Connecting Seniors’ Lives through Images – Mobile-Learning Workshop at a Cross-

Generational Centre in Germany

Age of participants, size of group

This workshop focussing on camera applications with mobile phones drew participants from

various groups. Alongside team members from the Cross-Generational Centre where it was

held, some of whom volunteer as internet and PC “pilots”, there were adult educators from

the region and of course members of the main target group of the Cross-Generational

Centre – older persons who live in Wittlich and environs. A total of 17 participants ranging in

age from 37 to 75 years met on three consecutive Fridays to venture into the world of

mobile learning.

The informal nature of offerings at the centre presented a challenge in planning the

workshop, since it was impossible to predict who would participate and what previous

experience they might have. Moreover, the technical prerequisites could not be assessed in

advance. Therefore, the plan for the first meeting was deliberately kept flexible to allow for

a more accurate estimation of the participants’ interests and needs.

Setting and duration

The workshop was held on three Fridays in September and October 2011 at the Cross-

Generational Centre in Wittlich in the Eifel, a semi-rural area. Daniel Zils, media educator at

the medien+bildung.com gGmbH regional office in Mainz, conducted the meetings. Due to

past experience with employing mobile phones for learning inside and outside of schools, he

was well prepared to explain in a lucid manner some of the options that mobile terminals

offer. He was supported on location by Michaele Schneider and Annette Weinand from the

administrative team of the Cross-Generational Centre Wittlich.

Didactic/learning focus and purpose of activity

The aim of this workshop was to familiarize the participants with the functionalities and

potential of their mobile phones. They learned about options their devices present for

expressing themselves toward others and for keeping in contact over shorter or greater

distances. While many participants were already practiced at communicating with a partner

by telephone or SMS, the workshop aimed at laying the groundwork for managing the

camera functions and using these to send personal messages to others or to share pleasant

experiences. In the rural environment of the Eifel, maintaining contacts and networks with

the aid of (mobile) media is an attractive possibility since individuals – particularly older

persons – do not always have the practical option of getting together personally.

The starting point for this learning scenario was the fact that mobile phones are now quite

commonly in use by older persons, more and more of whom even own smart phones. The

modern mobile device or smart phone offers so many functionalities that make it possible to

use this small multi-media device in many different learning and communicative contexts.

Alongside recording functions for sound and images, it provides storage space for large

amounts of data and can also, for example, save geo-information directly in photos taken

with the camera. In addition, media content that has been produced can easily be

transferred to other devices.

Learning to handle the photo function with all its options formed the basis for these goals

and for many other possible areas of application as well. At the Cross-Generational Centre in

Wittlich, the emphasis was on the learners’ acting and communicating as “experts in their

everyday world”. They were encouraged to address, with the aid of the mobile phone,

events and locations that are important to them and with which they wished to present

themselves. A sequence of photos on the mobile phone – showing, for example, a person

making firewood – can be shared easily at any time, just by taking the phone out of one’s

pocket or by forwarding the photo series digitally to interested persons. Another sequence

might recommend a newly discovered ice-cream parlour to friends or family, with pictures of

the specialities of the house.

This approach brought two major aspects of mobile leaning into focus: playfully exploring

one’s own living environment and communicating or networking with the aid of mobile

technology, which is available at any time in any place.

The didactic setting was deliberately designed to benefit from the heterogeneous skills of

participants: those already experienced in handling various functionalities of the mobile

phone served as tutors for the less experienced members of the group, helping to enable

learning centred on the participants and their needs. One special characteristic of the cross-

generational centre did not yet figure in this pilot workshop, but can well be integrated into

future learning situations: the encounter between younger and older persons can be very

conducive to learning about the application of new technologies, with the younger

generation providing explanations and support for older persons.

Learning outcomes

The workshop participants learned the following things:

• confident handling of the photo functions on the mobile phone

• transfer of the outcomes from the mobile phone to other devices

• options for documenting knowledge, experience and practical information from

their everyday lives in photo sequences that are easy to comprehend

• production of web albums with Picasa and connecting photos with Google Maps

Given that most participants had previously used the mobile phone almost exclusively as a

telephone, this workshop proceeded in relatively small learning steps. In addition to the

fundamental photo functionalities, emphasis was therefore placed on making the media

content one has produced available to others. To reinforce learning, the individual steps

covered during the workshop meetings were repeated individually in the form of a home

assignment.

Mobile equipment; mode of data transmission

The participants used their own mobile or smart phones, so that they would later be able to

apply what they learned in their everyday living context. It was agreed that all the devices

used should be equipped with a camera for stills, and if possible also should support a

Bluetooth connection for transmitting the images. Since this function was not available on a

few of phones, alternative means of transferring the data needed to be identified and

practiced, for example, via data cable. The participants brought their own cables along, so

that compatibility was ensured.

