MLearning-World.com: Thanks Google

MLearning-World.com: Thanks Google: "Big thanks to Google, they were able to restore mlearningworld.blogspot.com. Over the next few days I'll be able to redirect mlearning-world..."

Apple Loosens Development Restrictions on AppTech Developers Using Adobe Flash Tools

HOUSTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- AppTech Corp. (Pink Sheets: APCX) www.apptechglobal.com reported today that Apple's recently announced policy of loosening restrictions on use of outside development tools should substantially assist AppTech in the execution of its plan to translate and port over iPhone apps to other operating systems, such as Google Android.

Eric Ottens, CEO of AppTech Corp. stated, "Apple's loosening its policies on the ability for app developers to utilize third party tools is a strong positive step for AppTech. Apple has been such a dominant player in the app market that the previous rules restricted AppTech's ability to speedily bring apps to market on Google Android and Symbian, which are popular systems in emerging markets such as Brazil and Latin America that we wish to penetrate. Apple's new policy will facilitate the opening of new markets for us and together with our technical partners, will expedite the implementation of the AppTech international marketing plans."

Read the rest here...

Hmmm.. could there be an Apple/Adobe truce on the horizon?

What I'm Reading

I'm currently reading Gary Woodill's book, The Moble Learning Edge and I am finding this is an excellent resource for mLearning strategy development. Look for a review soon.

In the mean time, a big thanks to Gary for the plug for mLearning-World in this book.

Notre Dame launches eReader study, creates first paperless course

“This has become known as the iPad class,” Corey Angst, assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame, told his students on their first day of class Aug. 24. “It’s actually not…it’s ‘Project Management.’”

A member of Notre Dame’s ePublishing Working Group, Angst is debuting the University’s first and only class taught using Apple’s new wireless tablet computer to replace traditional textbooks. The course is part of a unique, year-long Notre Dame study of eReaders, and Angst is conducting the first phase using iPads, which just went on sale to the public in April.

Read the full article here-

Commerical Break

Longview Texas Piano Lessons

Longview Texas Voice Lessons

Rapid Prototyping For Mobile Learning Applications

The Updside Learning Solutions blog has three great articles on rapid prototyping for Mobile Learning applications.

Part 1 covers the initial needs assessments and questions you should ask before beginning.



Part 2 explores the levels of fidelity and how to determine which level works for the mobile application design project.



Part 3 covers what to consider when choosing a prototyping tool.

mobileDot » Using Android to Launch Mobile Learning Content [Techie]

Here is a great article by mobileDot on Using Android to Launch Mobile Learning Content [Techie]

eLearning Kindle eBook

The best 99c you'll spend.

From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning: Speak Up 2009: The biggest Obstacle to Using Technology in Ed...Not Being Able to Use Student's Own Mobile Devices!

Very interesting research has just been published by the Tomorrow Group (Speak Up 2009) about mobile phones and education. Here are a few highlights:

PARENTS SAY YES! 63% of parents say they would buy their child a cell phone if they knew it would be used for educational purposes.

ONLY 18% of parents dismiss mobile devices as not having a positive impact on learning.

Read the rest at:

From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning: Speak Up 2009: The biggest Obstacle to Using Technology in Ed...Not Being Able to Use Student's Own Mobile Devices!

From mLearnopedia: April - June Hot List: Mobile Learning Content

mLearnopedia has compiled a great list of last quarter's hot mLearning articles.

Visit mLearnopedia: April - June Hot List: Mobile Learning Content to read them all.

Mobile Learning: A 4th Reading List

Here are 10 of the more recent articles and blog posts that I have read concerning mobile learning. Links to the other 3 lists can be found at the bottom of this blog post.
1) 5 Steps to Harnessing the Power of Cell Phones in Education Today: This blog post provides 5 ways that teachers can begin using cell phones in their classrooms to help their students learn.
2) 7 Things You Should Know About Mobile Apps for Learning: An article by Educase discussing the value of mobile apps in teaching and learning.
3) Kids More Likely to Own a Cell Phone Than a Book, Study Finds: A ReadWriteWeb article discussing a study on today’s ownership trends.
4) Full Interview: Marie Bjerede on cell phones in the classroom: A podcast episode from CBC’s “Spark”

Read the rest at: http://themobilelearner.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/mobile-learning-a-4th-reading-list/

Ignatia Webs: What to take into account when chosing a mobile device for learning?

Ignatia Webs gives us an interesting article on choosing a mobile device for learning. I generally take a different approach, starting first with what your users already have and molding the strategy around that. This article, however, is good if you are looking at starting from scratch on a mLearning project where you will be in charge of providing the devices.



