And among all of the NECC action, there is also a new Carnival of the Mobilists at London Calling:
Another huge week in Mobile – Nokia acquires Symbian, Virgin buys Helio and I still haven’t got a Nokia E71 (my hints to Nokia are clearly not obvious enough…).
You’ll just have to head over to London Calling to see how this one ends!
Image Credit: Carnival of the Mobilists, Logo:
http://www.mobili.st/images/cotm-button.jpg
SIGHC held its first forum at NECC this year. We had presenters from both the US and the UK. Even though I had to moderate the event, I was able to listen in on Tony Vincent as well as David Whyley and Jill Purcell from the UK.
Tony Vincent’s breakouts focused on web apps (and netbooks like the EeePC)
Web apps: platform agnostic, that’s a strength. A lot of people now spend the majority of their time in their browser (I know I do!).
Mini pcs: EeePC ($299 with Linux and Open Office), HP MiniNote, Dell, Tangent MiniPC. There are many netbooks out there now.
EeePC:
Pros: cheap, open source
Cons: battery life, screen size
This seems similar to handhelds/mobile devices in the past. Discussion of screensize, small v. big. Kids are used to small screens and that’s what they want.
Lots of discussion about the hardware, and how it can be used in different situations, like for homebound students. There is an advantage over the use of laptops in that they are cheaper to use/maintain/replace, especially in “high-risk” situations (e.g. with potential drop-outs etc.)
Some discussion about software: Kerpoof: cartoon software (almost teaching them how to program)
Cradlepoint: to use wireless through your mobile phone service. Helps to get around blocked sites, or hotel charges! Mobile broadband speeds.
David Whyley and Jill Purcell Wolverhampton project (Learning2Go)
Implementation: integrating technology and improving pedagogy at the same time.
The device itself does not deliver everything it needs. They look at mobile devices as the 21st century equivalent of reporter’s notepad.
UK context: get lots of money to do their projects: what do you want to spend your money on? Laptops won’t work, will get stolen, especially in areas like Wolverhampton, a very deprived area. Use of technology seen as an additional benefit for the future. Replacement of schools in the UK is going on as well. Technology seems key to that.
Mobile learning goes way back to the hornbook. We are now replacing that same concept with digital tools.
Mobile devices are in Dave’s opinion still very different from something like an EeePC, because it’s a different device you’ll do different things with in different ways (e.g. voice v. keyboard input -> on the go v. you have to set it down to type).
How do we bridge between school life and e-life? Youngsters now have more technology in the home than before. Kids aren’t wowed by technology anymore, or a computer lab.
UK spends lots of money: every teacher has a laptop with a SmartBoard with audio.
• learning platforms for all learners (by Dec. 2008): mobile will be the conduit
• e-portfolios: for assessment
• computers for pupils
• learning beyond school
• engaging parents
Started with Windows, but are looking at different devices (HTC Advantage, Nokia N810)
Motivation is important
Attendance up 32% in mobile classes (as compared to avg city attendance down by 0.5%)
For girls it was personalization of the device, for boys, it was the coolness factor.
Showed video of one day in the mobile life, which was a nice way to show mobile learning by students in different settings.
Use of EDAs
Use of GoKnow stuff
Hook up to SmartBoard (Bluetooth)
Instant-on
Bluetooth for push and pull of content
Integration of mobile stuff with existing systems
Safety and Security: working with parents and help them understand. Naivety issues (kids hacking into unfiltered home wireless and parents not realizing that they should filter that).
Teachers need time to explore v. device market and how fast it’s changing. Therefore, stuck to one OS for now (Windows Mobile).
All in all, this was a great session. Participants had a chance to spend a good chunk of time in discussion instead of listening to talking heads. Even the presenters told me they learned a lot!
Image Credits:
NECC logo, NECC 2008 website:
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/
Hornbye Hornbook, from Wikimedia Commons:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Hornbye-Hornbook.png
Posted in Handheld Computing, Learning while mobile, mlearning, Mobile Computing, Mobile learning, Mobile web, NECC, necc2008
Tagged handheld, ISTE, mobile, n08s106, NECC, necc08, necc2008, SIGML
Notes from David Thornburg’s presentation early Monday morning. Nothing too revolutionary here, but a fairly interesting talk nonetheless.
Given the changes in technology, our question has changed from “given current classroom practices, how should technology change?” to “given current technology, how should classroom practice change?” When looking at it from a global perspective, we need access for every learner in the world.
Bringing the tools to all children:
Importance of open source
• Cost
• Robust applications on a graphical user interface
• New applications created daily, shared, and often cross-platform.
In Africa, some schools have freedom posts (kiosks) to distribute open-source software.
In Brazil, Linux is used by the government and in public schools (Governmental Computador Para Todos program).
Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood (Martin Luther King quote that sort of sums up what we are doing in education, at least in the U.S.)
Using pieces of your culture to motivate students to learn (e.g. corn rows for math)
A global movement has risen up in the affirmation of digital culture… the creative impulses of the Brazilian people need access to the digital world – Gilberto Gil (has set up schools for film-making in poor areas for the next generation of film makers.
Breaking borders with software, e.g. Cmap (collaborative concept map making; free)
Copyright and cultural artifacts -> open content in education (rip, mix, and burn), e.g. MIT Courseware.
In sum, the key lesson to be learned from Thornburg’s talk is that of the importance of access for all, and he showed some ways in which that can be done. There are some powerful lessons to be learned from other areas of the world, such as Brazil and the African continent.
Left session a little early to get ready for the SIGHC forum.
Image Credits:
NECC logo, NECC 2008 website:
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/
Posted in necc2008
Tagged david thornburg, global, n08s264, NECC, necc08, necc2008, open source
James Surowiecki spoke in front of a packed house last night. Here are my, somewhat incomplete, notes from his speech, as I was fighting with my wireless connection during the presentation:
James Surowiecki keynote. Author of The wisdom of crowds
Under the right conditions, groups of people can be very intelligent collectively. Collective intelligence improves a group’s ability to make decisions, predict the future, etc. ….
Examples:
If you get a smart enough crowd under the right conditions you can do amazing things.
You can use the same principles to make groups in organizations/schools stronger.
The trick: it only works under certain conditions. (groups are volatile and tend to fall to the level of the lowest common denominator).
Technology allows us to cast our net more widely more quickly and effectively, and allows us to collect more varied opinions.
Surowiecki finished with the story of USS Scorpion which vanished in 1968, and how collective intelligence was used to find the wreckage.
Image Credits:
NECC logo, NECC 2008 website:
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/
And so it goes. After some great play in the group stage, the Dutch just couldn’t get it going in the quarterfinal against Russia on Saturday. While I’m deeply disappointed in the fact that they lost, I think the team gave the fans (including me), some great games early on and lots to cheer about. It’s a shame it ended the way it did. The loss also marks the end of Edwin van de Sar’s international career as goalie, and he will be missed in the Dutch defense. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck at the 2010 World Cup!
http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/news/kind=1/newsid=725412.html
#dutch+ponder+what+might+have+been
Yes, the Carnivals keep on coming! This week’s Carnival is hosted by Rudy de Waele at m-trends, where the topic of choice seems to be location-based services …
Image Credit: Carnival of the Mobilists, Logo:
http://www.mobili.st/images/cotm-button.jpg
Despite already having qualified, a highly mobile Dutch squad of mostly reserves easily beat Romania today. The highlight was Robin van Persie’s goal, a rocket of a shot to settle the game at 2-0. They’ll play either Sweden or Russia on Saturday. I’m up for it, I think Oranje will be too 
Image Credits: Euro2008.com
As sent to me by Graham Brown-Martin:
As an extra we’re providing you with a discount code for all the SIGHC members and those attending the SIGHC Forum at NECC that provides an additional 5% discount on registration against the already discounted early bird registration that includes the free Nintendo DS and game as well as access to the Handheld Learning Awards on the Monday evening (13th October). The registration fee is only £275 until July 31st and then it goes up to £325 then £375. All registrations include access all to all sessions and breakouts, attendance at the party and refreshments, lunches etc. Only the early birds get free Nintendo’s.
The code gets a 5% reduction onthese registration fees.
The code is sighchhl08 (case sensitive)
Those also thinking of coming for mLearn 2008 the week before can save money by registering for HHL 08 first with the 5% code and then get their 10% discount code from us for mLearn registration. Furthermore those flying Virgin can get a 10% discount on the lowest published price via our agreement with Virgin Atlantic.
Image Credit: www.handheldlearning2008.com
Posted in conference, Handheld Computing, handheldlearning2008, Learning while mobile, mlearning, Mobile Computing, Mobile gaming, Mobile learning, Mobile phones, Mobile web, Nintendo DS, Teaching and Learning, Ubiquitous Computing
Tagged conference, handheld learning, hhl2008, Mobile learning, Nintendo DS
This is the second time this year that I have the honor of hosting the Carnival of the Mobilists, a collection of some of the best writing about mobile over the past week. I decided to make it a sports-themed carnival this week, as Euro 2008 is in full swing and there is a carnival-like atmosphere in many of the cities of Austria and Switzerland where some very highly mobile soccer teams are playing their matches (not to mention the fact that I’m a diehard Holland fan and their performance against Italy and France so far has been nothing short of spectacular). But, we’re getting off-track. So let’s flip a coin, pick sides, and have some fun with this week’s overview of the latest happenings in the world of mobile…
Commerce
Andreas Constantinou at VisionMobile takes the opening kick-off by explaining the key revenue models used in mobile open source, a total of seven to be exact.
