Students' experiences with PDAs for reading course materials

ALT-J, 2002

Lightweight, palmtop devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) can now be used for reading electronic text, opening up their potential as learning tools. This paper reports a study that evaluated the use of PDAs for reading course materials by students on an Open University master's course. The research is grounded in activity theory, which provides a useful framework for examining how the introduction of a new tool changes an existing activity. Student perceptions of the possibilities and constraints of the PDA, as determined by questionnaires and interviews, reveal the impact the new tool had upon reading. The PDA constrained reading with limitations such as the small screen size, new requirements for navigating through the text and awkward methods for taking notes. These conditions made it difficult for students to skim-read the text, to move back and forth within the document and to interact with the text as easily as they could with paper. Nevertheless, students welcomed the opportunity to have the course materials on a portable, lightweight device that could be used at any time and in any place. This made it easier to fit the reading activity around the various other activities in which students were involved In addition, the PDA was used in conjunction with existing tools, such as the printed version of the course materials and the desktop computer. Therefore, it was not seen to replace paper but rather to extend and complement it. The findings are discussed using concepts from activity theory to interpret how the new tool modified the reading activity.

Proceedings of the European Workshop on Mobile and …, 2002

A study of learners' use of PDAs for reading and notetaking on an online course, together with findings from staff development workshops, have shown that there are numerous issues underlying effective, efficient, and satisfying use of this new technology. The paper reports on the issues by examining cognitive, ergonomic and affective aspects of learners' experience.

Online Submission, 2007

Abstract: This study investigated opinions of students regarding instructional use of PDAs (personal digital assistants). The study was conducted in the 4th semester elective course, BTO 204-Business English at the Faculty of Education at Anadolu University. Purposeful sampling was applied in the current study. Five PDAs were distributed to sophomore students. Before students started using PDAs in Business English classes, they were given training on how to use PDAs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each ...

ABSTRACT This study investigated opinions of students regarding instructional use of PDAs (personal digital assistants). The study was conducted in the 4th semester elective course, BTÖ 204-Business English at the Faculty of Education at Anadolu University. Purposeful sampling was applied in the current study. Five PDAs were distributed to sophomore students. Before students started using PDAs in Business English classes, they were given training on how to use PDAs.

Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 2007

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or handheld computers have been shown to support teachers in the management of course information, pupil assessment information, knowledge acquisition, task organisation and communication (Becta, 2003). The latest PDAs now come with internal cameras and mobile phones allowing the user to communicate via voice and text as well as accessing the internet. This paper stems from a trial at the Graduate School of Education in the

In this paper we discuss results obtained from a pilot study conducted with five schools (three primary and two secondary) using handheld computers. The schools were at various stages of confidence in their uses of the technology and had differing levels of support and co-ordination. The paper reports on the results of observations of classes and interviews with teachers and students. Our particular focus is the issues that needed to be addressed across schools and within classrooms in maximising the potential of handheld computers. We report on the issues that the schools confronted and some of the ways in which they attempted to resolve them.

This paper presents the results of a descriptive case study concerning adoption of iPad or other tablets as assistive technology. Two pilot studies concerning the adoption and use of the iPad for active reading in a teaching/learning situation have recently been conducted at elementary school level and at university level. In the course of both studies, students with reading difficulties were encountered. For each group of students, a key case has been chosen. The paper presents our findings regarding adjustments that needed to be made for these students and initial research on iPad usability for students with special education needs. By describing two instances, one involving a university student and the other two elementary school children, we hope to bring attention to application of ICT for students with reading difficulties. Students with this kind of impairment are often neglected in comparison to students with visual impairments or other disabilities. In one case, the iPad ha...

Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

In the contemporary context, there is a growing practice of reading higher education teaching support material using digital media tools, via scrolling text on a screen on multiple devices (e.g. tablets, iPads and computers). These materials can be either specifically prepared digital texts or scanned printed texts, as opposed to the tradition of reading on paper. Thus, the following question emerges, which functions as the leitmotiv of the present study: what is the pedagogical potential of digital reading by scrolling text? In order to answer this question, we analysed a variety of information addressing this topic, which was collected from multiple sources. The analysis of this information allows concluding that, sometimes, rather than by the intentionality or pedagogical potential of the academic learning reading processes, this practice seems to be justified by the possibility of implementing a technology that tends to meet the actors' expectations (mainly students). There is the need for some caution in the mobilisation of digital reading in each specific situation, insofar as this reading is not alwaysnecessarily and under any circumstance-the most fruitful. Besides the specificities that differentiate digital reading from printed reading (such as concentration and the relationship with new technologies), students' traits, their motivation, their knowledge about the use of the reading device or the type of digital document are some of the key elements to take into account for the success of learning through this reading process in academic learning, which, in addition, cannot overlook the importance of the type of teacher-student relationship established.

British Journal of Educational Technology, 2011

This article summarises the methodology and outcomes of an interventionist/ action research project to assess the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of the use of mobile devices in learning and teaching activities in a Further Education environment. A bank of 15 tablet devices were purchased and prepared for classroom use. Staff members were approached to scope potential activities and uses for the tablet devices. Three departments took part in the research activity: the Language School, Social and Vocational Studies and the Hairdressing department. Use of the tablets was varied in nature and included: use of multimedia tools, use of apps, creation and use of a bespoke app, multimedia manipulation and sharing, and creation of an online e-portfolio. Staff and student feedback was gathered during and after the project, and project authors were present during classroom activities for observation and recording purposes. Overall feedback was very positive, but there were issues with tablet use and administration. One of the major issues was the onerous nature of the security setup, and app administration.