1. The Research on E-book-oriented Mobile Learning
System Environment Application and Its Tendency
Fang Haiguang
Department of Educational Technology
Capital Normal University
Beijing, China
Ufanghg@yahoo.cnU
Gao Chenzhu
Liu Pan
Department of Educational Technology
Capital Normal University
Beijing, China
liupan1988@sina.cn
Jiao BaoCong
Department of Educational Technology
Capital Normal University
Beijing, China
cnzhuzi@126.com
Department of Educational Technology
Capital Normal University
Beijing, China
jiaobc3093@126.com
Abstract—The appearance of e-book makes learning
environment easier to move up, and it is one of the essences of
mobile learning environment, which has great effect on mobile
learning environment construction. Its research and applications
are more popular in recent years. Based on the analysis of e-book
learning system environment and the roadmap of system
environment of mobile learning, this paper researches on three
cases of e-book-oriented mobile learning system environment,
which includes the fifth grade Chinese text Yarlung Zangbu
Grand Canyon, the research of one-to-one self-regulated learning
e-schoolbag system, and the application of Interactive Response
System in class. Then, this paper analyzes the mobile learning
typical modes, constructs the learning-service-supported system
environment and illustrates the typical applications. In the end,
this paper summarizes four features of the e-book-oriented
development tendency of system environment of mobile learning,
which are usability, environment interactivity, green supporting
and background service.
Keywords—Mobile Learning, E-book, E-schoolbag,
Interactive Response System, Roadmap
I. INTRODUCTION
The current trends of Mobile Learning technology are
integrated, universal, portable and networking. In the next five
to ten years, powerful computing and communication
capabilities will be integrated into a networked handheld
portable media device. Handheld devices will record location,
weather, individuals, and knowledge around you or even
integrated context awareness capability to change your daily
life. Mobile technology has a considerable impact on learning
which will be moved outside and into learners’ authentic and
virtual environment. Mobile technology can facilitate learning
environment, learning resources and learners to construct a
multi-level and multi-topic integrated network connection, and
with its development, digital learning environment is gradually
used in traditional instruction. E-book, e-schoolbag and
interactive response system as new instruction or learning
methods will break through the limits of traditional instruction,
and in a sense, which represents the future of mobile learning.
II. OVERVIEW
We could comprehend the trends of mobile learning from the
early famous article As We May Think written by Vannevar
Bush, which mentioned “a future device for individual use,
which is a sort, mechanized private file and library” [1], to the
idea of Dynabook proposed by Alan Kay in 1968 [2]. After
decades of developments, the cognitions of e-book, e-schoolbag
and mobile learning environments in classroom has been
gradually clear. In the light of categories, there are three kinds
of definitions of e-book: a) digital books read through Internet,
special readers and reading software or the digital version of
books; b) according to General Administration of Press and
Publication of China, e-book refers to the text, images, audio,
video and information content of digital publications that are
implanted or downloaded into a handheld reader which is a set
of storage media and display device; and c) e-book is more than
digitalized contents, and includes carrying devices, interfaces
and systems which to read and integrate information. In
summary, definition c) is more meaningful and thus this article
adopts it as the definition of e-books. This article considers e-
book, which in the light of standards, includes a set of digital
text, images, video and other multimedia content, and is
integrated with its end user devices. With the development of e-
book, e-schoolbag has emerged and the definitions of it are
classified into two categories: a) some e-books integrated into
one instruction resource package in a scientific way, which
includes textbooks, textbook supplements, reference books and
other kinds of resources[3], and b) to consider e-schoolbag as a
kind of future electronic educational products and most of which
are portable mobile devices and have two major capabilities
which are reading and Internet communication [4] . From the
view of the relationship between instruction and learning,
mobile learning environments construction in future will be far
more than simply teaching, but emphasis on the interaction
between instructors and students. E-textbook will become the
core of mobile learning environments and replace textbooks.
