View the “slides” from this workshop here:

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CC-licensed photo, IMG_2883 by Richard Mansfield via Flickr

Each month, I post a list of @wisepedagogy Twitter posts from the previous month. If you missed them the first time, you can find them here.

Unfortunately, this will be the last archive for @wisepedagogy. We have reached the end of our grant funding for this project, and most WISE Pedagogy initiatives are being discontinued after April 30. Anyone who wishes to read more tweets for eLearning and online pedagogy can follow my personal feed, @amckinn.

• Designing Effective Online Assignments – The Chronicle of Higher Ed #elearning #assignments http://chronicle.com/article/Designing-Effective-Online/64772/
• Something to share with students: 8 Big Mistakes Online Students Make – US News and World Report http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2010/03/25/8-big-mistakes-online-students-make.html
• Udemy: free site to host your course content & webinars. It’s no Moodle but looks nice for sharing short lessons #lms http://www.udemy.com/
• iPAD First Look for Learning – Video by the MASIE Center http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-grYzE360ls&feature=player_embedded
• Time may tell on the iPad’s effectiveness in #edtech. For all its attractiveness, will it be more practical than a smartphone or netbook?
• Academic Dishonesty Triples Likelihood of Course Failure – Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/32181/
• New Wise Pedagogy post on iPad’s merit for education http://www.wisepedagogy.com/blog/?p=388
• Great tip by @AnnAbbott for teaching Twitter to students: don’t ask them to create an account but write a tweet on paper in class & discuss
• Let’s reach 2 million for Net Neutrality! Save the Internet: bit.ly/4qMVWI #netneutrality (via @freepress)
• Testing the goo.gl bookmarklet with a link to Lifehacker’s post on goo.gl QR codes http://goo.gl/XWKh
• Make QR Codes in a Jiffy with Goo.gl – http://goo.gl/XWKh just add .qr to the end of a goo.gl URL for the code: http://goo.gl/XWKh.qr
• Verdict on using the goo.gl bookmarklet to shorten URLs: Nice, though I still like bit.ly’s instant copy on URL + page title #bookmarklets
• Twitter is Dead! interesting pres on students & microblogging. Clap your hands / Reply if you still believe in Twitter! http://www.slideshare.net/amcneill/twitter-is-dead
• @amckinn Twitter does have real uses; maybe the question should be whether those uses outweigh student/instructor reluctance?
• @cbtarsala & @DrAshCasey Good points: sometimes it takes extra effort to convince students to adopt new practices!
• A glimpse of future uni students: they’ll take interactive learning for granted. YouTube – A 2.5 Year-Old with An iPad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT4EbM7dCMs&feature=player_embedded
• How to Clean Up your Facebook Profile http://mashable.com/2010/04/08/clean-up-facebook/
• Ignatia Webs: Meaningful and Powerful learning… how to get students engaged by Kevin Roberts http://ignatiawebs.blogspot.com/2010/04/meaningful-and-powerful-learning-how-to.html
• Video: What Does it Mean to Teach in the 21st Century? – New WISE Pedagogy blog post http://www.wisepedagogy.com/blog/?p=390
• Links & information about e-portfolios: http://www.eportfolio-source.org/ #eportfolio #portfolio
• Teens With ADHD Benefiting From Online Education: PRNewswire #k-12 #elearning http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teens-with-adhd-benefiting-from-online-education-89897612.html
• Virtual Professors – free online college courses and lectures #lectures #freeelearning http://www.virtualprofessors.com/
• Latest phase of iPad obsession: sharing w/pets. So far the cat http://www.youtube.com/index?ytsession=d2gRHky0HF-AW7TIIiNEMehEld5ENMvz65rcsg5fJHz3vKznrisdc7r6pVbdqNF4bc2DWDH0pYs5PyPe1D5s7JqQSbPWaPyMJMHL5Eg5HqLD_d2SOByo61Fj9EhEwpi_tVUgPzgW6Wwg4GvRplmv2mNtxVqJ2GqECkZJdW-FIModB-JI5OPJVpi31tU-gsUhNisuoEF2VMrSCHcEEsQcS86MC9ONV-1lzTN5lQnnWhHe97HvOnGyLDP3SrK0dZWNYBWu0TAjETsMkfhR7hzp9kUEzKqzotYWVwzX73pusp6BTzZYW23ZwmE1-r4iIKDk_ZdfUiml2DdEzbNyxU63F83YYFPpLqDW seems more receptive than this dog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3xdcx2WUcU&feature=player_embedded
• How to Provide Fair and Effective Feedback in Asynchronous Courses -elearnmag #assessment #rubrics http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=68-1
• Windows Maintenance Tips: The Good, Bad, and Useless – Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5520447/windows-maintenance-tips-the-good-bad-and-useless
• Today in #copyright humor: Hitler rant memes removed from YouTube. Response vid adds subtitles w/rant about #fairuse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fAQKa8rU_4&feature=player_embedded
• This might have interesting repercussions for file sharing & FB privacy concerns. Create & Share Office Docs via Facebk http://lifehacker.com/5521255/docs-lets-you-create-and-share-microsoft-office-docs-via-facebook
• Think: an easy-to-use & export, free #mind-mapping tool http://think.ajsands.com/
• Every Time Zone: easy to read display, handy for scheduling #international #webinars http://everytimezone.com/
• Explore: free online lesson plans about #international #culture for #k-12 teachers http://explore.org/education/
• Free posters for classrooms, offices, etc. http://www.poster-street.com/
• Powering Down: Green IT in Higher Education | EDUCAUSE http://www.educause.edu/Resources/PoweringDownGreenITinHigherEdu/203028
• Online University Cracks Down On Rowdy Online Fraternity | The Onion – #humor http://onion.com/bGifRT
• RT @amckinn: For people who want to back up their Ning networks to a free, read-only space #socialmedia http://www.savemyning.com/
• Thanks for following! Unfortunately, WISE must end its pedagogical feed. For more #elearning tweets please follow my personal feed @amckinn

