Transcript
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Web 2.0 Social Media and Mobile Learning: Emerged Tools for Learning

Skip Ward’s Blog Entries from “Communication, Learning and Coaching to Drive Behavioral and Organizational Change”

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To the Reader

Thank you for the opportunity to share ideas last week. As follow up to

my presentations and our various meetings, I have prepared a sample of

my blogs on social media and mobile learning. These blogs grew out of

work on my certification in Emerging Technologies for Learning offered by

the University of Manitoba on the Angel LMS.

The blogs also reflect facilitator/teacher expectations for their students-

to assume a portion of responsibility for their own learning, to engage

independently and in a self-directed manner and to freely share their

ideas and findings with other classmates.

I have selected 11 blogs. Most contain links to other sites and a few

contain links to videos created for the various courses.

I trust that you will find this topic as exciting as I do!

Dr. James (“Skip”) Ward

9/28/2011

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Table of Contents

The Future of Mobile Learning: Where are the Red Balloon People? P. 4

Three Significant Challenges to Introducing Mobile Learning to a University

Campus P. 6

Mobile Nomads- Opportunities for Universities to Harness the Power of

Community P. 10

Mobile Phones for Communication and Learning on a University Campus P. 12

University Apps- The Challenge of Delivering Sustainable Information Just in

Time, Anytime and Just for Them! P. 15

Mobile Learning- The Beginning of the Journey P. 18

“The New Norm- Emerged and Emerging Technologies- Connecting People

and Knowledge” Slideshare Experiment P. 20

The Information Tsunami and Re-Learning How to Learn- Implications for

Communication and Corporate Training P. 21

Second Life for Business, Marketing and Universities: Beyond Emerging P. 23

Digital Literacy- Second Life 101: Dual appearances done, but simply! 80/20

P. 26

The Future of Change Management: Five Emerging Trends and Expectations

That Will Define the Change Manager P. 28

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The Future of Mobile Learning: Where are the Red Balloon People?

Jul.13, 2011

I recently viewed an Ustream production and the topic of the Red Balloon project came up. I admit I

never heard of it and, if I had been in the room, I would have my iPhone out and I would be googling

and listening to the speaker. Instead I googled on my laptop!

― The Red Balloon contest serves as a metaphor for the

newly-networked world. This new way of generating, aggregating and disseminating information has

profound implications for higher education. It challenges long-held practices of teaching and learning,

institutional organization and structure, and the very notion of expertise. The Red Balloon contest also

serves as an analogy for how a community of higher education institutions and their national association

can work together to promote and support change in higher education.‖

http://www.aascu.org/programs/redballoon/

As part of my course on mLearning for the University of Manitoba certification in Emerging

Technologies, our class designed a survey with Survey Monkey on the future of mobile learning and we

received 153 responses. It was distributed through a range of networks representing our own personal

educational networks (mine was via a group of 12 graduate students in education via a local university

and via a Ning site, Learning Town). We were then asked as part of the course to create a blog entry on

results. You can view the PDF of the survey and results on my Slideshare site.

As I reviewed the survey results below, I could not but help thinking that those adapting to the

technology of the 21st century are launching more weather balloons and will challenge in the fortress of

the status quo. But the results also show that much work needs to be done in creating awareness o f the

potential of the mobile device. For more on the Red Balloon Project see We Have a Winner and

Introduction to the Red Balloon Project. You can view the PDF of the major project study (The Red

Balloon Project: Re-Imagining Undergraduate Education) at the same Slideshare site.

1. When asked ―Do you currently use mobile learning device(s) in your formal education or institutional

training setting?‖ 152 answered the question and 55% said yes. However, when we drilled down into

that issue, the majority, 81 respondents, skipped the questions. They skipped over telling us the type of

device, utilization rate, type of content, current use. When asked about usage of apps2/3 skipped the

question. And when asked what type of device they personally used, a third skipped the question.

My conclusion- Too many respondents did not take this seriously. How can the majority say use mobile

devices but are unable to provide detail into the device? And at the same time, respondents listed the

standards reasons for successful application to learning: multiple features in one device, better

engagement with learners, immediate ability to connect to a server.

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2. Nearly 87% believe they will play an important role in the future of learning in K-12. However, the

top suitable uses cited were all transactional, not classroom instruction: accessing lecture note,

conducting polls, completing forms . With the exception of conducting polls, the bulk of the activity

cited can be done with a laptop. And 41 percent will utilize email or texting in their formal learning

My conclusion:

-Respondents appear to be thinking as a sage on the stage, as a teacher in the traditional sense. In today

tech savvy word, traditional ways of the data dump may no longer satisfy a generation of digital natives

has rendered traditional learning obsolete.

- A significant amount of change management must be brought to the table, especially an awareness

campaign to educate instructions in the classroom applications of mlearning.

3. Significant percentages see the future in college classroom, high schools, online training. But only

32% see a significant growth in elementary schools. I don‘t agree. Young kids today play games on their

parent‘s smart phone and the like. We as educators have to get as smart as our kids!