978-1-4673-0242-5/12/$31.00 ©2012 IEEE
The 7th International Conference on
Computer Science & Education (ICCSE 2012)
July 14-17, 2012. Melbourne, Australia
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2. In traditional PC period, there are some common formats
such as pdf, dox or docx, txt, chm which are not appropriate for
e-books standards in future. The popular e-book formats
include ePub, DAISY-ANSI/NISO Z39.86 , Azw, CEBX etc,
which are classified into two categories: a) free and open
standards, for instance, ePub and DAISY; and b) unopened
standards such as Azw and CEBX. Epub, which is proposed by
the International Digital Publishing Forum, is designed for
reflowable content using XHTML or DTBook to present text
and packaged by Zip format and replaced Open eBook
standard. DAISY-ANSI/NISO Z39.86 is an official standard
based on some other standards recommended by W3C and
popular in America, which supports multimedia, navigation,
synchronous and familiar with ePub standard including XML
and SMIL. CEBX is a format designed by Founder Group,
which has certain impact on e-book development based on
CEB format. This format use XML and is designed for
reflowable content, dynamic interaction and DRM (short for
Digital Rights Management).
III. APPLICATION PATTERNS BASED ON THE ROADMAP OF
SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT OF MOBILE LEARNING
Based on article the Roadmap of System Environment of
Mobile learning, the roadmap is divided into three levels which
are device environment (DE), learning support environment
(LE) and service environment (SE). It can be classified into
four patterns, namely: a) DE+LE mode, b) DE+SE mode, c)
DE+LE+SE mode and d) LE+SE mode. The typical patterns
are b) and c) [5]. The applications of e-book or e-textbook, e-
schoolbag and interactive response system are DE+LE+SE
mode. They are shown in table I and table II.
TABLE I. THE TYPICAL APPLICATIONS OF E-BOOK AND E-SCHOOLBAG
The Typical Application of E-book and E-schoolbag
DE Terminal Device e-reader or other intelligent terminal
devices
Network access wireless or wired network
LE Platform Development e-book development and management
tools
Resources construction according to different standards or
formats
SE Content choice and
design
digitized text, images, videos and other
multimedia contents
Activity design based on real activities
TABLE II. THE TYPICAL APPLICATION OF IRS
The Typical Application of IRS
DE Terminal Device responders used by teachers and learners
Network access access Internet through PC
LE Platform Development lesson preparing system, teaching
system and learning record system
Resources construction external resources provided by teachers
SE Content choice and
design
digitized text, images, videos and other
multimedia contents
activity design interactive activities, quick answer
In the light of three levels and its six elements of the
roadmap of system environment to mobile learning, the
applications of e-book, e-schoolbag and IRS are illustrated as
following:
1) Terminal devices: IRS generally use PC as its terminal
devices. There are numerous terminal devices that are used to
reading digital publications such as e-readers, PDA, smart
mobile phones, Tablet PC, laptop, E-book, iPod/iPad etc.
Popular e-readers at present are Kindle by Amazon, Sony
Reader by Sony, Wefound by Founder Group and WISEreader
by Hanvon etc.
2) Network access: Mobile learning terminal devices
acquire a variety of learning resources with mobile learning
networks. At present, there are three main network access
modes: a) to connect PC through data cable or wireless
(infrared, Bluetooth, etc.), and access Internet via PC; b)
through GPRS, GSM or 3rd generation mobile
telecommunications to access Internet; and 3) through wireless
interface card to connect wireless router so as to access Internet.
3) Platform development: Despite popular e-book formats,
there are too many formats that still lack uniform standards,
and which lead to too many e-book development tools. The
ePub standard, for instance, has numerous development
platforms: Indesign by Adobe, epubBuilder, eScape and
ePubstar. Using these tools, we can transform XML, HTML,
txt, docdocx and pdf into e-book formats. For reading e-books,
there are also considerable tools such as Stanza, Editions,
iBooks for ePub standard, Amazon Kindle for amz format and
Apabi for CEBX format.
4) Resources construction: The pursuit of practicality is the
most significant feature of mobile learning [6]. The contents
are better only when the learning contents are coordinated with
standards and meet the learning needs. The design of these
contents would meet requires of instantaneous and practicality
better [7], which means to facilitate learners to achieve their
learning objectives and help them to solve real problems in
daily life. To develop a format or a standard for resource
construction of e-books is convenient for co-construction with
users. Teachers can provide suitable learning resources by
themselves for IRS.
