guest editorial: wireless and mobile technologies in education

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2003) 19, 255-259

2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 255

Guest editorial: Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education H.U. Hoppe1, R. Joiner2, M. Milrad3 & M. Sharples4

The use of information technology in education and training has undergone several paradigm shifts over the last three decades. Very recently the notions of e-learning (learning supported by digital electronic tools and media) and m-learning (e-learning using mobile devices and wireless transmission) have emerged. These terms are often associated with a simplistic understanding of facilitating learning by delivering learning content. Content delivery using mobile devices has had some successes, for example the BBC’s ‘Bitesized revision’ materials delivered via SMS to mobile phones. The learning was facilitated by delivering content to students — however, it was structured to encourage students to discuss the content. Other content-led m-learning possibilities include ‘just-in-time’ training in specific skills (such as how to operate a machine). So content delivery to mobile devices may well have a useful place in m-learning, however, there is an imperative to move from a view of e- and m-learning as solely delivery mechanisms for content. In this view, the learner is just a special type of customer and the learning content is another type of e-commerce product. This simplistic view ignores the fact that modern education and pedagogy, irrespective of different background theories and schools of thought, converge in their high valuation of active, productive, creative and collaborative learning methods much beyond the ‘absorption’ of codified information.

Handheld devices are emerging as one of the most promising technologies for supporting learning and particularly collaborative learning scenarios. These technologies offer the possibility of moving away from the stand-alone computer, thus allowing interaction with several devices and making information accessible through a wireless connection to a server. These technologies offer new opportunities for individuals who require mobile computer solutions that other devices cannot provide. Thus, many researchers, as well as academic and industrial practitioners, are currently exploring the potential of mobile and wireless devices for supporting learning. The challenges are manifold: adapting and appropriating the technology for learning in a way consistent with learning goals and principles; the setting up and testing of prototypical applications and scenarios; the development of specific software tools and architectures; among others.

The underlying understanding of the nature of learning and learning processes has a decisive impact also on expectations of the design and the use of new mobile and wireless technologies in education. For the reductionist, delivery-oriented view of m-learning, the goal is to optimise the quality of service, e.g. in terms of availability across time and space or in terms of multimedia support. Of course,

1 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, 2 University of Bath, UK., 3 Växjö University, Sweden, 4 University of Birmingham, UK. Correspondence: Richard Joiner, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY Email: [email protected]

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2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 19, 255-259

improvements on these scales can also be of interest for using the technology with a distinct orientation.

If these new technologies are used to support active and/or collaborative forms of learning, the expected gain or added value is typically defined quite differently: handheld computing devices allow for exploratory activities not bound to a special location, for example field trips, without losing the potential of taking electronic notes and retrieving information of various types. Such notes, ranging from data collections and digital images to handwritten annotations, can be easily exchanged and downloaded. If combined with wireless transmission, these activities can be continuously monitored and coordinated between places. But even in classrooms and training settings with more or less fixed locations, the use of mobile and wireless technologies may lead to substantial changes as small handheld or embedded devices are no longer dominating the interaction in the way that an explicit computer does. This can help us to move the technology to the background and to set the focus more on interpersonal relations and on the task at hand.

Such an understanding of the role of technology differs significantly from earlier suggestions to conceive computers as dialogue partners. We see this new orientation as a consequence of lessons learned from the limited success of past technology-centred approaches. A criticism of such earlier approaches to learning does indeed not exclude the use of the newest technology in the most creative and innovative ways. The point is that the learning environment, including such aspects as the roles of learners and teachers, types of activities and physical settings, should not be adapted to the available technology but vice versa. The technology should be designed for and adapted to the learning needs with the hope that better technology should adapt and serve better.

This Special Issue of JCAL grew out of the first IEEE workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education (WMTE) that took place at Växjö University, Sweden in August 2002. This event was an effort to take up the challenges and to bring together an international community in the area. The best papers from this workshop were selected for publication in this Special Issue with the addition of a survey of the research area by Jeremy Roschelle. This survey reviews three examples of connected handheld computers in education: classroom response systems; participatory simulations and collaborative data gathering. He concludes that handheld educational applications have an overcomplicated view of technology and a simplistic view of the social practices surrounding these applications. Social practices that are critical to the success of the application. three examples of connected handheld computers in education: classroom response systems; participatory simulations and collaborative data gathering. He concludes that handheld educational applications take an overcomplicated view of technology and a simplistic view of the social practices surrounding these applications in particular the social practices that are critical to the success of the application. The papers in this Special Issue reinforce that conclusion

The remaining papers can be grouped roughly into three themes. The first set of papers deals with the nature of collaborative activity; how it supports or inhibits learning and the implications for the design of wireless mobile technology for learning. The second set reports studies of innovative uses of wireless and mobile technologies for learning. The final set of papers reports innovative developments in wireless and mobile technologies for learning.