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Three Significant Challenges to Introducing Mobile Learning to a

University Campus Jun.18, 2011

We are just entering the anytime, anywhere, anything digital culture originally created by Apple and the

iPhone. For the moment, it‘s all about the apps that are just being discovered for university

communication and marketing use. (See my blog entry University Apps- The Challenge of Delivering

Sustainable Information Just in Time, Anytime and Just for Them! )

Now I foresee three major areas that will challenge the status quo but potentially will also enable the

future. And I suggest specific remedies to each challenge.

For further information, see my blog entries Mobile Phones for Communication and Learning on a

University Campus and Mobile Nomads- Opportunities for Universities to Harness the Power of

Community

1. Challenge: Managing Change in a University Environment

There are examples of universities that have undergone significant change, among them is North

Carolina State University. The university has a strategic plan, and conducted a sequenced

communication process with students, faculty and stakeholders. NCSU is in the execution phase. This

institution used the proper tools of change management- stakeholder analysis, focus groups, feedback

sessions etc.

John Kotter‘s now classic 8 step change model is more than theory. Implementation following Kotter‘s

sequence leads to, while never seamless, generally smooth change. (And as we live in a mobile age,

check out a free iPhone app, Mindtools, where you can go to countless change management tools

anytime, anywhere.)

1. The first step begins at the top- an urgency to change, an urgency felt by Senior Leaders, in a

university of a business.

What to do?

Identify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what could happen in the future.

Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited.

Get the conversation going. Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons

to get people talking and thinking.

Build the case for mlearning. If the President, Provosts, Deans and other leaders aren‘t for it, the

introduction of mlearning will fail. The Communications plan is the critical element as the

institution moves forward

2. You must make the case for change. What are the advantages to the institution? Faculty? Students? In

short, you must form a powerful coalition across campus.

3. Create a vision of what the future will look like. This becomes a change tool- it helps individuals

imagine what the use of mobile devices will look like.

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4. Communicate the Vision. (―A Day in the Life of an mlearning (instructor) (administrator) (student)‖

is an effective addition to the campaign to educate across the campus. It is an idea that sticks.

5. Along the way, the university will encounter obstacles, and they need to be removed. Determine the

treats to a roll out of mlearning and creating potential responses in advance is a key to removing

roadblocks.

6. Identify the low hanging fruit, the easy successes and communicate those success.

7. Don‘t declare victory too soon. After every win conduct an after action review – what did you expect

to happen? What happened? What did you learn?

8. Anchor the change in university culture. Make that idea stick!

2. Challenge: Create a written communication plan.

For details on the how tos of communication plans, see my blog entry Communication Plans- The Triple

Ts of Transparency, Truth and Trust and Presentations and Media That Stick

Much work will have to be done on the ground level to share how universities are using these tools now.

(Stay tuned- I am in the process of creating a Creative Commons document for download on Slideshare

that is a collection of examples of current mlearning usage, practical real-life ideas.)

FB about mlearning. Tweet the stories. Create campus posters with Quick Response codes. Put the

stores about mlearning up on the university YouTube channel and Slideshare channel. Crowdsourse it!

Enlist students to use their mobiles to shoot video stories and email them into an mlearning blog. Create

an mlearning logo contest then use the logo on university shirts, caps etc. Create a ―Day in the life of an

mlearner contest. (For information on QR codes see my blog entry Marketing, Communications and

Early Adopters: Quick Response (QR) Codes Emerge in the States and What Are the What-To-Dos to

Implement?)

3. Challenge: Sustain the momentum and celebrate success

Celebrating mlearning success is a key factor. People like to be congratulated for work well done. It is

bottom line human nature. Sadly it is often overlooked.

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1. Apple launched the iPhone Developer University Program to train university students in app

development, for free.

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2. At the same time, Stanford launched its iApps Project

―At Stanford, we envision the iPhone as having a profound potential to break barriers in the way we

provide information and services to students – in how they converse with the institution, their

curriculum, the faculty, and each other. With an enduring entrepreneurial, innovative, and technological

leadership, those same qualities that helped shape Silicon Valley, Stanford is in a unique position to

chart yet another new course, this time using the iPhone.‖

Visit here to see Stanford‘s impressive iTunes site

Other participating universities include

-The University of Wisconsin

-Indiana University

-The University of Delaware

-Vanderbilt

-University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and they have created their own wiki

For information on how your university could join Apple‘s free app training program, enabling students

to create university apps like those described in this blog entry visit iOS Developer University Program.

3. Computer science major Evan Aumack created the application, or app during winter quarter as a final

project for Dr. Enoch Hwang‘s Introduction to Computer Programming class.

In fall of 2009, Hwang added the Apple application development component to his quarterly

Introduction to Computer Programming classes to boost interest. Students create apps as fun, final class

projects each quarter. ―Before we were just using a traditional approach to teach computer

programming,‖ Hwang said. ―Now the students are learning the same logical programming techniques

but applying it on the iPhone platform. After 10 weeks they can now write simple app codes.‖

Instructional Uses

At Abilene Christian University, faculty

Have students look up relevant information on the spot and then facilitate a discussion

Put discussion question on a screen as a PowerPoint and then use polling software the university

has developed for the iPhone

Deliver quizzes created for an iPhone.

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Mobile Nomads- Opportunities for Universities to Harness the Power of Community Jun.02, 2011

What is a mobile nomad?

Always on the go lifestyle

University students, like many business folks, live in an ―always on the go‖ lifestyle- walking and

chewing gum, texting and walking and chatting, multi-tasking. The Android device or iPhone is

ubiquitous, always with them (and me!).

Speed of “been there done that”

Recently a 20 something said to me, ―By the time I graduate two years from now, the information I have

been taught will be old and outdated at the speed of change today.‖

I do get his point, but George Washington will always be our first U.S. President and 2+2 will always =

4. But new theories will be put into practice, new technologies will emerge that will enable us to do

what we can‘t do now, creating new jobs and process and tools. (Take the text to chat or chat to text

app- 5 years ago we would not have thought that was possible. Now it is. I dial a number by saying the

name.)

Brian Chen of Wired Magazine wrote, ―Why listen to a single source talk about a printed textbook that

will inevitably be outdated in a few years? That setting seems stale and hopelessly limited when pitted

against the internet, which opens a portal to a live stream of information provided by billions of minds.‖

Point taken.

Emergent change in behavior: The mobile in the hand

―About five years ago my students stopped taking notes. I asked, ‗Why are you not taking notes?‘ And

they said, ‗Why would we take notes on that?…. I can go to Wikipedia or go to Google, and I can get all

the information I need.‖ Bill Rankin, Abilene Christian University

So students are constantly on the move through a set of classes, exams, papers, Face Book updates,

tweets, and parties, (of course). They anticipate that the world is changing faster than ever. And they

know that coping with information overload—learning about and using an aggregator like Google

Alerts, deciding now what to scan, what to read, what to ignore, what site takes them to the most useful

information or ideas, is critical to survival. The same technology that enables on the spot fact check just

in time and just for me also can create the roadblock of information overload.

How to harness the power of change oriented mobile nomads for the university student

community?

Engage them!

Here are four trailblazing examples of how institutions engage their stakeholders, their customers– the

student– in the creation of apps. Many have taken up Apple on its offer to train students to create apps.

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Others have created ―how to‖ courses or integrated app creation into an existing IT program. Others

engage through use of the mobile device in the classroom. Check it out.

1. Apple launched the iPhone Developer University Program to train university students in app

development, for free.

2. At the same time, Stanford launched its iApps Project

―At Stanford, we envision the iPhone as having a profound potential to break barriers in the way we

provide information and services to students – in how they converse with the institution, their

curriculum, the faculty, and each other. With an enduring entrepreneurial, innovative, and technological

leadership, those same qualities that helped shape Silicon Valley, Stanford is in a unique position to

chart yet another new course, this time using the iPhone.‖

Visit here to see Stanford‘s impressive iTunes site

Other participating universities include

-The University of Wisconsin

-Indiana University

-The University of Delaware

-Vanderbilt

-University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and they have created their own wiki

For information on how your university could join Apple‘s free app training program, enabling students

to create university apps like those described in this blog entry visit iOS Developer University Program.

3. Computer science major Evan Aumack created the application, or app during winter quarter as a final

project for Dr. Enoch Hwang‘s Introduction to Computer Programming class.

In fall of 2009, Hwang added the Apple application development component to his quarterly

Introduction to Computer Programming classes to boost interest. Students create apps as fun, final class

projects each quarter. ―Before we were just using a traditional approach to teach computer

programming,‖ Hwang said. ―Now the students are learning the same logical programming techniques

but applying it on the iPhone platform. After 10 weeks they can now write simple app codes.‖

Instructional Uses

At Abilene Christian University, faculty

Have students look up relevant information on the spot and then facilitate a discussion

Put discussion question on a screen as a PowerPoint and then use polling software the university

has developed for the iPhone

Deliver quizzes created for an iPhone.

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Mobile Phones for Communication and Learning on a University Campus May.27, 2011

By nature mobile phones are personal and lightweight. They

travel with us everywhere and often in places that inherently contain a large number of distractions

(riding a bus to work, for example). In our Mobile Age rural learners, for example, are rural only

geographically. They are as connected as a student in Cairo, Jakarta, Ottawa or New York, even globally

with the Skype app for mobiles..The use of mobiles for communication and learning is very much an

emerging technology. The hardware issue has been solved. ―The challenge is now in developing

innovative, usable and affordable software applications and services for these devices.‖ Razi and

Mahmoud, 2008. http://change-leadershipllc.com/learning Abilene Christian University launched a

program in 2008 to equip every student with a mobile and to rollout a program to integrate mobile

learning with an iPhone or iPod Touch into classroom instruction. Apple launched the iPhone Developer

University Program to train university students in app development, for free. At the same time, Stanford

launched its iApps Project

―At Stanford, we envision the iPhone as having a profound potential to break barriers in the way we

provide information and services to students – in how they converse with the institution, their

curriculum, the faculty, and each other. With an enduring entrepreneurial, innovative, and technological

leadership, those same qualities that helped shape Silicon Valley, Stanford is in a unique position to

chart yet another new course, this time using the iPhone.‖

For information on how your university could join Apple‘s free app training program, enabling students

to create university apps like those described below, visit iOS Developer University Program.

