Learning in the wild: designing for location-based experiences

( Human Computer Interaction (old) Series )

Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University

Date and time: Tuesday 19th February 2013 at 16:00
Location: Strathcona LT7
Host: Mina Vasalou

Mobile, context-aware computing is now a reality for many of us in our everyday lives. A growing area of concern is location awareness and the services or data that may be provided to us that are dependent or related to our physical whereabouts. Increasingly more sophisticated mobile devices allow (mostly) seamless integration of ubiquitous computing with data-gathering tools – GPS, cameras, microphones, accelerometers etc – that can be exploited for the benefit of their owners. Many mobile apps tend to concentrate on advertising/marketing opportunities, leisure activities or games and whilst research into location-based experiences is not new, we now have the means to engage with our environment in new ways that have not been possible before (through e.g. the social web, augmented reality and user-created content). In this talk, I will be presenting several projects that have utilised location as the main context for learning, sharing theoretical and practical insights, tensions and guidance that have emerged from those projects. I will also be examining how scaffolding the creation of user-created content may provide a different way of engaging with – and learning from – location-based information.

Biography:

Dr Elizabeth FitzGerald (née Brown) is a Research Fellow in Technology Enhanced Learning (Pervasive, Ubiquitous and Ambient Computing) at the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, pursuing a programme of interdisciplinary research into mobile and location-based learning. Her research combines ubiquitous computing, usability and interaction design with education and pedagogy. Her current work focuses on geolocated user-generated content for informal learning; pervasive/locative media and augmented reality for learning. She is also interested in personalisation of technology-enhanced learning and she has a strong interest in user modelling and learner analytics. Her wider research interests encompass CSCW, CSCL and the learning sciences; also field trip learning and museum learning. She has a BSc in Environmental Science, a PhD in Computer Science and has also trained and worked as a secondary school science teacher. She won the ACM Ted Nelson Newcomer award for her work into personalisation of e-learning and has been awarded funding from EPSRC, HEFCE, JISC, the EU, Ordnance Survey and the Wolfson Foundation. She has worked on several multidisciplinary projects and is the Principle Investigator for the Situ8 project, leading a team of academics, developers and partners from industry to investigate how the capture and delivery of geolocated media can be used to provide ad hoc informal learning in outdoor locations.