Tell me one thing about... A simple idea to weave VoiceThreads into mLearning!

The final week of the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter) provided participants with an opportunity to explore a range of tools and resources for integrating mLearning strategies into teaching and learning practice.  One of those tools was VoiceThread, which is a cloud-based voice recording and sharing service.  Unlike SoundCloud (see my earlier post), which allows you to record and share a single audio file, VoiceThreads advertises itself as "Conversations in the Cloud."  It allows users to carry on an asynchronous conversation that can include recorded voice and text comments, images, and presentation slides.

I've actually used VoiceThreads before #idml13.  I was introduced to the service by Dr. Terry Anderson with the Center for Distance Education at Athabasca University.  He integrated a VoiceThread activity into the Advanced Research Methodologies course (EDDE 802) of AU's Doctor of Education in Distance Education program.  Dr. Anderson's VoiceThread is available for public view, and continues to expand as participants in each successive offering of EDDE 802 view (and listen to) the comments posted in previous terms, and then add their own.  While the topic (qualitative research methods) may not be of interest to everyone, this particular VoiceThread is worth accessing (you can click on the picture) just to learn from Dr. Anderson's pedagogical strategy. 

 

The pedagogical approach behind Dr. Anderson's integration of a VoiceThread activity in EDDE 802 is pretty straightforward... you learn more when you teach about a concept yourself.  Anderson gets his doctoral level students to contribute comments about selected research methodology topics, and then everyone in the current and future cohorts can learn from their peers.  What's nice about using this kind of tool is that it gives learners a chance to break away from the traditional research paper assignment formats of typical higher education courses.  They can contribute through an entirely different medium, and are actually forced to reflect a little more deeply about their learning content because they are drawing upon different media and different learning modalities.  Interestingly (for the sake of my #idml13 compatriates), Dr. Anderson's VoiceThread activity represented an excellent example of the integration of mLearning strategies into higher education practice.  My participation in EDDE 802 overlapped with a break between semesters at my institution, and I spent a lovely one-week vacation with my family outside of Brasov, Romania.  I only took my mobile phone and tablet with me... but I was easily able to access the VoiceThread, listen to everyone's comments, and post my own, all while sequestered in a remote ski resort villa!

 

The final "Try it Yourself" activity for #idml13 was to create and share a VoiceThread resource using our mobile devices.  Reflecting upon my experiences with the VoiceThread used by Dr. Anderson in EDDE 802, I was inspired to create my own relatively simple activity for my own blended-learning courses.  I call it "Tell me one thing about...", and the idea is to forward a link to my students, and ask them to contribute a comment about just one thing that they have learned in my course over the past week.  I don't really care about specific / central topics... I just want to get my students to take a few minutes to actually reflect on what happened in class over the past week (something that can be difficult to get some students to do, especially if there are no marks assigned to the activity)!  I'm hoping that the novel approach will entice at least a handful of my students to participate the first time around.  I'll bring up the VoiceThread on the projector at the start of the next week of class, and use it as a springboard for a brief review of the material that has been covered thus far (and discussion of any misperceptions students may have about the content).  Hopefully, more and more students will be enticed to participate in the weekly VoiceThreads as the term progresses.

 

I'd love to share how I'm implementing this approach here, but I'm not going to do that for privacy / confidentiality reasons.  I haven't asked my students if it's ok if I make their comments public, and I don't want to either violate their privacy or make them too uncomfortable to participate in this new type of activity.  However, I was inspired to create the VoiceThread linked to the image below to share with participants in #idml13 (and with mLearning enthusiasts in general).  It's my #idml13 take on the "Tell me one thing about..." activity, called "Tell me one thing about... Mobile Learning!"  The Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC ends soon, and this VoiceThread is my way of trying to keep the lines of communication open after the course is over.  My request to participants is simple--add a comment to share one thing (anything at all) that you've learned today about mobile learning.  It can be something about mLearning concepts, implementation issues, instructional strategies... anything at all.  And you can come back as often as you want to share what you continue to learn, and to hear what others are up to!

