Mobiltelefonens mångfacettering erbjuder många möjligheter inom studier, men även flera utmaningar. Den här studien har utgått ifrån en sociokulturell teori om lärande, där det endast går att förstå eller undersöka människors tänkande eller kunskaper genom en analys av språk och handlingar, i relation till sociala och kulturella resurser som används av människan. I detta fall mobiltelefoner. Studien baserades i uppbyggnaden av fallstudier, då det som undersökts är ”hur” och ”varför” ett aktuellt skeende i ett konkret socialt sammanhang ser ut som det gör. Studiengenomfördes även med influenser av symbolisk interaktionism, detta då mänsklig interaktion sker bland annat med hjälp av symboler och mobiltelefonen i sig kan ses som en symbol, likväl som denger tillgång till andra symboler. Då en djupare förståelse för attityderna och uppfattningarna rörande mobilanvändandet i sociala sammanhang eftersträvades var denna studie kvalitativ och utfördes med semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod för insamling av data. Intervjupersonerna kan både se för- och nackdelar med att använda mobiltelefoner i studier, bland annat mobiltelefonens lättillgänglighet och mobilitet, men även det negativa i att olika sociala medier kan pocka på uppmärksamheten och störa koncentrationen både för mobiltelefonens ägare och även andra personer i dess närhet. Dock välkomnas teknik som kan förenkla studierna, men mobiltelefonen i dag saknar anpassning till detta, vilket gör att den därmed inte är en självklar del inom utbildning och studier. / <p>Godkännande datum: 2017-06-02</p>

In order to leverage the use of various modalities such as audio-visual-touch in instilling learning behaviour, we present an intuitive approach of annotation based hapto-audio-visual interaction with the traditional digital learning materials such as eBooks. By integrating the traditional home entertainment system and respective media in the user's reading experience combined with haptic interfaces, we examine whether such augmentation of modalities influence the user's reading experience in terms of attention, entertainment and retention. The proposed Haptic E-Book (HE-Book) system leverages the haptic jacket, haptic arm band as well as haptic sofa interfaces to receive haptic emotive signals wirelessly in the form of patterned vibrations of the actuators and expresses the learning material by incorporating audio-video based augmentation in order to pave ways for intimate reading experience in the popular eBook platform. We have designed and developed desktop, mobile/tablet based HE-Book system as well as a semi-automated annotation authoring tool. Our system also supports multimedia based diverse quiz augmentations, which can help in learning tracking. We have conducted quantitative and qualitative tests using the developed prototype systems. We have adopted the indirect objective based performance analysis methodology, which is commonly used for multimedia based learning investigation. The user study shows that, there is a positive tendency of accepting multimodal interactions including haptics with traditional eBook reading experience. Though our limited number of laboratory tests reveal, that haptics can be an influencing media in eBook reading experience, but it requires large scale real life tests to provide a concluding remarks.

This study explored Professional Teacher Technical Identity Development through the use of Mobile Technology. A sample of fifteen teachers was conveniently selected from one school in an urban setting. An action research was designed consisting of three phases. Each phase formed the basis of the next phase to identify the development of professional teacher technical identity. Data was collected using a written questionnaire, two reflective journals, an online questionnaire, focus group discussions, lesson reflections, and interviews. Each instrument was designed using the literature to identify factors that impact on the implementation of mobile technology in classrooms and teachers’ acceptance towards mobile technology. The results were interpreted using three existing models to create a framework: The Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge model, Technology Acceptance Model and Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition Model. It was found that there are six factors that affect the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of technology. These are attitude, anxiety, ability, subjective norm, facilitating conditions and voluntariness. The perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness determine the level at which technology is implemented in classrooms. The level of integration determines whether or not successful teaching in terms of the three elements of TPCK is being used. During the process whereby teachers attempt to implement technology in their classrooms, it is possible to identify changes in their professional teacher technical identity development. These changes are interpreted and a new framework for Professional Teacher Technical Identity Development is created. It is proposed that this framework can be used to explain the implementation process and behaviour of teachers during the process as their teacher identity is altered. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to examine ESL (English as a second language) students' current use of their mobile phones for English skill building activities outside of class in a U.S. school setting. In addition, this research reported on students' perceptions of the potential benefits of using smartphones in class for English learning. Also learners' current English related activities using mobile devices and time duration of using different phone features were studied. The literature review included smartphones, computer education, mobile learning, mobile assisted language learning (MALL), computer assisted language learning (CALL), theories of second language learning, second language learner attributes and the use of smartphones outside the classroom. An electronic survey was used to collect the quantitative data which were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The results concluded that students used mobile applications on a daily basis to read and write email, read books and news, check a dictionary, talk, text and video chat. Students used mobile phones outside of class to improve the English skills listed in the survey and the same participants perceived the potential benefits of using smartphones in class for the same English skills. Among the English skills, vocabulary exercises, finding example sentences of English words and English grammar exercises had a significant difference between out of class and in class variable. The results indicated a direction for future research on using mobile phones for ESL learning. This study also revealed a focus of practice for utilizing mobile technologies in the teaching and learning of ESL.

