Agnes Kukulska-Hulme shared thoughts about informal mobile
learning in cities, embedding her talk in the contemporary fabric of society
with all it’s changes. A really refreshing talk with lots of knowledge and
useful tech aspects.
We live in an increasingly mobile workld. The experience of
traveling or moving between cities is increasingly common. Some people do this
by choice, others are displaced by circumstances, but all need to find their
feet. It is a newcomer is a universal experience: new job, new region, new
social group… we all have these experienes to draw on when we meet a newcomer.
Agnes herself is moving to another town, to a new region, which makes
this also a personal experience. What does it mean to be a newcomer: obtaining
information, finding places and people, learning abut a place and its people, learning how to be, feeling welcome,
socialising, belonging, being understood, how to behave, discovering…
feelings about what it is like to be a
newcomer. A lot of aspects come into play, depending on your personality some
of these aspects are more important than others. Increasingly a newcomer can
become a contributor. So at the end you can welcome others as well in this
process.
Sociological, economical, literary, psychological
perspectives enter the equation. We move from this broad perspective to the
more narrow options of technology. Mobile phones are mostly personal tools. But
you also look up similar groups, so it is in some respect also a social
experience.
Resources: traditional media and social networks, internet
media and onine social networks. Relevance of smartphones apps: easily
available, easy to find, inexpensive or free, targeted to specific requirements
and places, tailorable to individuals, integral to ‘smart cities’ and Internet
of Things.
For newcomers there is a challenge to find the right app for
your own needs.
Sensors and apps for languages in smart areas. Salsa app use
beacons positioned in locations anround the Milton Keynes to trigger language
lessons on the phone. Used by English language learners form the adult
continuing education centre. This app takes us to a future where learning is
taking place outside of conventional classrooms, but in the world. The idea is
that you might be hanging around at the council office of MK or something
similar, and you can optimise this time to learn.
Maseltov project http://www.maseltov.eu/
The project consortium designed, developed and evaluated a
complex suite of tools and services accessible from a single context-aware
mobile app. The Maseltov project was a combination of useful services: finding
volunteers nearby, social forum, information resources, translation of signes, cultural
game, navigation guides, language lessons… the services were developed in
participation with migrants. A lot of thought went into the dynamics between
these services, and underpinning that was a contextaware element in the app
that will use context at contextual triggers. Elements of context can than be
used the design of the app and its resources. The app also uses the personal
profile of the user, and had options to opt out of specific tracking that could be used or changed by the user.
Mobile pedagogy for English language learning
This project was aimed at teachers. How they can use mobile
apps, selecting and mobile activity design to be used for learning beyond the
classroom. The whole design of the mobile activity =
Mobile pedagogy for English language teaching a guide for
teachers. Online free manual. https://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/research-publications/research-papers/mobile-pedagogy-english-language-teaching-guide-teachers
State of the art:types of apps for newcomers
Tailored apps for new arrivals: targeted information eg.
FAQs, rights, citizenship tests, language learning, translation for specific
situations.
Smart city apps: making use of big data, Internet of Things.
Apps for civic engagement: transforming local citizenship,
particularly for immigrants, improving access to local services, better
understanding the needs of the populations they serve.
Challenges apps: quality, availability, the effectiveness is not always clear, but changes are happening to let citizens be aware of the availbable resources and how to use these resources efficiently.
Publication of interest: Smart inclusive cities meghan Benton migration policy institute (2014).
What is missing:
- information about diverse comunities and languages spoken in the town/city
- Audio content and hearing different accents and announcements
- How newcomers can be a help or a resource for others
- preparation for emergencies and unusual occurrences
- Support for passing through a place on the way to another country
- personal choice of content and interaction.
- psychological and emotional support for newcomers
Great book for researchers: Traxler and Kukulska-Hulme, Routledge, 2016.
For decision makers on personalisation: kukulska-hulme, cambridge university press, 2016
