Mobile Assisted Learning for High School Spanish Students

Stacy Brewer

Geoff Boyle

Christine Chambers

Verlinda Dority

Kitty Williams

Opportunity

Deliver an interactive learning experience for high school Spanish students using an iPod Touch.

Affordances of Mobile Learning

Access Learning beyond four walls Continuous learning Multi-media lessons

Stakeholders

Students: Engaged & excited by mobile learning

Teachers: Interested in improving student performance and motivation

Administration: Wary of mobile devices becoming a distraction to learning, not a benefit

Drivers & Barriers

Students unmotivated for language instruction Students/teachers unfamiliar with iPod Touch Students are more interested in using iPod for

entertainment than learning Teachers not comfortable using mobile device

in the classroom

Priorities for InstructionPRIORITIES

Instruction

• Learner-centered design• Ease of use (teachers and students)• Engage learner• Enhances classroom experience• Create objectives based on Massachusetts standards• Flexible, granular solutions

Training

• Take advantage of the affordances of mobile learning• Conceptual framework that is flexible and adaptable• Design for the physical realities of a mobile device• Generate situated learning by incorporating contextual awareness• Design with constructivist learning theory in mind

Support

• David Rogers from Institute of Simulation & Training• Spanish language SME• A high school teacher, preferably foreign language teacher• High school students enrolled in a foreign language class• Organizations dedicated to facilitating mLearning in the classroom (e.g., GoKnow, eSATS)

Needs Analysis

Demographics of Target Audience Age: 14-18 1:1 Ratio of Males to Females Middle-class economic status 80% graduates attend college Exposure to computers and the Internet

Knowledge Gap/Constraints

Restrictions on use of mobile devices. Will teenagers accept iPod as a learning

device? Not all students are connected. Instructors need to develop skills to use

mobile learning environments.

Massachusetts Foreign Language Curriculum Framework

“[The] students’ ability to use what they have learned in meaningful ways is the primary goal of all language programs.”

“Students of modern languages need abundant opportunities to speak, listen, read, and write in order to develop communicative fluency”

Personas

Motivation varied among students Common characteristics

Have experience with mobile devicesRelevancy, specific goal of language study

Knowledge gapAll need to pass the course

Persona #1 – Leroy Jenkins

Underachiever Takes Spanish to

fulfill foreign language requirement

Avid gamer, very connected

Persona #2 – Bobby Boucher

Average student Believes that school

is a waste of time and learns more outside of the classroom.

Has a smart phone but does not use most of the features.

Persona #3 – Evan Toller

Motivated to learn Spanish for possible career

Has specific goals language study will help meet

Limited use of technology

Likes sports

Persona #4 – Bianca Smith

Highly motivated Highly connected Has specific goals

language study will help meet

Likes to travel

Persona #5 – Hidemi Noguchi

Spanish will be his 3rd language

Owns a smart phone and uses it for communication

Bit of a loner Likes sports,

especially baseball

Learning Goals

Platform distributes media, text and facilitates interactive experience

Small nuggets of learning MLE increases student interest &

engagement, easy to use, encourage collaboration, integrate into existing lesson plan, teachers retain control

Learning Goals

Applications that increase authentic context of use and social interaction

Multiple applications for vocabulary and phrases, drill and practice, and application

Correlation to Prior AnalysisDesign Requirements Synthesis of Input on

Creating Mobile Application

Elements of Design Solution: Photo Essay

User Need: Student

Constraint: Low motivation levels to learn Spanish; need additional motivators

Design applications that provide time to use iTouch.

Device is what motivates the student, but acts as vehicle for learning

Device is integral to the learning experience

Students photograph, provide narrative, and publish their photo essay in one class period

User Need:Student

Driver: Most students enjoy socializing in school; take advantage of this characteristic

Provide appropriate ways of socializing through interactive lessons. Students can share photos and provide descriptions or captions, create videos in groups and share with other classmates, and submit group assignments to instructor

Small groups work together to storyboard, write, and shoot photo essay. Highly interactive yet production oriented

Correlation to Prior AnalysisDesign Requirements Synthesis of Input

on Creating Mobile Application

Elements of Design Solution: Photo Essay

User Need: Teacher Bound by Standards

Content indicated by Strand/Standard is amenable to chunking and short exercises

Sweet spot for mobile apps is 5-15 minutes

Students will use device to generate photo essays showing and describing people, places, and things using camera and keyboard functions; will publish work with connectivity functions

Strand- Presentational:Write and speak in a language

other than English to present information, concepts, and ideas on a variety of topics

Standard: Describe people, places, and things

Interface Design & Prototype

Sitemap

Flowchart

Wireframehttp://gomockingbird.com/mockingbird/index.html?project=9d47166d7320813c66608be0fdfa8ea8a0f6ab3c

Layout and Visual Design

User Feedback

Layout was simple and easy to follow. Too much text. Want more graphics, more like a game. Needs more color; more exciting layout. A header would be helpful to navigate to the other pages. Wanted to know if assignments would be in groups or individual. Photo Essay assignment would be more fun than looking at pictures

and memorizing words. Assignment calendar: Are assignments uploaded here? Can we take pictures of other things besides assignments and

upload it to Facebook? Love doing assignments on mobile device

Prototype

Steps Forward

Rethink visual design Create more apps Support teachers Promote the affordances of mobile

learning

Questions???