Handheld Learning - learning with mobile and ubiquitous technologies

For the past 2 years I have been working with the Technology Education Research Unit (TERU) at Goldsmiths and Handheld Learning on a really exciting assessment project using PDAs dynamically linked to pupil portfolios.

Project e-scape is a new approach to the assessment of design innovation at GCSE level, funded by the DfES and the QCA in association with Edexcel and AQA awarding bodies. The project originated in 2003 as a paper based assessment system designed to stimulate pupil creativity in GCSE Design and technology. In 2005 we began to digitise the activity with the introduction of pupil PDAs wirelessly linked to a teachers web site. Over the summer term we piloted the system in schools across the country.

We have worked closely with Handheld Learning to customise the PDAs for the classroom, and TAG Learning to develop the capability of the teachers web site so it works interactively with the PDAs. The teacher has control of the e-scape application which drives the class set of PDAs, dynamically sending instructions to the pupils and automatically collecting evidence of their work in a web portfolio as they complete the design task in a normal design studio setting. Throughout the activity pupils use the PDAs to draw, write, take photos and record audio clips, and even though this forms an important part of the task the digital technology has not taken over, pupils still spend the majority of their time working with paper and modelling their ideas.

Assessing pupil creativity in all it’s forms is central to the e-scape project. With a web based portfolio of work it has been possible for us to experiment with some ground breaking online assessment techniques based on teams of assessors making comparative judgements, rather than individual examiners marking to criteria.

Teachers TV sent a film crew along to one of the pilot sessions to document the activity in the summer. From this material they have created 2 programmes that will be transmitted early in January.

KS3/4 Design and Technology 3 The Future's handheld
8th Jan 07 17:00

KS3/4 Design and Technology 4 New Technology: The Issues
8th Jan 17:15

Teachers' TV repeat the programmes many times over the month following first showing so it gives people a number of opportunities to see the films and they can also see them on the Teachers' TV web site.  www.teachers.tv

The production company have also put together a more comprehensive research DVD with 9 chapters analysing various aspects of the e-scape project with commentary from Richard Kimbell (the project director) and myself.  A 4th e-scape programme has also been filmed by another production company, this time on e-assessment rather than D&T, I'll post an update as soon as we have a transmission date for this.

I admit I was slightly shocked at last year’s Handheld Learning conference at Goldsmiths when I shared a table one lunchtime with a group of committed comprehensive teachers and Alex confidently challenged our liberal antagonism towards selective education with the statistic from Theodore Darlrymple he quotes here.

At the time I was far too interested in the reaction of the teachers to collect my thoughts and respond intelligently, had I done so my instant reply would probably have been to leap to the defence comprehensive education, however, on reflection I can see that this stark comparison is too simplistic and emotive.

It is clear to me that comprehensive education has never been properly realised (in England at least) even now we still have selection by academic achievement in many areas, and by ability to pay everywhere, not to mention gender and increasingly religious segregation masquerading as comprehensiveness. From the start the experiment was ill conceived as a “Grammar school education for all” rather than more appropriate personalised learning for all.

So it is not the outcomes of the (hobbled) comprehensive experiment I would want to defend but the principle of a more appropriate and equitable educational experience for everyone. 

I have a similar “knee-jerk” need to defend mixed-ability teaching. I think you will find there is just as much evidence out there to defend it as there is to criticise it. The problem is that the issue is not absolute, it is relative to who you are and what you are trying to do. If you subscribe to a narrow, knowledge transfer view of education then setting and streaming may well squeeze more kids through your particular sausage factory. For me, learning has a broader remit than this and I would miss the dynamic of different perspectives brought to more active learning by diverse groups of young people.

I was at a meeting just after the public axing of maths coursework and (surprise) my first reaction was to defend extended project work. But yet again it is not that simple. Coursework was adopted to get at those procedural aspects of capability that are difficult to get at in a formal written exam. There are lots of them, they are very important, and they need to be registered and valued, but unfortunately coursework is not very good at doing this. Ministers may have different reasons for getting rid of it, but we need to make sure that we replace it with better ways of recording young peoples’ breadth of ability. 

So well done Alex, you pressed my buttons - again ;-) Unfortunately I am less optimistic that handheld devises in education offer instant solutions to any of the above. The educational establishment still holds the final say in school, and just as we have cocked up potentially exciting and liberating concepts like comprehensive schools, mixed ability teaching and coursework, I see no reason why handheld technology should be any different. Unless of course we use them to bypass school altogether?

Like Dan I am after exciting pointers to case studies that I can share with other teachers and advisers. I work mostly with senior decision makers and I am keen to collect examples of what happens when children are presented with innovatively resourced, open, creative, purposeful learning tasks. I can imagine all sorts of exciting things I would want to do if I knew everyone in my class had a camera, a microphone and a communication devise in their pocket, but sadly I do not have a class to play with anymore.

What about collaboratively collecting, constructing and projecting collaged photograpic images? or zapping ideas around to construct multidimensional 3D branching stories or poems? what about photographic treasure hunts or playground smart mobs? what about collecting ambient sounds and composing themed sound scapes?... I am less excited (in fact more than a bit concerned) by the potential for even more centralised control afforded by beaming more and more (inappropriate) content and instruction through these things.... Help me with some real examples of kids using them to liberate and generate new, unexpected ideas and practices ...

As far as I can see the existing hardware and software available on most of the higher end PDAs and phone units already offer really exciting possibilities out of the box. We just need to have the confidence to give kids permission and space to use them in class. I would be really interested in pointers to creative activities anyone has set up, where students get to exercise their imagination through these technologies and see what happens....?

If you want the same effect with a palm you can DIY it with an Otterbox http://www.extremepda.com/page/XPDA/PROD/OTTERBOX

More than this, pod-casting is fast emerging as a new democratic form of broadcasting requiring no more than a copy of i-tunes, an i-pod and some free software available at http://www.ipodder.org/. I wonder have kids discovered this medium yet  - another great way to share pointless assignments and get on with the really interesting stuff?

I don't think it's the hand recognition bit that is important, it's more exciting for the fact that it picks up notes and diagrams. If in education we are moving (very slowly) towards some form of digital life blog, rather than having to scan in loads of paper based stuff these devises make it quick and easy (?) to capture more authentic classroom activity. You might also want to look at the Logitech iO pen and the bluetooth Nokia digital pen, both work on special paper, but have even more of the feel of working with 'real world' pen and paper.