iPhone: Now an Enterprise Communications Solution

In February I blogged on the Apple iPhone, Flash, e-learning, and m-learning: as a new iPhone model and a new version of the operating system are both being rolled out, I think it's a good time to revisit the topic.

You may recall back then I wrote:

I have been an Apple iPhone 3G owner and user since the model was released here in Ireland in mid-2008. Since I acquired the device, I’ve come to rely on it to manage my e-mail accounts, utilize my time, play music, video, take notes (text and audio), and generally be more productive. I’ve Twittered, Quittered, Facebooked, YouTubed and blogged.

Five months later, I have added e-learning course management, and even Skyping to my ever-growing range of iPhone-compatible activities. It seems I'm not alone in my view that iPhone is more than just another device.

According to Forrester analyst Ted Schadler, the iPhone

drives business culture change; it gives employees freedom to choose their own tools; and it changes the support model to self-service. But the real payoff of iPhone and similar mobile Internet devices is that it is a new platform for delivering content and collaboration applications to an increasingly mobile workforce.

(2009 p.1)

This assertion is remarkably positive, doubly so considering the source of the comment: Forrester, in common with the 'other' major industry analyst organization Gartner, are notable for their disdain of Apple products. In December 2007, Forrester's Benjamin Gray et al published The iPhone Is Not Meant for Enterprises, a six-page report more commonly known by its subtitle The Top 10 Reasons Why We Recommend That IT Not Support It. In this document, Gray and his team leveled a number of criticisms at the device. Among them:

1. Doesn’t natively support push business email or over-the-air calendar sync.
2. Doesn’t accommodate third-party applications, including those internally developed.
3. Doesn’t support securing data on the device through encryption.
4. Can’t be remotely locked or wiped in the event of a lost or stolen device.
5. Lacks a hard keypad that provides feedback, which isn’t ideal for rapid and accurate input.
6. Has limited service provider support and its carrier lock-in inhibits flexibility.
7. Comes with a premium price tag.
8. Is only the first generation of the device.
9. Lacks a removable battery, so when the battery dies, so does the unit.
10. Lacks case studies of firms that have deployed it enterprise-wide.

Since 2007, Apple has worked assiduously to counter most of the deficiencies of the iPhone. A number of business-focused enhancements were integrated in the release of iPhone OS 3.0 on June 17, including:

• Added on-demand to require VPN login where needed.
• ActiveSync calendar synchronization issues fixed, and added CalDAV support.
• Encrypted device configuration profiles that are prevented from being deleted.
• New policy capabilities, including disabled cameras.
• Encrypted backup to the desktop through iTunes on PCs and Macs.
• New device functionality, including cut-and-paste, device search, and click-to-call.
• A thousand new developer APIs enabling developers more ways to build custom applications.

According to Forrester:

The iPhone’s intuitive interface, superior browsing experience, and rapidly evolving developer tool kit make content-centric applications far more appealing on an iPhone than on a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device. While BlackBerry is still the email and calendaring winner, iPhone devotees do make the shift to typing on glass.1 It’s also important that Apple isn’t linking its mobile future solely to mobile providers. The iPod Touch delivers most of what enterprises need over 802.11, lacking only GPS and 3G network access.

For enterprises, this makes an iPod Touch a viable addition to a BlackBerry or Windows Mobilecentric strategy. ...Should you consider supporting iPhone? At least three companies say yes.

(2009, p.1)

In Oracle (one of the organizations Forrester spoke to) employee demand drove the company to adopt the iPhone. In Kraft Foods, the device has becomes a totem to demonstrate that their IT division is serious about supporting culture change. By January 2009, almost half of Kraft Foods’ mobile users have iPhones, with about 400 new iPhones ordered each month.

In Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the "passion" (p.3) and sponsorship of a C-level exec who has long advocated offering more user choice for mobile devices and open platforms for computing saw the iPhone as an opportunity to give employees the mobile capabilities they were asking for. The iPhone has become the company’s “enterprise netbook,” with support for the campus-wide wireless network. They have also found the iPhone “easier to support than other mobile platforms.”

Based on the evidence supplied by these an other organizations, the iPhone offers genuine workplace benefits including "self-service, empowered employees, and mobile collaboration" (p.4). Notably, employees were willing to "vote for freedom" by buying their own iPhone rather than take a company-supplied PDA. Ted Schadler states that if an iPhone makes an employee happy - and more productive, then supporting it delivers collateral benefits of a more content workforce, and a new line of communication between IT and employees.

With the continuing growth in business- and productivity-centered iPhone apps, mobile collaboration opportunities are greater for the iPhone than for pretty much every other PDA. What begins as a better user experience is consolidated by an enhanced developer tool kit in OS 3.0 and the continuing maturation of the iPhone ecosystem.

Forrester say that anyone who has used both iPhones and BlackBerry will confirm that "the internet feels natural on an iPhone and a like chore on a BlackBerry" (p.8). Document viewing, WebEx presentations, and Internet access are better on the iPhone.

As developers build new applications for SharePoint access, data analysis, multiway conferencing, and training, the workforce can leave their laptops at work."

(p.8)

In the workplace context, communities of practice for the iPhone can lower support costs. All three firms discussed here have iPhone wikis so that employees can support each other. This "community-led support model" (p.8) may be new for many organizations, but it's effective where the iPhone is concerned.

In Kraft Foods, their early adopters provide better support than their IT team can. As a bonus, Kraft Foods sees a growing desire for self-service that is driving a workforce culture change. It expects to see similar changes in other areas in the future. Even from a financial perspective, data plans for other mobile devices are more expensive than the consumer plans (US telecom provider) AT&T is offering for iPhones. This company was able to reset its baseline plan pricing 30% lower for all phones because it supported iPhone.

