<!-- BEGIN ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->
		<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://widget.odiogo.com/odiogo_js.php?feed_id=687068&amp;platform=wp&amp;version=2.5.7"></script>
		
		<!-- END ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->{"id":600,"date":"2009-10-23T10:50:08","date_gmt":"2009-10-23T10:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slewth.wordpress.com\/?p=600"},"modified":"2009-10-23T10:50:08","modified_gmt":"2009-10-23T10:50:08","slug":"digital-inclusion-and-mobile-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/2009\/10\/23\/digital-inclusion-and-mobile-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Inclusion and Mobile Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\t\t<!-- BEGIN ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->\r\n\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\">\r\n\t\t<!--\r\n\t\t\/\/ ODIOGO_START:do_NOT_remove_this_comment\r\n\t\tshowOdiogoReadNowButton (\"687068\", \"Digital Inclusion and Mobile Learning\", \"600\", 290, 55);\r\n\t\t\/\/ -->\r\n\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t<br\/>\r\n\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\">\r\n\t\t<!--\r\n\t\tshowInitialOdiogoReadNowFrame (\"687068\", \"600\", 290, 0);\r\n\t\t\/\/ ODIOGO_END:do_NOT_remove_this_comment\r\n\t\t\/\/ -->\r\n\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t<!-- END ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->\r\n\t\t\n<p>Following reviews from others working in accessibility, inclusion and Higher Education, I\u2019ve been watching footage from the recent <a href=\"http:\/\/www.handheldlearning2009.com\/\">Handheld Learning Conference<\/a> in London. Extensive online proceedings including video are available\u00a0on <a title=\"Proceedings from Handheld Learning 2009\" href=\"http:\/\/www.handheldlearning2009.com\/proceedings\" target=\"_blank\">the conference website<\/a> and via iTunes.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve supplied links to videos alongside notes on the first 5 presentations from the Inclusion Session below. Notes from Sal Cooke&#8217;s presentation are most complete due to the range of sources she draws on and my own interest in the projects she cites. For brevity, this a descriptive account, not an analytic one. As I did not attend the conference myself, comments are very welcome. Please note all links open in a new window and many presentations feature slides that are not audio-described.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><a title=\"Inclusion Introductory video\" href=\"http:\/\/handheldlearning.blip.tv\/file\/2721922\/\" target=\"_blank\">Inclusion Session Introduction: Donald Clark <\/a>(video, predominately audio) 8 mins.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I recommend a listen to Clark\u2019s introduction, which he also outlines in his blog article \u2018<a href=\"http:\/\/donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com\/\">Handheld Learning: Malcolm Maclaren et al<\/a>.\u2019 Clark poses provocative questions to delegates:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To what problem is \u2018inclusion\u2019 an answer? Doesn\u2019t everyone have a mobile?<\/li>\n<li>Is \u2018Digital Divide\u2019 an outmoded term? It\u2019s no longer a poor\/rich divide, but a series of fractures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Specifically, here Clark identifies a disjuncture in the UK between \u2018analogue\u2019 educational practices in schools and the \u2018digital\u2019 world that characterises nearly everything else.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can inclusion actually result in exclusion? The fact that the few don\u2019t have the technology means the many don\u2019t get anything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In terms of accessibility discourse, I feel this relates to the observations made by Brian Kelly and others regarding the development of Adaptable and Accessible practices. Video and other media from Brian\u2019s presentation at TechShare are available via <a href=\"http:\/\/ukwebfocus.wordpress.com\/2009\/09\/23\/reflections-on-web-adaptability-and-techshare-2009\/\">his blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Has the \u2018Digital Britain\u2019 report helped or hindered our digital future? It\u2019s largely about TV, Radio and Newspapers or punishing file-sharers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Clark also questions policy approaches, making a strong critique of Digital Britain, identifying how a scoping document has become a punitive exercise.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Speaker 1: <a title=\"Inclusion and Home Access Video\" href=\"http:\/\/handheldlearning.blip.tv\/file\/2721194\/\" target=\"_blank\">Niel McLean: \u2018Inclusion: The Home Access Story\u2019 <\/a>(video) 20 minute talk and 5 minutes of questions. <\/strong>Note: This presentation opens with brief use of Russian in an illustrative point at the start of the talk.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 304px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2663\/4012086092_3cab64d633.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" \" title=\"Niel McLean Presents at HHL\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2663\/4012086092_3cab64d633.jpg\" alt=\"Niel McLean presents in front of a slide on the Beveridge Report of 1942\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Niel McLean presents in front of a slide on the Beveridge Report of 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Niel McLean is Executive Director of <a title=\"British Education and Communication Technology Agency\" href=\"http:\/\/www.becta.org.uk\/\">Becta<\/a> (the <a title=\"Becta\" href=\"http:\/\/www.becta.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">British Education and Communications Technology Agency<\/a>), here he introduces the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.becta.org.uk\/homeaccess\">Home Access project<\/a> which seeks to ensure that all pupils in state education in England have the opportunity access to computers and internet connectivity for education at home. The programme supplies funding to achieve this. Aside from McLean\u2019s discussion of socio-economic deprivation as a distinct category within the inclusion agenda, this talk includes a valuable dissection of the political grounds for Government&#8217;s role in ensuring home-based access to education.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Speaker 2: <a title=\"One Laptop Per Child Video\" href=\"http:\/\/handheldlearning.blip.tv\/file\/2721761\/\" target=\"_blank\">David Cavallo on One Laptop Per Child <\/a>(video) 35 minutes.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 204px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3488\/4011317205_ce5817ae8e.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"    \" title=\"David Cavallo presenting\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3488\/4011317205_ce5817ae8e.jpg\" alt=\"David Cavallo presents infront of an image of five boys with laptops in an African  classroom\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Cavallo presents infront of an image of five boys with laptops in an African classroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>David Cavello is the Chief Learning Architect at MIT on the <a href=\"http:\/\/laptop.org\/\">One Laptop Per Child<\/a> project. One Laptop Per Child is a renowned project that aims to create educational opportunities for the world&#8217;s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for learning. Cavallo is a charismatic speaker and news on the progress of the project is always engaging (as is Dr Sugata Mitra\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/index.php\/talks\/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html\">Hole in the Wall<\/a> project in India). Questions and answers relate to bandwidth, collaboration and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Speaker 3: <a title=\"Inclusive Games Based Learning\" href=\"http:\/\/www.blip.tv\/file\/2726710\" target=\"_blank\">Elizabeth Hayes \u2018What can we learn from The Sims about inclusive Game Based learning?\u2019 <\/a>(video) 25 minutes.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hayes\u2019 focuses on gender and games based learning, reporting the educational implications bourne out of non-traditional gamers (middle-aged women) approaches to game design and \u2018modding\u2019 The Sims.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Speaker 4: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blip.tv\/file\/2726865\">Sal Cooke from JISC TechDis<\/a> (video) 24 minutes<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Cooke\u2019s presentation focuses on mobile device research and relations to inclusion, disability and Special Educational Needs in a wide-ranging talk that draws on multiple projects and resources. She begins by reporting recent ministerial announcements about mobile devices in Education. These include: Funding for 118 projects, 30 significant case studies with 8 to be studied in-depth to examine impact. Projects will particularly focus on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Field Work, Special Needs, home access, staff and learner capacity<\/li>\n<li>Innovation in the curriculum<\/li>\n<li>Motivation of the learner, particularly the disengaged<\/li>\n<li>Measures of significant improvements in learning outcomes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, she quickly moves on to point out that much of this research has arguably already happened. Specifically, the \u2018Portables in Action\u2019 NCET Project reported outcomes in 1994 and concluded at that time that:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><em>\u201cEducational achievements are enhanced by pupils using portable computers, including the volume and quality of their work, particularly in accuracy and standard of presentation\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><em>\u201cthere is clearly a great potential for using portable with special educational needs pupils\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So are the issues the same, or have they changed? Cooke covers several key areas for contemporary deployment of mobile devices and digital content. Specifically she cites issues with assessment and the process of assessment for those who require additional time and assistive technologies. How will these learners\u2019 needs be met?