We are going to the ZOO! Virtual Badges in Formal out-of-school 1:1 Learning Journey with Smartphones

Abstract

This paper presents experiences from a seamless mobile learning project in Singapore. Although the project included a variety of seamless mobile learning designs, this paper focuses on only one, and that is a mobile learning application SamEx in support of a specific learning scenario – an outdoor ZOO field trip. The paper describes SamEx design by focusing on virtual badges gathered by the students during their ZOO trip. The trip was structured by the teachers and scaffolded by SamEx system contextually triggered questions and prompts. The paper describes experiences from the ZOO trip done with SamEx, gives an elaborate example of a student’s learning experience during the trip, and concludes by examining different types of student profiles according to their badge usage and SamEx social engagement.