PAPER GUIDELINES ON IMPLEMENTING SUCCESSFUL SEAMLESS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS – A PRACTITIONERS’ PERSPECTIVE Guidelines on Implementing Successful Seamless Learning Environments A Practitioners’ Perspective http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v7i2.2467 Noriko Uosaki, Hiroaki Ogata, Mengmeng Li, Bin Hou and Kousuke Mouri The University of Tokushima, Minami Josanjima, Tokushima, Japan Abstract—This paper describes implementation guidelines for ubiquitous seamless mobile learning featuring the learning-log system named SCROLL (System for Capturing and Reminding of Learning Log). This system helps users to share and remind ubiquitous learning experiences. We review recent researches on mobile assisted learning in order to set pedagogically-based guidelines for instructors, learning environment designers and the administrative end or decision makers including ICT coordinator, and local authorities. Main foci in our guidelines are for language teachers to practice SROLL-based mobile learning in their classes for both in-class and out-class learning according to their situation or conditions. Our goal is to help educators to implement an effective seamless mobile learning environ- ment with SCROLL. Index Terms—mobile assisted language learning (MALL), mobile learning, m-learning, seamless learning, task-based learning I. INTRODUCTION Pervasion of high-efficiency mobile phones or smart- phones has expanded the potential of mobile learning environments. Researches on this area have been very active during this decade [1] [2] [3]. Mobile learning has been recognized as one of the natural directions toward which CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is heading [4] [5]. Reference [6], which indicated that the learners preferred mobile platform rather than PCs, endorsed this trend. Mobile and ubiquitous technologies have been expected to foster shifting from classroom- based learning to the one that is free from time and space boundaries, which is, what they call, mobile cloud- education [7]. It can provide smart anytime-anywhere learning that is customized and adapted to individuals, and delivered via personal portables devices. In this paper, after overviewing the recent research ten- dencies on seamless mobile learning, we analyze how seamless the learning could be and categorize it into 7 types according to the facilities being afforded, and then we set implementation guidelines for those who are considering adopting seamless mobile learning in the new era of high performance smartphone. There have been quite a few technology-driven re- searches on these fields, but however sophisticated sys- tems (software) and devices (hardware) being developed, unless we have a good guidance so that practitioners can use them in a real educational environment, they might be useless, being left unused. But such guidelines have rarely been found out on any journals so far. Even if they exist, since mobile technology is a rapidly and constantly advancing field, the guidelines which were set in the past are destined to get out of date soon. Therefore it is our aim to produce new guidelines on implementation of an effective seamless mobile learning environment. Though this is especially featuring SCROLL (System for Captur- ing and Reminding of Learning Log), we believe that it can help implementation of any seamless mobile learning environment. The rest of this paper includes research updates on mo- bile learning in Chapter II. Chapter III presents keys to successful implementation of seamless mobile learning, and Chapter IV describes learning scenarios in mobile environment. Chapter V gives conclusions with our plans for further development of seamless mobile environment. II. SEAMLESS MOBILE LEARNING A. Mobile Learning Reference [8] defined “mobile learning” as “any educa- tional provision where the sole or dominant technologies are handheld or palmtop devices”. According to [9], “mobile” as in mobile learning encompasses both learning supported by mobile devices and also learning in an era characterized by mobility of people and knowledge. In this paper, “mobile learning” by which we mean “learning with its use of mobile and wireless technologies with the scope of the mobility of the learners and learning situa- tion. The new generation smartphones as represented by iPhone and the open sourced mobile OS Android provide users with such advanced functions as the multi-touch interface, full browser, and millions of applications. One of the key features of smartphones is that they are equipped with a range of sensors such as the accelerome- ter, ambient light sensor, GPS, microphone, camera, compass and so on. Aggregation of mobile devices with such multi-sensor systems would enable users to benefit from information gathered via other surrounded devices and users [10] [11]. It will significantly impact the future of education, providing new environment called surround learning or seamless learning and inducing more social interaction and collaborative learning among learners. Thus these mobile technologies will possibly play a critical role in the future CALL activities. 44 http://www.i-jim.org