So long and thanks for following! Just for fun, here are two additional images of dolphins  for your amusement:

CC-licensed photo, La saga del zoo de Madrid VI - Acrobacias con los delfines by Carlos Alejo via Flickr

CC-licensed photo, dinner by snailo86 via Flickr

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The focus is on active assignments, asking students to discuss ideas and use cloud-based networks (like Prezi) to analyze the information they are learning. As far as inspiring presentations for educators go, this one stretches on longer than most at almost ten minutes. However, the content is worth the watch if you have time.

On a related note, the video serves as a good example of how to present information and ideas in Prezi. Even without the addition of image files or embedded videos, the presentation moves from point to point in a way that holds readers’ attention with pure text. For anyone who is learning how to adapt presentations to Prezi, the style of delivery in this video may be reason enough to watch it.

Teaching in the 21st Century

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How the iPad compares in size to an iPhone and a laptop. CC-licensed photo, 10-iPadUnboxing-7951, by Kadath via Flickr.

Much of educational technology focuses on making use of the technologies students are already using. At least, that seems to be the main theory behind mobile learning pedagogy…as well as several online networks. Isn’t that why instructors started setting up Facebook and Second Life accounts in the first place — to go where the students were? If that were true, it should only follow that educators should be prepared to embrace iPads as much as their students.

So: to what extent can we expect students to embrace iPads? Let’s consider its practical value for general use as an e-reader or online browsing machine. Sure, it’s shiny and new, but will it be more practical than a smartphone or netbook?

The photo above shows how much larger the iPad is than the iPhone. It’s not going to be as portable as an iPhone, and without a protective sleeve it’s going to be more easily damaged (and have fewer applications) than a laptop. Factor in the limited capabilities for this early model, and it might have enough drawbacks to make it less useful to students than either a smartphone or a larger laptop or netbook. This also ignores the price consideration — if students already have a laptop and a smartphone (or an iPod touch, for that matter), a budget-conscious student must wonder what he/she could accomplish with an iPad that couldn’t already be done with one or the other gadgets, and if that would be enough to justify buying another device.

There are other drawbacks that could be listed here: the iPad’s inability to read e-books in .pdf files, its awkward size/weight for holding it like a book for extended reading, even the way a fingerprint-smudged iPad loses its “shiny and new” luster as soon as it’s out of the box.

However, Apple’s marketing campaign has done a fantastic job of hyping the new gadget in glitzy ads and media exposure. Surely, if Apple could change the world with iPods and iPhones, the iPad couldn’t fall much farther from the tree, could it?

CC-licensed photo, Apple iPad faux pas, by Swamibu via Flickr

While it may have some practical drawbacks for students, the iPad may be a useful device for people who are less tech-savvy, have needs that are more recreational than learning-centered, and want something like a smartphone but with a larger screen.  (I might still suggest a netbook instead — at least, for my older family members who want something lightweight they can carry to the library and check their email for free. For people in this category, a netbook is still more affordable and might be easier to type with. If your less tech-savvy relatives want to look more cutting-edge while they do this, by all means recommend them to the iPad.)

