Handheld Instructional Technology

Mobile & PDA Technologies and their uses in education

Mobile and PDA technologies and their future use in education "In recent years there has been a phenomenal growth in the number and technical sophistication of what can loosely be termed 'mobile devices' such as PDAs, mobile phones and media players. Increasingly these devices are also internet-enabled. This JISC report reviews the current state of the art, explores the potential uses within education and discusses some of the trends in technological development such as wireless networking, device convergence and 'always-on' connectivity."

Mobile Learning

Link: Mobile Learning.

This website is designed to provide a portal to the latest information on mobile learning and pervasive computing for trainers and educators at all levels from elementary education through higher education.

What is mobile learning?

The field of learning through technology is a vast one with subtle distinctions among its various branches. Distance learning incorporates all forms of instruction in which instructor and student are physically removed from one another by time or space from traditional correspondence courses to web-based instruction. Electronic or e-learning incorporates all forms of online instruction using personal computers.

palmOne - Support - Outlook Conduits for palmOne Update v1.02

Link: palmOne - Support - Outlook Conduits for palmOne Update v1.02.

< Home  < Support  < Support Downloads Outlook Conduits for palmOne Update v1.02

Posted November 22, 2004

This update fixes the following issues:

    * Resolves an issue that may cause Contacts to not sync during a HotSync operation
    * Fixes an issue with Calendar appointments displaying 1 hour later than expected when using Time Zones

System Requirements

    * Tungsten T3, E, T5; Zire 31, 72; Treo 650
    * PC Computer running Windows 98/NT 4.0/2000/Me/XP and Microsoft Outlook� 98/2000/XP/2003

Important: This update will only install on systems with the palmOne Outlook Conduits previously installed. If you sync only with Palm Desktop, or use a different product to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook, this update will not work.

W3C "Mobile Web Initiative" Workshop: Position Papers

Link: W3C "Mobile Web Initiative" Workshop: Position Papers.

W3C "Mobile Web Initiative" Workshop: Position papers

W3C highlights Mobile Web Initiative at workshop - Computerworld

Link: W3C highlights Mobile Web Initiative at workshop - Computerworld.
  The World Wide Web Consortium is considering a new effort called the W3C Mobile Web Initiative that will seek to make Web access from mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs as simple, easy and convenient as desktop Web access.

 

The W3C made the announcement at a two-day Mobile Web Initiative workshop that began Thursday in Barcelona, Spain. It was organized to help efforts to improve Web-surfing capabilities of handheld devices.

 

Participants are highlighting the challenges in accessing the Web over handheld devices and discussing possible solutions, the group said.

 

More than 40 position papers were submitted to the W3C for presentation at the workshop from companies like Vodafone Group PLC, Nokia Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

 

Ideas include developing best practices, providing support infrastructures for mobile developers, organizing training programs for Web content providers and creating validation and conformance testing services for Web access from mobile devices, the W3C said.

 

The workshop is part of the W3C's ongoing work to refine the mobile Web experience. In January, it recommended a new standard, called "Composite Capability/Preference Profiles (CC/PP): Structures and Vocabularies 1.0," as a means for enabling handheld devices to communicate with Web servers and exchange content delivery information.

 

Tim Berners-Lee founded the W3C in October 1994 as a group to sponsor work to develop common Web protocols. The group, which collaborates closely with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is hosted by the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, by European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics in France and by the Keio Research Institute at Keio University in Japan.

 

All of the position papers submitted to W3C can be accessed online.        

D'Arcy Norman @ The Learning Commons � Blog Archive � Stephen Downes’ EduPodcast Aggregator

Something definitely worth tracking...

Link: D'Arcy Norman @ The Learning Commons � Blog Archive � Stephen Downes’ EduPodcast Aggregator.

Stephen Downes has been running his Edu_RSS educational blog aggregation service for a while now. I’ve used Edu_RSS to build conference blogging aggregators (for Merlot 2003, and NMC 2004). He has now put together a page that spits out all posts related to podcasting. Since he’s semi-selected the feeds to be somewhat educational in nature, this becomes a feed about podcasts in education. Very cool.

World’s smallest wireless desktop? - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Only if you have 4 hands, but....
Link: World’s smallest wireless desktop? - Engadget - www.engadget.com.

World’s smallest wireless desktop?

Posted Nov 11, 2004, 6:51 AM ET by Dan Wu
Related entries: Desktops

JK Bluetooth Desktop

JK added a Bluetooth card to his tiny Sony Vaio U-70 Tablet PC (which is coming to America), allowing him to create the world’s smallest desktop computer, and it’s all wireless to boot, with a Bluetooth Stowaway keyboard, a Bluetake BT500 mouse, and Internet access via his Motorola V710 cellphone. The whole setup weighs a staggering 1.2 pounds, and he reports no Bluetooth speed or interference issues at all while using the keyboard, mouse, and cellphone all at once, which is just the way it should be.

Beyond Networking: Mobile Computing on Campus: Campus Technology

Link: Beyond Networking: Mobile Computing on Campus: Campus Technology.

We have a professor by the name of David Yaron, who teaches a modern chemistry class. For those of us who have taken chemistry, we know that some learn and understand it pretty easily, and others, like myself, just don’t get it as easily. Sometimes concepts need to be presented in a multitude of ways in order to gain an insight. Prior to using handhelds, Yaron used to pass out numbered index cards, and periodically take a poll during lectures as to the level of understanding of the material just presented. If he saw a vast majority of “1s” held up, he knew that the class got it. But, there would still be some concern about the reliability of the poll—who wants to be the one holding up a “4”? Now, using handhelds, the poll can be answered somewhat anonymously, and tabulated as well.

Ferl - Introduction to Mobile Learning (M Learning)

Link: Ferl - Introduction to Mobile Learning (M Learning).

The term mobile learning (m-learning) refers to the use of mobile and handheld IT devices, such as PDAs, mobile phones, laptops and tablet PCs, in teaching and learning.

As computers and the internet become essential educational tools, the technologies become more portable, affordable, effective and easy to use. This provides many opportunities for widening participation in and access to ILT, and in particular the internet. Mobile devices such as phones and PDAs are much more reasonably priced than desktops, and therefore represent a less expensive method of accessing the internet (though the cost of connection can be higher), and the introduction of tablet PCs now allow mobile internet access with equal, if not more, functionality than desktops.

This article will describe the technology available today, compare the devices currently on offer, list the benefits that the technology could bring to education, explain the accessibility issues, list some ongoing projects, and provide links for further information.

Mobile E-learning, Policy development and ICT Teacher Training in Cambodia: UNESCO-CI

Link: Mobile E-learning, Policy development and ICT Teacher Training in Cambodia: UNESCO-CI.

Mobile E-learning, Policy development and ICT Teacher Training in Cambodia 21-06-2004 (UNESCO Bangkok)

The development of a educational reform model through the use of ICTs is the main objective of the project “Establishing the Effective Use of ICTs in Education for All in Cambodia” that combines development of policy, formal education, non-formal education, teacher training, and curriculum. As part of UNESCO's Japanese funded ICT in Education Programme in Asia it draws from other region-wide projects.

With high incidence of poverty, illiteracy and out-of school youth in Cambodia, this project has the central aim of reducing poverty, bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion through the use of ICTs in education.

Under the project recently an e-bus has brought e-learning to over 1,600 people; over 250 teacher trainers have received 96 hours of ICT training; and an ICT policy working group, comprising directors of various ministry education departments has been formed.