Slides presented at the IET Technology Coffee Morning at the Open University. Abstract and further details available at http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2350.

1. Location-based learning:
education in the wild
Elizabeth FitzGerald
Institute of Educational Technology,
The Open University

2. Our story today…
• Beginning
– Introduction to me and my research
– Introduction to mobile and contextual learning
• Middle
– Augmenting the visitor experience
– Audio narratives in location
• End
– Ad hoc learning in location
– User-generated content for anytime/anyplace learning

6. Who am I?
• An educational technology researcher
• Biology graduate; ex-school teacher;
PhD Computer Science; research fellow at LSRI;
newly appointed at the OU (1 Aug 2011)
• Interested in how we can use geospatial data and
location to inform learning in mobile and informal
scenarios
• Particularly intrigued by the potential of mobile
devices to deliver ad hoc learning

7. Introduction
• Mobile communications are now part of
everyday life
• Huge potential for utilising location-specific
resources and rich multimedia experiences
• How we can use these resources for effective
contextual learning?
• How can we design and evaluate location-
based learning?

8. Types of mobile and contextual learning
• Six general categories of activity:
– Behaviourist: learning results in a change in learners’
observable actions
– Constructivist: learners actively construct new
ideas/concepts based on previous and current knowledge
– Situated: learning occurs within authentic context and
culture
– Collaborative: learning through social interaction
– Informal/lifelong: learning outside of formal settings
– Learning and teaching support: help co-ordination of
learners and resources
Ref: Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G. & Sharples, M. (2005) Literature Review in Mobile
Technologies and Learning. A report for NESTA Futurelab (available online).

9. Contextual learning (1)
• Learning occurs in a series of contexts e.g.
time, place, tasks/goals, resources, social activities –
within and between groups and individuals
• Learning also creates context through continual
interactions between people, settings, technologies and
other artefacts
• Context can be seen as a film or movie: each scene
represents a context state, one that follows on the
previous one
• Learners share artefacts and create mutual
understanding through dialogue and physical interaction

10. Contextual learning (2)
• Context can also be seen as an emergent property
of interaction…
• … i.e. how we augment human activity in
context, instead of modelling it
• The challenge is how to add value to locations or
places with appropriate tools and materials
• Can then enable people, individually and together, to
create and maintain their own rich contexts for
learning

11. Educational affordances of mobile devices
• Portability
• Social interactivity
• Context sensitivity
• Connectivity
• Individuality

12. Case Study 1:
Augmenting the visitor experience
Ref: Priestnall, G., Brown, E. and M. Sharples (2009)
A student-led comparison of techniques for augmenting
the field experience. Proceedings of the mLearn 2009
Conference, Orlando, Florida, 26-30 Oct 2009, pp 195-198.

13. Aims
To assess a range of techniques for
exploring the use of digital geographic information to
augment real scenes in the field
Create a student-led exercise to encourage critical
evaluation of these techniques to support the field
experience (and mobile tourist guides).

14. Approach
• Fieldwork – education in the field... mobile!
• 3rd year Geography undergraduates + some MSc
• ‘Mobile and Field GIS’ module, focus on appropriate
use of Geographic Information in a landscape
context
• Student presentations
• Videos + observation
• Follow-up focus groups

16. Supporting learning about the landscape
Eric Robson (Striding Edge Ltd)
Sir Hugh Walpole Video

17. 1. Computer-generated Acetate

19. 2. Custom
PDA-based
application

20. Screen visibility can be an issue
… this is as good as it gets

21. 3. Mediascape on a mobile phone
Audio of
Wainwright VIDEO from
Derwent
Water
Wainwright OS Photo

22. Phone-based mediascapes

23. 4. Google Earth on a Tablet PC

25. 5. Head-Mounted Display (partial VR)
Geovisionary (Virtalis, Univ. Leicester, Univ. Nottingham)

28. Summary of student findings
• Computer-generated acetate:
 Successful format/simple, ‘electronic acetates’ a vision for the future?
 Difficult in windy conditions, predetermined viewpoints a drawback.
• Custom PDA application:
 Sketching, legend & audio popular (but relevance?)
 Stability, incl. GPS connectivity. Screen visibility in bright sunlight.
• Mediascape on a mobile phone
 Easy authoring (control over media placement)
 Screen size and visibility, graphical media less effective.
• Google Earth on a tablet PC
 Large screen and Google Earth’s data exploration environment popular
 Screen visibility, battery life, pen-based interaction (GE designed for
desktop)
• Head-Mounted Display
 Fun, engaging, good for heavily graphical information
 Technical complexity, robustness, heavy, not waterproof!

29. Reflections on exercise
• Relating digital information to features in the real world
– How can digital representations be mapped onto the real world by the
user
– Information doesn't always relate to neat trigger regions
– How do we mimic the in-field expert pointing things out?
• In-field evaluation
– Asking students to develop their own evaluation schema
– Video diaries a promising technique
• The role of graphics
– Seek alternatives to heavily graphical representations
– More emphasis on design of audio for in-field use.
• Ease of use
– Even tech-savvy students didn’t have time for complex mapping apps
– The demand for simplicity was in evidence across all interactions

30. Implications and future work
Beginning to exploit real-time Caistor Roman Town,
East Anglia, UK.
handheld Augmented Reality Data from Will Bowden
(Archaeology)
Need to develop design rules for mobile field
guides which mimic the field expert.
Reduced emphasis on graphics, new challenges
in making geographically relevant audio.
Google Maps
Simple but effective? – all new geospatial and Navigation for
handheld AR applications will need to strive to Android 2.0
move from being novelty apps to becoming
killer apps.

