Sultan Qaboos University

College of Education
LIT department
TECH4101

Article
:about

Mobile Learning

& (Done by: Asma AL-Fahdi (68716

(Kareema Al-siyabi(65932
1) Definition of Mobile Learning:
• Learning that happens across locations, or that takes advantage of learning
opportunities offered by portable technologies
• Mobile learning is not just about learning using portable devices, but learning
across contexts.
2) objectives of using of Mobile Learning:
1. to design learning differently:
2. to create extended learning communities,
3. to link people in real and virtual worlds,
4. to provide expertise on demand, and to support a lifetime of learning
5. to increase the mobility of the learner
6. increase the interaction between student-teacher and student-student
7. Mobile learning provides the student more autonomy and flexibility
especially in distance education.

3) features of Mobile Learning

• Enables knowledge building by learners in different contexts.
• Enables learners to construct understandings.
• Mobile technology often changes the pattern of learning/work activity.
• focus is on the mobility of the learner , interacting with portable or fixed
technology; and learning in a mobile society, (M-Learning also brings
strong portability by replacing books and notes with small RAMs, filled
with tailored learning contents )
• M-learning is convenient, in the sense that it is accessible virtually from
anywhere(class, taxi, laundry room, …)
• M-learning is collaborative; that is sharing is almost instantly among
everyone using the same content, which will in turn also lead to receiving
instant feedback and tips. That will be the best kind of learning
• M-learning is engaging and fun. With this kind of learning, it is much
easier to combine gaming and learning for a more effective and
entertaining experience

4) Advantages of Mobile Learning

• Mobile learning decreases limitation of learning location with the

mobility of general portable devices
• It offer the opportunity for choice.
• Mobile learning creates new conditions for learning
• "For lots of people, children particularly, education is not
optional," he said. "It's something that they have to do, and they don't
necessarily want to do it. Whereas one of the good things about
technology is that it offers an opportunity for choice.“ Thus, said Peter
Lonsdale (University of Birmingham, UK) we shouldn’t cram existing
activities onto mobile devices, but instead make use of different ways of
organizing learning communities. "Children want to learn," claimed Ann
Jones (Open University, UK), "but what they want is choice over what to
learn. You can stop a child from learning by just presenting a load of
information.“
5) Limitation\Challenges of Mobile Learning
1. Technical challenges :
• Small Screen size
• Small key size
• Limited Performance, in terms of processor capability, available memory, storage
space and battery life.
• Slow Connectivity of the internet
• Multiple standards, multiple screen sizes, multiple operating systems
• Repurposing existing e-Learning materials for mobile platforms
• Left- to-right scrolling, web sites too big to see effectively on small screen
• Risk of theft, rain, mud, breakability, and so on
2.Social and educational challenges:
• Accessibility
• How to assess learning on mobile phone
• Developing an appropriate theory of learning for the mobile age
• Tracking of results and proper use of this information
• No demographic boundary
• Mobile communication is still expensive – especially from abroad

6) technologies that support mobile learning

• PDA: Personal Digital Assistant,
• Tablet PC UMPC mobile phone, camera phone and SmartPhone
• Learning Mobile Author, e.g. for authoring and publishing WAP, J2ME and
SmartPhone
• Personal audio player, e.g. for listening to audio recordings of lectures
• Handheld audio and multimedia guides, in museums and galleries
• Handheld game console, modern gaming consoles

7) how Mobile Learning is support learner at distance?

• Children and Adult can using M-Learning devices.
• enhance group collaboration among students who are in different place
• The use of mobile learning support informal or lifelong learning, such as using
handheld dictionaries and other devices for language learning
• Increase the interaction between student-student and student-instructor.
• On the job training or just-in-time learning
• Improving levels of literacy
• provide audiovisual support anywhere
• Provide different way to interact and learn:
1. SMS( short Message Service)
2. MMS( Multimedia Messaging Service)
3. Video Standards (3GP)
4. Audio Standards (MP3, AACPLus)

8) Concerns and issues raised by researchers and distance

students/tutors about Mobile Learning
1. Learning Across Contexts
 • mobile learning is not just about learning using portable devices, but learning
across contexts
• focus should be on the learner and the learning, not on the systems behind the
devices
2. Design:
• designing for mobile learning becomes a critical challenge
• We need to develop theory, strategies and techniques.
3. Evaluation
• How can we effectively measure learning in mobile environments?
• evaluation overlaps with design. Mobile learning is often blended with other
types of learning.

