Mobile Learning For COOL Informatics: COopertive Open Learning in IT

Abstract

COOL Informatics is a project that wants to foster informatics education in primary and secondary schools by integrating it in different subjects. The term “COOL” references to the following approaches: (1) to the Austrian teaching model COOL – COoperative Open Learning, (2) to COmputer-supported Open Learning as well as (3) to the adjective “cool” in the sense of motivating and useful. Mobile Learning with mobile phones and tablets is one parte of COOL Informatics as it covers all three approaches. From our experiences and the results of former discussions with students we can say, that technology-supported learning seems to be more motivating and “cool” than traditional learning methods. This is one reason why we introduced mobile learning in our vocational high school of commerce and tourism. The paper describes the steps of the implementation from workshops for the students over mobile learning in language lessons to app programming in Applied Informatics for cross-curricular learning. Finally it reports on the evaluation of the workshops and the project on app programming