I.M-learning:
Mobile learning
with cell phones, IPods, and handheld devices
M-Learning: mobile learning with hand-held devices
Both in and out of the
classroom, or a combination of both (blended learning)
you can use your pocket cell phones, note books and mobile devices
for your learning projects
Desktop and laptop computers are robust established tools for
learning.
They download and send, they write and capture, they search and deliver. They
organize and process large amounts information. However, they are also limited
by their fixed locations, size and weight, need for power and network
connections, time spent powering up and logging in, even shared use and lack of
privacy.
However, with mobile learning (M-learning) devices,
the anytime-anyplace learning environment is expanded out to where computer
labs, desktop workstations and laptop computers cannot go.
An ever-growing array of personalized handheld devices
enhance interactivity
with an environment for gathering and processing information--and learning.
They are handy, mobile, personalized and often single-purposed with apps. They
include iPods (MP3/MP4 players), mobile/cell/smart phones, personal digital assistants
(PDA's), notebooks/netbooks, game players, voting, and handheld GPS and
specialized devices.
Applications:Text:
1. Retrieve updates, instructions, background
information, handouts, reference material and reminders for projects, whether
through downloaded apps or wireless connectivity
2. Connect with teachers and mentors for
instructions, questions, guidance, etc. and respond to questions and findings,
especially dispersed in the field
3. Collaborate with teammates in the field or back
to the classroom, by function or location
--text discoveries and problems, share calendars, timelines, to do lists, and
collaborative experiences via SMS, tweets and mobile blogging with each other,
classmates, and/or the instructor
4. Observe and record events, file reports (live
time or asynchronously); complete forms
5. Enter observed data
Download/upload recorded data via a USB port, firewire Wii or Internet network
6. Access web-based and digital learning exercises
7. Access or record lectures, interviews, journals,
notes, memos, calendar events, etc.
8. Create/interpret readable barcodes (optical
machine-readable representation of data)
Audio and Image
1. Reference audio and slide recordings of lectures
and instructions
2. Reference audio and video files on projects in
the field
3. Overcome learning disabilities with alternative
media (audio, video, etc.)
4. Create/document content with media capabilities
for later analysis and documentation (audio recordings, images with inbuilt
cameras, etc.)
5. The learner may store basic notes in audio
format – e.g. laboratory results, key vocabulary definitions, language phrases
etc.
6. Quiz software with basic factual questions
7. Static maps for reference/mapping software
and/or GPS systems.
8. Create your own audio clips, interactive Flash
or games explaining observations or summarizing group discussions.
9. Fieldwork sampling
instructions/images/animations.
10. User selected photo galleries for portfolio
evidence.
11. Search the Internet for similar projects,
documentation, etc.
Devices:
§ Run on batteries with optional plug-in capability
to more robust technologies
§ Are "pocket" size and boot quickly as
a personalized, convenient instrument
§ Can be used in a non-networked, offline
environment in targeted applications (field research, data entry, etc.)
§ Access and create files as text, graphics,
photos, diagrams, audio, video, spreadsheets, databases, etc.
§ Utilize wireless networks as Wi-Fi if enabled
and within range of points or hotspots to connect to the Internet, with
enhanced computing capability
--Mobile phones are being enhanced into mobile computing platforms.
-- Standard-size Pads, mobile phones, and even smaller platforms such as mobile
gaming devices
§ Via Bluetooth, devices can connect to each other
in limited-range personal area networks
of phones, PDA’s, Palms, etc. (also as when a mobile phone is connected to a
headphone and microphone)
Preparation:
§ Check with your instructor/teacher for how you
can incorporate them into your classroom learning and project management
§ Apps (applications/computer software designed to
help the user to perform singular or multiple related specific tasks:
Wikipedia) and information must be tailored to small screen formats and
informational chunks, accommodating these devices limited memory
§ Apps need to be either be pre-installed or
downloaded, and should be classroom and field tested for compatibility online
versus offline (sync issues), and range of devices (taking into account the
lowest version of the operating systems)
§ Test the capacity of your personalized wireless
network to distribute content and accommodate your group's size.
§ Is the application compatible with a variety of
devices and operating systems of the group? Will the content display be
consistent regardless of the browser, device, and screen size?
§ Is there enough memory to access/load/stream
content?
§ Do your school's computing environment and
networks facilitate downloading, uploading and/or online working via wireless
networks, mobile phone networks or both? Can you access the Learning Management
Systems (LMS) and Content Management Systems (CMS)?
§ Are the devices and network secure, and
protected from viruses, unauthorized access, etc
II.Video
Streaming
When creating streaming video, there are two things you need to
understand: The video file
format and the streaming method.
