Understanding the potential new roles for mobile computer technologies for teaching Geography fieldwork: Using GIS and social networking to enhance learning opportunities

The project investigated how new forms of mobile technology can be used to allow new forms of media, datasets, GIS information, and methods of social interaction to be used within Geography fieldwork to enhance student learning. There is increasing pressure to make fieldwork as effective as possible, given time and financial limitations. Consequently there is ia need to use a wide variety of learning styles, keeping students engaged and increasing the content taken from each session. In doing this it is also vital that students are provided the opportunity to move through the learning (Kolb) cycle (Kolb 1984), while also catering for differing personal learning traits. It was this project's intention to help fulfil these learning styles by also introducing visual, aural, and tactile approaches via sensory-based learning. The project conducted a day workshop with six students, both under and postgraduate to redo fieldwork that was conducted, but using an iPad and various applications to see whether there was any benefit to using these technologies. For the workshop a sample field information pack, including multimedia content was developed for use on an iPad through a number of applications, including Google Earth, Twitter, Flipbook, and Qwiki. Student feedback was obtained from an online survey and a group discussion. Results have indicated that the applications were easy to use and helped provide information in a more appealing format. All six (check) students found the iPad extremely useful in the field, particularly for GIS fieldwork. It is clear from our small sample, that using technologies in the field, enhance teaching practises to ensure students move through the steps of the learning (Kolb) cycle, and make research and learning more appealing through the use of applications.