The rise in use of mobile technologies is identified as one of CORE’s ten trends, and the release of the iPhone last week in NZ and around the world certainly attracted a huge amount of publicity (With the New York TImes reporting over a million new iPhones sold in the US in one weekend!). But behind the hype there are indications of where the future of ICT and online communications are headed. Someone who definitely sees it this way is Chris Deering, former Chairman and President of Sony Europe, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and now Chairman of Handheld Learning who considers his bet’s on the new Apple iPhone in an article titled The New Apple Core. In it he makes a number of predictions, beginning with; “the terms TV and PC will sound as outdated as “8 Track” tape decks within 2-3 years. Everything will be capable of delivery over Internet Protocol (IP). Live sports to big screens and everything else.”
Read the rest yourself..

I was encouraged by the announcement today that Vodafone is going to support the Apple iPhone in New Zealand! I have watched enviously as my friend Jedd plays with his when he visits our office, but have resisted the urge to splurge until I could see the network provision sorted. According to the Herald article, it is unclear whether the phone will be available in its current version, or the next-generation ‘3G’ model, rumoured to be nearing release in the United States (I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for news of this when I’m over there next week:-)

Thinking of the impact the iPhone may have in NZ when it is released, I was interested to read Jane’s latest post regarding what is available educationally for the iPhone and iTouch at the moment. She has listed her Top Web Apps for the iPod Touch and the iPhone - which reveals a growing list of applications (including optimized sites) for the iPod Touch and the iPhone that are useful for learning, performance support or productivity purposes. There’s everything here from Facebook to BBC programmes - and my favourite, an iPhone version of NetVibes - my RSS aggregator of choice.

The future’s looking rosy for Mobile technologies Mind you - I have to wonder when the following message was sent via a list I belong to (a serious question on an academic research list):

Can researchers point out how to stop students/pupils using hand-held devices in the classroom ? Recent THES article on texting while there’s a lecturer speaking point to this being perceived as “mildly rude” - Even on a one-to-one situation nobody seems to have any problems with ring-tones, etc. Is there a pro-educator device, like the mosquito, that we can switch on to block cell phones/blackberries/iphones ?

I often enjoy listening to the “Sunday Group” interviews on National Radio on Sunday mornings - and this morning was no exception. Chris Laidlaw’s Sunday Group this morning consisted of Paul Reynolds, a well known technology commentator; Tom Chignall, head of regulatory affairs for Vodafone; Jo Tinall, director of the digital broadcasting strategy for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage; and Ernie Newman, CEO of the Telecommunications Association of NZ (TUANZ).

Their topic was the state of telecommunications in NZ, and Chris began by referring to a recent news report that states that there are now more mobile phones in New Zealand than there are people (they’ll soon be competing with sheep!) - and asks:

- what is happening with telecommunications in NZ?
- are we getting good service?
- where is broadband going?
- what will happen to landlines?

The group then set about sharing their opinions and ideas - among them was a comment by Paul Reynolds which I particularly align with in which he said

it’s not about technology, it’s about a cultural change that we can drive and change!

Paul was referring to developments in the area of digital content, referring to the National Digital Content Strategy’s distinction between 3 types of content; authoritative, creative/commercial, and informal. It is this last are that is driving a lot of the current use of telecommunications, and is seeing a shift from individuals being regarded as “consumers” to “users” in the discourse around telecommunications use.

A great discussion - and if you missed it, a podcast of the interview can be downloaded here.

There’s been a lot of hype about mobile technologies becoming the “next big thing” for some time now, but a lot of it yet to be realised. this morning I was speaking with Nick, a friend who works at CPIT, who was explaining how he and some colleagues there are looking at introducing the use of mobile technologies into an assessment process as part of a course they run. His logic is that while many of the students he works with in the vocational courses he runs don’t have ready access to a computer, they all have mobile phones.

This aligns with an article I read yesterday from Orange which reads:

The mobile web shows every sign of the ???next big thing???. Web-enabled mobile handsets now out number desktop and laptop PCs. Analysts predict that well over a billion people will use them to connect to the web by 2008

This is certainly something that those planning for the future of schools and universities need to be taking into account. Just how might we plan to accommodate students who are wandering around with fully web-enabled devices in their pockets and on their wrists etc. (apart from banning them, of course)

Before we go closing down computer labs we need to realise that this isn’t going to happen immediately. The Orange report goes on to say

However, only about 10 percent of web-enabled handsets host full-featured non-WAP browsers and as yet few people are using them or are even aware they exist, and for good reason. If you ever try to surf the web with a mobile browser you run across a lot of poorly rendering content.

The article has a link to a white paper produced by Orange that outlines a solution to a part of this problem - a simple server script that adapts web pages based on what kind of client is requesting it.

