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Exploiting Mobile and Wireless Technologies on Vocational Training Demetrios Sampson ([email protected]) Panagiotis Zervas ([email protected]) Advanced e-Services for the Knowledge Society Research Unit (ASK) Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) (http://www.ask4research.info) This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

Outline of the Workshop • Part 1: Introduction to m-training – – –

Some Definitions Dimensions of m-training Limitations imposed by mobile/wireless technologies

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Main Stakeholders in SMILE m-VET Needs of Main Stakeholders in SMILE m-VET The m-Training Business Case The Case of the SMILE Project

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Empowering the Main Stakeholders in m-VET Live Demo of SMILE Portal and Web-Based Repositories Live Demo of SMILE Authoring Tool for Mobile VET Activities Live Demo of SMILE PDA Learning Design Player

• Part 2: The SMILE m-Training Environment

• Part 3: The SMILE Services/Tools

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Part 1: Introduction to m-training

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Some Definitions? (1/3) • “m-learning (mobile learning) is defined as the ability of using handheld devices to access learning resources” [1] [1] Kinshuk, Suhonen J., Sutinen E. and Goh T. (2003). "Mobile Technologies in

Support of Distance Learning". Asian Journal of Distance Education, 1 (1), 6068 (ISSN 1347 9008)

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Some Definitions? (2/3) • “Three ways of learning can be considered mobile. Learning is mobile in terms of space; it is mobile in different areas of life; it is mobile with respect of time” [2] [2] Vavoula G. N. and Sharples M. (2002). “KleOS: A Personal, Mobile,

Knowledge and Learning Organisation System”. In Milrad M. , Hoppe HU and Kinshuk (Eds), In Proc. of the IEEE International Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education WMTE 2002, pp 152 – 156, Los Alimatos, USA

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Some Definitions? (3/3) • “m-learning refers to the use of mobile and handheld IT devices, such as PDAs, mobile phones, laptops and tablet PCs, in teaching and learning” [3] [3] Wood K. (2003). Introduction to Mobile Learning (M Learning) Available at:

http://ferl.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?page=65&catid=192&resid=5194&printabl e=1

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Dimensions of m-Learning

Pedagogy (Scenarios & Activities)

Devices

mLearning

Content

Connectivity

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Dimensions of m-Learning

Devices

mLearning

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Mobile devices used for educational purposes • NoteBook computers/ Laptops • Tablet PCs • Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs)/ handheld PCs • Smart Phones • Cellular phones 9/37

Dimensions of m-Learning

mLearning

Connectivity

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Connectivity (Modes of use) • Mobile wireless/ on-line/ pure mobility – Direct and constant access to the service provider

• Disconnected use/ stand-alone – Content has to be downloaded in advance – Connection to the server provider whenever required, not in constant connection – Ability to take a course without being connected, but maintain the scoring and tracking data until the device is next connected to a network 11/ 11/37

Dimensions of m-Learning

mLearning

Content

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m-Content • W3C Standards on Mobile Web Content • web-based resources appropriately processed to meet the restrictions (e.g. screen size) imposed by mdevices and wireless connectivity, in order to support mTraining activities 13/ 13/37

Dimensions of m-Learning

Pedagogy (Scenarios & Activities) mLearning

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Examples of m-Learning approaches • mLearning as eLearning • mLearning as traditional Classroom Assessment • mLearning as performance support • mLearning as facilitating learning in context • mLearning as Content to “go” (podcasting ?) • mLearning as Data-gathering tools for project-based learning 15/ 15/37

Technological Limitations • Device limitations – Small screens limit the amount and type of information that can be displayed (mobiles and PDAs) – Limited storage capacities (especially mobiles and PDAs)

• Connectivity limitations – Bandwidth may degrade with a larger number of users when using wireless networks

• Design considerations – Lack of common platform specifications (eg. Different sized screens - horizontal screens with some handheld computers, small square screens with mobile phones), difficult to develop content that will work anywhere

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myConclusions 1.0 • During the last years m-learning has attracted the attention of technologyenhanced learning community mainly as a side effect of the growth of the mobile communications industry • While the educational added-value of mlearning is under investigation, technological efforts are much needed to align m-learning technologies with the current state-of-the-art in TeL. 17/ 17/37

Part 2: The SMILE Environment

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The SMILE Project • SMILE – Supporting Vocational Education and Training through Mobile Learning Environments • funded by the European Commission through the Leonardo de Vinci Programme • started 1/1/2007 and lasts for 24 months • (http://smile.iti.gr)

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The SMILE Project Consortium • Centre for Research and Technology Hellas Coordinator, Greece [Co-ordinator] • Siemens Business Services, Turkey • Laboratory for Mixed Realities, Germany • University of Joensuu, Finland • INHOLLAND University for Professional Higher Education, The Netherlands • EST Education Centre, Poland 20/ 20/37

Main Stakeholders in m-VET • mTraining Content Suppliers: the entity responsible for designing and developing independent mTraining Resources in the form of "Learning Objects", suitable for mobile delivery • mTraining Activities Suppliers: the entity responsible for designing mTraining Activities/Courses as a synthesis of a number of appropriately selected mTraining Resources based on a predefined scenario that reflects the training approach of this particular course. • mTraining Services Providers: the entity responsible for designing mTraining Programmes as a synthesis of mTraining Courses and delivering mTraining services to end users

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The SMILE Environment

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Needs of Main Stakeholders in m-VET • mTraining Content Suppliers: need to convert their existing eTraining Resources (or create new resources) so as to be suitable for mobile and wireless delivery • mTraining Activities Suppliers: need to define training scenarios populated with appropriately selected mTraining Resources in order to develop their mTraining Activities/Courses • mTraining Services Providers: need to have access to mTraining courses in order to provide mTraining services (course delivery and support) to their end users

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myConclusions 2.0 • Tools to empower the different actors in their various capacities, are needed … • It is import in m-learning to adopt and possible enhance widely spread international TeL specifications (such as IEEE LOM and IMS Learning Design), so as to be able to include m-learning in large scale TeL business cases. 24/ 24/37

myConclusions 2.0 To this end, the adoption of the IMS Learning Design as the enabling specification for the formal description of m-learning activities is very important to be able to inter-exchange them between different platforms. There are several benefits from this design decision:

– Our m-learning activities will not be isolated form the rest of our elearning activities and services, – Different m-learning service providers can deploy and re-use mlearning activities from common pools (like repositories of IMS LD learning activities) – M-Learning activities can be inter-exchanged between different mtraining settings – Appropriate software can be developed to run these m-training activities via different devices.

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Part 3: The SMILE Services/Tools

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Empowering mTraining Content Suppliers (1/4) • the SMILE project synchronizes existing guidelines (W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and best practice guides (W3C Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0) into a set of guidelines for the design of m-Training Resources

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Empowering mTraining Content Suppliers (2/4) IMS Learner Information Package Accessibility for LIP (AccLIP)

IEEE LOM

LOM mobile Application Profile

Learner Specific Guidelines

The SMILE project develops appropriate metadata needed for describing mTraining resources

IMS AccessForAll Metadata (AccMD)

Content Specific Guidelines

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Empowering mTraining Content Suppliers (3/4) General

Life Cycle 1. setting

1.1 location

1.1.1 type

Meta-metadata 2.1.1 screenEnhance

Technical

IEEE LOM

2.1 display

mobile

2.1.2 structuralPresentation

Educational 2.2.1 keyboardEnhanced

2. equipment

Rights

Relation

2.2.2 onscreenKeyboard 2.2.3 alternativeKeyboard 2.2 control 2.2.4 mouseEmulation

Annotation 2.2.5 structuralPresentation

Classification

Mobile

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Empowering mTraining Content Suppliers (4/4) SMILE Mobile Learning Objects Metadata Authoring Toolkit • Provides a step-by-step wizard for metadata authoring • Allows mTraining Content Suppliers to tag their mTraining Resources • Allows mTraining Activities Suppliers to tag their mTraining Activities/Courses • Supports IEEE LOM plus additional metadata related to mobile devices 30/ 30/37

Empowering mTraining Courses Suppliers (1/2) • The SMILE project carried out a study of appropriate mTraining Strategies and created a Reference Set of Generic mTraining Scenarios (Course Patterns) implementing the identified mTraining Strategies. 31/ 31/37

Empowering mTraining Activities Suppliers (2/2) SMILE Authoring Tool for mobile VET Activites • Allows mTraining Activities Suppliers to design and develop mTraining Activities/Courses using a Reference Set of predefined generic mTraining Scenarios • Provides a graphical user interface for the definition of new templates (Course Patterns) • Supports IMS Learning Design Level A and B 32/ 32/37

Empowering mTraining Services Providers (1/2) SMILE PDA Learning Design Player • • • • • •

Allows mTraining Services Providers to deliver their courses to their end users Support synchronization between different actors/users Support asynchronous messaging between different actors/users Supports IMS Learning Design Level A and B Client-side IMS Learning Design Player Renders HTML-based content and flash files. The content can be scaled up or scaled down according to the size of the device display.

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Empowering mTraining Services Providers (2/2) The SMILE project provides access to a web-based Repository of mTraining Resources and m-Training Activities

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Live Demo of SMILE Tools/Services • SMILE Portal and Web-Based Repositories • SMILE Authoring Tool for Mobile VET Activities • SMILE PDA Learning Design Player

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Live Demo of SMILE Tools/Services 1. Create Mobile Web Content (+add Metatada) 2. Upload it to SMILE Repository [new Resources] 3. Search and Retrieve MobWebCont from the Repository of LOs 4. Implement a Scenario using AKS-LDT (pre-defined templates or not + add resources) (add metadata) 5. Upload the outcome (IMS LD) into the SMILE Repository [new Activity/Course] 6. Search and Retrieve MobActivities 7. Run from the SMILE PDA LD Player 36/ 36/37

Contact Details Demetrios Sampson ([email protected]) Advanced e-Services for the Knowledge Society Research Unit (ASK) Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) (http://www.ask4research.info) 37/ 37/37