<\/p>\n<p>Next Cooke congratulates <a title=\"molenet\" href=\"http:\/\/www.molenet.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">MoLeNET, the Mobile Learning Network<\/a> (a collaborative project between the <a title=\"Learning and Skills Network\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lsnlearning.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Learning and Skills Network<\/a> and partner Further Education institutions in the UK) with reference to the powerful resources that <a title=\"MoLeNET\" href=\"http:\/\/www.molenet.org.uk\/\">MoLeNET<\/a> has provide for inclusive approaches. A slide states its\u2019 mission to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make learning more convenient, accessible, inclusive and sensitive to learners; individual needs and circumstances<\/li>\n<li>Encourage non-traditional learners and learners who have not succeeded in traditional learning to engage in learning and to improve in confidence and self-esteem<\/li>\n<li>Help teachers to provide different learning activities to suit different learning styles or preferences and different ability levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cooke stresses the need for this approach to be transferred into other educational sectors. She also refers to findings from <a title=\"MoLeNET\" href=\"http:\/\/www.molenet.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">MoLeNET<\/a> research to refute common myths that mobile technologies might &#8216;<em>somehow be inappropriate or too difficult for learners with learning difficulties and\/or disabilities<\/em>&#8216; or that &#8216;<em>allowing the use of mobile technologies, particularly mobile phones, in schools and colleges would make it difficult for teachers to control classes and would encourage inappropriate behaviour<\/em>&#8216;. To support this, Cooke cites evidence and best-practice case studies available via <a title=\"MoLeNET\" href=\"http:\/\/www.molenet.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">MoLeNET<\/a> and describes how mobile devices can assist in a multitude of different situations. She also lists the publication <a title=\"Go Mobile!\" href=\"https:\/\/crm.lsnlearning.org.uk\/user\/order.aspx?code=080123&amp;src=XOWEB\" target=\"_blank\">GoMobile<\/a> as a source highlighting many innovative uses of handheld devices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"float-quote alignright\">Resources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.techdis.ac.uk\/upwardlymobile\/index.html\">Upwardly Mobile: Getting Started in Inclusive M-Learning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Go Mobile!\" href=\"https:\/\/crm.lsnlearning.org.uk\/user\/order.aspx?code=080123&amp;src=XOWEB\" target=\"_blank\">GoMobile! Maximising the potential of mobile technologies for learners with disabilities<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Next Cooke illustrates how technologies have moved into the home and represent an untapped learning resource that arguably represents the crux of the Inclusion agenda. One slide depicts a toy pen from ToysRUs that helps children learn to read. Cooke observes that this is the same technology that was being given to dyslexic students as an assistive technology only a couple of years ago. She indicates how assistive technologies are now cheap, mainstream and in the home and broadly conceived as \u2018gadgets\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke links to further evidence from the ongoing &#8216;Me and My Mobile Phone&#8217; survey by Ian Milliken at <a title=\"iansyst\" href=\"http:\/\/www.iansyst.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Iansyst<\/a>, the University of Southampton and JISC TechDis, listing highlights from learners with additional access needs. A graph (difficult to see on video) shows that screen size and text size, though significant, are a not considered an overwhelming problem by users with access needs because there are other things that they do with a phone. She quotes one participant:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><em>\u201c\u2026more mobile phone companies should be aware of the software available to help those who are sensory impaired and either offer to put the software on, suggest where to get the software or make sure\u2026their phones are compatible with the latest software\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This research also shows that the vast majority of participants do not want to speak into their device to navigate content, but they do want to hear it.