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In the first set of papers, Johan Lundin and Maria Magnusson discuss the move towards more communication-intense organisations and how to support work-based learning in a context where most workers are distributed and mobile. They report an observational study of a customer relations team. They distinguish four types of collaborative learning in this team: walking into collaborative learning; travelling to meetings; articulating practice and sharing without articulation. A second paper by Chris DiGiano and colleagues discusses the need, in designing wireless and mobile technology for learning, to better understand the patterns of classroom activity that support learning. They propose collaborative design patterns to describe common learning situations and use four classroom scenarios to describe eight patterns.

The second part of the Issue contains papers that report innovative uses of existing wireless and mobile technologies for learning. Sarah Davies draws on four years of observations of classes using two early prototypes of a classroom response system. She discusses how these prototype systems indicated to the students their level of understanding relative to their peers and how they had a dramatic impact on student engagement, increasing interaction between students and between the students and the teacher.

Sherry Hsi developed a mobile learning system for improving and transforming user experiences in a activity museum. She interviewed users of the electronic guidebook and several recurring themes emerged. The users reported that the handheld device contributed to a sense of isolation, both from less social interaction with others and from interference in playing with the exhibits. They also wanted to bridge real-place and virtual contexts by engaging the handheld as an integral part of the exhibit.

Ole Smørdal & Judith Gregory report on a project exploring how wireless and mobile technologies may be useful in medical education and clinical practice, particular in accessing web-based information when required. The students were given PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) which provided access to medical information both online and offline. The authors report that the students did not use the PDA for information gathering, but they did use it for communication, especially for social purposes. The authors conclude that the design and development of mobile and wireless technologies requires a socio-historical conceptualisation of the information and communication infrastructure in relation to the social and technical networks.

Pauliina Seppälä & Harri Alamäki report their experience of using wireless and mobile technology for teacher training. They carried out a pilot study with some trainee teachers who were lent some mobile communicators and some digital cameras. The idea was that the teachers and students could discuss their teaching through the mobile devices and use digital cameras as a means of supporting that discussion. They could also upload material using the mobile device and construct their own digital portfolio. The authors report that the students liked the convenience, immediacy and expediency of the mobile technology. The supervising teachers were all very positive about using the mobile technology and particularly liked the flexibility it brought to their work. The authors conclude that mobile technology enables students’ experience and the joy of learning.

The final set of papers reports innovative developments in wireless and mobile technologies for learning. The first paper, by Chih-Yuh Chang and colleagues, introduces four classes of mobile learning. They discuss the design, implementation

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and test trial of a mobile outdoor group learning model. The model outlines the tools provided for both the teacher and the student. Yuh-Shyan Chen and colleagues developed a mobile learning system that scaffolded students’ learning about bird watching. The bird watching system provided an outdoor mobile learning system which was one of four classes of mobile learning discussed by Chang and colleagues. Chen and colleagues conducted a formative evaluation comparing the bird watching system with a guide book. The results were very encouraging and they found that the students using the bird watching system gained more than those students who had only used the guide book.

Harri Ketamo developed xTask, an adaptive learning environment, and evaluated its usability. The system could be accessed by PCs or mobile devices. He studied workgroups, who were all given a mobile device for use during the course. The groups were asked to accomplish a number of tasks. After the course the students were interviewed about the usefulness of xTask. Ketamo reports that the students found the mobile devices useful when used for structuring documents and for providing comments on other students’ writing. The students all felt that the mobile devices they were equipped with were not ready to be the only platform for studying.

The final two papers discuss the use of new wireless mobile technology in the classroom context. Tzu-Chien Liu and colleagues built a Wireless technology Enhanced Classroom that supported everyday activities unobtrusively and seamlessly in a classroom context. They integrated a wireless LAN, wireless mobile learning devices, an electronic whiteboard, an interactive classroom server, a resource and class management server. Niels Pinkwart and colleagues report three applications and collaboration scenarios for extending co-constructive modelling and discussion environments with wireless mobile devices.

