Design for Mobile Learning in Museums

Abstract

This chapter discusses the design challenges of mobile museum learning applications. Museums are undoubtedly rich in learning opportunities to be further enhanced with effective use of mobile technology. A visit supported and mediated by mobile devices can trigger the visitors’ motivation by stimulating their imagination and engagement, giving opportunities to reorganize and conceptualise historical, cultural and technological facts in a constructive and meaningful way. In particular, context of use, social and constructivist aspects of learning and novel pedagogical approaches are important factors to be taken in consideration during the design process. A thorough study of existing systems is presented in the chapter in order to offer a background for extracting useful design approaches and guidelines. The chapter closes with a discussion on our experience in designing a collaborative learning activity for a cultural history museum.

How to create new services between library resources, museum exhibitions and virtual collections

“…As pervasive information technologies, mobiles modify the relation between the visitor and his habitual information ecosystem (de Rosnay, 2000) and can affect the way visitors explore the library and the museum and the way they learn from their objects (Tselios et al , 2008; Wang et al , 2009; Bartneck et al , 2006; Al‐khamayseh et al , 2007; Corbeil and Valdes‐Corbeil, 2007). What separates nomadic devices from more classic desktop devices (desktop computers, multimedia stations, interactive kiosks, etc.)…”

“…What separates nomadic devices from more classic desktop devices (desktop computers, multimedia stations, interactive kiosks, etc.) is the nature of user interaction: while desktop devices create a dyadic, one‐to‐one (user‐system) interaction, mobile devices entail a triadic interaction between the user, the system and the context of use (Tselios et al , 2008; Christopoulou, 2008). When introducing mobile devices in a library or in a museum one possible scenario is that the mobile will act as a “cognitive tubular tool” (Tijus, 2009) that will guide the visitor and help him focusing his attention on the library objects, improving the continuity of his experience (continuity between pre/during/post visit and continuity between different documents) and enriching his learning experience.…”

De-Polarizing by Coloring, Reasoning by Curating

“…Thus for example, Dutch museums dealing with controversial heritage such as slave trade or collaboration with Nazism created activities in which visiting students take up the roles of various historical agents, research their lives and engage with other (Savenije, van Boxtel, & Grever, 2014). Mobile learning in museums can also offer visitors the chance of an individualized active engagement with historical artefacts, making meaningful personalized structuring and interpretation of the exhibits according to their opinions (Tselios et al, 2009). Still, it is unclear whether encountering another person's opinion about the past or individualized interpretation of heritage facilitates depolarization (Bail et al, 2018).…”

Encouraging Museum Visitor Engagement Using Spontaneous Talk-in-Interaction Audio Guides

“…McManus (1987) describes how families with children spend longer discussing exhibits but less time engaging with guides, while vom Lehn (2006) describes the importance for children of "bodily enactment" with exhibits (see also Blud 1990 andHein 1998). Nor has this study considered student groups, which constitute a major field within museum guide research because of their blend of formal and informal learning (Tselios et al 2008, Reynolds et al 2009, Sung et al 2010.…”