 

 

As #idml13 winds up, I wish a fond farewell to my countless new friends and colleagues from the micro MOOC.  I'm already following a number of you on Twitter and your various blogs... and I hope you'll all follow me (@xPat_Letters) and subscribe to this blog, and my daily xPat_Letters newsletter, so that we can keep in touch and keep learning from each others ideas!

Do we have the competencies to integrate mobile learning?

This is one of the reflection exercise questions posed during week 2 of the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter).  Honestly, it's a bit of a loaded question!  On the one hand, it's a bit of an impossibility for anyone to have all of the competencies necessary to effectively integrate emerging of future technologies into teaching and learning practice.  At least, it is if you are viewing the question strictly from the technological competencies standpoint. 

As teachers, we're always going to be playing catch-up as new mobile technologies (including devices and apps or applications) are developed.  We're going to be at even more of a disadvantage because each successive year will bring students to our doorsteps (either real or virtual) for whom the technologies are more and more transparent (because they've been using them practically since birth).   

On the other hand, it's not that difficult a thing for an already competent and enthusiast teacher to have the right mix of competencies to effectively integrate mobile learning strategies.  It all depends on how you look at things, and what you are trying to accomplish.  No, not every teacher will have the requisite technical competencies to develop and deploy mobile learning platforms, programs, or even their own apps or reusable learning objects.  But any good teacher already has what it takes to leverage the affordances of mobile devices to increase student participation and learning!  Teachers are a resourceful lot who have always had to make the most out of whatever resources they have at hand.  Leveraging mobile devices in teaching and learning is not like capitalizing on other technologies that have been hyped for their educational potential throughout the years.  Radio and film did not become the new norms for mass education, bringing the finest minds and educators in the world into every classroom at once.  TV and educational VHS and DVDs also failed to accomplish this.  Never mind the lack of interactivity associated with those one-way communications media -- let's face it, there's just so much prep work involved for teachers to actually make use of those technologies.  And, yes, they do turn your learners into passive zombies!  Mobile devices are different.  If you use a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) approach, then you can leverage free technological tools that your learners are bringing into the classroom with them.  As a teacher, you don't necesssrily even need to know how to use all the bells and whistles on these gadgets.  You don't even need to plan out exactly which tools your students will use on their mobile devices.  No, what you need to do is give your students a learning goal (or, better yet, negotiate a learning goal with them), provide them with inspiration and support, and then get out of their way and watch what they accomplish!  

Do we have the competencies to integrate mobile learning strategies?  Of course we do!  They are the same competencies that good teachers have always displayed.  Be creative and willing to draw on whatever resources you have at hand--including the ones called mobile devices that your students already bring with them (hey... let's face it...how often can we guarantee that our students will all bring their required learning resources!).  Be adaptable to change.  Be not afraid to unleash your students to achieve on their own terms.  And be willing to be inspired and to learn from your students every bit as much as you hope they learn from you!  Mobile learning is not about jumping onto the newest bandwagon or technological craze.  It's about realizing that technology finally allows us (teachers and learners) to do what we've been trying to do all along more efficiently and with more resources at our disposal!

Playing with SoundCloud for an Interactive mLearning Classroom

So... here's a couple of nice apps that I've just learned how to use as part of the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter).  The first is called Textgram, and it is extremely easy to figure out.  Just download the app, type in some text, and pick the template you want.  The app will then create a "graffiti" graphic, like the one pictured below, which you can save to your mobile device or share online via Instagram, Twitter, or a blog like this one. 

The second app is called SoundCloud.  This provides you with easy access to cloud storage for audio files, such as music or recorded  voice.  You can create a voice recording from within the app itself, or upload an audio file from your computer or mobile device.  As you can see from the "widget" below, the app allows you to upload a graphic (such as an album cover, for music) to associate with your audio file.  It also provides you with options to publically share your audio file, or to keep them private.  If you choose the latter, you can easily retrieve the widget code to embed your audio file into a webpage, blog, or wiki.  I experimented with Textgram and SoundCloud to create the graphic (above) and the "welcome" message (below), which could be used to offer online, mobile, or blended learning students a unique greeting when they enroll in one of my classes!

I have actually added this Textgram and SoundCloud audio file to a hidden page on the wiki for a live course that I am teaching this term (which just began this week).  The page itself is linked to a QR code, which I have added to the course wiki homepage with a little graphic that says "Scan Me!"  You can see how I've done this by scanning the following QR code:



So, aside from a cute way to welcome students to your course, how could apps like Textgram and SoundCloud have a positive effect on the teaching and learning experience (and, for that matter, student achievent)?  Well, for one, they provide new creative outlets for learners as part of the learning process.  When learners create something to convey a message about something they are learning, they are much more likely to actually learn more about that topic themselves! (The whole idea of learning by teaching!)  Another positive--allowing students to create audio files is a great way to practice communications skills without the performance anxiety that comes from presenting before a large group (such as their classmates).  I've recently seen an example of project in the United Arab Emirates that uses mobile devices (iPads) to manipulate the actions, speech, and environments of cartoon avatars (Nicoll & Hopkyns, 2013).  The idea is for English Second Language learners to practice their conversational skills by recording what they want their avatars to say, and then manipulating their "puppets" actions and environments to match the conversations.  The fun of the activity takes a bit of the edge off of the performance anxiety!

That example in mind, and armed with tools I've discovered in #idml13, I've decided to modify one of the major assignments in another course that I'm teaching this term (a different course than the one linked to the QR code above).  The course is an introduction to IT customer service and help desk applications.  The original assignment had students pair up to role play a scenario where one student is a help desk agent, and the other an angry customer who has called in.  The students were to perform the role play in front of the class, and this would be followed by a whole group discussion of the scenario and how the situation was handled.  My integration of mobile learning -- instead of a live performance I'm going to have students use SoundCloud and their mobile devices to record the exchanges between the help desk agent and the angry customer.  I'll then give the groups the option of creating either a Textgram to introduce the exchange, or a photo collage (see my earlier post on that topic) that highlights the steps to effectively handling such calls.  Once those two products are ready, I'll get the groups to post their graphics and embed their SoundCloud widgets to the course wiki.  We'll view (and listen to) all of the groups' projects as a whole class, and use that as a launching point for discussions of how to handle irate callers and resolve conflicts in such situations. 

So how is this better than getting the pairs of students to put on a live role play performance? 

1. First, students get a chance to think more deeply about what they are going to do for their presentation before the time to role play arrives.
2. Second, the pairs will inevitably be dissatisfied with their initial audio recordings, and will likely re-record them several times before they are happy.  This means extra "live" practice! 
3. Third, requiring students to create an accompanying graphic will force them to reflect upon their scenario, and the concepts that they have been studying in the course, in order to come up with something meaningful. 
4. Fourth, posting the SoundCloud widgets and graphics to the course wiki will create lasting, reusable learning artefacts.  Classmates (including any who are absent on the "role play" day) will get a chance to access and learn from the performances. 
5. And, fifth, because the artefacts are posted to a wiki, everyone in the class will have the ability to reflect and then participate in commentary / discussion of the performances (as opposed to the handful of extroverts who normally dominate the precious few minutes of open discussion time in a live classroom).

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References:

Nicoll, T., & Hopkyns, S. (2013, April). A new PPP for vocabulary building.  Poster presentation at the Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives Research Symposium, April 25, 2013, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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Resources:

SoundCloud (online version)

You can also find the SoundCloud app from the Apple and Android app stores

Textgram

Available through both the Apple and Android app stores 

Reflecting on the Principles of Effective mLearning Design

I'm participating in a micro-MOOC called Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (#idml13 on Twitter).  During the first official week of the course, participants were presented with a list of six general principles on mobile instructional design described by the University of Oregon's (n.d.) department of Applied Information Management (AIM ).  Those principles are: 

• Principle #1: Develop a simple and intuitive interface design
• Principle #2: Integrate interactive multi-media
• Principle #3: Build short, modular lessons and activities
• Principle #4: Design content that is engaging and entertaining
• Principle #5: Design content that is contextual, relevant, and valuable to the learner
• Principle #6: Design content for just-in-time delivery

This list of principles was developed by the AIM as a set of recommendations stemming from a review of a range of research and literature on effective mLearning design.  I can't argue with any of these recommendations, as they do offer sound, practical guidance for anyone venturing into mLearning instructional design.  These principles are reflective of the eight recommendations for universal instructional design for mLearning presented by Elias (2010, p. 147), which are summarized below: 

1. equitable use;
2. flexible use;
3. simple and intuitive;
4. perceptible information;
5. tolerance for error;
6. low physical and technical effort;
7. community of learners and support; and
8. instructional climate.

They are also reflective of the extensive list of tips provided by Traxler and Wishart's (2011, p. 43) Mobile Learning Practitioner's Checklist (in particular, points 8-10 under the Pedagogical Advice subheading): 

Pedagogical advice:

8. Learning opportunities - identify key ‘starter’ opportunities for students to focus on that are relevant to subject being taught.

9. Constructivist approach - build learning opportunities across and between authentic contexts and the classroom.

10. Student autonomy – the need to work with students to enable them to choose the best ways of using their personal devices to support their learning.

Rather than debate the merits of one particular checklist over another (as the all provide relatively similar advice), I'm using this blog post to reflect on just how sound these tips are in terms of Koole's (2009) theoretically-grounded Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME), which is depicted graphically below:

Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) (Koole, 2009)

 

The FRAME model is fast becoming one of the most widely referenced frameworks for mLearning research design and evaluation.  This is because of its elegant simplicity and simultaneously comprehensiveness.  FRAME draws upon established learning theory such as Activity Theory, social interaction theory, and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.  FRAME divides mLearning analysis into three primary domains: the learner aspect, the social aspect, and the device aspect.  As depicted above, these aspects overlap in mLearning design, and effective instructional design will not only account for all three domains... it will try to integrate them as closely together as possible.  Using FRAME, we can comfortably assess how comprehensive the six principles proposed by AIM are: 

• Principle #1: Develop a simple and intuitive interface design (Device Aspect)
• Principle #2: Integrate interactive multi-media (Device Aspect, Learner Aspect)
• Principle #3: Build short, modular lessons and activities (Learner Aspect)
• Principle #4: Design content that is engaging and entertaining (Learner Aspect)
• Principle #5: Design content that is contextual, relevant, and valuable to the learner (Learner Aspect)
• Principle #6: Design content for just-in-time delivery (Learner Aspect)

One thing that the AID principles seem to be lacking in their advice is any mention of the Social Aspect described by FRAME.  Obviously, not every learning activity is going to be a group effort... but there must be some form of social interaction (either with fellow learners, instructors or, in the case of MOOCs, wayfinders).  Social interaction is critical for motivation, support, and skill scaffolding.  Both Activity Theory and the zone of proximal development (ZPD) emphasize the benefits of social interaction in learning, and ZPD stresses that learners who more frequently engage in collaborative social interaction in learning efforts gain the skills and confidence to achieve more when learning independently. 

The same exercise could be carried out with either of Elias's (2010) or Traxler and Wishart's (2011) checklists, and would find that the only direct mention of social interaction in either checklist is Elias's reference to a "community of learners and support" (p. 147). 

As part of our activities during week one of #idml13, we were asked to reflect upon one of the principles listed by the AIM and how we could integrate that principle into our own distance / mLearning instructional design.  Rather than reflecting on one single principle from that list, I spent several days mulling over how comprehensive the advice is in light of FRAME and the Collaborative Situated Active mLearning (CSAM) approach that I've been developing.  CSAM draws upon the three domains of the FRAME model and its theoretical grounding in Activity Theory and ZPD (Impedovo, 2011; Kaptelinin & Nardi, 2006).  It also draws upon Moore's (1989, 1991) Transactional Distance Theory and Flow Theory (Chaiklin, 2003; Chen, 2006; Csikszentmihalyi, 1997).  Unlike FRAME (which is designed more as an analytical tool), CSAM is designed more to act as a pedagogical guidepost.  It suggests that mLearning design will be most effective if it includes collaborative, situated and active elements.  By collaborative, I mean that learners need to interact in partnerships with either their peers, their instructors, or their wayfinders in some way (FRAME's Social Aspect and Elias's point #7).  By Situated, I mean that learning should take place in authentic contexts (which directly encompasses principles 5-6 referenced by AIM and Traxler & Wishart's point #9... but also encompasses AIM's principle #4 about being engaging and entertaining).  By Active, I mean that learners must actually do something with the learning content, and not just act as passive recipients (which could be argued to be part of AIM's principle #2 about interactive multimedia design, and is definitely reflective of Traxler & Wishart's point #9 about incorporating constructivist approaches).  Below is the poster on CSAM that I presented last week at Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives in Abu Dhabi, UAE:

Now don't get me wrong... I'm not suggesting that mLearning designers dismiss AIM's six principles.  I try to touch on all of them in my own instructional design, and I advise others to do so as well.  A look at the mobile RLO I developed for my recent THE2013 workshop on designing your own CSAM mobile reusable learning objects (RLOs) will show how I presented very similar advice (and drew upon it in my own RLO designs)... but it will also show how I tried to integrate that critical social interaction element even into an RLO that could be used by learners who are both geographically and temporally distant from each other.   One of the common criticisms of both distance and mobile learning is that removing learners from the traditional environment of peer and teacher support (the classroom) could be detrimental to motivation, formative feedback, and achievement.  This need not be the case... but ensuring that it is not means accounting for the Social Aspect domain described by FRAME (and central to CSAM)

 

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References:

 

Chaiklin, S. (2003). The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s analysis of learning and instruction. Retrieved from http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/documents/chaiklin.zpd.pdf

 

Chen, J. (2006). Flow theory. Flow in games. Retrieved from: http://www.jenovachen.com/flowingames/flowtheory.htm Clark, R.E. (1994a). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21-30.

 

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: Creativity and optimum functioning. Excerpt from the book ‘Finding Flow.’ Psychology Today, 46(5). Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com

 

Elias, T. (2010). Universal instructional design principles for mobile learning. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distance Learning, 12(2), 143-156. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/965/1675

 

Impedovo, M. A. (2011), Mobile learning and Activity Theory. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, English Edition, 7(2), 103-109. Retrieved from http://je-lks.maieutiche.economia.unitn.it/index.php/Je-LKS_EN/article/viewFile/525/530

 

Kaptelinin, V. & Nardi, B. (2006). Acting with technology: Activity theory and interaction design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  

 

Koole, M. L. (2009). A model for framing mobile learning. In M. Ally (Ed.), Mobile learning: Transforming the delivery of education and training, 25-47. Edmonton, AB: AU Press. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120155 

 

Moore, M. (1989). Three types of interaction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2), 1-6.

 

Moore, M. (1991). Editorial: Distance education theory. The American Journal of Distance Education, 5(3), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol5_3.htm#editotial 

 

Traxler, J. & Wishart, J. (2011).  Making mobile learning work: Case studies of practice.  Bristol: UK: ESCalate.  Retrieved from http://escalate.ac.uk/8250 

 

University of Oregon (n.d.). Mobile instructional design principles for adult learners.  Retrieved from http://aim.uoregon.edu/research/ebriefings/eb-dillard.php