5) Contents choice and design: To consider the needs of
teachers and learners is appropriate when e-books are used for
instruction or learning. If made into e-textbooks, learning
contents are not only integrated closely with teaching
objectives, but also concentrate on the use of rich media so as
to enrich the teaching contents, and enhance authentic
experience for the results of learning.
6) Activity design: In formal learning, teachers select proper
learning contents and design learning activities so as to
construct a ubiquitous, continuous and seamless learning
experience for better learning effectiveness [8][9]. To design
learning activities with ideas and methods of instructional
design, teachers should take fulfilling the needs of learners and
enhance effectiveness of learning as objectives and interactive
learning activities as main part, and based on the features of e-
books, use rich media so as to enrich learners’ authentic
experience.
IV. E-BOOK-ORIENTED APPLICATIONS IN MOBILE
LEARNING
A. E-books and E-textbooks
E-textbooks are a set of e-books used for learning or the
specific forms of e-books in particular learning circumstance
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3. [10]. Applications of e-books for mobile learning include
device environment (DE), learning support environment (LE)
and service environment (SE), in which have their specific
modules. LE level requires that developers edit and integrate
proper resources into qualified e-textbooks; DE level focuses
on e-textbook readers which contain integrated standards
textbooks by particular software, and provide learners’
behavior records, clustering contents and learning functions to
fulfill the instruction and learning needs; SE level shows
learners interact with learning contents through e-textbook
readers individually and teachers analyze learning records
through behavior records. With learning resources design and
supported by LE level, SE level provides learning service for
teachers and learners to accomplish instruction and learning.
Figure 1 illustrates the architecture of learning service system:
Figure 1. Learning support system architecture based on e-books.
1)Learning support: developers select, edit and integrate
digital materials or paper resources and relevance into which
conform to one e-book standards. These standard textbooks
are integrated into e-textbook readers, and provide supports for
learners.
2)Learning equipments: E-textbook readers as mobile
learning equipments include edited standard textbooks and
clustering contents for learners. E-textbook readers also
include behavior records which can help teachers analyzing
learners’ learning behavior and be regarded as learning
records. Another significant part of e-textbook readers is
learning function which is much more than simple learning
module, and to fulfill interactive between teachers and
learners.
3) Learning service: With learning activities and contents, e-
textbooks offer mobile learning service for learners by e-
textbook readers. During learning, learners interact with
learning function module to complete learning activities, and
teachers analyze learning process through learners’ behavior
record.
Based on the illustrated above, this article did research on
e-textbooks, for instances, the Chinese text “Yarlung Zangbo
Grand Canyon” of fifth grade uses iPod and iPad as terminal
devices, which are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3. The
resources of “Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon” are in
accordance with ePub standard. We digitalized text first, and
then, according to ePub standard, edited it with adapted
images, audios, videos and other relevance for increasing
learners’ authentic experience. Exercises of the “Yarlung
Zangbo Grand Canyon” can interact with learners by the way
of showing they are correct or the right answers and
explanations immediately after answering.
Figure 2. Exercises of “Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon” in iPod.
Figure 3. Multimedia text of “Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon” in iPad.
B. E-schoolbag
E-schoolbags and e-books have many similarities. For
example, both of them are mobile learning terminals that
take teaching in classrooms as the core of learning
resources construction and learners as users [11]. They
also have differences: for e-books, it based on certain
standards and paper publications, and regard digital
publications as main part; for e-schoolbags, it emerged e-
books and incline to use rich media to offer numerous
learning supports [4]. The program “one-to-one digital
self-regulated learning e-schoolbag” we did based on e-
schoolbags to construct mobile learning environment in
classroom, and used rich media, learning resources and
evaluation system to provide support service for learners.
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4. This e-schoolbag’s architecture has three levels which are
device environment (DE), learning support environment
(LE) and service environment (SE). They are described in
Figure4.
Figure 4. Learning support system architecture based on e-schoobals.
1) Learning support: Learning resources in e-schoolbags
include edited e-textbooks, support tools for learners and
relevant supplements, and which are built in a self-regulated
learning management platform. Regarding these resources, the
platform has functions such as learning, evaluation and
feedback for personalized learning.
2) Learning equipment: E-schoolbag as a kind of mobile
learning equipment includes variety learning support resources
and network access.