This combination of innovation and practical use coupled with evaluation is certainly the right blend for our new field. It is essential to remember that the introduction of new technological tools takes place in an existing social environment having their patterns of interaction, their own culture. Hence, these new tools should be interpreted and used accordingly, but they can also have a major impact in transforming those cultures and practices. The mediation of mobile and wireless technologies and applications challenges traditional distinctions made between ‘new learning environments’. They can take place anywhere/anytime and challenge the notion of learning only in the classroom. It has the potential to generate new learning and teaching activities and opportunities. With this Special Issue we hope to contribute to forming a productive and innovative, open and international community which does not only bring forth advancements in science and technology but also contributes to improving practice for better learning.

Editor’s note: In view of the many new devices, terms and acronyms used in the papers of this Special Issue, it is hoped that the Glossary , which is an ‘appendix’ to this Guest Editorial, and the technical review of mobile computational devices (pp. 392-395) will help readers in accessing the innovative potential offered by the leading edge technologies outlined in these papers. I would like to thank the Guest Editors, Jeremy Roschelle, Tak-Wai Chan and Kinshuk for their various roles in bringing this Special Issue of JCAL to fruition in a very short time.

Bob Lewis

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Glossary of terms and acronyms∗ 802.11b The most widely used standard from WLAN, providing a data rate of up to 11 Megabits/ s.

Uses a transmission frequency that does not require a radio operators licence, but is the same frequency as used by microwave ovens and other consumer devices, which could interfere with the signal and lower the data rate.

802.11a A new standard for WLAN communication, providing a data rate of up to 54 megabits/ s. Uses a higher frequency for the transmission than 802.11a, which means that, for a given power, the range is shorter.

802.11g A new standard for WLAN communication with data rates up to 54 megabits/ s. Uses the same transmission frequency as 802.11b.

Bluetooth A data communication system increasingly provided in PDAs and mobile phones, giving reasonably high speed communication (up to 720 kilobits/ s) over short distances (up to 10 m). Uses the same transmission frequency as WLAN, so Bluetooth and WLAN used in the same location could cause interference and lower data rates. Bluetooth offers features such as automatic discovery of other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Clamshell The standard design of laptop computer with a screen that folds over a keyboard base. GPS A system using satellites to provide positioning information, now with an accuracy of 5–

10 m. Can be used to provide Location Based Services (LBS), such as showing where the user is located on a map, providing directions, or to sending information relevant to the location (such as a tourist guide). An extension of GPS, called Differential GPS (DGPS), can give an accuracy of about 2 m.

GPRS A method of sending data to and from mobile phones, by producing ‘packets’ of data that are transmitted via the GSM system. The differences from GSM are that data can be sent about 10 times faster, and that the user only pays for each packet sent or received rather than for the time spent connected.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) The digital voice telephony system used for mobile phones in more than 100 countries and the de facto standard in Europe and Asia. Designed for voice communications, it can also be used for slow speed (9.6 kilobits/ s) data connections.

Handheld (see PDA) IrDA A standard defined by the Infrared Data Association to transfer data between computers

without cables, via infrared light. The data rate can be up to 16 megabits/s but the devices must be within clear line of sight and less than about 2 m apart. Can also be used to remote control devices.

LAN (Local area network) An interconnection of computers within a restricted area such as a campus or school, usually with high speed connections of 10 or 100 megabits/ s. Usually requires cables between each computer, though wireless LANs are becoming more common.

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant - sometimes called Handheld). A handheld computer, originally focused on supporting mobile office needs such as finding contacts or managing a diary, now with a broader range of personal tools. Some provide communication through GPRS or WLAN. Its data can be synchronised with a desktop computer or network.

SMS (Short Message Service) The system used for sending text messages between mobile phones. The message length is limited to 160 characters.

MMS Multimedia Messaging Service. An extension of SMS for sending multimedia messages, such as pictures and graphics.

Tablet PC It has the power and functionality of a conventional laptop computer, coupled with a fold-flat or detachable touch-sensitive screen. Has the ability to record handwritten notes and diagrams.

UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Service) A third generation (3G) system for mobile communication at speeds up to 2 Megabits/ s, enabling video phones and streaming of video to handheld devices.

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) A method for delivering worldwide web information to mobile phones. It uses a version of the HTML web description language, WML, designed to describe pages of content for delivery over slow speed connections and display on devices with small screens and one-hand navigation without a keyboard. The need for WAP is now reduced, with new handheld devices able to display normal HTML web pages.

WLAN Wireless LAN. A system for high speed wireless communication over medium distances (currently up to about 100 m outdoors and around 10–20 m indoors). Becoming used in schools and workplaces to extend or replace a LAN, giving users with portable computers access to the Web.

∗ This glossary was complied by Mike Sharples, Educational Technology Research Group, University of Birmingham, UK

guest editorial: wireless and mobile technologies in education

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