Before this post delves too deeply into snark, however, it’s still worth investigating possible uses for iPads as learning technology. The following video by The Masie Center gives Eliot Masie’s iPad First Look for Learning:

Also, a Blackboard app for the iPad:

Advice for the time being: Unless you are a devoted Apple fan who would use a new Apple device anyway, or you teach at a school that is giving each student his or her own iPad, you might want to wait a few months before you buy one solely for pedagogical purposes. Time may tell whether this new device will have enough advantages to surpass the others that are already available.

Even if you and some of your students already do have iPads, it may be a while before we can expect to design lesson plans that incorporate them into course activities.

Finally, for a pun on blended learning, the following video demonstrates what happens when an iPad is put in a blender.

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Each month, I post a list of @wisepedagogy Twitter posts from the previous month. If you missed them the first time, you can find them here.

Not included in this list are posts related to the Spring 2010 ELI Focus Session on Mobile Learning. You can find those in this post: Mobile Learning: Educause ELI Focus Session Recap

• Research on #adultlearning: Changing the Odds: Informing policy with research on how adult learners succeed (pdf) http://www.air.org/news/documents/Changing%20the%20Odds%20Final%20PDF.pdf
• How to grow campus technology amid shrinking resources (mostly re: switching to opensource technologies) eCampus News http://www.ecampusnews.com/?p=29546&preview=true
• SAVE THE DATE: 2010 International Forum for Women in E-Learning (IFWE) – Dec. 1-3, 2010, Albuquerque http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs016/1011054872119/archive/1103122632498.html
• New chip to make eReaders cheaper KurzweilAI.net http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=/news/news_single.html?id%3D11892
• RSS twitter gadget: http://search.twitter.com/ search @yourself, then click the RSS icon to get a feed for what people tweet about you
• Three Ways to Increase the Quality of Students’ Discussion Board Comments – Faculty Focus http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/asynchronous-learning-and-trends/three-ways-to-increase-the-quality-of-students-discussion-board-comments/
• Notre Dame Offers Free Online Course in Haitian Language and Culture – Anne Dilenschneider: Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-dilenschneider/notre-dame-offers-free-on_b_470716.html
• #edtechIL One idea: A learning technology “petting zoo” would let faculty test new programs, gadgets, or pedagogy with guided instruction.
• How to Give a Presentation Part I: It’s Not About You | Psychology Today psychologytoday.c… #presentation
• Free chart-making tool – Data in, Brilliance Out | Tableau Public tableausoftware.c… #presentation #charts
• Paper Rater: I’m dubious of its grammar-check for student essays, but the plagiarism check could be handy for faculty paperrater.com/fr…
• Infrequent Google Wave users: email notifications are now available. Finally! googlewave.blogsp…
• Textbook Rental: Cheap College Textbook Rentals at BookRenter.com bookrenter.com/…
• New URL shortener, shorter than bit.ly: http://to./
• Freeze water-logged books & papers to save them from further damage: neat trick! #library #books http://to./32we
• Lyrics Training – Improve foreign language skills by practicing song lyrics w/music subtitled music video #esl #language http://to./wjh
• More on http://to./ – It’s shorter but takes xtra steps to copy & paste URL into to./, then into tweet. Bit.ly wins for convenience IMO…
• Need to be 2 people at once? Master Multiple #firefox Profiles for More Productive Browsing – Lifehacker lifehacker.com/54… #productivity
• Pretty! How To Make Postcards From Vintage Book Covers | Apartment Therapy re-nest.com/re-ne… #art #library #recycle
• Can you draw your #powerpoint slides from memory? A good test to practice your #presentation readiness! – Lifehacker lifehacker.com/54…
• MeetWith.Me: Tell people when you’re available to meet while keeping your own details private #student #consultation app.timebridge.co…
• How YouTube’s Big Announcement Will Improve Online Learning:Littlefield distancelearn.abo… #accessibility #video #esl #elearning #lectures
• Michigan State now offers online hybrid PhD in Educational Psych & Technology w/summer classes educ.msu.edu/ceps…
• E-Learning Queen: Developing a Professional Digital Competency Portfolio: Market Yourself, Your Skills & Vision elearnqueen.blogs…
• Game-based Learning: recent readings (2) | eLearning Blog Dont Waste Your Time dontwasteyourtime…
• http://www.glogster.com/ Has anyone tried this in education? It looks like a cross between a presentation poster & a MySpace profile.
• Regressive: It’s not the laptop, but the pedagogy that’s the problem! Professors banish laptops from classrooms msnbc msnbc.msn.com/id/…
• wants to know: what’s your favorite free eLearning tool or software? #elearning #technology #freeelearning
• Packrati automatically bookmarks the URLs in your tweets to Delicious…convenient. http://packrati.us
• Preceden – make free web-based timelines, organize event planning, private or public http://www.preceden.com/
• U.S. Department of Education’s DRAFT for a National Educational Technology Plan: 80-page pdf www2.ed.gov/about… #edtech #elearning
• 10-page executive summary of the U.S. DOE’s NETP draft: www2.ed.gov/about… #edtech #elearning
• Free webinar: Tune In March 18: Spotlight on Cloud Computing Series–Clearing the Air On Cloud Computing | EDUCAUSE educause.edu/blog…
• Funny chart: 10 Levels of Intimacy in Today’s Communication – Tumblelog loichay.tumblr.co…
• Librophile – Free Audio Books & ebooks http://librophile.com/ #elearning #ebooks #library #freelearning
• Twitter Feeds for Your Office Door – let ‘em know if you’re running late. Fantastic! ProfHacker.com profhacker.com/20… #faculty #edtech
• LangLadder – browser extension for language learning http://www.langladder.com/ #language #elearning #esl #spanish
• The Investment Payoff: A 50-state Analysis of the Public and Private Benefits of Higher Education (pdf) ihep.org/assets/f…
• More Professors Could Share Lectures Online. But Should They? – Technology – The Chronicle of Higher Education chronicle.com/art…
• How to add a retweet and facebook button to your blog – Ignatia Webs ignatiawebs.blogs…
• Blueteach.com – free videoconferencing tool for teaching blueteach.com/rlg… #elearning #synchronous #freeelearning #lectures
• A fun way to recycle an outdated hardback into a journal if you can’t use the book’s contents anymore. #library #diy blog.craftzine.co…
• Lit2Go: free literary classics as audiobook MP3 files #literature #ebooks #library #freeelearning http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/
• A Case Study of Wikis’ Effects on Online Transactional Interactions: JOLT #engagement #elearning #articles jolt.merlot.org/v…
• “Online Education for Dummies” #podcast #elearning http://www.ltgreenroom.org/episodes/89

