Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

1. Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies Anupam Ashish, S. M. FahadAizaz , The slides are licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

2. Why Lifelong Learning? “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” - Henry Ford “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain • Adult learning is part of a much broader process • Self-directed • Important to retain the aspirations • A mechanism for exclusion and control • Access to knowledge • Individualization Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

3. What is Lifelong Learning? • Continuous building of skills and knowledge acquisition • Formal and informal education, life experiences • Improve knowledge, skills and competence with a personal, civic, social employment-related perspective. • Characteristics • The process is continuous throughout one’s life • No specific age group • Entail programs that are pursued during a lifetime • Philosophical approach Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

4. Models of Lifelong Learning • Formal Learning • School, university, military training • Learner has little control over the process • Non-formal Learning • Individual decides what to learn • How is decided by the organizer • Partial Control • Informal Learning • Learner decides how is to be learned • Self directed • Individual decide what and how of learning • Targeted mostly for adults Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

5. Mobile Technology and Learning • Internet has evolved into a universal platform to communicate and share information • Massive development in cellular communication technologies • Location is not static • Support for mobility • Are these devices capable of incorporating a Learning environment? • m-Learning project from ECIST • Envisage the potential of mobile devices for learning • Targeted reluctant young adult learners with poor literacy or numeracy Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

6. Different Learning Methodologies • Distance Learning, e-Learning and m-Learning • Distance Learning • learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both • E-learning • electronically supported learning and teaching • Mobile Learning • Learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location • Learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies • Opportunity of learning is independent oftime, location and the changes in learning environment • Fill the deficiencies of former Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

7. Theory for Mobile Learning • Mobility – Learners on the move • Non-formal and Informal Learning • Learning that takes place outside classroom • Constructive to society • learner centered • knowledge centered • assessment centered • community centered • Technological ease • ubiquitous use of technology Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

8. Support for Lifelong Learning in m-Learning • Accessibility • Learners can access material from any geo-location • Learning beyond classroom or special hours • Rich multimedia content • Video Lectures, audio slides etc. • Translation into numerous foreign languages • Interactivity • Face to face conversation between two learners • Real time communication • Social Platforms e.g. Facebook • Individuals of common interest • Collaboration and Teamwork • Collaborate without any boundaries • Share experiences and ideas Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

9. Challenges for Lifelong Learning • Portability – support mobility • Individuality • Support individual learning styles • Unobtrusive • Means to retrieve knowledge in all situations • Availability • Communication with peers, experts, teachers • Adaptability • Context adaptable to individual skills & situations • Persistent • Enable learning despite any change in technology • Useful - useful in everyday life routine • User-friendly - easy to use • Other – specific to mobile devices • Small screen sizes • Limitation in power Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

10. Theory for Lifelong Learning • Learning through Collaboration • social interaction in a learning process • Individual task or joint problem solving • work with adaptive collaborative applications outside the classroom context • cognitive benefits of collaborative learning • Symmetric Knowledge and status shared goals • Learning through Critique and Assessment • Reproduce and reformulate the concepts • Human understanding improves by critiquing existing knowledge • User centered and supports user working on their own activities • Point out only when there is significant decrease in competence Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

11. Lifelong knowledge acquisition • Shift in the frame of reference • From the narrow framework of school based learning • Virtual Reality and Learning Environment • They capture within their domain most cultural expressions, in all their diversity • Easily accessible even for the the people with social exclusion • Drop-outs or people working in a position different from their skill set • Responses which can be applied to both school based and informal learning • Pedagogical Paradigm • Usage of mobile devices has abolished classroom enclosure • Role of teacher • Paradox to the concept of lifelong learning in mobile scenario • Technology not available in teacher’s everyday activities • Technology to be used by the students later as an adult (or would-be teachers) • System for Mobile-Teaching is absent Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

12. Lifelong knowledge acquisition ctd.. • Position Service for Lifelong learning • Process that assists learners in • Finding a starting point • An efficient route through the network that will foster competence building • Accreditation or Recognition of Prior Learning (APL/RPL) • Identify prior learning experiences from formal as well as informal means • Relevant if a person changes his academic discipline • Allows the learners to provide claims for his prior learning • Experts evaluate and study the learner’s profiles • Time consuming and expensive • Methodology • Developing electronic portfolios • Learner’s competence can be mapped to the competences in the learning network • Recommender system for startingpositions / exemptions • Not automated systems without human decisions • Dynamic positioning service Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

13. Lifelong knowledge acquisition ctd.. • No competence information available • The learner profile & learning network • Information about the learning activities and not the competences • Content of the target and source materials overlap significantly thenthe target activity is exempted • Metadata based competence information is available • Competence ontologies in both learner’s profile and the learning network Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

14. Lifelong knowledge acquisition ctd.. • Learning Experience and Objectives • Not only do users look for a usable system • They also look for a pleasing and engaging experience • Organized content could enhance understanding • Also promote learning acquisition • Making sense of the learning material • Narrative framework • Engage the learners with goals and objectives • Feedback • Facilitating self-motivation and self-regulation. • Conflict, competition, challenge and opposition • Brings the fun element in learning Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

15. Discussion • Mobile technologies are the most influencing developments • Can lifelong learning be supported by mobile technologies? • Mobile learning makes it complete • Mobility • Alearner is able to learn anywhere anytime • No specific age of learning • Educational tools that can support individual centric content delivery • Individuals assume responsibility for their own learning paradigm • Technology doesn’t scare away the learners • Collaboration, communication over mobile technologies Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

16. Conclusion Q&A • Design and development of a Lifelong Learning environment • Knowledge acquisition • Pedagogic changes required in the learning environment • e-Learning and m-Learning with a Lifelong perspective • Accreditation of prior learning in order to position a learner • A generic framework for supporting Lifelong Learning • Perspective of mobility Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

17. Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies

18. Lifelong Learning supported by Mobile Technologies