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Work-based and vocational mobile learning
Teachers’ reactions It took a little time to get used to but in general the feedback was good from the students, [and] they loved having the iPods. I think the project went really well… We had some really good feedback from the students saying when they watched them [podcasts] they understood things a lot more and it was also good for them to recap the lessons they had just had. But yeah, on the whole it was pretty easy to download all the stuff [film material] once we got all the programmes on the computers and I think it was successful, and it will be successful again.
Key messages and lessons learned The main problems were to do with the timing of the project in relation to the academic year and the usual technical issues that accompany a project of this kind. Tutors felt that they could have been better prepared with materials if they had started the project in September, at the beginning of the academic year – by the time the project rolled out many learners were concerned with exams and project work. Tutors also felt it would be have been easier to instil the habit of accessing at the outset, rather than half-way through the year. Learners varied in their grasp of the technologies required, challenging the assumption that all young adults are ‘digital natives’ and always comfortable with new technology. Although most were familiar with iTunes as a music store, few had ever listened to a podcast or subscribed to a podcast series. Much time was spent assisting learners to subscribe to tutors’ podcast series and synchronising the video content to their iPods. Installing iTunes on the College network provided an institutional and technical challenge in terms of what learners are allowed to access from College PCs and the technicalities of allowing a media library to ‘follow’ a roaming learner profile.