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cc-licensed photo, "archive_w_7295" via Flickr by archive_w_7295

Each month, I post a list of @wisepedagogy Twitter posts from the previous month. If you missed them the first time, you can find them here.

• DocFetcher – search within files for specific content; lightweight alternative to Google Desktop http://sourceforge.net/projects/docfetcher/files/
• Clever book storage idea if you have rafters – Apartment Therapy Los Angeles http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/look-store-your-books-in-the-rafters-039700
• Top 10 Tips and Tools for Freelancers – Freelancing – Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5460247/top-10-tips-and-tools-for-freelancers
• “You’ve Got Waves”: How to Get Google Wave Notifications – Google Wave – Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5461578/youve-got-waves-how-to-get-google-wave-notifications
• Just archived my tweets from October-January onto my blog. http://www.wisepedagogy.com/blog/ Hoping to archive earlier tweets when I’m less cross-eyed…
• Six e-Readers Compared – The Consumerist http://consumerist.com/2010/02/six-e-readers-compared.html
• After the Deadline: Spell & grammar check firefox add-on for writing text in web 2.0. How well *does* it check grammar? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/58947
• @dedforum Thanks for adding @wisepedagogy to your Top 5 List! http://distancelearning.ikernels.com/
• Delete Your Account – helps you remove yourself from social networking sites http://deleteyouraccount.com/
• ShowMeWhatsWrong – helps other people send you quick screencasts. Useful for fac/student feedback, tech support http://showmewhatswrong.com/
• If you’re still using IE 6 you need to update now, says MSN. I say if you’re still using IE you need a new browser… http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35219388/ns/technology_and_science-security/
• Fill Any PDF Form – free online tool, fill out any pdf form. Making online pdf form submission so much easier! – https://www.fillanypdf.com/
• shutup.css – custom browser style lets you avoid seeing website comments sections http://stevenf.com/pages/shutup/
• Shmoop – free Learning Guides in 7 subjects: literature, poetry, bestsellers, U.S. history, civics, biography & music http://www.shmoop.com/
• Five Best Podcast Managers – good for folks looking for an alternative to iTunes. Might have to try Juice. Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5465842/five-best-podcast-managers
• Ignatia Webs: How to incorporate subtitles in a movie you are converting for mobile devices http://ignatiawebs.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-incorporate-subtitles-in-movie.html
• Bill Gates looks to improve online education through grants – emphasis on video lectures / Academic Earth. Manitoban http://www.themanitoban.com/articles/25921
• 25 places to find instructional videos: Jane’s Learning Pick of the Day http://janeknight.typepad.com/pick/2010/02/25-places-to-find-instructional-videos.html
• Today Is National PC Cleanup Day, So Let’s Tidy Up Your System – Maintenance – Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5466871/today-is-national-pc-cleanup-day-so-lets-tidy-up-your-system
• New video on the Online Student Experience shared on the Wise Pedagogy blog: http://www.wisepedagogy.com/blog/?p=371
• Google is launching its own take on Facebook & Twitter for social networking: Google Buzz http://www.google.com/buzz
• Blog post on “The Class”: parody video of classroom technology http://www.wisepedagogy.com/blog/?p=373
• Video about Goodle Buzz. Will there be a coup on Facebook’s popularity? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi50KlsCBio&feature=player_embedded
• New CommonCraft video: Secure websites in Plain English http://www.commoncraft.com/secure-websites-video
• Turn Your Netbook into a Feature-Rich E-Book Reader – e-Books – Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5468581/turn-your-netbook-into-a-feature+rich-e+book-reader
