Presented at the Texas Library Association in San Antonio, TX on April 10, 2014.

1. 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

2. 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)
1. 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

4. 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….

5. tabletsinlibraries.tumblr.com

6. ACTIVITY 1:
WORD ASSOCIATION
Write 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?

7. A FEW KEYWORDS

8. TECHNOLUST

9. 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

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

12. Alan Kay
DYNABOOK (1968)

13. Steve Jobs
IPAD (2010)

14. 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

15. Pew Research Center

16. ECAR, September 2013

17. 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?

18. INTENTIONAL

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

20. INTENTIONAL INNOVATION IS:
• Strategic
• Informed
• Purposeful
• Learner-centered
• Goal-directed
• Aligned
• Realistic
• Integrated and programmatic

21. INTENTIONAL INNOVATION IS NOT:
• Distracting
• Aimless
• Technology-centered
• Isolated

22. “…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

23. INNOVATION IN LIBRARY
INSTRUCTION:
TEACHING & LEARNING

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

25. TEACHING
The 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

26. • Informational (LibGuides)
• Information literacy/library instruction sessions
• Train the trainers
TEACHING MODELS

27. TEACHING MODEL:
INFORMATIONAL
• LibGuides, webpages, handouts
• Curated information for your learners/users
• Often aimed at personal use
• Low investment of time and resources

28. http://libguides.mit.edu/apps

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

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

31. 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)

32. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:
OBJECTIVES

33. “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

34. 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

35. MOBILE
INFORMATION LITERACY
Three 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

36. 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.

37. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:
STRATEGIES & CONTENT

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. EVALUATING MOBILE
RESOURCES FOR TEACHING
Consideration 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?

44. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:
LEARNERS & ENVIRONMENT

45. ACTIVITY 4:
YOUR BRAIN & LEARNING
?????

46. WORKING MEMORY
4 things
20 seconds

47. 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:

48. 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

49. 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.

50. STRATEGIES
• Make sure technologies are being actively used for
learning purposes
• Discuss issues openly with the students

51. • 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

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

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

54. Developed by Allan
Carrington
http://padagogy.net/

55. 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

56. 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-1
http://teach.ucf.edu/pedagogy/best-practices/

57. 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?

58. GOT QUESTIONS?
Rebecca Miller, millerrk@vt.edu
http://www.rebeccakatemiller.com
@rebeccakmiller

59. FURTHER READING
1. Annoyed Librarian on technolust:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2010/05/12/techn
olust-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/digit
al

60. 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_worki
ng_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/S036013
1512002254

61. IMAGE CREDITS
Slide 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