Pervasive Computing – an application to effective teaching-learning process

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JOURNAL OF COMPUTING, VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2, FEBRUARY 2011, ISSN 2151-9617

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Pervasive Computing an application toeffective teaching-learning process

Shalabh Agarwal and Asoke Nath

Abstract In the present work we have tried to explore the tremendous scope of pervasive computing in teaching-learningprocess. The teaching-learning process is been changed quite dramatically from what we had a few years back. Before the age

of computers, the teaching-learning process was mainly based on printed materials such as books, journals, reports etc. Apart

from printed materials audio and video materials were also used to some extent for teaching-learning process. Due to

tremendous progress in Information and Communication Technology in the last decade or so, the entire teaching-learning

methodology has been shifted towards technology enabled e-learning. The grater demand for learning, specially in higher

education, has generated newer and challenging avenues. Pervasive and ubiquitous learning has expanded these avenues

and has enabled learning anytime any moment. In the current paper, we have tried to explain the concept of pervasive and

ubiquitous computing and its impact on modern teaching-learning methodology.

Index Terms Pervasive Computing, e-learning.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the modern world, the technology plays a major role inthe education processes, through innovative technology-enabled learning system. Learning and teaching in a digi-tal age are being intensely altered in a wide variety ofcontexts by the additional prospective offered by technol-ogy. Due to tremendous growth in internet services andmobile communication the entire learning methods havebeen modified. No one is ready to wait for to get someinformation which was not true or not possible a fewyears back.

Till very recently, all kinds of learning-related activitythat can potentially be e-enabled and e-learning weremainly done through ownership of technologies coupledwith access to social software. Now, these can no longerbe viewed as a purely institutionally based or narrowlydefined set of activities. The concept of e-learning is thusbecoming much wider than just providing technologyenabled learning resources. The shift is towards howlearning can be enhanced by more effective and far-reaching uses of digital technologies.

The term e-learning has undergone a paradigm shift dueto pervasiveness of technology. Mobile network andwireless network have opened the opportunity to en-courage learning anywhere and anytime and not in pre-determined classroom or in laboratories.

2 PERVASIVE COMPUTING TECHNOLOGYANYWHERE ANYTIME

A new paradigm in computing technology is pervasivecomputing which is also known as Ubiquitous compu-

ting, is a model of human-computer interaction in whichinformation processing has been thoroughly integratedinto everyday objects and activities. In the course of regu-lar activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing en-gages many computational devices and systems simulta-neously, and may not necessarily even be aware that theyare doing so. The main concept of pervasive computing isinvisibility, where the user is not aware of the presenceof technology. It is the omnipresence of the technologywhich is the property of being present everywhere. It is aparadigm shift where technology becomes virtually invis-

ible in our lives. Instead of having a desktop or laptopcomputer, the technology we use will be embedded inour environment. Because of the pervasiveness of thistechnology, the user tends to use it without thinkingabout the tool. Instead, the focus is on the task, makingthe technology effectively invisible to the user.

Pervasive computing is the extensive use of embeddedmicro-controllers and automatic id systems in ways thatare transparent to the user. Some examples are the enginecontrol computer in a car, TiVo, DVD, blue-ray playersand other audio-video gear. Location dependent services

on cell phones are another example. Among the emergingtechnologies expected to prevail in the pervasive compu-ting environment of the future are wearable computers,smart homes and smart buildings. Pervasive Computingis a computing technology that spreads through the usersenvironment by making use of seamless connectivity ofmultiple independent information devices embedded inthe environment of the users. Pervasive computing ischanging our daily activities in a variety of ways. Whileusing modern digital tools, users tend to communicate indifferent ways, be more active, use geographi-cal/temporal spaces and have more control.

3 PERVASIVE E-LEARNING THE MOST EFFECTIVETOOL IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING-LEARNING

Till very recently, the most effective teaching-learning

Shalabh Agarwal is a faculty with the Department of Computer Science, St.Xaviers College(Autonomous),Kolkata,India..

Asoke Nath is a faculty with the Department of Computer Science, St.Xaviers College(Autonomous),Kolkata,India and also the Executive Direc-tor of the Computer Centre of the College.


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(iv) Relationality

: Learners construct meaningfuland relevant learning situations to which theycan relate. Because learners are learning conceptswithin their own personal environments, theycan understand better the implications of whatthey are learning and can construct ways to re-

late this knowledge to their lives.

TABLE1KEY COMPONENTS OF PERVASIVE LEARNING

CommunityLearners are edu-cated by the com-

munity and educateothers in the com-

munity as well.

AutonomyLearners author

learning experiencesthemselves and takecontrol of and directtheir own learning

processes.

Locationality

Learning occurs inlocations and attimes that are mea-

ningful and relevantfor the learner.

Relationality

Learners constructmeaningful and rele-vant learning situa-tions to which they

can relate.

To make the learning process successful the technologyshould be embedded in systems that can seamlessly sup-port learning and teaching activities across a variety offormal and informal settings, combining different ap-proaches. Pervasive computing offers new and innovativeranges of possibilities in relation to supporting learning

through collaboration and situation. Following are thevarious learning methods which will explain how perva-sive computing will be most effective in teaching-learningprocess :

a) Self Study: Teaching by Conservation - Learningby Acquiring.