Abilene Christian University launched a program in 2008 to equip every student with a mobile and to

rollout a program to integrate mobile learning with an iPhone or iPod Touch into classroom instruction.

Apple launched the iPhone Developer University Program to train university students in app

development, for free. At the same time, Stanford launched its iApps Project

―At Stanford, we envision the iPhone as having a profound potential to break barriers in the way we

provide information and services to students – in how they converse with the institution, their

curriculum, the faculty, and each other. With an enduring entrepreneurial, innovative, and technological

leadership, those same qualities that helped shape Silicon Valley, Stanford is in a unique position to

chart yet another new course, this time using the iPhone.‖

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For information on how your university could join Apple‘s free app training program, enabling students

to create university apps like those described below, visit iOS Developer University Program.

My take on the challenge is, yes, we need to develop apps, but we also need to look at use of existing

processes and tools to deliver information. (For an interesting look at the extent apps are just emerging,

see the Pew Research Center reports, The Rise of the Apps Culture and App Hype Still Way Ahead of

Use Adoption.)

The Prerequisite: SMS Text Policy

The University of Bristol offers a template of what a policy can include, beyond use of SMS for campus

emergencies: reminding students to register or select options, announcing room and timetable changes;

announcements, essay deadline reminders, updating reading lists; seminar and lecture announcements,

social events, concerts.

Yale

allows for texts to the library on specific information.

An Innovative Use of SMS

I want to propose in this blog entry a concept using existing systems at minimal cost: Text blasts (a

Group SMS– Short Message Service– Text Messaging solution) and Quick Response codes. I want to

place this example within the context of a university.

There are many low cost services offered for group SMS texting. I am not endorsing any one of the

services, but see EZTexting.com for information and a webinar on how these systems work. These

services are beyond short lines- they also allow the user to open a page of information, which was my

―aha‖ moment the first time I received such a text.

For a discussion of Quick Response codes, see my blog entry Marketing, Communicatons and Early

Adopters: Quick Response Codes Emerge inn the States and What Are the What-to-Dos to Implement?

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The Communication/Learning Scenario: New Student Orientation and the Scavenger Hunt

Mobile technology enables communication and learning in with a tool uinversity students mastered long

ago. Here is an opportunity for a university to collectively plan out activities that engage and entertain

participants (imagine, learning is fun!) in face-to face-activities that rely on social activity and

technology.

The process is simple. This activity is an active ‗icebreaker‖ that meets all learning styles and I am

certain that each reader will invent a variation to meet individual institutional needs.

1. Create the text clues in advance for each group in order to have students fan out at different rates and

times to different places on and off campus.

2. Have a student from orientation planning in each group in order to check back and have the next clued

blasted.

3. Have QR codes set up around campus providing links to further information. For example, QR codes

could take a viewers to a set of photos around the development of the building or significant events in

campus history and traditions, including campus sports ―heroes‖ past and present. A link could go a

sound file of the campus anthem (imagine what you could have teams do with that!) or puzzles. In

planning this event, a well facilitated meeting with students will generate countless ideas and potential

activities. Generation of QR codes is free and very easy.

I previously posted an entry on the use of university apps and noted that some universities include

walking tours. Certainly a self-guided walking tour could be supplemented with QR codes. For more

information see University Apps: The Challenge of Delivering Sustainable Information Just in Time,

Just for Them

Other Uses

The University of Memphis texts links to videos on their YouTube channel.

A wide range of secondary schools text key information, and reminders, to parents.

As a footnote- The University of Maryland uses Twitter to support new student orientation.

For further reaiding on the development of SMS text quizzes see Niazi, Razieh and Qusay H. Mahmoud,

Senior Member, IEEE. (2008). Design and Development of a Device-Independent System for Mobile

Learning, IEEE Multidisciplinary Engineering Education Magazine, 3(3), September. Retreive from

http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/e/sac/meem/index.php/meem/article/viewFile/28/29

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University Apps- The Challenge of Delivering Sustainable Information Just in Time, Anytime and Just for Them! May.24, 2011

I recently downloaded eight university apps for my iPhone to determine how they are used as

communication tools on or off campus. My assumption is that these apps are built for marketing and

branding the university with parents and students and various stakeholders. I also assume the apps are

part of an overall written communications plan based on the university brand. I will soon add a blog

entry on the critical value of a written communication plan, along with examples of Best Practices.

I was informally looking at these basic questions:

What are the common info bits in these apps?

