Mobile Computing 5-Day Sprint
An Online Conversation on Mobile Computing and Higher Education
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Day 1, April 25: The Future of Mobile Computing Welcome to the Mobile Computing 5-Day Sprint daily newsletter. This newsletter connects you to today’s theme and activities. |
eCampus of the Month: Abilene Christian University — from eCampusNews.com by Dennis Carter
ACU has established itself as a leader in mobile education, particularly with popular Apple products like the iPod and iPad
ACU gives iPhones and iPods to its 4,700 students.
Abilene Christian University (ACU), long a leading advocate for the use of web-ready mobile devices in higher education, is taking its tech savvy to K-12 schools, where students are becoming familiar with the ins and outs of tablets such as the Apple iPad.
ACU’s commitment to mobile technology has earned the 4,700-student institution the distinction of being eCampus News’s first eCampus of the Month, an award given to colleges and universities that push for more advanced and efficient use of educational technology, establishing national models for small and large schools alike.
Daniel Christian:
A Vision of Our Future Learning Ecosystems
In the near future, as the computer, the television, the telephone (and more) continues to converge, we will most likely enjoy even more powerful capabilities to conveniently create and share our content as well as participate in a global learning ecosystem — whether that be from within our homes and/or from within our schools, colleges, universities and businesses throughout the world.
We will be teachers and students at the same time — even within the same hour — with online-based learning exchanges taking place all over the virtual and physical world. Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) — in the form of online-based tutors, instructors, teachers, and professors — will be available on demand. Even more powerful/accurate/helpful learning engines will be involved behind the scenes in delivering up personalized, customized learning — available 24x7x365. Cloud-based learner profiles may enter the equation as well.
The chances for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship that are coming will be mind-blowing! What employers will be looking for — and where they can look for it — may change as well.
What we know today as the “television” will most likely play a significant role in this learning ecosystem of the future. But it won’t be like the TV we’ve come to know. It will be much more interactive and will be aware of who is using it — and what that person is interested in learning about. Technologies/applications like Apple’s AirPlay will become more standard, allowing a person to move from device to device without missing a beat. Transmedia storytellers will thrive in this environment!
Much of the professionally done content will be created by teams of specialists, including the publishers of educational content, and the in-house teams of specialists within colleges, universities, and corporations around the globe. Perhaps consortiums of colleges/universities will each contribute some of the content — more readily accepting previous coursework that was delivered via their consortium’s membership.
An additional thought regarding higher education and K-12 and their Smart Classrooms/Spaces:
For input devices…
The “chalkboards” of the future may be transparent, or they may be on top of a drawing board-sized table or they may be tablet-based. But whatever form they take and whatever is displayed upon them, the ability to annotate will be there; with the resulting graphics saved and instantly distributed. (Eventually, we may get to voice-controlled Smart Classrooms, but we have a ways to go in that area…)
Below are some of the graphics that capture a bit of what I’m seeing in my mind…and in our futures.
Alternatively available as a PowerPoint Presentation (audio forthcoming in a future version)
— from Daniel S. Christian | April 2011
Addendum on 4-14-11:
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:
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
The future of broadcast is more than integrating tweets into programming — from Brian Solis
The future of broadcast is literally at our fingertips…
Computer science programs use mobile apps to make coursework relevant — from The Washington Post by Jenna Johnson
From DSC:
The incredible potential of location-aware educational materials, which could greatly enable a student to pursue their passions.
The other day, I was talking to my son after he had just finished playing a Wii-based football game. As we were talking, the situation made me reflect upon the power* that could come into play when a game/resource knows your (general) location. For example, in this NFL-based game, the system might ask if my son wants the Detroit Lions involved in the game. If he said yes, then the system might ask if my son were interested in knowing more about the Detroit Lines upcoming schedule. Again, if he answers in the affirmative, the system could provide a link to instantly take him to that information.
Now…take that same concept into the world of education, as a student attempts to pursue her passions, interests, and gifts. If she’s using a device that is teaching her how to draw, the “game” might present a list of art shows and exhibits in her area, along with information on how to get tickets to such events. In this manner, she could feed her passion. Such applications could open up a network of opportunities — in real-time — and present to a student what’s currently happening around them that could further involve them in the very thing that they are working with at that time (be it music, art, math, physics, or whatever discipline that’s involved). This is especially powerful if one were traveling or on a field trip.
Museums and educational institutions could tag their events so that such software goes out looking for such information and would bring such information back to the “game”.
It seems to me that if such technologies uncover chances to further one’s passion, the student will develop more of a love for learning. If a student develops a love for learning, the chances are better that that person will become a lifelong learner.
My bet? Some pretty cool teaching and learning times are ahead…
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* I realize there are reflections going on in my mind — and others’ minds as well — that such power needs to be taken seriously, responsibly…and not abused from a commercial standpoint nor from a security standpoint. Software may even be needed to absolutely block such inquiries — but if we get to that point, we’ve let the bad apples out there control everything…again.
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
