Mobile Learning, Mobile Library: Connecting iPads, a Mobile Library Web Site, and Library Instruction. Presented at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition LITA Mobile Computing IG Meeting.
1. Mobile Learning, Mobile Library: Connecting iPads, a Mobile Library Website, and Library Instruction Willie Miller LITA Mobile Computing Interest Group ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition June 26, 2011
2. Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis(IUPUI) Indiana’s urban research institution Student population: 22,000 undergraduate 8,000 graduate Five campus libraries University Library main campus library
3. iPad Faculty Learning Community Grant project funded through University IT Services and Center for Teaching and Learning Provides iPads for classroom use Eight-member interdisciplinary community
4. University Library (UL) Mobile Launched in 2009 No librarians or users involved in development No initial use in library instruction m.ulib.iupui.edu
5. University Library (UL) Mobile Revised in 2010 Librarians involved in development Some use in library instruction m.ulib.iupui.edu
6. Instruction with iPads Courses: Informatics First Year Experience (Fall ‘10) Perspectives in Communication (Fall ‘10) Computer Methods for Journalism (Spring ’11)
17. Student Feedback & Transformations Reflections from in-class experience Comments during activities Student work Adoption Study of engagement and learning Change in Librarians’ attitudes
19. Questions? Comments? Mobile Learning, Mobile Library: Connecting iPads, a Mobile Library Website, and Library Instruction Willie Miller Email: wmmiller@iupui.edu Twitter: @LibraryWillie
Notas do Editor
NamePosition, dutiesTopicToday, I will discuss:How my institution’s commitment to exploring technology in teaching, in this instance using iPads, led to advancement for the libraryHow I, a person with limited tech expertise (although, I will admit that I’m gadgety), came to the development team of a mobile web siteAndHowinstruction has changed this siteHopefully you will see how collaboration and dialogue is so important in our work and in higher education; get some ideas from my experience, and see the value in mobile web sites as teaching tools
IUPUI: A university built as a collaboration of Indiana University and Purdue University5 Libraries: Law, Medicine, Art, Dentistry, University Library
July 2010, our University Information Technology Services and Center for Teaching and Learning sent out a call for applicants for an FLC to exploring the use of mobile devices for teaching and learning. Members of the FLC received an iPad, stipend, and most importantly access to 40 iPads for classroom use. Our FLC is comprised of 8 faculty members from various disciplines. I was the only librarian.
UL Mobile, my library’s mobile website was launched in 2009.It was developed by our library IT dept, and it initially contained library hours, location, available computers, wireless strength, contact information, and access to a few mobile databasesThe mobile site started as a small IT project, and there was no direct input from librarians or users—stakeholders in the use and function of the resourceBecause mobile technology is still new and scary for some AND because, there was no real buy-in for librarians, there was no use in library instruction.
Things started to change in 2010, after I was hired. I had an immediate interest in the project. So, I asked to join the development team, and I was welcomed with open arms. They were excited to have a librarian involved.I started to play around with it, talk to my colleagues about it, and tried to think about ways that we could incorporate it into instruction.Once, I received the grant and membership to the iPad FLC, I had access to mobile devices with which to use the site.
These are the courses in which I used iPads and the mobile site for instruction. In total, I used iPads with about 90 students in 8 sessions.
We are proud of this list. There were two simple reasons that this list has increased from initially about 4 to about 12:The mobile interfaces for the databases were just not available in the early stages of the mobile site.Our IT staff didn’t always know if some new had been released.Since, we have brought more attention to the mobile site, anytime anyone sees mobile mentioned in connection to a database vendor, the entire development team gets emailed about it from all over the library.
Another improvement that came from instructional use of the mobile site on the Text a Librarian page:It was embarrassing when I was telling students about the service, and how if they touched the number on this page while using a smartphone, it would open a message on their phone with the Text a Librarian number pre-addressed…Just like any website, you have to make sure that all of the links are working.
Story about student suggesting this…Be open to suggestion. This is now the 3rd most used feature of the mobile site behind Hours and Mobile Research
So, these were the improvements we made.
I collected feedback from students in a few ways that have evolved over the past year:First, I started with short informal discussion about using the iPads and the mobile site at the end of a class session (that is where we got the idea for the study room page)Then, I started to incorporate open-ended questions about using the mobile site and/or the iPad in assignmentsGenerally, students found the mobile site simple to navigateFor me the best moment teaching with the mobile site is when a student brings up on his/her phone and adds it to their homescreen. It becomes a research tool that can be ubiquitous in their lives. Finally, our FLC collaborated to start a study on the students’ perceived engagement and learning using the iPads From this I’ve learned that all students don’t like iPads A small number did not see them as a useful tool for their learning A small number did not think that mobile devices were useful for research Majority of students thought that iPads helped keep them more engaged and focused than a computer Majority of students reported an interest in using the mobile site in the futureThe idea of using the UL Mobile has changed some librarians’ attitudes about mobile computing and instruction. I and the rest of the development team have been approached by librarians interested in using the mobile site and possibly creating apps for instruction. I created a mobile friendly page to generate citations. Additionally, we’re working on more additions and improvements to come. But the most important thread to all of this work is collaboration: collaboration between library staff, between faculty members, with students—as mobile computing becomes the dominate computing mechanism, it is important to listen on all sides.