What ―different‖ or ―edgy‖ bits of information do they contain?

How often would they be used? How sustainable are they given the cost of development?

Where can university apps go from here? What are some Best Practices to consider?

How can institutions go beyond the app into other digital communication tools?

First, a word on cost. If a university does not outsource development, and does not harness the

intellectual power of IT and students, the cost is prohibitive.

According to Aaron Maxwell in a February 2011 Mashable article,

―There‘s no such thing as a ―typical‖ app, so it‘s hard to give a meaningful average cost. But as a

general working figure, we can say it costs at least $30,000 to design, implement and deploy a brand-

quality iPhone app. I haven‘t found published studies for the equivalent costs for Android and

BlackBerry, but since the device fragmentation is greater, it would makes sense that the costs are at least

similar.‖

I was personally quoted a cost of $15,000 and that was taking a book into an app concept.

What universities did I look at?

University of Texas at Austin

Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas

University of Michigan

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University of Iowa

University of Tulsa

University of Vermont

University of Chicago

University of Montana

What are the common features?

1. They all contain university news. Now I assume this is the same news form campus papers, but a key

feature of communications is to repeat the same news in different media and formats to meet the reading

styles of various segments of the target audience.

2. Most contain university maps, and these are helpful to visiting parents and potential new students.

The University of Chicago contains a mass transit map, a truly useful item to first year students.

3. Five of the eight contain employee directories, again an item students potential will use year round,

providing information just in time and just for them.

4. All contain links to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook or to pages of student or university generated

photos.

5. Sports, of course!

What “different” or “edgy” bits of information do they contain?

1. Sam Houston State University contains emergency numbers as well as Help Desk numbers.

2. The University of Montana has links to bars and eateries.

3. The University of Texas at Austin has a link to puzzles, songs and traditions.

4. The University of Michigan has the cafeteria menu.

How often would they be used? How sustainable are they given the cost of development?

While I would recommend a survey to student usage, and assuming the existence of the app has been

well advertised, I assume these are all sustainable in use, with certain features especially helpful for new

student orientation.

Where can university apps go from here? What are some Best Practices to consider?

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1. I assume the bulk of students nationally have shied away from iPhones due to cost, and have gone

over to android based phones (It‘s Google and it‘s a free operating system!) The institution has to plan

for apps for all phone users.

2. Form some informal face-to-face focus groups to collect the features the student users would like to

see. Run an informal online poll with Survey Monkey or Zoomerang or a similar tool to collect ideas

from parents and other key stakeholders. If people participate in design they are far more likely to use

the product.

3. Consider use of the app as a tool for anytime, just for me orientation. Where can you send people on a

self-guided campus tour? What would a student want to know- what is a cool factoid? Remember- this is

information for 20 somethings, their friends who influence their decisions and their parents- not for a

university professor. How can you build in the use of publically posted Quick Response codes to the

app? See me blog entry on QR codes for further information.

4. Some features will need to be updated frequently, such as campus events, campus news and YouTube

videos. These resources need to be built into your communication plan or you will quickly have an

outdated product, a very unacceptable brand image.

5. Apps are based on emerging technologies. What is kool today may be un-kool next year, dating the

institution and branding campaign. IT, communication specialists, and the students themselves are

sources of the ―ing‖ of emerging. Certainly the institution should consider an advisory team that meets

every 3 or 6 months to discuss and share emerging features on apps. For example, I believe that

augmented reality and apps where people leave notes or comments on buildings, already out there, will

take on a greater role in the next year. And photo sharing continues to take on innovative dimensions.

6. If you build it they will not come- you have to communicate in multiple formats that the app exists

and what it can do for users. Remember, mobile learning and mobile based communication is just in

time, anytime and just for them.

Beyond the App

So let‘s make this edgy! Given the range of IT projects for IT majors, what game-based products might

be created to attract the student body? Universities burst with talent, creativity and ideas that are free and

ubiquitous. Why not go after that energy in a planned way?

My Challenge

So what say you? What are some cool features you would include in a university app? What about

beyond the app into the ―edgy‖?

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Mobile Learning- The Beginning of the Journey May.21, 2011

This is a blog for a University of Manitoba course on mlearning or mobile learning toward a Certificate

in Emerging Technologies for Learning (98825)

Assignment 1: For discussion purposes, write a brief review of a resource or an organization that has

recently changed your understanding of mobile learning and post in the Angel forum.

I have entered this course a near tabula rasa, a blank slate, with no opinion on the use of mobile devices

in institutions in formal learning environment. I use my iPhone to Google information just in time and

just for me. I use an array of apps, news, and photography, my top favorites.

The only structured information I have ad is via a Massive open Online Course or MOOC on mobile

learning. I left that six week course with the impression the we here in the States are woefully being

Canada, Europe. Asia and parts of Africa in the use of mobile devices for educational purposes. The

technology that I see great potential for is the use of Quick Response (QR) codes for learning and

communication and have blogged on use of QR codes.

