Mobile Learning On The Interwebs

Note that this week will be the last post for the Mobile Learning on the Interwebs feature.

Beginning with the ASCD SmartBrief.

District opts for iPads over updating PCs
In Pittsburgh, educators say a move about one year ago to invest in iPads, rather than update old desktop computers, has paid off. Students are using the iPads and are enjoying learning, say teachers who use the devices in classroom lessons, to administer tests online and as rewards for students. About two dozen schools in the district now have iPads, and officials also expect to make all schools wireless by the end of the summer. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (4/8)

Also the SmartBrief for EdTech.

Principal: Every school will soon have a mobile application
Stenette Byrd, principal of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, Va., predicts that every school will have its own mobile application in the next few years. Byrd’s school launched its own app, using SchoolInfoApp, at the start of the 2012-13 school year. The application saved the school $2,000 in printing costs by offering its student handbook digitally, and the program also helps the school raise money through in-app sponsors, Byrd reports. EdTech magazine (4/2013)

Schools in Tenn. district selected to begin one-to-one technology programs
The Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tenn.) (free registration) (4/5)

Mobile computer lab brings technology to students
CNN (4/5)

How to launch successful one-to-one technology programs
To successfully launch one-to-one technology programs, Monica Burns, an educator and blogger, suggests several practices she uses in her own classroom where students use iPads. In this blog post, she suggests teachers have a system in place to organize and manage the devices, set clear expectations, and start small — perhaps by having some tech-savvy students try out an application before introducing it to the rest of the class. She also recommends beginning by introducing technology to a typical classroom activity, such as taking notes, rather than trying to launch new activities. Edutopia.org/Monica Burns’ blog (4/10)

Tablet computers are taking off in Minneapolis-area classrooms
One-to-one technology is taking hold in classrooms in the Minneapolis area, so much so that Jeff Noyes, a teacher on special assignment for technology integration at Minnetonka High School in Minnesota, said he expects school computer labs will be dismantled within the next few years in favor of handheld devices, such as tablet computers. The school is one of many in the region using iPads and other tablets as teaching tools — a trend that educators say has helped to enhance teaching and learning while cutting costs. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (4/9)

N.H. middle-school students develop health-safety app
As part of one New Hampshire school’s efforts to boost student interest in science, technology, engineering and math, students were encouraged to compete in a national-level mobile-application contest. A group of eighth-graders met the call by designing an app that can be programmed to alert consumers to the presence of allergens simply by scanning the bar code on the product. The team is one of 10 winners of the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog (4/9)

Back to the regular Google News alert for mobile learning.

Rural students get a first-hand experience of different occupations
The Star Online
The impressive Pintar Mobile Learning Unit (PMLU) bus rumbles from one school to another to allow students to try their hand at what it is like to be a chef, doctor, pilot, photographer or athlete. The 40-seater school bus has been converted to fit …
See all stories on this topic »

Senior Bowl to hold Family Fun Day in Fairhope on Saturday
The Huntsville Times – al.com
The Mobile Learning Adventure helps children 5 and younger explore their career dreams and highlights the importance of early education. With two touch-screen kiosks, the exhibit has activities for the youngsters and their parents, including “When I …
See all stories on this topic »

Tech-savvy students demand more mobile tools
Stuff.co.nz
“Students are increasingly demanding mobile learning,” she said. “They are very comfortable using smartphones and tablets and find the flexibility and ability to share resources and collaborate on projects really engaging. “There is a clear …
See all stories on this topic »

Next, the Google blog alert for mobile learning.

Limelight on Mobile Learning | Harvard International Review
By lli
Mobile apps and tablets have assumed a prominent position in the landscape of technology use in education and training, as anticipated by the EDUCAUSE 2012 Horizon Report. With mobile phone subscriptions totaling around six billion, …
Harvard International Review

Finally, the Google Web alert for mobile learning.

