iPad for play, iPad as a distraction and responsibility, and favorite apps and projects. Although most participants did like having the iPads and considered them useful for education, there were a number of concerns, particularly with learning to use the tablet technology and distractions created by having the device. The apps used in the classroom were limited, with the majority having been productivity apps. The need for teacher training for effective classroom applications of mobile devices is discussed. (Keywords: 1:1 iPad program, instructional use of tablets, student perceptions, tablet technology, teacher perceptions)     

基于平板电脑的特殊教育软件研究与应用现状述评

平板电脑是一种新型移动终端,将它应用于特殊教育可增强教学效果,优化学习者体验,提供教育的信息化程度。作者以文献研究为基础,调查了基于平板电脑的特殊教育软件研究现状,从适用对象、应用领域、专门程度三个维度进行分析,阐述了各类应用软件的主要特征和设计思想。文章还统计和分析了该类应用软件的市场情况,并且对基于平板电脑的特殊教育应用软件的开发和发展方向作了进一步的讨论。     

The use of mobile devices as means of data collection in supporting elementary school students’ conceptual understanding about plants

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mobile learning among young learners. Specifically, we investigated whether the use of mobile devices for data collection during field trips outside the classroom could enhance fourth graders’ learning about the parts of the flower and their functions, flower pollinators and the process of pollination/fertilization, and the interrelationship between animals and plants, more than students’ use of traditional means of data collection. For this purpose, we designed a pre–post experimental design study with two conditions: one in which participants used a mobile device for data collection and another using traditional means (e.g. sketching and note-taking). The sample comprised 48 fourth graders (24 in each condition), who studied the flower, its parts, and their functions. A conceptual test was administered to assess students’ understanding before and after instruction. Moreover, the students’ science notebooks and accompanying artifacts were used as a data source for examining students’ progress during the study's intervention. The conceptual test and notebook data were analyzed statistically, whereas we used open coding for the artifacts. Findings revealed that using mobile devices for data collection enhanced students’ conceptual understanding more than using traditional means of data collection.     

Developing and validating a model for assessing paid mobile learning app success

With the proliferation of paid mobile learning applications (m-learning apps), understanding how to assess their success has become an important issue for academics and practitioners. Based on the information systems (IS) success models and the value-based adoption model, this study developed and validated a multidimensional model for assessing paid m-learning app success. The proposed model describes the interrelationships among seven paid m-learning app success variables: system quality, information quality, perceived enjoyment, perceived fee, user satisfaction, intention to reuse, and learning effectiveness. Data collected from 160 paid m-learning app users were tested against the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM). The empirical findings provide evidence that learning effectiveness is affected by user satisfaction and intention to reuse, which, in turn, are determined by system quality, information quality, perceived enjoyment, and perceived fee. The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for the development, implementation, and promotion of paid m-learning apps.     

Fostering children's acceptance of educational apps: The importance of designing enjoyable learning activities

Educational applications (apps) offer opportunities for designing learning activities children enjoy and benefit from. We redesigned a typical mobile learning activity to make it more enjoyable and useful for children. Relying on the technology acceptance model, we investigated whether and how implementing this activity in an app can increase children's intention to use. During the 27-day study, children (N = 103, 9–14 years) used the app to memorize one-sentence learning plans each day. Children used three different app-based learning activities throughout the study. In two standard activities, children reread or reassembled the words of the plan. In the redesigned activity, children represented the meaning of the plan with emojis. Children repeatedly reported on their attitude towards each activity. Subsequently, children reported perceived enjoyment and intention to use the app. Results showed children found the emoji activity most enjoyable, and enjoyment of the emoji activity contributed uniquely towards intention to use. Additionally, children's enjoyment of the app mediated their intention to use the app in the future. Overall, the study suggests that children's enjoyment of an app is crucial in predicting their subsequent intention to use, and it provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Educational applications provide children with unrestricted access to mobile learning resources.
• Positive attitudes towards educational applications predict behavioural intention to use these applications, at least in young adults.
• There is a need for more research examining the relevance of enjoyable learning activities in fostering children's sustained usage of an educational application.

What this paper adds

• Positive attitude towards the use of emojis during learning activities uniquely contributed to children's behavioural intention to use the application.
• Perceived enjoyment predicted behavioural intention to use the application.
• Perceived enjoyment mediated the effect of attitude towards using learning activities on the behavioural intention to use the mobile educational application.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• These findings highlight the importance of enjoyment for children's' acceptance of educational applications.
• Enjoyable learning activities are necessary to ensure sustained usage of educational applications.
• The paper provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment of a typical mobile learning activity.

