Handheld Learning - learning with mobile and ubiquitous technologies

The LSC have just this moment announced, via the MoLeNET website, that there will be further funding available for FE colleges, and their partners to buy mobile devices!

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2008/08/molenet-lives-on-4m-available-for.html

Now looks like as good a time as any to try to verbalise what works well with m-learning, and what doesn't, to help any new bidders leapfrog into being 2nd or 3rd generation mobile learners!

 

After a few partial announcements, it looks like the 31 UK colleges and consortia that all won shares of the £6m MoLeNET fund have at last been named.

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2007/11/molenet-winners-go-public.html

Congratulations, all!

LSN released their list tonight, though the website (http://www.molenet.org.uk) is yet to be updated. When it is, I am sure there will be fuller information

Geoff

Did anyone spot NokMote?

A great little application for the N95 to turn it into a Wii - type interface ... have a look at his preview

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2007/11/nokmote-wii-style-interface-with-your.html

cool, huh? (thus speaks the geek within!)

The only sad news is that they still havent opened up the device for 3rd party software developers just yet ... But it uses the same Touch X OS that the iPhone uses (in fact the software running on it is pretty much identical to the iPhone) so it is only a matter of time ...

But with WiFi, and a great browser there are loads of possibilities ... http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2007/09/m-learning-on-your-iphone.html

This is exactly right!

As somebody who has spent quite a few years trying to put really useful resources on a wide variety of different devices (including PSP) I am not entirely convinced that PSP is the only device that the student will need. See Di's comment above about text input for a start. But I am absolutely convinced that schools / colleges / employers need to acknowledge that more and more of us will be accessing our information / courses / documents from a wider and wider range of devices, connecting in all sorts of wired and wireless ways.

Whether PSP, Video iPod, Nokia, PPC or whatever.

Right now it is seen by some institutions as a "perk", but I am certain that being able to access your information from anywhere, anyhow will soon become a basic right!

long live the mobile revolution 

Geoff

Mobile learning will soon be in the press again, as I have just found out that Pembrokeshire College have been awarded a Beacon award for their work in mobile learning.

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2006/12/beacon-award-for-mobile-learning.html

If you visit their college mlearning site you can see some of what they got up to: http://mlearn.pembrokeshire.ac.uk

as well as some lovely success stories, about engaging new learners: http://mlearn.pembrokeshire.ac.uk/default.asp?nc=1611&id=71

Nice one Pembrokeshire!

Good point. (see, I was missing the wood for the trees too!)

So, does that mean that we are in a natural cycle, and in the end the general myopia will clear up, and people will see these things for the benefits they can add to learning?

Or is there some sort of duty on practitioners who have good stories to tell, and positive messages to go out and spread the word?

(I guess this is what I am struggling with. by nature I am a live-and-let-live kind of guy, but some of the negativity seems entirely unsupported by any of the evidence I have seen in the many trials I have been privileged to be involved with)

Hi all - I am getting a bit worried   

As mobile learning spreads its wings, and as more and more teachers and tutors are doing more and more really creative things with it, there seems to also be a parallel rise in really rather unhelpful, backwards thinking.

see my blog rant about it, here (prompted by a conversation with Graham)
http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2006/11/mobile-learning-myopia.html

Is this myopia just a natural side effect of the increased exposure that mobile learning has been enjoying?   

Or are the myopics in fact correct, and are the rest of us overly naive about the role technology should be playing in learning?   

Hi fellow learning technologists … I just wanted to spread some great news!

We have just got our mobile-content authoring tool to package up and export learning materials to the PSP!

Previously the materials were only being used on the PC and the PocketPC, but now we are hopping over onto new devices

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2006/10/make-your-own-playstation-psp-resources.html

This has long been a dream, but the realities of slow processors and complex uploads had blocked our path.

I hope you don't mind being spammed about it … I was just feeling all excited and didn't know who else to tell!

Geoff

ps: we wont be releasing it for a while yet, but the good news is that it can be done.

As fellow m-learning people I thought you might like a peek at a great little video made by one of our m-learning trials - a project looking at embedding mobile learning into the Cleaning and Transport sectors

http://www.m-learning.net/links/video/

(we didn't even know they were filming it ... it just popped onto my desk as a DVD a few days ago)

If you are interested, there is a little bit more info about the project at http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2006/09/m-learning-in-cleaning-sector.html

Hope you enjoy it (well worth the 6 minutes) … and get a bit more m-inspired!

