Thumbtops as Learning Tools: From 'Development for Learning' to 'Learner as Developer'

This article describes some of the key affordances for learning of the generic class of handheld computers known variously as smartphones, palmtops, and thumbtops—using the Apple ¡Phone 3G as one of the most mature exemplars of this class—based on the authors' experiences with and reflections a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational technology 2010-09, Vol.50 (5), p.10-13
Main Authors: Lim, Kenneth Y T, Chen, Der-Thanq "Victor", Hung, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Communities
Computer Interfaces
Computer Software
Computer Uses in Education
Computers
Educational environment
Educational Research
Educational Technology
Electronic Learning
Foreign Countries
Handheld Devices
Intervention
Learner engagement
Learning
Learning experiences
Learning laboratories
Research design
Singapore
Touch screens
Users (Information)
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Summary:This article describes some of the key affordances for learning of the generic class of handheld computers known variously as smartphones, palmtops, and thumbtops—using the Apple ¡Phone 3G as one of the most mature exemplars of this class—based on the authors' experiences with and reflections about the device over a period of a year. An argument is made that one of its most potentially powerful affordances is that of shifting the paradigm of educational technology away from providing learners with technological solutions ('development for learning') to that of encouraging learners to engage in interdisciplinary thinking about the design of software applications which are authentic and personally meaningful ('learner as developer').
ISSN:0013-1962