A mobile learning presentation given at the Aviation Industry CBT Committee meeting in Louisville, KY in September 2008. www.aicc.org www.hybrid-learning.com

1. mLearning
Kris Rockwell
Hybrid Learning Systems

2. What am I going to talk about?
• What is mLearning?
• What is an mLearning device?
• Why do I (you) care?
• Content for Mobile Devices
• What may be ahead?
• What can we do?

3. “Learning that happens across locations, or that
takes advantage of learning opportunities
offered by portable technologies.”
mLearning, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4. “Learning with portable technologies, where the focus is
on the technology (which could be in a fixed location,
such as a classroom); learning across contexts, where
the focus is on the mobility of the learner, interacting
with portable or fixed technology; and learning in a
mobile society, with a focus on how society and its
institutions can accommodate and support the learning
of an increasingly mobile population that is not
satisfied with existing learning methodologies.”
mLearning, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

5. Let’s try to narrow it down…
• Learning information delivered to and
presented on a mobile device
• Information that can be accessed on-demand
or presented “Just In Time”
• Content accessed in an offline format
• Content that MAY report information to a
learning management system

6. According to Gartner Research, worldwide smartphone
sales are expected to reach 1.28 billion units this year,
an 11 percent hike over 2007's 1.15 billion devices
sold.
Wi-fiplanet.com

7. Mobile Learning Devices
• Hand held devices, running on batteries that
provide some form of network access
• Lower processing power than traditional
laptop or desktop computers
• Instant or “always on” functionality
• Extended battery life

8. eBook Readers
• E-ink technology duplicates the experience of
reading a paper book
• Limited network or wifi access in most cases
• Battery life of 12+ hours
• Very limited processor
power
• Very limited input
methods

9. Mobile Internet Devices
• Devices that provide access to the internet via
wireless connectivity
• Usually provide some form of multimedia
support
• Two to Six hour battery life,
limited input functionality
• Moderate computing power
• Expandable storage capacity

10. Mobile Gaming Devices
• Devices that provide access to the internet via
wireless connectivity
• Two to Six hour battery life,
limited input functionality
• Strong computing power
• Powerful graphics engines
• Expandable storage capacity

11. Mobile Phones/Smart Phones
• Small screens, limited text input capabilities in
some cases
• Long battery life
• Limited multimedia capabilities
except for smartphones
• Wireless access via wifi or EDGE/3G
• Low cost and global reach
• Low end of the computing spectrum

12. “Why do I care?”
Kris Rockwell, for the purposes of this presentation

13. “We think the mobile internet is the dominant
driving force in the industry.”
Chris Shloeffer from T-Mobile Germany

14. Mobile Device Ubiquity
• Cell phone and smartphones are everywhere
• Platforms are becoming more robust and the
devices are becoming more powerful
• Device cost is going down
• Younger generations are becoming more
dependant and more familiar with mobile
culture
• Devices are becoming a “lifestyle statement”

15. “quot;Consumers like smartphones because open
platform[s] mean bigger development
communities and a better ease of use.quot; ”
Carolina Milanesi, The Gartner Group

16. Device Platforms
• Devices continue to develop based on bigger,
more open (in most cases) platforms
• Open platforms spur large development
communities and broad support
• More powerful devices can support more
powerful software (more on this later)
• Faster network components allow for more
robust content

17. What about the content? or: “How I learned to
love the 1996 internet standards (sort of)”
(With respect to Stanley Kubrick)

18. Rethinking Content
• Mobile content suffers from many caveats
– Wide variety of device types
– Small device screens and resolutions
– Low power device processors
– Limited bandwidth
– Limited browser functionalities
– Shorter user attention spans

19. It’s All About the Context
• Understanding the user can help you define
the content
• Consider the “two minute lesson”
• Job aids and support
• Short refresher courses
• Assessments and “on-the-go” exams

20. Simplifying the View
• A reduction in the uses of images
– Small screens are hard to see
• Text based information in short pieces
• Simple, basic HTML content is suitable
• Limited, if any, multimedia files
• Basic interactions that utilize one of two “soft
buttons”

21. Possible Strategies
• Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) based content
• XML based content
– On the go content generation accessible over
existing networks
– Simple content rendered using XSLT
• Possibility of a mobile SCORM/AICC player
• Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)

22. • DITA Document viewer for
mobile devices
• Server-based application
• Works with mobile browsers
that have AJAX support
• Open Source software
• http://monkeywrench.hybrid-
learning.com/

23. And then I saw this…
The Future of mobile devices

24. Enter the iPhone
• Mobile devices are taking a quantum leap
forward in power and functionality
• Devices are becoming integral parts of life
• Information is becoming easier to access in a
quicker more robust manner
• Input methods are becoming more intuitive
• Content that runs on a desktop PC can run on
a mobile phone

25. The “I can’t believe it” App
X-Plane on the iPhone
A full fledged, 3D flight simulator

26. The Google Effect
• In November 2007 Google unveiled
“Android”, it’s mobile phone
platform
• Open, Java based programming platform
available under the Apache free-software
• Coincided with the Open Handset Alliance
(OHA) to develop open standards for mobile
phones

27. Improved Platforms
• New devices offer better opportunities and
lifecycles
• “Field Refresh” capabilities allow for a longer
lifespan
• Expanded device ecosystems build better
relationships between vendors, operators and
providers
• Larger infrastructure for easier distribution

28. What Can We Do?
• Recommended device standards
• Content guidelines
• Case studies and scenarios
• Player guidelines
• LMS integration scenarios
• Mobile track at an upcoming meeting

29. Questions/Comments

30. Kris Rockwell
Hybrid Learning Systems
kris.rockwell@hybrid-learning.com
Tel. 1 724 628 6800
www.hybrid-learning.com