· The Lure of Mobile Marketing and Communications- From Business to Higher Education

· Marketing, Communications and Early Adopters: Quick Response (QR) Codes Emerge in the States

and What Are the What-To-Dos to Implement?

I have reviewed three chapters of the text book by Mohamed, A (2009). Mobile learning: transforming

the delivery of education and training. AU Press, Athabasca University. Available at:

http://www.aupress.ca/books/120155/ebook/99Z_Mohamed_Ally_2009-MobileLearning.pdf

Chapter 1- Current State of Mobile Learning

Chapter 2- A Model for Framing Mobile Learning

Chapter 5- Informal Learning Evidence in Online Communities of Mobile Device Enthusiasts

Here are my conclusions as we start out this semester.

1. Yes, mobile learning is unique, but not because of the accompanying pedagogy. The tool itself- the

smart phone (I am an avid iPhone user)- is what makes mlearning unique, not the instructional

methodology. The learning theory put forth by the authors of these chapters is simple solid constructivist

theory used in any classroom. Period.

2. Learning styles and preferences is not an issue- digital nomads live life walking and texting. I argue

that smart phone use and technology is the norm, and crosses oven any preferred styles as we all use

these phones.

3. The debate around evaluation of mlearning is a tempest in a tea pot- test and assess as in any course

and any pedagogy.

4. These chapters did not mention apps. Apps are a driving force in use of mlearning and this will be the

subject of a later blog.

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5. I concur that the iPhone, for example is a tool for my own self directed learning, but again, learning

defined by what my iPhone can do for me with Google and apps.

6. Yes, I do use my iPhone app to take notes- at church or lists of what I need to get in the store.

My particular interest is the use of mobiles for communication targeted at specific audiences, in this case

university audiences–students and stakeholders and I will pursue this niche as we go forward.

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“The New Norm- Emerged and Emerging Technologies- Connecting

People and Knowledge” Slideshare Experiment Mar.11, 2011

Check out my video first!

My Slideshare Experiment

My CCK11 course project is to use a tool I have not really explored deeply in the past, Slideshare. I

have sent regular and video emails out to members of two groups- google groups and cck11 Facebook. I

also used the Slideshare email tool to email the video in this blog. (As a communications guy I learned a

long time ago to reuse materials in different delivery formats. Someone may not read an email but might

open a video email out of curiosity.

My Slideshare channel is, not surprisingly, CCK11, the online, live 15-20 minute presentation with me

on video in the Slideshare system will be entitled, ―The New Norm- Emerged and Emerging

Technologies Connecting People and Knowledge‖. I will share with those that join the key

communications tools I see as essential to networking in our digital society.

As I write, my Slideshare Network (connections is what it is all about!) includes Ailsa Haxell and Rita

Kop. They are members of Slideshare and as they post to their sites, the slides appear in mine. One stop

shopping!

My Slideshare Newsfeed includes postings from Slideshare to Twitter (I forget to label the tweets

cck11) and Facebook. And it indicates two people in our class have joined so far. Thanks!

I have uploaded an introduction slide about myself and a short video introduction of the CCK11

Channel, the same as in this blog entry

My intension is to explore the full options of Slideshare. More as I learn on the go!

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The Information Tsunami and Re-Learning How to Learn- Implications for Communication and Corporate Training Mar.09, 2011

Check out this video first!

It‘s a new day in connected communication!

I am popular with the 20-something set and we chat a lot about how our lives are transformed by

technology tools, especially social media, and how it potentially connects us all.

Matt- Skip, when I graduate with my BA, most of what I have been taught about what is here and

now will be history. Society is moving faster than the organizations that represent society.

Skip- Yeah, the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete is in the

flash of a text, tweet or upload.

Kristen- Worse still, there is so much information out there, I can’t keep up with it all and I don’t

know what to look at and what to discard.

Matt- Yeah, Kirsten, knowledge is all over the place. I guess we are really in a world without

boundaries.

The Emerging Learning Model- The Knowledge is in My Network

Let me start with my assumptions about learning in the digital native or digital immigrant world. (I‘m an

immigrant!)

Knowledge is personal. I can be exposed to information, formally or informally, but it is up to

me to translate info into knowledge. I can be exposed to print, virtual, oral, visual information,

but I have to access and then apply. I believe this to be true for any one.

Adult learning is primarily self directed. I know I have a gap and go about filling it, just as I

know I have a strength and I want to exercise and expand on it.

It is not uncommon to visit with my curators, professionals I know who have made it, who have

mastered the knowledge and skills I am pursuing in my lifelong learning journey. I use them as

filters, time savers, and cut down on Google timing.

Both curators and colleagues are distributed globally. Technology potentially empowers all of us.

I say ―potentially‖ because I don‘t know what I don‘t know. Technology allows my knowledge pull- I am empowered to go and find it!

Implications for Communication

Organizations need to explore all the options for mass communication. I will blog in the next few days

with links to the tools available today as a hands on starting point. To be sure, social media tools do no

eliminate the need for the printing press!

