M-UOC. Three Pillars towards Mobile Learning: Mobility, Multimedia and Multidevice
The presentation will enlist applications and usage patterns of mobile technologies that facilitate and increase teaching and learning processes. UOC has been improving and promoting the development of Apps for learning and has set up a web space where docents can share their experiences and practices on how to use such mobile technologies. In particular, the presentation will focus on multimedia content mobile capabilities. Such devices let us take pictures, record and play video that can be edited and modified using „Apps“. Therefore, teachers have the opportunity to interact with students through XXI century formats and publish content through multiple channels such as YouTube, iTunesU, Open Courseware and others. UOC has an app that allows the creation of educational videos – like Khan Academy – out of a tablet.
The Open University of Catalonia (UOC – http://www.uoc.edu) is an online university established in 1994 as a distance university in the Catalan education system. Since its foundation, it has been using ICT as the basis for students and faculty to interact each other throughout the learning process. The aim is to help people meet their learning needs as well as provide full access to knowledge beyond the constraints of space and time. Therefore, students and docents can conduct their activities without the need to agree on a place at a specific time.
After the blossoming of smart phones and tablets, mobile technologies have led UOC to enhance the quality of this learning model. Tablets and phones bring new possibilities allowing new educational contexts – which is not possible only with computers. With these devices one can make the most of commuting time, working on travel, check the email while being on wait to cross a street and, in fact, extend the appropriate spaces and times for the study and teaching. In addition, each device, by its nature, leverages certain activities: „I want to check“ (phone), „I want to immerse“ (tablet), „I want to manage“ (computer). Bottom line, the combined and complementary use of these three devices provides more possibilities and best performance for the learning process today.