XplanaZine

I am frequently asked questions about the viability of “mobile education.” This is different from distant education, which is already an overwhelming force. Mobile education means exactly that — education on the go. It means education that is relatively device-independent and ubiquitously accessible regardless of my location. Compare this with the current distant model that still assumes a relatively fixed location — just one that happens to be different than the central source of information.
Mobile education is much more complicated because it requires new technologies and mind sets before it can be deployed with god success. Here’s a brief look at the requirements for good mobile education –

• A broadband WiFi national network and 3G (or equivalent) wireless phone network. To deliver multimedia and interactive training/learning materials, there have to be better and more accessible networks for sending and receiving that information anywhere and anytime.
• Better mobile devices. Distance education is popular because content does not have to be modified since the assumption is that students will be using computers, just in a different location. Mobile education means that students won’t necessarily be using a computer (laptop or desktop) but instead, some other, smaller mobile device (phone, PDA etc.). In order for these devices to receive the rich media that is currently being used in distance education, they will have to improve in terms of their ability to receive and interact with complex media.
• Integrated and device-independent platforms/software for delivering training/learning information. Software and delivery platforms will have to improve. It’s bad enough that, today, we have browser problems when we’re all working on similar devices. Imagine the potential problems when we increase both the number/types of devices and dramatically diversify the types of software/platforms being utilized for information delivery.

Most of what is required for pervasive mobile computing can be summed up in one word — time. It will simply require time for the evolution of network and the integration of software and hardware to happen. On the other hand, we see constant evidence of movement in that general direction.

• We see publishers beginning to offer their materials in PDA-accessible formats.
• We see partnerships between services and service providers that will make communication and collaboration device-independent (eg. ICQ Buddies Up with Local Wireless Carriers).
• We see industry standards being developed that will enable a broader and more rapid deployment of education materials over multiple networks (eg. WLan Security Spec Due Next Year).
• We see a gradual integration of popular software/hardware for new devices and services (eg. Flash Services on New Phones).
• We see the promise of Intelligent Networks.
• We see nice advances in mobile Web publishing.

Yes, the evolution towards pervasive mobile computing is slower that we might like. But from the trends we’re seeing, it is only a matter of time until it becomes reality.