TechNews digests: Jan - Nov 2009

TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month

Towards mobile learning deployment in higher learning institutions : a report on the qualitative inquiries conducted in four universities in Tanzania

Over the past two decades, mobile learning (m-learning) has been a purposeful area of research among educational technologists, educators and instructional designers whereby doubts and controversies over its relevancy and applicability have been keenly addressed. This paper explores stakeholders’ perceptions of m-learning deployment in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs). Spe- cifically, we examine the potential of m-learning for HLIs in Tanzania and the challenges that hinder successful m-learning deployment. We adopt a comparative qualitative case study design in which four HLIs in Tanzania were purposefully selected. The study uses a combination of de- sign science research approach and qualitative methods including grounded theory, document re- views, and observation. The respondents included university lecturers, students and ICT experts, who were selected for the interviews through theoretical sampling. The transcripts were loaded, coded and analyzed in NVIVO software. The results indicate that mobiles (smartphone, tablets, laptops, feature-phones etc.) are widely used in the HLIs. Stakeholders perceive that m-learning deployment is important and useful because it improves the quality of the learning experience. The results further indicate that there are financial, pedagogical, technological, infrastructural, individuals – and policy – related challenges that hinder successful deployment of m-learning in HLIs in Tanzania, such as limited network coverage, some students ́ inability to afford mobiles, lack of qualified staff for preparation of mobile content and administration, gaps in the exist- ing policies, and faulty course design. However, our results show that participants are optimistic about the potential of m-learning in the HLIs of Tanzania. They expect that m-learning will im- prove access to learning resources, teacher-student and student-student interaction without being restricted by time or place. Thus, m-learning is considered to have the potential to address issues of crowded classrooms, expertise, access to learning materials, flexibility of the learners as well as remote connectivity.
 We recommend that HLIs should prioritize m-learning and commit resources to the success of the related projects. We also recommend that the governments and stakeholders provide policy interventions, subsidize mobile technologies, expand network coverage, build capacity within and outside HLIs, and improve digital literacy by integrating ICT education at all levels of education

YouLearn: Offline Media Streaming Application for Rural Uganda

The country of Uganda has implemented universal primary and secondary education. But still, some families cannot afford to send their children to school. When young people drop out of school, they often must resort to working illegal, unsafe, and low-paying jobs. Job prospects are even worse for disabled children. The objective of this project is to bring digital educational resources into rural villages in a low-cost manner. YouLearn is an educational system that allows for o✏ine media streaming. Our system includes a Raspberry Pi to store the media locally and allows for streaming without WiFi being necessary. Our system supports those most in need by bringing them the health and educational resources to help their families and communities thrive

TechNews digests: Jan - Mar 2010

TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month

What is the Potential Impact of Using Mobile Devices in Education?

Mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous in the world today. With the power of portable computing in the hands of everyone and anyone, the time has come to consider using mobile devices for education. While ICT in education has been trialled, results have been mixed. Mobile devices are also ICT devices, so why should we still consider using mobile devices in education and what is its potential impact on the stakeholders. This paper provides an overview of what is out there and explores the opportunities and issues in regards to using mobile devices in education. Next we look at how the stakeholders in the education system, namely the education providers, the teachers, the students, their parents, and the ministry of education can benefit by successfully deploying classroom curriculum via mobile devices. Many stakeholders in the education system are already struggling to deliver basic education–what is required of them and how they should be supported if we are to convince them to use mobile devices in delivering education. Mobile devices are already being used by educational institutions in many countries. What type of technology, content, and mobile devices are currently being experimented with? What are the results in terms of student learning outcomes? What do the teachers think? Are the other stakeholders in education satisfied? We look at reports and reflections from several implementations of using mobile devices in education to learn from and move forward. Regardless of many brilliant anecdotes about using mobile devices in education, mobile devices after all are ICT devices that contain fragile electronic components , need power to operate and connectivity for access. A lot has been learnt from ICT deployment in education and improved upon. However, it is to be noted that fully realized potential of any mobile device and its use in education is entirely dependent upon electrical power, network connectivity and user competency

