EDUCAUSE Review
Volume 46, Number 2 | March/April 2011
Getting a Handle on Mobile: Perspectives
Features
Mobile Literacy
Why Mobile?
Mobile Matters: Communication Trumps Technology
EDUCAUSE Review
Volume 46, Number 2 | March/April 2011
Getting a Handle on Mobile: Perspectives
Features
Designing for the future web — from SmashingMagazine.com by James Gardner
Also see:
Addendum on 4/5/11:
A free, weeklong online experience consisting of online activities, resources, web seminars, and discussions on mobile computing.
Join us April 25–29 for a focused learning opportunity on one of the top IT issues in higher education today—mobile computing.
Perhaps no area of higher education IT is evolving more rapidly. Colleges and universities are making important decisions about mobile computing and how it can be incorporated into effective technology programs—today and tomorrow.
In an effort to bring the community together on this topic, EDUCAUSE will convene a Mobile Computing 5-Day Sprint. This experience will allow you to engage in activities and discussions on the many ways mobile technologies are undeniably altering higher education.
How to Participate
Mark your calendar to visit this website throughout the week. The 5-Day Sprint will include synchronous and asynchronous activities.
The sprint is a build-your-own experience—you choose which activities to participate in, based on your interests and needs. No registration is required, except for the free daily EDUCAUSE Live! web seminars, where virtual seating is limited; sign up today.
What to Expect During the Week
Join us each day to explore solutions to common challenges and share experiences and ideas through articles, podcasts, web seminars, and online discussions. Each day will be dedicated to a specific theme related to mobile computing.
Monday, April 25: The Future of Mobile Computing
Hear how the community is framing and contextualizing the depth and breadth of what mobile computing means on campus, setting the stage for a week of rich and dynamic discussion on this issue.
Tuesday, April 26: Teaching and Learning
Join us as we discuss the learning that is—or could be—enabled by mobile technology.
Wednesday, April 27: Mobile Enterprise Integration
Engage in the conversation about how to plan for a fully integrated mobile experience for faculty, staff, and students.
Thursday, April 28: Security, Privacy, and Policy
Bring your experiences and ideas as we examine the current state of mobile security, anticipate what’s coming, and explore effective practices.
Friday, April 29: Mobile Infrastructure
Explore the wide range of hardware, software, and network infrastructure components necessary to make mobile computing an effective addition to campus services.
Augmented Learning — from Kirsten Winkler at bigthink.com
Excerpt:
A technology that keeps me excited for a while now is augmented reality in combination with QR codes and geo tagging. One start-up that caught my attention early on was StickBits.
From DSC:
I’m thinking of a related application here — it involves Geology courses. That is, what if the rocks or other types of materials (that students were trying to learn about) were assigned their own QR codes? Then the students could walk around the room, scan in the QR codes, and the relevant information about that rock/material would appear on their device.
There’s an app for that class at Va. universities — from timesdispatch.com by Karin Kapsidelis
VCU and other universities are exploring the uses of
smartphones and mobile applications in and outside classrooms.
Originally saw this at
Ray Schroeder’s Online Learning Update blog
Computer science programs use mobile apps to make coursework relevant — from The Washington Post by Jenna Johnson
Computer science courses use mobile apps to make coursework relevant — from The Washington Post
The Virginia Tech student’s concern about buses, Tilevich said, offered a chance to show students that coding can be relevant. By the end of the semester, the advanced software engineering class had partnered with the city transit system to obtain data from Global Positioning System devices on dozens of city buses. An algorithm soon was predicting arrival times and beaming the information to a prototype mobile application.
“Sometimes as faculty members, we have to step back. We have to let them run wild,” said Tilevich, a former professional clarinet player who blogs about his teaching experiments.
Originally saw this at GetIdeas.org
Apple iPad 2 ‘sold out’ — from telegraph.co.uk
Analysts at Piper Jaffray and Deutsche Bank claim the Apple iPad 2 is now totally sold out after its Friday launch, with 70% sold to new purchasers
iPad 2 Sold Out, 70% Went to New Buyers — from Mashable.com by Stan Schroeder
Also see:
Tablet devices: iPad takes over as the lecture hall aid of choice — from ft.com by Tim Bradshaw
Augmented reality: A travel essential — from wired.co.uk by David Rowan
It’s 2011, and you’re standing by the Brandenburg Gate in Germany’s capital examining the cracks and graffitied slogans of the vast and intimidating Berlin Wall. Sure, the physical wall fell back in 1989 — but now it’s back to add context to your journey, thanks to creative use of smartphone technology. Point your iPhone or your Android phone towards the wall’s original location, and superimposed on the phone’s camera image is an intricate 3D representation of the wall where it originally stood. City discovery just became augmented.
Until recently, “augmented reality” was an awkward and generally disappointing technology that involved downloading special software, holding strange symbols up to computer webcams, and waiting with fingers crossed for your movements to yield some sort of interactive movement on the screen. But the latest GPS-enabled, high-resolution-camera smartphones have given “AR” (as it’s known) a new and often very engaging life. So if you download a free app from a Dutch company called Layar, you can select layers of real-world information that will be displayed on your phone’s screen according to your location. When I travel, I now use these layers to learn the history of Rome or Red Square, or simply which way to walk to the nearest subway station. Just point your camera and follow the virtual signs.