Thoughts on Locative Learning

After reading through recent articles on Location Based Education, such as Adam Greenfield’s article on Location Based and Context Aware Education and listening to Leslie Rule’s lecture on Locative Media, I have to admit that I am still struggling with these concepts and exactly what this means for the future of educational technology. I understand that learning in right place and context can help to create a more memorable learning experience.

A recent example: Recently a childhood friend of mine quit her high tech job to go back to school and get a PhD in Oceanography. She credited the memorable eco-trips of our grade school days, where we did field work on location in the wood, finding our own samples to examine under the microscope as sparking an interest scientific discovery. Now thirty years later she is taking part in lengthier “ocean eco-trips” where she goes out on a boat, collecting samples for her studies.

Another example: This summer, my husband and enjoyed a cross country trip where we stopped in the Black Hills to visit both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. After the trip we returned home and raved to all our friends about the Crazy Horse Monument, which we found very memorable. Both the museum and the theater attached to the monument gave a complete story of the still-under-construction monument, and each building including sweeping views of the real monument, putting the dramatic construction story in context. We spent over three hours at the monument and remember almost every detail. In contrast, we also visited Mt. Rushmore, which is just 30 minutes away from the Crazy Horse. At Mt. Rushmore, we looked at the monument first, then briefly popped into a completely separate museum to find out about the history and information. The disconnected story did not peak our interest as much, and we left after 30 minutes, and can recall virtually no details of the monument construction story. While both locative learning opportunities were similar, the Crazy Horse Monument was viewed in context of the story of its construction, while Mt. Rushmore was viewed separate from its story. Crazy Horse was more memorable.

While articles and lectures on locative learning have made me think about the importance of location and context to learning, and have brought to mind a multitude of examples in my own life, I have yet to make the leap in my understanding of how ever changing technology will play a role. I think this is because of my own biases against portable technology. I am the kind of person who has a purposefully low tech cell phone, which I often lose for weeks at a time. I often find portable technologies to be an invasion of my private time, which I view as a hindrance, rather than a help. I am slowly changing my paradigm as I learn more about GPS technology and the convenience of iphone, but I have to admit that it may be a while before I can personally make this leap. Right now the context is just not there.