dimensions of personal vs shared and
portable vs static, as outlined in Fig 1.
Quadrant 1 shows devices that can be
classified as both portable and personal.
These kinds of devices are what people
most commonly think of in relation to
mobile technologies: mobile phones,
PDAs, tablet PCs and laptops. It also
includes hand-held video game consoles,
with Rosas et al (2003) and Lee et al (2004)
reporting on early evaluations of their
educational use. Since these devices
normally support a single user, they are
generally perceived as being very personal.
The networked nature of such devices
affords communication and information
sharing, meaning that while the devices
themselves are personal, the information
within them can be shared easily. These
devices are portable because they are
taken from place to place and hence
they can be available in many different
locations. These are personal portable
technologies.
Some other technologies, less portable
than mobile phones and PDAs, can still
offer personal interactions with learning
experiences. Classroom response systems,
shown in quadrant 2, consist of individual
student devices that are used to respond
anonymously to multiple choice questions
administered by a teacher on a central
server. This technology is static in the
sense that it can only be used in one
location, but remains personal because of
its small size and allocation to (typically)
one single user. These are personal static
technologies.
Being physically moved from one place to
another is not the only way in which mobile
technologies can be ‘portable’. In quadrant
3, there are examples of technologies that
can provide learning experiences to users
on the move, but the devices themselves
are not physically movable. Street kiosks,
interactive museum displays and other
kinds of installations offer pervasive
access to information and learning
experiences, but it is the learner who is
portable, not the delivery technology. Such
devices are typically seen as being less
personal, and are likely to be shared
between multiple users. Their larger size
means they are also better suited to
multiple-user interactions. These are
shared portable technologies.
For more shareable interactions, the
devices themselves must become larger
and hence less portable. Examples include
interactive classroom whiteboards and
video-conferencing facilities, as shown
in quadrant 4. These technologies have
been included to show the complete
space of possibilities engendered by our
classification, but they would generally
not be classed as mobile technologies.
We believe that ‘mobile technologies’
comprise all devices from quadrants 1-3,
and those from quadrant 4 that are not at
the extreme end of the ‘static’ dimension.
1.3 SCOPE OF THIS REVIEW
In this review we will primarily be
considering personal portable technologies. We shall focus on
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held devices including PDAs and mobile phones. Many of the implications
for learning are shared by other
portable devices such as tablet PCs
and laptops.
Even within the narrow range of devices
considered there is a variety of capabilities
and features. Appendix 1 presents an overview of features and specifications.
Further discussion of mobile device
characteristics can be found in Sharples
and Beale (2003) and Becta (2004).
This review advocates an activity-focused
perspective on the use of mobile
technologies for education, and presents
these activities along with relevant
learning paradigms and theories in Section
2. In Section 3, we illustrate the categories
of practice through case studies drawn
from the literature. In Section 4, we
consider the implications for policy and
educational practice, and present
research-informed guidelines as to how
these can be addressed. Finally, with
reference to both emerging trends in
mobile technology and learning research,
we speculate on the future of mobile
technologies and learning and the
implications this will have for today’s
educators and technology developers.
2 AN ACTIVITY-BASED APPROACH
TO CONSIDERING LEARNING WITH
MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
Much of the research into the use of
mobile technologies for learning is driven
by the technical capabilities of new
devices. This is not unexpected, given the
rapidly changing face of mobile computing.
These new capabilities inspire new
practices which can lead to valuable
outcomes, but, to date, application of
theory to the use of these technologies for
educational purposes is lacking. In this
section we consider the kinds of activities
that can be enabled through the use of
mobile devices under the categorisation
of relevant theories from the study of
learning and, in particular, learning with
technology.
Mobile technologies are computers, but
that does not mean that they should be
viewed as simply providing more portable
versions of the learning activities that
are currently supported on more static
machines. Being mobile adds a new
dimension to the activities that can be
supported, both because of the personal
and portable nature of the devices
themselves, and because of the kinds of
interactions they can support with other
learners and the environment.
Klopfer et al (2002) identify five properties
of mobile devices (PDAs in this case) that
produce unique educational affordances:
• Portability – the small size and weight
of mobile devices means they can be
taken to different sites or moved around
within a site.
• Social interactivity – data exchange and
collaboration with other learners can
happen face-to-face. Nyiri (2002),
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being mobile
adds a new
dimension to the
activities that
can be supported |