Das Projekt „Entwicklung eines elektronischen Informations- und Lernprogramms zum Arbeitsschutz für Berufskraftfahrerinnen und -fahrer im Fernverkehr“ befasst sich mit Fragen der Lernwirksamkeit und der beruflichen Integrationsfähigkeit von mobilen Lernangeboten für Berufskraftfahrer. Ausgehend von der Problematik der zunehmend älter werdenden Arbeitnehmer und der Notwendigkeit deren Arbeitskraft langfristig zu erhalten, werden Lerninhalte zum Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutz mediendidaktisch aufbereitet und den Berufskraftfahrern auf einer Lernplattform zur Verfügung gestellt. Per Netbook und UMTS-Verbindung greifen die Fahrer zeit- und ortsunabhängig auf die Lerneinheiten zu und beantworten entsprechende Wissensfragen. Erste Ergebnisse konnten bereits im Rahmen eines Lernmaterialtests gewonnen werden, wohingegen der Usability-Test sich derzeit noch in der Auswertung befindet.

Mobile learning (m-learning) is a relatively new technology that helps students learn and gain knowledge using the Internet and Cloud computing technologies. Cloud computing is one of the recent advancements in the computing field that makes Internet access easy to end users. Many Cloud services rely on Cloud users for mapping Cloud software using virtualization techniques. Usually, the Cloud users' requests from various terminals will cause heavy traffic or unbalanced loads at the Cloud data centers and associated Cloud servers. Thus, a Cloud load balancer that uses an efficient load balancing technique is needed in all the cloud servers. We propose a new meta-heuristic algorithm, named the dominant firefly algorithm, which optimizes load balancing of tasks among the multiple virtual machines in the Cloud server, thereby improving the response efficiency of Cloud servers that concomitantly enhances the accuracy of m-learning systems. Our methods and findings used to solve load imbalance issues in Cloud servers, which will enhance the experiences of m-learning users. Specifically, our findings such as Cloud-Structured Query Language (SQL), querying mechanism in mobile devices will ensure users receive their m-learning content without delay; additionally, our method will demonstrate that by applying an effective load balancing technique would improve the throughput and the response time in mobile and cloud environments.

Mobila enheter är idag en stor del av våra liv och har förändrat hur vi gör många av våra vardagsaktiviteter, såsom att läsa en bok eller att se sitt favoritprogram. Detta har också lett till förändringar i våra utbildningar eller mer specifikt hur vi lär oss och lär ut till andra [1]. Den snabba tillväxten av teknologi har haft en stor påverkan på vår utbildning, vilket har lett till en anpassning av både strukturen av utbildningar och dess material [1, 2]. Teknologins utveckling har också möjliggjort den att kombineras med inlärningstekniker, som kollaborativ inlärning. Kollaborativ inlärning är baserat på konceptet att det naturliga sättet att lära sig är genom att kommunicera med varandra [4]. Kollaborativ inlärning är sammankopplat med de sociala aspekterna, där den stora uppgången av sociala plattformar har visat att de kan vara ett nytt och mer modernt utbildningsområde. Interaktionerna på dessa plattformarna har visat sig kunna skapa ett nytt digitalt område av kunskap [29].I denna uppsats så fortsatte utvecklingen av en Android-applikation kallad Vault. Vault är byggd på filosofierna mobile learning, relational learning och parkour. Mobile learning tillåter människor att lära sig var de än befinner sig [3]. I relational learning så existerar inte den traditionella student-lärarrelationen, där alla istället lär sig av varandra genom att dela med sig av sina idéer och erfarenheter [6]. Parkour, vilket även är känt som konsten av rörelse, är en filosofi där människor delar med sig av upplevelser medans de lär sig och hittar nya vägar att visa sina färdigheter [28]. Parkour har även ett fokus på att upprepa vad andra har gjort. Funktionerna som implementerades i Vault var baserade på en applikationsanalys där sociala och kollaborativa plattformar blev analyserade. Det undersöktes sedan hur dessa funktionerna kunde integreras med filosofierna som Vault är byggd på.Vault testades sedan av två idrottslärare under 10 dagar för att utvärdera applikationen med dess nya funktioner där de sedan intervjuades. Målet med intervjuerna var att få information om hur de nya funktionerna påverkade inlärningen samt användarupplevelsen jämfört med den gamla versionen som var producerad av Lindermans uppsats [5]. / Mobile devices is today a big part of our lives and it has changed how we do our everyday activities, such as reading a book or watching our favorite show. This has also caused changes in our education or more specifically how we learn and teach others [1]. The fast growth of technology has had a big effect on our education, which has led to the adaption of both the structure of education as well as the educational materials [1,2]. The development of technology has also allowed for it to combine with learning techniques, such as collaborative learning. Collaborative learning is based on the concept that the natural way to learn is by communicating with each other [4]. Collaborative learning is connected to the social aspects, where the big rise of social platforms have shown that they can be a new and more present-day education area. The interactions on these platforms have proved to be able to help create a new digital area of knowledge [29].In this thesis there was a continuation of development of the Android application Vault. Vault is built upon the philosophies of mobile learning, relational learning and parkour. Mobile learning allows for people to learn at any time wherever they are [3]. In relational learning the traditional student and teacher relationship doesn’t exist, where instead everyone learns from each other by sharing ideas and experiences [6]. Parkour, also known as the art of movement [27], is a philosophy where people share experiences as they learn and find different paths to display their skills [28]. Parkour also have a focus on repeating what other people have done. The features implemented in the further development of Vault was decided by an application analysis where social and collaborative platforms were analysed. It was then examined how these features could be integrated with the philosophies that Vault was built upon. Vault was later tested on two physical education teachers which both had ten days to test out the application with its new features after which a interview followed. The goal of the interviews were to get information about how the new features affected the learning and user experience compared to the old version produced by Linderman’s thesis [5].

Cette thèse se penche sur les contributions de la formation enseignante partiellement à distance et à l’aide du mobile, comment celles-ci évoluent et quels facteurs l’influencent. Les deux premiers chapitres discutent le contexte de recherche de cette thèse. Ils montrent le lien étroit entre l'évolution des politiques éducatives, les stratégies de recrutement des enseignants et la nécessité d'une formation à la fois réaliste et qualitative des enseignants. Après un rappel de la croissance exceptionnelle du secteur des infrastructures mobiles, la revue de littérature expose les résultats de recherches récentes de l’utilisation du mobile pour la formation des maitres à distance. Le contexte de la recherche montre qu'il y a un manque de recherche sur les contributions à moyen terme de la formation assistée par mobile et que cela est étroitement lié à l'approche ‘court-termiste’ des projets pilotes. C’est pour cela que quatre études (chapitres 5 à 7) cherchent à analyser les contributions dans une perspective à la fois multidimensionnelle et longitudinale. La première étude (chapitre 5) analyse d'un point de vue exploratoire les contributions rapportées et observées de la formation IFADEM chez les anciens participants. Il révèle entre autres que les contributions de soutien sont principalement reposent sur le mobile et sont intégrées dans la sphère professionnelle et privée. Ces usages durables sont motivés par une motivation intrinsèque et perdurent grâce à une forte expérience d'appropriation collective qui a servi de « coup d'envoi» aux nouvelles pratiques. Compte tenu de la domination des usages mobiles, la deuxième étude (chapitre 6) se concentre sur les communications mobiles. Elle confirme la pérennité des communications téléphoniques malgré la fin des stimuli organisationnels ou financiers externes, et montre également comment ces communications durables par téléphone reflètent l'appropriation permanente du mobile pour le travail et le privé. Ce chapitre permet en outre d'identifier les facteurs clés qui permettent ce processus d'appropriation en premier lieu. En plus de cette identification de ce que l'on peut appeler des « facteurs de risque et de réussite» pour des contributions mobiles de formation continue des enseignants, elle révèle également l'importance de la communication continue entre pairs parmi les anciens participants. Par la suite, la troisième étude (chapitre 7) analyse les structures et les processus de ces connexions mobiles prises en charge. Comme l'ont indiqué les répondants interrogés pour la première étude, la présence d'un réseau d'enseignants collaboratif stable pourrait être confirmée. Son analyse permet de qualifier les liens entre les anciens participants, qui sont à la fois de nature instrumentale et expressive. Les motivations multiples pour faire partie de ce réseau contribuent à sa durabilité et à son autonomie plus de deux ans après la fin de la formation, durabilité qui est renforcées par la présence de leaders qui assurent la circulation de l'information interne et externe. Globalement, il fournit une perspective supplémentaire sur l'importance et les résultats d'un processus d'appropriation collective. Enfin, la quatrième étude (chapitre 8) change de perspective, abordant la question des contributions à moyen terme et des facteurs pertinents pour la durabilité à travers l'organisation des parties prenantes, à savoir ceux qui financent, organisent, conçoivent et évaluent la formation mobile des enseignants. Cette étude indique non seulement que les acteurs se perçoivent comme faisant partie d'un système soumis à une pression politique considérable et exigent que leurs activités soient fortement limitées, ce qui conduit à une perspective à court terme sur les facteurs de succès. / This dissertation analyzes the contributions of mobile supported teacher training, how these evolve and which factors take influence on this evolution. The first two chapters expose the close link between the evolution of education policies, teacher recruitment strategies and the need for a both realistic and qualitative teacher training. After a recall of the exceptional growth of mobile infrastructure sector, the use of distance and notably mobile supported teacher training is discussed. The research context shows that there is lack of research on the medium-term contributions of mobile supported teacher training and provides strong indicators that this issue is closely related to the overall short-term approach of pilot projects. Therefore, four studies (chapter 5 to 7) seek to analyze contributions through a both multidimensional and longitudinal perspective. The first study (Chapter 5), analyzes from an exploratory perspective the reported and observed contributions of the IFADEM training among former participants. It reveals amongst others that the sustaining contributions are mostly mobile phone supported and well embedded in the professional and private sphere of former individuals. These sustainable usages are driven by intrinsic motivation, and sustain because of a strong collective appropriation experience that acted as ‘kick off’ phase for new practices. Given the domination of mobile usages, the second study (chapter 6) focuses on mobile communications, one of the reported key contributions of the IFADEM training. It confirms the sustainability of phone communications despite the end of external organizational or financial stimuli, and shows also how phone these sustainable communications reflect the ongoing appropriation of mobile for work and private matters. This chapter allows further to identify those key factors that allow for this appropriation process to happen in the first place. Besides this identification of what can be called ‘risk and success factors’ for sustainable mobile teacher training contributions, it reveals also the importance of ongoing peer to peer communication among former participants. Subsequently, the third study (Chapter 7) analyzes structures and processes of these mobile supported connections. As indicated by respondents interviewed for the first study, the presence of a stable, collaborative teacher network could be confirmed. Its analysis allows qualifying the ties among former participants, which are both of instrumental and expressive nature. Multiple motivations to be part of this network contribute to its sustainability and autonomy over two years after the end of the training, strengthened by the presence of leaders who ensure internal and external information flow. Overall, it provides an additional perspective on the importance and outcomes of a collective appropriation process. Finally, the fourth study (Chapter 8) shifts perspectives, approaching the question of medium-term contributions and pertaining factors for sustainability through the lens of organizing stakeholders, i.e. those who fund, organize, design and evaluate mobile teacher training. This study indicates not only that actors perceive themselves as part of a system with considerable political pressure and demands that constraint significantly their activities, leading to a short term perspective on success factors.It reveals also that projects partners are considered simultaneously as goal and obstacle. Their descriptions indicate an often difficult and sometimes patronizing relationship, which occupy a central place in projects preoccupations’. Actors depict also pilot projects as organizational and political instrument. The collision of a normative discourse of high moral value with a technical and organization oriented discourse is one of the striking results of this study.

