Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning

Information literacy is regarded as the basis for learning in our contemporary environment of rapid and sophisticated technological change. As information and communication technologies develop rapidly, and the information environment becomes increasingly complex, educators are recognizing the needs for learners to engage with the information environment as part of their formal learning processes. The achievement of lifelong learning and making citizens become information literate is the target of many nations as far as millennium development goals and vision 2015 are concerned. This chapter presents a literature review on information literacy and lifelong learning pointing out the relationship between the two and their benefits, and finally, the chapter makes recommendations to improve both programs.

Mobile Technologies

Mobile technologies are influencing a generation of students and educators like never before. Schools are considering and learning how the cell phone, the tablet, and iPads are going to change the way in which teaching and learning is happening in the classroom. This chapter seeks to understand the influence of mobile technologies on a worldwide spectrum while also acknowledging that the work of learning in an online socially networked society is ongoing and will continue to change with new technological innovations.

Mobile Technology and Learner Autonomy in Language Learning

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) provides learners with the chance to experience new learning modes that go beyond the classroom context, offering them more flexibility, learning choices in terms of language content, ways of its delivery, learning space, and time, thereby enhancing their learning autonomy. But how are English teachers using MALL? In the attempt to answer this question, a survey is carried out with a sample of 42 English teachers. The results show that the limited use of such devices is not likely to help the learners develop autonomy since it does not go beyond the objective of enhancing their knowledge of this language. This study also reveals learners' difficulties in using these devices, the skills needed, and the kind of support these teachers require. In light of these findings, a list of recommendations is suggested to enhance MALL.

Mobile Devices in Higher Education Classrooms

More and more students are bringing personal mobile devices such as smart phones and iPads to university campuses. Widespread mobile device ownership among students offers Higher Education (HE) institutions with opportunities to explore those devices to support teaching and learning practices. The idea of using students' personal devices is referred to as “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD. This chapter examines opportunities and key challenges often discussed in the literature and associated with a BYOD program. Outcomes suggest that a cultural change is necessary to effectively accommodate BYOD in the classroom. The chapter proposes a BYOD joint enterprise consisting of main stakeholders—administrators, faculty, students, and information technology personnel—working together to help minimize the impact of key challenges while maximizing the opportunities afforded by students' everyday mobile devices.

Implications of Mobile Devices in a Bachelor of Education Program

The purpose of this chapter is to describe a study that investigated if and how mobile devices could be used to support the required program outcomes in a blended Bachelor or Education (B.Ed.) program. All students enrolled in an educational technology course during the Fall 2011 semester were provided with a ViewSonic Tablet. Through faculty interviews, student online surveys, and a post-course focus group, the study participants indicated that mobile devices could be useful for supporting future professional responsibilities (e.g., career-long learning, collaboration) and facilitating student learning but less effective for planning, assessment, and managing the classroom environment.

The Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Technologies in Education

As the world gradually becomes universally networked with digital cellular systems and wireless high-speed Internet connectivity, mobile technologies are increasingly also becoming more ubiquitous, with enhanced capabilities ideal for supporting learning. There can be no doubt that mobile technologies are already playing a major role in education, especially since such technologies are more in tune with this fast-paced information age. This chapter examines the benefits and challenges of mobile technologies in education from the perspective of Sub-Saharan Africa. Because of the benefits that are exclusive to mobile technologies, the educational sector is gradually legitimizing the dissemination of education via such technologies. However, critics have not yet bought into the idea of disseminating education via mobile technologies because of the challenges related to such technologies. Nonetheless, the benefits seem to outweigh the challenges, and it is certain that mobile technologies are poised to be the future means for increasing education access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Learning in Education

Advances in technologies have changed the process of learning, not just in formal educational settings but continuing education as well. Mobile learning is a part of a new learning landscape and offers the opportunity for a spontaneous, personal, informal, and situated learning. With the use of mobile technology in education, online learning communities can incorporate students from different backgrounds with vastly diverse learning styles into an educational setting. This chapter analyses the opportunities mobile learning presents and the impact mobile devices have had on teaching and learning practices and the barriers and challenges to support competitive educational experiences.

Quality Enhancement for Mobile Learning in Higher Education

Students entering higher education today have grown up with the Internet and mobile devices. Thus, there is a need for universities to offer a greater mix of face-to-face and online learning possibilities, such as Open Educational Resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that allow individuals to access education anywhere, anytime, and to have it personalized through apps. This chapter focuses on mobile learning (M-learning) in open learning educational arenas and contexts. The author defines M-learning and the usefulness of M-learning in education. Then some examples of mobile devices and principles of M-learning are given, and some design examples of M-learning are presented. Next, the advantages and the use of M-learning in education are discussed. As quality of e-learning and M-learning is a complex subject, this chapter focuses mainly on quality and a frame of reference to understand M-learning dimension concerns as course design, learning design, and media design and content. Consistent layout and design, clear organization, presentation of information, consistency, easy-to-use navigation, and aesthetically pleasing design and graphics are dimensions that also have to be taken into consideration. It is argued in this chapter that security, accessibility, interactivity, flexibility, personalization, and the devices and interfaces are the main quality dimensions. In the final section, challenges and conclusions are discussed.

Ambient Learning Conceptual Framework for Bridging Digital Divide in Higher Education

According to ITU (2012), digital divide is the difference between countries in terms of levels of ICT development. This difference remains significant. In 2011, the ICT Development Index (IDI) value of developed countries (6.52) was twice as high as that of developing countries (3.24). The need to link the digital divide for universal broadband Internet access is within the key international development goals, which include World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) goals and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ambient learning is the next generation of M-learning (Bick, Kummer, Pawlowski, & Veith, 2007), which allows flexible content access by considering learner's current situation and learning context (Kofod-Petersen, et al., 2008). However, ambient learning has not yet attained a state of common understanding (Winker, Scharf, Hahn, & Herczeg, 2011) and is not widely used or adopted (Bick, et al., 2007). This chapter presents a theoretical conceptual framework to foster creativity for innovative ambient learning applications, which can be used to bridge the digital gap between universities in developed and developing countries.

The Laptop, the Tablet, and the Smartphone Attend Lectures

A large number of students bring laptops and other mobile instruments to their lectures. This chapter presents findings of a study that investigated the habits of mobile technology use in class among students. The study probes relations among four elements: (a) mobile technologies available to students in class; (b) students' use of these mobile technologies in class; (c) students' perceptions of these uses (i.e., how they estimate the contribution or damage of the use of these devices during the lecture); and (d) how intensively lecturers engage students via the mobile devices in the students' possession. The findings indicate that the use of mobile computers promotes learning-supportive activities while the use of smartphones encourages distractive activities. The lecturers might not be fully aware of the new phenomenon and, accordingly, do little for their students.