A quick pass to the mjelly blog reveals a very colorful post that analyzes Gaviscon’s (indigestion medicine) ads on the London underground for a branded “Journey Planner” mobile application through advertising a shortcode on the ad. Are they convinced it works? Read the post to find out.
Next, Peggy Ann Salz of msearchgroove attempts a shot at goal when pondering if there is money in mobile search syndication as she reviews BooRah, a restaurant search engine that aggregates restaurant review content and buzz to let users search for what they want how they want it. Does she score? Jog over to her blog to find out.
New iPhone
After an exciting opening, the remainder of the first half is devoted to a dazzling display of passing and teamwork in all areas of the pitch, as the crowd is heard chanting, “iPhone, iPhone”.
Michael Mace at Mobile Opportunity shares some thoughts on the 3G iPhone announcement. He focuses on what was NOT announced, as well as things that stood out to him such as “lower” pricing and developer limits. In addition, he asks, “what’s next?”
He passes on the question to Jason Devitt at Skydeck, who gives us his predictions for the iPhone 3G (you will need to scroll down a ways as he first gives us a long list of his previous predictions. His first prediction is that Apple will blow through its original target of selling 10 million phones in 2008. For the other predictions you will need to read his post.
Andrew Grill gets in on the game by letting one of the London papers do the talking with regards to the new iPhone.
Peter Genuardi at the Connection Cafe has an attempt as well and states that improved browsing with the new iPhone will open the doors for online engagement.
Tomi Ahonen from the Communities Dominate Brands blog then responds on the counter by arguing in a long post that despite the new iPhone’s GPS capabilities, mobile services that are based purely on location based services will still not work. Read his excellent post to find out why, and what to do instead.
The folks over at the FoxTrax Blog respond with a well-played one-two this week. iPhone, therefore iAm discusses the impact of the new iPhone on companies like Garmin and TomTom. The post is countered by Pat Responds: iPhone, therefore iAm, in which the author argues that the new iPhone will not necessarily become a GPS killer.
Phew, that was a great half, time for a break!
Mobile Communication
The second half kicks off with mopocket’s Justin Oberman Mordy Gilden (Did I get yellow carded on that one!!), who asks what makes a smartphone smart, and comes up with a few definitions at the end of the post. Whether or not they are useful or just add to the confusion is up to you to decide.
Sachendra Yadav also submitted a dazzling one-two. The first post lists eight reasons why mobile video calls haven’t taken off. This is followed by a post that argues that there may be a niche market for mobile video calls after all.
Igor Faletski at Mobscure asks what the world would be like if every mobile had a standard service like Twitter.
Education and Mobile
Judy Breck proposes her plan for education of the future in Whither Education? A 3-Part Policy: No more pencils, no textbooks, no more searching gobbledygook. What does she mean by this? Jump over to the Golden Swamp to find out. This post scores the winning goal for me!
Mobile Conferences
Dennis Bournique over at the WapReview squeezed in a last minute attempt at goal with his post about Mobile Camp SF 2, a well-written summary of this ”unconference” and it just shaved the crossbar! That’s the end of the game!!
Thanks for stopping by at this episode of the Carnival of the Mobilists! The final whistle has been blown and the excitement has subsided for the time being. However, next week’s edition will be hosted by Rudy de Waele at mTrends. You can send your submissions for Rudy to mobilists@gmail.com.
Image Credits: Euro 2008 mascot from
http://www.fcfootballblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/euro-2008-mascot.jpg
“Holland – Fans” from chrchr_75′s photostream,
http://flickr.com/photos/40826712@N00/2576670139/
“Euro 2008″ from nullnullminus’ photostream,
http://flickr.com/photos/nullnullminus/2565054497/
“Euro 08 – Vienna FanZone, Day 1″, from webguruAT’s photostream,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/webguru/2559786926/in/pool-euro2008people
“Euro 2008 – Holanda 4 – Francia 1″ from BLOGARJONA’s photostream,
http://flickr.com/photos/blogarjona/2576452192/
“Faces of Victory” from nacaseven’s photostream,
http://flickr.com/photos/nacaseven/2574596603/
And when I thought things couldn’t get any better after Holland’s 3-0 victory against the Italians …. a crushing 4-1 victory against France earlier today at Euro 2008, with each goal even better than the one before. The 1-0 by Kuyt was nice, the 2-0 by van Persie was preceded by some incredible footwork by van Nistelrooy and a blazing run by Robben (here are the Dutch radio commentators!).
The 3-0 was really the backbreaker, an impossible shot within a minute of France scoring the 2-1. The 4-1 by Sneijder was really the icing on the cake. All the video highlights are here. So now they’re through to the quarterfinals already, with one game to play in group C, the group of death. It was really a group of death, but not for the Dutch!
And here is a look at the Oranje Legioen (Orange Legion) of Dutch supporters in Switzerland, the best soccerfans in the world!!
Image Credits: Euro 2008.com
