Teaching and Learning with Mobile Technologies
Presented by Gary Marrer (GCC)
In the Fall of 2008, I was on sabbatical investigating the feasibility and uses of mobile technology in teaching and learning. During my sabbatical, I was able to create, investigate and utilize various mobile technologies. From that research, I have identified several mobile technologies which can be utilized today. See Sabbatical Portal at: http://sites.google.com/site/mobiledotsite/ Blog at: http://mobiledot.blogspot.com/ and NING at: http://mobiledot.ning.com and http://mobiledot.net
Marrer uses mobile technology to:
- Content delivery (syllabus, class schedule)
- student retention (Flash cards)
- active learning (video/camera/audio capture, role play, non-verbal communication-group assignment)
- General marketing
But some constraints:
- Cost of technology to student/institution (smartphones are expensive, some cell phone plans don’t have unlimited text-messages, etc)
- it’s portability (display size, memory, processing)
- still experimental
- Cell phone business models regarding applications
Most teachers want mobile devices to be turned off… Marrer wants to take advantage of this technology because students are much better at multi-tasking. They like short, asynchronous bites of information. Gary is trying to take this into consideration while still meeting the objectives of the classroom.
ACTIVE LEARNING:
- Capturing information with a mobile device – be it audio, text, video to be more involved with the real world. He hopes that these types of assignments will help students be more interactive as well as build a repository of information for the students.
STUDENT RETENTIONS SCENARIOS:
- Uses Twitter (SMS) for assignments, tests, final grades
- These are ways to keep students in check and connect with class/instructor
He notes that this is all experimental – it gets students engage with the technology and of course, he uses these technologies as a teaching point because he teaches a business management/tech courses.
There are other sites that link to mobile technologies – like Textmarks, Polleverywhere, Facebook, Twitter, MLEX (mobile learning experiment).
A take-home message: Take advantage of the computers in their [students] hand. And keep the focus on the teaching and learning – not necessarily the technology.
Mission Possible #10: Utterli
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create live podcasts via Utterli from your phone. Utterli is a website for mobile multimedia discussion. You can take pictures, create audio-based (podcasts) and video-enhanced content directly from the web (or via your phone – which is the best part), then comment and share this content with others.
The popularity of mobile devices (cell phones, iPhones, Blackberry, etc.) allow people to capture and catalog information and distribute content to audiences in real-time. Imagine your student attending an off-campus guest lecture for extra credit. Instead of having him write a reflection paper and/or get a signature from the speaker (for confirmation), why not have the student do a quick audio recap of the session or interview the presenter using his cell phone directly after the presentation? And then, share his media with the other students via the web, a (class or student) blog, Facebook or Twitter! Most students are equipped with cell phones and are generally very mobile-device savvy… So why not take advantage of their strengths and create assignments that require them to collect and create content via their favorite tech-toy: cell phones.
How To:
Before the Conference
1. From the web, go to http://utterli.com
2. Create a free account.
3. Go to PROFILE tab, Click on “Account Settings”, then Click on “Mobile” tab to sync your cell phone number your Utterli account
4. Once everything is authenticated, record your first voice utterli. (It will require you to call 1-650-644-1331 and simply follow the prompts). Say “Hi, this is (insert name) and I’m recording my fist utterli podcast from my phone!”
5. Go back to your Utterli account on the web and label your utterli. Be sure to tag it with “Maricopa Tech” so when others search Utterli for Maricopa Tech podcasts, they will find what you’ve saved for everyone!
Additional steps:
6. Click on the GROUPS tab and click “Find Groups”
7. Search for the word “MaricopaTech”
8. Join the Group “MaricopaTech”
9. Go back to your Home page, click on “sent utters” (where you can see your latest Utterli posts).
10. Click on the podcast you’ve just created and send it to group – select MaricopaTech group (This way, all of the groups posts can be included in one location).
Below are instructions on how to create utterli groups for your classes so your students can create podcasts and send them to the ‘class’ group on Utterli.
At the Conference
1. Meet with new colleagues and faculty from the sessions and discussions.
2. Ask them about their thoughts on a session or the conference.
3. Ask them if they wouldn’t mind sharing their thoughts via podcast
4. Take your phone out, call Utterli, use phone as a microphone and begin the interview.
5. Go back to the web later and label and tag your utter and, of course, send it to MaricopaTech group.
That is your mission. This message will not self destruct, instead it will linger forever as a ghost on the web.
Mission Possible #2: Twitter
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to “Use Twitter to micro-blog the conference as the events unfold.”
Before you shiver at the thought of using another trendy web tool, watch this video first. (We believe it explains Twitter in a way that will make you go “Ah, so that’s why Twitter is so cool!”)
Although the video suggests Twitter as a tool for broadcasting random daily moments (”stuck at the airport”, “running late to my meeting”, etc.), Twitter users have expanded its application to go beyond life-streaming. Teachers use Twitter to connect with their students between class periods. Faculty/staff use Twitter to quickly connect with their colleagues. Organizations use Twitter to get bits of information out to their followers. In fact, MaricopaTech also has a Twitter feed at http://Twitter.com/MaricopaTech where we post mini-updates about the upcoming event, links to our latest blog entries, and fun reminders to partake in these tech-missions.
While Twitter may seem like a fun application, the real question is its relevance to teaching and learning. Below is a slide presentation that highlights how Twitter can be used in the classroom.
So, your mission is to create a Twitter account and ‘follow’ the MaricopaTech Twitter feed. Invite at least one friend to do the same. Take the next few weeks to simply post updates, follow other users, and engage in conversation with others in the ‘Twitterverse‘! Most importantly, be patient. Twitter is one of those applications that takes a few weeks before you start recognizing its relevance.
How-to:
1. From the web, go to http://Twitter.com
2. Create an account.
3. Then go to http://Twitter.com/MaricopaTech and hit “follow”
4. (We will get a notification that you have followed us, and we will follow you back!)
5. Begin ‘tweeting’
At the conference, not only will MaricopaTech be using Twitter to send alerts and event information, but some of us will be using it to communicate with our followers (like you!), as well as, document the event itself (”Sitting in session X discussing the benefits of Y, come by” or “Mr. Z’s session is packed, everyone is curious about learning ABC technology” or “Did you know that… ” then insert a tid-bit your learned from the session.) The applications of Twitter can be limitless…
That is your mission. This message will NOT self destruct, instead it will linger forever as a ghost on the web.
