mLearning: What we thought in 2000.

An article by Clark Quinn in LiNE Zine laid it all out for us.

"mLearning is the intersection of mobile computing and elearning: accessible resources wherever you are, strong search capabilities, rich interaction, powerful support for effective learning, and performance-based assessment. elearning independent of location in time or space. What is less clear is where we are now and how we will deliver on this vision." [LiNE Zine]

I'm not sure the vision has changed much, and neither has the last sentence. Maybe we should be asking why we think mLearning is needed, and where. The only physical environments where it would work currently seem to be inside large warehouses and other business locations with pervasive wireless access (and said wireless access being provided by the business organization, not by external providers).

12:46:12 PM    

m-Learning in Australia: Stymied?

Why mobile e-learning fails to make a move.

Australia's telecommunications companies are stifling the economic benefits of mobile e-learning (m-learning). Dr Marcus Bowles, director of the Institute for Working Futures, says the incumbents are defending market share by confining mobile data transmissions to high-cost cellular networks.

This is being accomplished using clever marketing and interconnected blocking of cheaper technologies.

Network switching is important for m-learning to avoid dead spots and dropouts interrupting training and real-time assessments of work in progress. For example, most of the time a device may prefer a faster wireless network, with the ability to switch to cellular, wired or satellite data transmission as the occasion requires. But network switching means freedom of choice, cheaper prices and lower margins. In Australia, the standard surcharge is being maintained at about 12 cents per megabyte if you go over your mobile plan's data limit.

"In the US it costs one or two cents," Dr Bowles says. "So they are gaining share by limiting market growth. If I'm sitting with the telco executives, I would know my share price will plummet the instant it looks like I'm cannibalising an existing market to gain a potential market."

This means cheaper wireless technology - which can transmit up to 80 megabits of bandwidth up to 80 kilometres away - is being introduced by many undercapitalised start-ups instead. The result is a patchwork of non-switchable overlapping networks, which are concentrated in big cities. Yet despite the communications mayhem, the institute is starting to test some promising m-learning applications.

[The Age]

12:22:24 PM    

Speaking of Google ... .

Isn't this exactly what some professors are raising hell with Google over? Might there not be some copyright pushback here? I don't care if the professors are slicing and dicing their own lecture notes, but dissecting someone else's book and republishing it on the Web (possibly combined with content from other copyrighted materials) looks to me like it violates fair use. Of course, IANAL (I Am Not A Lawyer).

Living book makes learning easier - IST Results. Re-engineering online learning and teaching material on-the-fly to meet the individual needs of students and teachers is now possible thanks to a complete set of tools developed under the IST programme-funded Trial-Solution project. “The new tools, devel [Online Learning Update]

11:40:18 AM    

Commercial podcasting info.

PodCast Radio Show - Thursday, July 28, 2005.

In today's PodCast Radio Show, Live from the PodCast Marketing Promenade we look deeper into PodCast Marketing and today's Internet Marketing Tip, Marketing Communication Failures, Click Fraud and How You Can Earn More From Every Customer as they relate to Internet Marketing.  We enjoy another 97 Second Internet Marketers Marketing Update, 'Marketing Myths' with Randall Blaum.

PodCast Radio Show Liner Notes:
New - Randall Blaum - 97 Second Internet Marketers Marketing Update
Feature - Streaming Audio Now Made Easy - Details
News: AOL Tests New Mobile-Friendly Search - Details
News: Travel Sites Ease Privacy Rules on Personal Data - Details
News: My AOL Beta Unveiled - Details
Feature: See Current Gas Prices In Your Area - Details

Stream IT Now! (Instant Player - Click Arrow)


.mp3 Instant Download

12:53:04 PM    

Is Palm giving up on PDAs for phones?

Palm: What PDA problem?. Executive Paul Blinkhorn talks about a $30 million name change and how to deal with a smart-phone onslaught. [CNET News.com]

12:50:59 PM    

Are textbooks dead?

Online University Lowers Textbook Costs with 'E-Books' - Leslie Olsen, WISH-TV. With hundreds of thousands of students heading back to college soon, News 8 has been investigating the escalating cost of textbooks this week. In an effort to find a solution, one university is virtually textbook-free. Eric Wright and Nesia Murrell are st [Online Learning Update]

12:47:18 PM    

Is regulation coming to e-Learning?