Implications for Corporate Training

Curators, those called up on to assist organizations manage changes, are obligated in the global,

technological world, to provide the best, up to date tools for participants to use to follow up and explore

the issues, skills, knowledge from workshops or coaching sessions.

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For example, I built this site to support a workshop I delivered at a local university on social media in

the classroom. I actually used it in the workshop.

Moving Social Media into the Classroom

And this site is an example of what can be done as follow up to leadership sessions.

The Quest for Authentic Leadership

These sites are built on Ning. Imagine the follow up to sessions on understanding the change process,

team development. You name it- it can be ―ninged‖!

“Overload” and How to Cope

―We‘re a gathering of industry practitioners, academic researchers, consultants and other professionals

who are dedicated to addressing the problem of information overload, an ongoing crisis that diminishes

productivity and quality of life among knowledge workers worldwide.‖ Information Overload Research

Group (I have collected a few articles from this site and have book marked them on my Diigo site.)

You have heard, and may have uttered all of these statements:

I don‘t have time to read your (email) (text). I am really busy at work.

I just delete without reading

I don‘t know where to look. I just Google away

Use the power of an aggregator!

Here are two ways you can use aggregators, automated tools that identify mentions of your topic area.

Netvibes.com is a sophisticated tool that delivers what you want in real time!

You create dashboards that follow any topic you want. I currently have info coming in on the following:

leadership skills, change management, process safety in manufacturing, building team trust. Netvibes is

nice in that it includes tweets and video.

Follow Netvibes on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/netvibes

Google Alerts allow you to monitor the web for mentions of the topics you are interested in. It is a

definite requirement to handle incoming!

Here is your Starting Guide for Google alerts.

My challenge to you!

1. Try out Netvibes and/or Goggle Alerts and share your experiences.

2. How do you cope with overload?

3. What is your take on communication and training in these digital times?

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Second Life for Business, Marketing and Universities: Beyond Emerging

Feb.15, 2011

What is Second Life?

SL is a 3D, computer-generated social networking tool.

SL is a virtual world where you build your own avatar (or multiple representations) to represent yourself

and transport yourself to any of the 30,000 plus ―islands‖. Why? To engage in meetings, projects,

concerts, movies or just hang out. You communicate by text chat or use Voice Over Internet Protocol

(VOIP) to verbally chat. Today there are well over 13 million users.

Is SL recognized by academic institutions as legitimate?

Today, hundreds of colleges, universities, and other learning organizations- -from nearly every country–

are either augmenting their current curriculum with a virtual learning component or they are holding

classes and entire programs exclusively in immersive learning environments in Second Life. I am

currently taking a class held in SL. Immersive Worlds, Avatars and Second Lives

An ever growing number of universities are represented in SL. As evidence of academic acceptance,

check out Metaverse Creativity, a refereed journal focusing on the examination of creativity in user-

defined online virtual worlds such as Second Life® and edited by a University of Austin professor.

The University of Delaware has created a Ning site for Second Life users. Ning is a social network site

that allows for a number of feeds- twitter, for example, and communication tools, such as video, sound,

slides, blogs. For an example check out the Ning site I built for a workshop at Sam Houston State

University, Moving Social Media into the Classroom .

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Linden Lab, the business creator of Second Life, has

strong support tools and use concepts for educators, as seen in the brochure Second Life Education: The

Virtual Learning Advantage. .

How does SL apply to business and marketing?

Mitch Wagner, in Using Second Life As A Business-To-Business Tool, provides one example:

Cisco has a few hundred employees in Second Life. They have several avatars that they use for user-

group meetings and meetings among their own international staff. They do customer education and

training in Second Life, get feedback from customers on products, and do presentations using

PowerPoint, video, and streaming audio. They hold events that combine people in the real world with

avatars in Second Life — a type of event that Second Lifers call ―mixed reality.‖

From Toyota to Adidas to Sun Microsystems,

adventurous, trend-conscious companies are starting to see the 3D, computer-generated world as a

virtual community where they can test-market future product lines or host events to foster brand loyalty

and generate buzz among avatars and, more important, their flesh-and-blood counterparts.

For further reading, check out The Immersive Internet Make Tactical Moves Today For Strategic

Advantage Tomorrow

What are some possible SL uses at the university level?

Prospective and current students will use print media, but more in the form of internet web sites and

Face Book than print brochures. And print media- posters for rooms, brochures and the like- are all

downloadable. They no longer requires Face to face to access.

They will use social tools to learn about the institution- read blogs, tweet, read their Google Alert. SL is

another social too and it allows for social collaboration and the wisdom of the crowds.

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A key communication principle is to present the same message in multiple ways to attract the widest

audience and to recognize that new communication tools are constantly emerging.

Check out this video from The Ohio University

Ohio University Second Life Campus

What say you? What other specific uses have you seen for SL?