• Treat Your Presentation like a Performance to Nail Timing and Delivery – tips from Malcolm Gladwell via Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5470563/treat-your-presentation-like-a-performance-to-nail-timing-and-delivery
• Blooms taxonomy for a digital world, including mobile learning – via Ignatia Webs http://ignatiawebs.blogspot.com/2010/02/blooms-taxonomy-for-digital-world.html
• This is either a joke or a sign of the upcoming apocalypse. Tweeting Dog Collar Posts Your Dog’s Movements to Twitter http://mashable.com/2010/02/13/tweeting-dog-collar/
• This could be useful if it works – Use Spanish To Slice Through CSR Phone Hell – The Consumerist http://consumerist.com/2010/02/use-spanish-to-slice-through-csr-phone-hell.html
• Sciencefeed — “Like FriendFeed for Science” http://www.sciencefeed.com/ #socialnetworking #science
• Convert Center – metric & non-metric measurement converter http://www.convertcenter.com/volume
• QR codes as a learning technology (decoding web content @ high speed) – Slideshare by Andy Ramsden #mobilelearning http://www.slideshare.net/andyramsden/qr-codes-as-a-learning-technology-1329351
• Which Social Network Is Right For You? – Lifehacker compares Buzz, Twitter, & Facebook http://lifehacker.com/5472223/which-social-network-is-right-for-you?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+%28Lifehacker%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
• Is it lazy or just efficient to type F10 for LOL? – Too Lazy To Type LOL? There’s A Keyboard For That – The Consumerist http://consumerist.com/2010/02/too-lazy-to-type-lol-theres-a-keyboard-for-that.html
• Igniting and Sustaining STEM Education | eSchoolNews compilation of articles on #science #k-12 #technology #math http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/12/13/igniting-and-sustaining-stem-education-2/
• The Book Depository Offers Thousands of Free E-Books and Free Worldwide Shipping – Lifehacker #ebooks http://lifehacker.com/5473123/the-book-depository-offers-free-worldwide-shipping-and-thousands-of-free-e+books?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+%28Lifehacker%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
• How to find the perfect color (for a presentation, website, etc.) helpful design tips – Before & After magazine e-list i.ms00.net/subscr…
• The Benefits of F2F Interaction in the Online Freshman Composition Course – outweigh inconveniencesSamuel B Howard JOLT jolt.merlot.org/v…
• Promoting Collaborative Social Learning Communities with Student Response Systems – #constructivism Kathleen Klein JOLT jolt.merlot.org/v…
• Tweedact – bookmarklet hides annoying tweets from your feed based on word filters. See redacted word list for examples. http://tweedact.com/
• Trying Tweedact: it doesn’t remove tweets from the feed but blacks the background so all you see is the name, time, icon & any links. Hmm…
• Basic Netiquette for Email Lists and Forums – a good list to share with students in online discussion – Lifehacker lifehacker.com/54…
• Are the Functions of Teachers in e-Learning & Face-to-Face Learning Environments Really Different? Díaz& Entonado ifets.info/journa…
• Integration & Deployment of Educational Games in eLearning Environments: Learning Object Model Meets Educational Gaming ifets.info/journa…
• Surprising: Influence of Structure and Interaction on Student Achievement &Satisfaction in Web-Based Distance Learning ifets.info/journa…
• PleaseRobMe: site shows how posting w/geolocators when you’re away from home makes it easier for people to rob you http://pleaserobme.com/
• A Checklist for Facilitating Online Courses facultyfocus.com/…
• How To Blur Faces In Videos (using free software) Tinkernut – video moves fast but crams a lot of good info into 4:10! tinkernut.com/arc…
• Learning On Demand: Online Education in the U.S., 2009 Allen & Seaman – Sloan-C’s 7th annual report on online learning sloanconsortium.o…

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cc-licensed photo, "Google G1 next to iPod Touch" via Flickr by James F Clay.

