FACEBOOK - Mobile

Welcome to the first post in the Mobile Learning section of our Ubiquitous Learning 2.0 collaborative blog!

In this and future Mobile Learning posts, I will share some thoughts on specific emerging technologies as they relate to mobile learners.  In particular, I'd like to focus on how mobile learning is different from both classroom and online learning, and how mobile learning has specific advantages over other (non-mobile) types of learning.

For this post, I will be writing about Facebook Mobile and its impact on mobile learning.  But, because this is my first post in this blog, I thought I'd step back a minute to discuss mobile learning in general.

MOBILE LEARNING
According to Pew Research http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1315/teens-use-of-cell-phones, as of early 2008, 71% of teens ages 12-17 used a cell phone.  However, despite the ubiquitous use of cell phones by school children, many teachers and school administrators consider mobile devices as more of a distraction than learning tools.  In fact, many schools have banned cell phone and other mobile devices from their classrooms.

Here is a short clip of Dr. Elliot Soloway from the University of Michigan, who is an expert in the field of mobile learning (and a very entertaining speaker!).  Dr. Soloway argues that mobile devices need to be embraced (not banned) in the classroom:



The report Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children's Learning (PDF file) (a great report on mobile learning and highly worth reading when you have the time) mentions many benefits of mobile learning, including:

• Encourages "anywhere, anytime" learning
• Promotes collaboration
• Stimulates learning in real-world contexts
• Supports individualized learning
• Bridges formal and informal learning
• Helps reach underserved children in developing countries, such as countries in Africa where mobile devices are much more popular than computers

MOBILE VS. ONLINE
Today, mobile learning is similar to online learning because oftentimes students are accessing the same educational content via both media (mobile device and computer).  However, mobile learning is starting to take advantage of some mobile-specific features, including:

• Texting (anywhere, anytime)
• Taking photos and videos
• Playing podcasts and games (anywhere, anytime)
• Use as student response system (SRS) device
• Ability to read QR codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code)

In the future, there will undoubtedly be other mobile features that further differentiate mobile learning from online (and classroom) learning.  And, as these features come into existence, I will (undoubtedly) blog about them here.

FACEBOOK
Now, on to our first emerging technology we are discussing on this collaborative blog: Facebook.  Facebook has built its mobile application, Facebook Mobile, to serve the needs of its mobile users.  According to Facebook, over 65 million (of the 300+ million total Facebook population) now use Facebook Mobile, up from 20 million just eight months ago.

So, how can mobile learners take advantage of Facebook Mobile?  Here are some possibilities:

Class assignments
A high school English teacher setup a Facebook page and instructed his students to use their cell phones to send photos or videos pertaining to a lesson to the Facebook page.  The students were able to see any updates to the Facebook page on their cell phones by subscribing to the Facebook page's RSS feed.
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2009/05/facebook-classroom-management-projects.html

Group projects
Students can form Facebook group pages to collaborate on projects.  After a Facebook group is setup, students can join the group and receive status messages, photos, and other content via Facebook Mobile on their cell phones.

Blackboard integration
Students can receive notifications on their Facebook page about updates that occur on their course Blackboard site.  For example, if a student is interested in a specific discussion board topic in Blackboard, he/she can get instant updates about any new posts on his/her cell phone through Facebook Mobile.
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Blackboard-Unveils-Application/3931

Games
Although Facebook has many (addictive) games on its main site, there are no games yet on Facebook Mobile.  However, there is a lot of talk about Facebook soon making mobile games available for its mobile users.  Once this happens, games with educational content will no doubt follow and can make Facebook Mobile a popular educational games provider.

Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) is a blending of the real and virtual worlds into a "mixed reality" environment.  To enter into an AR environment, you can use head-mounted displays (like glasses) or use a video device, such as a cell phone display.  Here is a fascinating AR screen device.  AR is currently being used in education in things like a virtual animated 3-D book.

As far as I know, there are not any AR applications involving Facebook yet (please comment if you know of anything though).  However, I can see one possible AR application is where a user wearing AR glasses being able to see people's Facebook status posts floating above their heads.  An educational application of this would be if, for example, students are  visiting a museum, they would be able to see what everybody else is "thinking" as they are all updating their statuses through Facebook Mobile.

FUTURE
Because both mobile learning and Facebook Mobile are in their infancy, these applications that I've mentioned above probably only scratch the surface of the possibilities of educational opportunities that Facebook (and other social networks) will be able to bring to mobile learners.

It's an exciting time for education because of all the new ways that people are learning.  One of the most exciting of these new ways is through mobile devices.  And, that's why I'm especially happy to be able to blog about mobile learning and hopefully bring to you some interesting things to think about.  Thanks for reading (and commenting below), and please check back for future updates!