Authors:
Brian Elliston
1
and
Elizabeth FitzGerald
2
Affiliations:
1
University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
;
2
The Open University, United Kingdom
Keyword(s):
Audio Guides, Mobile Learning, Conversation Analysis, Footing, Human-computer Interaction, Informal Learning.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Mobile Information Systems
;
Mobile Learning
;
Technology Enhanced Learning
;
Technology Support for Pervasive Learning
;
Ubiquitous Learning
;
Web Information Systems and Technologies
Abstract:
We describe the building and testing of a museum audio tour with content recorded as spontaneous interactive dialogue between two curators as they walked around an art gallery. The aim was to produce a guide which would increase the amount of topically relevant talk shared by people visiting a museum in groups of two or more. Conversation analysis is used to show how a pair of visitors engaged more with the content of the guide than they would have with audio produced as traditional scripted monologue. Examples of a variety of engagement types are detailed and a supporting rationale drawing on Goffman’s theory of ‘footing’ is discussed. The approach potentially offers a low cost way for organisations involved in informal learning to produce flexible in-house audio content for mobile and e-learning, which improves visitor engagement both with the content and with one another, and leads to a more enjoyable visitor/learner experience than traditional forms of audio.