No description available.

Distance education is the fastest growing educational modality because of advances information technology has made over the past 25 years. Adult learners have become the fastest growing population in distance education. Adult learners, through technical tools and devices they use on the job, have become more digitally literate and mobile, making the ability to access class work on the go a necessity. Mobile learning or m-learning (learning that uses wireless, portable, mobile computing, and communication devices) is becoming an extension of distance learning, providing a channel for students to learn, communicate, and access educational material outside the traditional classroom environment. For adult learners, this modality allows them to take advantage of accessing material using mobile devices they use for job related activities. Despite the portability and readiness to information mobile devices provide its users, cognitive and physical ergonomic issues may impact learner performance. These issues may stem from information overload and physical discomfort from extended use of the mobile device which may negatively affect the overall success and satisfaction of m-learning environments. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical ergonomic discomfort, subjective workload, physiological response, and the impact on student performance while using mobile technology to read course material. Activity Theory was used as the theoretical foundation that guided the study. Eighty-four research participants, all over the age of 25, read a passage using one of two distance education modalities: desktop computer or mobile device. While reading the passage, one of three task load levels was imposed on participants: none, low or high. Each participant endured three trials, repeating the same task for each trial. After each trial, participants completed an achievement test and the NASA-TLX assessment. The results from this study provided evidence that mobile learning technologies with increased levels of task load introduced physical ergonomic discomfort and affected perceptions of mental workload in participants. The study also provided evidence that mobile learning technologies with increased levels of task load affected the performance (reading and learning) of participants. Study results provided insight into capabilities and limitations of students in their use of mobile devices for educational purposes. The limitations identified need to be further examined to aid in building successful m-learning environments with the goal of mobile device usage not affecting student performance.