MIT Center for Mobile Learning
@ The Media Lab
Shaileen C. Pokress
Manager, Education Programs
Our Work
The Center for Mobile Learning (CML) at the MIT Media
Lab invents and studies new mobile technologies to
promote learning anywhere, anytime, for anyone.
Image credit: mlearning2010.wikispaces.com
Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License.
Our Mission
We focus on mobile tools that empower learners to think
creatively, collaborate broadly, and shape their information
environments to be personally engaging and relevant to
their own interests.
We believe that teachers
and learners should be
creators rather than just
consumers of new mobile
technologies.
Center for Mobile Learning Co-Directors:
Eric Klopfer - director of MIT’s Scheller Teacher
Education Program; expert on educational
games and simulations.
Hal Abelson – renowned computing educator;
leader in the global movement for Open
Educational Resources; founding board member
of the Free Software Foundation and Creative
Commons.
Mitchel Resnick - famous for his work on
Scratch and LEGO Mindstorms; directs the
Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT
Media Lab; head of Media Arts & Science
academic program at MIT.
Our Digital Creation Tools:
Scratch, Taleblazer, App Inventor
Digital Creation Tools: Scratch
scratch.mit.edu
 Create computer programs: animations, stories,
games, school projects… unlimited possibilities
 The original blocks-based drag-and-drop
programming tool
 Share projects in the gallery, Remix other people’s
projects
Digital Creation Tools: TaleBlazer
taleblazer.org
 Toolkit for designing location-based augmented reality
(LBAR) games
 Blocks-based programming sets it apart from other
LBAR toolkits
 Beta release coming soon – Fall 2012
Digital Creation Tools: App Inventor
appinventor.mit.edu
 Democratizes building mobile apps, just as Scratch does
for animations & games
 Blocks-based: no syntax errors, lower barrier to entry
 Accesses all of the phone’s functions: camera, GPS,
texting, calling, etc.
 Package your app for
sharing on other devices,
upload to the Android
Market
Learning Through App Creation
Affordances of Mobile Devices
 Sensing: accelerometer, tilt sensor, touch screen
 Socially interactive: texting, voice calls
 A/V enabled: access the camera,
microphone, and speakers
 Provide feedback: haptic, audio,
and visual
 Location aware: GPS
Learning Through App Creation
Mobile Apps are inherently:
 Personal
 Meaningful
 Useful
 Shareable
 Specific
 Portable!
App Inventor:
How does it work?
MIT App Inventor
Free tools + Free resources
 Free service
 Open source
 Forums
 Tutorials
 Curriculum
 Resources
 Log in with a
Google Account
 Projects stored
on MIT servers
Designer: choose components for your app
Blocks Editor: program your app’s behavior
Question: Why Create your own apps?
•
You need an app that does not exist, or you want to
customize an app that does exist.
• You want to solve a personal problem or need. The app
you build is useful to you personally.
• You want to use the phone as a tool.
• You need to be able to take the app with you.
• People in different locations need to access or share
data.
• It’s fun!
Learning with App Inventor
Why Should Students Create Apps?
• Engagement and exploration in content areas
Mathematics, Science, Art, History, Geography…
• Exposure to computing
Digital literacy is neglected in our educational system. We need to elevate
it to the same importance as language and mathematical literacy.
• Empowerment (aka “not just for nerds”)
Students exposed to computing in a personally meaningful, fun, and
creative way are more likely to have an “a-ha!” moment. They discover
that they are capable of understanding and manipulating technology.
• Gateway to the future
How will students know that they might like to pursue further study in
technological fields if they have not been given early experiences?
App Inventor in Action
Apps for Better Health Care
Developed by three college students, the ComPal App uses the phone’s
camera to perform analysis of medical tests in places where regular medical
care is not readily available.
Apps for Safety: No Texting While Driving
Science Apps in the Field:
Measuring Tree Height
http://notes.hfoss.org/index.php/TreeCalc:Main_Page
Science Apps in the Field:
Tracking Wild Hogs
What’s on the horizon?
Emerging technologies that will make mobile learning
even more engaging and relevant
 External probes attach via USB or Bluetooth to provide data
such as air temperature and humidity, water salinity and
acidity, etc.
 Hardware Attachments – new add-ons can turn the phone’s
camera into a microscope or an infrared camera.
 NFC – Near Field Communication allows devices to
communicate when placed near each other or near any NFC
tag.
 New App Inventor components are being developed all the
time – stay tuned!
Shay Pokress
shaileen@media.mit.edu