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke concludes with thanks to industry for the huge leaps made in mainstreaming accessible platforms and apps. Apps that could not have previously come to market are now available and ready to use, breaking barriers that were insurmountable in the past . She cites several strong examples including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yahoo collaboration with Reading University to provide automatically captioned video<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rixcentre.org\/\">Rix Centre<\/a> (University of East London) work on symbol card recognition, enabling users to surf the web and listen to emails using only symbols.<\/li>\n<li>The addition of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to new phones in 2010. RFID has been used by the<a title=\"Royal National Institute for the Blind\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rnib.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\"> RNIB<\/a> for years. With international roll-out immanent, educational applications of RFID are being developed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cooke goes on to refer to \u2018<a href=\"http:\/\/www.techdis.ac.uk\/index.php?p=2_3_13_1\">Independent Specialist Colleges: Specialists in Innovation<\/a> citing the innovative work undertaken within Special Education. She asks how this wealth of knowledge can be married to mainstream practice to for mutual benefits in national programmes. How can we make a real difference? How do we equip staff with the necessary skills? Will mobile learning require new kinds of teaching?<\/p>\n<p>Here Cook returns to the push of new technologies that are changing inclusion work, using the example of <a href=\"\/www.robobraille.org\/frontpage\">RoboBraille<\/a>, winner of the European Access-IT award.<\/p>\n<div class=\"float-quote alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robobraille.org\/frontpage\">Robobraille<\/a> is a free \u2018phenomenally powerful resource\u2019. Users send a word processed document to an email address, the document is returned in DAISY format. DAISY, the Digital Accessible Information System, is a format for digital audio books for people who wish to hear and navigate written material presented in an audible format.<\/div>\n<p>Cooke states the institutional focus must be on Continuing Professional Development. What do people do with technologies in their roles? Do people create mobile resources? Do they apply different teaching techniques? Or do they use mobile devices predominantly for collaboration and communication? How many people know what is in their Single Equality Duty Scheme about Mobile learning? How do we upskill this workforce?<\/p>\n<p>Cooke closes the presentation re-asserting print impairment as a major access issue. Under this topic she refers to contemporary developments in e-books and e-publishing within Education. Finally, in response to previous presenters, Cooke asserts Digital Inclusion a matter of rights, not politics. For some people it is life. She quotes a learner in a specialist school to underline this fact: <em>\u2018I cannot speak but I use my phone all the time, because I want my mum to be able to see me and see how I am\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\r\n\t\t<!-- BEGIN ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->\r\n\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\">\r\n\t\t<!--\r\n\t\t\/\/ ODIOGO_START:do_NOT_remove_this_comment\r\n\t\tshowOdiogoReadNowButton (\"687068\", \"Digital Inclusion and Mobile Learning\", \"600\", 290, 55);\r\n\t\t\/\/ -->\r\n\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t<br\/>\r\n\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\">\r\n\t\t<!--\r\n\t\tshowInitialOdiogoReadNowFrame (\"687068\", \"600\", 290, 0);\r\n\t\t\/\/ ODIOGO_END:do_NOT_remove_this_comment\r\n\t\t\/\/ -->\r\n\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t<!-- END ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.7 (WP) -->\r\n\t\t\n<p>Following reviews from others working in accessibility, inclusion and Higher Education, I\u2019ve been watching footage from the recent Handheld Learning Conference in London. Extensive online proceedings including video are available\u00a0on the conference website and via iTunes. I\u2019ve supplied links to videos alongside notes on the first 5 presentations from the Inclusion Session below. Notes from [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,12,13],"tags":[62,287,91,103,118,119,159,163],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conferences","category-e-learning","category-education","tag-digitalinclusion","tag-education","tag-handheld-learning","tag-inclusion","tag-mobile","tag-mobile-technologies","tag-techdis","tag-tel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slewth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}