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Mobile Learning Using Tablet Devices: Lithuanian Case Study
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eugenijus KurilovasVilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics
Dr. Irina VinogradovaVilnius Gediminas Technical University
KoDi-2015
• The aim of the research
• Systematic review of scientific literature (learning scenarios and learning activities; tablets and learning personalisation)
• Research methodology (CCL mobile learning scenarios and learning activities; learning activity quality criteria; online questionnaire; Fuzzy AHP method for estimating the weights of learning activity quality criteria; multiple criteria decision analysis and experts utility function)
• Online questionnaire results
• Expert evaluation results (weights of quality criteria; ratings of quality criteria; quality evaluation results)
• Conclusion
Outline
The aim of the research
The paper aims to present case study of teaching and learning using tablet devices in Lithuania. It was accomplished while implementing Creative Classrooms Lab – the flagship European project in the area.
In the paper, personalised mobile learning activities using tablet devices are analysed. In CCL, the authors created and applied ontologies to interconnect these mobile learning activities with students’ learning styles, suitable mobile applications (apps), other Internet tools, and learning objects types.
Teachers’ and students’ opinion on personalised mobile learning activities based on problem solving, collaboration, inquiry-based learning, and flipped class methods is analysed in the paper.
The quality of personalised mobile learning activities is compared against the quality of traditional learning activities based on textbooks and face-to-face knowledge transmission.
A novel method of expert evaluation of mobile learning activities based on Fuzzy AHP method to establish the weights of the mobile learning activities’ quality criteria is applied.
Research results show that personalised mobile learning activities could help teachers to enhance students’ creativity and motivation and thus to improve their learning results.
Systematic review of scientific literature
Systematic review of scientific literature
CCL (Creative Classrooms Lab, CCL): 2013-2015, LLP
CCL brought together teachers and policy-makers in 8 countries to design, implement and evaluate 1:1 tablet scenarios in 45 schools. CCL produced learning scenarios and activities, guidelines and recommendations to help policy-makers and schools to take informed decisions on optimal strategies for implementing 1:1 initiatives in schools and for the effective integration of tablets into teaching and learning.
The 1:1 computing paradigm is rapidly changing, particularly given the speed with which tablets from different vendors are entering the consumer market and beginning to impact on the classroom. Over the next 2-3 years policy makers will face some difficult choices: How to invest most efficiently in national 1:1 computing programmes? What advice to give to schools that are integrating tablets?
To address these challenges, CCL carried out a series of policy experimentations to collect evidence on the implementation, impact and up-scaling of 1:1 pedagogical approaches using tablets. Lessons drawn from the policy experimentations also:
Provide guidelines, examples of good practice and a training course for schools wishing to include tablets as part of their ICT strategy.
Support capacity building within Ministries of Education and regional educational authorities and encourage them to introduce changes in their education systems.
Enable policy makers to foster large-scale uptake of the innovative practice that is observed during the project.
http://creative.eun.org/
Mobile learning presents new opportunities for both the design and delivery of learning. These opportunities are enabled by the unique hardware and software capabilities of mobile devices coupled with convenient size and portability. Among all mobile devices (smart phones, e-readers, basic mobile phones etc.), tablets are mostly used for learning at the moment – 61%.
Systematic review of scientific literature performed by the authors on topics ” ’Information technologies’ and ‘Personalisation’ ”, and ” ’Tablet devices’ and ‘Education’ ” has shown that tablets could have a positive impact on learning personalisation and thus on learning quality, but their additive value highly depends on proper application of suitable learning scenarios and learning activities.
The term of “learning scenario” (also known as ”Unit of Learning”) is referred here as an aggregation of learning activities that take place in particular learning environments using particular learning objects.
Learning activities are one of the core structural elements of the ‘learning workflow’ model for learning design. They form the link between the roles and learning objects and services in the learning environment. The activities describe a role they have to undertake within a specified environment composed of learning objects and services.
Activities take place in a so-called ‘environment’, which is a structured collection of learning objects, services, and sub-environments. Therefore, we can conclude that learning scenarios could consist of learning activities, learning objects, and learning environment(s) referred here as services package(s).
