I need examples I can replicate please
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010I recently attended a regional conference on Mobile Learning in higher education and came away with some conflicting emotions.
First, it was a little curious that the two presentations and mLearning panelists were exclusively from large private institutions. Don’t misunderstand me, I have nothing but respect for the institutions that shared their mLearning projects, which, by the way, were pretty impressive. I also have no ax to grind with the privates. Okay, so maybe I’m a little envious of their resources, but that’s it.
The first presentation was “Walking Ulysses: Joyce’s Dublin Today” from Boston College. Here is the presentation synopsis:
This presentation will explore the uses of collaborative mapping and mobile technologies in the humanities and in particular examine a project in which Joe Nugent, professor of Irish Studies at Boston College, used collaborative mapping as a way for students to explore James Joyce’s famously difficult novel Ulysses. The project demonstrates both the power of social media tools to make students active participants in the creation of knowledge, but it suggests ways that mobile maps can be used in the humanities as a tools for glossing both literary texts and the physical spaces in which they are embedded. The presentation will highlight what we had to learn in order design for multiple platforms while trying not to develop completely separate applications for each. We will also discuss the decision to develop a web application rather than a native application.
The second presentation was about TUSK (Tufts University Sciences Knowledgebase),
…a platform that the Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Schools at Tufts and several other international schools use (http://tusk.tufts.edu/about/overview). In addition to the desktop knowledgebase, Tufts has rolled out a TUSK mobile version to facilitate students’ work in the clinics.
So here’s the problem that I see: many of the participants at the conference were from community colleges and 4 year public institutions who have an ever shrinking budget. Staffs are thin with the growing threat of getting thinner. While I enjoy learning about projects like the two at B.C. and Tufts, what would be the most useful to me and the faculty at Keene State College, are examples of creative use of low cost/low barrier technology that enhance teaching and learning. I want to see projects that institutions on a budget can replicate that don’t require devoted attention from a web developer, a programmer, and content expert. I want to see student created projects that are using free social technologies to make a difference in the world. I want to see more constructivism and I want the project to use ubiquitous, free technology. If these kinds of projects were shared at a conference then you would get far more institutions excited about mLearning or any kind of technology for that matter.
So instead of complaining I will submit conference proposals that address constructivism and the use of low cost/low barrier technology. Now, maybe we can get cash strapped college’s talking and sharing work that can be replicated.