My current research interests include mobile learning and social and affective uses and also in how informal learning can be supported by technology, especially mobile devices and how this can support language learning. The most recent publication in this area is about the field trials that we conducted as part of an EU project entitled MASELTOV project. The title of the publication is "Supporting immigrant language learning on smartphones: a field trial." I am also interested in how technologies, including mobile technologies can support minority language learning, and have conducted a study about learning Welsh in this area - see the 2015 articles. I have also investigated supporting scientific inquiry learning - across different contexts, again including informal and semi-formal learning, as part of the Personal Inquiry project and have a long standing interest in citizen science, in particularly applied to Natural History. The PI project was the start of a series of further projects and developments leading to the development of the nQuire platform, in collaboration with the BBC, headed up by Mike Sharples, to support mass participation in social science experiments.
In terms of teaching I worked on "The critical researcher: educational technology in practice" a module in our MA on Open and Distance Education (MAODE) which started in April 2017, although, sadly, the MAODE is no longer running. Working on the module was exciting and had positive feedback from our students.
I co-edit the Journal of Interactive Media in Education. JIME (https://jime.open.ac.uk/ is a peer-reviewed open access online journal in educational technology - and you are strongly encourged to have a look at some of the exciting papers and themed collections that we have published in JIME. Please visit the site to have a look or if you are interested in publishing a paper in JIME.
I was a founding member of the Computers and Learning Research group which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019. We celebrated the anniversary with a symposium and also produced a book shaped by the group's visions- see Ferguson, Jones and Scanlon (2019).
Biography
Ann Jones is a Reader in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. She has published extensively in educational technology. Her research interests include mobile learning; how informal learning (including language learning) can be supported by technology and research into social and affective use of computers. In this area she investigated the use of technology to support social and communication skills in different learner groups including children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and children in care.
She has worked on several funded projects bids. Recent projects include the FP7 funded MASELTOV project (2012-2015), the Open University Open Learning Network (funded by Hewlitt, 2009-2012) and the Personal Inquiry Project (2007-2010; UK Research Councils). She co-edits the Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Jones, Ann; Scanlon, Eileen and Ferguson, Rebecca (). Introduction. In: Ferguson, Rebecca; Jones, Ann and Scanlon, Eileen eds. Educational Visions: Lessons from 40 years of innovation London: Ubiquity Press, pp. 1-12.
Scanlon, Eileen; Banks, Frank; Blake, Canan; Clough, Gill; Jones, Ann; Holliman, Richard; Issroff, Kim; Marshall, Christine; Roche, Nel; Smidt, Samantha and Waycott, Jenny. (). PDAS as workplace tools for science teachers. In: IADIS International Conference - Mobile Learning 2007, 5-7 Jul, Lisbon, Portugal.
Oliver, Martin; Harvey, Jen; Conole, Grainne and Jones, Ann (). Evaluation. In: Conole, Grainne and Oliver, Martin eds. Contemporary perspectives in e-learning research; themes, methods and impact on practice Abingdon, Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer, pp. 203-216.
Collins, Trevor; Potter, Stephen and Jones, Ann (). Research presentations. In: Potter, Stephen eds. Doing Postgraduate Research (2nd ed) London: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 228-250.
Jones, Ann (). Constructivist learning theories and IT. In: Heap, Nicholas; Thomas, Ray; Einon, Geoffrey; Mason, Robin and Mackay, Hugh eds. Information Technology and Society London: Sage, pp. 249-265.
Preece, Jenny and Jones, Ann (). Packages-learning at a distance. In: Taylor, C. A. eds. Science Education and Information Transfer Oxford: Pergamon Press, pp. 117-136.