File
Formats
There are many video file formats to choose from when creating
video streams. The most common formats are:
1.
Windows Media
2.
RealMedia
3.
Quicktime
4.
MPEG (in particular MPEG-4)
5.
Adobe Flash
There are pros and cons for each format but in the end it comes
down to personal preference. Be aware that many of your users will have their
own preferences and some users will only use a particular format, so if you
want to reach the widest possible audience you should create separate files for
each format. In reality this isn't usually practical so you need to make a
judgment call on which formats to provide. Obviously the better you understand
all the options, the better your decision is likely to be.
At this stage we won't worry too much about individual formats
(we'll come back to them in the format tutorial).
Streaming
Methods
There are two ways to view media on the internet (such as video,
audio, animations, etc): Downloading and streaming.
Downloading
When you download a file the entire file is saved on
your computer (usually in a temporary folder), which you then open and view.
This has some advantages (such as quicker access to different parts of the
file) but has the big disadvantage of having to wait for the whole file to
download before any of it can be viewed. If the file is quite small this may
not be too much of an inconvenience, but for large files and long presentations
it can be very off-putting.
The easiest way to provide downloadable video files is to use a
simple hyperlink to the file. A slightly more advanced method is to embed the file in a web page using special
HTML code.
Delivering video files this way is known as HTTP streaming or HTTP
delivery. HTTP means Hyper Text Transfer Protocol,
and is the same protocol used to deliver web pages. For this reason it is easy
to set up and use on almost any website, without requiring additional software
or special hosting plans.
Streaming
Streaming media
works a bit differently — the end user can start watching the file almost as
soon as it begins downloading. In effect, the file is sent to the user in a
(more or less) constant stream, and the user watches it as it arrives. The
obvious advantage with this method is that no waiting is involved. Streaming
media has additional advantages such as being able to broadcast live events
(sometimes referred to as a webcast or netcast).
Progressive Downloading
There is also a hybrid method known as progressive download. In this
method the video clip is downloaded but begins playing as soon as a portion of
the file has been received. This simulates true streaming, but doesn't have all
the advantages.
Which Method to Use?
The method you choose will depend on your situation, but most
people will opt for HTTP streaming (download or progressive download). This is
the easiest and cheapest way to get started. If necessary you can upgrade to a
streaming server later.
Still, you will want to understand both options so the next two
pages of this tutorial look at each one in a bit more detail. After that we'll
talk about how to create the actual video files.
Streaming Video
Servers
A streaming media or streaming video server is a specialized application which runs
on an Internet server. This is often referred to as "true streaming",
since other methods only simulate streaming. True streaming has advantages such
as:
·
The ability to handle
much larger traffic loads.
·
The ability to detect
users' connection speeds and supply appropriate files automatically.
·
The ability to broadcast
live events.
There are two ways to have access to a streaming
server:
1.
Operate you own server
(by purchasing or leasing)
2.
Sign up for a hosted
streaming plan with an ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Operate your own server
Note: This is a serious step and is well beyond the needs of most
websites.
To run your own streaming server, you can either
purchase a standalone server machine or purchase a streaming server software
package and install it on an existing web server. Streaming software is
available for all common server platforms such as Linux, Windows, etc.
Some examples of streaming media software:
·
Helix Universal Server from RealNetworks. This server supports a variety of formats,
including RealMedia, Windows Media, Quicktime and MPEG-4.
·
Macromedia Communication Server, specializing in Flash-based video and
interactive multimedia.
III. Learning Management Systems :Over the past decade or so, powerful software for managing
complex databases has been combined with digital frameworks for managing
curriculum, training materials, and evaluation tools. The result is a
technology known as the Learning Management System (LMS). Already a
nearly billion-dollar industry, LMS products and software allow any
organization to develop electronic coursework, deliver it with unprecedented
reach and flexibility, and manage its continued use over time.The LMS has
become a powerful tool for consulting companies that specialize in staffing and
training, extension schools, and any corporation looking to get a better grasp
on the continuing education of its workforce. Its impact has been felt mostly
outside of traditional education institutions, though the same technological
and market forces are dramatically changing today’s classroom as well.Below is
a quick review of some of the common aspects of the LMS industry, a few of its
strengths and limitations, and a peek at what the future may hold.
Components
of an LMS
·
Creation of class
rosters, control over registration processes, and the ability to create waiting
lists.
·
Upload and management
of documents containing curricular content.
·
Delivery of course
content over web-based interfaces, most often allowing remote participation by
the instructor or pupil.