Distance learning at watershed, lawmaker says - Doug Thompson, Arkansas News. Distance learning has reached a watershed in Arkansas, according to the House Education Committee's chairwoman.... There are 3,500 students using some form of formal, school-approved distance learning. The "overwhelming majority" of those students were ta [Online Learning Update]

12:46:22 PM    

What happens to Macromedia tools after the merger?

Jim Rapoza (eWeek) prognosticates in "Macromedia Tools' Outlook Mixed." If you use Fireworks or GoLive, you probably ought to read this!

[eWeek]

12:34:17 PM    

Delivery, marketing opportunities.

Online PCs Now Favorite Household Appliance. The personal computer is rapidly replacing other appliances - the telephone, radio and television - as the household's tool of choice, according to a recent Burst Media survey of 13,000 web users age... [MarketingVOX - The Voice of Online Marketing]

10:10:11 PM    

That's (Digital) Entertainment!

Hollywood Plots End of Film Reels. New movies will come to your local theater over the internet if proposed industry specs gain acceptance. But questions remain about who will pay for the switch. By Xeni Jardin. [Wired News]

10:07:12 PM    

Run, bunny, run!

Extreme batteries last twice as long. Blog: Panasonic has come up with a consumer electronics battery that it says lasts twice as long as traditional alkaline batteries,... [CNET News.com]

10:01:48 PM    

Building the e-learning market.

Teens Using Internet in Record Numbers . CHICAGO -- A new survey says that the Internet has all but saturated the youth market. By MARTHA IRVINE. [Technology - Industry News, Policy, and Reviews]

9:59:09 PM    

Issues in mobile phones and internet use.

So Many Cell Phones, So Little Web Searching . As more mobile phones come equipped with Internet access, big companies are still figuring out how to provide wireless users convenient access to one of the most basic Web services: search. By Yuki Noguchi. [Technology - Industry News, Policy, and Reviews]

9:57:13 PM    

Tablet PCs: Changes may be coming to Microsoft's strategy.

Research company sees growth ahead for Tablet PCs.

(InfoWorld) - The Tablet PC market is set for steady growth between now and the end of the decade, research firm In-Stat said Wednesday.

However, the biggest hurdle to this growth could come from the Tablet PC's main backer, Microsoft, if that company decides it is serious in promoting a new lower-priced, consumer-oriented product category, In-Stat said.

9:53:39 PM    

On the other hand ... .

Mobile the Fastest-Growing Media Channel. Mobile is set to be the fastest growing media platform over the next five years, according to a new report by Informa Telecoms & Media, reports NetImperative. The global market for mobile... [MarketingVOX - The Voice of Online Marketing]

11:16:06 PM    

See what I mean about not betting on m-Learning's immediate success?

There is no mobile platform even in Asia.

Read the whole thing. Sad but true. I really want Nokia to be the mobile platform of choice, but J2ME just doesn't cut it (and neither does PalmOS). Maybe Python or flash or Laszlo or ...? I'd like Nokia or somebody besides Microsoft to have a viable mobile platform and developer community. Peace, love and open media to Bryan from Vancouver!

From The Life of Bryan: Update from Bangkok.:

QUOTE

I've come to realize that mobile media is a joke. Carrier data fees are out to lunch, J2ME is a development nightmare and every manufacturer adheres to a slightly different official standard. Last year we were amazed at how many people in Asia were constantly playing with their phones, however within days of arriving in Bangkok back in June we immediately noticed that very few people were doing anything with their smart phones beyond voice and texting. Mobile games and video are advertised, nobody seems to be buying/playing.

...

Peace, love and open media

UNQUOTE

11:13:04 PM    

Launching an email campaign?

Best Day for Emailing Is a Moving Target. Click to enlarge eROI this week issued the results of its most recent email study, finding that response rates have shifted from quarter to quarter over the past year, but one trend is clear:... [MarketingVOX - The Voice of Online Marketing]

11:11:21 PM    

PDA market.

Handheld shipments continue to slide.

(InfoWorld) - For the sixth quarter in a row of year-over-year comparisons, worldwide handheld device sales declined. Second quarter 2005 shipments decreased by 20.8 percent compared to second quarter 2004, according to IDC.

[InfoWorld: Top News]

11:03:45 PM    

Tablet PCs.

