1. the Survey…
Mobile Learning Day, 23 May. 2012
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

2. 25
Who are you? 20
15
45 10
40
35
30 5
25
20
15
10 0
5
0
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

3. What have you?
14
30 12
25
10
20
8
15
6
10
5 4
0 2
0
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

4. What do you use?
50
phone
40
mp3
iPod
30
iPad
tablet
20 kindle
kobo
10 eReader
laptop
0
don't use personal research teaching
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

5. What do you use…
• I use my iPhone to keep up with my emails and calendar while on
the go. I also use frequently apps like Google maps, weather,
around me, iBooks, Skype and others.
• I use my (laptop / iPad / mobile / kindle) for personal, research
and teaching.
• Use the basic phone as a carrier for SD video for teaching cf
English in Action
• … and a mobile digital recorder for research.
• I am e- dependent
• I am frustrated that the systems are not always compatible and
that using personal equipment for work is not better supported.
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

6. What do you know about..
35
30
25
20
15 mVLE
mLibrary
10
5
0
know it exists haven't heard of tried it use it regularly
but never seen it it
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

7. What would you like to learn?
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mobile VLE Mobile Library eBooks Location Social-Mobile Mobile Design for
Based Games Learning Learning and Mobile
Google Apps Learning
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

8. What would like to learn about?
• How learners are using these devices and what we can do to meet their learning styles
• I would like to learn how to write an app
• The work done by English in Action in putting all their course materials onto an SD card
• Mainly interested in how to write materials for mobile learning. And how to ensure that
materials I write for a remake module are future proofed for mobile learning.
• I'm particularly interested in functionality in relation to learning activities involving video
and audio
• How to identify those elements of a curriculum which can be effectively supported by
mobile learning or mobile teaching
• Location based information applications, language specific applications
• I'm interested in the possibilities with Tablet use. I'm interested in what can be
downloaded to then be used offline (e.g. for projects in Africa, OU students based in the
developing world)
• Mobile learning as a way of bringing informal and serendipitous learning closer to formal
learning
• results of research conducted so far in terms of student learning, teaching design etc.
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

9. How would you use it?
• We want to design an online study guide which can be downloaded and used on mobile
devices, and module books which can be used on kindle
• As an alternative way to deliver audio and video materials, and interactive activities for
language learning.
• To explore ways to develop language learning activities located on site (e.g. in a country
where the language is spoken) but done by the students on their own.
• social learning; location based information
• For encouraging informal learning. For easy access no matter the location.
• I would like to learn more about what is available to make sure that the students can use
their devices in any way that can help them learn
• For new project in Bangladesh, developing use of English in HE
• I'd like a good PDF annotation tool so that students could annotate their course books
on iPads, for example.
• I need to keep in touch with students and tutors when away from the office.
• To support reflective accounts of practice of students
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

10. examples of how you used it?
• Have been involved in the Learnosity project and would like to see more materials
developed for mobile access in foreign language learning.
• Use laptop for ETMA marking and take to tutorials with USB.
• I have used mobile digital recording equipment to record naturally-occurring speech
samples for teaching and as part of a research project.
• Advising students e.g. telling a taxi driver who phoned the regional centre to say he
used to be able to study with books between rides, but now it was all on the computer
he couldn't do that any more that in fact he could access it on his phone, which he hadn't
thought of and was delighted to know
• We have a photo blog on U214. Students can upload photos of linguistic landscapes to
a map and blog page. Others can read and comment. This enhances a unit which
discusses the impact of English on linguistic landscapes around the world.
• just to keep in touch
• Podcasting
• mobile blog activity, part of L204: residentialschoolblogs.open.ac.uk/santiago/blog.php
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

11. Barriers / concerns / worries?
• Cost for participants, who are not a data plan, is one concern. It would exclude a section
of the student community.
• The size of the device for reading (phone), focus on listening and speaking seems more
appropriate.
• Length of teaching session, concentration and focus more limited than a f2f teaching
environment.
• I don't have a smart phone.
• FlashPlayer doesn't work on iPod or iPad. Lots of interactive things need Flash, not just
video, so, e.g. BBC material uses Flash and is therefore unusable.
• I'm rubbish at texting. Tiny screen is annoying. I just want to know enough so that other
people are enabled and that I don't create materials that prevent use.
• Any application developed for teaching would have to be usable on several platforms to
ensure as many students as possible can use them.
• Might not provide opportunity for deeper thinking or critical analysis - just a superficial
response
• Accessibility & usability
• Producing documents on iPads is laborious and you still need to send it to a pc or laptop
to print. The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

12. Barriers / concerns / worries?
• With modules studied by OU students who are based all over the world, including in
developing/low-income countries (e.g. ET821), need VLE which always works (e.g.
loads quickly, links to pages/documents/external sites which always work); concerns are
always about connectivity, needing to download materials to be safe etc, download sizes
etc
• If we are to move (slowly!) to wider use of technology-based approaches to
disseminating TESSA materials, need to offer download (i.e. continuous connectivity is
not assumed) in forms which work for the medium - e.g. preserve the good aspects of
web-based materials in ways which work with materials which will be used offline.
• At present our photo blog has no button to report unsuitable content and no way for the
module team to respond quickly if anything unsuitable is posted. This is a concern.
Using technology like this can therefore have ongoing implications for workload and
teaching practices.
• We currently expect all students to have a computer with Internet. If we provide
additional elements which need something more than a basic mobile phone, we will
exclude those (like me) who choose not to go for additional expensive options.
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

13. Comments?
• I have come across some work done by the Dept of Language on 'Learnosity'(?) which I
need to investigate in order to see if we could adapt it / adopt it for use with PGCE
modern languages students.
• Will handouts from the day be made available and where?
• My real interest is in using mobile devices in schools ...
• Will someone in LTS check and comment on materials to ensure we're not preventing
mobile use?
• I am very interested in mobile learning but unfortunately I can't make it on the day so I
will have to learn from colleagues and any info available afterwards.
• I have completed this survey on my iPhone
• Timely questions
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

14. Is the future of the OU Mobile?
http://www.smspoll.net/poll.result.chart.php?pollid=1389
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

15. Would you come?
http://www.smspoll.net/poll.result.chart.php?pollid=1409
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

16. http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/MTgzMzc1NjU1NQ
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology

17. Thank You!
Yishay Mor
Yishay.Mor@open.ac.uk
http://iet.open.ac.uk/Yishay.Mor
http://www.slideshare.net/yish/social-sciences-mobile-learning-day-
the-survey
www.open.ac.uk/iet