Let's go mobile...No WAIT a minute

A recent study by Ruder Finn, an independent public relations agency, reviews some interesting data regarding mobile phone usage. Interesting enough that my brainstorming started, and was ready to buy a bunch of iPhones so that we could begin getting more classes "delivered" through the mobile web. Things like "91% of mobile users go online to socialize, compared to only 79% of traditional users" with 82% of Americans have mobile phones (different source)--got me really excited about some new possibilities. That was quickly dampened by some information in the middle of the report:

Quote:

• Mobile phones are not a learning tool. Mobile users (76%) are much less likely than all users (92%) to go online to learn. Learning requires time and patience, something mobile phone users are in short supply of.
  • They (64%) are 1.5 times less likely than the traditional user (96%) to go online to educate themselves
  • They (64%) are 1.4 times less likely than the traditional user (94%) to go online to research.
  • They (95%) are more likely than the traditional user (86%) to go online to keep informed.

• Mobile phones aren't used for creative expression. Mobile users are 1.3 times less likely to personally express themselves online (42%) compared to traditional users (54%). The transitory nature of their intents speaks against spending the time to engage in discussions about personal issues while using their mobile phones.
  • They (41%) are 1.7 times less likely than the traditional user (70%) to go online to opine.
  • They (24%) are 1.8 times less likely than the traditional user (44%) to go online to be creative.

Unquote

So if 82% of Americans have mobile phones, and 92% do social web type stuff, but due to the nature of their interactions aren't up to learning and creative expression...I think I'll wait on this endeavor. Let's stick to short bursts of interaction that focus in on transitory nature of the users, letting the content flow over them in their rivers of information (like pop quiz questions for points through SMS).

But what about iPad?

Thank you ReadWriteWeb for the reference.

25 Practical Ideas for Using Mobile Phones In The Classroom

The customary rule of thumb is that all cell phones should be turned off once a student has entered the classroom. This article demonstrates some practical uses of a cell phone in the classroom. Take a look and see what you think!

Up to date congressional news

The Sunlight Foundation has created an app for the iPhone that will update users throughout the day as to what is happening in Congress. At this point there does not seem to be many bells and whistles, though each message in the Real Time Congress app appears to be tagged with legislation referenced. Could mean all that stuff will be searchable in the future. No need to mention the possible use for Political Science and Journalism classes. If it could be personalized a bit with home state information, and maybe even the state legislature, this could be a big step to really keeping people in the process.

From the Sunlight Foundation Website, features include:

• Live Floor Updates - Updates from the House and Senate floor as they happen.
• Key Documents - See critical reports and memos as they are published online by the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service, Office of Management and Budget, party policy committees and more!
• Whip Notices - Daily and weekly notices from the House Majority and Minority Whips.
• Hearing Schedules - Schedule of upcoming committee hearings from House and Senate.

Spaced Education.

SpacedEd is a learning environment that focuses on using questions to facilitate the learning of content.

From the Website:

It is based upon two core psychology research findings: the spacing effect and the testing effect. In more than 10 randomized trials completed to date, spaced education has been found to:

• Improve knowledge acquisition;
• Increase long-term knowledge retention (out to 2 years);
• Change behavior; and
• Boost learners' abilities to accurately self-assess their knowledge.

The system sends questions to e-mail two times a day. If the questions are answered incorrectly they are redelivered after a week. I'm currently testing it out on the "Philosophy" class which focuses on the philosophy of education. I've only answered two questions, but have already started to see some potential use for the classroom (especially if SMS is allowed.)

Who knows what tomorrow brings...?

ReadWriteWeb has published an article about social media and things that can be expected in the next year. With the proliferation of mobile computing and the social connections maintained by the media, new opportunities for learning will evolve. Take a look and see what is projected, and comment below if you have ideas on things you would like to try in your learning environments.

Watchout Kindle, Here Comes a Possibly Better Mobile Learning Solution

Since it's first generation release, Amazon Kindle has set the bar for services provided on a portable e-reader. Coming soon is the iriver Story. In addition to the usual specs, Engadget reports that the Story will support ePub, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Ogg / WMA file formats. Throw in wireless purchasing, and a podcast player, and you have a multimedia portable learning environment...

Could be neat, but they have a way to go.

Now, if they can just get the price down to a level community college students can afford.

A Peak into the Future...

Part of the fun of browsing through technology blogs is finding those little gems that look like they might actually apply to teaching and learning. Gizmodo did a story on possible new technology coming from Microsoft that could have very exciting potential for the integration of textbooks, interactive learning environments, collaboration, and well...just straight-out student success. As you can see from the picture, it looks like a souped-up e-reader. But take a look at the video after the jump and really see the potential.

Of course...this is just a rumor, and it might be nothing, but wouldn't it be cool?

Update 04/29/10:
Gizmodo posted another update that the Courier has been killed.

Update 11/03/09:
Gizmodo posted another video that shows the user interface in greater detail.

The 5 keys to Mobile Learning Technologies

Learn more about mobile learning technologies in this article by Campus Technology. There are 5 key tips covered in this article that will help you learn best practices of mobile learning! The article has specific tips on i phone, and i pod touch as well.

Something new and exciting is being used at college campuses:

Mobile technology! Recently featured in an article by Campus Technology, the University of Illinois has a new feature that allows those students with cell phones to log onto the campus web page. The new feature is called U-Mobile and is featured on the colleges website.

Without specific mobile technology web pages can be difficult to navigate and unappealing visually. This new technology is rapidly spreading to college campuses worldwide. “Mobile users account for over 40% of all students from a number of colleges surveyed in Beijing while the number was 10%in 2001 according to a report by studies on China’s Youth magazine.

Finding Educational Videos Online Made Easy

WatchKnow.org, a website that catalogs videos online that are available for educational purposes. I found a video about the stifling of creativity by copyright laws that could be used in an appropriate learning space. Sure, I could have found it anyway, but WatchKnow made it easy to browse. There are many videos already there, and I would expect that over time, as more and more educators get involved in the WatchKnow community, I would expect this will evolve into a key resource to keep in our pocket.

YouTube EDU and TeacherTube Brings Free Education to the Masses

YouTube has released a new sub-site called YouTube EDU aggregating thousands of free lectures from over a hundred universities across the country, including MIT, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and many more.


Another online community that provides the sharing of instructional videos is called TeacherTube. Their goal is to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

Evernote

Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere.