M-Learning

M -learning or mobile learning is mobile learning.

The term m-learning (sometimes called mLearning written ) is not clearly defined, but is derived from the concept of e-learning. Under M -learning is understood everywhere and at any time generally learning with ubiquitous portable media or mobile media.

Explanation

M -learning should not be a substitute for classical learning media or e-learning, but rather represent a useful extension. M -Learning via smartphones offers the advantage that can be learned spontaneously at any location ( for example, while waiting times ). With most other forms of learning, it is, however, necessary to plan time and place before learning by example a book is taken.

The major disadvantage of M -learning lies in its FITMENTS, as it usually spontaneously, only for a short time and is often used intermittently. For example, you are waiting at a bus stop on the bus and takes advantage of this now five minutes to learn. When the bus arrives, the learning needs to be interrupted. In the bus, you can continue to learn until it comes to the next interruption. For this reason, a didactic preparation of the learning content specifically for M -learning is necessary, as the following must be met:

  • The learning contents have small learning chunks - it is also called Nuggets - be, which can be easily consume between
  • Ambient noise and distractions need to be considered
  • An interruption of learning must always be possible and to the eventual resumption of learning also be easily feasible

For these reasons, a 1:1 implementation of e-learning content to mobile devices is doomed to failure from the outset because the usage scenario is completely different. M -learning can be an ideal venue for vocabulary training and general use for memorization. Also specially prepared " learning bites " can be put to good use. By using a smart phone for m-learning, new possibilities for learning, aimed more at social interactivity arise. For example, can be field - trips with a learning system to accompany on the smartphone, documenting experiments with the smartphone, or simply make only one available at all times communication between the teachers, the students and each other. Analogous to e-learning are also so-called blended learning approaches are feasible, in which different forms of mediation are mixed. Here for example is M -learning for educational support in the field for the processing of practical tasks used.

Technical implementations

The open source project MLE ( Mobile Learning Engine ) returns a m-learning implementation for smartphones. The guiding principle of the project " learning wherever, whenever and whatever you want " shows the desired mobile independence to be achieved with M -learning. The MLE is just the mobile client to learn. A Learning Management System ( LMS) is needed as a back-end. Currently there is a MLE- expansion for the popular open source LMS Moodle, called MLE -Moodle. Implements a flashcard trainer are to learn vocabulary, various interactive question types, offline and online learning, as well as a number of features (eg, instant messaging system, forums, audio and video) for interactions.

Real deployments of M -Learning

At one of the Graz School 2008 M -learning project was conducted at the MLE and MLE -Moodle was used. The project was supported by the Austrian Ministry of Education. Similarly, M -learning projects for schools in Germany were developed and tested in practice. Media educators and computer scientists of the m-learning project developed together to target group-specific concepts and open source software solutions to make sense to integrate mobile learning into everyday teaching and the various subjects.

In Germany the development of didactic concepts for mobile learning in workplace education is publicly funded. Current projects in the form of public-private partnerships take place, for example, in cooperation with the University of Hagen.

On 1 January 2011, the USBildungsministerium launched a field test with the mobile learning platform ELSYonline. Integrated in the experiment are 100 colleges and high schools.

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