Day 1
Hi all,
Currently I use my mobile phone for school in a variety of ways. I find that much of the MET program focuses on interacting with our colleagues, which requires a degree of connection. Luckily, due to the nature of the program, we are all fairly well connected and skilled at using the technologies available to us.
This is the only course I am in right now. I find myself using my iPhone to read the posts on the UBC blog as I am waiting for things, on the bus, and even in bed before I have gotten to my computer. I find the typing isn’t super easy for long posts, so I tend to wait to comment or post until I am at a computer. I like the integration of the iPhone in that I can be reading about a topic and quickly flip to another tab to learn more about a subject. I appreciate the flexibility that the phone has to offer, and that the learning can be real-time and immediate.
Cheers,
Kristopher
Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
Deb Kim 9:40 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kristopher,
I also use my mobile phoen for school. I recently added the ETEC 522 blog as a favourite to my iPhone and it’s been very handy as I can have easy access to it anywhere I want.
Deb
David William Price 9:43 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Very interesting… your mobile helps you make the most of your “waiting time”.
One of the tricks I’ve adopted to eliminate frustration when “waiting” for people, is to never actually “wait”. Instead I ensure I have something to do. When people show up, it’s a pleasant surprise.
I find a similar experience on the metro. My commute is 30 mins. If I work on my iPad or my MacBook Air (doing readings, grading assignments, or sharing my iPad to draw pictures with my partner) time flies by.
I suspect mobile would do the same for me. During my prep for this week I’ve found that mobile (beyond drill and kill) requires a whole different way of thinking about learning. If I used my mobile to record my audio thoughts rather than waiting to get home, I’d capitalize more on my ideas instead of forgetting them. I’m not sure why I don’t take more pictures of things that interest me to share with others… some of it is how to transfer the images to the computer. I’m not sure where my old cable is.
Mobile offers a lot… it seems most of us are waiting for an easy solution that makes everything magically happen, at an affordable price. iOS, Android and the cloud seem to be making that happen. Some of our posters note that they have 6GB data plans and seem comfortable with the pricing.
It’s probably time for me to explore this a little more deeply in my own life.
hall 9:52 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kristopher
I have never thought of the idea that I could use my phone to interact with my classmates in this course. Thank you for sharing your ways of using your phone. It was very informative. It is clear that technology can allow us to use our phones for many tasks apart from mere communication (audio).
Kristopher 10:33 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi all!
I have also found one of the dangers of mobile technology (and m-learning somewhat formalizes this) is creating a no-down-time feel for us as learners. As learners we need time to reflect, the see things differently, etc. By having our learning constantly in our pockets for that 4-minute wait time, we might create a high-octane tunnel vision that doesn’t allow for ‘smelling the roses’. My screen time in the past year has been outrageous. Between school, work, and pleasure it is way to high. I found myself turning on the TV when I was cleaning just so I didn’t have to focus too much on the task at hand. Where is the room for creativity and reflection there?
Thoughts?
Kristopher
PS: David– get into Photostream with iCloud (free with the updates)– it automatically drops any photos taken on your iPhone or iPad and drops them on the computer when connected to a wifi connection…
David William Price 11:50 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great comment!
Mobiles can take us beyond our traditional notions of learning. They can prompt and guide reflection in authentic contexts… for me, reflection is about “Hm… how do I actually use this concept? How do I put it into practice? Where is it being used in the real world… or how might I apply it to real world problems?”
It seems to me the mobile would be a perfect way of prompting and scaffolding that kind of reflection. I really don’t see mobiles as great conduits for doing a lot of reading and exercises… but as performance supports for deeper kinds of thinking and application and evaluation… yes!
Breaking things down into bite size and prompting us to apply them to the world around us, or to situations where we can use them… I think that’s their greatest potential.
Thanks for the tip about Photostream!