Mobile Learning

The next big thing in education?

Corin Rengiil

“This revolution will not be televised; it will be

podcast”

Our “Wireless” World Portable devices have become

increasingly more prevalent… Mobile Phones The iPod Laptop computers Palm Pilots and other PDAs

There has been overwhelming emphasis on technology in education in recent years.

“Computers in the classroom!” -

has been the mantra.

College students taking notes on their laptops

Distance education courses Elementary students on Wikipedia

in their classrooms

What is the next step in education?

Mobile Learning!Wireless means

mobile!

“As mobile connectedness continues to sweep across the landscape, the value of

deploying mobile technologies in the service of learning and teaching seems to be both

self-evident and unavoidable.”

EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 40, no. 3 (May/June 2005): 40–53.

I use a laptop, how much more mobile can I get?

PDA’s have become much more than a business man’s tool.

Access to wireless networks and new software have turned these into pocket computers.

You shudder to think of the horrible music he’s listening to

on that darn iPod; kids and their rap!

Think again…

Podcasting Both Teachers and students have

discovered podcasting in the last two years.

Teachers record lectures and notes Students download the mp3 and

study

Students have been at it too…

Teachers have also been using podcasting to get students excited about learning and to get them involved in peer teaching.

Get in on it!

A great education and podcasting site

http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~magps/boylit/Podcasting%20in

%20Education

And finally, your best friend and mine…

The ever present mobile phone Statistics cited on Wikipedia state that

there are 3.3 billion mobile phone subscriptions in the world (as of November 2007)

With the mobile phone becoming ubiquitous…

More and more people carry them They have gotten “smarter” New features are being added constantly People are more likely to be connected

to a cellular network than a wireless internet “hot spot”

What does this mean for mobile learning?

Opportunity

Learning where you need it… Utilizing mobile phones for learning let

people learn wherever they are at any moment.

The mobility connects formal learning to informal relaxed settings.

Since people are use mobile phones, getting them to use the technology is a mute point.

The Future is now… Educators are starting to realize the opportunities

in mobile learning.

The next step is figuring out

compelling ways to utilize the

technology out there to enhance

learning.