     

Contextualized mobile game-based learning application for computing education

This paper intends to present an overview of a mobile game-based learning application, BaghLearn that develops and upskills programming and algorithmic knowledge by cross-curricular capabilities through a traditional world-based game. The focus of this research was to explore the learning effectiveness of BaghLearn on students. Mixed method research approach was applied to collect, process and analyze the research data in which undergraduate students who had some prior knowledge or had taken algorithm courses were instructed to test the mobile game learning application. This study exhibits the idea of integrating learning with contextual mobile game as an effective approach in understanding the influence of games towards cognitive achievements of students in computing education. In addition, there are no major requirements for the use of this application (can be maintained in resource-constrained contexts such as Nepal), which makes it expressively satisfying and useful for students who are relentlessly using mobile devices. Besides, this study evaluated the influence of BaghLearn towards learning of the design and analysis of algorithm course, which is a compulsory course for most undergraduate computing education program. Furthermore, the study findings can be used as a guideline for developing learning solutions and usability evaluation of such solutions, especially for infrastructure-constrained contexts. Students using the BaghLearn opined that the application is easy to use, supportive and lead to improved learning satisfaction.

     

情境汉语移动学习的游戏型练习设计

练习是任何学习过程中不可或缺的重要环节,汉语移动学习中的练习亦不例外。文章采用调查问卷的方法,考察汉语学习者喜爱的手机游戏所具有的共同特征,从游戏的视角分析情境汉语移动学习中的练习需求,提出一种融合了游戏因素的汉语移动学习练习形式——游戏型练习。结合汉语移动学习的特点,研究者尝试设计了选择型、排序型和开放型三种游戏型练习形式,以增强情境汉语移动学习的趣味性,对激发并维持学习者的学习动机起到积极的作用。     

One‐to‐one mobile technology in high school physics classrooms: Understanding its use and outcome

This study examined ways in which high school students used mobile devices in physics classrooms and after school, and the impact of in‐class and after‐school mobile technology use on their physics learning performance and interest. We collected data from 803 high school freshmen in China after they had used mobile devices for over five months. A fixed‐effects model was employed to control the undetected variances. Results indicated that the students frequently used their mobile devices for physics learning in class and after school. Students also perceived the mobile devices as very useful for their physics learning, and their perception of usefulness was positively correlated with their frequency of use. Both the in‐class and after‐school duration and frequency of mobile technology use positively influenced students' physics learning achievement and interest. However, we also found that mobile technology was mainly used to augment rather than to transform instructional practices in physics classrooms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications and limitations of these results for research and practice.     

Mapping the daily media round: novel methods for understanding families’ mobile technology use

The pervasiveness of mobile devices in families’ homes has dramatically changed the physical and temporal arrangement of co-viewing media content; the representative image of American families seated around a TV set is an anachronism. But understanding and describing contemporary co-participation arrangements around digital media is challenging because of the mobile nature of these activities. As researchers, our greatest challenge is to observe people's digital media use that is increasingly ‘on-the-move’ in an effort to understand the significance and possibilities these devices have in family life, learning, and engagement in and across different settings. This article describes an innovative study design for understanding how mobile technologies influence the ways in which families learn together. We analyze the movement of digital media practices, where they are located, and how digital co-participation within families is distributed across time and space.     

Affordances of mobile devices and note-taking apps to support cognitively demanding note-taking

Note-taking is one of the more common and ever-present learning activities that form an important part of all students’ daily lives. The potential of using technology to enhance note-taking activities has recently come under the spotlight. However, while mobile technologies may be applauded for their mobility and the value they can add to students’ learning experience, they could easily become a distracting factor, rather than the improvement they were intended to be. In this qualitative study, eight students volunteered to experiment with various mobile devices for a period of 6 weeks, and to share their experiences in a series of five group interviews. Information found in the literature about note-taking, combined with the students’ feedback on their experiences, provided insight into how students record and process information. The affordances of mobile devices for cognitively demanding note-taking that are regarded as useful in a teaching and learning environment were also discussed in the group interviews. All the students agreed that they would not commit themselves to using only one application or device. They emphasised the fact that they used more than one device, and in some cases multiple applications on those devices, depending on their educational setting. This article gives students, lecturers and software developers insight into the affordances of mobile devices and note-taking applications (apps), in order to support cognitively demanding note-taking.