31. Case Study 2:
A Chaotic Encounter
Ref: FitzGerald, E., Sharples, M., Jones, R. and G. Priestnall (2010)
Guidelines for the design of location-based audio for mobile
learning. Proceedings of the mLearn 2010
Conference, Valletta, Malta, 19-22 Oct 2010, pp 24-31.

32. Audio in location
• Used extensively in mobile
gaming, tourism, educational visits and
theatrical events
• Can be used for directional
purposes, orientation or task-based
activities/instruction
• Provide information, tell a story or create
ambient sounds such as birdsong or
machinery

33. Spoken audio experiences
We have proposed 3 categories:
• Audio vignettes
• Movement-based guides
• Mobile narratives

34. Case study: A Chaotic Encounter
• Movement-based guide + mobile narrative
• An entertaining audio story, based on Nottingham
folktales, which adapts its content to reflect the
listener’s movement patterns
• Each segment of audio has a low, medium or high
‘chaos’ rating (low = few characters, mundane
storyline; high = many characters, surreal storyline)
• User’s movement (speed, direction) determines what
chaos rating the next audio segment is
• Automatic and manual modes

35. Narrative structure
Chaos
Time

36. Findings from case study
• All enjoyed the audio experiences – very
immersive
• Some confusion from users when in automatic
mode – unsure of what to do
• But manual mode less enjoyable due to the
interruptions by users having to interact with
the system
• Some inaccuracies reported with GPS

37. Case Study 3:
Hidden Histories: To the Castle!

38. Overview of the project
• Investigated how located audio can be used to
provide opportunities for historical learning in
public history
• Case study of the 1831 Reform Riot in
Nottingham, content created by a local history
group
• Conducted 2 types of
guided walk:
– People-led
– Technology-led

39. What were we trying to find out?
• Can mobile technology be used to convey
historical empathy and learning from
conflicting perspectives?
• Academic research questions
– Historical focus
– Educational focus
– User experience

41. To the Castle! ‘people-led’ walk

43. To the Castle! ‘technology-led’ walk

44. Not without problems

45. 7scenes – tracing the walk

46. Historical research areas
1. Historical literacy concerning the Reform Riots in
Nottingham, asking: What happened in the period of the
riots?
2. Historical empathy with the
people involved: What were Attaining historical literacy
this period and these events
like for different people? Experiencing ‘empathy’
with historical subjects
3. Historical
interpretation: how were Responding to
these events and their causes & evaluating
accounts from
viewed from differing a variety of
perspectives
and/or conflicting perspectives?

47. Educational research areas
• Learning in location
What differences arise from learning in location
compared to elsewhere (e.g. indoors; round a table
etc)?
• Factors affecting learner preferences
Do you like learning in location? Why – or why not?
• Group versus individual tour guides
How did the audio guide technology affect group
dynamics?

48. User experience research areas
• Preferences for location based audio guides
What did you or didn't you like about using the audio guide to
learn about the Reform Riot?
• Experience of using smart phone technology
What were your experiences (good, bad or neither) in using a
handheld (mobile) device to help your learning?
• Comparing people-led and technology-led modalities
What were the important differences between the two types
of guided walk? How did they affect the user experience?

49. Current state of the research
• Hoping to do more user trials in the future
• Need to analyse questionnaires more fully
• Interesting findings about
– Quality and presentation of information
– Authenticity of voice
– Group dynamics e.g. listening on your own
For more info see: http://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com

50. Last but not least…
something a bit ‘wacky’
(apparently)

52. Ad hoc learning in location
• Anyone can be a field guide, through creation
and delivery of user-generated geolocated
content
• Enables learning in location through
serendipitous discovery of media placement
• In-field authoring and editing of content
• Enables reflection by user, either at the time
or later on

53. A framework for authoring
Use of language/media
Type of Knowledge level Interaction –
Landscape domain related to the Contextual aspects
communication of content try to include:
landscape
1. form of 9. suggestion 16. describe shape, 23. Domain-specific: Temporal: 33. authenticity
landscape colour, size
10. hint or beginner 26. is this info related to 34. relevance to
2. common warning 17. use emotions or the time of year or everyday life
intermediate
knowledge personal response the seasons?
11. conversation 35. element of fun
where advanced
3. science 27. is this info related to
12. practical task appropriate 36. anything unusual
specialist time of day?
4. history or unexpected
13. reminiscence 18. use simple English 24. age-related?
5. contemporary (short, commonly- 28. visibility of the 37. opportunity for
14. short textual (children might
use used words) landscape and its reflection by the
description not have the
where possible features/landmarks user
6. myth same knowledge
15. exhortation
19. avoid jargon but or level of 38. respect for
7. symbol (e.g. ‘look
do use understanding as Available resources: others and for
carefully’)
8. art appropriate an adult) the environment
1. other people
language 25. Needs prior 39. the story behind
knowledge? 2. experts the visible (e.g.
20. be culturally
sensitive 3. leaflets photosynthesis
in a leaf)
21. be clear and 4. notices/signs
concise
22. orient the visitor
appropriately

54. Impact of this work
• Content analysis  can guide creation of user-
generated content / provide framework for
authoring and aid metacognition
• Help curation of user-generated content +
tagging/filtering; potential for personalisation
• Media created should be of higher quality
• Use the framework to structure learning aims
and outcomes

55. Summary
• Whistle-stop tour of location-based mobile
learning
• Educational affordances and context
• Selection of case studies
– Augmenting the visitor experience
– Audio guides
• A Chaotic Encounter
• To the Castle!
• Ad hoc learning in location

57. Thanks for listening
e.j.fitzgerald@open.ac.uk
http://iet.open.ac.uk/e.j.fitzgerald
http://www.tinyurl.com/edwild
Acknowledgements:
Gary Priestnall, Mike Sharples, Rob Jones, Claire Taylor,
Mike Craven, People’s Histreh, James Goulding and students
from the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham