Handheld Learning

Is it the device that matters? I think most of the participants of this forum are interested in different ways of mobile learning and learning for the future. What will our kids need?

There will always be a 'better' / 'more appropriate' machine. But can we wait? When will there be THE most suitable mobile machine for the low achievers as well as the top learners.
I just can't spot the PENCIL for all learners. 21st century students are individuals who will need to renew their knowledge cycles several times during their life time.

But anyway I find this device very interesting - as another possibilty for mobile learning.

Petra

 

Hi Graham & Petra,
As you are aware there are many different devices available all portraying to be the latest best thing. I believe that the PDA is only the start of things to come.  UMPC's although more expensive in the short term off-set their expense by providing a wider scope for improving teaching and learning pedagogies - for longer.  The S-XGen, for example, has Windows Vista with MS Office as standard so the teacher and student can have a consistent education platform from the age of 10 through to university.

I do not profess to know all about mobile learning but the miniaturisation of technology will yet see more devices enter the market to stake their claim. This may well proove to be a double edged sword adding yet more applications and potentially improve student learning outcomes but I fear more technology will simply add more confusion as people struggle to standardise on common platforms. 

The danger from a supplier's perspective, as well as a educator's perspective, that struggling with standardisation poses will be providing a financial reward for the technology supplied and the lowering of Educational procurement budgets.

We provide the S-XGen and Origami 2 to go someway to mitigate that risk but not all suppliers can supply more than one device and likewise teachers cannot be expected to continually adapt their pedagogical techniques to suit the in-favour technology of the moment.

Just a quick thought

Thanks Graham.

I believe that the upgraded version with 30Gig HDD comes with an upgraded OS. I will check with Seamless and let you know.

I think I got confused as well.  I was meaning to discuss Vista being available on UMPC's like Origami.  Sorry. Trying to do 10 things at once with a brain that can only do 4 !!

Warwick

OK so this is a PDA not a UMPC - isn't it irritating when you get reams of marketing puff and then find that a trawl through the specification is necessary to find what's really on offer?!

Anyways, hardware is important despite Petra's valid points. Secondary students currently suffer a curriculum that puts an enormous emphasis on text and the Bristol project's experience so far has shown that students really need keyboard input. One of the schools is buying a batch of soft roll-up keyboards that the Loox 720 will connect to through the supplied USB socket - we'll see how good they are in practice soon.

This S-XGen is interesting to me despite the misleading marketing mainly because of the keyboard which looks to be implemented well and also because it has a camera, though only a 1.3 megapixel one. Whether the fact that it also has GSM phone capability is an advantage or disadvantage depends on your perspective.

I'm convinced that a built-in camera is a necessity for student handhelds. There's something about having a camera with both still and video capability that really fires the imagination of both teachers and taught. For example, in one of the Bristol secondary schools three teachers have recently started to innovation with PDAs off their own bat - and all three involved using the camera, for process recording in two cases (art and performing arts) and thirdly for recording aspects of the school environment for annotation and comment.

Also key to this is the full integration of the camera with all other PDA functions - a separate camera, though possibly of higher resolution and cheap - just doesn't measure up. And the slot-in type on CF cards are a) not constantly with you, b) not going to be supplied to all students and c) going to get broken as they stick out and are vulnerable.

So - without having seen one, I give the S-XGen a tentative welcome.

Lets put a  S-XGen UMPC Article with some very interesting points in to the pot:

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8420/1103/

I concur David.