Systematic review on ” ’tablet devices’ and ‘education’ ” has shown that tablet devices could have a positive impact on students’ learning outcomes and motivation. The main challenge here is a proper implementation of suitable teaching / learning methods and activities.
Today’s teachers might prefer tablets over desktop or laptop computers to structure interactive, engaging learning experiences. Given the central role of teaching practice in learning outcomes, advances in the use of tablets in education will be driven not primarily by technology features but rather by instructional models that reflective educators develop and share with their peers.
The tablet is an attractive technology for use in synchronous distributed learning environments because of its mobility, and its ability to not only serve as an effective note taking device but also as a high-resolution course content viewing device and a tool for interactive assessments.
According to numerous scientific research results, personalised learning approach is much more effective in comparison with traditional ”one size fits all” approach usually applied at schools currently.
Research methodology
Personalisation
Personalisation: identifying learning styles
Creating recommender system
iOS (Apple iPad) Android (Samsung)
iOS / Android Suitable LO types
Idea Sketch – lets you easily draw a diagram – mind map, concept map, or flow chart - and convert it to a text outline, and vice versa. You can use Idea Sketch for anything, such as brainstorming new ideas, illustrating concepts, making lists and outlines, planning presentations, creating organizational charts, and more
Mindjet for Android – rated as one of the best mind mapping apps for Android. Create nodes and notes, add images of your own or icons provided, and add attachments and hyperlinks. Sync to your Dropbox
Mind Mapping – lets you create, view and edit mind maps online or offline and lets the app synch with your online account whenever connected. You can share mind maps directly from the device, inviting users via email. You can add icons, colours and styles, view notes, links and tasks and apply map themes, drag and drop and zoom
Application, Broadcast, Enquiry-oriented activity, Glossary, Open activity, Presentation, Reference, Role play, Simulation, Tool, Website
Interconnection of Activists Brainstorming learning activity with suitable apps and LOs types
Creating recommender system
In CCL personalised mobile learning activities (LA1), students used tablets in all stages of their problem solving activity for grouping, research / inquiry-based learning, collaboration, flipping, content creation, and presenting their research results to peers and teacher.
In LA1, students used personalised learning methods, suitable content and apps while working with iOS (iPads) and Android (Samsung tablets) operating systems. There were several outdoor activities implemented in these LA1 such as visiting sea museum, homework etc.
On contrary to LA1, we consider LA2 as traditional “one size fits all” learning activity based on topic explanation in classroom and students’ home works.
Learning activities
Learning activity quality criteria
Multiple Criteria Decision Making
Scalarisation method:the experts’ additive utility function
The major is the meaning of the utility function the better LA meets the quality requirements in comparison with the ideal (100%) quality. According to scalarisation method, we need LA evaluation criteria ratings (values) and weights .
We use Fuzzy AHP weights.
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Online questionnaire results
Online questionnaire was created and filled in from 2nd to 16th of April 2014 after implementing the first cycle of CCL pilots.
In Lithuania, five secondary schools participate in CCL and filled in the questionnaire.
The questionnaire consisted of 5 questions concerning different aspects of the proposed CCL learning scenarios’ impact on learning motivation and results as follows: “What characteristics of mobile CCL scenarios were helpful in terms of better students’ motivation and learning results?”.
The following characteristics were suggested: (1) Identification of students’ learning styles using proposed online tool; (2) Suitable learning activities, methods, learning objects, tools and tablet apps were identified and proposed for students according to their learning styles; (3) A proper set and sequence of learning methods was used (e.g. problem solving, flipping, collaboration, content creation); and (4) The main mobile features of tablets were used (e.g. outdoor activities, shooting etc.).
The last question was the open one: “Other success factors”.
Online questionnaire
1.Positive (40%) and preferable (more positive than negative) (60%) impact. According to comments on the 1st question, “Students were interested to know their learning styles. Learning became more productive. Knowing students learning styles, teachers could select suitable tools, apps and methods”. In some classes, “it was hard for students to answer psychological questions, and, therefore, maybe their learning styles were identified not precisely”. There were students with different learning styles identified, e.g., in one class, “there were two activists groups, two theorists groups, and one reflectors and one pragmatists group”.
