The Role of Mobile Learning in Promoting Literacy and Human Rights for Women and Girls

In this chapter the authors review the fairly recent advances in combating illiteracy around the globe through the use of e-readers and mobile phones most recently in the Worldreader program and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) mobile phone reading initiatives. Situated in human rights and utilizing the lens of transnational feminist discourse which addresses globalization and the hegemonic, monolithic portrayals of “third world” women as passive and in need of the global North's intervention, the authors explore the ways in which the use of digital media provides increased access to books, and other texts and applications in both English and native languages for people in developing countries. However, while advances in combating illiteracy through the use of e-readers, mobile phones and other mobile learning initiatives are promising, the tensions and power imbalances of digital literacies, which resources are available by whom, for whom and why, must also be examined.

To Be or Not to Be Successful?

The increase of blended learning education has been identified as an important goal in improving teaching-learning technological models. However, when considering this development it becomes essential to take into account the potential characteristics that students must have to be successful in this kind of education. This study is based on this human aspect. Thus, the authors have focused on learners and the fundamental qualities that they must have to study English via a hypermedia modular model and get their goals. Based on the results of this research the authors can indicate that characteristics like reasonable computer skills, ability to work both individually and in groups, capability of being organized and tenacious in their learning, a high level of academic maturity and a reasonable competence in English that allows them to be autonomous in their learning are essential features to be successful in this type of education.

Complex Mobile Learning that Adapts to Learners' Cognitive Load

Mobile learning is cognitively demanding and frequently the ubiquitous nature of mobile computing means that mobile devices are used in cognitively demanding environments. This paper examines the use of mobile devices from a Learning, Usability and Cognitive Load Theory perspective. It suggests scenarios where these fields interact and presents an experiment which determined that several sources of cognitive load can be measured simultaneously by the learner. The experiment also looked at the interaction between these cognitive load types and found that distraction did not affect the performance or cognitive load associated with a learning task but it did affect the perception of the cognitive load associated with using the application interface. This paper concludes by suggesting ways in which mobile learning can benefit by developing cognitive load aware systems that could detect and change the difficulty of the learning task based on the cognitive state of the learner.

A Method Based on Self-Study Log Information for Improving Effectiveness of Classroom Component in Flipped Classroom Approach

The flipped classroom approach has recently begun to attract attention. In a flipped classroom, the conventional roles of classroom and homework are reversed: students study on their own using digital teaching materials or e-learning prior to class and then apply their learning in classroom activities. The authors have developed a method for improving the effectiveness of the classroom component: the students in a class are grouped on the basis of the time they spent studying (as recorded in their self-study logs) and their degree of understanding (as revealed by a self-study achievement test), and a different learning model is used for each group to improve their degree of understanding. Although they were unable to find a meaningful statistical difference in the test scores obtained in an experiment using one class of 34 students, there was a notable difference in the way questions were answered. The results of a free-description questionnaire indicate that the group learning encourages active learning.

A Blended Approach to Teacher Education

This chapter describes the effectiveness of a blended approach to teacher education through the use of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) framework. Data was collected from students and faculty involved in the program via online surveys, focus groups, and the use of an editable Google Doc. The study participants provided recommendations for improving the quality of the blended program through the use of digital technologies based on the five NSSE benchmarks. For example, student and faculty interactions outside of the classroom could be enhanced through the use of web-based synchronous conferencing tools (e.g., Skype) to establish ‘virtual' meetings and office hours.

The Human Element MOOC

The Human Element Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the Canvas open network was designed to be a connectivist experience exploring methods for the humanization of online education. This MOOC introduced and discussed methods that faculty could adopt in order to potentially increase instructor presence, social presence, and cognitive presence within their own online courses. The design of the MOOC and the learners' perceptions of social presence after taking part in this MOOC are discussed in this chapter.

Barriers and Challenges Facing Pre-Service Teachers Use of Mobile Technologies for Teaching and Learning

This study examined the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of pre-service teachers using the iPad for their professional learning purposes and for teaching during their school placements. The sample consisted of 117 pre-service teachers undertaking a one-year postgraduate qualification in England to gain qualified teaching status (QTS). A mixed methods design was employed to collect data using questionnaires and focus groups and the results showed how students' beliefs and attitudes, categorised as second order barriers, are significant factors in determining how effectively mobile technologies are used as a teaching and learning tool. Whilst the research literature suggests access, infrastructure and training, are diminishing as significant barriers for technology adoption, this study found that first-order barriers such as these still remain a significant challenge for pre-service teachers attempting to learn with and use mobile technologies in their practice. The article concludes with implications for practice in teacher education, theory and areas for further research.

How Students in a First-Year Composition Course Respond to the Flipped Classroom

This qualitative pilot study investigated how 19 students enrolled in an entry-level college writing course responded to the use of video technology to supplement and flip class curriculum. Students were provided 10 video podcasts to augment course content and flip four class lessons. Collected through six student surveys and video download data, the results, including students' podcast viewership behaviors and attitudes toward the videos, are presented. The data revealed the college writing students involved in this study were generally satisfied with the flipped classroom and preferred it over the traditional lecture format. Download patterns indicated, however, less than half of the students watched the podcasts. Despite low viewership, the results suggest that the incorporation of video technology brings writing teachers opportunities to optimize class time by delving deeper into course content and by expanding the number of course assignments.

Teaching and Learning Online

This chapter explores online learning and the pedagogical techniques needed to create an effective learning environment. In addition, it emphasizes the advances in contemporary online learning tracing its difficult beginning and the progress made due to advances made in technology especially the World Wide Web and the Internet. The chapter also discusses the importance of immediacy in online learning, and its ability to allow students to learn from anywhere and at any time. Student problems include lack of access to the technology, readiness to work online, and the erroneous impression that they know the technology more than the instructor. Interaction includes the effective application of scenarios of student and content, interaction between instructor and students, and the interaction between students which help promote social presence. We strongly believe the application of the afore-mentioned strategies will ensure successful development and implementations of an effective online course.

Assessing Online Courses in Health Education

Internet-based health education is being used increasingly around the world for two related purposes: 1) to train a global health workforce of nurses, physicians, health educators, and other health workers, and 2) to educate the public about disease prevention and management (e.g., in outbreaks of SARS in China and Ebola in Africa). Assessment of online health education is vital to maintain quality control and to share best practices. Online health education has been found to have significant positive effects on e-learners, comparable to those of traditional face-to-face instruction. In developing countries where there is a critical shortage of health workers, distance education is needed to train large numbers of health workers rapidly and effectively. In developed countries, online health education is a cost-effective means of providing access to 1) higher education for individuals who are employed full time and wish to pursue training in the health professions, 2) workplace continuing education for health professionals, and 3) public health campaigns that promote healthy behaviors. In this chapter we look at what is going on in the field now, and what can be done in the future to use technology to advance the mass dissemination of health education.