Some consideration on a mobile learning experience in a

secondary school

Authors: M. Arrigo, O. Di Giuseppe, G. Fulantelli, M. Gentile, L. Seta, D. Taibi,

Institute for Educational Technology Italian National Research Council Palermo (Italy)

Topics

  Introduction   The MoULe system   MoULe in action   Results and discussion

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Introduction

 MoULe   Mobile and Ubiquitous Learning project carried out at the Italian

National Research Council, Institute for Educational Technologies – Palermo. It is part of the CORFAD project. CORFAD was set up by the Sicilian government with the aim of developing a centre of knowledge for distance learn

  Mobile learning based on collaborative knowledge building processes

  A learning platform called MoULe to edit and share documents and conceptual maps using desktop computers and smartphones

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The MoULe System

  The MoULe system was designed to allow students the access to the platform from:   classroom computer

desktops ;   on site using mobile

devices and it provides the tools to support specifically collaborative development of knowledge

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The MoULe system 5

Includes specific functionalities to search and access information spaces, to communicate and to annotate places according to their geographical coordinates .

Data stored in the system (included data uploaded into it by the users) are enriched by the information concerning geographical localization, so that the system provides users with information specific to the place they are visiting.

MoULe in action

  The wiki was the tool chosen to organise the contents in all experiences

  In the wiki pages created, the students laid out information chunks coming in by several sources and in different media formats:   notes taken on site (principally photos and audios);   contents and images retrieved by Internet;   contents found in books.

  The students on site preferred to take notes as photos, with respect to audios and texts

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Scenario 1

  Student 1 (in laboratory) works on wiki pages

  S/he consults map to search photo attached to a specific location (MoULe component)

  If s/he does not find photo s/he asks the photo to the students on site (chat)

  Student 2 (on site) captures a photo and publish it on server (mobile devices + GPS), with title and comment (tags)

  Students 1 searches for new photos, using map location and tags (MoULe component), and inserts the photo into the wiki

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Scenario 2

  The student on site reads the wiki using the mobile device to search information

  She does find any relevant information and she decides to record an interview with an informant (MoULe component on mobile device)

  Then she tags the audio file and publish it on server

  The student sends a message (chat or IM component on mobile device) for alerting of the new audio document

  Students on Lab can insert the audio into the wiki (MoULe component)

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Finally …

  In our experience we observed that motivational factors can play an important part in the success of a mobile learning experience.

  This aspect is generally considered from the students’ point of view but we have noticed that it influences the teachers’ involvement and the results of the work.

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