Geoff


Ps: the video is just a snapshot of learner voices - not a conclusive argument for using m-learning - but it certainly made me smile.

fantastic news!

The flash support suddenly opens up the PSP as a viable tool for everyone to create learning for ... not just the hard-core psp programmers!

(free tools to export from powerpoint, loads of free animations, flashpaper for documents etc etc)

Hi all

I definitely do not agree that m-learning isn't happening in FE. (said with usual passion and enthusiasm!  )

In our office, we have been pretty much full time busy supporting many different FE-based trials, where individual tutors have taken the bull by the horns, and are using different aspects of mobile learning with their learners.

It is probably true that the credit for this inspiration is far more firmly with the individual tutors than it is with the organisations as a whole, and that those tutors have a challenge trying to squeeze money from the colleges, but none the less there does seem to be a significant amount of activity.

As a barometer, we have lent out (or bought) over 700 PocketPC devices over the last 18 months, and almost all of those were for FE based trials or projects! (a few were more in the WBL or ACL spheres, which are fairly close in target groups)

LearnDirect Scotland has also just completed a trial with us over 10 different centers, and are looking to roll "m-" out further.

Most are using GPS / communication / messaging / connectivity features as well the devices themselves.

and the jisc conference James mentions? Both Lilian Soon and Myself are speaking at it too ... so that is 3 different m-learning voices in one conference!

so - from my perspective, mobile FE seems alive and well!


Geoff

(btw: I have seen a preview of James' presentation, and thoroughly recommend it!)

Yup! Agreed!

On the one side, watching m-learning make significant changes to disengaged student's lives first hand.

On the other, hearing a keynote that said it was failing

those two just didn't fit together for me. I am pleased they didn't fit for so many others as well!

Thanks all for an amazing conference, and many inspiring conversations


Geoff Stead

ps: Bob wins the suntan-prize!

We have a home-made solution that while not portable, fits the "multiple charger" category perfectly!

We own and look after a large number of PocketPCs that we use for trials. Typically they get heavily used for a few weeks, then locked away for a few weeks more, then get pressed back into practise for some more heavy use.

Invariably they loose all their charge inbetween while, and we need to do a full re-charge and restore off backup for each and every one, which may not sound like much effort, but when you have 40 of the little darlings required it is a huge hassle.

Our current storage solution is fantastic! We bought a huge metal cupboard. Drilled in airvents. Added in extra shelves, so they are about the height of a PocketPC, and ran multiple electric cables and plugs into the cupboard, so we can plug them into their own chargers, and have almost 100 sitting permanently on charge!

We fitted a fuse, but in actual fact the power draw-down is really minimal, and our PPCs are ready when we need them.

if you are keen on any specifics, please post

Hi all

Freshly back from Cape Town and MLearn2005 I was prompted to share the launch of an m-learning CD with the group. We used it in a pre-conference workshop at MLearn2005 and it went down a treat!

CTAD are the people who created all the materials for the original m-learning project (www.m-learning.org), and since then have been involved in about 20 other, very exciting m-learning projects, almost all targetting hard-to-reach learners.

We have just released a CD containing all of our lessons learned, as well as tips and tricks for doing your own m-learning projects.

The official blurb is here www.ctad.co.uk/home/products/tutor_resources/get_mobile.htm

What is it?
A collection of tips / tricks / overviews / tutorials / case studies about the 1000 or so students that have used our approaches and tools thus far, as well as lessons learned. It also includes all the learning materials we have made for most of the devices (PocketPC, Java phone games, SMS quizzes etc etc) and licenses to use them for your own students.

How much does it cost?
It costs £125 for a single copy, and that includes permission to use the materials with up to 20 learners at a time.

So what about the workshop then?
We hosting a m-learning seminar on 18th November to launch the CD. In Tower Hamlets, London.
For £175 you will get the same CD, plus a day's worth of m-learning  introductionary sessions.

The official blurb is here www.m-learning.org/news.shtml

I hope this is useful information for the group, and sorry if you felt spammed!l

Geoff Stead
software director
www.ctad.co.uk