EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative 2010 Online Spring Focus Session

Although mobile learning has different meanings for different communities, we know that learning is deepened and enriched when students have options for their learning for multiple paths through course content. Mobile technology not only enables students to take their learning with them beyond the physical walls of the classroom, but it also makes possible a new array of interactions in the classroom as well. Mobile learning encompasses participating in learning activities anywhere, at any time, and utilizing mobile technologies that are rapidly evolving. Possible applications of mobile technology include enabling authentic learning engagements (such as real-time data collection), spontaneous mash ups (such as populating a map with local data), synchronous interactions with classmates and subject experts, and a rich variety of interactions with course content. Precisely because of its fluidity and independence from physical boundaries, mobile learning offers vast potential to enhance all types of instruction: face-to-face, blended, and online. The goal of this focus session is to re-assess the potential of mobile technologies and identify new ways in which mobility can contribute to the learning experience.

Join us March 3-4 for "Mobile Learning 2.0: The Next Phase of Innovation in Mobility," the 2010 ELI Online Spring Focus Session. Hosted inside an Adobe Connect learning environment, this virtual event will be much more than just a "usual" online seminar. You’ll exchange ideas and collaborate interactively with the ELI community—all without leaving your campus. You'll also receive all the resources and guided activities you need to help frame discussion and organize team events locally in your department, college, or institution.

We will work together to:

• Develop an understanding of mobile learning and its diverse application to all learning environments: face-to-face, blended, and online
• Explore various tools, devices, and instructional methodologies that support mobile learning
• Create a framework for the design of meaningful and purposeful mobile learning activities
• Reflect on the potential for mobile learning to promote critical thinking, student engagement, and success
• Consider assessment strategies for mobile learning activities

Is This Event for You?

This online event will bring together a variety of professionals to examine how today’s mobile technologies and corresponding pedagogies can help faculty members and instructional staff design mobile learning opportunities using a variety of Web 2.0 tools and devices. The session will be valuable for:

• Information technology professionals
• Learning technologists
• Faculty members
• Administrators
• Librarians
• Others functioning in related roles

You will receive the greatest value from this online session if you attend as member of a team or host a group event on your campus. Team participation can help your institution advance a current or upcoming project or encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. Team members find that active discussion and engagement with each other during focus-session activities builds rapport, solidifies plans, and enriches collaboration. By sharing a common focus-session experience, participants can reflect on the implications for their campus.

What We Will Do

• Develop strategies to help faculty introduce and sustain mobile learning activities in their courses
• Explore mobile learning opportunities across a variety of disciplines
• Identify the role technology can play in the delivery and evaluation of mobile learning
• Engage in dialogue with a community of professionals focused on how to integrate and evaluate mobile learning across the curriculum

How You Will Prepare

You’ll be asked to complete presession activities and a survey in preparation for the event. Please also visit the Getting Ready for the Focus Session page to read more about technical requirements and informal networking opportunities before the event begins. We recommend that teams consider the ways they can interact both inside the online learning environment and together on campus. Resources and guided activities will be provided in the Learning Commons to help you frame discussion on campus and organize team events.