In March, I was in Zagreb for ML 2026 and ICEduTech 2026, organised by IADIS. The conferences bring together researchers and practitioners from across the world to share work on mobile learning and educational technology, and this year I was there as a session chair in the mobile learning track.
My session sat under the theme of tools, technologies and platforms for mobile learning. Across the four papers we covered authoring tools powered by large language models, a mobile alternative to interactive tabletops, a comparison of escape game formats, and an evaluation framework for professional mobile learning.
Chairing is a different kind of conference experience. You’re not in the audience passively absorbing, and you’re not presenting your own work. You’re sitting in a middle space, responsible for keeping things moving, for making space for good questions, and for reading the room quickly enough to know when to intervene and when to step back. I found it useful preparation to read each paper beforehand and think about what I actually wanted to know from the researchers, not just what would fill the time.
The session covered four papers.
The first one presented MRGEN, a conceptual framework for using large language models to support teachers in creating mixed reality learning activities.
The second evaluated SPART-ME M, a mobile alternative to interactive tabletops, looking at usability in a science fair context.
The third compared a hybrid mobile QR-scanning format with a narrative desktop format, looking at how platform choice affects learning outcomes and learner behaviour.
Finally, the fourth addressed the challenge of evaluating mobile learning across locations, platforms, and professional contexts, combining analytics with qualitative methods.
On the whole, it was a good conference and always worth making the trip for. Zagreb is a lovely city which is compact and walkable, which is a bonus when you’re visiting for such a short time. I’ve been attending this conference for a few years now and I’m excited for what it brings next year. There’s something valuable about being in a room with people who are genuinely grappling with the same questions, even when the answers are still a long way off.