Education in the Wild:
contextual and location-based mobile learning in
action
This workshop forms part of the Alpine Rendez-Vous organized
within the framework of the STELLAR Network of Excellence
(www.stellarnet.eu). It will be run by Dr Elizabeth Brown and Prof
Mike Sharples of the Learning Sciences Research Institute, University
of Nottingham.
It will explore recent innovations into location-based, or
geospatially-informed, contextual mobile learning, and issues arising
from them. Location-based technologies offer opportunities for new
forms of learning that engage more deeply with physical
surroundings and support continuity of understanding across
settings; they also pose technical difficulties of modelling and
maintaining continuity of context, and ethical challenges including
the right to privacy of location and escape from continual
monitoring.
The workshop will bring together experts in mobile learning from educational and technical
backgrounds, with newcomers (including PhD students) across Europe. The goals of the workshop are
threefold:
1. to share good practice of research innovations and case studies
2. to engage in debate and discussion of critical issues surrounding contextual and location-based
mobile learning both currently and in the future
3. to conduct future-scanning activities in contextual and location-based learning
Structure of the workshop:
Day 1: 2 Dec 09: Introduce and map the scope of "contextual and location-based learning"
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An initial introductory talk from the workshop proposers, presenting the need and scope of the
field, and its basis in education theory and in technical developments, followed by discussion;
Presentations of exemplar research projects from participants to indicate the spread and depth of
current work in contextual and location-based learning. Each project will be in the form of a
structured session, where the contributors present a working demo of a system and/or a video of
a TEL intervention, along with a presentation of the educational aims of the project, its technical
execution, and evaluation of usability and educational use. We aim to have a mixture of mature
projects and new work in progress.
Group discussions, addressing the question "What is the educational problem that contextual and
location-based mobile learning is trying to solve?" followed by a plenary discussion.
Day 2: 3 Dec 09: Explore opportunities, possibilities and issues for the future
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A half day Future Technology Workshop (FTW, a structured workshop to 'design the future' of
learning technology and activity). Three teams with mixed education and technology expertise
will be set the challenge to design an innovative and educationally valuable contextual learning
system of the future. The design process will be captured as part of the FTW approach (including
creation of designs, physical models, and educational scenarios) and the outcomes from each
group will be an envisioning of technology and activity for future contextual learning.
A semi-formal debate on an issue of concern in location-based technology. The issue will be
decided by participants during the workshop, but an example topic would be: "Loss of personal
privacy is an acceptable consequence of location-based technologies".
How to get involved:
For those who would like to participate in the workshop, you will need to send in either:
 a 500-word structured abstract detailing your existing work in location-based or contextual
learning (for established researchers in this area),
OR
 a 500-word document to address the question "What do you consider to be the future
opportunities, benefits and issues for location-based and contextual mobile learning?" (for new
researchers)
Submissions must be in Word or PDF format and should be emailed to the organiser, Dr Elizabeth
Brown (elizabeth.brown@nottingham.ac.uk) by Friday 7 August 2009 (deadline extended from original
date of 31 July 2009). All submissions will be reviewed by a panel (details below) and the outcome is
hoped to be made available by late August 2009.
Review panel:
 Dr Elizabeth Brown, University of Nottingham
 Prof Mike Sharples, University of Nottingham
 Dr Gary Priestnall, University of Nottingham
 Dr Marie Joubert, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol
 Tim de Jong, Open University of the Netherlands
 Dirk Boerner, Open University of the Netherlands
 Paul Hogan, Open University
 Rhodri Thomas, Open University
Venue details:
The workshop will be held at the Dorint Sporthotel Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Further details will be
made available at a later date. For information on travelling to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, please check
the STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous website, at
http://www.stellarnet.eu/programme/wp3/rendez-vous/
This workshop is funded by the STELLAR Network of Excellence, which represents the effort of the
leading institutions and projects in European Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL).