Wan Ng and Howard Nicholas – Ubiquitous Learning with Mobile Devices in Schools

School of Educational Studies,
La Trobe University

Ubiquitous Computing: technology should ‘disappear’ – be an enabler, a medium, rather than an issue (or a problem). But this is not the same us ‘ubiquitous learning’… rather, it’s a necessary pre-condition for ubiquitous learning.
-Permanent
-Accessible
-Immediate
-Interactive
-Situated

Trying to get people to use technology to develop their thinking: re-arrange ideas, debate with others, engage with new information and perspectives.
-Multiple perspectives
-Multiple Authors
-Rapidly changing thinking
-Multi-modal Representations
-Move easily from one program to another
-Ability to communicate easily with others

3 primary schools, children aged 5-12 years of age; 2 secondary schools; children aged 13-18
– Biggest impact on students who had done little or no work previously due to literacy skills.
– From a student pserspective, you can make a mistake on a PDA and it’s impermanent: can be erased

==Example Learning Activities==
Collaborating using Bluetooth (Inspiration Concept Mapping software)
-Working collaboratively on multimedia materials
-Taking notes, making audio recordings
-Researching using mobile web/wireless
-Reading documents, writing articles
-Doing interactive quizzes or exercises
-Watching animations and simulations in media player
-Reflective logs
-Creating media
-Listening to downloaded materials,
-Software packages (e.g. dictionary)
-PowerPoint
-Important to guide the activities.