·
Creation and
publication of course calendars.
·
Interaction between
and among students, such as instant messaging, email, and discussion forums.
·
Methods of assessment
and testing (like creating pop quizzes).
LMS systems used in corporate training
environments often have additional features that satisfy goals relating to
knowledge management and performance evaluation:
·
Automatic enrollment
and reminders for mandatory courses.
·
Options for manager
access, such as to approve materials or participation.
·
Integration with human
resource systems for tracking employment eligibility, performance goals, and
similar corporate priorities.
·
Control over access
and class groupings according to a number of metrics, such as geography,
involvement in a particular project, or levels of security clearance.
Advantages of an LMS
Like many information technology innovations
from the past few decades, LMS software is able to add a level of efficiency to
companies’ learning systems, with a number of other benefits emerging as well,
such as:
·
Easily adapting and
reusing materials over time.
·
More choices for
creators of curriculum, such as method of delivery, design of materials, and techniques for evaluation.
·
Creating economies of
scale that make it less costly for organizations to develop and maintain
content for which they used to rely on third parties.
·
Improvements in
professional development and evaluation, allowing companies to get more value
from human resources while empowering individuals with additional tools for
self-improvement.
The Future of LMS
While still a relatively young field, LMS
continues to evolve and adapt to new learning challenges and technological
capabilities, including:
·
Tighter integration
into collaborative software platforms and messaging frameworks, such as
Groupwise and Microsoft Outlook.
·
Migration of data
storage to network-based methods, commonly known as “the cloud.”
Current trends in technology and
business are favoring the increase of collaborative, web-based applications,
user-oriented design, and other features that are often grouped together under
the term “Web 2.0.” By further inverting the traditional forms of interaction
between instructors and pupils, and enabling a great amount of content to be
created and managed more easily, the future of LMS appears to be a dynamic one.
IV.MENTOR:
A Mobile Video Content Management and
Online Delivery system is a
type of content management system (CMS) capable of storing and delivering
content and services to mobile devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones,
and PDAs. Mobile content management systems may be discrete systems, or may
exist as features, modules or add-ons of larger content management systems
capable of multi-channel content delivery. Mobile content delivery has unique,
specific constraints including widely variable device capacities, small screen
size, limited wireless bandwidth, small storage capacity, and comparatively
weak device processors.
Demand for mobile content
management increased as mobile devices became increasingly ubiquitous and
sophisticated. MCMS technology initially focused on the business to consumer
(B2C) mobile market place with ringtones, games, text-messaging, news, and
other related content. Since, mobile content management systems have also taken
root in business to business (B2B) and business to employee (B2E) situations,
allowing companies to provide more timely information and functionality to
business partners and mobile workforces in an increasingly efficient manner. A
2008 estimate put global revenue for mobile content management at US$8 billion.
Multi-channel
content delivery
Multi-channel content delivery
capabilities allow users to manage a central content repository while
simultaneously delivering that content to mobile devices such as mobile phones,
smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Content can be stored in a raw
format (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, Text, HTML etc.) to
which device-specific presentation styles can be applied.[3]
Content
access control
Access control includes
authorization, authentication, access approval to each content. In many cases
the access control also includes download control, wipe-out for specific user,
time specific access. For the authentication, MCM shall have basic authentication
which has user ID and password. For higher security many MCM supports IP
authentication and mobile device authentication.
Specialized
templating system
While traditional web content
management systems handle templates for only a handful of web browsers, mobile
CMS templates must be adapted to the very wide range of target devices with
different capacities and limitations. There are two approaches to adapting
templates: multi-client and multi-site. The multi-client approach makes it
possible to see all versions of a site at the same domain (e.g. sitename.com),
and templates are presented based on the device client used for viewing. The
multi-site approach displays the mobile site on a targeted sub-domain (e.g.
mobile.sitename.com).
Location-based
content delivery
Location-based content delivery
provides targeted content, such as information, advertisements, maps,
directions, and news, to mobile devices based on current physical location.
Currently, GPS (global positioning system) navigation systems offer the most
popular location-based services. Navigation systems are
specialized systems, but incorporating mobile phone functionality makes greater
exploitation of location-aware content delivery possible.
Examples
of Mobile content management systems
GENWI's cloud publishing
solution and mobile Content Management System (mCMS) gives publishers an easy
way to repurpose their content and create real-time content apps. The startup’s
platform provides templates and tools that makes it easy for both small and
enterprise publishers to customize both native and HTML5 apps, after which they
can deliver their content across those devices without having to make changes
to published apps.