2.Positive (40%) and preferable (60%) impact: “Students were motivated, and this improved their learning results. Students could control their learning by themselves”.
3.Positive (80%) and preferable (20%) impact: “Activists and theorists were happy to learn in groups. Majority of students were satisfied with flipped classroom and mind mapping”.
Online questionnaire results
4. Positive (60%), preferable (20%) and more negative than positive (20%) impact: “One of the lessons took place in Sea museum, and students used shooting and monitored computer simulations”. In some schools, there were legal problems to bring tablets out of school due to insurance problems. In one class, “Bring Your Own Device” principle had more negative than positive impact due to interoperability problems.
5. Other mobile learning activities’ success factors. Some schools consider that “Students created content should be placed in cloud. Tablets should be new and qualitative to allow all mobile activities (shooting, using apps etc.)”. Some schools wrote about “importance of schools administration support and understanding”.
In the second CCL cycle in Lithuania (October 2014 – January 2015), the most popular and successful tool used in personalised learning activities was Augmented Reality. Inquiry learning activity was enhanced by using iPads and Aurasma app. Aurasma is Autonomy’s augmented reality platform, and teachers are among the most active group using this platform. Aurasma’s image recognition technology uses tablet’s camera to recognise real world images and then overlay rich media on top of them in the form of animations, videos, 3D models and web pages. Students used Aurasma to create and share their own augmented reality experiences as well as to discover hidden digital content around them. In CCL, our vision was to enable an augmented world, where every image, object and place has its own Aura.
Online questionnaire results
Expert evaluation results
1 table. Experts’ opinion on importance of learning activity quality criteria
Learning activity quality criteria Expert 1 Expert 2 Expert 3
(1) Ease of use 4 7 5
(2) Conformance with learning goal 3 3 4
(3) Interoperability and flexibility 8 8 8
(4) Feedback and appropriate assessment 7 6 7
(5) Active engagement of learners in learning 5 2 2
(6) Facilitation of interaction and collaboration 6 5 6
(7) Employment of multiple teaching methods 2 4 3
(8) Incorporation of learners backgrounds, experiences and
expectations
1 1 1
• Thus, according to the experts’ opinion, LA1 has more possibilities for feedback, more actively engages students in learning, facilitates interaction and collaboration, employs multiple teaching methods, and incorporates learners’ backgrounds, experiences and expectations in comparison with LA2.
• LA2, in its turn, is more easy to use in schools at the moment.
• The results of experimental evaluation of the analysed learning activities’ quality using weights (Table 1) and ratings / values (Table 2) are as follows:
• The obtained evaluation results mean that LA1 meets 99.40% quality in comparison with the ideal, and LA2 – only 40.25%. Therefore, LA1 is much better alternative for students in comparison with LA2. LA1 advantages are better feedback, more actively engagement of students in learning, facilitation of interaction and collaboration, employment of multiple teaching methods, and incorporation of learners’ backgrounds, personal experiences and expectations.
• On the experts’ opinion, LA1 based mobile learning using tablets could have a noticeable additive value for Activists and Pragmatists, and they could be also useful for Reflectors, but they have only minor additive value for Theorists.
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Conclusion
Research results have shown that modern mobile learning activities applying tablets based on problem solving, personalisation, collaboration, inquiry learning, and flipped class are more flexible than traditional ones, they have more possibilities for feedback, more actively engage students in learning, facilitate interaction and collaboration, employ multiple teaching methods, and incorporate learners’ backgrounds, experiences and expectations. Students were motivated while applying personalised learning approach, suitable tools, learning objects, apps, and proper set of learning methods.
Proposed quality evaluation approach refined by the original Fuzzy AHP method to establishing quality criteria weights is applicable in real life situations when educational institutions have to decide on use of particular learning activities for their education needs.
On the other hand, proposed personalised quality evaluation approach is applicable for the aims of CCL project in order to select learning activities suitable for different learners.
Thank you for your attention.
Dr. Eugenijus Kurilovas
http://eugenijuskurilovas.wix.com/my_site
Dr. Irina Vinogradova
