New models for mobile learning in museums

Nicholas Badcott and Shelley Mannion, British Museum

William Robinson, Artist and technologist

Alessandra von Aesch, University of Lugano

Images benedictjohnson.com

Primary and secondary programmes

From audio tours to mobile

experiences

600 secondary school students

7” Galaxy Tablets

Augmented Reality

Game-like experience

Cultures in Contact 2011

Experience-focused, supported by objects Simulate reflections and insights of pilgrimage

Convey personal and communal experience

Game-like, but not silly or disrespectful

Accommodate different types of learners.

Learning objectives

Sensitive and potentially controversial subject matter

Linear exhibition narrative, design

Concerns about improper use of social media

Small budget, limited time

No network connectivity

Constraints

App design and development

1 2 3

Simulating rituals using unique features of phones

Two types of video content

Facilitated

18 sessions

12 schools

270 students

Age 12-17 (Average 14)

60% girls, 40% boys

Both Muslim and non-Muslim,

majority Christian

Audience

Texting Phone calls Internet Apps Games Schoolwork

64

54

38

2724

8

What do you use your phone for?

Gallery observations

Post-session surveys (33% of total)• 88 students• 8 teachers

Content analysis

Research model

Outcomes and insights

Learning outcomes

Factual36%

Emotional27%

Functional8%

General27%

Other1%

Name something you learned today.

Learning outcomes

General

FactualI learnt that 99,000 people went from Nigeria. 61

EmotionalThat Hajj can increase Muslim’s love for the prophet Muhammed (Pbuh). 64That some people didn’t really feel connected to Allah, but after the Hajj they did. 67

FunctionalPeople throw stones at a wall to release their selfishness and anger. 26

Mobile app49%

Videos of pilgrims31%

Teacher20%

Where did the learning come from?

First-hand accounts supported emotional outcomes

Mobile app ( plus objects, text panels, maps) supported mainly functional, factual outcomes

Factual and functional

Drawing the Mahmal Watching videos Voice recording Answering questions0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

41

29

119

Circle your favourite task. Say why you liked it.

Types of activities

Creative, enjoyable, easy, entertaining, engaging, artistic, skill

Emotions, experience, insight

[Reflective, performative, social, personal]

Interesting, knowledge, information

Creative drawing

Very creative and you can remember it more if you do something yourself. 65

Performative voice recordings

So I could tell people what is important to me. 44

Social interaction

Sa'i - Hunt for ob-jects30

Stoning pillars - Flick pebbles

23

Tawaf - Finger circles

10

Which ritual did you like the most?

Explore, find,see objects in person

Feeling, meaningful, experience, made me think, satisfying, realistic, connection, emotions, [reflect]

Done by pilgrims, [realistic, authentic]

I enjoyed circling [Tawaf] as it is something the pilgrims actually do. 52

Stoning the pillars

It felt like I was actually throwing those sins away. 41

I found qualities of myself which I would like to lose. 84

Made me feel pure and took my anger away. 53

Experience of Hajj

Model for mobile learning

Frohberg, et al 2009Adapted by Doll 2012: 31

Only 11 of 102 mobile learning apps used this approach

Voice recording,drawing

Strong

Guided reflection, content

construction

Emotional, experiential learning

objectives met

Improvements

Less teacher control, more free

exploration

More app driven social interaction,

communication

Questions

Role of objects with mobile apps

Self-directed, teacher-led

New styles of interaction

Improve research model

An invitation…