The “Four R’s” of Mobile Learning by Leonard Low

Leonard Low in a number of posts on the EdNA
mobile learning forum proposed his "Four R's"
Model.

He explains that The "Four R's" model is
focussed on the immediate learner activities
that can be deployed by a teacher using mobile
platforms. It can be used to classify the
capabilities of various mobile devices (see
below).

THE "FOUR R's"

# Record: The learner may use a
portable device to capture, preserve, memorise,
note, or create information. The information
recorded may be in response to a prompt from
the portable device itself; or in response
to a stimulus from their situated learning
environment or their teacher. The information
may be recorded to the portable device itself;
or the portable device could serve as a conduit
for storing the information remotely.

# Recall: The learner may use a
portable device to recall information, events,
experiences or stories, stored on the portable
device (e.g. iPod recording), or by using the
device as a conduit to access information or
fellow learners and teachers remotely (e.g. on
the internet).

# Relate: The learner may use
a portable device to communicate with other
systems, information or people; for example, with
other learners, or with a teacher (i.e. in a
learning relationship). The learner can use the
device to communicate directly and synchronously
(e.g. mobile phone conversation), or access
asynchronous communication services (e.g. web
discussion board or weblog).

# Reinterpret: The learner may
use the portable device to process existing data
so that it is transformed into new information,
or restructured, reformed, or “remixed” to
demonstrate new learning (e.g. data searches or
data mining, data processing or trasformation,
information aggregation such as RSS)

Here's Leonard's explanation of how the
"Four R's" can be used to classify
the capabilities of various mobile devices:

iPod:

* Recall: primary function: audio, text
from local device, (possibly video and images in
some models)
* Record: cannot perform mobile record
(content is changed by PC docking)
* Relate: cannot be used to relate
* Reinterpret: limited - ability to
search files based on ID3 tags


Mobile phone:

* Recall: model-dependant, may include
both local and distributed content including
documents, audio, video, images, RSS...
* Record: model-dependant, may include
both local and distributed storage including
moblogs, audio, video, images...
* Relate: primary function, may include
SMS, MMS, email, voice calling, and IM/chat/forums...
* Reinterpret: limited


...and also to classify various
learning activities and experiences on
the various platforms, e.g.

Mobile phone:

* Recall: learners can use mobile phone
as a means of storing data locally, or accessing
it via mobile web (WAP). Examples include
accessing a snippet of information saved as text
on their mobile phone, or performing a Google
mobile search from their phone over WAP...
* Record: learners can save photos,
video, and audio to a remote, web-based service
using built-in mobile email or MMS available on
many phones. The same content can also be saved
to a blog with textual annotation (moblogging),
or could simply be stored locally for later
recall...
* Relate: learners can message or dial
in to remote information services, call or
message teachers or other learners...

More information, examples, etc. on each of
the "Four R's" is available on Leonard's
blog:
http://mlearning.edublogs.org
(...there is a category on each.)