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As corporations find new uses for mobile computing platforms, it is important to remember lessons learned years ago when personal computers were first being issued as productivity aides. Providing guidance on what to do and not to do with the loaned equipment was a necessary step, do not turn off the anti-virus software, do use a strong password, be careful what you put into an email and who you send it to, and so forth.
The analog to authorized use is unauthorized use, corporate council can provide information on any liability associated with employee inappropriate use of a system owned by a firm and used primarily for business purposes. Review of the entire guideline by corporate counsel is a good idea.
Firms should give serious thought to any sensitive information to be involved in authorized use, the security of apps is an open issue and the risks to sensitive data should be carefully considered. The whole issue of configuration management of mobile devices is wide open, as apps are inexpensive and easily available, employees provided with a device for one purpose may consider the device to be personal property and use it as such.
Abuse of capabilities is also wide open, as use is in such an early stage of evolution, monitoring use is an important issue to gain understanding of typical user behavior and changes in that behavior. For example, social networks present challenges and opportunities that are not necessarily well understood and should be expected to change with unpredictable consequences. It wasn't that long ago that Instant Messenger raised concerns for the security Team, Twitter is a whole new world of ulcer generating concerns.
Financial apps that enable mobile banking and brokerage services present capabilities that have to generate real concerns, the lack of authentication and the resulting anonymous user creates a world without accountability, surely not a good thing.
Another early lesson worth remembering was that issuing a tome and expecting employees to heed it is a very naive expectation, the guideline should be brief and easy to understand, anything more needs other approaches to training and awareness.
As mobile computing creates an exciting new world with fantastic potential, there is a temptation to reject "the old ways of doing things", as great as that temptation may be avoiding it is essential. Lessons learned through previous hard knocks should be revisited and applied to this new paradigm.
Mobile computing is a paradigm shift away from personal computers and their infrastructure toward very large flexible networks of loosely connected platforms. It has new platforms, operating systems, applications (apps) and exciting new approaches to old problems. As the paradigm shift gains momentum, the application of the technology expands to include areas never considered when the technology was designed. Risk mitigation requirements tend to be glossed over as the devices' ease of use, affordability, and accessibility compels use. Users are often naive regarding the risks to their information, enjoying the benefits of use without giving a lot of thought to potential dangers.
Mobile devices that do not require users to be identified and authenticated are said to have anonymous users. Anonymity is an issue because it is impossible to impose accountability for user actions or mediate access to resources based on prior granted access. In effect all of the mobile devices' assets are available to any anonymous user solely based on physical access to the device. Availability is important as the applications supported by mobile devices expand to include electronic commerce transactions and manage privacy-related data. The transparency of apps is an issue, apps that store sensitive information have been found that store the information in intermediary files that are shared with third parties without the knowledge or consent of the user originating the information.
Computing technology paradigm shifts have tended to ignore issues that would complicate or slow their acceptance, information security is a case in point. The shift to client server and wireless networking both had periods when protection requirements remained unaddressed and serious problems arose, Mobile computing is following a similar path, ignoring old lessons does not make them any less important, it simply means they have to be relearned. At this point protection measures are well understood, so the path to a secure solution does not have to be as painful as earlier experiences would indicate.
Ignoring previous generation protection measures has tangible benefits for the platforms. Administration is greatly simplified and significant processing and other overhead is eliminated, performance benefits. Measures associated with user aggravation are eliminated, improving the user experience and satisfaction, facilitating acceptance.
Mobile devices rely on the Internet for much of their communications, eavesdropping or hijacking Internet sessions are well understood and common attacks executed to steal data, encryption will defeat this attack, when the measure is used. The reliability of communications is an important issue as time-sensitive apps rely on it to complete revenue-generating transactions and to provide a satisfactory user experience for a variety of activities. We are quickly moving beyond the issue of dropped calls.
The lack of common protection measures is a non-trivial issue, raising risks thought to have been minimized long ago. Device theft to allow the thief to use the device for its intended purpose is giving way to theft for the purpose of access to specific data, often for packaging with other stolen data for sale to a customer with ulterior motives. Stealing address books for sale to spammers is a nuisance compared to data theft with the intention of large scale fraud or identity theft.
