Out now: Mobile Learning. An analysis of the scientific processes of British and German speaking mobile learning discourses in the fields of media education and educational science.

Available now (in German language only):

Seipold, Judith (2012): Mobiles Lernen. Analyse des Wissenschaftsprozesses der britischen und deutschsprachigen medienpädagogischen und erziehungswissenschaftlichen Mobile-Learning‐Diskussion. Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie (Dr. phil.) im Fachbereich Humanwissenschaften der Universität Kassel.

ISBN: 978-3-00-040411-5
ISBN-A: 10.978.300/0404115
doi: dx.doi.org/10.978.300/0404115

Table of contents
Book cover

Free and full online version:
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hebis:34-2012121242324

Abstract:
In her thesis “Mobile Learning. An analysis of the scientific processes of British and German speaking mobile learning discourse in the fields of media education and educational science” Judith Seipold traces the phases of development of, and the associated discussions about mobile learning. Her analysis, which refers mainly to the British discussion and starts at the beginning of the 21st century, opens the structure of mobile learning discourses in the fields of media education and educational science towards contexts, reference points, perspectives and key theoretical aspects, but also towards achievements as well as challenges originating from the implementation of learning with mobile technologies in formalised learning contexts such as schools. In this way the author provides a taxonomy that does not only make the British discussion available for German speaking media education, but also makes possible a new and systematically based level of reflexivity for an aspect of contemporary media educational development – “mobile learning”.
Initially, the author addresses the scientific process of the British as well as partly the German mobile learning discussion. To make this structure available she outlines related scientific disciplines the mobile learning discussion builds on; she describes the legitimating basis on which mobile learning is based; she traces the history of the discussion, which covers everyday life use of mobile technologies as well as the scientific discussion; and, she outlines – within her model of “phases and development lines of mobile learning” theories – concepts and models, which are considered by the community as being central for planning and analysing mobile learning.
Concepts and models, which put the focus on the learner and which support action orientation, form the core part of the theory chapter. Considerations about a „socio-cultural ecology of mobile learning“, about „user-generated contexts“ and about a „didactic informed by a cultural ecology“ reflect and contextualise current concepts and models and, at the same time, constitute the theoretical and conceptual basis for the practical implementation of mobile learning.
In order to analytically conceive the role of agency, cultural practices and structures of learners by using mobile technologies for learning, a practice-centred chapter focuses on schemata for planning and analysing mobile learning and refers to examples and cases from practice research and the implementation of mobile learning in schools.
Finally, the author frames her considerations critically and points to implications for educational policy, to structural implications and to implications relevant to implementation that she derives from the mobile learning discussion. Also, she turns her attention to contradictions and dialectics of mobile learning that are developing in the area between media use in everyday-life and use of mobile technologies by schools. These tensions, it is argued, need to be resolved in further contributions of the mobile learning discussion.