1. Ye, Weihua (Wendy)
ITEC 299
Due: May 15, 2012
Synthesis Project about Mobile Learning
My personal learning preferences
I know everyone has his/her own learning style. For example, I can absorb
information better by reading the text and pictures, or graphs together. Pictures really can
grab my attention and make me focus in reading. At the beginning of the class, my score
of the learning styles survey were 5 in reflective, 0 in active; 9 in sensing, 0 in intuitive; 5
in visual, 0 in verbal; 7 in sequential, 0 in global. At the end of the class, I think my
learning score is stay the same. I suggest that everyone should take the survey for a
guideline of how you prefer to learn. The learning style survey lets me know what kinds
of learning methods benefit to me, so I can pick a right method in learning. It really is a
plus to my learning success.
Learning pathway that I choose
At the beginning of the class, I chose learning warrior. Its primary goal is personal
growth, which is deeply investigated into fewer technologies. I am surprised of what we
have learned in this class which I think the class includes too much technology
information. I cannot tell that I have a deep knowledge of every mobile technology that I
have learned in this class. Instead, I have got a brief knowledge of each technology, such
as iPods, mp3 players, iPads, social bookmarks, etc. I will not change my pathway
because I believe I cannot help others unless I know the information/materials. In
addition, I want to add more pathways which I did at the beginning of the class. That
means I have more than one pathway. However, I mainly want a personal growth first.
Activities I completed that contributed my learning pathway
Among all activities I have done in this class, I think the activities of mp3 helped
me get a broader understanding of how this mobile technology helps my learning. I was
surprised that mp3 is also a study tool. Before this class, I only used mp3 for entertaining,
such as a music player. However, after this class, I know mp3 can be a good tool for
learning. For example, I can use mp3 to listen all recorded lectures, learn new
vocabularies, if I have the apps, while I am on the way to school. Later on, I feel the
activities of microblogs have impressed me because I can learn so much more from
different kind of microblogs. For instance, I can get the current news in LA Times Fire on
Twitter, and political issue on Tumblr, etc. I think the best way to learn with others
people is communicating in microblogs because microblogs can send real-time messages.
In other words, people can see my questions and help me out instantly. It is like a group
work which we work with each other and help each other out.
Mobile technologies I explores for learning:
Mp3 players: as I mention in the previous paragraph, I can use mp3 players to listen a
recorded lecture as many time as I want. It is the best way to learn when I have no time to
take notes or think during a live lecture. What I mean to think is that I like to think for a
bit when the professor teaches a complicated topic. For example, I am always thinking
that it is too much information to absorb in an accounting class. I would like the lecture
time to be longer, so I can have more time to write down notes, clear my thought to make
rooms for next topic, and ask questions. I am a reflective learner, so I would like to spend
time to think what I am learning. Therefore, it is very difficult for me if the professor

2. talks and talks and leaves no time for me to think and absorb the materials. Now, I learn
that an mp3 player can fulfill my needs by allowing me to listen recorded lectures. I am
also a sensing learner. Listening recorded lectures in many times can increase the
percentages of memorizing the important information. Therefore, I use and enhance two
of my learning preferences which are reflective and sensing in learning through the help
of a mp3 player.
iPad: iPad is a helpful study tool for me. First of all, it is light weight, so it is easy to
carry it around. Secondary, it is like a handy computer which means that I can research
information, check my emails, learn a foreign language, collaborate or communicate with
a group, etc. I am a visual learner. I can use iPad to search diagrams, pictures, or
flowcharts to help me to better understand information. For example, I always search
pictures in the Internet when I was in a biology class. In order to learn the materials, I
always do extra work outside the class, such as find photos and pictures of a cell or
human body. Through the explanation of pictures, I know the location of each part in a
human body and its name. Without the help of pictures, I know I couldn’t learn the
materials so well.
Mircoblogs: Mircoblogs are for socializing, as well as for learning. I can contact with
other people, who are interested in the same field, through Twitter. I can put questions in
that microblog, and hopefully someone will answer it. There are many microblogs that
cover different topic, such as political, science, and business. Hence, I can choose to
follow the microblog depends on my interest or my major. For a sensing learner as me, I
like to learn fact and connect to the real world of what I have learned. I am majoring in
accounting, so I would like to learn what have really happened in the real world about
accounting, and what consequences that people faced. Therefore, I think I can hear
different stories from different people who already work in an accounting firm if they
also follow a microbolg which is focused on business.
Synthesizing my experience:
From many different mobile technologies, the most interested me as learning tools
are microblogs. I really want to learn more about learning through microblogs. I
personally think microblogs are a good way for learning. The bad thing is that I do not
know much about different kinds of microblogs, so I do not know which microblogs are
for business, history, or literature. The most surprised me as learning tools are mp3. In
fact, I had one mp3 players long time ago which I only used it for music purpose. I have
no ideas how a music player can help me in learning. Until I take this course, I can use a
mp3 player to listen lectures, study vocabularies, etc. The mobile technologies that do not
seem to work as learning tools are podcasts. Even though I learned it in this class, I still
do not know how effective it is in learning. The reason I have this feeling may be too less
information about it. As I mention earlier, I want to learn more about using microblogs in
learning.
I think mp3 players are the mobile technologies that work best for my learning
preferences. I am a reflective, sensing, visual, and sequential learner. First of all, mp3
players work well with my reflective learning preference. Mp3 players are allowed me to
listen recorded lectures and review course’s documents, such as outlines. I can use my
own time to do it and listen as many times as I want until I get the information. That
means I can have time to think for a few minutes of what I have learned, and make notes
before I go to the next topic. Secondary, mp3 works well with my sensing learning

3. preference. By listening or reading many time of the lecture, I believe I can pick up some
details that I might missed it in the first time, moreover, review some many time can help
me to memorize the important information. Thirdly, mp3 works well with my visual
learning preference. I like to learn things with words and pictures together. Mp3 players
can store images and videos, so I can use it to make learning be more fun, such as I can
see a video about the function of a cell. Last, I have no idea about how mp3 works with
my sequential learning preference.
What I will do next:
After this semester, I will continue using microblogs for other classes or activities.
Nowadays, information is really important to people regardless of what they work. I can
get current news in microblogs, such as twitter.
I will continue to use iPad for learning at my job and other outside school
activities. Having an iPad is so prevalent now, so I will plan to buy one in the future. It
will definitely benefit my learning and my career. I can bring it wherever I go because it
is light and portable. I can search information when Wi-Fi is available if I am out of
office. I can use it to record meetings in order to take complete and accurate notes. I can
use it to download videos about trainings if I cannot go to learn it in person. As I see in
these days, almost every business person in the financial district always is carrying an
iPad in his/her hands. Therefore, it will be a wise decision to use iPad for a job or other
activities.