Wednesday 16 June 2010

David Metcalf: mLearning theory mashups at mLearncon


Very intelligent man with charisma, with homepage.

liveblog notes from the conference. Link to presentation (pdf, look from 7th slide).

Mixed emerging technology integration lab (METIL)
5 ideas:
  • mobile performance support
  • authentic learning and mobile
  • empowering constructivism
  • spacing effect (mobile enabling interval-based learning, reinforcement and retention)
  • learning theory mashups (mobile, web2.0, ISD, situated learning and context, mobile game learning.)

mobile performance support
Knowledge objectives: because you do not need learning objectives for some needs. So it does not have to have the wrapper of learning on it.
Strategies a holistic learning approach for

Examples
aid tracker: haiti relief, on request and nsf (national science foundation) assessment funding. Looking at health care and education, needs for small businesses... also assessing mobile education rebuilding.
Sign Smith Studio: signing science pictionary: American sign language (from Vcom3D) with avatars. (see examples from ADL workshop military language solutions)

authentic learning
personal experiences, learning by doing on relevant topics. Immersive environment...

examples
'goforthegreen': learning game for sales people with a 9 step process themed around golf. Runs from the same code across different OS!
'supernutrition': facebook-style mobile social game, teaches the new FDA food pyramid through eating for energy to perform missions that can get you enrolled in Superhero school (9-12 year olds), also across platforms.
symbol demonstration: qr security access codes. if you succeed in getting through the assessment after taking the mobile content, you do not need to go to learning (yes, that would motivate me :-)
How to keep the simulations up to date: the super nutritious game, content can be added easily, as the algorithm is generic. Skill trees are build, together with templates and frameworks (lots in flash?)
Most of the projects were build by frontend xhtml, and on the back-end: php, database.

empowering constructivism
build once you already have experience and understand context to build further by yourself.
Socio-constructivism

example
Abilene Christian University: ACU connected: gave iPhones to all students. Encourage faculty experimentation's, numerous projects, user-generated context used, integration in iTunes U, convergence of new media.
it is about empowering instructors and learners, and how they can/are willing to interact.
Allogy: mobiel course management system: cloud computing, cognitive spacing, social networking (scorm based: encrypting big text into small send-able message (cfr zipped) which unzippes in your phone.

Spacing effect
memory curve (varies according to the individual, differs from one piece of information to another.
intervals based on IQ or on existing knowledge (inge what is the link between iq en spacing effect?)

example
Brain Challenge
Mobile MysportsPulse (math and science education: voice, mobile web, text message, email. Also using extrinsic motivation.
Combat Medic Card Games: mass casualty events for combat medics. 'Golden hour'. Also uses sequencing. this delivered a mobile interval spacing algorithm. (Inge: great implementation possible for own use - take note)

Learning Theory mashups
Nice remark: 'recitations' used learning technique in Haiti (Inge cultural link)

Mashups
many learning theories blended together
discovery learning
jigsaw - collaborative learning: segmented information
ITI - integrated thematic instruction
GELS: guided experiential learning (also narratology)
outcomes
alternate reality gaming

Kirkpatrick scale (Inge, you forgot to add this to your models en frameworks for e/mLearning)

google leadership game: interactive experience using moving knowledge for leadership => 'glearning' mashup with other google tools: youtube, gmail, googledocs, modeerator, google talk... This enables cloud learning, not needing an lms! Once google added a 'leadership board' to gLearning, the participation rose with 90% ! This was clearly a motivator. On top of the gLearning, google offered great analytics to get to grips with learner data and use.

UCF college of medicine: a surgery tool which builds on mixed reality and mobiles, so you see the instructions on the mobile and in the mobile version you see a 'patient' that needs to be operated on. Then you have a mannequin (tactile feel) on which you can practice surgery and the mannequin looks like the avatar on the mobile to enhance the experience.
Something really cool: augmented cognition (Denise Nicholson? not sure if I got the name right), linking a learning helmet to the learner getting all sorts of psycho-metrics that offer an insight in the learners state of mind, brain activity... which allows teachers to switch between learning activities that best align with the current state of the learners brain (really cool stuff!).