Jonathan Sly and Anna Suggest, Essex LA

Mobile Technologies

‘I want to Learn NOW!’
Mobile Learning the Essex experience

© Essex County Council 2007 Essex County Council

Mobile Technologies

Essex

• Second largest LA in England

• 474 Primary

• 80 Secondary

• 19 Special

• Variable geography


Mobile Technologies

Essex ICT Team have been exploring and
developing the role of mobile and handheld
learning devices in a range of key stages and
settings for three years.

Our experience has shown us the need to
deliver stimulating content on devices that are
relevant to the user..

..in a nutshell, it’s the content that drives the
learning, not the technology


Mobile Technologies

Our shared challenge

“…to develop a modern world-class curriculum

that will inspire and challenge all learners and

prepare them for the future…”
QCA 2005


Mobile Technologies

Projects

• Project: Nerva

• Project: Tudor Rose

• Digifiti

• Using PDAs to support the Primary framework

• Web 2.0 technologies used by the pupils


Mobile Technologies

Project: Nerva

Using mobile phones in primary classes with a
specific target of raising boys’ achievement in
writing at Key Stage 2. Project Nerva is an
interactive adventure set in space in which the
pupils have to solve a number of puzzles and
writing challenges in order to save a space-station
and it’s crew, all via SMS.


Mobile Technologies_the Essex experience

Mission brief – download
received 23/10/2007 10:58:52

Project: NERVA
© Essex County Council 2007

Year: 30 572.
Location: Omega 469 constellation
Communications from the space station Nerva
have ceased.
Two members of the base staff have been
located in an escape pod 3 light years away from
the base.
Two members of the station crew remain
missing, including the commander Professor
Laskay.
At present a mainframe computer shut down is
suspected.


Command centre Alpha 9 has requested you
investigate the disappearance of the Professor
and restore the communications to G.S.S.
(Galactic Standard Settings).

Once you have secured the base a back-up
crew will enter the station and take over the
running of the project. It will be a challenging
and difficult mission.
Please keep communication lines clear for
mission data upload.



Station Crew
Professor Zoltan Laskay – Head of Research
Status – Missing

Sub-Lieutenant Sullivan – Head of security
Status – Cryogenic State on board escape pod

Dr. Ava Borek - Research Assistant
Status – Cryogenic State on board escape pod

‘Charlie’ – Alien life-form
? Status – Missing


An architect’s map has been sent to
show the layout of the station.

All further communication will be
via communication device.

End of message


Mobile Technologies

First communication
Who are you?

You are
You must compile a description of approaching Nerva.
My database does
who you are in no more than 160 not recognise your
characters (spaces and punctuation biometric details.
Identify yourself.
are counted as characters) Message ends
OM2


Mobile Technologies

You are being
held by our
tracker beam
whilst we recheck
our databases.
Send any
additional data.
Message ends.
OM2


Mobile Technologies

Profile verified.
Land at Docking
Bay.

Message ends.

OM2


Mobile Technologies

Docking Bay is
password
protected you will
need to work out
the pass code.
Can you crack the
code to proceed?
Urceghnkijv


Mobile Technologies

Access to the
docking bay is
granted.
Welcome to
NERVA. Data
update required –
describe whatyou
see.
OM2


Mobile Technologies

Alert, alert, life
form detected
ahead.
Investigate with
care. Message
ends
OM2


Mobile Technologies

So what?

Over 6 weeks

• 75% of pupils improved by at least one level in writing

• 34% of pupils improved by more that one level

• The activity boosted boys creative writing but it

actually improved girls by a greater margin


Mobile Technologies

Hear it from the pupils


Mobile Technologies

Mission brief – download received

23/10/2007 10:58:52

Project: TUDOR ROSE


Mobile Technologies
Year: 32 573
Location: Alpha Galactic HQ, Earth
Greetings
All shore leave has been cancelled.

An urgent matter has arisen – Alpha 10
team are on alert.

OM2 has detected that a significant
historical artefact has been sabotaged…


Mobile Technologies
Year: 32 573
You will be transported back to Tudor Britain
and will need to recover pieces of a poem
called 'The Tudor Rose'.

This has been torn into 5 pieces and held by
different people who lived in Tudor times.

You must recover these lines and restore
the poem through a series of challenges.

Mobile Technologies
Year: 32 573
You will need to keep a log of your mission.
It is recommended that this is done in an
audio and written format.
Some of the missions will require you to
research aspects of Tudor life you may want
to use your hand-held device for this or
other methods as you see appropriate.
You may also need to communicate with
fellow agents to work through problems.

Mobile Technologies
Year: 32 573
The next message you receive will be from
OM2 via your communication device.

It will upgrade your device to allow you to
travel through time – you are responsible for
your own communicator at all times.

Stay focussed and good luck!


Mobile Technologies

End of transmission


Mobile Technologies

Using PDA


Mobile Technologies

Literacy Primary Framework
Year 5
Unit 2


Mobile Technologies

Childrens work


Mobile Technologies

Ongoing
Using ipods as part of healthy eating project

•Video podcasts about healthy eating
• Available in different formats
• Freely downloadable so that pupils
can create recipes at home
•Some have followed recipes designed
by their peers and published as
podcasts


Mobile Technologies

Whitmore Juniors, Basildon

•Social and Emotional
Aspects of Learning to be
used on handheld devices
•Materials designed for
teachers, taken by the
pupils and re-crafted by
them for their peers
•Using creative
technology to make sense
of the content
http://essexseal.mypodcast.com


Mobile Technologies

In summary
So, our pupils have tackled inter-galactic challenges and saved
the universe from the brink of catastrophe. Others have travelled
though time helping to design Tudor tapestries and joust against
Sir Walter Raleigh! Some pupils have designed healthy-eating
recipes and published a digital recipe book as a podcast. Others
have painted virtual graffiti on to buildings and public spaces to
share how they feel about where they are growing up. Some have
learnt French and Spanish on mobile phones. Others have
stepped into Robin Hood’s shoes, recorded an audio diary and
shared it with his band of merry men via Bluetooth.


Mobile Technologies

‘Education only flourishes if it successfully adapts to the

demands and needs of the time.

The curriculum cannot remain static. It must be

responsive to changes in society and the economy, and

changes in the nature of schooling itself.‘
The National Curriculum


Jonathan Sly and Anna Suggest, Essex LA

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