As with the emergence of non-formal and informal learning in organizations, and the growing pervasiveness of social media tools for collaboration in enterprises, it seems that the demand for, and growing acceptance of the iPhone as an enterprise-level communication, collaboration, and learning platform is due to people power. Despite the declamations and derogatory noises of industry analysts it seems that, like all politics being local, all communication is ultimately personal.

A phenomenon of the popular adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in society-at-large seems to be a concomitant shift in the culture. Beginning in 2008 and gathering momentum ever since, we have noted again and again that people are less willing to accept what they are told, and are making choices based upon their own experience, judgment, and from information more likely supplied by peers than from opinions delivered from “upon high.” So it has gone for traditional media channels. So will it go for enterprise communication?

You decide.

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References:

Gray, B., Whiteley, R., Silva, C., & Dines, R.A. (2007). The iPhone Is Not Meant For Enterprises: The Top 10 Reasons Why We Recommend That IT Not Support It. Internet: Available from http://www.forrester.com [Accessed 16 April 2009] Subscription or Purchase Required.

Schadler, T., Brown, M., Gray, B., & Burnes, S. (2009). Making iPhone Work In The Enterprise: Early Lessons Learned. Internet: Available from http://www.forrester.com [Accessed 16 April 2009] Subscription or Purchase Required.

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M-Learning 8: Mobile Learning Channels

What categories of content can you deliver to your audience via m-learning?

We can all appreciate the potential of m-learning as a component of an integrated online educational strategy in the medium- to long term. However a number of factors, encompassing everything from still-developing IT and telecoms standards and infrastructure through to the diversity of mobile devices' capabilities has led to a situation where m-learning is still maturing as a learning channel, and is still finding its niche in the e-learning eco-system. What seems to be emerging is that mobile media devices work best as electronic performance support tools, and that some devices are more suited than others to enable people to learn and understand.

According to Gloria Gery, performance guru (2004)

Performance support enables people who don't know what they are doing... to do [a task] as if they did.

We can say that the goal of training is to support learning - that is impart new skills and knowledge for the purpose of enhancing performance, and that the goal of performance support is to guide and improve performance directly.

With performance support, the desired outcome is performance.

Rosenberg, M. 2006. p.195

There are four benefits of performance support.

1. Makes work simpler Performance support can take the complexity out of work processes and tools. Mobile devices that can receive up-to-date support or step-by-step procedures enables already trained workers to perform faster and more effectively.
2. Provides High Scalability As digital data, performance support can be deployed to a few people or to thousands of learners. Using the wireless Web as well as 3G technologies updates in both content and features can be distributed quickly and securely. For example, an organization can pilot a mobile application to a small group of workers for UAT, and roll it out across the business (once it has proven itself) with relatively little additional effort.
3. Provides a known baseline of competencies Performance support can reduce variability in the way workers perform tasks, which improves activity performance by underpinning an individual's judgment and decision-making abilities.
4. Allows non-experts to perform closer to the level of experts Performance support can enable individuals to perform with a similar pace and limited error rates as if they were more proficient than they actually are. Performance support can enhance the competence of an employee beyond the level of their training.

These are some of the ways that m-learning can support learners:

Audio - The original, and most basic m-learning channel, audio can range from lectures to narrated glossaries. Podcasts, popularized by the iPod, also fall into this category. In essence, if you can have an audio recording of the content, it can be deployed via the mobile environment. Common audio file types such as .mp3 and .mp4 are almost universally supported by mobile devices. Within minutes educators can have their audio-based presentations prepared and ready for delivery to learners’ mobile devices.

Video - Most modern converged media devices support video playback in at least one of the major digital formats (.mov, .mp4, .wmw, etc.). Content in this category can include lectures, presentations, interviews, visual "how-to" guides, and demos. Since the display area on mobile devices is limited, video whose content is dependent on minute visual detail or extremely complex visual representations may not transfer to the mobile environment as desired, but most video content works quite well..

Flashcards - Basic to semi-interactive flashcards are a great learning tool for the mobile environment. The range of content that can be harnessed in flashcards is vast, covering educational levels from kindergarten to graduate studies, and subjects such as math, biology, medicine, anatomy, physics, English, language, history, law, etc. Devices such as the iPhone, which have built-in image libraries and support a slideshow feature, are very well-suited for flashcards.

Quizzes - Assessments comprised of basic question types such as MCQs and true/false statements can be integrated into the mobile environment. These are great resources for pre-exam reviews or end-of-chapter quizzes. Support for assessment is found on devices that have Web capabilities.

Slideshows & Presentations - Most slideshows or presentation can be successfully deployed on a mobile platform, especially those created with programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint. These presentations can contain images, graphs, tables and even audio. This type of content is normally supported by mobile devices with video capabilities.

Glossaries - Glossaries are possible in the mobile environment in a basic static form which consists of a term, its audio pronunciation and a small accompanying definition or image. There is limited native support for glossaries, but they can be created for newer iPhones and other Web-enabled devices like RIMs BlackBerry devices, and Nokia N-series smartphones.

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Gery, G. (2004) The Moment of Need: Directly Supporting Doing, Learning, Referencing and Collaborating [Internet] Available from: http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=6&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.epsscentral.info%2Fgery%2Fpresentations%2FTEMPO-ASTD.ppt&ei=fnS-SereHeS1jAfVhPirCA&usg=AFQjCNFDHBizyYVisiHD7ivB1KG-NaoRVg&sig2=ji1XqzE6dEIO84r3B1Iz7Q Accessed 12 March 2009

Rosenberg, M. J. (2006) Beyond e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

http://elearningcurve.blogspot.com/2008/06/e-learning-ecosystem-in-organizations.html

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M-Learning: Challenges to E-Learning Pro’s

In the context of m-learning, the challenge to e-learning professionals is to be smart about how learning content is distributed via mobile devices.

