Catching Up on Reading

This long weekend I have been trying to catch up on some of my reading. Following are a few sources I found that may be of interest regarding mobile learning:

• There is an interesting discussion taking place here regarding "Why use an iPod Touch instead of a netbook?"
• If you missed the Five Myths of Mobile Learning by Abhijit Kadle, you may want to add it to your reading list.
  
• If you are using an iPhone or iPod Touch in education you will want to check out the shared resources from Jonathan Nalder in Queensland. Be prepared to spend a lot of time there. Thanks Jonathan.
  

August Hot List: Mobile Learning Content

Best of Mobile Learning

August 1, 2009 to August 31, 2009

Featured Sources

The following are the top items from featured sources based on social signals.

1. The Strengths and Challenges of Mobile Learning: A Live Discussion- The Mobile Learner, August 16, 2009
2. Homework Quizes Via Phonevite- Cell Phones in Learning, August 8, 2009
3. Education’s reductionist flaw is like the digesting duck- Golden Swamp, August 22, 2009

Other Sources

The following are the top items based on social signals.

1. ACU's iPhone initiative: a year later, August 3, 2009
2. Maths and Science mobisite for “SmartLearners”, August 19, 2009
3. Using Mobile Technology to Influence Health Care Reform, August 21, 2009

Hot Topics

Mobile Learning (27)

1. The Strengths and Challenges of Mobile Learning: A Live Discussion, August 16, 2009
2. Five Myths of Mobile Learning, August 24, 2009
3. Addressing Some Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 7, 2009
4. Addressing Some More Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 21, 2009

Conferences (15)

1. The Strengths and Challenges of Mobile Learning: A Live Discussion, August 16, 2009
2. ACU's iPhone initiative: a year later, August 3, 2009
3. Personalising Learning with the iPod Touch, August 16, 2009
4. Addressing Some More Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 21, 2009

Mlearn (12)

1. The Strengths and Challenges of Mobile Learning: A Live Discussion, August 16, 2009
2. Addressing Some Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 7, 2009
3. Maths and Science mobisite for “SmartLearners”, August 19, 2009
4. Addressing Some More Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 21, 2009

mLearning (12)

1. The Strengths and Challenges of Mobile Learning: A Live Discussion, August 16, 2009
2. Addressing Some Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 7, 2009
3. Maths and Science mobisite for “SmartLearners”, August 19, 2009
4. Addressing Some More Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 21, 2009

Utilities (5)

1. Five Myths of Mobile Learning, August 24, 2009
2. Addressing Some More Critiques of Mobile Learning, August 21, 2009
3. Michael Yeap...potential PhD Candidate: Aug 28 - Definition of Usability & Mobile Learning, August 29, 2009
4. M-Learning for Students - Is It Possible? - Daydreamer, August 22, 2009

Mobile Learning K-12 Chat

Last week I participated in a "chat" for Education Week entitled "Emerging Mobile Technologies for K-12 Classrooms". Unfortunately the co-presenter had technical difficulties and was unable to connect until half way so I typed as fast as I could. ;-)

The questions were great! CoverItLive was used and the transcript is now available at http://www.edweek.org/ew/events/chats/2009/09/03/index.html.

After the session I received several requests for further information about mobile learning and disabilities which is not my area of specialty, but an interest. Recently I read a couple papers addressing this issue, but they were for conference proposals and not yet available. I went back through some of my notes and responded with the following:

• JISC in the UK has conducted a lot of mobile learning research including research on disabilities. A good place to start is http://www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=9_5
• EU project including accessibility - http://motill.eu/
• Another UK initiative - http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/eMagArchive/RSCeMag2008/May08/accessibility_and_mobile_learning_project.html
• Also http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=ferl.aclearn.page.id958
• Several years ago there was even a Braille reader for Pocket PCs. Take a look at the potential for those with sight issues on this YouTube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUUxGvDqok4
• Also look at QR codes and the potential demonstrated by Nokia at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1wM6nlcALA
• There are also some articles on http://mlearnopedia.com easily found by searching for disabilities.

If you are aware of other resources for mobile learning and disabilities, please add your suggestions in the comments. Thank you.

Forum Mobile Learning: Are we there yet?

Last Friday I participated in a Mobile Learning Forum at the 25th Annual Distance Teaching & Learning Conference along with Richard Culatta and Gary Marrer. It started at 8:00 am and continued through both the first and second sessions. Most of the attendees were in discovery or planning stages for mobile learning, but the questions and discussions were excellent.

I have posted my opening and closing slides as one presentation in Slideshare. Richard has information on his presentation and spoof mLearning ad here. Gary's slides are also on Slideshare.

Enjoy.

July Hot List: Mobile Learning Content Communily

Here is the monthly top ten list for cc.mlearnopedia.com from July. Enjoy...

Top Posts

The following are the top posts from featured sources based on social signals.