Last week I attended the Spring 2010 ELI Focus Session on Mobile Learning. Not only did the session presentations offer valuable insight into mLearning needs and pedagogy, but the session’s Twitter feed proved to be just as valuable. Participants shared their own comments and insights into the presentations play-by-play and it became a useful place to post one’s own notes. In many cases, other people’s comments were re-tweeted because they typed what I was thinking before I could finish my own tweet. I’m sharing my own Twitter posts from this session below for my notes on the session, links to external resources, and in case you want to follow any of the other participants whose insights I retweeted.

First, a few comments about the session and the subject of mobile learning in general:

1. Mobile-assisted learning is the future of technology-assisted learning. Today’s undergraduate students are sometimes called the “Net Generation” because they grew up with the internet in mainstream homes. Today’s children are growing up with mobile devices. If the advent of the internet has affected the way we teach our students now, we can similarly expect mobile technology to become a more and more pervasive element in future pedagogy. In other words, the more we see students using the technology, the more likely and necessary it will be to design course activities and communication methods that incorporate mobile devices.
2. Text will often get a faster response from students than email: One of the participants in our session room at the University of Illinois mentioned the case of a student who was sent an email notification that she had won a prize from the school. After a week she still had not returned the message. Then she was sent a text message to her phone. She texted back within seconds. She had seen the email, but for whatever reason, texting was the more convenient, easier, or available way for her to communicate back. While this example may not be indicative of the way all students communicate, in general texting is becoming the faster, reliable, and more commonplace way to reach students. As another person in our attendance group put it, “If you want to reach a teenager, send a text.”

   More universities are already using texts for emergency alerts. Some instructors are using them to send immediate announcements to students. A few schools are starting to use texts to send short teaching points about historical notes and holidays in other countries, moving past the concept of texting for necessary communication and on to texting for cultural enrichment.

3. Mobile Learning is not just about smartphones. The ELI session seemed to be predominantly focused on the use of iPhones, as some schools are giving the devices to their students so that they can all incorporate them into their learning. However, as many session participants pointed out, the broader spectrum of mobile learning includes not just iPhones/iPod Touches, but other smartphones like the Blackberry and Andriod, as well as SMS (text)-enabled cell phones and netbooks.

   The ability to access the internet is a useful tool in a mobile device, but any phone that can send a text can post or receive messages on Facebook, Twitter, or other websites that allow SMS. If the device has a camera, the student can take a photo anywhere and send it to the instructor’s email address or post it to Flickr. This opens a door to several possible mobile-assisted course activities. Students can take pictures of specific leaves on a hiking trail for a biology class or snap photos of library shelves in a library science course. Students can text their thesis statement for an essay to their instructor. If the instructor can think of a course activity that can be accomplished with texting, the students can likely pull it off. Also, as participant bking23 commented, instructors can sometimes get students to help create activities that use mobile devices, as they are already using them and know what they can do. However –

4. Sometimes less is more, if it means it gets more use by more people. Even though many students are using smartphones, iPods, and the like, many of them only know how to use a few basic functions with them. And, as many of us are working on an uneven playing field where not all students have the same device, it’s likely to be easier to get students to use a basic mobile function like texting or sending a photo than to use some of the more advanced features of a specific device.
   

Session notes from Twitter:

• Participating in the Educause focus session on mobile learning #elifocus
• New chip to make eReaders cheaper KurzweilAI.net kurzweilai.net/ne…
• The 2nd generation of mobile learning is mobile collaboration: makes sense – Judy Brown, #elifocus
• GardnerCampbell Beautiful: Ray Kurzweil says “Mobile phones are misnamed. They should be called ‘gateways to all human knowledge’.” #elifocus
• today’s kids are growing up with mobile devices the way today’s college students grew up with the internet. #elifocus
• From 7 Simple Rules for Mobile: believe what you see, not what you read #elifocus
• GardnerCampbell Brian Fling from O’Reilly: “Mobile Design and Development”–recommendation from Judy Brown. Love “don’t convert–create!” #elifocus
• gratzee “It’s about the experience – not the technology.” #elifocus
• Fantastic keynote on mobile learning by Judy Brown! #elifocus
• www.judybrown.com & www.mlearnopedia.com for mobile learning…fantastic #elifocus
• dcbphd : Mobile learning 3 Cs: Collaboration, Content, and Community. #elifocus
• GardnerCampbell Malcolm Brown: more focused and personalized learning experience can empower deeper learner engagement. (Indeed!) #elifocus
• university text messages for emergencies & student notifications are good; messages as quick cultural teaching points: sweet! #elifocus
• GardnerCampbell The Whimsy Project–you had me at “whimsy.” http://wsumobile-dev.weber.edu/WhimsyProject/Whimsy_Project/project.html?page=home #elifocus
• skrabut Whitepaper on MOCA: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/about/postcards/casestudy4_moca.pdf #elifocus
• UT Austin – MOCA = Mobile Ongoing Course Assessment system
• has university-with-iPod-Touch-purchasing-power envy. #elifocus
• bking23 Lesson – include students in conceiving mobile services – they’re more creative than we are. #elifocus
• S_dF ”THE INCORPORATION OF MOBILE LEARNING INTO MAINSTREAM EDUCATION AND TRAINING” http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/programs/resource_documents/deskeegancapetown.pdf #elifocus
• piaffeatx Idea for later: “Back Channel Improv” event – sort of the new form of Town Hall Mtg to talk about what people want to talk about. #elifocus
• skrabut Not looking to replace laptop, only new ways to connect, communicate, create #elifocus
• If we give students the tools, we can give them more responsibility & opportunity to learn through technology #elifocus
• @RichardLeslie I think the quality of mobile apps vs. web design may decide the future importance of either.
• mzedeck Shannon’s Ideas and Trends video http://www.shu.edu/shutube/video.cfm?customel_datapageid_68659=154872 #elifocus
• GardnerCampbell Seton Hall using Wave to share content creation. “Truly independent, self-directed learning environment.” #elifocus
• RichardLeslie mLearning true power – content “BY students rather than FOR students” #elifocus
• RT @EDUCAUSEreview “Your life is beta.” John Shannon #elifocus Love this quote!!
• skrabut Earp presentation: How easy-to-use portable digital camcorders bring the larger world into the classrooms #elifocus
• I’ve used a flip camera for recording video lectures and vacation moments…it’s a great gadget. #elifocus
• lauraosu facilitate micro-teaching; capture & play almost instant #elifocus
• simple tools: sometimes less is more, if it means it gets more use by more people. #elifocus
• More syllabi should be termed “beta!” RT @GardnerCampbell All of my syllabi are now labeled “beta.”E.g. gardnercampbell.w… #elifocus
• eyb Central Michigan University – rented iPod Touches to students for $35/semester through the bookstore #elifocus
• 30% of students renting ipods bought them at the end of the semester #elifocus
• tip for integrating new tech: start early; don’t assume students have expertise #elifocus
• How To Make Your Regular Mobile Phone Smarter With SMS/MMS (Part 1) makeuseof.com/tag… #elifocus
• Getting ready for today’s ELI spring focus session on #mobilelearning #elifocus
• eyb new keynote this morning – Strategic Analysis: A typical community college wondering how to take advantage of mLearning #elifocus
• For many students, having a smartphone is more important than a PC #elifocus
• gmflin mobile learning is not a binary decision – mobile or no mobile but a tool that could be integrated into learning – Gary Marrer at #elifocus
• there’s been a paradigm shift for more faculty to accept technology in the past few years, especially for grading #elifocus
• students don’t necessarily know how to use all the features of their high-end phones #elifocus
• Mobile Collaboration – redefining the classroom Kyle Dickson & William Rankin #elifocus
• @GardnerCampbell English professors rock. #elifocus Yes they do!
• gmflin ACU started mobile initiative on campus by getting faculty buyin – what did they do? fund faculty research re mobile learning #elifocus
• content delivery is not the only key to mobile learning #elifocus
• Engagement is key: location of engagement, time of engagement #elifocus
• derekbruff here’s the ACU video that was produced to generate campus (and off-campus) buy-in: http://www.acu.edu/technology/mobilelearning/video/connected.html #elifocus
• Ask students to immediately share their thesis statement via text #elifocus
• scottchilders Pushing out info is not just enough. Engagement and community are important as well. #elifocus
• mLearning pedagogy: exploration, observation, social learning, evidence-based learning, experiential learning #elifocus
• mLearning seems to be most effective when you put students to task on an assignment that requires the technology…my take, so far #elifocus
• skrabut A number of good readings regarding mobile learning at http://elifocus.ning.com/page/readings-1 #elifocus
• Interesting story on changing social rules w/phones: texting @ dinner table is OK? How culture is changing! http://nyti.ms/aqvVmm #elifocus
• Language learning needs to adapt to mobile society; the university lang lab is outdated #elifocus
• gmflin instead of banning cellphone use, find proper canals to channel use to learning, Berlin Fang #elifocus
• nice to hear someone discussing mLearning with non-smartphones #elifocus

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cc-licensed photo, "Day 30 | 01 May 2008 | Decision Time" via Flickr by Shereen M (has been away far too long. Back soon!!

