Title :
Using cellular phones in higher education: mobile access to online course materials
Author :
Mermelstein, Boaz ; Tal, Edna
Author_Institution :
Center for Inf. Technol. in Distance Educ., Israel Open Univ., Israel
Abstract :
Access to the Internet, which to date was mainly limited to desk-top computers, is now enabled through a wide range of portable devices. These devices include cellular phones, which are small, widespread, and afford a high level of intimacy. Information needed at a certain time, location or immediacy are typical kinds of information that are natural candidates for access via cellular phones [Seppala and Alamaki, 2002]. Four m-learning pilot projects are now in progress at the Open University of Israel (OUI) which include mobile accessibility to (1) discussion groups held on the Websites of academic courses; (2) video lessons (live & VOD); (3) audio books for students with learning disabilities (for cellular and MP3 players); and (4) administrative information (SMS messages). This paper reports on these four experiments, examining the types of use students may make with their cellular phones and other mobile devices to access support learning materials.
Keywords :
Internet; cellular radio; computer aided instruction; continuing education; educational aids; educational courses; mobile computing; mobile handsets; Open University of Israel; SMS messages; Websites; academic courses; administrative information; audio books; cellular phones; higher education; m-learning pilot projects; mobile access; mobile accessibility; online course materials; video lessons; Biological materials; Books; Cellular phones; Computer science education; Digital audio players; Distance learning; Information technology; Internet; Mobile handsets; Portable computers;
Conference_Titel :
Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education, 2005. WMTE 2005. IEEE International Workshop on
Print_ISBN :
0-7695-2385-4
DOI :
10.1109/WMTE.2005.71