1. Collecting visual information mobilely- Golden Swamp, July 23, 2009
2. Wikipedia Mobile Officially Launches- mLearning is Good, July 17, 2009
3. What I believe about learning- uLearning Blog, July 4, 2009
4. New Learning in India & Africa: Student Cell Phones- Cell Phones in Learning, June 30, 2009
5. Cell Phones in Education Part 3: Capturing the Moment- The Mobile Learner, July 20, 2009
6. Testing students as nodes releases them from class notches- Golden Swamp, July 22, 2009
7. Mobile Learning Assessment – same…different then other course assessment?- MobileDot, July 16, 2009
8. Gathering of Educators using ubiquitous devices- uLearning Blog, July 16, 2009
9. New Stats on Mobile Usage Continue to Reflect Mobile as Gateway to the Web- mLearning is Good, July 15, 2009
10. Let others find your most read blogposts via PostRank- Ignatia Webs, July 7, 2009
11. The Blue Brain waves patterns to educators- Golden Swamp, July 14, 2009
12. June Hot List: Mobile Learning Content Community- mLearnopedia on Blogspot, July 5, 2009
13. Mobile Phones vs. Computers- The Mobile Learner, July 4, 2009

Top Other Items

The following are the top other items based on social signals.

1. Futures of Learning, July 1, 2009
2. Go Mobile! Interview with Steve Vosloo, July 1, 2009

Hot Topics

Mlearn (14)

1. mLearning at the Tipping Point, July 16, 2009
2. Go Mobile! Interview with Steve Vosloo, July 1, 2009
3. Gathering of Educators using ubiquitous devices, July 16, 2009
4. Mobile Learning in India, July 25, 2009

mLearning (14)

1. mLearning at the Tipping Point, July 16, 2009
2. Go Mobile! Interview with Steve Vosloo, July 1, 2009
3. Gathering of Educators using ubiquitous devices, July 16, 2009
4. Mobile Learning in India, July 25, 2009

Mobile Devices (16)

1. Wikipedia Mobile Officially Launches, July 17, 2009
2. What I believe about learning, July 4, 2009
3. New Stats on Mobile Usage Continue to Reflect Mobile as Gateway to the Web, July 15, 2009
4. Futures of Learning, July 1, 2009

Future (15)

1. Futures of Learning, July 1, 2009
2. What I believe about learning, July 4, 2009
3. Education Online Now » Blog Archive » Are Mobile Classrooms The Future?, July 1, 2009
4. Mobile Learning in India, July 25, 2009

Devices (19)

1. Gathering of Educators using ubiquitous devices, July 16, 2009
2. Futures of Learning, July 1, 2009
3. Wikipedia Mobile Officially Launches, July 17, 2009
4. What I believe about learning, July 4, 2009

June Hot List: Mobile Learning Content Community

Here is the monthly top ten list for cc.mlearnopedia.com from June. Enjoy...

Top Posts

The following are the top posts from featured sources based on social signals.

1. New online book on mobile learning -available for free download- Ignatia Webs, June 12, 2009
2. iPods in Education Part 12: Customized Learning Using Apps- The Mobile Learner, June 29, 2009
3. Time to Teach Students How to Bank via Cell Phone- Cell Phones in Learning, June 9, 2009
4. Mobile Augmented Reality – A Brief Overview- mLearning is Good, June 25, 2009
5. New Mobile Augmented Reality browser- mLearning Blog, June 20, 2009
6. Opera Unite for Windows/Mac/Linux gives you immediate access to group or personal learning spaces- Ignatia Webs, June 16, 2009
7. #eden09: educational shift in Japan, using ubiquitous learning by Haruo Nishinosono- Ignatia Webs, June 15, 2009
8. Lessons learned on a massively multiplayer online game- Golden Swamp, June 10, 2009
9. The Future of Learning- The Mobile Learner, June 7, 2009

Top Other Items

The following are the top other items based on social signals.

1. The Innovative Educator: Ideas for Enhancing Teaching and Learning with Cell Phones Even in Districts that Ban Them, June 16, 2009
2. Exploring Educational Technology, June 20, 2009

Top Keyword

• Education (31)
• Mobile Learning (25)
• Blog (24)
• Technology (23)
• University (22)
• Future (20)
• Tools (20)
• School (19)
• Social (19)
• Research (18)
• Devices (17)
• iPhone (17)
• Phone (17)
• Course (14)
• Support (14)
• Video (14)
• Conferences (13)
• Google (13)
• Presentation (13)
• Resources (13)

Mobile Live Video Streaming

I have been looking at live video streaming tools for mobile and have tested several in preparation to writing a blog, but yesterday found that Robin Good had published an excellent guide of 11 such tools along with side-by-side their key features and options.

His is an excellent overview with a comparison chart plus individual product descriptions.

Be sure to check out the comments and related articles at the bottom for additional information.

Yet Another Global K-12 Success Story

Elliot Soloway and Cathie Norris recently blogged Hong Kong School Leads the World in Cellphone Computer Use after visiting Pui Ching Middle School in Hong Kong. Students are currently using cellphones to help learn English and current events, but are also moving to use them for math and Chinese.

Pictures are available here. It is easy to see how engaged and happy the students appear to be.

The good news is that now when I talk with organizations about mobile learning, the questions have moved from "why?" to "how?" It seems to be a given that we are all moving in this direction, but the questions are what can we learn from others who are already "there?" This may well be a great example for K-12 to follow.