Mobile Learning Application with Cloud Computing

This project focuses on the development of M-Learning and Performance Tracking System at university level. The system provides mobility for the University students to do revision through the exercises and perform immediate tracking and analysis on the results. The project also served as a channel for students to access the latest information and news in the industry. The core problems that I had identified before I initiate this project are the immobility and limited features of current learning system which might causing the ineffective of learning among the university student. The inconvenience of the current system also included the trouble in checking their academic performance constantly from time to time. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the acceptability of the university students of m-learning, designing m-learning features that would help students to improve their academic performance, and develop the system which is able to cater the needs and meet the expectation of the students and lecturers. The methodology adapted in this project is phased development methodology that breaks the projects into 3 stages which are development of quizzes, development of performance tracking and last stage is the library function. The process involved planning, analysis, design, and last but not least implementation. As the result at the end of the project, the result found that the project is feasible with high acceptance level from the university students who believe that mobile learning is useful in learning. However more improvement has to be made on the project especially on the performance tracking method. For future development suggestions, we can adopt several methods in knowledge management in performance tracking to provide more accurate suggestions for the students. Cross platform can be achieved by adapting the HTML5 technology into the development. Cloud computing is important for the development of smartphone program with limited memory and capacity ability

CIRT Newsletter--January 2014

This issue contains the following articles: Faculty Spotlight: Using WordPress to Publish Original Student Research UNF Adopts Quality Matters Upcoming Events Digital Thinking: Google Hangouts Best Practices Online: Digital Badging Blackboard News: SP13 and Catalyst Awards Online Test Proctoring App Review: Android KitKat News from ITS: SPSS Upgrade and Student ResourcesNew in CIRT: Weekend Hour

Imssap: after-school interactive mobile learning student support application

06.03.2018 tarihli ve 30352 sayılı Resmi Gazetede yayımlanan “Yükseköğretim Kanunu İle Bazı Kanun Ve Kanun Hükmünde Kararnamelerde Değişiklik Yapılması Hakkında Kanun” ile 18.06.2018 tarihli “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” gereğince tam metin erişime açılmıştır.Bu araştırmada, dünya çapında m-öğrenme geliştirme sürecine giriyoruz. M-öğrenme aracımızı tasarlarken sosyal ve pedagojik faktörler kullanılmaktadır. Popülerlik odaklı bir kültürde, kullanıcılar arasındaki etkileşim tartışmaları zenginleştirir ve bilgi paylaşımını teşvik eder. Uygulama android yazılım geliştirme seti ve java programlama dili kullanılarak tasarlandı ve oluşturuldu. Google bulut depolama, verileri kaydetmek için gerçek zamanlı bir veritabanı altyapısı kullanıldı. Test ve geribildirim için Sakarya Üniversitesi, Türkiye. Anket tanıtılmadan önce, öğrenme sürecinin kavramı tartışılmıştır. Uygulamayı kullandıktan sonra, öğrenciler anketi cevapladılar. Anket üç ana noktayı yansıtıyordu: performans, kazanç ve mobil öğrenmenin kabulünü etkileyen sosyal faktörler. Popülerlik, öğrencileri mobil öğrenmeyi benimsemeye teşvik eden en önemli faktörlerden biridir. Anahtar Kelimeler: mühendislik, eğitim, etkileşimli yazılım, sınıf gösterimi, lisans eğitimi.In this research, we are engaging in the process of developing m-learning around the world. Social and pedagogical factors are being used while designing our m- learning tool. In a popularity-driven culture, interaction between users enriches discussions and promotes knowledge share. The application was designed and created using android software development kit and java programming language. Google cloud storage a real-time database infrastructure was used to save data. The application was offered to students in different majors in engineering departments in Sakarya University, Turkey, for testing and feedback. Before conducting the questionnaire we introduced mobile learning concept to students and explained its importance in their own learning process. After using the application, students answered the questionnaire. The questionnaire reflected three major points: performance, gain and the social factors effecting mobile learning acceptance. Popularity is one of the top factors that motivated learners to adopt mobile learning. Keywords: Engineering, Education, Interactive Software, classroom Demonstration, Undergraduate Education

A Framework for the Comparison of Virtual Classroom Systems

The increase in demand for open and distance learning has resulted in many higher education providers investing in virtual classroom systems. These systems can be an essential component in the delivery of flexible and online courses. While many institutions correctly place a greater emphasis on the pedagogical development of flexible courses, poor selection or implementation of virtual classroom software can reduce the pedagogical effectiveness of such courses and in some cases render them unworkable for both lecturing staff and students. Changes in vendor offerings, the continual evolution of end user technology, developments in mobile devices and improvements in internet infrastructure and services have resulted in need for continuous evaluation of virtual classroom systems and their capabilities to provide ideal environments for teaching and learning. This paper provides a comparative analysis of two such virtual classroom systems (Adobe Connect 7 and Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007) and examines their suitability in meeting both pedagogical and technological needs in Irish higher education. In doing so it suggests a comparative framework for other institutions engaged in the evaluation of virtual classroom systems