Now read on...

I started this series of posts about using the iPhone - and by extension the multitude of Converged Media Devices (CMDs) - with the goal of understanding approaches to leveraging the rich potential of personal media players.

In the course of articles to date, I have looked at

• The implications of poor media player client support on mobile devices
• What is M-Learning?
• Learning theories applied to M-Learning
• Learning opportunities supported by CMDs
• Practical applications of M-Learning

Based upon the research that I have undertaken, I would assert that the iPhone (as it currently exists) is not an appropriate learning channel for converged multi-media delivery of instructional content as I stated here:

[A CMD like] the iPhone is not a powerful computer: it is a Web-enabled Portable Digital Assistant (PDA). I would suggest that in many consumers’ minds that to be able to surf the internet in a full-featured Safari browser on the iPhone means that it’s a “real” computer. Apple surely want to manage users’ expectations.

Yet, the device obviously has huge potential to delivery information, knowledge, and learning. The challenge to e-learning professionals is to be smart about how learning content is distributed via this channel - in a sense, where it fits in the learning value chain.

Figure 1. Parameters for learning channel selection

Given that mobile devices like the iPhone cannot deliver integrated, immersive learning deliver, I would suggest that the most practical approach to using these devices in an e-learning context is to use these devices as a learning platform, and to supply content based upon the precepts of a modified cloud computing model.

Learning Platforms

According to the UK Dept. of Education and Skills (DfES), a Learning Platform (LP) is

a generic term to describe a system of information and communication technologies that is used to deliver and support leaning.

We can say that while learning platforms can vary considerably, each should provide the following range of ICT-based functions:

• Content management - enabling teaching staff to create, store and repurpose resources and coursework which can be accessed online
• Curriculum mapping and planning - providing tools and storage to support assessment for learning, personalization, lesson planning etc.
• Learner engagement and administration - enabling access to pupil information, attendance, timetabling, e-portfolios and management information
• Tools and services - providing communication tools such as e-mail, messaging, discussion forums and blogs.

A learning platform brings together hardware, software and supporting services to enable more effective ways of working within and outside the traditional learning contexts including classrooms. A learning platform is not a single 'off the shelf' product, rather it's a collection of tools that are designed to support teaching, learning, management and administration.

A high-performing learning platform should be embedded in the behaviors and culture of the learner, and should offer a wide range of benefits to educators, learners, managers and administration.

Practical benefits to trainers

An effective learning platform will enable trainers to:

• Create and share training materials which can be accessed online (including via portable media devices), printed, or used with an interactive whiteboard
• Put their resources online page by page, lesson plan by lesson plan, so colleagues can access them from multiple locations
• Access a wide variety of learning materials that they can customize for the exact needs of their pupils
• Access lesson plans from colleagues to support group learning
• Assess, monitor and track learner progress progress
• Receive submissions of work from learners in a single, easy-to-manage location
• Increase learners' ICT competence and confidence.

Practical benefits to learners

An effective learning platform will enable learners to:

• Access learning materials created by their trainers and mentors, outside training time and from multiple locations
• Store work and notes online for use in just-in-time learning
• Learn in a self-pace fashion and with a wide choice of learning material
• Create an online portfolio, including digital photos and videos of performance as well as text
• Improve their ICT skills and online management of materials
• Submit coursework and assignments for assessment
• Communicate via e-mail and participate in live discussions and forums with fellow learners

Practical benefits to managers

An effective learning platform will enable managers:

• Play a part in employees' learning, via managers’ access to the learning platform
• View reports and data about assessment activities
• Communicate effectively with staff managing their staffs' learning and development
  Become active partners in organizational learning and development

Practical benefits for administration and management

An effective learning platform will:

• Provide up-to-date management information on skills and knowledge acquisition
• Track the progress of individuals and teams
• Collate summative and formative assessments
• Reduce the administrative burden on L&D and HR by using transferable data
• Enable communication within the learning environment and beyond, on a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many basis

More...

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M-Learning via the iPhone 4 – some approaches and technologies

Last time, I investigated mobile learning (m-learning) in the context of its parent domain e-learning and I outlined some types and characteristics of devices that enable the delivery of m-learning to users. In this post, I will look at the some of the learning theories that support learning distributed via mobile devices.

Now read on…

In their 2004 paper Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning (Naismith, Lonsdale, Sharples & Vavoula), consider the importance of taking an approach to m-learning that

moves away from the dominant view of mobile learning as an isolated activity to explore mobile learning as a rich, collaborative and conversational experience, whether in classrooms, homes or the streets of a city. …how we might draw on existing theories of learning to help us evaluate the most relevant applications of mobile technologies.

(p.1)

Table 1. Applying Learning Theories to M-Learning (after Naismith et al, 2004)