Don't get too excited about that "falling prices" comment. The article says the prices will drop from about $1800 to about $1200 -- by 2009.

Tablet PC biz to see Vista-driven boom. Falling prices will help too [The Register]

9:45:04 AM    

Google this!

Submit Your RSS Feed To Google.

Last night Google switched on what may be a feature marking an historical evolutionary point in the evolution of the most popular Internet search engine. Within the Google Personalized Home Page facility, Google has in fact activated a full RSS aggregator, capable of bringing together on your private Google Home page any and all the feeds that you want to subscribe to. It goes with it that for Google to make this possible, it is…

Direct and Related Links for 'Submit Your RSS Feed To Google'

9:33:48 AM    

We don't spam.

TRUSTe Bows 'We Don't Spam' Program. TRUSTe today began the first certification program assuring consumers that marketers won't spam them when they submit their email addresses online, DM News reports. The nonprofit privacy... [MarketingVOX - The Voice of Online Marketing]

9:30:47 AM    

More access coming: iRadio?

Motorola to Offer Yahoo Access on Devices (AP). AP - Cell phone maker Motorola Inc. and Internet search engine operator Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday said they are teaming up to offer Yahoo's online content and services on mobile devices made by Motorola, including the company's upcoming iRadio product. [Yahoo! News: Technology News]

9:29:05 AM    

Outsourcing growth in India.

"Industry officials say services like retail and telecoms will create two million jobs in India in the next two years. At the job fairs, many of these positions will be offered on-the-spot, subject only to reference checks."

India's tech boom sparks recruitment rush (Reuters). Reuters - On a hot summer weekend in India's technology capital, 28,000 young graduates converge on a suburban indoor stadium and create a stampede for jobs in the exploding software and business service industries. [Yahoo! News: Technology News]

9:28:07 AM    

Famine in Niger.

I am watching the Nightline program on this, and I can't believe nobody is doing anything about it. I can't believe the networks have been feeding us celebrity hype, dance contests, and athlete temper tantrums, and this is the first look we've had at this. Fortunately, now that we know, we can do something. Make a difference and use one of these links to save some lives. These three organizations allow you to designate where you want your cash donation to be used.

Donate to the World Food Program here

Donate to Save the Children here

Donate to Catholic Relief Services here (Africa in Crisis)

11:12:30 PM    

Firefox and Netscape: Good news, bad news.

Firefox downloaded 75 million times. The Mozilla Foundation marks a milestone, but it remains to be seen whether growth rates can recover. [CNET]

Netscape releases four critical patches.

(InfoWorld) - Netscape has released a series of fixes for serious security flaws in its browser and, incredibly, listed a further 10 that it has yet to patch.

The Netscape 8.0.3.1 update repairs the most serious security flaws in Firefox, on which Netscape is based, the company said. But it also stated that the current version of Netscape 8 also contains 10 other flaws that will be fixed in the coming weeks.

[InfoWorld: Top News]

10:38:10 PM    

E-Portfolios overview.

This is a good introduction to the concept of E-portfolios if you are unaware of what they are and how they are used.

An Overview of E-Portfolios - George Lorenzo and John Ittelson, Educause. E-portfolios are a valuable learning and assessment tool. An e-portfolio is a digitized collection of artifacts including demonstrations, resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, or institution. This collection can be comprised [Online Learning Update]

9:51:32 AM    

Social Machines: "At bottom, the shift is bringing computing far closer to our everyday experience. We've just seen how social software can give us new ways to tap into the collective wisdom of the people in our social groups. But that's only one consequence of continuous computing. On a more personal level, for example, the portable devices that sustain the information field are more respectful of our bodies and our perambulatory nature. No longer do we have to slouch over desktop computers all day to stay connected to the Net: computing devices have become so small, light, and ergonomic that we can take them almost everywhere."

6:58:51 PM    

Socially, most of us adapt at a slower pace than technology develops. Even if we begin using new tools, the social/work/personal implications lag behind. Growing stress over information overload is an indication of this. Productivity experts are advocating the importance of "compartmentizing" tasks (i.e. read email only twice a day, turn of IM software). I think life/work/technology balance is a very personal experience. Ultimately, technology should enable, not squelch, productivity. Driven to distraction by technology: "For years, technology has worked to get people more connected. In the office there's e-mail, instant messages and the phone. On the road, cell phones and BlackBerrys enable workers to stay in touch with colleagues.