12 Excellent New Web Tools for Teachers – Educational Technology …
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning · Home · Site Map · All Resources · Posters · iPad Resources · Teacher Guides · YouTube 4 Teachers · Teacher …
www.educatorstechnology.com/…/12-excellent-new-web-tools…

Mobile Learning – using iPads and Co. in education – MEDEAnet
32 participants to Austrian MEDEAnet Workshop on ‘Mobile Learning – using iPads and Co. in education’ in March. Submitted Thursday, 4 April, 2013 – 12:13 …
www.medeanet.eu/…/32-participants-austrian-medeanet-works…

Mobile Learning – Here & Now | mLearning PoV Paper | Whitepaper
This FREE Mobile Learning Quick Start Guide is meant for training companies unsure about when to use, how to design & implement Mobile Learning in a …
info.upsidelearning.com/whitepaper-mobile-learning-here-and…

Mobile Learning Solutions with Storyline – E-Learning Heroes
One recurrent question here on the forums has to do with how to approach mobile learning design. I think that one type of navigation that can work really well on …
community.articulate.com/forums/t/28530.aspx

Mobile Learning
Explore, play and be inspired by permanent exhibits, which include more than 60 animals native to Ohio. Located in Dayton.
www.boonshoftmuseum.org/programs…/-/mobile-learning

Free Webinar: The Hottest Trends in Mobile Learning
How are mobile and wireless technologies going to impact learning and performance? In this free webinar, The Hottest Trends in Mobile Learning, mLearning …
elearningindustry.com/free-webinar-the-hottest-trends-in-mobi…

Announcing #23mobilethings: Global Mobile Learning 2.0 « Tame …
The Horizon Report, from EDUCAUSE and the New Media Consortium, has ranked mobile …
tametheweb.com/…/announcing-23mobilethings-global-mobil…

Mobile Learning – SumTotal Systems
Enterprise & Extended Enterprise; Mobile Learning (on- and off-line); Regulatory Compliance; Social Collaboration; Content Management; Content Versioning …
www.geolearning.com/enterprise/

ADL Mobile Learning Team Seeking Responses to MoTIF Survey …
ADL’s Mobile Learning Team seeks your input on this short survey to help design learning solutions for the next generation. Survey closes April 26, 2013.
floatlearning.com/…/adl-mobile-learning-team-seeking-respon…

BioBlitz – Mobile Learning
BioBlitz is an annual gathering of students, teachers and scientists to take inventory of a unique …
news.verizonwireless.com/…/bioblitz-connects-student-scientist…

Leading a Multiple Project Mobile Learning Initiative: The Approach …
In 2011, the task force submitted a proposal titled “Mobile-Learning for Boise State: A Proposal to Catalyze Transformation in Teaching and Learning.
www.educause.edu/…/leading-multiple-project-mobile-learnin…

ADL Mobile Learning Newsletter #143 – 8 April 2013
The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative has …
research.adlnet.gov/newsletter/mobile/04082013.htm

Five Questions with Tannis Morgan: Mobile Learning » BCcampus
The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) has been focusing its attention on several innovative mobile learning initiatives, successfully creating one app …
www.bccampus.ca/five-questions-with-tannis-morgan-mobile-…

Eighth Blogiversary – Wow I Missed It!

So this year I was so busy with other aspect of life that I left this pass.  In fact, it was a full month ago or on 12 March 2013 that this blog celebrated its eighth anniversary. It has been interesting to reflect upon the development of my blogging in this space over the past eight years.

I began using Blogger and generally posting two or three entries a month. Each entry was substantive in nature, but due to the infrequency of the postings the readership was quite small and the interaction I had with my readers was even smaller. This went on for about two or three years like this, before I simply starting to post more and more items that came across my electronic desk. During this transition – which also involved a move to the current WordPress platform – I noticed that the more I posted the more my readership increased. This was a trend that continued until this past year.

I’m not sure why the readership of this blog has decreased – down a third to a half most months, sometimes even more – this past year. I suspect the fact that I have begun to express my opinions about what is driving or the motivation of much of the activity we see in K-12 online learning more frequently. Granted, my opinions are based on the evidence that is available – and as one of the more active researchers I like to think that they are informed opinions. I was also informed last month that WordPress has begun to add a video advertizement to the bottom of each of my blog entries – something I had no idea was happening and am looking to have removed in the near future.

