FROM TECHNOLUST TO TEACHING TOOLS:

INSPIRING INNOVATION IN LIBRARY INSTRUCTION WITH MOBILE DEVICES AND APPS

REBECCA K. MILLER

VIRGINIA TECH

TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

SAN ANTONIO, TX

APRIL 10, 2014

GOALS FOR YOU

1. You will walk away with the right questions to ask about integrating mobile devices in your library’s instruction program (and beyond)

2. You will be able to apply best practices in integrating mobile devices into instruction (and beyond)

3. You will be inspired to be a leader on your campus and a strong voice in all conversations revolving around learning environments, technologies, and strategies

Rick Oller, ECAR, The Future of Mobile Learning

I feel that one of our obligations as educators is to consider how the mobile Internet changes not only how we teach, but what it means to be knowledgeable and educated in our culture. And just as important, the mobile web opens up a host of pedagogical possibilities.

David Parry, EDUCAUSE Review

Rather than imposing legacy pedagogical guidelines on mobile learning, higher education decision makers, instruction designers, and perhaps most importantly, teachers need to innovate, experiment, and be prepared to fail. It’s not clear where mobile learning technology and applications will go, but…it will be disruptive, explosive, and game changing….

tabletsinlibraries.tumblr.com

ACTIVITY 1: WORD ASSOCIATIONWrite down the first word that comes to mind when you hear the following words:

Technology

iPad

Texting

Smartphone

Mobile

Turn to the five (or so) people around you and compare notes. Do any biases show? Any particular outlooks common in your group?

A FEW KEYWORDS

TECHNOLUST

TECHNOPOSITIVISM

The technopositivist ideology is defined as a ‘compulsive enthusiasm’ about e-learning in higher education that is being created, propagated and channelled repeatedly by the people who are set to gain without giving the educators the time and opportunity to explore the dangers and rewards of e-learning on teaching and learning.

--Njenga & Fourie 2008

INNOVATION

“Applications of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.”

Alan Kay

DYNABOOK (1968)

Steve Jobs

IPAD (2010)

MOBILE DEVICE ENABLERS WORLDWIDE

Mobile networks accessible to > 90% of the world’s population

By 2017, 1 billion people expected to access the Internet via mobile devices

Improved speed (4G), power (1 GHz), and capabilities (GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses)

ECAR Research Bulletin: The Future of Mobile Learning

May 1, 2012

Pew Research Center

ECAR, September 2013

ACTIVITY 2: YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The data we just looked at is national. Every learning environment is unique—what have you observed in yours?

1. Are students using desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, or e-readers? What do you see at your institution?

2. Do your students need guidance in using the devices that they own or borrow?

3. Is there a BYOD (bring your own device) culture at your institution? Why or why not?

4. Are students using smartphones in class? If so, what are they doing?

INTENTIONAL

“Applications of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.”

INNOVATION

INTENTIONAL INNOVATION IS:

• Strategic

• Informed

• Purposeful

• Learner-centered

• Goal-directed

• Aligned

• Realistic

• Integrated and programmatic

INTENTIONAL INNOVATION IS NOT:

• Distracting

• Aimless

• Technology-centered

• Isolated

“…illustrates the necessity of local user research, which provides insight into unique institutional cultures and student learning environments, and suggests how libraries can leverage collected data to both evaluate and prioritize a range of initiatives.”

--Booth, 2009

INNOVATION IN LIBRARY INSTRUCTION:

TEACHING & LEARNING

April 2014Information Literacy Instruction listserv (ili-l@ala.org)

TEACHINGThe mobile environment is evolving instruction in two major ways:

What we teach (skills and content)

• Technology use• Mobile information literacy skills• Resources used and recommended

How we teach (strategies and pedagogy)

• Technology used in the classroom• Communication and collaboration opportunities• Connecting the classroom to the outside world

• Informational (LibGuides)

• Information literacy/library instruction sessions

• Train the trainers

TEACHING MODELS

TEACHING MODEL: INFORMATIONAL

• LibGuides, webpages, handouts

• Curated information for your learners/users

• Often aimed at personal use

• Low investment of time and resources

http://libguides.mit.edu/apps

http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/mobile

http://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/content.php?pid=11651&sid=1853931

TEACHING MODEL:INFORMATION LITERACY SESSIONS

• One-shot instruction sessions or workshops

• Focus on teaching a particular objective related to mobile information literacy AND/OR teaching a particular tool

• Aimed toward a group

• Integrated into a larger context or curriculum

• May include an opportunity cost

• May come with additional risks (e.g., distractions, multitasking)

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: OBJECTIVES

“Don’t assume all students know how to use the technology they own and use as academic tools….[technical] training is essential for their success in a world where these skills are expected.”

ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2012

“Most students look to their instructors for technology training that applies to their coursework.”

ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2013

MOBILE INFORMATION LITERACY

Scranton Smartphone Survey (2010)

A few generalizations and recommendations:

• Information literacy instructors should become familiar with new search methods (such as QR codes) to help students use them effectively and efficiently

• Students should be encouraged to review a range of search results, particularly when searching for academic information

• Information literacy instructors should help students understand how to evaluate information, especially when it is presented in a nontraditional form, such as an app.

• Students may need assistance from educators in applying information literacy skills they have learned while searching on a laptop or desktop to the mobile environment

Kristen Yarmey, Student Information Literacy in the Mobile Environment

MOBILE INFORMATION LITERACYThree key areas of information engagement on the move:

1. How people search for and evaluate information on the move

• Searching for information is quick and easy• Information needs are contextual• Searching can be social

2. How people use information and create new knowledge on the move

• Memory can be outsourced• Mobile internet acting as a bridge between devices

3. How people cope with the “always on” nature of mobile information

• Information is constantly pushed at us

Andrew Walsh, Mobile Information Literacy: A Preliminary Outline of Information Behaviour in a Mobile Environment

ACTIVITY 3:AREAS OF MOBILE IL

Kristen Yarmey and Andrew Walsh both offer their insights on how information literacy instructors can help students gain the information and technology skills they need for a mobile environment.

What have you observed as a mobile information literacy need in your students?

It could be one that Yarmey or Walsh identified, or something totally different.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: STRATEGIES & CONTENT

INTEGRATING MOBILE:EXAMPLE 1

Objective: Organizing and converting information found into knowledge

Context: Science students in a lower level biology or environmental studies class

Method of assessment: Collaborative Evernote notebook

Leafsnap Nature.com mobileGoogle ScholarEvernote

INTEGRATING MOBILE:EXAMPLE 2

Objective: Critically evaluating information

Context: First year students in an introductory science or engineering class class

Method of assessment: Informal; student discussion

Evernote Poll Everywhere YouTube

INTEGRATING MOBILE:EXAMPLE 3

Objective: Searching for information effectively

Context: Online course (any discipline)

Method of assessment: Screen shot of database with search strategy and result list; Popplet mind map

Popplet Google Drive PubMed Mobile

INTEGRATING MOBILE:EXAMPLE 4

Objective: Organizing and converting information found into knowledge

Context: First year students researching environmental changes on campus

Method of assessment: Student responses and citations in Evernote

Pinterest Evernote

INTEGRATING MOBILE: EXAMPLE 5

Objective: Organizing and converting information found into knowledge

Context: Upper-level undergraduate nursing students

Method of assessment: Collaborative Evernote notebook

PubMed Mobile Eponyms Evernote

EVALUATING MOBILE RESOURCES FOR TEACHINGConsideration Questions to Ask

Cost Is the resource free? How much does it cost? Is volume purchasing available?

Device Which device(s) does the resource work with? Work best with?

Function and Usability How relevant is the resource’s function? What skill(s) does it promote? Is there a learning curve?

Security and Privacy How secure is the resource? Does it collect personal information?

Support and Reliability What is the history of the resource? Is there support for it?

Access Does the resource allow sharing? Provide feedback, if that’s important?

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: LEARNERS & ENVIRONMENT

ACTIVITY 4: YOUR BRAIN & LEARNING

?????

WORKING MEMORY

4 things20 seconds

COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY

Your capacity for learning is limited. Learners are often

“overwhelmed by the number of information elements and their interactions that need to be processed simultaneously before meaningful learning can commence” (Paas, Renkl, & Sweller 2004).

For example:

STRATEGIES

• “Chunk” content into discrete sections that learners can handle more easily

• Offload some material and ideas onto guides or instructions

• Recognize how these limitations restrict the scope of your classes

MULTITASKING

Sana, Weston, & Cepeda (2012) found that laptop use in a classroom led to student multitasking, which distracted both the student on the laptop and students in view of the laptop.

