Reflections on mobile blogging and VLEs

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Reflections on mobile blogging and VLEs

• Paul Trafford,
• Karl Harrison, Danny Tucker, Vivien Sieber

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Overview

• Introducing RAMBLE.
• Terminology blogs et al
• The component-based approach
• Introducing the Project site http//ramble.oucs.o
  x.ac.uk/
• Work undertaken student projects and VLE
  development

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Project Info

• RAMBLE Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for
  Learning Environments
• JISC-funded, part of DEL E-tools for Learners and
  Teachers
• Themes widening participation and lifelong
  learning
• Short project, aiming for quick results
• Emphasis on open standards through E-Learning
  Framework
• and open source software in deliverables

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Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for Learning
Environments

• Digital remoteness w.r.t. Internet connection
• Physical remoteness - can be away from usual
  physical spaces of teaching and learning
• Temporal remoteness outside normal hours of
  lectures and tutorials.

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Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for Learning
Environments

• A Weblog (blog)
• is e.g. a journal, commentary written by
  individual or group of people and published on
  the Web
• can be about anything and everything
• is very simple in essence - consists of entries,
  each essentially of two fields
• can be multimedia text, photos, video..

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Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for Learning
Environments

• Writing that originates from the participant
  (student)
• A creative process
• A reflective process supported by the removal of
  physical and temporal constraints

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Architecture
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Student Evaluation

• 5th Year Medical Students in Obs Gyne rotation
• 1st Year Chemistry Students
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• Obs Gyne Windows
• Chemistry Palm
• Practical considerations
• keyboards, metal covers

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Remote Authoring of Mobile Blogs for Learning
Environments

• Emphasis on personal reflection
• Personal Learning Space Personal Learning
  Environments that can wrap around a person.
• Institutional spaces Virtual and Managed
  Learning Environments (such as WebLearn)
• Special issues privacy and security

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Responses

• Mobility "really satisfying to use, more
  relaxing and easier - none of the hassle of
  switching on a computer. " I could do small
  pieces at a time and build up a piece
• BloggingIt meant that I wrote down and
  reflected on lots of ideas that would usually not
  be 'relevant' - e.g. effectiveness of health care
  systems, attitudes of doctors towards patients,
  my feelings about activities. The blog made a
  daily diary a useful learning tool rather than an
  introspective indulgence! "

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VLE Blog as Menu item
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• Project site
• http//ramble.oucs.ox.ac.uk/
• Contact ramble_at_oucs.ox.ac.uk