Learning anytime, anywhere, any technology
Today’s students live in a mobile world where they communicate through their laptops, mobile phones, smart phones and PDAs. They want the ability to learn, access educational resources and communicate on campus, off campus, and everywhere they move. Increasingly these devices are also used to produce learner-created content.
Mobile Learning (M-Learning) is an exciting direction in education that meets the needs of these increasingly mobile students. With M-learning, you can build on your Learning Management System by providing students with the ability to learn and collaborate through portable devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and mp3 players.
Brightcookie.com are leaders in this exciting new technology. Contact us so we can show you how it can benefit your organisation and your students.
2D Barcode Tags – Mobile code technology
Two-dimensional (2D) mobile codes are similar to linear (one-dimensional) barcodes, but because their matrix structure can hold more information, they can be used to transmit much more information. Whereas a linear barcodes are limited to approximately 20 characters of information, a 2D barcode can represent between 2,000 and 4,000 alphanumeric characters.
2D mobile codes provide a unique opportunity to provide students with immediate information about any object in a contextual setting. For example, placing mobile codes beside works of art, students could use their mobile phones to instantly access additional information about the artwork, the artist, the history and even link to a website for further information. Mobile codes on plant tags would provide instant botanical information. The educational opportunities to apply this inexpensive technology are limitless.
BrightCookie.com have developed a Moodle Block that enables students to use 2D codes to access educational content through their mobile phones.
Moodle Modules Database Listing
Readers
Nokia:
http://mobilecodes.nokia.com/scan.htm
iPhone:
http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/GetTheReader
or search Appstore for ‘barcode’
Android:
http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/GetTheReader
or search Android Market for ‘barcode’
Windows Mobile:
Resources
Bluetooth integration
Because mobile data plans vary significantly both in cost and scope, Bluetooth integration can be used to provide students with free data uploads and downloads from a local hotspot.
With Bluetooth integration, students can use a local hotspot to transfer messages and notes from their mobile phones to their online portfolios or to and from your learning management system. This provides additional mobile learning functionality that can be used to meet the needs of both staff and students.
SMS integrations
Although SMS text-messaging is most often seen as a distraction in an educational environment, it can actually be used as a significant enhancement in your communication network.
SMS messaging can be used to effectively and instantly communicate with students in a way that was previously very difficult, if not impossible. SMS technology is particularly useful for any kind of time-critical communications such as changes to lecture times and locations, or for administrative communications that can be automated.
SMS messaging can be one-way communications such as announcements or two-way way communications such as messages between staff and students, or even a question and answer program.