Those who have participated in the WISE Introduction to Online Pedagogy On-Demand Workshop are familiar with the workshop’s discussion board  in phpBB. For those who aren’t familiar, this has been our solution to the need for an open forum independent of a course management system. The on-demand workshop has been open to anyone, free of charge, without the need to wait for a time-sensitive online course with a seat limit and wait list.

The phpBB system has provided a discussion board, but it has not been without its drawbacks. People who want to join need to wait to be approved first, to keep the board free of spammers. What’s worse, phpBB does not send notifications of new members, or notices of new messages or responses — meaning that unless people remember to actively return to the site, the participation rate drops off.

How to fix this: A poll has been created for forum users to help us choose a better, more effective venue for continuing discussion of online pedagogy. Because space for explanation on the poll page is minimal, the options are listed below.  If you would like to participate in this forum, please respond to the poll by March 5: http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2721699/

Which online service would you most likely use to participate in asynchronous discussion about online pedagogy?

• The Commenting feature within the PBworks wiki. Users will get notices when new comments are made. Comments will be visible to anyone who views the wiki. If over 100 people want to join, the ones who have already completed the workshop can opt out. A free registration would be required for the 100 users who can join the wiki at any given time.
• A Facebook Fan Page. Users can post their discussion responses in the Discussions page, and keep in touch by visiting the fan page itself. Once users comment they may receive notifications of replies to their comments, if not new discussion threads. Comments will be visible only to people who join the fan page. A free registration would be required for those who are not already on Facebook. An unlimited number of people could participate.
• A private blog. This would be separate from the public WISE Pedagogy Blog; users would need to be invited to a private space in order to view discussion prompts (as blog posts) and participate in discussion (as blog comments). Users could receive notification of new messages by signing up for RSS feeds of both the blog and blog comments in addition to joining the blog as a private reader. Private membership is limited to 100 readers at a time.
• An email list like Listserv or Google Groups. Messages will be viewable only to registered users, who will receive all new messages individually or in a digest. Discussion would take place as email messages or replies to existing discussion threads. An unlimited number of people could participate.
• I would prefer to stick with the phpBB forum.
• Other (Please specify).

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“The class is on technology, and you’re not really using any…the board doesn’t really count,” the IT assistant patiently explains to the instructor. Consequently, he gives his students course information on floppy disks, then sits in front of the class and broadcasts a live Skype video onto the classroom projection screen (so they can either look at him face-to-face or at his Skypecast face).

The video was created by students at the University of Denver as a video essay to express some of their real-life frustrations with classroom technology. While the instructor is obviously trying, the results are ineffective. What lessons can we draw from this? Here are a few that leap to mind:

If specific technology is required, get students to use it in the classroom. In this class, students supposedly have been required to bring laptops but only half of them are using them during class while the instructor lectures. Rather than just using laptops to take notes (or spending the hour on Facebook), this instructor could have them interacting in a discussion assisted with Twitter for sharing notes and ideas, or (gasp) learning how to use specific software or programs.

Beware of outdated technology. The example of the instructor who hands students floppy disks is a bit extreme, given that contemporary computers and laptops don’t even include floppy disk drives anymore. Still, the longer we get accustomed to specific technologies, the harder it is to notice when those technologies become obsolete or replaced by something more effective. Know what your students are using, and avoid using stuff they can’t.

Keep it relevant. “If you are here, why are we Skyping?” Sure, live video lectures are a great idea…for online education. If you’re already face-to-face, there is a better use for your projection screen.

Make sure you know how to use the technology you plan to use in the classroom. Save yourself the embarrassment of failing to use the projection equipment or giving the class an assignment using software you haven’t learned how to use yet yourself, and give everything a test run. This saves class time and prepares you for any issues your students will face as they learn.

Listen to your students. The students in the video give good advice to their instructor: “Let us collaborate with our classmates.” “Better blackboard use.” “Don’t just read off your PowerPoint.” “Please respond to my emails.” “I’m so bored. Just let the students play a more active role in the class.”

Read the article about this video in The Chronicle

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