Learning Theory	Activity Type	Description
Behaviorist	Activities that promote learning as a change in learners’ observable actions	In the behaviorist paradigm, learning is thought to be best facilitated through the reinforcement of an association between a particular stimulus and a response. Applying this to educational technology, computer-aided learning is the presentation of a problem (stimulus) followed by the contribution on the part of the learner of the solution (response). Feedback from the system then provides reinforcement.
Constructivist	Activities in which learners actively construct new ideas or concepts based on both their previous and current knowledge	In the constructivist approach, learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based on both their current and past knowledge. Learners are encouraged to be active constructors of knowledge, with mobile devices now embedding them in a realistic context at the same time as offering access to supporting tools. The most compelling examples of the implementation of constructivist principles with mobile technologies come from a brand of learning experience termed ‘participatory simulations’, where the learners themselves act out key parts in an immersive recreation of a dynamic system.
Situated	Activities that promote learning within an authentic context and culture	Situated learning posits that learning can be enhanced by ensuring that it takes place in an authentic context. Mobile devices are especially well suited to context-aware applications simply because they are available in different contexts, and so can draw on those contexts to enhance the learning activity. The museum and gallery sector has been on the forefront of context-aware mobile computing by providing additional information about exhibits and displays based on the visitor’s location within them.
Collaborative	Activities that promote learning through social interaction	Collaborative learning has sprung out from research on Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and Learning (CSCW/L) and is based on the role of social interactions in the process of learning. Many new approaches to thinking about learning developed in the 1990s, most of which are rooted in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural psychology (Vygotsky 1978), including activity theory. Though not traditionally linked with collaborative learning, another theory that is particularly relevant to our consideration of collaboration using mobile devices is conversation theory (Pask 1976), which describes learning in terms of conversations between different systems of knowledge. Mobile devices can support Mobile Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (MCSCL) by providing another means of coordination without attempting to replace any human-human interactions, as compared to say, online discussion boards which substitute for face-to-face discussions (Zurita et al 2003; Cortez et al 2004; Zurita and Nussbaum 2004).
Informal and non-formal	Activities that support learning outside a dedicated learning environment and formal curriculum	Research on informal and lifelong learning recognizes that learning happens all of the time and is influenced both by our environment and the particular situations we are faced with. Informal learning may be intentional, for example, through intensive, significant and deliberate learning ‘projects’ (Tough 1971), or it may be accidental, by acquiring information through conversations, TV and newspapers, observing the world or even experiencing an accident or embarrassing situation. Such a broad view of learning takes it outside the classroom and, by default, embeds learning in everyday life, thus emphasizing the value of mobile technologies in supporting it.
Learning and teaching support	Activities that assist in the coordination of learners and resources for learning activities	Education as a process relies on a great deal of coordination of learners and resources. Mobile devices can be used by teachers for attendance reporting, reviewing student marks, general access of central school data, and managing their schedules more effectively. In higher education, mobile devices can provide course material to students, including due dates for assignments and information about timetable and room changes.

As yet there is no comprehensive ‘grand theory of mobile learning’ - nor do I expect that there will be any time soon. As I move forward through this series of posts, one of the areas I will consider is integrating pedagogy for the use of mobile devices that in a number of areas. In much the same way as we have many categories of devices, we will discover that there are many ways to integrate learning on mobile devices using a number of instructional designs, developmental approaches and delivery models. I support the view that one of the great strengths of m-learning (and indeed e-learning) is it's facility to transcend traditional learning environments like the classroom or training center, and to combine different elements in ways that are appropriate to the learning activities to be supported.

More…

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References:

Cortez, C., Nussbaum, M., Santelices, R,. Rodríguez, P., Zurita, G., Correa, M. and Cautivo, R. (2004) Teaching science with mobile computer supported collaborative learning (MCSCL). Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education. JungLi, Taiwan: IEEE Computer Society, 67-74

Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G. and Sharples, M. (2004) Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning. NESTA Futurelab Series, Report 11. [Internet] Available from: http://www.futurelab.org.uk/research/lit_reviews.htm Accessed 15 February 2009.

Pask, AGS (1976) Conversation Theory: Applications in Education and Epistemology. Amsterdam and New York: Elsevier

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society. Edited by Cole, M. John-Steiner, V. Scribner, Souberman, E. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press

Zurita, G, Nussbaum, M and Sharples, M. (2003) Encouraging face-to-face collaborative learning through the use of hand-held computers in the classroom. Proceedings of Mobile HCI 2003, Udine, Italy: Springer-Verlag, 193-208

Zurita, G., Nussbaum, M (2004) Computer supported collaborative learning using wirelessly interconnected hand-held computers. Computers & Education, 42(3): 289-314

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M-Learning via the iPhone 3 – some approaches and technologies

After yesterday’s excursion into sci-fi to show that the concept, if not the reality of mobile learning (m-learning) has been around for a good part of the last century, today’s post returns to the altogether more prosaic task of identifying the characteristics of m-learning. I think that the best way to approach this is to characterize m-learning’s parent domain, e-learning.

So, let me remind you of my favorite definition of the characteristics of e-learning and consider if they also apply to m-learning. In his influential 2001 text E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age, Marc J Rosenberg argues that e-learning is based on three fundamental criteria (pp.8-29):

1. E-learning is networked making it capable of updating, storage and retrieval, distribution and sharing of instruction or information. So important is this criteria that Rosenberg describes it as fast becoming an “absolute requirement” [his italics] of e-learning.
2. It is delivered to the end-user via a computer using standard internet technology so that even though the definition of what a standard technology is may evolve as the internet matures, e-learning will be deliverable on that channel
3. It focuses on the broadest view of learning: learning that goes beyond “e-training” (Beyond E-Learning, 2006, p.11). E-learning is at the core of the “smart enterprise – a high-performing organization that allows knowledge and capabilities, enabled by technology, to grow and flow freely across departmental geographical or hierarchical boundaries, where it is shared and made actionable for the use and benefit of all” (2006, p.39).

A discussion on m-learning then, must in part be dedicated to the technologies underpinning the broader e-learning domain. In this context, ‘mobile’ generally means portable and personal, like a mobile phone or media player. While ‘mobile device’ typically means PDAs and digital mobile phones, it might more generally be taken to mean any device that is

small, autonomous and unobtrusive enough to accompany people in every moment in their every-day life, and that can be used for some form of learning, for example an MP3 player.