3) Learning service: By learning functions of e-schoolbags,
learners interact with e-schoolbag by the means of selecting
learning contents according to their own needs and finishing
personalized quizzes. E-schoolbags provide personalized
feedback based on learners’ circumstances, and which will be
the basis of next learning. Figure 5 and Figure 6 show the
evaluation and feedback and the personalized excises of e-
schoolbag’s self-regulated learning platform.
Figure 5. Evaluation and feedback functions
Figure 6. Personalized exercises
C. Interactive Response Sysetem
Figure 7. Learning support system architecture based on IRS
1) Learning support: There are differences in construction
between IRS and e-books and e-schoolbags. IRS learning
resources usually offer by teachers or other relevance and its
main contents cannot be inseparable from digital resources
which are not part of IRS, but together they construct mobile
learning system environment. IRS platform includes lesson
planning system, instruction system (response system) and
learning records, as entirety system, to provide a more complete
learning solution for teachers and learners.
2) Learning equipment: IRS have terminal device that are
responder for teachers and learners, receiver and wireless
receivers, and which support teachers and learners interactive
activities. Learners usually install IRS platforms in their PC.
3) Learning service: Teachers interact with learners through
IRS and its responders. Under proper circumstances, teachers
can use quick answering mode to connect with learners.
Besides, learning process in IRS is the basis of analyzing
learners. Teachers can check learners’ answerers immediately
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5. or discuss and analyze instruction after class. IRS responds
images are shown in Figure 8:
Figure 8. IRS respond environment.
V. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK
The three illustrations above represent the future trends of e-
book-oriented to mobile learning environment which will has
more extensive meaning. What these illustrations bring are
much more than new methods of learning, and they are new
learning concepts. Mobile learning in future will change
learning process in two aspects. From cogitation perspective,
mobile learning is gradually changing learners’ thinking
manners and cogitation patterns; from the roadmap of system
environment perspective, mobile learning will have four
features in future: usability, environment interactive usability,
environment interactivity, green supporting and background
service, which are shown in Figure 9:
Figure 9. Features of mobile learning future developments.
The cogitation of learning will tend to be more personalized
and active, and gradually apart from unified management of
traditional instruction. Learners are acquiring more knowledge
than before and that requires flexible learning method to limit
time and improve efficiency. Mobile learning is which use
fragmented time to learn in a self-regulated way. Learners will
not passively accept information from others, but to choose
learning content according to their own needs and learning
goals. From the view of the roadmap of system environment,
mobile learning trends in DE, LE and SE level includes:
1) In DE level, usability, environment interactive and green
supporting will be main signatures of future mobile leaning.
Usability of mobile devices reflects “usability” of mobile
learning. With the developments of mobile communication
devices, there are more individuals who consider these kinds of
devices as essential objects in their life. E-books, e-schoolbags
and IRS for teachers and students have entered modern
classroom. These devices are portable and intelligent, so that
there is a growing trend by teachers and learners that accept
these new learning means. Usability of mobile learning can
eliminate barriers in learning process and to achieve seamless
learning result; interactive environment are based on wireless
mobile networks and communication equipments. Under this
circumstance, learners communicate with each other without
difficulties and interact with environment. Green support is
another feature of mobile learning: mobile learning terminal
devices are widespread and inexpensive and that make mobile
learning consumption lower with more resources; e-book
readers contain numerous e-books and other resources without
wasting plenty of natural resources; Personalized and
fragmented learning improve learners’ performance and avoid
repeated learning.
2) In LE level, platforms and resources are the main part of
background service that to facilitate learners personalized
learning. Teacher-centeredness and textbook-centeredness are
the biggest features of traditional class and what teachers teach
in class cannot meet all requirements of their students. E-book-
centeredness platforms and learning resources support learners
with intelligent service and cloud service.
3) In SE level, learners access network through mobile
learning terminal and background service support to acquire
numerous types of e-books. E-books and e-schoolbags connect
background by Wi-Fi, and IRS or other terminals connect with
PC or Tablet-PC to access Internet for personalized micro-
course or learning support service. This service eliminate
defects of uniform process and uniform contents in traditional
class, and which is a step towards personalized and digital
learning public service system.
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