XplanaZine

Transcript

When I was a kid I was crazy about Swiss Army knives. Of course, back then, the only people I knew who had them were somehow associated with the military.

Take my next-door neighbor, Joe, for instance. He flew Phantom jets in Vietnam and had a really cool Swiss Army knife. It had everything any practical or survival-oriented person could ever want. It had a blade for opening cans, one for skinning fish, one for uncorking bottles, and even one for cutting things.

The Swiss Army knife was and still is a great model for any “all-in-one” gizmo. It set the standard for anticipating all of the things consumers might want to do and making them available in a single gadget. Of course, things have evolved somewhat significantly over the past decades and these days we’re trying to put a lot more than a bunch of blades in our one-solution-for-all-situations devices.

Today, we have a whole new suite of Swiss-Army-knife like all-in-one products. We have phones that are also cameras and handheld computers, computers that are also TVs, and gaming devices that send e-mail and serve as phones. The fact is, we’re more fascinated by all-in-one gizmos than ever before. We’re certain that the right combination exists somewhere. Eventually, there will be a device that does it all just the way we want it done.

And don’t think for a second that the fact that we have haven’t found the perfect combination yet is slowing down the momentum of our search. Not at all. Heck, just as we were hearing recently that sales of handheld computers continued to drop, Sony came out with its announcement about the new PSP.

The PSP is Sony’s response to the Nintendo DS and is Sony’s play to grab space in the portable gaming market. And, while the PSP is a great portable gaming device, Sony wants everyone to understand that it is oh-so-much more. It has an incredibly rich screen display, can play movies, music, and also has built-in wireless. It’ll do just about everything except take out your trash.

Now, I don’t know if the PSP will turn out to be the end-all of gaming devices, but it certainly gives as a good indication about what any such gadget needs in order to compete.

• The right combination of functionality.
• Integrated with current lifestyle
• Adaptable and portable

Interestingly enough, this list of elements is the same one that defines the value or effectiveness of distributed education models. As technology continues to develop, and as the needs for remote or separated learning grow, there is a burgeoning need for new, all-in-one learning solutions, both in higher education and in the K-12 markets.

In my mind, the best solution will be all-in-one software gizmos called portable learning environments or PLEs. These will be the software equivalents to the fun learning tablets sold by Leapfrog for kids. These PLEs will have everything a person needs to learn in a crunch, buth without necessarily being connected to a teacher or a class — diagnostics, text instruction, instructor mediation, practice, assessment, and integration. Learning on these PLEs will be presented in both familiar and highly usable formats.

At the same time, these software gadgets won’t simply be stand-alone chunks of content and functionality, but will also integrate with existing LMS platforms, e-portfolios, and other educational software. A PLE dealing with Freshman Biology, for example, can serve as the ultimate study guide or be part of a BlackBoard course and take advantage of that system’s classware functionality.

Finally, PLEs will be the ultimate in terms of adaptability and portability. They can travel around on your desktop, handheld computer, or other favorite device. You’ll also be able to customize your PLE to meet your personal learning style and preferences.

Yep, as the search for all-in-one devices goes on, and as we keep looking for a good Swiss Army knife for education, I’m betting hard that some flavor of a PLE will be just what the good doctor ordered.

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