Imho, we need to look into the entanglement of technology, process of learning and context. There should not be a techno-centric only approach but an understanding of the emergence of processes and technology to better understand how these technologies be used and adapted. The interplay of social and material factors must be considered.

When working with technology I agree with Jari. Teaching should not be technology driven, but should rather always start with the teaching goal and then introduce technologies that will make it a better experience. In other words, start with your curriculum and then use the the tech to enhance and supplement what you are teaching. However, in the 21st century tech is unavoidable. So then you should ask what tech would be used within the learner's industry or everyday life. (I think this is what Val was suggesting with "the interplay of social and material factors".) Those tech items [gadgets or web or etc] should be incorporated rather than some fancy gimmick that the sales people have introduced.

At one level, everyone needs to communicate, and tech is adding to our ability to communicate. For that reason alone I think we should incorporate the tech in collaborative tasks that have both a real outcome and firm pedagogical groundings.

Val & Rob have some great points about starting with educational problems and using technology as a means to approach the problem. But I think Jari's question may have been phrased a bit awkwardly. Could the question be rephrased? Perhaps, "How can complex (collaborative) learning situations be enhanced in pedagogically meaningful ways using emergent mobile technologies?" If this is indeed the question, you may want to look into the literature on mobile computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) specifically, as well as the more general CSCL literature. You may also want to review the work Sean Goggins here on ResearchGate.

Yeah, Mathew. Original question (How can emergent mobile technologies be used in such a way as to be pedagogically meaningful tools in complex (collaborative) learning situations?) can be found from my PhD thesis, it was main RQ over there.

I agree that it's akwardly phrased. I had originally simpler question also in my thesis, but proofreader suggested that more complex version would be better. Well...

So I will replace the question as you suggested: How can complex (collaborative) learning situations be enhanced in pedagogically meaningful ways using emergent mobile technologies?

Jari, how do the interactions that mobile technologies afford align with the complex collaborative learning situations you allude to? In other words, what is it about mobile technologies that you feel will enhance collaborative learning? At their core, most mobile devices are just under-powered computers with a touchscreen.

My sense is that you should clarify what you mean by "complex collaborative learning situations". It is not clear to me what students/learners will be /doing/. This gets at your sub-question about the learning skills needed for the 21st century

You will find 86 reviews of evidence based research related to mobile learning at dern2.acer.edu.au on the following topics:

Student expectations — 13 Jun 2013

Curation — 16 May 2013

Handhelds in classrooms — 11 Apr 2013

Teachers using technology — 07 Mar 2013

Learning to integrate ICT — 28 Feb 2013

Tablets with disabled students — 14 Feb 2013

Teaching and learning innovation — 26 Jul 2012

Screenface — 28 Jun 2012

Personalising learning — 24 May 2012

Texting — 26 Apr 2012

Maths and mobiles — 03 Jul 2011

Educational vision — 28 Apr 2011

Pocket learning — 31 Mar 2011

A framework for mobile learning — 24 Mar 2011

Networking anywhere — 13 Jan 2011

Pedagogy using mobiles — 19 Aug 2010

Mobile phones and improved educational outcomes — 22 Jul 2010

To access these reviews see http://dern2.acer.edu.au/registration

There is also free access to the latest two research reviews published each week from the homepage http://dern2.acer.edu.au/

There are also 125 research reviews about digital education using collaboration.

Hope you find what you are looking for in here.

I suggest to also look in the literature on Self-regulated learning (SRL -you will find many interesting papers searching here on RG). Self-regulation is what allows people to apply skills and competences to new problems and situations (hence avoiding inert knowledge), as well as to use tools of any kinds (including mobile technology) without loosing sight that they a means and not ends in themselves. It is therefore essential to support the acquisition and practice of what are called "21st century skills".

You may find some interesting suggestions also in the literature on Task-based Learning, which is concerned with the creation of compound, non trivial tasks which are meaningful for the students and lead to work on skills and competences of different kinds. This approach is widely applied in language learning, but can be successfully used also in other fields.

The Handbook of Mobile Learning (http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415503693/) may also be helpful.

Well, thank you for your suggestions. However, personally I am quite aware of contemporary research in the field :) Instead, I hope that my question would lead discussion about "mobile learning" or "mobile computer supported collaborative learning" in the context of the 21st century learning skills (and activities)..

