Saturday, October 24, 2009

Commercial Mobile Learning Content Examined

I have been looking at some commercial mobile training modules recently and have found some excellent examples -- as well as some lessons learned.

The first one is Presenter Pro for the iPhone ($.99 in the iTunes store). The content includes presentation skills techniques with supporting graphics, audio, and video; hundreds of quick tips accessible by shaking the device; a checklist feature to capture and email any content for later review; notes capability; practice exercises; and knowledge check quizzes.

There is a lot of information and it is organized for quick retrieval. Overall the UI is quite good, however when arriving at the end of the knowledge check, there is only a previous and next. The next does not work, so the user needs to assume that they have finished and need to go back to the main menu. How much nicer it would have been if QA has caught that and added text either with the score or some text like congratulations you have completed the knowledge check, press here to return to the main menu. In addition, a nice feature would be to offer to return to the applicable content for review when missing a question rather than just saying sorry, try again.

Understanding Photoshop Quick Fixes ($1.99 in the iTunes Store) includes three modules plus an introduction and help section. Each of the modules has videos, tips and a quiz. Favorites and a search feature are included, plus an included recent Twitter feed from @rhedpixel. The quiz feature is quite nice with the results, as well as a link to the video for missed questions. Unlike Presenter Pro, there is no easy access overview of the content, but there is the search feature. The videos are well done. By submitting your email address you receive a link with the examples from the video. These are only available on a computer -- not an iPod or iPhone and must be downloaded separately for each module.

Thanks to an email from Dr. Davide Terranova fom Italy, I checked out his new site medicalearning. Currently there are four care and management modules featured for asthma, diabetes, hypertension and influenza virus H1-N1. The modules use Flash Lite and are available for a large number of phones (and even larger following the recent Adobe announcement of upcoming partnerships and availability of the Flash player on mobile devices.) The catalog, store and clean user interface are quite nice. Check it out.

Mobile Web Best Practices

You may be familiar with the W3C Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 for delivering Web content to mobile devices (July 2008). It is an excellent reference resource.

Thanks to MAMK's recent posting, I found a great condensed reference of the same in a flipcard format (PDF).

Included are:
  • Design for One Web
  • Rely on Web standards
  • Stay away from known hazards
  • Be cautious of device limitations
  • Optimize navigation
  • Check graphics & colors
  • Keep it small
  • Use the network sparingly
  • Help & guide user input
  • Think of users on the go
Check it out...

Mobile University Access

For those in higher education looking for examples of a campus that is providing mobile access, you might want to check out a very nice solution at Australia's Curtin University of Technology CurtinMobile.

They provide students and staff with the access and information they need via their mobile devices. The application automatically provides both an icon-based layout for current higher-end phones or a text format for older phones.

You can view it on your mobile at m.curtin.edu.au or see a video demo here.

Featured available include:
  • OASIS: Access Student Email, Official Communications and more!
  • Maps: Browse the campus map so you never get lost!
  • News: Find out about the latest exciting news & events at Curtin
  • Library: Opening hours, browse the catalogue and more
  • Facilities: Information on the the gym, food and drinks and much more
  • Support: Having trouble with student life? Get helpful information here
  • I.T.: Find an available computer on campus
  • Transport: Courtesy bus schedule and Transperth information
  • People: Find Curtin Staff members
  • Emergency: Emergency information and phone numbers

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Google Wave and Mobile Learning

I have been experimenting with Google Wave and so far am pleased with what I see. I am not certain how much this will be used for mobile learning, but was pleasantly surprised that it works on the iPhone (although there is a warning that that browser is not supported.) It can tend to be a little slow, but usable.

Here are a couple screen shots from my iPhone.



If you have a Google Wave account, please join me on a new public Wave I created to discuss mobile learning. You should be able to find it by title "Mobile Learning" or creator Judy Brown or judycb. I have not yet figured that out. ;-) UPDATED: I just added some tags and you should be able to find it by entering "tag:mobile learning" (without the quotes) into the search box and choosing Mobile Learning Public Wave. Hope to see you there.

Update 10/15/09: I have received emails that none of the comments work to locate this Wave. I just received assistance (thanks taylorkirk) and found that the following does work.



Friday, October 2, 2009

Mobile Learning Tools #2

In January I posted a listing of tools for mobile learning and received some great comments. (Thank you)

Now I am working on presentations and workshops for upcoming conferences this Fall and Winter and have been updating a much longer listing. I know that there are several missing in the content and K-12 areas, but what else? Are you using any tools for mobile learning development or deployment that are not listed on this new listing? If so, please leave a comment below. Thank you in advance.

I hope to meet many of you in person at the upcoming conferences.

September Hot List: Mobile Learning Content

Best of Mobile Learning

September 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009


Featured Sources

The following are the top items from featured sources based on social signals.

  1. The Future of Mobile and Mobile Media- The Mobile Learner, September 26, 2009
  2. Why did I just buy new Nano’s to use with students?- uLearning Blog, September 18, 2009
  3. Clever Use of Twitter for Mobile Learning- mLearnopedia on Blogspot, September 7, 2009
  4. 3D animations for mobile devices- Ignatia Webs, September 4, 2009
Other Sources

The following are the top items based on social signals.
  1. Learn 4 Life » What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?, September 18, 2009

Hot Topics

Mobile Learning (34)

  1. 3D animations for mobile devices, September 4, 2009
  2. A Mobile Learning Round Up of Sorts « Ubiquitous Thoughts, September 5, 2009
  3. Clever Use of Twitter for Mobile Learning, September 7, 2009
  4. Mobile learning – keep taking the tablets, September 8, 2009

Education (32)

  1. Direct observations about where Educator’s are at., September 9, 2009
  2. A map of my possible future (in 5 years time) as an educator…, September 9, 2009
  3. learning elearning: PSP2 - play station portable in education, September 14, 2009
  4. Learn 4 Life » What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?, September 18, 2009

Blog (23)

  1. Aga Khan Development Network - AKDN Blog, September 18, 2009
  2. Pontydysgu – Bridge to Learning » Blog Archive » Going mobile, September 21, 2009
  3. Pontydysgu – Bridge to Learning » Blog Archive » Using mobile devices in schools, September 21, 2009
  4. Panlibus » Blog Archive » Oxford University 2.0, September 24, 2009

Technology (23)

  1. Learn 4 Life » What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?, September 18, 2009
  2. Mobile Phones - So Much More Than a Phone | New Learning Playbook, September 6, 2009
  3. Direct observations about where Educator’s are at., September 9, 2009
  4. Aga Khan Development Network - AKDN Blog, September 18, 2009

Devices (21)

  1. 3D animations for mobile devices, September 4, 2009
  2. Pontydysgu – Bridge to Learning » Blog Archive » Using mobile devices in schools, September 21, 2009
  3. Learn 4 Life » What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?, September 18, 2009
  4. Mobile Phones - So Much More Than a Phone | New Learning Playbook, September 6, 2009