There is a mini rebellion under way, however. Desperate for some quiet time to think, people are coming up with low-tech strategies to get away from all their technology."

6:58:38 PM    

Learning is an integrative task...a holistic experience. Moving learning beyond the artificial sanitary construct of a course and into the sometimes nebulous messy environment of real-life requires acknowledgement that learning is an open loop process - i.e. external factors influence what we know, decisions alter context, application of knowledge is a feedback generating process, etc. Over the last few months I've encountered increased focus on systems thinking in relation to learning. Systems Thinking and Complexity Links provides some very useful starting points in this discipline.

6:58:24 PM    

More m-Learning speculation.

We have quite a way to go before mobile phones are practical m-Learning delivery tools, in my opinion. Small screens, clunky input arrangements, not to mention high costs for data transfer, and the fact that so many of us use our mobiles constantly for communicating with co-workers and clients, all work against seeing useful learning materials on our cell phones any time soon. I look for it to happen first in Asia (where Flash Lite is already in use to support delivery of interactive content) and in Europe, last in the US.

Mobile Phones.

Mobile phones are likely to develop into a key learning tool. Few technologies are more universal, more versatile, and more used by younger learners. Learning designers should be moving towards a level of design where all their content is accessible via mobile phones. Some thought leaders have advocated that learning will eventually be intelligently designed into the appliance we are using (i.e. Stephen Downes has used the analogy that a fishing rod will have context relevant learning resources teaching a user how to fish). Until this happens, a cell phone is likely to be the transitioning tool that truly moves learning from classroom/desktop to learning in a context relevant manner. Here's a quick overview of some social/technical developments in mobile phones.

[elearnspace]

Here are a couple of examples of where mobile phones may be going -- directions that might take some of the gloom off of my expectations. Of course, neither of these is available yet.

Sandbridge Technologies develops programmable cellphone chip.

There’s a new product on the block in the cellphone chip market that’s hoping it can snag some mindshare among handset makers. Sandbridge Technologies’ SB3010 chips are flexible enough to handle a wide range of protocols, multimedia and application processing, which would enable handset makers to built multifunction handsets using a single chip, driving costs down. The chips are programmed in the C language as opposed to assembly language, giving them a cost advantage because C developers are far easier to come by, as well as giving the handset makers and mobile operators greater ability to actually define what functions they want on the chips. Because of the expense that would be involved in switching architectures, phone vendors who have existing deals with chip makers are going to be hard to convince — but Sandbridge is hoping it might find a place in new products such as handsets that switch seamlessly between cellular and WiFi networks, as well as devices which integrate internet and multimedia such as digital cameras with persistent web connections.  [Engadget]

The Motorola Q Smartphone.

What’s it got? 4.6 x 2.5 x 0.45-inches in your pocket for one, a QVGA (320 x 240) wide-format display, QWERTY keyboard (duh), Windows Mobile 5.0, thumbwheel, d-pad, 1.3 megapixel camera, MiniSD, and Bluetooth. Expect it in Q1 2006 for probably more money at launch than we’re ready to hear about yet. [Engadget]

Motorola tonight announced the Q, the smartphone that has long been rumored as the RAZRberry. This super thin, extremely small device only measures ; 4.6 x 2.5 x 0.45 inches despite its 240 x 320 widescreen display and full QWERTY keyboard. The Q will be one of the first Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, and will be running the Smartphone version. Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone features Windows Media Player 10, advanced synchronization with Exchange, photo caller ID and speaker independent voice recognition.

In addition to the QWERTY keyboard, the Q features a D-Pad and all the keys required for Smartphone navigation as well as a thumbwheel to ease one-handed operation. The keyboard has EL backlighting like the RAZR, however it features raised individual keys. The Q also has a 1.3 MP camera and LED flash, Mini SD slot and Bluetooth. It is expected in Q1 of 2006. [Phonescoop]

11:40:41 AM    

The long-term impact of e-Learning.

From the study: "Between these two poles, I want to develop the following argument. e-learning cannot be limited to a single function (e.g. delivery mode), for when consciously applied, its impact goes beyond the ramifications of teaching. It causes systemic challenges for the organisation in which it is deployed. Thus, the relationship between e-learning, academic environments and academic teaching is of a complex nature because of the ambiguous meaning of the term as well as the variability of its consequences."