(Kineo and UFI/Learndirect Mobile Learning Reviewed. p.5)

Many examples of learning with mobile technologies fit in to this description, and broadly speaking they all align to the “absolute requirement” to receive and transmit digital voice and data communication over a network – though not necessarily wirelessly, as we shall see).

According to a number of sources including Gartner (M-Learning Opportunities and Applications) and Kineo & UFI/Learndirect (Mobile Learning Reviewed) mobile handsets are, and will be the “dominant m-learning devices for some time: there were more than 1.2 billion shipped in 2008” (Gartner, p.6). There are five basic categories of devices:

1. ‘Smartphones’ or Converged Media Devices (CMDs) have an identifiable operating system, are Web-capable and support installable applications, such as PDF and content readers. They are able to render a wide range of digital data types so they can act as sophisticated m-learning platforms.
2. Enhanced phones don't have an open operating system but have some audio, video and Web capability, and typically support simpler installable applications using programming tools such as Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME).
3. Basic phones are low-cost devices that can support voice and text messaging
4. Non-telephony mobile devices are audio/MP3 players and video-enabled media players, the dominant product in both markets belonging to the Apple iPod family of players.
5. Hand-held games consoles are lightweight, portable devices include in-built screens, games controls and speakers. The dominant manufacturers include Nintendo (DS) Sony (PSP) and Nokia (N-Gage).
   
   

In 2008, CMDs were a growing minority, comprising approximately 15% of all devices shipped globally; enhanced phones made up a little more than 60%, and the remainder were basic phones. Of the potential mobile learning devices, mobile phones are clearly the most commonplace. According to a recent report by Strategy Analytics (cited in Mobile Learning Reviewed, p.4), there are 1.5 billion mobile phones on earth, with 10% year-over-year adoption expected through 2008. In 2005 the Financial Times reported that UK mobile phone penetration was about 86% of the adult population. By 2006, the penetration rate for Western Europe was reported as 100%, which means there was a mobile phone for every person in the population.

The media player market is one of the biggest IT success stories in recent years. The market leader is Apple’s iPod. Since 2001, Apple has sold over 100 million iPods worldwide. Many other players compete in the personal media player marketplace including Archos, Sony, iRiver, Creative, and Microsoft. While functionality varies according to manufacturer and brand, we can say that a media player is a portable mass storage device that allows content to be downloaded and used offline. Music storage is obviously their primary use, but their mobility and storage capacity makes them ideal mobile learning devices. A significant increase in the audio- and video podcast download market demonstrates that consumers have extended the potential of these devices beyond their intended capacity as über Walkmans.

Kineo (p.6) assert that:

The commercial market for MP3 downloads is highly developed, though monetizing non-music formats (e.g. podcasts and vodcasts) has proved more challenging. In effect the ‘book on tape’ market has jumped formats to become the commercial podcast market via iTunes and Audible.
The ease of providing podcasts and vodcasts for download has a potential cost advantage, as they can be downloaded for free (assuming the user is on a fixed price broadband line), unlike download or access to learning content via a mobile phone or CMD. Thus, mobile devices used for learning do not require continuous connection. Also, once on the iPod, learning content does not require internet connection for it to be accessed, so there need be no ongoing costs of access after initial download.

Given the almost ubiquitous nature of these devices, it’s not surprising that educators and organizations with an interest in distributing electronic learning content are now considering the potential for these devices to support a previously unavailable channel to communicate and transfer knowledge to learners.

More…

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References:

Jones, N. (2008) M-Learning Opportunities and Applications. ID Number: G00163293 Gartner Research [Internet] Available from: http://www.gartner.com (Subscription or purchase required) Accessed 17 February 2009

Kineo and UFI/Learndirect (2009) Mobile Learning Reviewed. [Internet] Available from: http://www.kineo.com/documents/Mobile_learning_reviewed_final.pdf Accessed 17th February 2009

Rosenberg, M. J. (2001) e-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age London: McGraw-Hill.

Rosenberg, M. J. (2006) Beyond e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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M-Learning via the iPhone 2 – some approaches and technologies

In M-Learning via the iPhone 1, I started to investigate the characteristics of mobile learning by going back to basics, specifically looking at the technological and conceptual foundations of this domain: training, instruction, education and learning. Today, I’m going to begin in earnest by telling you a story about a book - a wholly remarkable book in fact, that was first conceived nearly forty years ago.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. And Remember…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the most successful book every written. A handy electronic reference book, its chief selling points are the words 'Don't Panic' written in large friendly letters on the cover, and that it’s cheaper than its closest competitor, the Encyclopedia Galactica. The Guide’s reporters travel the length and breadth of the Milky Way, drinking heavily, going to lots of parties and generally having a great time. Their experiences, which include everything from how to mix the greatest cocktail in the galaxy to life on Earth (“mostly harmless”) is then passed on via the SubEtha net to every copy of the Guide, giving people the opportunity to misinterpret the inaccurate copy. Much of the guide's content is plagiarized from the back of cereal packets, and some of it is just made up. Its most useful advice concerns towels.

Now I’m not going to labor the point about blogging (without the wild parties, sad to say), Wikipedia, and the SubEtha / world wide web “net” but here’s a description of the Guide itself:

…A device that looked rather like a largish electronic calculator. This had… a screen about four inches square on which any one of a million “pages” could be summoned at a moment’s notice. It looked insanely complicated, and this was one of the reasons why the snug plastic cover it fitted into had the words DON’T PANIC printed on it in large friendly letters. …The reason why it was published in the form of a micro sub meson electronic component is that if it were printed in normal book form, an interstellar hitchhiker would require several inconveniently large buildings to carry it around in.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (pp.26-27)

Sound familiar? Of course it does.

