Summary of Learning For EPSY 590 ML SU 11

For my summary of learning project I recorded a video discussing my learning activities within EPSY 590 ML SU11.  Thank you all for a great semester and it was great working with everyone in the course.  To those in cohort 8 within the GSE program, congratulations on finishing the program and best of luck in the future.

The audio might be a little out of synch with the video, I am not sure why.  I recorded this with QuickTime and uploaded it directly to the blog, but enjoy it nonetheless.  

Week 2 Thoughts on Mobile Learning - Twitter

I started using Twitter this week and found it to be very interesting from the perspective of how easy it is to use, but yet how difficult it is to post a thought in under 140 characters.  I used Twitter on both my laptop and mobile phone; I was traveling to White Plains, NY so I had some opportunities to use it.  I started with a nonsensical posting about being at the airport, just to give it a try.  But later in the day as I was reading through familiar technology blogs I noticed how easy it was to post an article or video to share with those following me; right now that is just 6 other people, maybe that will grow over time?  Now that I have 10 tweets under my belt, including tweets with links to pictures and videos, it is easier for me to understand why Twitter is so popular – it is truly easy to use, but the experience is pretty much the same on my laptop or my Nexus One. 

But that led to my next question, which would pertain to blogs in general: what value I am producing in my blogging and micro-blogging that will attract people to follow me?  I am not particularly witty or all that interesting.  I am sharing interesting content pertaining to mobile learning, e-learning and mobile technologies, but it is not as though I am producing any ground breaking content that I feel is worthy of placing up on Twitter.  Over the course of the semester I hope to do so, but not yet.

In relating my use of Twitter to the Christensen reading, tools like Twitter can be one of many resources for starting down the path of student centered learning.  Maybe Twitter allows teachers to distribute resources they come across to specific students or groups students based on their needs?  I understand Christensen argues for computer-based learning to facilitate student centered learning, but as these systems evolve, maybe a lower tech solutions would be a start down the path to student centered learning where the teacher has more control over the path they are guiding their students by using Twitter as a distribution mechanism?  One of the articles I read this week, which is linked below, discusses faculty having multiple Twitter identities.  Having multiple identities maybe provide teachers the ability distribute appropriate learning materials to students as students follow one of their teacher’s identities?

Over the course of this week I tweeted the following articles I thought I would share on my blog in case you did not see these on Twitter (@bradbeecher).

This video details Stanford University’s use of mobile technologies, the team at Stanford later sold their product to Blackboard and became Blackboard Mobile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRw5TPVZhuw&feature=share

I read the Chronicle of Higher Education quite frequently; this is one blog they run called Prof Hacker – Tips about Teaching, technology and productivity.  I found some interesting postings here:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/

Another article from the Chronicle, University of Western Ontario is a large publisher of case studies. Their business school will be the first major publisher to distribute cases through iTunes and the iBookstore.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/quickwire-canadian-business-school-uses-itunes-to-distribute-its-case-studies/31846?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

This is an innovative use of Twitter for teaching, the entire article is good, but the last couple of sentences are very good:

http://chronicle.com/article/Twitter-Meets-the-Breakfast/127379/

I think augmented reality is pretty interest, but it is a technology still in its infancy.  This posting is not focused on education, but it does show some of AR’s potential:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/augmented-reality-app-concept-conjures-movie-scenes-shot-in-your/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter

This is another article focused on Twitter, it discusses how professors are managing dual identities through Twitter:

http://chronicle.com/article/College-20-Academics-and/127936/

This is a bit more light-hearted, but it reminded me of Christensen’s focus on student centered learning.  If you do not have Xfinity, you can probably find this on Hulu, but once you load the link scroll ahead to 17 minutes and about 35 seconds.  This is where Lisa Simpson meets her new teacher:

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/tv/The-Simpsons/3745/1642737557/Lisa-Simpson%2C-This-Isn-t-Your-Life/videos?skipTo=0?skipTo=0

I am adding this last link to my blog posting after I wrote the initial post.  I found this site last summer while taking EPSY 415, it is an update to Bloom's taxonomy -> Bloom's Digital Taxonomy.  I found this very interesting to review last year and I come back to this site from time to time:
http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom's+Digital+Taxonomy

Mobile Photos and Videos for Learning

There are many aspects to this topic that could be addressed for learning purposes.  I am going to focus on just a couple of perspectives. 

I was recently with my two-year old nephew and since I do not have children nor am I around children much, it was interesting to see him use my sister’s mobile phone for learning.  Part of his use of the phone was for entertain purposes (at least that is how he perceived its use), but my sister would sit with him and they would watch YouTube videos.  The videos provided a level of learning for him: they taught him how to pronounce certain words and learn new ones.  As I was thinking about the use of video in this context for my nephew, the hardware was small (a smartphone) so he could hold it in his hands, the videos were brief – only a couple of minutes long and they kept his attention, and he learned new words.  I would imagine for most parents this is not an enlightening scenario, but it was fascinating to watch.

In another context for learning with mobile photos and videos falls into a research category for undergraduates, graduates and adult learners.  The power of mobile technology to capture field research, record it and transmit it back to experts for further analysis can:

·      Allow a larger group of researchers to provide their input into the significance of the data collected in the field.

·      The guidance provided to field researchers based on their photos and videos could save time, costs and add further value for researchers to refine the data they collect while they are still in the field.

·      Capturing field research with photos and video will provide a historical record of the data and allow for comparisons over time.

 Another interesting opportunity for learning with the video camera on a mobile device is utilizing augmented reality applications.  Augmented reality places a virtual overlay of data as you point the camera of your mobile device at certain objects; augmented reality applications also utilize GPS technologies and mobile data.  The learning opportunity with augmented reality is that learners could point their mobile devices at a historical object and the overlay would provide you with more information about the object; click a link and it could take you to a web page with additional information.  Take for example the historical city of Edinburgh, Scotland – augmented reality applications have been developed so that visitors can learn more about the city by pointing their mobile phone cameras at historical sites, then information about the sites appear on the phone’s screen. 

From a less academic perspective, mobile videos could provide the workforce in the field with just-in-time learning opportunities with How-To videos.  These videos could help individuals understand how to complete a task, be it something rather simple where a refresher is needed or a complex task where reviewing the steps involved will ensure successful completion. 

My last example for using mobile video and photos is what I would classify as amateur journalists, who want to share and document a story or historical event.  I think a great example of this type of journalism has been seen in the Middle East over the past few months.  While there is a desire for democracy in autocratic States, the autocrats control the media and how information is disseminated.  Mobile phones provide citizens with away to document what is happening in the streets and share their stories with the world.