Networked Learning in the Knowledge Economy: A Systemic Challenge for Universities - Hans-Peter Baumeister, Eurodl. The aim of the following text is to discuss the current challenges for higher education institutions in high-industrialised countries stemming from modern economic developments which are best characterized by the term 'knowledge economy'. The term is curr [Online Learning Update]

10:39:20 AM    

Can online text facilitate higher levels of learning?

It would be good to see some follow-up studies on this topic. The study pointed to here was based on just 19 students.

Facilitating Higher Levels of Learning in a Text-Based Internet Learning Environ Using Diverse Instructional Strategies - Heather Kanuka, Journ of CMC. The purpose of this action-research study was to explore how well various instructional strategies translate to a text-based Internet learning environment and facilitate higher levels of learning. The participants were 19 adult learners enrolled in an onl [Online Learning Update]

10:35:30 AM    

Using audio in e-Learning.

Casting the Net is rich in podcasting resources for teachers. Casting the Net is an EdNA project that aims to help Australian educators "explore ways that the creation of audio materials can empower learners, especially those with low levels of literacy and with auditory learning styles." Here's the initiative's Moodle page, its blog, its podcast, and a wiki for a presentation by Sean Fitzgerald on MP3 Players, Podcasting and Online Audio Materials in Education. A zillion great links for teachers in the wiki, seems like a really... [learnandteachonline.com]

10:22:21 AM    

Another open-source LMS.

More on Sakai 2.0. Ismael Peña rounds up some links on Sakai 2.0, the open source LMS. I didn't realize Indiana University was an original partner in the project. It shouldn't matter but that makes me a little more likely to take Sakai out for a spin. (IU's a former employer. I keep thinking I'll end up back in Bloomington someday, for the third time. Still own a house there.) [learnandteachonline.com]

10:22:10 AM    

Can't we all just get along?

All due respect, Dr. Masie, the term is 'podcast'. I mentioned Elliott Masie's podcast on informal content a couple days ago. It's exciting to me to see leading corporate elearning types getting interested in podcasting as a learning vehicle. It's such a natural, especially as more cell phones add MP3 playing capabilities. I just have one teeny quibble with Masie's otherwise sensible treatment of the potential for recorded audio as a professional development medium. He says at the top of his talk that podcasts "go by lots of... [learnandteachonline.com]

10:21:56 AM    

Why are educators "worried" about e-Learning?

From the article: "Although online learning clearly has a growing presence in higher education, discussions about implementing e-learning continue to lack consensus. Part of the problem, as noted above, is the definition of e-learning. Many educators assume e-learning to mean that an entire course and all the interactions between faculty and students are online. But today’s definition has morphed from a fully-online course to the use of technology to deliver some or all of a course." (Emphasis in italics is mine, not the authors'.)

The Myth about E-Learning: “We Don’t Need to Worry about E-Learning Anymore.” - Diana G. Oblinger and Brian L. Hawkins, EDUCAUSE Review. Now may be exactly the right time to “worry” about e-learning.... Online enrollments are predicted to continue growing. Not only are the numbers up; growth rates are climbing as well. The 2003 growth rate was 19.8 percent; the estimate for 2004 was 24.8 p [Online Learning Update]

12:13:41 PM    

Drupal advances.

links for 2005-07-24.

• Community Podcast Example | Drupal for Artists & Musicians
  go drupal go! - shows you the power of the drupal platform
  (tags: drupal podcasting rolandtanglao)
• Audioblogging a virtual radio station with podcasts
  podcasts with drupal, easy, peasy! - "Drupal, a free content-management/blogging system, makes it easy to create an audio blog -- just write a blog item and attach an MP3 file. Since Drupal generates RSS2.0 files in just about every possible context, you
  (tags: drupal rolandtanglao podcasting)
• Who's Going to Take Online Real Estate to the Next Level?
  Combine Realtor's MLS-based national (i.e. US) search with HousingMaps UI (because who cares for Craigslist housing listings?), including smart ideas such as a history of past sales as featured by Redfin (who is not alone in overlaying local MLS data on m
  (tags: realestate rolandtanglao)

12:09:06 PM