Introduction
The current state of electronics is that learners expect to have materials that they can use on mobile devices just as easily as desktop computers. At one point it was a novelty to have information on your phone and now a necessity. My mentor said to me when I first purchased a laptop, "You realize that will be taking up your non-work time, right?" As educators in the past we would spend hours at work preparing for class, going to class and grading papers. Now we still spend hours doing this tasks but we justify our mobile devices as that we can work any where. Are we creating a world filled with workaholics?As developers of knowledge move forward they include both desktop and a mobile versions of programs. It is difficult to find programs now that do not have a mobile application. Susan Sportsman has an article about mobile devices and how they are used currently in nursing education. Most of us probably cannot go five minutes without having our mobile device in our hands. We use it for everything from taking pictures to searching new concepts. First there was the thought that anything can be found on the internet. Now we can be found anything on the internet where ever we are! An example might include a person at their lake house and a family member has suddenly developed a rash. Rashes and pictures of rashes on the internet can be searched to see if it is a serious condition. The below section relates to mobile devices. As the user searches for programs they would like to use, starting the search with the mobile device's app store is a good idea but then moving to the internet may provide many more programs. Several of the application programs have been discussed on other pages on this website but are discussed again here as examples of quality programs and more have other information.
iPad Apps
Just in the last couple of weeks Microsoft has released iPad versions of their Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. This is been long awaited. Other word processing on the iPad has been cumbersome. This program looks promising. If you already have purchased the Office Suite 2013 then this addition will be free for you. The link is OneDrive which was previously called SkyDrive, the cloud based storage by Microsoft. All files in SkyDrive have been copied over to a new folder on your computer if you have this program and is uploaded through OneDrive. There is up to 8 GB for free of storage which is more than enough for Office files. They also have a referral program similar to dropbox where you get .5 gb if you refer someone.This below site is from Educator Technology dot come. This is an interesting method of categorizing cognitive learning levels. The wheel was developed by Allan Carrington, The Pedagogy Wheel can be found at: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/the-modern-taxonomy-wheel.html?m=1
The icons on the outer circle are iPad apps and is his interpretation of how the applications fit within levels of cognitive knowledge.
Presentation tools
Some presentation tools work better than others when using mobile devices. Connecting to a projector system can be handled a number of ways: vga to iPad connector, Apple tv, or wirelessly. It is best to test whatever system you are going to try. The vga to iPad connector is easy not set up is usually needed and the cost is under $20. Apple tv is about $100 and will take set up time. Using a wireless system such as Apple tv makes it easy to walk around the classroom and interact with the learners. You will need access to the internet for this device to work. If you have a permanent location for the Apple tv then it works very well. Presentations and Youtube can be viewed along with other common tv categories.
Electronic Books
| Picture within E. O. Wilson's interactive book |
Electronic readers are very handy when wanting to read professional journal articles. One program that works really well and allows note taking and highlighting is called Notability. This program has a slight cost but well worth the price. Simply download a pdf from the library to this Notability and read the article. This application also contains audio recording if you wish.
Electronic News Feeds
There are several news feeder programs which take the latest articles and news and place them all in one application. Flipboard is the most popular and the best for popular news related topics. This program will bring in news feeds, Facebook News Feeds, and Twitter Tweats. Here is a good video review of some of these most popular applications. The only drawback is the professional journal feeds can not be brought into this program. Pulse is another along with News360. News360 allows you to add local news along with other professional topics such as nursing. Feedly will bring in professional journals and journals such as Nursing Medscape. The advantage to these programs is that everything comes together in one application bringing in the most up to date professional news.
Communication tools
One mobile application that works well is Skype. Two individuals can talk, share documents as they talk, video chat or text. Skype is free. The user needs to careful as they download as it is easy to accidentally sign up for services or other programs you do not want. Many of our international students at UIndy use Skype to talk to their family members who are in their home country. If more than two users want to share screens, one person needs to have the professional version. Google+ has Google Hangouts which allows for groups to talk. The development is still early so sharing screens is not available at this time but the group can share documents within Google docs and watch changes being made. There is a slight delay when seeing changes made by others in the group that can be annoying. GoToMeeting is another option with trial versions available but then you must purchase either a package of features or purchase one-time use.
Google Docs is a good example of collaboration tools that work well on mobile devices. More features are consistently added to make this tool very useful. The ability to share in Google Docs and store documents in Google Drive allow for efficient use of time. Even Blogger has an app for iPad. Collaboration tools on mobile devices are in their early stages of development. There are programs that will transfer documents between devices within meeting rooms but usually not across different types of devices. Syncspace is an example of an application that includes a whiteboard along with discussion capabilities.Collaboration tools
Productivity tools
A main purpose for having mobile devices is to allow the user to be more productive where ever they are. The number of tools in this category are getting better and more competitive. The word processing programs are getting very competitive now that Microsoft is offering there Suite for free for mobile devices if you have purchased there 2013 or later Office version. Other programs in the past two years have attempted to mimic the "bells and whistles" of Office but all fall short. OnLive Desktop came the closest but to save and download documents easier, they charge a fee. Pages is Apple's answer to Office but has very few features. The latest update allows you to save to iCloud, a cloud storage system from Apple. Printing for all mobile devices is still a problem. Separate printing programs need to be downloaded and the functioning ones cost about $20. This technology needs to become more seamless. One issue may be the AirPrint feature for iPad that is owned by Apple. It is simpler if you have a MAC rather than a PC. They may be preventing other companies from developing good printing programs. CloudOn is another software that were the first to connect to a cloud based storage system from iPads but has little versatility. QuikOffice is similar to OpenOffice for PCs. Documents can be saved to almost any cloud storage system but again this system doesn't have the versatility like Office. Documents is one of the first mobile device word processing systems that was available on iPods before iPhones. Documents will save in Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google but not the versatility.Specifically for the Educator
Some of these programs I have reviewed in other sections such as Socrative. Using Socrative for free on your mobile device allows you to move around your room to discuss questions. Students use their mobile devices to answer questions. eClicker is a another free application with a combination of classroom presentation and quizzes. Images can be viewed in a class then quizzes can be given to anyone who has the URL for the quiz.TeacherKit is a program that is a class organization system just for the educator. You can plug in attendance and grades but learner names and pictures have to be added manually. TeachKit may be of benefit if you do not have a learning management system. Class Organizer is a mobile application for the learner. You can record classes and take notes, has a calendar, to do list. The notes match the time on the recordings. You can print or email your notes to yourself or other learners.
NCLEXCram is a typical application for studying NCLEX. It's a flashcard program that could be a way studying without sitting in front of a computer.
Educreations is an interactive whiteboard that allows you to draw on the screen, add pictures and narrate as you are drawing or adding pictures. It would be good for a quick explanation of content that learners are struggling with in your class. Popplet is an application that can work similarly like a mind map. The learner or educator can use it to connect ideas and pictures of their ideas. Mindmeister is a mind map application that may be helpful to develop ideas for papers, develop concepts or present information.
Learning management systems specifically built for mobile devices are in their early stages of development. One program that I have had students review was LiveBinders. LiveBinders is a versatile application that can be used a number of ways: ePortfolio (here's an example) or organization of content (here's an example).
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