Corporate entities are making apps available to current and potential customers who have little to no insight into the apps, trusting the provider to address data security requirements that are outside the provider's requirements sets or concerns. As provider expectations evolve to business critical levels, satisfying customer expectations will increase in importance to providers, complicating requirements and demanding increasingly sophisticated apps.
Corporations are also making mobile devices available to employees as productivity tools, without giving serious thought to the corporate data that will ultimately be processed, stored or transmitted by the devices. Configuration management of mobile computing platforms is, at best, informal. The easy access to apps introduces risks each time a new app is introduced. Allowing, if not encouraging sensitive information to be used with the platform places that information with exposure to a largely undefined and poorly understood set of risks for compromise, loss of integrity, and non-availability.
E-commerce apps that manage payment transactions and information are of interest to the Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Where the host mobile device does not provide basic protection measures, compliance with the DSS is unlikely, raising a variety of serious questions. The value of information associated with the next generation of transaction processing apps is increasing, incentivizing execution of sophisticated attacks to steal the highest value assets.
We remain in the early days of malicious activities targeting mobile devices. At least one large scale attack of mobile targets has recently occurred, more sophisticated attacks are likely as the technology's use grows and attack strategies are perfected. Attacks using malware remain to appear, although there seems to be no serious technical impediment to their occurrence other than the lack of recognized algorithmic vulnerabilities available for exploitation.
The integration of mobile computing into architectures supporting business critical applications remains an unexploited opportunity. How long this is true is in serious doubt, replacing the desktop PC has compelling economic drivers -- it has to happen. Tying mobile apps into servers is already occurring on an experimental basis. This will raise the stakes significantly for tablets and the other evolving mobile devices. Corporate requirements for robust solutions will put pressure on technology providers to enable the safe expansion of the application of the platforms beyond messaging and e-commerce, which goes full circle back to resolution of conventional protection needs.
Whether mobile computing technology is "ready for prime time" in large scale applications remains to be seen. Clearly a large number of lessons need to be learned by app developers and architects regarding compliance with statutory privacy requirements as well as less formal user confidentiality expectations. Early adopter tolerance for problems that can be interpreted as technical glitches is unlikely to exist in production environments with large user populations and big company revenues.
Mobile computing is in its early days, the lack of meaningful protection measure for the information processes, stored, and transmitted by the platforms is a serious concern. Use of the technology for new applications without consideration of the risks by users and technology providers raises the likelihood and scope of potential damage to be inflicted by well thought out and executed attacks. The bell has rung, class is in sessions.
Both Google and Apple must improve their internal bug tracking capability to protect their users' information and devices, according to recent reports from various industry experts.
While cyber criminals appear to have mastered malware aimed at both consumer and enterprise computers, their attention has shifted to the growing mobile customer base. As products, such as Apple's iPhone and Android-based smartphones, become increasingly popular, it's imperative that development teams place bug tracking atop their priority list.
For Apple, a bug in its iOS caused many people to oversleep on New Year's Day. An issue with the changing years affected those using one-time alarm clock features, while iPhone customers who use recurring alarm clock settings did not experience the problem. Older versions of the iPhone were not affected by the bug, however, users of iOS 4.1 and 4.2.1 relying on their alarm were not awoken properly.
In the past, Apple has experienced issues with its alarm clock settings during Daylight Savings Time in the United States. However, recurring alarm settings were the problem at that point. The company has remained quiet as usual, likely opting to respond by assigning bug tracker teams to the problem rather than publicly discussing the failure.
For Android, its potential problems come from the outside. According to a number of sources, Geinimi, a Trojan designed to steal Android user information, has become an issue for many users. Internally, the company cannot do too much to negate the effects of the strain, since it comes from a rogue application designed to trick users into downloading it. However, Android can help protect its users by improving its system's security by ensuring its project tracking teams and solutions factor in bug tracking and other defense mechanisms during the development of new Android iterations.