STRATEGIES

• Make sure technologies are being actively used for learning purposes

• Discuss issues openly with the students

• Workshops and/or instructional design consulting for faculty (or colleagues!)

• Need to cultivate buy-in

• Help faculty think beyond “the library”

• Will alleviate pressure to fit everything into 50 minutes

• Offers a more sustainable model of instruction

• May be initially time consuming

TEACHING MODEL: TRAIN THE TRAINERS

http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/best-apps/2013

http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html

Developed by Allan Carrington

http://padagogy.net/

ACTIVITY 5:DEVELOP A LESSON PLAN

In a group of 5 (or so), come up with a lesson plan for either a 50-minute one-shot instruction session OR a train-the-trainers workshop. Include:

• Define the context and the learners

• 1-3 learning objectives

• Instructional strategy (including devices and/or apps used)

• Method of assessment

BEST PRACTICES• Align and Organize: Make sure technology selected aligns with

students, context, and objectives

• Accessibility: Make sure technology is accessible to all students

• Interaction: Provide students with the opportunity to interact with each other, you, and the content

• Reinforcement: Technology should reinforce and supplement your teaching

• Assessment: Assess for learning, impact, effectiveness

• Keep it fresh: Be flexible, stay on top of technology and trends

• Share and Collaborate: Let others know what you’re doing; share your ideas and use others’ ideas!

http://www.cidde.pitt.edu/ta-handbook/teaching-technology-1http://teach.ucf.edu/pedagogy/best-practices/

ACTIVITY 6:TAKING IT HOME

Principles from instructional design tell us that a “follow through” activity helps learners retain more of what they have learned.

How do you plan to use what we explored in this session? What are your next steps? Consider:

• Questions you will now ask

• Partners you will seek out

• Research that you will now read

• What else?

GOT QUESTIONS?

Rebecca Miller, millerrk@vt.edu

http://www.rebeccakatemiller.com

@rebeccakmiller

FURTHER READING1. Annoyed Librarian on technolust:

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2010/05/12/technolust-and-chastened-twopointopians/

2. Rethinking reference and instruction with tablets (Miller, Meier, & Moorefield-Lang): http://www.alatechsource.org/taxonomy/term/106/rethinking-reference-and-instruction-with-tablets

3. Personal dynamic media (Kay & Goldberg):http://www.newmediareader.com/book_samples/nmr-26-kay.pdf

4. ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology: http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/ecar-study-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology-2013

5. Informing innovation (Booth): available http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/booksanddigitalresources/ digital

FURTHER READING

6. Mobile information literacy (Walsh): http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/PRA-V6-I2-2012-4

7. Working memory TED talk (Doolittle): http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_doolittle_how_your_working_memory_makes_sense_of_the_world

8. Cognitive load theory and library research guides (Little): http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/drakepubs/9/

9. Laptop multitasking (Sana, Weston, & Cepeda): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131512002254

IMAGE CREDITSSlide 1: http://pixabay.com/en/mobile-pad-screen-160500 /

Slide 3: http://www.ipadebookslibrary.com /

Slide 5: ALA store

Slide 7: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Key_to_the_City_of_London, _Charles_Lindbergh.JPG

Slide 11: http://musictherapyservices.net/from-ipad-skeptic-to-ipad-enthusiast-how-i-came-to-realize-that-the-ipad-could-enhance-therapy-sessions /

Slide 12: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Dynabook

Slide 13: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Steve_Jobs

Slide 15: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/01/16/e-reading-rises-as-device-ownership-jumps /

Slide 16: http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/ecar-study-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology-2013

Slide 18: http://pixabay.com/en/plate-font-dynamic-innovation-223322 /

Slide 20: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Chess

Slide 21: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anoldent/576399939 /

Slide 22: ALA store

Slide 23: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ History_of_libraries

Slide 26: http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Teacher

Slide 27: https://www.flickr.com/photos/heathbrandon/3187207970 /

Slide 32: http://insightlopedia.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/the-dick-and-carey-systems-approach-model-of-instructional-design /

Slide 44: http://pixabay.com/en/brain-thinking-ideas-people-person-147026/

Slide 50: Heather Moorefield-Lang