Man seeks Nokia charger for his retro cell phone

That was 30 years ago. Back in the future, we can say that the we live at a time where the socio-cultural, economic and technical foundations exist to change the way that we acquire learning and knowledge in as profound a way as the introduction of printing in Western Europe in the 15th Century. We can now potentially carry our knowledge with us without “several inconveniently large buildings” to carry it around in. The current generation of portable digital devices (including smart phones, PDAs, and media players) is that they can support a digitally-mediated, connected learning environment, providing a convenience of instant access to a range of people and resources, as well as the ability to process data in a way that wasn’t possible even five years ago.

Next time: The altogether more prosaic task of describing the characteristics of E-Learning as I understand them, and a context for M-Learning.

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References:

Adams, D. (1979) The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (pp.26-27) London: Pan Paperbacks

“Don’t Panic” image Courtesy British Broadcasting Corporation

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M-Learning via the iPhone 1 – some approaches and technologies

In my last blog post, I discussed how I had resigned myself to the fact that the Adobe Flash Player will never be deployed on the iPhone†.

However, that is not much use if you, as an e-learning professional, have an audience for knowledge- and content delivery via mobile devices including the iPhone. In this series of articles, I will discuss approaches to delivering training via PDAs like the iPhone based on applications and functionality already available on that device. Let’s see what happens after that.

Let’s set the context. There are a growing number of extensions to the well-established core term ‘E-Learning’ including this list of candidates (compiled in 2008 by CramerSweeney):

• C-Learning - learning via collaboration with co-workers and associates
• M-Learning - learning via a portable digital media device
• V-Learning - learning inside a virtual world (such as Second Life)
• G-Learning - learning via computer games

The latest term I have discovered is Ubiquitous Learning, or U-Learning, first discussed by Gary Woodill in his excellent Workplace Learning Today column, who encountered the term in the title of a Masters dissertation called The dawn of uLearning: near-future directions for 21st century educators). Can we now take this trend to its logical conclusion and define

• T-Learning - learning via reading educational books, academic and other Textual material
  
• S-Learning - learning via lecturers & teachers Speaking
• W-Learning - learning via the medium of pen, paper, and taking Written notes

[Image courtesy Flickr user tryingtimes]

‘X’ is one of the cooler letters – let’s have X-Learning. I’ll send a Mars Bar to the person who contributes the best definition of X-Learning.

Or should we stop. Now. Please.

In my view, each of these descriptors implies that the alphabetti-spaghetti of C- G- M- V-Learning activities are discrete verticals or silos, standing alone and untouched by their siblings.

Of course this is not the case: if anything, we can say that each of these terms describes a learning channel that relies on or emphasizes one modality of learning, but doesn’t - I would assert can’t – occlude other learning modalities.

So whither M-Learning among this cacophony of uppercase modifiers? Does what we commonly call ‘M-Learning’ deserve to be treated as a domain in it’s own right? Can we discover if there are any unique characteristics that differentiate learning via mobile technologies?

I think we need to take a step back. First of all, what is learning? I would assert that learning is

The acquisition of new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The progress of this acquisition over time tends to follow learning curves. Learning is a Constructivist activity.

Harold Stolovitch puts it succinctly in his 2002 text Telling Ain’t Training when he says that “learning is change, adaptation” (p.18). According to the author, we use training, instruction and education as strategies to enable people to learn.

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†Probably.

Apple has a habit of denying that they are developing a range of devices and technologies. Right up to the moment that Apple announce their newest gizmo / solution / partnership. Until 2009 this typically occurred at an Apple Expo event with Steve Jobs uttering the famous phrase “One more thing…” as the latest object of geeky desire walks up the aisle of the technological Chapel O’ Love.

Next time: What is E-Learning (Slight Return)

Coming up: What is M-Learning?

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References:

Publish Post

Nalder, J. (2008). The dawn of uLearning: near-future directions for 21st century educators. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. [Internet] Available from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12398804/The-dawn-of-uLearning-Jonathan-Nalder-Masters-thesis Accessed 18th February 2009

Stolovitch, H. (2002) Telling Ain't Training. ASTD Press.

Sweeney, J. (2008) Let's Talk Terminology CramerSweeney Training Blog [Internet] Available from: http://www.cramersweeney.com/cs_id/trainingblog/ Accessed 17th February 2009

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No Flash on the iPhone? I’m cool with that.

Everyone wants Flash on the iPhone.

Today I had a moment of clarity. I realized there will never be the facility to view Flash-based content on my iPhone. Probably. And you know what? I’m cool with that.

I have been an Apple 3G iPhone owner and user since the model was released here in Ireland in mid-2008. Since I have had the device, I’ve come to rely on it to manage my e-mail accounts, utilize my time, play music, video, take notes (text and audio), and generally be more productive .

I’ve Twittered, Quittered, Facebooked, YouTubed and blogged.

But for me, the inability to deliver Flash-based interactive e-learning applications on the device has been a significant source of frustration for me for all the time I have used my iPhone.

Oh, the potential that’s there, I said. What a waste, I lamented. Learning “on-the-go” – real just-in-time information-transfer just-out-of-reach, I railed, much like Lear on the heath. All that content, ready to be refactored into a dinky miniaturized format for all my learners: not to be, alas and alack.

More than anything else, my frustration was based upon a positive reading of a very ambiguous statement by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, who, when discussing the difficulties in bringing Adobe's most well distributed product to the iPhone said:

It's a hard technical challenge, and that's part of the reason Apple and Adobe are collaborating… The ball is in our court. The onus is on us to deliver.*

The implication of this - and other - public utterances by the Adobe Powers That Be is that Apple and Adobe are “collaborating” on developing a Flash player for the iPhone. Logical conclusion: it’s just a matter of time before Flash appears in the iTunes App Store, ready to go.

