Personalized Learning in the Age of Mobile Connectivity

Personalized Learning in

the Age of Mobile Connectivity

The Potential Impacts

on Libraries & Digital Archives

Lung-Hsiang Wong 黄龍翔

Learning Sciences Lab

National Institute of Education

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore

“Library of the Past”?

“Library of the Future”?

But … where shall learning take place?

We are entering the age of mobile connectivity …

• According to Horizon Reports (2004-2011) …

http://www.nmc.org/

The most mentioned up-and-coming learning technologies are …

1. Mobile learning (‘06, ’07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11) 2. Augmented reality (‘05, ‘06, ’10, ‘11)

Game-based learning (’05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘11)

Knowledge webs / new scholarship & emerging forms of publication / collective intelligence (‘04,

‘05, ‘07, ’08)

最

Hold得住奬！

… and what are more relevant to “libraries”

(i.e., representation/archival of knowledge)?

• According to Horizon Reports (again) …

– Intelligent searching (‘05) – Open content (’10)

– E-books (‘10, ‘11)

• … and may be relevant too …

– Knowledge webs / new scholarship & emerging forms of publication / collective intel. (‘04, ‘05, ‘07, ’08)

– Personal broadcasting / user-created content /

grassroot videos (‘06, ‘07, ‘08)

The prevailing trend … personalized learning!

• Most of the prevailing learning technologies are meant for empowering learners …

– to challenge transmissionist/behaviorist learning

• Let learners self-select (analogy of fishing) …

– Learning goals – Learning paths

– Learning methods, strategies

– Learning resources ( content/knowledge vs.

resources ⁾

• Authentic learning, e.g., Augmented Reality

But why mobile technology?

Mobile technology is NOT just about easy access of e-books, etc.

Chan, Roschelle, Hsi, Kinshuk, Sharples, Brown, et al. (2006):

• 便擕性 (portability)

• 社群互動性 (social interactivity)

• 個人化 (individuality)

• 情境感知性 (context sensitivity)

• 連接性 (connectivity)

• 整合真實與虚擬世界 (bridging physical & digital worlds)

Chan, T.-W., et al. (2006). One-to-one technology-enhanced learning: An

opportunity for global research collaboration. Research and Practice in

Technology-Enhanced Learning, 1(1), 3-29.

3 generations of mobile learning?

余勝泉 Yu (2007)

• 1 ^st gen: transfer of information (transmissionist, behaviorist)

– relevant to libraries?

• 2 ^nd gen: instructional design-centric (cognitivism, constructivism)

• 3 ^rd gen: 1:1 and context-aware

(personalization, situated learning)

Seamless Learning 無縫學習

• Continuity of the learning experiences across different contexts/spaces (Chan et al., 2006)

– Formal + informal – Individual + social – Physical + digital …

• Mediated by: 1:1, 24x7 access to mobile devices

• Hard to tell when is the beginning and the end of learning (Sharples, 2009)

• Seamless learning ≠ ubiquitous learning

Studies on seamless learning (2006-2011)

Conceptualization of 1:1 seamless learning

11 Taiwan, Australia, Singapore,

Mainland China, UK, USA, Portugal 1:1 classroom learning 4 Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan One-off or short-term 1:1

context-aware learning

19 Taiwan, Sweden, Japan, USA, Chile, UK, Germany, Singapore

Ongoing specific 1:1 seamless learning activities

9 Taiwan, USA, Japan, Mainland China, Singapore, France

Long-term 1:1, 24x7 programs 11 Taiwan, USA, UK, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore

Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (2011). What seams do we remove in mobile assisted seamless learning? A critical review of the literature. Computers & Education, 57(4), 2364-2381.

Our studies in Singapore:

1. SEAMLESS Project

2. “Move, Idioms!”  MyCLOUD

10 Dimensions of

Mobile Seamless Learning (MSL)

Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (2011). What seams do we remove in mobile assisted seamless learning? A critical review of the literature. Computers & Education, 57(4), 2364-2381.

Wong, L.-H. (2012). A learner-centric view of mobile seamless learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1), E19-E23.

But, why seamless learning?

• Not feasible to equip students with all the skills and knowledge they need for lifelong learning solely through formal learning

(Chen et al., 2010)

• Learners should move beyond the acquisition of content knowledge to

develop the capacity to learn seamlessly

• Nature of learning: Sense making!

Construct and reconstruct your own

knowledge!

Facilitated vs Self-Directed Seamless Learning

促成性無縫學習

(Facilitated Seamless Learning, FSL)

自主性無縫學習 (Self-Directed Seamless Learning, SDSL)

黄龍翔(2010) 從促成性無縫學習到自主性無縫學習。《2010年全球華人計算機教育應用大會》

（頁33-40），新加坡。

Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (2012). Enculturing self-directed seamless learners: Towards a facilitated seamless learning process framework mediated by mobile technology. Proceedings of the IEEE WMUTE ‘12 (pp. 1-8), Takamatsu, Japan.

