- With one billion devices expected to have mobile broadband Internet connections, the impact of mobile communication cannot be underestimated.
- With this growth in mobile devices, it seems appropriate to ask what completely new things might be afforded by mobile media for learning.
- The discussion of learning environments and mobile media grants educators an opportunity to adopt methods of situated, contextual, just-in-time, participatory, and personalized learning.
- Theory aside, it seems common sense that instruction should be performed in the most authentic context possible to practice and demonstrate useful learning, which mobile learning environments can facilitate.
As I walk down State Street, a mile-long strip of eateries and shops near the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, I decide to try something new for lunch. In an instant, my cell phone is out and I touch a small black icon, launching Siri, a free app I downloaded while riding the bus the previous day. I press the record button and speak into my headset: "What's the best noodle restaurant nearby?" Three seconds later, a list of five restaurants appears onscreen, each with user reviews, online menus, phone numbers, reservation options, and business hours. A single touch yields a map with my current position and the best walking path to the restaurant I select.
While eating, I open the foursquare app with my free hand and touch the "Check in" button. This tells the service where I am and awards me a few points for doing so, continuing a silly competition with a few friends about who can earn the most points this week. Simultaneously, a tweet goes out from Twitter and my Facebook status is updated in case anyone I know wants to drop by for lunch. For five additional points I leave a tip for future patrons of the Vientiane Palace by typing, "The spring rolls are nice but a bit overpriced IMHO."
After dinner, the sun has set and I am in my backyard with my wife looking up at a particularly clear night. We see a very bright point in the north sky and notice that looks more orange than any of the other stars, which begins an ill-informed debate about whether or not it is a planet. A few seconds later, I launch the Star Chart app, and we hold the phone up above our heads between us and the sky so that the screen acts like a small window to the heavens. Full of stars, the screen tracks the sky as we move, turn, and point the device at different areas. In real time, the software connects the dots and superimposes the constellations on the points (see Figure 1). Another touch on the orange dot and we see a photo of Mars displayed as an overlay on the sky with information about its size and distance from Earth.
via www.educause.edu
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