9) case studies/examples
1. SMS quiz author:
The SMS quiz author is a web-based application which allows you to set up an
automated response system for multiple-choice quizzes on the learner’s mobile
phone. Participants answer questions by text and receive instant feedback.
2. Road sign quiz
• This quiz, which develops recognition of common road signs, is presented
• through an engaging animated interface.
• it is really a traditional multiple-choice quiz, so the format will be familiar to
most learners.
• There is no explicit literacy or numeracy teaching or practice, but as
• learners gain familiarity with road signs, they encounter the same key words
• repeatedly, thereby increasing their reading vocabulary.
• There is no audio, so the quizzes are accessible to deaf learners and can be
• explored quietly and privately by learners on their own, even if they do not
• have a private space to work in.

3. Ready-to-use MyLearning resources:

Modules contain approximately 15–20 minutes of learning, quizzes and games, all
mapped to the adult literacy and numeracy core curricula from Entry 2 to Level 2. Modules
that are already available include the following:

• At work: Cleaning
• Cleaning skills check
• At work: Health and safety
• Basic number skills
• Becoming a parent
• Clocks and time
• Driving
• Literacy skills pack
• ESOL skills packs
• Measure it out
• Skills checks
• ESOL
• Health and fitness
• Money and shopping
• Cooking and eating
• Holiday travel
 • Everyday numeracy

4. MyLearning author for Pocket PC:

The Pocket PC authoring tool is a desktop PC programme. The author creates material on
their desktop PC, which is then built and transferred automatically to a Pocket PC
connected to the PC. This installation creates a menu into which activities or modules
containing multiple activities are placed. Authors can also create a number of users for
each Pocket PC in the simple menu interface on the Pocket PC. The tool also allows the
author/teacher to view an activity summary for each user listed on the Pocket PC.

The m-learning author for the Pocket PC (such as the XDAII, Vodafone V1620,
Qtek and other handheld devices running Microsoft ® Pocket PC 1996-2003) allows
you to create modules of learning activities for a handheld computer.
Learning activities currently available are:

• Pairs games: A simple pelmanism game where eight or twelve cards

showing images, text, or a combination of both are displayed on screen.
They turn over and the learner then has to remember where the
matching pairs were.
• Snap games: A single-player snap game with cards in two piles. The
learner can click on a card from one pile and then click on the other pile
to find the matching card.
• Multiple choice quizzes: Single-answer multiple choice quizzes with
text and images giving both immediate feedback to the learner when an
answer is selected, as well as a summary score and feedback at the end
of the quiz.
• Simple text notes pages: An onscreen notes facility where the author
can write notes for a learner to read – there is no limit to the amount of
text you can enter.

5) mediaBoard:

The mediaBoard is a flexible, web-based tool which lets learners build up online web
pages by sending messages, pictures and audio from their phones. Authors can set up
their own online mediaBoards and use these for a great variety of mobile and interactive
learning tasks and projects, such as:

• working as a team to give and receive directions and instructions or negotiate and
agree how to solve a problem
• following directions or answering questions to complete a task
• making enquiries, conducting interviews or surveys, and recording speech or other
audio
• using photographs and audio
• adding and editing text to create a multimedia web site
• learning about and using the Internet and mobile technologies.

Each mediaBoard that an author sets up is a bit like an Internet message board. However,
the mediaBoard is a visual image, and the messages, instead of being organized in a
linear way or in discussion threads, are collected around different parts of the image, like
locations on a map. Users can attach audio, text and images to the zones on their
mediaBoard by uploading them from their computer via the web, by e-mail, or by
multimedia message (MMS) from a handheld computer or a mobile phone.