Enculturating Seamless Learners

• Enculturation! 浸濡 –long-term facilitated seamless learning that engage learners in an ongoing enculturation process …

• … to progressively transform their existing

beliefs and methods of learning …

Facilitated Seamless Learning (FSL) Process Framework

黄龍翔(2010) 從促成性無縫學習到自主性無縫學習。《2010年全球華人計算機教育

應用大會》（頁33-40），新加坡。

Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (2012). Enculturing self-directed seamless learners: Towards a facilitated seamless learning process framework mediated by mobile technology.

Proceedings of the IEEE WMUTE ‘12 (pp. 1-8), Takamatsu, Japan.

Mapping FSL Framework to 10 Dimensions

of MSL

Case Study 1

The SEAMLESS PRoject

• Purpose: to develop an educational ecology for sustainable 1:1, 24x7 seamless learning within a primary school

• Primary 3-4 science curriculum design: 12 MLE units;

Design-based research 設計型研究

• Each students were assigned HTC TyTN II, with GoKnow MLE

• The learning flows encapsulated in the MLE units resemble the FSL process

Looi, C.-K., Seow, P., Zhang, B. H., So, H.-J., Chen, W., & Wong, L.-H. (2010).

Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: A research agenda. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(1), 154-169.

(see also: So, Kim & Looi, 2008; Sha et al., 2011; Toh et al., in-press …)

Experiment (video)

KWL

Comparison Table

Picture Taking Sketchy

PiCo Map

MLE Lesson Package For learning Plant Systems

Goals of Lesson

The Science MLE Curriculum:

Activity Types

The Science MLE Curriculum:

Systematic Variation of Activities

Zhang, B. H., Looi, C.-K., Seow, P., Chia, G., Wong, L.-H., Chen, W., et al. (2010).

Deconstructing and reconstructing: Transforming primary science learning via a mobilized curriculum. Computers & Education, 55(4), 1504-1523.

Song, Y., Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (in-press). Fostering personalized learning in science inquiry supported by mobile technologies. Accepted by: Educational Technology Research and Development.

Example: U4 – Plants & Their Parts

Selected Students Artifacts from U4

So … how self-directed-ness was gradually nurtured?

• 2 salient characteristics of m-learning: mobility

& personalization 

– Bringing students ‘back’ to the physical reality!

– Blending their learning into their daily life with less structured activities … greater learner agency!

– Students to be observant! Grab spontaneous

learning opportunities! Actively making meaning!

Looi, C.-K., Wong, L.-H., & Song, Y. (in-press). Discovering Mobile Computer

Supported Collaborative Learning. In C. Hmelo-Silver, A. O'Donnell, C. Chan & C.

Chinn (Eds.), The International Handbook of Collaborative Learning. New York:

Routledge.

• Our ethnographic study

Funds of knowledge

Wildlife/Fishing

-Fish rod customisation -Fishing technique

-Scientific & common names of fish

-Fish lure design -Characteristics of fishes -Fish rearing

KWL for fishes Intends to use mobile phone to video record how fishes respond to changes and use it to educate others

Medicine

-Anatomy

-First-aid knowledge -Herbal knowledge -Common ailments (cures

& identification) Relate to Sci topic - Body Systems

Values

-Biblical values -Filial piety

-Volunteering spirit -Perseverance -Family ties -Independence

Sharing knowledge (YouTube video on wildlife, how to fold origami)

Persevere when playing games or finding out solutions

Playing online games together

Encourages self- directed learning.

Information gathering

-Information distillation -Information corroboration (Encyclopedia, -CD-ROM YouTube)

-Enculturation of watching documentaries (Blue Planet) -Web surfing surveillance Searching information and

collecting data using mobile phones

Wide repertoire of resources to complement online search

Digitizing his wide

repertoire of resources for project use

Example of mammal:

elephant shrew

Geography

-Fishing straits of Indonesia &

M’sia

-Awareness of regional socio- cultural characteristics

Chen, W., Seow, P., So, H.-J., Toh, Y., & Looi, C.-K. (2010). Extending students' learning spaces: Technology-supported seamless learning. Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Sciences 2010 (pp. 484-491), Chicago, USA.

Case Study 2

“Move, Idioms!” 成語，動起來！

• Design-based Research, Feb-Nov 2010

• 48 Chinese idioms + 8 conjunctions

• 34 students from P5 class, 1:1, 24x7 access to Samsung Omnia II

• Used open-source xwiki to create a wiki space for artifact sharing & peer reviews

Wong, L.-H., Song, Y., Chai, C.-S., & Zhan, Y. (2011).

Analyzing students' after-school artifact creation processes in a mobile-assisted language learning environment.

Proceedings of ICCE ‘11 (pp. 349-356), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Wong, L.-H. (in-press). Analysis of students’ after-school mobile-assisted artifact creation processes in a seamless language learning environment. Accepted by: Educational Technology & Society.

Applying FSL Framework to Design…

Designed 8 cycles of FSL activities in an

ongoing basis; in each cycle …

黄龙翔, & 陈之权. (2011). 以设计 型研究方法执行流动学习历程

“成语，动起来！”中的课程设 计. 华文学刊, 9(2), 65-78.

Wong, L.-H., Chen, W., & Jan, M.

(in-press). How artefacts mediate small group co-creation activities in a mobile-assisted language learning environment? Accepted by: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.

Examples of Student Artifacts

From Personal Meaning Making to Social Meaning Making

• Artifact creation – personally or with peers/family members

• Online peer learning – learning from peers vs.

learning with peers (inductively construct

generalized, decontextualized vocab knowledge)

Wong, L.-H., & Looi, C.-K. (2010). Vocabulary learning by mobile-assisted authentic content creation and social meaning making: Two case studies. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(5), 421-433.

Wong, L.-H., Chin, C.-K., Tan, C.-L., & Liu, M. (2010).

Students' personal and social meaning making in a Chinese idiom mobile learning

environment. Educational Technology & Society, 13(4), 15-26.

Can Mobile & Ubiquitous Technology Help?

• Personalized mobile device as a ‘learning hub’

– Learning affordances + learner history (Wong, 2012)

Learning Learner

affordances history

Informal settings Formal settings

Follow-up Project:

MyCLOUD 語飛行雲

• My Chinese Language ubiquitOUs learning Days

• MOI signed on Oct 7, 2010

– National Institute of Education

– Singapore Centre for Chinese Language – Nan Chiau Primary School

– Microsoft Singapore

MyCLOUD

• A socio-techno-pedagogical framework to guide the learning design

• New platform (mobile + cloud computing)

– My Mictionary 我的Ｃ動詞典; Class Mictionary

– Integration into formal class, revamping classroom pedagogy – Scalability: platform will be device-independent

– Integrating linguistic technologies developed by Microsoft Research Asia, Beijing

Wong, L.-H., Chai, C.-S., Chin, C.-K., Hsieh, Y.-F., & Liu, M. (2011). Leveraging Ubiquitous Technology for Seamless Language Learning: From “Move, Idioms!” to MyCLOUD.

Proceedings of the mLearn ‘11 (pp. 231-239), Beijing, China.

Wong, L.-H., Chai, C.-S., Chin, C.-K., Hsieh, Y.-F., & Liu, M. (in-press). Towards a seamless language learning framework mediated by the ubiquitous technology. Accepted by:

International Journal on Mobile Learning and Organisation.

The Socio-Techno-Pedagogical Framework

Contextualized, incidental

learning

Decontex- tualization Construction

of Mental lexicon

Seamless learning dimension

Formal learning space

Informal learning

space Contextual,

personalized learning

In-class learning

In-class consolidation

Online peer learning

Language learning dimension

Form- meaning

In-class learning

Form- meaning

contextualis ed

During

classroom lesson …

Highlight & right click …

contextualiz ed Form-

meaning

Contextualize d learning

My Mictionary …

In-class consolidation

Online peer learning

decontext ualization

How did my

classmates use

it? …

Social

Networking …

more personalized

contextualiz ed

Contextualize d learning

Online peer learning

decontext ualization

So, what has our MSL research informed us so far?

• Longer term, multi-cycle SL design

– … to enculturate students towards self-directed seamless learners

– Systematic variation of activity design across FSL cycles to facilitate learners’ progressive growth in both

content knowledge & SL skills/mindset

• A spiral style design:

– in present cycle, target knowledge to learn, learning activity types, skill sets to learn & apply, mobile

affordances to use, and student artifacts to reuse &

create, are all building on or rising above previous

cycles.

The Research Team of SEAMLESS Project

41

The Research Team of “Move, Idioms!”

将

The Research Team of MyCLOUD

Implications of m-learning, u-learning, MSL

for

libraries and archives

Where shall digital libraries

come in?

Learning Hub revisited

(a learner-centric view of libraries)

Learner history (public)

Learning Learner

affordances history (private)

Informal settings Formal settings

Library 2.0

Library as a place vs.

Library as a service

• Consider Internet as a conceptually global, but technically distributed library …

• Accessible anytime, anywhere – bringing the library to the users

• Dynamic contents and powerful search

engine

Learning/referencing on demand

• Building on the argument of “knowledge vs.

resources” …

• Library is only one piece of the jigsaw puzzle in a learner’s learning journey

• We don’t have to read a book from cover to cover anymore (a la context-aware information pull)

• Books are no longer the “unit of references”

– Linkages between books are perhaps more

important than “achieving comprehensiveness” in

reading an entire book

The age of prosumer &

the age of personalization

• Information is no longer flowing one way

• Library 2.0!

• Users contribute self-generated resources to the library, and annotate/discuss about the existing resources; linking relevant resources

• “Library wellness”? The need of building a healthy

“library culture”

• Building your own library & resource-base

– e.g., “learner history” in the “learning hub model”;

Mictonary

– Organize resources in your own way

• Mobilized, personalized, customizable

The End … is a New Beginning!

吾生也有涯，而知也無涯

Lunghsiang.wong@nie.edu.sg