Either way, I continue to maintain this space as a one stop shop for all things K-12 distance education – with a focus on K-12 online and blended learning. As the summer approaches – and hopefully I end up with a bit more time on my hands, although I suspect that may be a pipe dream – I may get into the habit of posting more substantive missives on a more frequent basis. Until then, I leave you with some previous blogiversary entries, which were much more reflective in nature than this late musing:

• Five Years Of Virtual School Meanderings
• Sixth Blogiversary Or Blogging As A Form Of Knowledge Dissemination
• Seventh Blogiversary OR Taking Stock

IT6230 – Student Anxiety

As I mentioned a few weeks ago in IT6230 – Internet In The Classroom, I will be using this blog as a way to provide discussion prompts for students in my IT6230 course (Internet in the Classroom).

Visit the “Student Anxiety” module created by Amina Charania, a graduate student at Iowa State University.

After you have viewed the multimedia presentation, respond to the following…

What changed Susan’s excitement into anxiety about her new online course? As an online teacher or course designer what steps would you have taken to prevent Susan’s anxiety about the course? As a school-based teacher at Susan’s school, what steps would you have taken to ease Susan’s anxiety about the course?

Your own response to this prompt should be posted by the end of the day on Friday, 12 April You should comment on THREE other students’ blogs by the end of the day on Monday, 15 April.

If you are not a student in my IT6230 course but would like to participate in this discussion, please leave a comment below. In case you are wondering, the readings for this week are:

Barbour, M. K. (2010). Researching K-12 online learning: What do we know and what should we examine? Distance Learning, 7(2), 7-12.

Barbour, M. K., Siko, J. (2012). Virtual schooling through the eyes of an at-risk student: A case study. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 15(1). Retrieved from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2012/Barbour_Siko.pdf

Allied Online High School Blog

From Saturday’s inbox…

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Allied National High School + University of California = Success!

Posted: 05 Apr 2013 10:39 AM PDT
We are pleased to announce that Allied National High School now has official approval as a school with the University of California. We will start submitting our courses over the next month so that they appear on our listing on the UC Doorways website of approved ‘a-g courses.’ We plan to complete the course submission process by September.

This is good news for California students, as well as out-of-state students that plan to attend a UC school after graduation. Additionally, we invite California school counselors to consider our program as an option for those students trying to meet the a-g requirements. We have summer school and year-round accelerated grading options that can help students complete our courses quickly and efficiently.

Any questions about our online high school program, summer school courses, or anything else, please give us a call at (800) 968-4034.

Mobile Learning On The Interwebs

Beginning with the ASCD SmartBrief.

Conn. school district finds hits, misses with mobile devices
Southington Public Schools in Connecticut has found mixed results from a bring-your-own-device pilot project, Karen Veilleux, district technology director, said in a recent board of education meeting. Student participation varied by grade, as did conclusions as to whether the program was successful — ranging from some schools reporting increased engagement to other schools struggling to access the Internet because of aging infrastructure. The Herald (New Britain, Conn.) (3/27)

Baltimore school seeks to bridge technology gap with iPads
A survey of students at City Springs Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore found that about 44% of seventh- and eighth-grade students have access at home to the Internet and computers. The school launched a pilot program this school year in which students in kindergarten, as well as seventh- and eighth-grade, were given iPads. So far, students say the devices have made classes more interesting and helped them learn. WMAR-TV (Baltimore) (4/1)

Also the SmartBrief for EdTech.

Australian students test the iPad’s educational value
Three kindergarten classrooms in Queensland, Australia, are participating in a yearlong study to determine whether the iPad can improve achievement in literacy and math, as well as whether the devices help develop students’ creativity. “There have been past studies examining young children’s use of iPads and smart phone technology but this is the first to link the use with literacy and numeracy through creative applications,” said Sandra Gattenhof, associate professor at Queensland University of Technology School of Media, Entertainment, and Creative Arts. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (4/2)

Back to the regular Google News alert for mobile learning.

