Research On Design And Development Of Mobile Virtual Learning Community

Today's society is an information society. Information technology has penetrated into all fields of our life, providing a more broad space for learning. The digital living environment puts forward the completely new challenge and request to our learning content and method .Information age has boosted the birth of the E-learning which has infiltrated into all aspects of education field and made the interactive learning become a reality using network teaching methods in the virtual learning environment. Virtual learning community is a virtual community online learning platform based on the social constructivist learning theory computer and network technology. In the virtual learning communities, learners can study, discuss online and exchange ideas like in real life. However, virtual learning community based on the traditional learning network has many limitations, which can not be achieved anytime, anywhere to learn and exchange ideas. The rapid development of wireless technology and mobile information technology have greatly boosted the birth of mobile learning. Mobile learning(M-learning) enables free access to learning information, resources and service with the utilization of mobile information net work and device (cell phone, Pocket PC, PDA .etc). The realization of mobile virtual learning community has liberated completely learners from learning limitations of time and space, and strengthened the exchanges between the learners and stimulated participation, initiative, enthusiasm of learners. It can also promote collaboration in the long-distance teaching and improve the efficiency of learning to meet the needs of lifelong learning.This thesis deals with issues related to mobile learning from theory and application. In theory , based on lots of literatures, this paper analyses and summarizes the research status of M-learning, and defines the mobile virtual learning community and discusses its theoretical basis and characteristics , and proposes its construction principle and a model. In practice, it tries to design and develop a mobile virtual learning community case of a Pocket PC whose subject is "learning English to welcome Olympics", with the theory of mobile virtual learning community and the windows mobile application technology. Productions and the shortcomings of this research are summarized in the end of this thesis; at the same time, the further research direction is also prospected.