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Digital Literacy- Second Life 101: Dual appearances done, but simply! 80/20 Feb.14, 2011

This is the first project for the class:

Using materials supplied by the instructor, create two avatars that demonstrate a reflection upon these

tensions. For example, you may create a pair of avatars that explore the ―public‖ self – as you wish to be

seen by others – and the ―inner‖ self – as you see yourself. Or you may explore alternate identities or

avatars that might be representative of your personal interests vs. your professional interests. The avatars

will be demonstrated to the class in a 5 minute presentation that reflects upon the reading materials, class

discussion, and how creating the avatars has impacted your own experience as learners.

Avatar presentations in class on 2/14 should demonstrate/address the following:

-Learners should be able to easily switch between their avatars, demonstrating a level of skill with the

Second Life interface.

-The avatar creations should demonstrate that a reasonable amount of time and effort was spent thinking

about and constructing the avatar.

- Learners should be able to discuss why they chose the avatars they picked or created, and how they

might use this type of exercise in a classroom or learning environment.

At the end of trying to create a pair of avatars here are my biggest learnings.

1. Allot significant time to this exercise.

2. I used ―Second Life for Dummies‖, but the book is out of date. I see that SL has been updated, like

any site would be over time.

3. I tried to get back to our course home several times and was told that it was unavailable.

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4. Here are the key steps to go back and forth between your appearances.

Here is my first appearance representing what I felt I looked like before I started taking care of my diet

and before I started @ a gym with a personal trainer.

How to change between the two images of ―me‖ above?

It took me hours to get that point and in the end I have 12 or more appearances cluttering up the file! But

I have class in three hours and am afraid I will mess it up!

Not very brilliant at this point but I will settle for an 80/20 solution.

Technology has made perfect possible, but often the 80/20 solution is superior to perfection. Why? As

you proceed along on the project or activity, you will gain insights captured only in the act and continue

to adapt and change.

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The Future of Change Management: Five Emerging Trends and Expectations That Will Define the Change Manager by 2015 Feb.11, 2011

1. Consultants will be Trusted Advisors, in significant part, because they have mastered the digital

literacies that aggregate information.

Darwin Awareness Engine

Technologies are emerging at email speed, creating a challenge to keep up in any field, and changing

expectations about the role of a Change Manager. The world is in flux, re-defining digital literacies. For

example, though the network of contacts I have established, I discovered a beta version of a new

aggregator, the Darwin Awareness Engine. “Darwin Awareness Engine™ helps users track Web and

Enterprise 2.0 events, uncover emerging trends and gain faster understanding of complex issues over

time. Addresses the core problem of information overload.”

A Change Manager is expected to bring fresh strategies and tools on stakeholder involvement or

communications tied to emerging technologies and social media specifically to manage information

overload. The Change Manager of 2015 knows the role and impact and changes brought by

Connectivism, the power or relationships within and outside of an organization, and how it adds value to

the business. (More on this aspect in a separate blog!)

2. The role of the Trusted Advisor is significantly impacted by digital literacies by 2015.

Trust is built in business as it is in marriage- one step at a time, delivering when promised on time and in

full, and honoring commitments 110% of the time. Marriage can break apart because trust is destroyed

over time or because of one single incident. And the consultant who breaks trust will go clientless for

very long periods of time as word spreads. In government what we called the ―corridor reputation‖ is

real in government, business and family. In 2011 it is viral—rapidly developing information universally

available, faster than we can comprehend, and permanent as a digital footprint on the moon.

3. Time management will be re-defined to manage the continued explosion of information. The

individual will be expected to be personally skilled in information aggregators. A paradigm shift in

mindset will be in motion, from the organizational level to the individual level. You are responsible for

your own development. You must be proactive in your formal and informal learning on the job. Because

of the sheer volume of information, individuals will need to know how to quickly access and use. It is no

longer grandpa’s needle in a hay stack!

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4. DIY (Do it Yourself) will become standard as the tools of managing change communications become

more and more intuitive. Individuals will manage change through iPhone or other smart phone apps, on

demand video from corporate channels.

We will wave our smart phone on a poster and a QR code will deliver information right to us.

Scan with your smart phone and you will be taken to web sites with more information

Reading a QR code with a camera-enabled smartphone will link the user to digital content on the

Internet or activates a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS, or connects the mobile

device to a web browser.

The technology now exists to generate your own QR code. I have seen the in use on Canadian

newspapers, and on posters in Japan and in German magazines. And there is a QR Reader for the

iPhone.

5. Learning occurs mainly through interactions and interactions between people, and ―between people‘

will be across business functions, organizations and even corporations. This view of social construction

of knowledge will drive change and communication strategies, activities and tools. Customer

Communities of Practice will be key to innovation and new products, service development. Change

Managers and the enabling specialists in communication and learning will be required to have mastery

of virtual tools, from webinars to Second Life. This in turn will impact university and trade schools as

competencies shift from writing a business memo (Yes! They still teach that 1990s skill in higher ed!!)

to video email and graphics.

MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) will be common, as 1000‘s simultaneously join in to share

information, ideas and best practices. And a common standard process and tools will be fully developed

to meet the


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