Read it at:
Ignatia Webs: What to take into account when chosing a mobile device for learning?

A few notes of contention or commentary-

* BlackBerry devices do not require the Enterprise Server software for mLearning (or even email).

* When considering a device that has Wifi, look for one that creates a mobile hotspot. You won't regret it.

* I appreciate this article mentioning screen reflection. This is something people often don't think of but regret not checking when they are shopping for a phone. For example, my current device, the Motorola DROID works great in bright light situations where one would have trouble seeing the screen on an iPhone. Considering the context of your mLearners is just as important as the content. If your learners can't read what is on the phone, what good is pushing out a text mLearning strategy?

* Later generations of a device don't always guarantee a better experience. Doubt this, just read the Apple support forums and the nightmare that many are having with the iPhone 4.

mLearnCon 2010: Dr. Mimi Ito – What the User Wants in mLearning

....People will go to great lengths to have personal content at hand. Users customize their media environment themselves, filling in gaps inherent in devices. We can harvest this drive this potential.

Social Media, Mobile Media, is highly personal content shared with others. They want to, they need to share it with their mobile community (friends, not necessarily their parents).

Good to look at Japanese youth to monitor future trends as they’re about 10 years ahead of US youth...

Read the rest at:
mLearnCon 2010: Dr. Mimi Ito – What the User Wants in mLearning

Ignatia Webs: Richard Clark: mLearning on multiple devices: a practical guide at mLearnCon

Ignatia Webs: Richard Clark: mLearning on multiple devices: a practical guide at mLearnCon

Ignatia Webs: David Metcalf: mLearning theory mashups at mLearncon

Ignatia Webs: David Metcalf: mLearning theory mashups at mLearncon

mLearnopedia: mLearnCon Mobile Learning Content

mLearnopedia: mLearnCon Mobile Learning Content

Featured mLearning Books

Too Funny

The Disadvantages of Mobile Learning (Only 5 years too late)

Once again, we are graced with another article touting the problems with Mobile Learning. eHow gives us "The Disadvantages of Mobile Learning". The main problem with this article, is it is at least five years out of date. Not only could this article have been written five years ago, it is pretty much a re-hash, word-for-word, of many of the same misconceptions.

Let's address some of these myths.

1. Cost- While an end-user does need to have a mobile device of some sort to participate in Mobile Learning, so would a user need to have some time of Web enabled device to participate in most types of eLearning in general. Properly set-up, a mobile learning strategy should not have to require all your participants to buy new devices. One of the first considerations it would take is what type of devices do your users already have. Even if new devices were required, the price ranges presented in this article represent the premium end of the spectrum. A good mobile learning strategy can take advantage of even simple devices that cost little to nothing from most wireless carriers.

2. Size of the Device- This is only a challenge if one incorrectly plans mobile learning content to be nothing more than compressed eLearning. If your users are already using their mobile device that you plan to push learning to, your strategy should be what content do they need in the context of using the device. Add to that, the greatly improved displays, such as the OLED display on the DROID Incredible, and size isn't a detriment any more, but an advantage.

3. Battery Life- The article incorrectly states that the battery life for mobile devices is 2-4 hours. This is further evidence that this article is outdated. Your average smart phone these days has at least 2-3 days of stand-by power and the battery will run 8-10 hours of continuous operation. If a learner needs a continuous learning experience that is mobile and lasts more than several hours, you should probably re-evaluate your mobile learning strategy.

4. Technology- Two major failure points in the article. First is the issue of limited storage capacity. Not even taking into account that common memory chips now can store well over 32GB of data- far beyond the needs of most learning curriculum, this fallacy assumes the learning content would be stored directly on the device versus accessed from a remote server versus streaming. The second error in the article is the limitation because of the different operating systems. While yes, there are some limitations that various mobile operating systems have, such as the iPhone's ability to run Flash content, this is only a limitation for poorly designed mobile learning programs. A good mobile learning strategy takes into account what the learners have and need and designs accordingly. This is much the same challenge eLearning developers face when it comes to just conforming to various IT and security standards of the learners' computers.

5. Usability- Simply watch any 12 year old with a mobile device and you can kiss this limitation goodbye. Again, a good mobile learning strategy takes into account these items before a single piece of content is developed. A good strategy accounts for how users already use their mobile devices and conforms course content to that.

Don't let these challenges deter you from considering a mobile learning strategy for your organization. Remember, it is all about how you develop your strategy that revolves around your user's experience. Mobile Learning is NOT just compressing eLearning down to a smaller form factor.

mLearning and Accessibility

Question of the month. What are your experiences making your mobile learning solutions accessible to people with disabilities?