If ICT, and mobile devices in particular, are to have the impact on learning that is envisaged, there is an urgent need for educators to work more collaboratively to design and evaluate learning experiences for young people that exploit the transformational benefits of these technologies. Current practice with mobile technologies tends to replicate existing pedagogical practice, and many valuable opportunities, especially to engage learners from diverse and marginalized backgrounds, are wasted. However, where mobile technologies are used in a transformative way there is compelling evidence of greater engagement from learners, more social inclusion, motivation and community involvement effectively transcending many of the boundaries and limitations of traditional schools and education. Therefore, this project advocates an innovative, developmental approach to widen the spread and reach of these isolated examples.
The project aims to demonstrate how the professional profile of educators can be strenthened to ensure that learning is responsive to the benefits and opportunities afforded by mobile technologies. It seeks to define what transformational learning with mobile technologies looks like, and to help stakeholders design and evaluate transformative mobile learning episodes using a mobile app, developed iteratively over three design cycles. Additionally, the app supports users in evaluating the impact of these transformational lessons, enabling teachers and their school leaders to make more informed judgments about how they invest and deploy these technologies in future.
Evens Marie