the open university's institute of educational technology social thinking in mobile learning...
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The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology Existing frameworks for thinking Most frameworks describing the thinking processes necessary for learning…have a cognitive and affective emphasis. Few consider the social dimension. (Moseley et al., Frameworks for Thinking – A Handbook for Teaching and Learning, CUP, 2005)TRANSCRIPT
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Social Thinking in Mobile Learning
new thinking strategies for the mobile learner
Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, 9 February 2007
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
In the context of learning…
What kind of thinking is valued?
What kind of thinking is valued in the information age?
What kind of thinking might be valued in the mobile age?
Questions
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Existing frameworks for thinking
• Most frameworks describing the thinking processes necessary for learning…have a cognitive and affective emphasis. Few consider the social dimension.
(Moseley et al., Frameworks for Thinking – A Handbook for Teaching and Learning, CUP, 2005)
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Examples• Bloom’s taxonomy 1956, revised 2001: remember,
understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create• De Bono’s thinking tools, 1976-85, e.g. consider all
factors, find other ways…• Baron’s model of the good thinker, 1985, e.g. a good
thinker seeks evidence on both sides, revises goals when necessary…
• Sternberg’s model of abilities as developing expertise, 2001, includes critical, creative & practical thinking
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Thinking in the information age• 1990s: “critical thinking is an important attribute for
success in the 21st century” evaluate, synthesize• 21st century: “the ability to think flexibly”; “an ability to
think strategically”; “scenario thinking” adapt, create • new literacies, e.g. social networking, blogging…
enact, connect• distributed cognition, wisdom of crowds embrace,
capture
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Beyond the information age?
• “… the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere - artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent.”
Daniel Pink, 2005, Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Today and tomorrow: the digital generation
• Digital pioneers• Creative producers• Everyday communicators• Information gatherers
Green & Hannon (publ. January 2007) Their Space: Education for a digital generation, Demos.
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
What’s special about the mobile age?• Time: Perpetual contact (Katz & Aakhus, 2002)• People: Smart mobs (Rheingold, 2002)• Presence: interests, preferred communication• Capture: personal, shareable, multiple media• Performance: immediate access and application
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
‘Knowing’ in the mobile age
• “As wearing computers becomes a more common practice… knowing will become collaborative, networked and distributed processes and performances… now is the time to start thinking seriously about possible scenarios”
Lankshear & Knobel, 2003, New Literacies: Changing Knowledge and Classroom Learning, OUP, p. 167
device user
network locations
people
AccessibilityFamiliarityDuration of useOwnershipPersonalisation
AccessoriesSoftwareContentApplications
Conditions of useReliabilitySpeed
MotivationsCostsDemographicsEmotions and pleasure Emergent needs
Lifestyle Social acceptabilityTravel
ContinuityLinkage across contextsPervasiveness
tasks
Technical supportCollaborationSocial networksStudy activitiesOther toolsEnhancementExtensionEmergent uses
Issues to consider in mobile learning
(Kukulska-Hulme, 2006)
Some empirical evidence• Research on ‘practitioner innovation’ (Kukulska-Hulme
& Pettit, 2006) – what are mobile devices good for?
personalactivity
socialactivity
time-criticalactivity
resources
continuityopportunity
alternative contactpresence
group worksharing
exchangingcoordinatinginterviewing
share-tradingtranslation
news
databasespresentations
ebooksgames
socialactivity
time-criticalactivity
resources
personalactivity
prioritiesnotesreflectionsbrainstormingrecord-keepingrecordinglistening
continuityopportunity
The Open University's Institute of Educational Technology
Thinking… for the mobile learner
• Opportunistic• Investigative• Incremental• Resourceful
• Generative• Persistent• Contextual• Playful
Some possibilities: