Finding the learning frontier: predicting the Top 4 Mobile Learning Apps of 2013 from the Top 10 Mobile Apps of 2012

In keeping with the theme of looking for the learning frontier in non-educational areas, the ReadWriteWeb posted a story on Gartner Group's Top Ten Mobile Apps of 2012. In any search, there may be some blind alleys before finding the good stuff, so I'll include those less direct applications to learning (and for a good reason -- you may see an application where I don't). I have kept the original numbering.


Possible Direct Application to Learning

2 Location-Based Services: "Gartner says this will be one of the most disruptive technologies in the future, with a user base growing from 96 million in 2009 to 526 million in 2012"  . Field simulations -- actually sending learners into the real-world or at least real-world spaces with GPS enabled applications that sense how close one is to another may have applciations. Thoughts where this could be useful?

3 Mobile Search and 4 Mobile Browsing:  How search and browsing apply to learning is obvious. One insight is that browsing capabilities will increase from approximately 60% to 80% of hand held devices, making access all the more likely, which is important as a practical aspect of learning if you're not supplying the devices. Another insight is that Gartner predicts a shakeup of the search services. In general, learning providers need to be ready to put  learning resources in mobile format. Any other applications here?
 
7 Near Field Communications (NFC): To quote the NFC entry in  wikipedia.org, "The significant advantage of NFC over Bluetooth is the shorter set-up time. Instead of performing manual configurations to identify Bluetooth devices, the connection between two NFC devices is established at once (under a tenth of a second)." The opportunity is the creation of a set of measurement devices that are easier to configure and possibly less expensive to create.

I am reminded of the promise of the TI calculator devices like temperature, pressure, and sonic measurement that could rapidly create time-based measurements. With mobile devices, they can also add location data, capture the data sets, upload to a common area, and support collaborative aggregation, analysis, and decision making. The medical devices (in the lsit below) could allow the creation of datasets as well.


Slight or Indirect Link to Learning


1 SMS Money Transfer and 6 Mobile Payments: no direct application to learning, except maybe for learning institutions wanting to receive payments.

5 Mobile Health Monitoring: presumably this is done by creating blue-tooth devices and applications that readthem on the mobile device. This will impact learning in health care as a subject and may also be the technology on a mass scale breakthrough needed to support other blue-tooth enabled devices for taking measurements in the field.

8 Mobile Advertising: Unsolicited, location sensitive, commercial content. If we strike the commercial and substitute with learning, there's an application there for in-the-field learning that does not require a group environment to be effective.


9 Mobile Instant Messaging: defined as an alternative to SMS. Not clear if there's a true prediction here, so in the "slight to none" category.

10 Mobile Music: the music may have not direct application, but as a gateway technology, it has implications for mobile content, ala iTunesU.

Mobile Internet Devices for Learning

The NMC report lists mobile internet devices as one of the near horizon technologies that will penetrate higher ed down under (greater than 16%). The availability of Apple's iTunesU and iPod/iPhone devices led to adoption of this approach by several universities in the US. More recently some universities have adopted Amazon's Kindle ; a number of vendors have seen their netbooks adopted. The increasing availability of wireless networks helps speed adoption, particularly by students, if not only for learning purposes. The rapid increase in availability of smart phones and supporting networks, combined with an increasing number of applications, enables informal learning now and formal learning adoption in the near horizon.

  The history of education is littered with promising technology innovations that later turned out to be marginally effective, such as film strips, videos, and even classroom computers, proving that it's not the technology itself, but the availability, teacher preparation, applications, and the degree of thinking designed into the learning experience. With that experience in mind, what are the features of mobile computing technology that enable quality learning?

Here's a partial list, and please post ideas of your own:

• Mostly anywhere availability: the devices can be taken to the "field" to help guide realistic learning opportunities, record data, capture pictures and videos of events, and with GPS or location software, record location information; specialized development of sensors could also allow weather, chemical or other data collection. Imagine all the high schools in a state taking field trips at hundreds or thousands of locations with students collecting and integrating into a common geospatial dataset water and other environmental readings. Imagine further that the science classes help students analyze the data as practicing sicentists and publishing their findings in a collaborative "State of the State" report.
• Real-time connectivity across distance: at its simplest, this is phone or text communication, but with the proper organization and perhaps apps like twitter allowing point-to-multi-point communication, simulations of distributed organizations, emergency management situations, and distributed coordination are possible. Several years ago, Colorado Technical University and the Challenger Learning Center hosted a network-based Mt. Pinatubo-like crises simulation, that is now possible much more affordably with group communication devices.
• Mediated, real-world communication: the mediated aspect of modern workplace communication is learned best by actual practice with workplace devices; too much performance simulation in face-to-face situations does not reflect current and future practice. Simulations designed to expose the limitations of devices can improve the use of such devices.
  
• Affordable, complex applications (mindtools to go): the affordability factor may increase the availability of devices and applications so that more learners can engage thinking constructively;
• Access to information: the kindle device gives convenient access to books, the iPhone to audio and video lectures; but while non-traditional delivery of traditional content is useful, even more useful is the availability represented by searchable sources such as wikipedia.org or even access to expertise networks through texting.

These features are some of the advantages specific to mobile smart devices. Please share your experiences and ideas.

Side note, technorati claim code: B6WUWRZHJMZ4.