Not on the jPhone as a Flash movie anytime soon

However, if you believe Apple CEO Steve Jobs' comments on the popular platform, it won’t be on the iPhone any time soon.

According to Wired, Steve Jobs considers that Flash is “too slow” for the iPhone, and Flash Lite is too limited. Don’t forget that the iPhone OS is a tightly-curated closed platform: Apple call the shots. As Nullriver found out in August 2008 for example, the proprietors have no qualms about pulling iPhone Apps that they deem to extend the functionality of their hardware and software beyond what they (Apple) can control.

Wired again:

Flash does have a reputation for slow performance compared to the other popular web-embeddable language, Java. Traditionally, the best flash presentations are those coded by experts with a keen awareness of its limits—Apple wisely fears iPhones being hammered by the Internet's inexhaustible supply of badly-constructed Flash garbage.

There is a convergence of historical, cultural and practical considerations to be accounted for:

1. After many years closely working with Apple (when the Mac was the graphics & DTP creatives’ / digital media producers’ computer of choice), Adobe Systems grew initially on Apple’s support of Postscript, and later of programs like PhotoShop, Illustrator and Premiere. It can be said that Adobe is taking that relationship for granted. Adobe did not update its Mac software for more than a year after Apple switched to Intel processors in 2007. This must have hit Apple’s revenue pretty hard, as potential users stuck to their PowerPC Macs until they could acquire the compatible Adobe software
2. Traditionally, Flash has performed badly on Macs. Add to that the aforementioned “badly-constructed Flash garbage.”
3. The iPhone is not a powerful computer: it is a Web-enabled Portable Digital Assistant (PDA). I would suggest that in many consumers’ minds that to be able to surf the internet in a full-featured Safari browser on the iPhone means that it’s a “real” computer. Apple surely want to manage users’ expectations.
4. Apple is very aware of these issues. The company went as far as to include a clause in their iPhone developers' Terms of Service agreement (.PDF) that prohibits Flash from appearing on the iPhone:

   No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and built-in interpreter(s).

The outcome of these (and other) factors is that Safari for iPhone is unable to display a significant portion of the content on the internet. Flash games aren't supported, videos can't be streamed from popular television and movie sites like Hulu and the BBC iPlayer, and websites that use Flash to render content or navigation won't work on the iPhone.

Next time: Implications for m-learning. Will mobile e-learning suffer as a result of this scenario?

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References:

*Source: Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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iPhone m-learning content authoring

If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I recently posted on The Mobile Segment of the Learning Marketspace - new report. In that post, I discussed the outcomes of the Elearning Guild Report on the topic.

Well, since then, I have becomes the happy owner of an Apple 3G iPhone (a screenshot of my wallpaper is displayed below) and so I've been searching for an authoring tool to create some content for delivery via iPhone.

My iPhone wallpaper - Ovation six-string acoustic guitar, and 1985 Fender Precision & 1995 Musicman Stingray basses

Now you may know that the Flash Player is not yet available for the iPhone, which leaves content developers like me in a quandary; how to deploy courseware on the device:

• for immediate implementation
• that can be refactored as SWF / FLV formatted files when Adobe and Apple agree to release a version of the Flash Player for iPhone

After quite a bit of research, I've found two authoring tools that that may enable learning professionals to create e-learning content for distribution on the iPhone, yet won't require content authors to develop the content as an extra product stream on top of their ongoing deliverables.

The two tools I am going to investigate are Techsmith Camtasia Studio, and SumTotal ToolBook Instructor 9.5 Beta. I will evaluate each product (and their associate production processes) over the next few days. In the meantime, here (courtesy of SumTotal) are a few handy hints to consider when you're at the pre-production phase of developing learning content for mobile devices:

1. Limit Graphical Content
   With the tight mobile device screen being roughly a twelfth (or smaller) of a desktop screen, large-screen graphics not only increase load times, but also take up valuable space that is needed to display text, hyperlinks, and other important information.
2. Text Considerations
   Text should be limited – brevity is the soul of wit. Layout should be structured to avoid the need for scrolling. This involves breaking up text into smaller pieces/sections and linking to those smaller pieces, instead of putting a lot of text on one screen. Smaller fonts are also recommended. For example, Microsoft Windows Mobile standard is Tahoma with a point size of eight, which is an appropriate size for text viewed in the Apple iPhone’s Safari Web Browser.
3. Limit the use of Data Entry
   Since the keyboard is a limited size, input fields should be kept to a minimum to reduce the amount of typing. Where possible, provide possible text or phrases to avoid needing the user having to type. These text items should have a hyper-link associated with them to serve as an easy way for users to select them, rather than their having to type them on the keyboard.
4. Utilize Screen Space
   Avoid excessive horizontal and vertical spacing between screen elements. Unlike designing a print ad or brochure, you don’t need a lot of “white space” on the mobile device’s screen.
5. Place Non-Essential Links at the Bottom of the Screen
   Hypertext links that are not relevant to the information being displayed should be placed at the bottom of the page to preserve space. This places critical information in the user's view upon entry to the screen or page. For example, a navigation menu that would normally be on the left or top of the screen of a desktop computer should be placed at the bottom of the screen for a mobile device.
6. Media Consideration
   Another matter of importance is the types of media – audio and video – delivered. Generally, this is specific to the mobile device. For example, Windows Mobile devices typically support MPEG and MP3 files, whereas the iPhone currently supports QuickTime and MPEG MP4.

In general, developers should consider the goal of delivery of information via a mobile device. Not all types of information, media, and training materials lend themselves to this channel. With careful planning, content developers should be able to craft and deploy a wide variety of content to help those learners who are on the go.

More...