Good point Jari - I think the 'Question' and 'Answer' titled sections on this forum are not so helpful for stimulating a vigorous discussion (more like a help wanted page). Do you have a particular view you would like to explore/ discuss. I have found that taking a particular stance about an issue (the more controversial the better) is the best way to get interesting responses in social networking forums such as this.

Yeah, interesting to read all those comments ,for me, we need to Engage students in todays teaching , and we cannot run away from interacting with our students , the content , the information to be shared, the collaborative pedagogy, understand their style of learning and of course all the technology we have today ,

I think you need to narrow your topic....be more simple with two keys concepts....Using mobile emergent technologies to enhance collaborative learning....in schools...something like that...I think you need to reformulate the question!!!

I would rather reframe the question :"How can learning be enhanced in collaborative mode using mobile technologies?'

This issue is more important when the learner is mobile and does not want to waste any time when ever she/he has it. The knowledge is growing fast and learner will not be able to go to school every now and then.Some fields add on every moment.So can the emergent technologies help the learner keep abreast in his field.

So see what all is available;the collaborative team,(one individual more /less competent than the other) the range of hardware technologies,the more comrehensive software tools( each moment) variety of resources with conflicting answers,the ever spralling pace of knowledge.More angles of vision can really help when we are globally wired wirelessly.

Hi Jari, we are looking at some of these questions at the University of Southern Queensland, in partnership with the University of South Australia and Australian National University. I really need to update the blog to start presenting some of our findings but if you would like to become invovled somehow please let me know: http://bit.ly/MobLearn

I share the opinion of Mathew on the reformulation of the question.

The technological being and doing is the paradigm of the time, so not innocent, there are strong economic interests, financial and political for this to be so, as emerging in a time of deep crisis of capitalism.

For several decades the education, including university, also has become a big business, and better yet around the time of technologies, techno-centric view of the Val speaking predominates and is partial.

It is difficult to improve the complex (in collaboration) learning situations, so pedagogically meaningful without critical reflection towards education in the exercise of its symbolic power (Bourdieu) through the reproduction of social and communication hegemonies.

The technologies are also very powerful tools to produce situations of individual and social liberation with a very encouraging prospect of great innovation in the field of education.

You just need more and better critical understanding of the complex social, cultural, philosophical, economic and political act in which technologies in the field of education.

Stefan, why do you say mobile learning is not for bachelors? I think I may agree with you, especially when you consider first year students. Often they can be susceptible to distractions, but I think there is merit for their third or fourth years. If my line of thought is correct, what sort of distractions did you have in mind?

Hello to every one.

I saw a excelente video that show how mobile technologies can enhanced learning. It can be found in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5b6y7DJuYk.

Is with younger children, but is the way I see how powerful can be mobile technologies for the learnin process.

At a very simple, nuts-and-bolts level mobile learning has made it possible to conduct group projects involving fieldwork elements, analysis etc even when it has not been possible to timetable a common meeting time for the group (most of my third year students are in paid employment as well as being fulltime students). Subgroups have visited sites, photographed, shared photos, asked questions and discussed issues via texting while still at location and in a position to modify method/ data collected etc. They have subdivided analysis and write-up sections of the project (often working in in-the-flesh smaller subgroups), then shared the outcomes, perhaps only ever all meeting together for a final assembly and review of the submission. They consult me when needed vis email or emessage board. Such approaches have actually reduced the incidence of complaints about uneven contributions to the project which used to arise from people failig to turn up to scheduled group meetings. The quality of the project submissions has shown no sign of deterioration.

Hi Jan, I agree with you, although, I am more supportive of face to face interaction ! But in situations like what you are experiencing, I suppose, mobile learning is a good option !

I think that if you review the responses you'll find that a blend of the various affordances should be utilised for optimum learning. Again I stress that we should start with our curriculum or learning objective, and then decide what we can use to make it more accesible or more interactive or more visual or auditory or whatever it is we need.

Collaborative learning situations dictate communication affordances, but you can surely choose what it is you want to communicate. That may be a thought or a file. Aah, what's in the file? Well that depends on your learning objectives. In that way it is all really just an existential matix.

:-)

Mobile technologies can potentially increase the level of participation within collaborative groups. Greater participation between and among educators has the potential to improve pedagogic practice.

