Mobile Learning
Posted 20th April, 2010 in by mtapk
Mobile is the technology that can provide oppertunity to the teacher educators to hit the distance learners at any time at present it can be used to remind the students about their important engagements and dates. Deadlines etc. Is it possible that built in hints should be provided to distence learners through mobile technology?
5 comments so far:
nagarrett says: Definitely Long-term
Mobility is the wave of the future, but we're not in a position technologically to really move forward at this point. Hence, this is an issue that definitely needs to be developed in this venue, as a long-term trend. Currently, the market is so fragmented that the implementation of any mobile learning is completely dependent upon hardware, carrier, etc.. While you see much development occuring for the iPhone, for example, few students actually have them and their market share is vastly smaller than their hype. Without a common platform, this area won't move forward, at least in education.
Right now, a developer must develop separate apps for each platform, and sometimes even for different carriers. This means there is no uniformity or standardization, and while mobile devices are ubiquitous, platform-independent mobile devices are nowhere to be seen. I believe it will be open-source systems like Android that will ultimately make mobile devices platform independent, not heavily proprietary devices like the iPhone.
Mobile devices are currently where we were in the early days of the PC, back in the early 80's. The dust hasn't settled yet on standardization. To be sure, it will, and we had better be ready, because even though it is a hetergeneous market technologically, the frame of reference of students has defintely gone mobile. Bottom line: Definitely a trend and a future that we need to deal with here.
jmgilliot says: Mobile Learning is a much broader possible future
Hi,
managing its own agenda is an important thing, but mobile learning is covering much other interesting issues, giving access to any information in context, so enabling new forms of experiences. I love the perspective of Steve Wheeler :
" Multimedia brought the world into the classroom ...
... Smart technologies will take the classroom to the world"
silviagarcia341 says: This is indeed a very
This is indeed a very interesting perspective.
Mobility is one of the most important characteristics of learning today as never before. Information comes to us in many ways and at all time. Lots of information. So I think that one of the most important roles of schools today is to make sure that students develop the necessary competencies for dealing with that amount of information. Use what they need and what is good for them.
Smart technology has so many uses for education (formal, informal, independent...) The problem is, how smart we are in using "smart technology". How smart we are in taking advantage of technology for raising motivation for learning among our students; not by notifying events to come, but by creating new activities that challenge the student's abilities to use technology wisely.
And we as teachers will not be able to do that if we don't get familiar with all these artifacts to the point that we are able to transform them into useful devices for education. That is, giving technology a different use and purpose than the one given by technology designers. There is a long way between using technology and being able to transform it.
profkeely says: Re: Mobile Learning
I appreciate that mobile devises are becoming more and more capable of allowing distance students to "go to class" via their smart phone or mini-laptop. However, why should I have to remind them of deadlines and due dates? Isn't a huge part of learning having it be self-motivated? If students want to learn then shouldn't they be self-disciplined in going about that endeavor?
Steve Quann says: SpacedEd
I like the idea of using phones for hints and support along the way. I have been looking at SpacedEd where a teacher can develop spaced learning via quizzes and such. Students will get these daily in email and right now on blackberies and iphones. Do you know of others? Possibly ones that send via text?
Steve