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References:

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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Mobile E-Learning Channels - More on the ELG report

In my last post on this topic I outlined some of the key findings from the E-Learning Guild 360 Report on Mobile Learning. Today I'm going to discuss the context for mobile learning (m-learning) in a little more detail.

Now read on...

Dr. Conrad Gottfredson, head of the Performance Support Lab & Seminar at the Masie Center, has described the requirement

for an orchestrated set of performance support tools to meet each learner’s moment of need

(2008, p.1)

He defines these as the Five Moments of Learning Need as:

1. When learning for the first time
2. When learning more
3. When remembering and/or applying what’s been learned
4. When things go wrong
5. When things change

He considers the requirement for a multi-channel publishing platform to ensure the currency of training information, as well as its relevancy to learners to be a central component of learning and development, particularly in the organizational context.

Similarly, with the emergence of the read/write web, the ability to contribute information and learning to the totality of an organization's knowledge is quickly gaining value; as we move to a learning 2.0 paradigm, people are not just consuming, but also creating learning, and mobile technology is a being seen as a means to facilitate this learning modality.

According to the report,

...we see that, as Guild members become more experienced in e-Learning, they embrace new approaches to e-Learning more often than people with fewer years of experience. Survey results consistently show that experience in e-Learning encourages growth and experimentation, and does not foster complacency.

[However] a large number of eLearning Guild members seem stuck with the notion that “Mobile Learning” means taking existing training courses and delivering them on a small screen with little or no interactivity. ... But some Guild members need to get out of the trench of thinking “m-Training” and think “m-Performance.”

(pp.6-7)

To support this assertion, Wexler et alia outline the growth in asynchronous learning modalities over the last decade, and note in particular the growth of podcasting and m-learning as content- and knowledge delivery channels (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. A comparison of selected training modalities

Based upon the evidence of the data collected in their survey, we can say that learning and development professionals are implementing e-learning-based training interventions almost as frequently as they rely on traditional classroom-based instructor-led training to deliver courses to learners.

The report also suggests that a competency in developing and delivering e-learning grows over time (and in experience), learning professionals implement non-traditional learning initiatives more frequently than heretofore (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Use of m-learning delivery channels distributed by professional experience

More...

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References:

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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The Mobile Segment of the Learning Marketspace - new report

A few months ago, I received an e-mail from a correspondent about my view on opinion might be on

mobile learning (m-learning) and mobile device adoption as an e-learning delivery mechanism in the future (video lectures, e-book reading, short message texting).

With the emergence of so-called 'smart' mobile devices including the BlackBerry and the iPhone, the potential to deliver learning content via this channel provides some tantalizing opportunities for learning professionals to enable learners access information on-demand - and for the first time - On-the-Go.

Now read on...

I've been reviewing some of the literature on this topic over the last number of weeks, but before I elaborate on my conclusions, The E-Learning Guild in their usual timely fashion have released their latest 360 Report on the topic. In the report, Steven Wexler et al (in a potentially contentious move) define Mobile Learning as:

Any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with, or creating information, mediated through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries on a regular basis, has reliable connectivity, and fits in a pocket or purse.

(p.13)

My initial reaction to this definition is that it omits any reference to the acquisition of new skills, knowledge, or expertise via this learning channel. In my view this is a key aspect of any definition of e-learning; I elaborated on the topic in a series of blog posts at the beginning of 2008 (you can find out more by clicking here) when I endorsed Don Morrison's definition of e-learning (including its subset m-learning) as:

The continuous assimilation of knowledge and skills by adults stimulated by synchronous and asynchronous learning events – and sometimes Knowledge management outputs – which are authored, delivered engaged with, supported and administered using internet technologies.

(2004, p.4)

As I said at the time, I'm open to debate on this definition, but I've still to find a more comprehensive definition of the discipline than the description as elucidated by Mr. Morrison.

But I digress.

The key findings of the E-Learning Guild research include:

• About 20% of E-Learning Guild members use podcasts "sometimes or often"
• 17% use m-Learning "sometimes or often" in their organizations.
• Members with seven or more year’s experience in e-Learning use Podcasts one third more frequently and m-Learning 26% more often than members with six or fewer year’s experience.
• Asia Pacific leads all geographic regions in m-Learning adoption, with 21% of members using Mobile Learning sometimes or often. Canada lags with nearly 11%.
• 37.5% of Guild members completing the Mobile Learning survey indicate they plan to do more m-Learning in the next year.
• Blackberry is the most popular development platform with about 47% of Guild members that plan to implement m-Learning targeting Blackberry devices. Windows Mobile is next with 27%, followed by the iPhone with 15%.
• Over 80% of Guild members that have implemented m-Learning have seen improvement in learner/user access and availability.
• Nearly 60% of Guild members that have implemented m-Learning have seen improved user performance.

More...

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References:

Morrison, D. (2004) E-Learning Strategies: how to get implementation and delivery right first time, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wexler, S. Brown, J. Metcalf, D. Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008) MOBILE LEARNING What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com (Subscription required) [Accessed 21 July 2008]

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"M-Learning - Wherefore art thou?" - My response

Donald Clark pondered the question "Wherefore art thou M-Learning?" on his Plan B blog recently.

Here's my response:

I believe that part of the resistance to a broader take-up of m-learning is the issue of plain old content formatting. Given that we still have to jump through any number of hoops to ensure content is delivered as specified in different browsers on the Windows platform (never mind MacOS, Linux etc.) is it any wonder that training and content providers are reticent about developing courseware for the range of what Douglas Adams called "Personal Electronic Things"? Associated issues include designing UIs that work on 2x1 inch screens, bandwidth considerations, interoperability, tracking learner usage, providing and measuring tests, and so on.
So there's all that, and the fact that I have yet to see any really engaging m-learning materials.

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