Impact of mobile learning on student performance at UAEU
AME Info (press release)
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) initiated its first step towards Mobile Learning back in April 2012, with the introduction of iPad initiative across all three Federal higher education institutions. UAEU continues to innovate in digital learning …
See all stories on this topic »

Mobile Masters
T+D
To encourage knowledge retention and behavior change in a saleforce, Working Simply converted its trademark productivity program into a custom mobile learning app. Management consultancy Working Simply designed its cornerstone productivity and …
See all stories on this topic »

Researchers bring mobile learning to students around the globe
The Stanford Daily
In an effort to encourage collaboration and independent inquiry among students, a Graduate School of Education (GSE) program founded in 2005 has leveraged mobile devices to offer an interactive learning experience to 23,000 students in 25 countries.
See all stories on this topic »

Google Partner DudaMobile Supports 3.5M Global Customer Base
Techie Insider
DudaMobile has announced they will be supporting their 3.5M global customer base with free mobile learning content from the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies via MassiveU, an integrated mobile learning solution for educators, learners, …
See all stories on this topic »

Mobile Learning « Penn-Finn Learnings 2013
Posts about Mobile Learning written by Kavan Yee.
pennfinn13.wordpress.com/category/mobile-learning/

Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (#IDML13) – Free …
This Micro-MOOC, Instructional Design for Mobile Learning, introduces participants to instructional design principles for teaching with mobile technology. Mobile …
facultyecommons.org/instructional-design-for-mobile-learning…

Next, no items from the Google Blog alert for mobile learning.  So finally, the Google Web alert for mobile learning.

Intel Education Mobile Learning
Understand the potential of mobile learning and know the research on making learning more personal through mobile learning.
www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/…/mobile-learning.html

UNESCO Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning « Educational …
UNESCO Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning. UNESCO. UNESCO believes that mobile technologies can expand and enrich educational opportunities for …
https://edutechdebate.org/…/unesco-policy-guidelines-for-mob…

The New Design of Education ~ Educational Technology and Mobile …
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning … Our students are digital natives who have …
www.educatorstechnology.com/…/the-new-design-of-educatio…

Awesome Graphic on 21st Century Pedagogy ~ Educational …
While I was revisiting the topic of the 21st century pedagogy which I have covered in several posts here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, I come …
www.educatorstechnology.com/…/awesome-graphic-on-21st-c…

NYU-SCPS Launches Free Mobile Learning Apps for Lead …
NYU-SCPS has announced that it will offer a global audience the opportunity to enroll in a FREE Mobile App version of one of its courses – “Mobile Marketing for …
www.scps.nyu.edu/about/…/news/…/nyu_scps_launches_fr.ht…

UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2013 spans the globe …
iHomeEducator, Inc. was one of more than 300 attending the UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2013 symposium and 500 registered for the webinars organized …
www.examiner.com/…/unesco-mobile-learning-week-2013-sp…

Digital Differentiation Tools for Teachers ~ Educational Technology …
I am the founder and author ofEducational Technology and Mobile Learning. I am currently living in Halifax, Canada where I teach with Halifax Regional School …
www.educatorstechnology.com/…/digital-differentiation-tools-…

Mobile Learning – YouTube
Mobile Learning. AlcatelLucentCorp·387 … Watch Later Alcatel Lucent Motive: Fixed Mobile …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPPOMS2X0M0

Corporate Mobile Learning – 5 Things to Know – Trainingstation
Enter Now and discover 5 Important Things You Should Know About Corporate Mobile Learning To Ensure Your Employees Get The Most effective Learning …
trainingstation.walkme.com/corporate-mobile-learning-5-thing…

Technological Integration of Mobile Learning in Distance Education …
The first relates to using mobile learning to integrate learning into the life of the learner; and the second relates to using mobile learning to enable learners to …
www.personal.psu.edu/…/technological-integration-of-mobile-…