Additional media

Beamer – for presenting outcomes to the group;

Computer – necessary during the workshop for collecting and presenting the outcomes of

the participants. Depending on their individual skills, some participants also downloaded

outcomes of the home assignment onto a computer at home and forwarded them to the

trainer via e-mail;

Software – no special software was required, only Google web services were used. To access

Picasa and the connection with Google Maps, it was necessary to register (free of charge).

Procedures: description of practical realization

First meeting

The first workshop meeting provided the opportunity for the participants to get to know one

another and for the trainers to estimate existing skills within the group. Each participants

was asked to talk about him- or herself and previous experiences with mobile phones, also

mentioning the technical options presented by their own mobile device. This was followed

by a first group assignment relating to the photo functions of the devices.

The goal of this first practical phase was

to have each participant take three

photos with the mobile phone which

would, in a later step, be transferred to a

laptop. Small groups were formed so

that participants could explain the

functionality of their mobiles to one

another and provide mutual assistance

when necessary. It emerged that while

some participants already had extensive

experience with their devices and were familiar with the photo functions, others were

undertaking their first steps in this area. Indeed, the group was so diverse that several

participants had brought along devices without a camera. These were older persons, who

nevertheless enjoyed participating in the workshop. A few even bought a new mobile phone

before the next meeting so that they could be more actively involved in the workshop

happenings.

The next step consisted in transferring the outcomes from the mobiles phones to the laptop

of the trainer. This involved explaining the Bluetooth function and, in most cases, employing

it. Only on devices that did not support Bluetooth did the group resort to removing the chip

card from the phone and connecting it to the laptop. There was also a slight problem with

the iPhone of one participant, but this was solved by forwarding the photos to the trainer via

e-mail. Due to the WLAN connection in the Cross-Generational Centre, this did not lead to

any extra costs.

At the end of the first day, the participants were given a home assignment to be prepared by

the next meeting. They were asked to use the mobile phone as a diary, taking up to three

photos a day and, if possible, forwarding them to the trainer by e-mail right away – thus

saving the time at the beginning of the second workshop day that transfer via Bluetooth

would otherwise require.

Home assignment

A few outcomes of the home assignment:

The participants’ realisation of the home

assignment was quite diverse. Some took

only two or three pictures in the course of a

week, others took three or four per day and

actually achieved the effect of a photo

diary.

Second meeting

At the beginning of the second workshop meeting, the participants presented their home

assignments and discussed the outcomes. Of particular interest were the personal reports

on experience in handling the mobile phones. No one had any difficulty in taking pictures,

but only one participant had forwarded them in advance via e-mail. At home, most didn’t

have the media configuration necessary to complete this part of the assignment. It also may

have played a role that broad-band access is not fully available in a rural area such as the

Eifel.

The next learning step at this meeting was to go out together in Wittlich and document

locations the participants considered important for them in their home town. The idea was

that these photos would later be connected with a segment out of Google Maps to create a

“Seniors’ Map” of the town of Wittlich.

In search of suitable sites, the participants set out in small groups and produced their

photos.

Third meeting

The outcomes of the second meeting were viewed and assessed at the beginning of the third

meeting. First, with support from the trainer, the participants transferred their images to a

laptop via Bluetooth, e-mail, or chip card. Using the Picasa service of Google, they then made

them available to others in a web album. One advantage of Picasa is that it can be used free

of charge. Another is that the person posting the images can determine who will be allowed

access to them. Moreover, the user can connect the photos with Google Maps – in this case

achieving the desired effect of creating a town map of Wittlich from the seniors’ point of

view.

Particularly in this workshop phase, proceeding in distinct steps again emerged as an

advantage. The trainer gave a clear explanation of each exercise, oriented as closely as

possible to the needs and interests of the older participants. Some of them learned very

quickly how to handle Picasa and Google Maps. Others were content to have seen the

application and understood how it works.

Assessment and perspectives

The difficulty of making the workshop as homogeneous as possible – despite the greatly

varying levels of skill and the variety of technical equipment owned by participants – was

compensated by integrating the more experienced members of the group as peer-to-peer

trainers in individual work phases. There was also a certain amount of fluctuation within the

group, since the usual offerings at the cross-generational centre are not structured as

courses, with each meeting building upon the last, and thus in general do not require steady

attendance.

One possible further development of the scenario could be the production of an internet

offering as a space for exchange among older persons on their experience and their stories,

allowing others who are no longer mobile to participate in their lives. In this context, the

mobile character of the approach plays a major role.

As a medium for communication, the Picasa service portal can be used privately, by groups

of friends, or by institutions working in an educational context. It is possible to post peer-to-

peer offerings where more and less experienced users develop their mobile skills together,

for example in the form of a “mobile café”, or to create family offerings for older persons

and their grandchildren.

This learning scenario can also serve as a basis for producing a town map for older persons

that expands dynamically as elements are added.