In self study, the content is used as a medium of studythat relies on one's own self to understand the contentand follow through on learning tasks related to a course.In this method the information flow is one way and thereis no scope of interaction. The learner has to understand

the subject at their own. In this type of learning processthe reading materials should written in such a mannerthat the learner can understand the material very easily.

b) Presentational: Teaching by Transmission - Learn-ing by Reception.

In presentational teaching-learning, the teacher presentsthe course contents through verbal communication sup-ported by visuals and in some cases audio is also used.The understanding is through acceptance and reflection.This method allows a two way communication andmakes it possible to have interaction.

c) Instructor initiated: Teaching by Transmission -Learning by Sharing

The instructors are knowledgeable and experienced inthe learning material, used for their facilitation skills and

ability to deliver material to learners. It allows for real-time interaction as the training is delivered in a class-room format, as an interactive workshop, as a demon-stration with the opportunity for learners to practice.

d) Collaborative Learning: Teaching by Discourse -Learning by DialogueIn collaborative learning two or more people learn or at-

tempt to learn something together and actively interactby sharing experiences. Groups of students work togeth-er to search for understanding, meaning, or solutions orto create an artefacts or product of their learning. Colla-borative learning activities can include collaborativewriting, group projects, joint problem solving, debates,study teams and other activities. The collaborative learn-ing process always help the learners to understand thesubject much better than studying it in isolated manner.Sometimes this help also get some innovative ideas from

group discussions.

e) Pervasive Learning: Teaching by Exploration -Learning by Experience

Pervasive or ubiquitous or ambientlearning means theeducation should be always on. It means the educa-tion is always on and available 24 hours a day, 7 days aweek, anywhere, at anytime. Pervasive learning is a so-cial process that connects learners to communities of de-vices, people, and situations so that learners can con-struct relevant and meaningful learning experiences, thatthey author themselves, in locations and at times thatthey find meaningful and relevant. This implies the mo-bility of users and the presence of heterogeneous deviceswith a high level of usability in the learning environmentopen opportunities for innovative educational practices.In this method the learning is through explored know-ledge.

The various learning environments expected to be persist-ing in the next few years are:a) Customized learning spaces, i.e. personal learning

environments (PLEs)b) Customization of content presentation and accessc) eReaders and eBooks providing better and more in-

teractive content (just in time)d) Changing paradigm of bounded courses to un-

bounded courses where learning is a continuousprocess that can occur anywhere and at any time

Some of the future international perspectives towards e-learning are:a) Providing access to education even to remote, rural,

and developing areasb) Promote intercultural mixing and diversity through

educationc) Improving educational access in segregated societiesd) Sharing resources and co-producing content to re-

duce coste) Serve new growing customer groups


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f) Informal learning, sharing own learning with othersvia internet and mobile technology.

The concept of pervasive and ubiquitous learning sup-ports all the above learning environments and will alsoenhance the possibilities of achieving the international

perspectives in the near future. The concept of ubiquitouscomputing and pervasive learning goes beyond portablecomputers. As new technologies evolve and more perva-sive forms of technology emerge, computers will become'invisible' and will be embedded in all aspects of our life.Wearable computers and embedded microchips will bethe tools for future learning. These innovations may haveappeared strange and futuristic at the beginning, but,over time they blended into our everyday lives. In thisage of progress and great change, we tend to easily adaptto the technologies and pedagogies that emerge. Ubiquit-ous technology and pervasive learning may be the new

hope for the future of education.

4 CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSIONSThe advantage of pervasive computing is that computersare transparently integrated into peoples lives, but thisbenefit raises the fear of dependency and interference.Research has found that people are generally ready toaccept omnipresent technologies if the benefits arethought to more than the risks. Understanding the bene-fits and risks are a great challenge to both the users anddevelopers because pervasive computing is supposed tobe transparent and the users are mostly unaware of pres-

ence of the technology. Another challenge is the devel-opment and implementation of real-life applications re-quires a team of developers with diverse background notonly in the field of computer science and communicationtechnologies but also experts in the fields of social scienceand psychology. Hence, researchers have found that, al-though pervasive and ubiquitous concept is quite old, it isvery recently that it has actually picked up momentum.New and emerging technologies are changing the over-view of traditional teaching-learning methods. The fastevolutions of new possibilities in the fields of computersand communication have had a large impact on the trans-

formation of the learning process over the last decade orso. Pervasive computing is one such paradigm shift fromtraditional methods of teacher-centric teaching-learningprocess to a learner-centric approach. The technology ofubiquitous computing has opened a vast area of researchand development in the field of teaching-learning. There

is tremendous possibility application area of pervasivecomputing in the modern teaching-learning methodolo-gy. This could be the definitive solution to have 100%literacy in any developed or under developed country. Tomake the programme successful a joined venture is re-quired among the educationist from various fields and

also the computer scientists to put their head together toget proper use of pervasive computing in both teachingand learning process. The present work is a rather a sys-tematic study on the concept of pervasive and ubiquitouslearning.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSA and AN express their sincere gratitude to the Depart-ment of Computer Science for giving opportunity to carryout this study on pervasive computing. AN is also grate-ful to University Grants Commission for giving fund fordoing minor research project on Network security and

cryptography.

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Pervasive Computing – an application to effective teaching-learning process