V. Collaborative Classroom
(CCR)
Collaborative
classrooms seem to have four general characteristics. The first two capture
changing relationships between teachers and students. The third characterizes
teachers' new approaches to instruction. The fourth addresses the composition
of a collaborative classroom.
1.
Shared knowledge among teachers and students
In traditional
classrooms, the dominant metaphor for teaching is the teacher as information
giver; knowledge flows only one way from teacher to student. In contrast, the
metaphor for collaborative classrooms is shared knowledge. The teacher has
vital knowledge about content,skills, and instruction,
and still provides that information to students. However, collaborative
teachers also value and build upon the knowledge, personal experiences,
language, strategies, and culture that students bring to the learning
situation.Consider a lesson on insect-eating plants, for example. Few students,
and perhaps few teachers, are likely to have direct knowledge about such
plants. Thus, when those students who do have relevant experiences are given an
opportunity to share them, the whole class is enriched. Moreover, when students
see that their experiences and knowledge are valued, they are motivated to
listen and learn in new ways, and they are more likely to make important
connections between their own learning and "school" learning. They
become empowered. This same phenomenon occurs when the knowledge parents and
other community members have is valued and used within the college.
Additionally, complex
thinking about difficult problems, such as world hunger, begs for multiple
ideas about causes, implications, and potential solutions. In fact, nearly all
of the new curricular goals are of this nature--for example, mathematical
problem-solving--as are new requirements to teach topics such as AIDS. They
require multiple ways to represent and solve problems and many perspectives on
issues.
2. Shared authority among teachers and students
In collaborative
classrooms, teachers share authority with students in very specific ways. In
most traditional classrooms, the teacher is largely, if not exclusively,
responsible for setting goals, designing learning tasks, and assessing what is
learned.Collaborative teachers differ in that they invite students to set
specific goals within the framework of what is being taught, provide options
for activities and assignments that capture different student interests and
goals, and encourage students to assess what they learn. Collaborative teachers
encourage students' use of their own knowledge, ensure that students share
their knowledge and their learning strategies, treat each other respectfully, and
focus on high levels of understanding. They help students listen to diverse
opinions, support knowledge claims with evidence, engage in critical and
creative thinking, and participate in open and meaningful dialogue.Suppose, for
example, the students have just read a chapter on colonial America and are
required to prepare a product on the topic. While a more traditional teacher
might ask all students to write a ten-page essay, the collaborative teacher
might ask students to define the product themselves. Some could plan a
videotape; some could dramatize events in colonial America; others could
investigate original sources that support or do not support the textbook
chapter and draw comparisons among them; and some could write a ten-page paper.
The point here is twofold: (1) students have opportunities to ask and
investigate questions of personal interest, and (2) they have a voice in the
decision-making process. These opportunities are essential for both
self-regulated learning and motivation.
3. Teachers as mediators
As knowledge and
authority are shared among teachers and students, the role of the teacher
increasingly emphasizes mediated learning. Successful mediation helps students
connect new information to their experiences and to learning in other areas,
helps students figure out what to do when they are stumped, and helps them
learn how to learn. Above all, the teacher as mediator adjusts the level of
information and support so as to maximize the ability to take responsibilityfor
learning
4. Heterogeneous groupings of students
The perspectives,
experiences, and backgrounds of all students are important for enriching
learning in the classroom. As learning beyond the classroom increasingly
requires understanding diverse perspectives, it is essential to provide
students opportunities to do this in multiple contexts in schools. In
collaborative classrooms where students are engaged in a thinking curriculum,
everyone learns from everyone else, and no student is deprived of this
opportunity for making contributions and appreciating the contributions of
others.Thus, a critical characteristic of collaborative classrooms is that
students are not segregated according to supposed ability, achievement,
interests, or any other characteristic. Segregation seriously weakens
collaboration and impoverishes the classroom by depriving all students of
opportunities to learn from and with each other. Students we might label
unsuccessful in a traditional classroom learn from "brighter"
students, but, more importantly, the so-called brighter students have just as
much to learn from their more average peers. Teachers beginning to teach
collaboratively often express delight when they observe the insights revealed
by their supposedly weaker students.
Thus, shared knowledge
and authority, mediated learning, and heterogeneous groups of students are
essential characteristics of collaborative classrooms. These characteristics,
which are elaborated below, necessitate new roles for teachers and students
that lead to interactions different from those in more traditional classrooms.
VI. Wikipedia and Wikimedia
Wikipedia is the most popular
Wikimedia project. The Wikimedia Commons stores images and other media files
for use on Wikipedia and elsewhere.
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