The Orange project is one initiative that is aligned with the series of Mobile Web Best Practices developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These are recommendations that provide a starting point to educate web content providers on giving their sites a baseline of mobile accessibility. Ultimately the W3C will address more difficult questions such as how to serve content to devices with much different sets of characteristics and features.

While the papers are targeted at a technical/developer audience - I found them a very useful read to gain an appreciation of what is envisaged - the graphical illustrations etc were very helpful in this regard.

Watch this space!

I’ve been reflecting a bit on my experiences here in Malaysia this morning - particularly in terms of what it has meant for me in terms of working away from my home and family for extended periods of time, and have realised just important a number of the technologies that I now take for granted are to me.

For instance, on my computer my Skype and iChat windows automatically open when my computer is switched on, thus I have to make a conscious decision NOT to work with them running rather than the other way around. This provides me with a “virtual presence” whenever I am online, and the ability to see which of my friends and colleagues are online. There’s seldom been a time when I’ve opened my computer during my time here that I haven’t been “interrupted” by someone wanting to connect for a variety of reasons - from friends simply inquiring how things are going through to colleagues with specific questions etc. This has allowed me to remain connected to and involved in the range of things I have on my programme back in NZ.

In our project here in Malaysia, we have used these same tools to provide synchronous opportunities for teachers and students in Malaysia to connect with peers in New Zealand, and it has been interesting to see how these first time users have adapted and adopted these new technologies very quickly - such that I now have an ever growing list of names on my contact list!

Another thing I’ve come to rely on is the ability to simply open my computer up wherever I am and be able to connect to the internet - whether by wireless (which is being implemented in a big way here in Perak) or by plugging into a cable in a school or hotel room. This relative ‘portablility’ allows me to remain connected and involved regardless of my physical location.

The combination then of the communications software that provides me with this sense of presence, the laptop I carry and the wireless access that allows for portability, and the fact that I can so easily personalise these tools provides me with an increasing sense of what a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is and can be.

It was of interest to read this morning news that Sony and British Telecom have joined forces to integrate the PSP with BT Broadband’s video and voice softphone VoIP software, meaning that calls will be free, with the customer only having to pay for the BT broadband subscription! This will certainly introduce a more mobile connectivity tool into the mix, and must certainly be a sign of things to come as we become more mobile!

We’ve added a new logo on the right hand side of the CORE website -titled CORE’s Ten Trends for 2007

Clicking on this logo will take you to a list of ten trends that we’ve identified as being particularly important in 2007. The aim is to create some dialogue around some of the things that are happening in the NZ context regarding the use of ICT in education. The emphasis is on looking at the bigger picture, rather than the things absorb our time every day at the “coal face”.

I will be using these ten trends as the focus of my Spotlight at the Learning@School conference this week, and would love to see plenty of contributions being made in the comments section at the end of each “Trend”.

Each month or so the CORE staff are going to expand one of the themes with further links and references to prompt a deeper level of participation and discussion. We’re sure to have missed some that people think are important, or included some that others think aren’t - all of which should make the discussion fuller and richer!

With the use of mobile phones, PDAs and other hand-held technologies becoming common place among our school-aged young people, it’s not surprising to see schools and tertiary institutions thinking about how they may be incorporated effectively within formal learning contexts.

FutureLab have published this useful handbook on Handhelds, which contains recommendations for mobile learning approaches - including implementation ideas and case studies.

The recommendations are fairly predictable, but are usefully summarised in this handbook, and provide an excellent basis for staff discussion and planning for those considering using handhelds with students for the first time.

Some of the key recommendations that caught my eye include:

• Having an authentic purpose for use of the devices is central to the success of implementing handheld technologies to enhance teaching and learning

• Educators should be clear about the exact learning goals they are hoping to achieve when using handheld technologies
• Educators need to be aware that not all students will benefit from using handheld technologies at all times and some may prefer more conventional activities.
• Projects that have tested the use of handhelds to build links between home and school, and to increase family involvement have had most success where the level of home access to technology is low.
• A whole-school approach, with support provided both for the project itself and those implementing it, will contribute to handheld technologies being embedded in the curriculum
• Devices need to be robust and broken devices must be repaired or replaced quickly. Some spare devices will be needed to cover periods when a device is out of action.
• Good integration with existing technologies in the school, eg interactive whiteboards, data projectors, software and digital content, aids the smooth adoption of the devices into routine teaching and learning.
• To maximise the benefits of personal ownership, pedagogical approaches and teaching styles must accommodate a more autonomous learner role.

This is a must read for anyone considering bringing hand-helds into the classroom.

The PDF version of the document can be downloaded here.