Reda Sadki’s Updates
Mobile learning: the "anywhere" in the affordance of ubiquity
When I look at my Facebook friends online, I can see that most of them are connected, almost 24/7, via their phones. Those connected from a laptop or desktop computer (shown by a green dot instead of a little phone icon) are an ever-dwindling minority.
As Scholar is meant to be a social application for learning, I thought it might be useful to reflect on what mobile means for learning. Recently, I invited mobile design expert Josh Clark to explain to a Red Cross audience why we should design our applications (including those for learning) using a mobile-first strategy. He's not a learning guy, but I haven't been able to find a learning expert with useful insights on these issues (as I explain in my conclusion). You can read about Josh's work on the web here, for example: http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/05/03/seven-deadly-mobile-myths-josh-clark-debunks-the-desktop-paradigm-and-more/
Josh's first point is that we have a "condescending" view of mobile, seeing it as a "lite" version of the "full" desktop experience. This view is wrong, and to demonstrate this he debunks several mobile myths: "We have some really stubborn myths about mobile users, really screwing up the way we provide mobile services."
Myth #1 is that "mobile users are rushed and distracted", with a short attention span. With mobile learning, this has translated into little info tidbits or short exercises. MIT's Open CourseWare (OCW) iPhone app, for example, starts up with a message warning that it's "a subset" of the OCW catalog.
Yes, sometimes you use your mobile device for information on the go. But that's far from the only use case. Mobile is also on the couch, in the kitchen, on the bed, or during a 3-hour layover... and, last but not least, sitting on the throne (according to Josh, 40% admit to using phones in bathroom).
Those mobile contexts allow us to concentrate and focus on content. They are non-traditional (for now) contexts of engagement which can make learning more pleasurable (because of the level of comfort, by saving us from boredom during that layover, etc.).
So what do users expect from a mobile application? 85% expect mobile to be *at least as good* as desktop. Why would this be any different for students or other learners? We do everything on our phones that it seems obvious we are now at a point where the concept of a distinct, discrete *mLearning* makes no sense.
OK, so if mobile doesn't necessarily mean rushed users, what about small screen sizes? Doesn't that physical limitation place limits on learning?
The screen size raises the issue of visual presentation of learning content. Yes, we have built a lot of user interaction and interface conventions on the assumption of a 4:3 or 16:9 screen ratio. This goes back a while for machine learning, starting with Macromedia Director interfaces in the 1990s that imposed 640 x 480 pixels as a "standard" screen size for interactive, animated content. So we have at least 20 years of thinking reliant on the model of eLearning that some are now trying to painstakingly reduce by changing the "e" in learning to the "m".
I agree with Josh that the real answer is not in this alphabet soup. Don’t confuse context with intent. We make too many assumptions from screen size. Screen size should not be an excuse to limit functionality. Using small screen does not equal wanting to do less. It would be like saying that because paperbacks have smaller pages, you have to remove entire chapters. The trick is to make complexity uncomplicated. There’s a difference.
Mobile websites/apps should have full content/tools. Yes, they may be displayed differently and hierarchy may change. Some devices may be better suited to some tasks than others -- so EMPHASIZE different content on different devices. But don’t arbitrarily give me LESS. That goes not only for individual sites but for families of sites.
A lot of people ONLY use their phone. And of course perhaps the more expected numbers from developing world: In Egypt, 70% of net users rely solely on their phones. In India, it's 59%. Ghana: 55%. Kenya: 54%. Nigeria: 50%. OK, you say, but these are developing countries where desktop computers and broadband access are expensive. But wait, what's this... 25% in the US and 22% in the UK use *only* their phone. Another 28% of US mobile web users *mostly* use mobile web.
And, if we are talking about teaching young people, I'm sure these stats are much higher.
This group of mobile-only or mostly-mobile users definitely expect to do everything on mobile. If we care about reaching them or teaching them, we have to care about hitting them on mobile.
For individual-learner click-through online learning modules, I've recently sent out two requests for proposals to over 20 companies that specialize in building such modules to support adult learning. Not a single one actually can currently deliver a mobile-first strategy. Yet, the tools and techniques to build a single code base (using HTML5 to replace Flash for animation and a technique called responsive design) already exist and are in wide use in other areas -- just not in learning. Yes, they all know it's a long-term trend, but in many of the responses I received they proposed to build a separate, "lite" version of the "real" learning modules. Exactly the opposite of what I think is needed. And the stats cited above (as well as more insightful analysis from Josh and other designers) make a strong case that this needs to happen today, not in some distant future.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) officials are going to release the JNVST Exam Key for class 6. At the end of the page, we had given a direct link to download the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test Solved Key. Besides, the officials will release the JNVST Goa 6th Selected List 2020 in the 3rd Week Of January 2020. Moreover, the officials had conducted the Exam for Phase 1 on 11th January 2020. However, keep checking our page to get the latest updates of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Answer Key.
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The above content was posted 7 years ago but yet still relevant in today's learning for our youth. I am aware that the functionality of mobile phones particularly Android ones have opened a greater space for learning among today's youth. What I advocate is that application developers should envision that most of the learning takes place in more informal environments that the formal classrooms/computer rooms. Let the youth and for that matter, adults like me are given the opportunity to widen our scope for learning through friendly media like mobile phones
Nice write up. e-learning makes life easy
Very interesting reading Reda. As much there is potential in adult learning using mobile technology/medium, one cannot be oblivious of the multitude of challenges among users especially in the third world. Of the statistics quoted above who use phone over 90% of them (mainly aged less than 40 years of age) in these countries use phone for communication/information sharing/video/tv/etc and not generally for learning. simple instructions towards learning can be herculean for many people in these countries (consider logon instructions for the GRISP course we are presently enrolled in). Apart from individual willingness to learn, the non-internet environment can make the learning process very challenging.
On the lighter side, mobile learning using phones can lead to antisocial behaviours with learnings oblivious of day-to-day happenings around them