Needing a New Phone

My wonderful teammates and I are currently crafting a mediated presentation on mobile learning and, as part of my research, I started to look at the various models of mobile phones on the market.

Now, I'm not a complete phone neophyte. In fact, I've had a mobile phone since I was 19 years old. (Remember the ol' bag phones? 30 minutes a month? Magnet antenna on the topic of the car? Anyone?) However, as I started looking at the various models and functions, it became why mobile learning professionals are predicting that phones are becoming one of the top mobile learning tools.

The iPhone, with its multimedia capabilities, is the perfect example of this. You can make calls simply by touching screen, download, store and play music, check email, access maps, surf the web, text, etc. And, following in the steps of it's iPod cousin, it also lets you synch information with your PC or Mac. With today's emphasis on "just in time" learning, the iPhone and the inevitable copy cats that are sure to follow, are revolutionining mobile learning.

As one who has both an interest in instructional design and eLearning, I find these new gadgets both fascinating and frightening. Fascinating because of the opporutnities they represent. Frightening in that I'm going to have to researching in warp speed to keep up with it all.

I guess my next step is to go get a new phone. One that does more than simply make calls, send and accept text messages and take the occasional photos. The options may be overwhelming, but just think how much fun it will be to play with.

Are You Ready for Mobile Learning?

As people become more comfortable with mobile technology, they should inherently become more comfortable with mobile learning, right? That’s not necessarily the case. As the EDUCAUSE article “Are You Ready for Mobile Learning” points out, “Frequent use of mobile devices does not mean that students or instructors are ready for mobile learning and teaching.”

Instead, we, as eLearning professionals, need to take a quick step back and consider the desired learning outcomes and our audience. Consider the following questions:

Who are our learners?
What are their needs?
How familiar are they with mobile technologies—very familiar or just somewhat?
What do want them to learn, demonstrate, etc?
How will they demonstrate both retention and transfer?

In the past, we’ve talked about the dazzling effect of Web 2.0 tools. I think that effect also carries over to mLearning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated by the topic, but am on a quest to learn how to do it right.

If you have a moment, please read “Are You Ready for Mobile Learning” and tell me what you think.

What Makes a Good Blog?

Another week has almost passed by and I just realized that I hadn't posted to this blog yet . . .

As I was thinking about what the topic of my post should be, I ran across this article, 10 Steps to Better Blogs, in this month's issue of University Business.

Karine Jolie, the prolific blogger behind collegewebeditor.com and a regular UB contributor, provides the following pointers:

1. GET STRATEGIC WITH TOPIC, AUDIENCE, AND GOALS.

2. GET TACTICAL WITH TONE, FREQUENCY, AND LENGTH.

3. SELECT YOUR BLOGGING PLATFORM WISELY.

4. HELP READERS FIND POSTS EASILY.

5. HELP YOUR READERS ENGAGE WITH YOUR CONTENT.

6. HELP YOUR READERS COME BACK OFTEN.

7. START CONVERSATIONS, NOT MONOLOGUES.

8. PROMOTION? THINK OUTSIDE THE BLOG!

9. CHECK THE BLOG'S VITALS OFTEN.

10. KEEP (IT) UP!

Wanna know the details behind each of these pointers? (You know you do!) You'll just have to read the article 10 Steps to Better Blogs yourself.

Handbook of e-Learning Strategy

One thing I really like about the eLearning community is its willingness to share resources and I'd like to contribute to that exchange of ideas. Today, I stumbled across a useful publication developed by the The e-Learning Guild. Titled The e-Learning Guild's Handbook of e-Learning Strategy, this e-book contains a collection of articles, tools and approaches for incorporating eLearning into a variety of enviroments and situations. While I'm still wading through it, it has been thought provoking and I wanted to share it with my classmates and peers.

Disclaimer: This book was sponsored by Adobe Systems--think Connect & Captivate--so it's not impartial. However, there's still good information to be had here.

Types of Learning Outcomes

I’ve been conducting research on cognitivism and connectivism for my other online course and ran across an article by Stephen Bostic from Keele University that discussed the various types of learning outcomes. While I’ve understood the guiding influence of learning outcomes for quite a while now, I had never thought of categorizing them by how learning could be demonstrated.

Entitled Instructional Design - Robert Gagné, The Conditions of Learning, this article draws heavily on the work of Gagné and further breaks the types of learning outcomes down by desired skills:

“intellectual skills - concepts
are demonstrated by labeling or classifying things,

intellectual skills - rules are applied and principles are demonstrated,

intellectual skills - problem solving
allows generating solutions or procedures,

cognitive strategies
are used for learning,

verbal information
is stated,

motor skills
enable physical performance,

attitudes
are demonstrated by preferring options.”

While I can’t speak for my fellow students, I found this approach to be both enlightening and absurdly practical. It’s certainly something I’ll keep in mind as I begin to think through future assignments and projects.

Slackers R' Us

I admit it -- I'm a posting slacker! However, I promise to post something substantial during the next two days. Thanks for your patience!

Web 2.0 -- Keeping Your Options Open

Fair Warning: This may seem like a strange posting to follow my "Lose the Tools . . ." posting (or more accurately, my online rant). However, I'd like to focus briefly on ways to stay current on technologies that have potential for use in eLearning.

In a previous course, we discussed the merits and possible disadvantages of Web 2.0 tools. While we had a number of debates on the best use of blogs, wikis, del.icio.us tags and other Web 2.0 options, my classmates and I came to the consensus that we need to stay up-to-date with emerging ideas. After all, one or more of these ideas / tools might resonate with a specific set of learners and help us, as instructional designers, support the corresponding learning outcomes.

Yet, as anyone who spends anytime on the web can tell you, things change very quickly. It's hard to stay current and, often, to even know where to begin. While the Go2Web20 directory is not geared towards elearning, it can provide you with a solid place to start your Web 2.0 research.

Just don't become dazzled by your options. Always remember your learners' needs, habits, preferences, technical capabilities . . . and the list goes on . . .