Collaborative learning is more fun and gives more recognition to faster learners.In collaboration approach school going population may get more interested when better webpages are available on mobile technologies(HTML5)+.It may also provide better understanding of the learning process when very different individuals put the efforts together for the educators which inturn may mend the process.

mobile technology goes beyond the the mobile phone with the introduction of increasingly convergent technologies. Tablets are at the forefront of this mobile technologies. Rather than just glorified books, tablets allow for comfortable use of collaborative software that have been around for ages, thus changing the dynamics of classroom interaction.

Mobile technologies need enhancement of secure wireless network plus its access to learner at a reasonable or no cost basis. A learner may have to remain mobile due to his liabilities and mobile technology can help him when loads of quality learning material is available. If collaborative learning is in a defined group then interaction of learning is a promotes and integrates learning provided the assessment tool is inbuilt. It can provide reinforcement in the right direction.

If you want to explore this in more detail, have a look at the work we do in the public wiki, at:

http://footprints-of-emergence.wikispaces.com/

There are a number of papers linked in there, on emergence, and on the use of social media.

In summary: in our research we identify four 'threshold' factors for collaborative (and emergent) learning: autonomy, diversity, openness and connectivity (all from Connectivism). However, there's a lot more to it, and we identify 25 'critical dynamic' factors which need to be considered too, e.g. trust, risk, etc.

Perhaps one of the other things I like about the integration of mobile technology into collaborative learning is the shift in the mindset from "we can't do this because x" to "how can we work around that?" - the assumption that some combination of technologies will offer a way forward. I like the way that the students, being more familiar with the technologies on the whole, can see how they might be used - how this encourages them to be active problem solvers

Collaborative learning has been made possible by the collaborative web tech and it has its potentials in all contexts. By looking at developing countries where there is unreliable power supply, poor internet connection, high cost for connection, etc., we find that mobile learning can be a solution to some of these challenges. As it has been found in some research papers, globally there is no framework to guide the proper use, mix, and the "how" these collaborative web tech can be used in learning. However, it is indeed, importantly not to think of replacing it with F2F, rather to blend them.

One of the main advantages mobiles can add to collaboration is the ability to capture, reflect, negotiate, and share learning experiences anytime anywhere. Also using mobiles you can get location-aware guidance and services and you can seek support more easily especially in situations where you are in the field or at work in general.

Learning is a serious act and therefore needs concentration. It will be difficult for a person to concentrate while moving. Therefore mobility will make true learning impossible.

Anup, the mobility in learning represents the decentralized learning approach where you are not tied up with class attendance time tables. It signifies learning from anywhere,anytime and with the aid of any appropriate device/media. Concentration has to do with a lot of factors which may not necessary be physical. Therefore, i support that mobile learning will continue to prove its potentials to the digital society.

Learning may have two different forms. In the first category basic concept of a subject is learnt where in the second form incremental learning is the key issue. The first sort needs a formal approach. We require a well defined curriculum for this purpose. Where, the second kind can enjoy casual attitude. A group of students using mobile technology can finalize there project presentation or even the methodology to be used for some application. Previously also this was done using telephones. That was a distributed solution to the problem. I do admit that advancement of technology made this part much more elaborate. One can exchange more detailed information also in a mobile state. However, I don’t think basic learning is possible using such a casual approach. Concentration requires also some physical condition; mobility is not compatible to that.

I agree with Anup's point of view, a successful learning requires some conditions like concentration and attention, things that can be missed in mobile learning environment. but in the other hand, there are some situations where we can not learn in fixed places, situations in which we need to move from one learning object to another, to interact with our peers, to learn and do some experiences outside of formal classes... etc, in such situations mobile learning presents a good support. and here I return to the principal question posed by Mr Jari, I think that mobile technologies can enhance the collaborative learning by taking advantage the services offered by these technologies. one of these services for example is the context awareness that can give us well detailed and updated information about learning object and learner's context (availability, device type, location, interaction level...) , and this can allow us to have an adaptive, situated and personalized learning.

Dear Sofiane Amara,

If I have understood your view correctly, I think you advocated the use of mobile technology in some specific situations where learning itself demand mobility. I think this is a correct attitude. We have technology available we must take full advantage of that if it is necessary. But technological elegance only should not be a plea for its application.

I agre with there atitudes and ideas