IADIS Mobile Learning 2009

User Created Content & Mobile Technologies: From Consumers to Creators bypassing the Learning opportunity?
Over the pass three years Mobile and Social technologies have featured strongly in the Horizon Report series which examines emerging technologies likely to have an impact on teaching, learning. Mobile devices have progressed from an adoption projection of two to three years in 2006, to a much more imminent adoption prediction trajectory of a year or less in 2008. Whether earlier the educational value of mobile technologies was thought to be delivery of content to people’s devices, the emphasis now has clearing changed to focus on their capabilities that enable users creating and sharing content.

The ‘former audience’ combines traditional activities such as searching, reading, watching and listening, with producing, commenting, sharing, and classifying its own content. New genres of filmmaking and photography where the message gains ground over the form are developing. The proliferation of user-created content is fuelled by the wide availability of at-hand mundane technology such as mobile telephones, and the wider broadcasting outlets. These are mainly web-based however increasingly user-created content such as videos of breaking news stories feature in traditional broadcasting channels as for instance television. The increasing range of web 2.0 and mundane technology choices, facilitating the development of user-created content and providing opportunities to meet and collaborate, offers immense potential for teaching and learning. However, the danger remains that the transition from consumer to creator might miss the learning opportunity.

The IADIS Mobile Learning 2009 International Conference seeks to provide a forum for the discussion and presentation of mobile learning research. In particular, but not exclusively, we aim to explore the transition from content consumer to content creator in experiences that take advantage of the learning opportunities this provides.

Topics

 * Pedagogical approaches and theories for mLearning
 * Collaborative, cooperative, and Contextual mLearning
 * Creativity and mLearning
 * Gaming and simulations in mLearning
 * mLearning in educational institutions: primary, secondary and third level
 * Informal and Lifelong mLearning
 * New tools, technologies, and platforms for mLearning
 * User Studies in mLearning
 * The social phenomenon of mobile devices and mLearning
 * mLearning in developing countries
 * Speculative ideas in mLearning: where next?

Contributions
The Conference will be composed of several types of contributions:


 * Full Papers – These include mainly accomplished research results and have 8 pages at the maximum (5,000 words).


 * Short Papers – These are mostly composed of work in progress reports or fresh developments and have 4 pages at maximum (2,500 words).


 * Reflection Papers – These might review recent research literature pertaining to a particular problem or approach, indicate what the findings suggest, and/or provide a suggestion - with rationale and justification - for a different approach or perspective on that problem. Reflection papers might also analyze general trends or discuss important issues in topics related to Mobile Learning. These have 4 pages at maximum (2,500 words).


 * Posters / Demonstrations – These have one page at the maximum (625 words) besides the poster itself (or demonstration) that will be exposed at the conference.


 * Tutorials – Tutorials can be proposed by scholars or company representatives. A proposal of maximum 250 words is expected.


 * Panels – Discussions on selected topics will be held. A proposal of maximum 250 words is expected.


 * Invited Talks – These will be made of contributions from well-known scholars and company representatives. An abstract will be included in the conference proceedings.


 * Doctoral Consortium - The Doctoral Consortium will discuss on going work of PhD students in an informal and formative atmosphere. Contributions to the consortium should take the form of either:
 * a critical literature review of the research topic providing the rationale for the relevance and interest of the research topic; or
 * a short paper discussing the research question(s), research objectives, research methodology and work done so far.

Doctoral Consortium Contributions should have a maximum 2,500 words (4 pages).


 * Corporate Showcases & Exhibitions – The former enables companies to present recent developments and applications, inform a large and qualified audience of your future directions and showcase company’s noteworthy products and services. There will be a time slot for companies to make their presentation in a room. The latter enables companies the opportunity to display its latest offerings of hardware, software, tools, services and books, through an exhibit booth. For further details please contact the publicity chair - secretariat@mlearning-conf.org.

All submissions, except invited talks, are subject to a blind refereeing process.

Important Dates:

 * Submission deadline: 20 October 2008
 * Notification to Authors: 17 November 2008
 * Final Camera-Ready Submission and Early Registration: Until 15 December 2008
 * Late Registration: After 15 December 2008
 * Conference: Barcelona, Spain, 26 to 28 February 2009

Program Committee
has program chair::Inmaculada Arnedillo Sánchez, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland has general chair::Pedro Isaías, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University), Portugal
 * Program Chair
 * Conference Chair