Tools & Technologies for Mobile Learning - eLearning Guild Online Forum

Tools and Technologies for Mobile Learning by David Metcalf, University of Central Florida (notes from the eLearning Guild's online forum)

What is mlearning?

• laptop, micro pc
• cell phone
• tablet pc
• player
• PDA/handheld
• Ebook reader
• game device

Wiki - seeking lesson in small, manageable formats that can undertake when it suits them.

No consistent answer as it is still developing, growing, being explored.

Polls of participants
experience with m-learning projects - most haven't started
delivery are you using - most using podcasting
devices you are targeting -most were using ipods, blaceberries, smartphones/pda, cell phones,

Why consider it?
2 billion handsets by end of 2006
40M multimedia phones in US, 279 digital tv phones in US by 2010
More than 100 billion handsets with touch screens
3.25 billion mobile phones use

First Building Blocks
Learning

Second Building Block - performance support
- on the job
- task specific
- support at time of need
- coaching, mentoring
- paper based job aides

Need a consistent base of knowledge base
- repository of knowledge
- sharing of best practices & lessons learned
- connect with experts

A learner knows what they need to know - they just need to find the information.

Example - sports theme learning, sent through phone. Lesson is about a math course. Questions scored as a game. More points, they can win ring tones, prizes, sporting even tickets. (MySportsPulse). Using Moving Knowledge.

Example (Tyco)
Using vXML - book on tape style learning. For customer service management instructions.

One could also use a specialized device. ( Ie: PocketPC Symbol). Videos can be downloaded directly to the device. Best to use closeup shots. Can record messages.

Development Tools
Flash Lite
Zirada, lectora publisher
Camtasia Studio
iQuiz Maker
iWriter
quiz building for the ipbo
mobipocket ebook reader
interactive video technologies
emantras mobls
podquiz maker
kallisto
classinhand
quizzler pro
zirada mobile publisher
hot lava software
mobile and devises developer center
mobile chalkboard
talkshoe
tourcaster
pocket podcast
podtrip podcasting new
Captivate
Studymate
MobiGlam
mscape
tribal CTA
Profcast.com


Look for more on www.mlearnopedia.com (free site to look at).

Free tools:
Mob5
MobiSiteGalore
Winksite

Check what you have http://mr.dev.mobi/

Test/Quiz:
FlashcardExchange
GotestGo
iQuiz maker
Mobiode (surveys)
Studycell.com


Misc:
Apresto podcast
emantras' mobls
Giunti
Instancy
Liquid Talk

Communication:
CampusReact
clearTXT
Gabcast
Mobilesphere
Mogopop
MovingKnowledge
Podlines
Rave Wireless

Technical Areas to Consider:
types of devices
wireless connections
does your corp have standard devices
content providers
Wireless service providers

Platform options can make things difficult since there are many types. (blackberry, Palm, pocketpc, smartphones with WAP, JWME, tablets, handtops)

Overall this was a fairly good presentation. I was one of several in the session having trouble with audio and video files during the presentation. Another issue for myself it felt very business oriented. Not entirely, but that is a strong focus I find often of the mobile teaching. They speak of on the job tools, training as you need it, performance support. However, it generally seems related to sales. There is a huge world out there that needs more training then customer service. I'm in the health care industry and at a facility that has a great deal of RN students....how great for them to have a bedside "companion" with them to reference a wound for proper treatment, medication references for dosages (these greatly exist in the mobile world I realize). I'm not sure where we are going with this as an organization yet, but this session wasn't quite what I was thinking of, although there we a ton of useful sites, tools, and info for me to go explore. Great job again by the Guild.

Finding new Web tools by looking and digger a little deeper

I have a follow up presentation to do this Friday to see how the Training and Organization Development Network (Greater Toronto Area) is enjoying and utilizing the online community I set up for them. Long story short, in the spring the group met and was discussing that they were getting tired of keeping track of the billion emails flying around filled with questions, replies, and attachments. I suggested setting up an online community. Got it up and running in the summer and now that it is fall we are revisiting the idea to see if it has worked as we (I) had hoped.

What's this got to do with my post heading....well....my first presentation I included a couple of those great Common Craft in plain English videos. A better way then I could ever attempt at explaining some of the web tools out there to use. I wanted to come back at this presentation time and show another cool video that explains and showcases more of what is happening in the digital world. So I remembered Prof. Micheal Wesch 's video "The Machine is Us/ing Us". If you haven't seen it yet, take a look it's a wonderful piece. From an interview with the professor:

"As I tried to illustrate in the video, this means that a change in one area (such as the way we communicate) can have a profound effect on everything else, including family, love, and our sense of being itself. Second, everything is connected throughout all time, and so as anthropologists we take a very broad view of human history, looking thousands or even millions of years into the past and into the future as well. And finally, all people on the planet are connected. This has always been true environmentally because we share the same planet. Today it is even more true with increasing economic and media globalization."

Through looking at his site I came across Creative Commons (which I have seen before but never really looked into).

Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from "All Rights Reserved" to "Some Rights Reserved."

Watching Prof. Wesch's video I saw him using/referencing an interesting site that I could see had lots of little window panes with rss feeds in, blogs, news items extra. Really liking the look of it I wanted to know what it was being used. Pause the video, rewind the video, step-by-step the video....I was just about to do a screen capture and send the image to a friend to ask if they knew what it was and....I see on the web address line...netvibes. Type that into my browser and there you go....that's it. Another neat little tool to try out and see if I like using it as a reader.

I feel like Columbo (sorry for the 70's reference, but I still like him) discovering, exploring, finding clues, solving puzzles. There's something I always find really satisfying when I discover something new (at least new to me) on the web. I wonder how many more feel that way?

The Price to Buy 12 Days of Christmas

From article out of the Toronto Star, Dan Nephin (Associated Press).

Shopping list
Prices of items in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," according to PNC Wealth Management:

1 Partridge, $15 (last year: same)
1 Pear Tree, $150 (last year: $130)
2 Turtle Doves, $40 (last year: same)
3 French Hens, $45 (last year: same)
4 Calling Birds (canaries), $600 (last year: $480)
5 Gold Rings, $395 (last year: $325)
6 Geese a-Laying, $360 (last year: $300)
7 Swans a-Swimming, $4,200 (last year: same)
8 Maids a-Milking, $47 (last year: $41)
9 Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759 (last year: same)
10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285 (last year: $4,160)
11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213 (last year: $2,124)
12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398 (last year: $2,301)

My sister was quite surprised that 10 Lords a-Leaping was cheaper then 9 Ladies Dancing....oh no...I hope I'm not getting 10 Lords a-Leaping for Christmas....where would I put them?

Yes Virgina, There Are Other Search Engines

A co-worker of mine (the one that went to India, who I'm still trying to convince to blog) is working on a course that discovers various ways to do literature searches for research among other things. Every so often she comes across a great "new" little tool that she gets really excited about and shares with me. Now I'm excited too.

Have you visited KartOO?

It's a visual search engine in that once you put in your search topic you get up a picture representation of the most relevant pages.

Here's an image of when I searched my own blog.

Th largest icon on the visual map is a small capture of my homepage, and the large bluish blob that lies in the background has labels on it letting you know the basic site topic/category (ie: blog, guide, photos, deals, tours, etc).

The upper left has a list as well of the major key words found on the pages that are showing. If you roll over a website page icon then you will see a brief description of the site as well.

It's actually a fun way to search and to "see" what might comes up.

Mobile Survey - Online Demo

This is not a commerical...I'm just sharing. I thought I would sit in on the Zoomerang Webinar: Capture "in the moment" feedback with mobile surveys. I've enjoyed using Zoomerang in the past for deploying surveys, and thought it's at least worth a look to see what they are offering in mobile ideas. If nothing else, online webinars are a great way to see what is out there and new to use.

If you are intersted here is the link they have sent me to register for this free seminar:

Reserve your spot today.

Who knew that Costco and Zombies go together?!?

Okay, I'm a little late on this one....

Common Craft posted this one at the end of October that I just had to look at and killed my self laughing. Great way to leave the office on a Friday.

Zombies in Plain English

Online Conference Starts Next Week (Corporate Learning: Trends and Innovations)

I'm quite excited to be participating as a learner at the upcoming Corporate Learning: Trends and Innovations Online conference which begins next Thursday. There is a terrific line up of speakers presenting a wide range of topics over the course of 4 days.

What's great is like a face-to-face conference you can pick and choose which sessions you wish to attend that are of interest to you. Best yet, you can stay home in your pajamas and learn. (hee hee). Seriously, there are 15 or so presenters to learn from. There are over 800 people registered to participate globally. It's all free. Did I say that loud enough FREE!!! How can you not stop in and listen.

I was sent an email today from the organizer George Siemens that linked participants and speakers to a wonderful site that was new for me; Attendr. What a neat representation of attendees, where they are from, who they know and connecting them to who the would like to meet.

Elearning Blueprints Needs Beta Testers

Cathy Moore is looking for some beta testers to try out a new elearing design tool she has been working on.

Elearning Blueprints are online tools that walk you through the process of designing and writing lively elearning content. Beta testers will get access to:

• Design and write clear, engaging elearning materials on any subject
• Immediately apply the ideas to your current project
• Use research-based best practices that will make your elearning more
  powerful
• Find and share creative ideas
• Streamline your elearning development

The premise seems like a great idea and I hope Cathy gets all the feedback necessary to get the project up and running.

eLearning Guild Gives More to Members

The eLearning Guild is upgrading it's membership perks. Associate members can now access 237+ archived issues of Learning Solutions eMagazine and Guild Research 360° Reports will now be available to all Guild Member, Member Plus, and Premium Members.

Thanks to Brent Schlenker's update on this today. You can see much more info from his blog or directly from the eLearning Guild site.

Just in time for my LMS launch.