Evaluating the development of wearable devices, personal data assistants and the use of other mobile devices in further and higher education institutions

This report presents technical evaluation and case studies of the use of wearable and mobile computing mobile devices in further and higher education. The first section provides technical evaluation of the current state of the art in wearable and mobile technologies and reviews several innovative wearable products that have been developed in recent years. The second section examines three scenarios for further and higher education where wearable and mobile devices are currently being used. The three scenarios include: (i) the delivery of lectures over mobile devices, (ii) the augmentation of the physical campus with a virtual and mobile component, and (iii) the use of PDAs and mobile devices in field studies. The first scenario explores the use of web lectures including an evaluation of IBM's Web Lecture Services and 3Com's learning assistant. The second scenario explores models for a campus without walls evaluating the Handsprings to Learning projects at East Carolina University and ActiveCampus at the University of California San Diego . The third scenario explores the use of wearable and mobile devices for field trips examining San Francisco Exploratorium's tool for capturing museum visits and the Cybertracker field computer. The third section of the report explores the uses and purposes for wearable and mobile devices in tertiary education, identifying key trends and issues to be considered when piloting the use of these devices in educational contexts

Telecommunications Usage in New Zealand: 1993-2003

This report suggests that the telecommunications market in New Zealand is surprisingly mature. We infer that the potential for growth is limited. There has been negligible growth in any of the number of fixed lines either business or residential since 2000. The number of residential lines is growing only in proportion to the number of households indicating that household penetration is now saturated. Business line connections have been constant since approximately August 1999 although there is evidence of substitution away from Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connections towards Independently Switched Digital Network (ISDN) connections in this market. ISDN is predominantly used for voice access by New Zealand businesses with less than 0.1% of connections being used for data communications in January 2002.While the number of mobile connections has been increasing the total volume of voice-based telephony traffic (local and long distance fixed line and mobile) has settled at a constant level. Diffusion of mobile telephony sits at approximately 75% of the population over 10 years of age and while still growing the rate of growth appears to be slowing implying that this technology is close to saturation as well. Average usage per mobile account is declining indicating that the connection growth that is being recorded is related to users with lower than average demand for the service.The data offer significant evidence of substitution between technologies (fixed line to mobile) for voice traffic. Thus the presumption that mobile and fixed line telephony are separate markets must be questioned. This is particularly evident in the residential market; as the evidence supporting substitution coincides with the introduction of prepay accounts which have been targeted at residential consumers.The only telephony volume to show significant growth is that of dial-up Internet traffic. However even this traffic is showing signs of slowing both on measures of volume per fixed line and volume per Internet Service Provider (ISP) account. Diffusion of this technology is also widespread with nearly 60% of households having connections. Thus this technology may also be approaching maturity in the New Zealand market as with mobile technology new connections represent users with lower than average demand. Whilst there is some evidence of substitution of dial-up Internet access technology with DSL in the business market in the residential market substitution still appears to be dominated by learning effects associated with the applications that consumers use and the individual valuation of time

Collaborative trails in e-learning environments

This deliverable focuses on collaboration within groups of learners, and hence collaborative trails. We begin by reviewing the theoretical background to collaborative learning and looking at the kinds of support that computers can give to groups of learners working collaboratively, and then look more deeply at some of the issues in designing environments to support collaborative learning trails and at tools and techniques, including collaborative filtering, that can be used for analysing collaborative trails. We then review the state-of-the-art in supporting collaborative learning in three different areas – experimental academic systems, systems using mobile technology (which are also generally academic), and commercially available systems. The final part of the deliverable presents three scenarios that show where technology that supports groups working collaboratively and producing collaborative trails may be heading in the near future

Is there a role for mobile technologies in open and distance language learning? An exploration in the context of Bangladesh

In this paper, we briefly examine the changing landscape of language teaching methodolgies, in particular, English language teaching (ELT). We, then, explore ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) have influenced language learning. We particularly consider how mobile technologies may enhance ELT practices in Bangladesh. To this end, we describe the English in Action (EiA) project in Bangladesh which is a major (inter)national ELT initiative employing mobile technologies

Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 and 3 of the DfES e-strategy in schools and colleges: the current landscape and implementation issues

Landscape review of integrated online support for learners and collaborative approaches to personalised learning activities

Mobile technologies for (English) language learning: An exploration in the context of Bangladesh

Milton’s (2002) literature review of languages, technology and learning found that language laboratories “…proved to be a useful tool, but only one tool, in the hands of a good teacher, and a huge waste of time and money in the hands of a bad teacher” (p16) with computer language labs being “..something of an oddity… [with] no clear method or best practice for using them’ (p17). Instead, Milton identified numerous examples of effective language learning supported by broadcast (radio) or recorded (tape, CD) audio. Recently, research has begun to focus upon mobile learning (e.g. Naismith et al, 2004), but the potential of mobile media players (for example, the iPod) is only recently being explored. It has been suggested that language learning is one of the disciplines particularly likely to benefit from widespread ownership of mobile devices such as phones and media players (Kukulska-Hulme, 2006). For example, Rosell-Aguilar (2007) has begun to develop a theoretically informed pedagogy of podcasting, as a means of providing language-learning resources on mobile devices, suggesting podcasts offer a number of advantages for language learning (p. 479). This paper examines the opportunities for mobile language learning in the context of Bangladesh, where mobile devices are becoming increasingly affordable and ubiquitous. It is hoped that this paper also provides some insights into mobile learning for language education policy makers, distance education institutions and language teachers

Careering through the Web: the potential of Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies for career development and career support services

This paper examines the environment that the web provides for career exploration. Career practitioners have long seen value in engaging in technology and the opportunities offered by the internet, and this interest continues. However, this paper suggests that the online environment for career exploration is far broader than that provided by public-sector careers services. In addition to these services, there is a wide range of other players including private-sector career consultants, employers, recruitment companies and learning providers who are all contributing to a potentially rich career exploration environment.UKCE