May Hot List: Mobile Learning Content Community

Here is the monthly top ten list for cc.mlearnopedia.com from May. Enjoy...

Top Posts

The following are the top posts from featured sources based on social signals

1. Facebook Classroom Management & Projects with Student Cell Phones- Cell Phones in Learning, May 12, 2009
2. Barcodes Offer Interesting Opportunities for Mobile Learning- mLearning is Good, May 20, 2009
3. Challenge Based Learning w’ Marco Torres- uLearning Blog, May 18, 2009
4. Current Events: Anytime, Anywhere Via Cell (No Mobile Internet Required)- Cell Phones in Learning, May 4, 2009
5. iPods in the Classroom- mLearnopedia on Blogspot, May 29, 2009
6. Images that Speak Volumes- The Mobile Learner, May 30, 2009
7. #ela2009 workshop George Siemens: social networking technologies for teaching and learning transformation- Ignatia Webs, May 29, 2009
8. #ela2009: Proof of concept for mLearning for formal education for mathematics in South-Africa- Ignatia Webs, May 28, 2009
9. Sky Map Mobile Planetarium for Android- mLearning Blog, May 24, 2009
10. What If?- The Mobile Learner, May 24, 2009
11. Task.fm: Text and voice reminders for students and teachers---EASY! EASY! EASY!- Cell Phones in Learning, May 15, 2009
12. 6 Queensland Educators talk about the iPod Touch- uLearning Blog, May 19, 2009
13. Mobile ESL- mLearnopedia on Blogspot, May 17, 2009
14. Hashtags in Twitter and walls, fountains, ways to keep everyone's remarks in the picture- Ignatia Webs, May 15, 2009
15. Learning Objects for Mobile (MLOs)- mLearning is Good, May 9, 2009

Top Other Items

The following are the top other items based on social signals.

1. Erik Duval’s Weblog, May 4, 2009
2. The Mobile Learning Engine (MLE) for Moodle, May 18, 2009
3. Another Mobile Round Up of Sorts « Ubiquitous Thoughts, May 28, 2009
4. Mobile Libraries: Mobile Apps For Virtual Learning Environments, May 4, 2009
5. Create mobile learning materials « Innovation in Teaching, May 30, 2009
6. MOBILE LEARNING - eLearning Tour Part 1 - Hosted by Corporate Learning Trends and Innovation, May 21, 2009
7. "The students don't think of it as learning" | Education IT | ZDNet.com, May 20, 2009
8. TheEngTeacher: MOBILE ESL LEARNING, May 17, 2009
9. A “Starbucks Locator” for the Rest of Us, May 15, 2009
10. EduPOV, May 7, 2009
11. Mobile learning saves lives, May 30, 2009
12. The Mobile Generation « NWP Walkabout, May 18, 2009
13. Text messaging for collaborative learning in South Africa | Tony Bates, May 13, 2009
14. My Learning Blog: Elementary Mobile Learning, May 13, 2009
15. The Future of Mobile Media and Communication, May 7, 2009

Top Posts

• Mobile Learning (40)
• Education (33)
• Course (25)
• Video (25)
• Devices (24)
• Technology (23)
• Tools (23)
• Blog (23)
• iPhone (21)
• iPod (20)
• Resources (20)
• Social (19)
• Research (19)
• School (18)
• Phone (18)
• Development (17)
• Google (16)
• Mobile Devices (16)
• Presentation (16)
• Classroom (15)

Mobile Learning Reading

It is great to see some new books on mobile learning. Recently there was a lot of buzz about Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training edited by Mohamed Ally (March 2009). I had read a couple chapters and got back to it this last week on my Kindle while travelling.

While useful, I was disappointed that most of the examples were from the early and mid-2000’s.

Having followed and participated in mobile learning since 1996, I see very clear stages and believe that we should now be looking forward at the potential of this very powerful opportunity.

We began with standalone devices (PDA) that could be connected to a single computer for a single person. Once these devices were combined with a cell phone, communication opened up. With today’s capabilities to seamlessly move from cellular to Wi-Fi, collaboration opens many more doors. Location-based context and tagging, sensors and feedback, recognition and specialized apps now open up our imaginations and provide powerful learning opportunities not even available on a desktop.

There are three new books just published that appear to be current and looking ahead. I have just started reviewing them, but wanted to share in case you are looking to add to your reading lists on mobile learning:

• New technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education from the University of Wollongong includes faculty development, specific discipline examples and design principles. This is available as a free PDF download.
• Mobile Learning Communities: Creating New Educational Futures by Patrick Danaher, Beverley Moriarty, Geoff Danaher, a Routledge publication covering communities, along with other topics such as globalization, lifelong learning, multiliteracies, and sustainability; concluding with creating new educational futures.
• Researching Mobile Learning: Frameworks, Tools and Research Designs from Peter Lang Publishing Group, which sets out the issues and requirements for mobile learning research and presents efforts to specify appropriate theoretical frameworks, research methods and tools.

What have you found? What are you reading about mobile learning? Please share in the comments.