Mobile learning for teaching innovation in higher education

1. Mobile learning for teaching innovation in higher education Davide Parmigiani Department of Education – University of Genova (Italy) ATEE – Association for Teacher Education in Europe (https://atee.education/)

2. Theoretical framework we have observed an increasing trendtowards integrating mobile learning into higher education contexts (Baran 2014) Additionally, Schuck et al., (2013) point out that “Mobile technologies have the potential to be employed innovatively as powerful learning tools in higher education” because they can allow us broader and quicker access to informationand the possibility of sharing ideas and creating materials before, during, and after university and teaching practice activities. Mobility and accessibility have become the keywords for a new higher education paradigm

3. Theoretical framework UNESCO (2012) emphasizes mobile devices as a global theme that can expand educational access and support instruction, administration, and professional development. Previous studies have focused on the educational opportunities offered by small mobile devices, such as the iPod (Mahruf et al. 2010; Coens et al. 2011), mobile phones, smartphones (Seppälä and Alamäki 2003; Aubusson et al. 2009; Ekanayake and Wishart 2014), tablets, (Kearney and Maher 2013; Bates and Martin 2013; Hargis et al. 2013; Hashim 2014) and combined situations in which various types of deviceshave been used (Järvelä et al. 2007; Husbye and Elsener 2013; Herro et al. 2013; Şad and Göktaş 2014).

4. Theoretical framework Previous studies focused on these issues highlight the importance of the possibility of sharing knowledge and skills through a high level of participation and interaction (Ekanayake and Wishart 2014). Kearney and Maher (2013) emphasize the role of mobile learning approaches for the improvement of higher education. In particular, they state that “students use the tablets to enhance organizational aspects of their professional learning. They initially use productivity apps in class, often in a ‘just in time’, spontaneous fashion to take notes; plan, evaluate and observe lessons on professional experience; and record and annotate media, including their own multi-modal reflections. Many students mention the ability of the mobile device to conveniently keep records of their own learning journey both on and off campus” (Kearney and Maher 2013, p. 81). Broda, Schmidt, and Wereley (2011) emphasize the need for educators to adopt a “progressive ethic for teaching and learning, supporting efforts to think differently and use the technology toolsto explore and embody the fluid nature of learning and teaching.”

5. Theoretical framework Schuck et al. (2013) report some advantages of mobile learning, including flexibility, convenience, user-friendliness, an enhanced ability to undertake complex tasks, enhanced communication, opportunities for group learning, and increased sharing and interactions with local and global communities. In this way, the authors see mobile devices as vectors for arranging educational opportunities for the contextualization and personalization of learning tasks and as support for project-based and inquiry-based learning approaches

6. Theoretical framework The learning activities performed on mobile devices feature a different concept of time-space. Formal learning is traditionally “characterized by two constants or boundaries: time and space. Learning places occupy fixed, physical spaces which are defined by relatively impermeable boundary objects such as walls, classrooms and school buildings. Mobile devices create what we term malleable spatial-temporal contexts for learning” (Kearney et al. 2012). It is crucial that we recognize and acknowledge the importance of the organization of the learning environment in terms of time-space because it profoundly affects mobile learning experiences (Ling and Donner 2009).

7. Theoretical framework Learners can generate their own rich contexts (Pachler et al. 2009) with or through their mobile devices. Thus, students have the opportunity to contextualize their learning in situated experiences by participating in a real community of practice. Collaboration among students can be improved through mobile learning experiences because mobile devices support dynamic and real-in-time dialogue and conversation, with a high possibility of material and data sharing that can be retrieved online or generated by students. Finally, personalization refers to the opportunity offered by mobile devices to customize the learning paths of students. Students can use tools and apps to record, organize, and reflect on their own learning experiences over time; they can negotiate learning choices (e.g., content and goals), and ultimately, they can design their own learning paths by selecting, producing, or sharing materials

8. Hybrid environment • A hybridenvironmentiscomposed of spaces, actions and phaseswherestudents and teachers can experienceseveral ways to create learning: in presence, online, cloud, mixed (Trentin and Bocconi 2014) • Innovative spaces for teaching, learning and developing competences

9. Cloud-based m-learning • Cloud-based m-learning is learning using cloud and mobile devices (Alexandru et al., 2013; García-Peñalvo et al., 2014; Shorfuzzaman et al., 2014). Cloud systems store information and application services in remote cloud devices, through which users can seamlessly retrieve, process, share, and store information and services using their digital devices (Lin et al., 2009; Lin et al., 2014). This enables information sharing and allows information to be jointly compiled (Fardoun et al., 2012)

10. Ubiquitous learning • Burden and Kearney (2016) argued: «The ubiquity, flexibility and increasingly diverse capabilities of handheld devices have created considerable interest amongst educators (Aubusson et al. 2012; Cheng and Tsai 2013; Johnson et al. 2013; Marty et al. 2013; Song 2014) who have begun to investigate their application for learning “on the move” (Sharples 2013) across a variety of formal and increasingly informal contexts, particularly supporting inquiry-based teaching approaches (Zhang et al. 2010)».

11. School-to-work transition • the potential added value of cloud-based m-learning in the school-to-work transition contexts in correlation with students’ personal and group resilience during placements. In particular, the use of mobile devices «during learners’ school-to-work transition enhanced both learning in terms of knowledge acquisition and learning as (professional) participation. Precisely, the students had higher levels of knowledge and fewer feelings of professional isolation» (Pimmer et al., 2019).

12. DigCompEdu

13. 2nd sectionMobile devices • Klopfer et al. (2002) identify five characteristics of mobile devices related to learning: • Portability, Social interactivity, Context sensitivity, Connectivity, Individuality • Small dimensions, Mobility, Ubiquity, Personalization, Flexibility of time and space, Rapidity, Wider spaces of sociality, Situated learning, Interaction and cooperation, Finding, comparing and validating information

14. 2nd sectionHistory of mobile devices • Three main phases: • focus on the device; • focus on outdoor learning; • focus on students’ mobility • I added a further phase: • Focus on learning that becomes mobile: as well as the competence, learning has to be mobilized; the mobile devices become a metaphor for the development of competences

15. 2nd sectionMobile learning approaches • Thereisnot a uniquedefinitionof mobile learning, butfiveapproaches: • Centered on technology • Evolution of e-learning • Formal and Informal (Cavus & Ibrahim 2007; Winters, 2007) • Ubiquitouslearning (Sharples et al. 2007; Traxler, 2007) • Ecological (Pachler et al. 2010, 2012, 2013) • Notsimplysharingmaterialsbut the interactionprocessleads to create new knowledgeand spaces/moments for learning

16. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Feedback • Formative assessment • Contents creation • Cooperation • Reflective and critical thinking skills • Problem/Project Based Learning with mobile devices

17. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Feedback • Brainstorming • Collecting data • Let students express their own ideas • …

18. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Formative assessment • Testing knowledge • Verifying the instructional path • Specifying and clarifying the important topics • …

19. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Contents creation • Creating: • Concept maps, videos, animations, presentations, augmented reality, tutorials, …

20. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Cooperation • Cooperating online to: • discuss, debate, share ideas, elaborate information, create projects,…

21. 3rd sectionUse levels of mobile devices in higher education contexts • Reflective and critical thinking skills • Problem/Project Based Learning • with mobile devices

22. 4th sectionMobile devices as a bridge between university and training experience • Dymoke and Harrison (2008), «reflectivethinkingskills can be supported by differentreflectivethinkingtoolssuchasrecording, writing, drawing, photography, learning journal, portfolio, lessonplan, co-teaching, collaborative practitionerenquiry and actionresearch». (Mirzaei et al., 2014)

23. 4th sectionMobile devices as a bridge between university and training experience • The question is: how to connect theory and practice and how they can support each other in a virtuous circle? • In particular, what is the contribution of mobile devices within this relationship: how can mobile devices facilitate reflective thinking in order to develop students’ competences?

24. 4th sectionA model to educate between university and training experience The model provides a circle composed of four steps knowledge acquisition 1 Reflection on application of knowledge Reflection on knowledge 4 2 3 Application of knowledge

25. 4th sectionActivities’ examples Lectures at university 1 • students were divided into small groups composed of 3-4 members • each ST wrote individually the muddiest point about the teaching strategy, using a document on google drive • STs read the documents written by the other members and made comments and remarks • teachers made comments as well and clarified the doubts • each ST created digital materials, using a document on google drive • (the same day of the activity) students interviewed the job tutor, following a list of questions; the interviews were recorded and uploaded on google drive • students heard the interviews and made comments and remarks • Students created digital materials, underlining pros and cons about the experience • Teachers made their final comments and remarks 4 2 3 Activity during the training

26. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices 4 3 • The path 5 2 1

27. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • Starting point • Piazza de Ferrari • (de Ferrari Square)

28. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • 2nd stage • Cattedrale di San Lorenzo • (S. Lorenzo Cathedral)

29. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • 3rd stage • Piazza Banchi • (Banchi square)

30. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • 4th stage • The aquarium

31. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • 5th stage • Magazzini del cotone • (Cotton storages)

32. 5th sectionCreating educational paths with mobile devices • do not hesitate to email me • davide.parmigiani@unige.it • If you want to go on a treasure hunt in Genova old town

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