Abstract:

In this paper we will introduce the iStoodee, a Mobile Learning system developed at the Italian National Research Council - Institute for Education Technology, to support students in their learning activities during on site experiences. In particular, the system we present takes into consideration accessibility and usability issues which have arisen during the five years of experimentation of the MoULe system, an innovative mobile learning environment. The MoULe system is an on-line environment for collaborative learning which makes it possible for educational activities based on the exploration of a geographical place to be carried out using smart phones and portable devices.
One of the main aims of the project is to explore and evaluate ways of using mobile devices to stimulate collaborative learning, in order to reduce the digital divide.
The project focuses particularly on student mobility and on contextualized information. In fact, mobility means being in and moving around the places which are the object of study; while contextualization is very important because the student’s geographical position changes the learning context and consequently the student’s learning experiences.
The iStoodee system includes a number of mobile learning tools to provide students with a formal as well as an informal learning experience. In particular, we have designed some tools for taking multimedia notes (text, audio and photo) and for accessing the MoULe system, as well as for accessing Facebook in order to socialize mobile learning experiences, share multimedia notes, expertise and/or create mobile student networks. Moreover, in the iStoodee project we use iOS devices, which are supplied with an AGPS system, in order to link all the activities carried out by the students with a specific location inside an area of interest. The goal is to track students during the whole collaborative knowledge building process, and reconstruct the physical exploration of their learning space.
In particular, the students can access the iStoodee system both from desktop computers, when they are in the classroom or at home, and from an iPhone during on-site learning activities. The resources produced during both activities are associated to specific geographical locations, called points of interest (POI). A POI does not indicate a single geo-referenced position, but rather a set of spatial coordinates that represents a geographical area, for example cultural heritage sites or archaeological sites related to the learning activity.

Testing of the iStoodee system began on April 1st 2011 with a group of 40 adult students who are currently excluded from the educational cycle and live in a disadvantaged area of Palermo (the ZEN suburb) within a project about the use of Mobile Technologies as part of a Lifelong Learning programme. This testing has two main objectives: firstly to test the functionalities of the iStoodee environment for adult students, and secondly to test the methodological aspects of the project and evaluate the efficacy and usability of the learning models designed.

In the paper, we will begin by presenting an updated review of the bibliography dealing with the use of mobile technologies in educational contexts, and then outline the design and implementation of an m-learning environment for the iOS platform. Finally, we will describe the methodology of the testing phase that we have been carrying out.

Keywords:

Mobile Learning, informal learning, formal learning, iOS, Lifelong Learning.