Mobile and Web 2.0 technologies in undergraduate science

Situating learning in everyday experience

Abstract

Mobile and Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to support learning that is situated in “real-world” contexts, dissolving boundaries between formal learning and social spaces. We describe a case study in which first-year students in an undergraduate chemistry course used digital cameras or camera phones to capture images that illustrated chemical processes in everyday life. They then shared these images with other students on the Flickr website. We present qualitative findings from the case study evaluation, identifying students’ perceptions of the activity and their reactions to using everyday technologies in this formal learning setting. While the evaluation identified positive aspects of the photo sharing activity, it also revealed that many students did not see the relevance of the activity to their formal learning. The paper raises a number of issues about the challenges of incorporating everyday technologies, such as mobile and Web 2.0 tools, into higher education.