With smartphone use booming in the United States and most of the world, cyber criminals will likely stop at nothing to profit as heavily as they can from exploiting security flaws in other popular devices and services, such as wireless internet routers and SaaS applications.
Both Google's Android workers and Apple's iOS team are expected to release new versions of their mobile operating systems in 2011, and users want to be protected. However, it's imperative that smartphone customers of all major brands understand their own responsibilities in terms self defense.
Rachel Zee is a freelance technology writer. Her software development coverage includes the bug tracker and project tracking space.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Imagine your closest friend standing next to you. Now imagine your closest friend betraying all of your secrets. And making a handsome profit whilst doing so. Now picture your smartphone inside your handbag or pocket. Picture your smartphone sending your passwords, banking information, e-mails, and private information to some stranger. And picture that stranger making a handsome profit. That is mobile malware.
What is mobile malware, really?
In more technical terms, mobile malware is the spread of malicious software (hence "mal-ware") among wireless devices. Mobile Malware is unpleasant stuff. It could compromise the information on a mobile device, and there have even been cases of compromised devices used to pull information from Personal computers (hijacking USB synchronization). Mobile malware is yet another growing fraud category which involves infecting mobile devices with viruses and Trojan horses that may force a mobile phone to do unauthorized activities,like making phone calls and deleting or stealing information.
Once installed on a device, mobile malware replicates itself and performs undesired activities, such as using network services like SMS or voice to make calls to PRS numbers or to subscribe to unwanted billing schemes; data theft, where the user's personal phone records such as contact lists and account details are stolen, sent to a third-party, and erased on the handset; and launching distributed DoS attacks intent on forcing a legitimate service to fail.
Not only is mobile malware a threat to individuals, it is also a huge security risk to businesses. It has the potential to commandeer a corrupted smartphone and use it as a proxy or gateway into an organization's central network. By commandeering a handheld device, cyber criminals can waltz past a standard firewall program and make their way onto a company's email server, client database, Customer relationship management tools, and other essential parts of the network. Damage of this magnitude can grow from something very small, such as a member of staff getting a message to download a free game or software update.
Mobile Malware is rapidly increasing
Mobile malware is on the rise for several reasons and it is following the Law of Computer Virus Evolution:
The Law of Computer Virus Evolution
In order for malicious programs targeting a particular operating system or platform to emerge, three conditions need to be fulfilled:
1. The platform must be popular
2. There must be well-documented development tools
3. The presence of vulnerabilities or coding errors
The widespread adoption of 3G (and soon 4G) and Wi-Fi connectivity and huge hard drives are other factors contributing to the increase of mobile malware infection. In fact, malware activity in 2010 increased 46 per cent over 2009.
The good news is that practically all mobile malware threats call for some type of effort on the part of the user. Malware can't magically appear on your phone. It usually happens after a user downloads a malicious app and the recent DroidDream incident reveals that mobile malware is more advanced than ever before.
How to stop mobile malware and protect yourself
Keeping a close eye on the app stores is a must, as Google proved. Google banished about 50 free applications from its app store immediately after it was found out that the titles hid a Trojan horse designed to steal users' information. The applications, which included pirated and copycat versions of legitimate Android titles, had been downloaded tens of thousands of times before Google took corrective action.
The best way to protect your mobile device (and yourself) is to take a layered approach to mobile security. Before you download that shiny new app, look at its permissions. An app shouldn't receive more permissions that what it needs. For example, a simple notepad app shouldn't need unrestricted access to the internet. Also, don't download apps from unauthorized or illegitimate app stores.
The second layer should be a very good antivirus app on your phone, and the third layer should be a firewall. If you choose wisely, the second and third security layers can be found wrapped up in a mobile security app.
How to choose an effective mobile security app
An typical mobile security solution will have capabilities that assist in operating the program and efficiently protecting the device. A very good mobile security application will include things like antivirus, antispam and firewall protection with realtime security. An exceptional mobile security application will have all of the preceding, as well as sms protection, remote wipe (in case your smartphone is stolen), and gps location (again, in case your smartphone is stolen).
What is the best mobile security app?
Ask ten experts and you'll get ten different answers. This question is almost as hotly debated as "what's the best antivirus software for my computer?" In order to narrow down my choices, I used the criteria mentioned above to come up with a list of mobile security applications. As you can see, many of the desktop giants of antivirus software have developed mobile versions of their software. The list isn't comprehensive, but it will give you a good starting point.
AVG
AVG Mobile Security is specifically available for Android. It comes with anti-virus and SMS anti-spam features that give protection to your mobile against all unwanted messages and advertising. Price: $9.99
ESET
ESET Mobile Security brings a new level of protection to Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones, so you can be confident in the safety of your device -- even if you lose it. Price: Free for thirty days.
Dr. Web
Dr Web Mobile Security Suite is an anti-virus security solution for Android, Symbian OS, and Windows Mobile. However, they aren't sold separately and are bundled with Dr. Web products for workstations.
Lookout
Lookout mobile security is also a multi-platform mobile device software that has a user-friendly, simple and in-depth virus scanning abilities. Lookout Mobile Security is currently available on Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
Price: Free, with a Premium version at $29.99/yr.
F-Secure
F-Secure Mobile Security allows smartphone users to experience the full potential of their devices without the fear of mobile threats. F-Secure Mobile Security automatically retrieves the newest updates whenever any data connection is used. An additional SMS update mechanism patented by F-Secure ensures that critical malware fingerprints are received even when a data connection is not available.
Price: Subscriptions begin at $3.31/month (approximately).
Kaspersky
Kaspersky Mobile Security is currently available on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, 6.1, 6.5 and Symbian OS (Nokia smartphones only).
Price: $29.95/unit/yr.
BullGuard
BullGuard Mobile Security is one of the better mobile security applications. It is one of the very few that supports all major mobile OSes like Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile.
Price: $29.99/license/yr
Mobile malware is a scary thought, and the problem is likely to get worse, especially since smartphone adoption is skyrocketing. Using the tips and advice in this article you can protect yourself (and your personal information) against the rising tide of mobile malware.
John Wright is a Computer Consultant who has been successfully removing malware from personal and business computers for several years. Visit http://www.johnscomputerconsulting.com to ask questions and learn more.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Imagine your closest friend standing next to you. Now imagine your closest friend betraying all of your secrets. And making a handsome profit whilst doing so. Now picture your smartphone inside your handbag or pocket. Picture your smartphone sending your passwords, banking information, e-mails, and private information to some stranger. And picture that stranger making a handsome profit. That is mobile malware.
What is mobile malware, really?
In more technical terms, mobile malware is the spread of malicious software (hence "mal-ware") among wireless devices. Mobile Malware is unpleasant stuff. It could compromise the information on a mobile device, and there have even been cases of compromised devices used to pull information from Personal computers (hijacking USB synchronization). Mobile malware is yet another growing fraud category which involves infecting mobile devices with viruses and Trojan horses that may force a mobile phone to do unauthorized activities,like making phone calls and deleting or stealing information.
Once installed on a device, mobile malware replicates itself and performs undesired activities, such as using network services like SMS or voice to make calls to PRS numbers or to subscribe to unwanted billing schemes; data theft, where the user's personal phone records such as contact lists and account details are stolen, sent to a third-party, and erased on the handset; and launching distributed DoS attacks intent on forcing a legitimate service to fail.
Not only is mobile malware a threat to individuals, it is also a huge security risk to businesses. It has the potential to commandeer a corrupted smartphone and use it as a proxy or gateway into an organization's central network. By commandeering a handheld device, cyber criminals can waltz past a standard firewall program and make their way onto a company's email server, client database, Customer relationship management tools, and other essential parts of the network. Damage of this magnitude can grow from something very small, such as a member of staff getting a message to download a free game or software update.
Mobile Malware is rapidly increasing
Mobile malware is on the rise for several reasons and it is following the Law of Computer Virus Evolution:
The Law of Computer Virus Evolution
In order for malicious programs targeting a particular operating system or platform to emerge, three conditions need to be fulfilled:
1. The platform must be popular
2. There must be well-documented development tools
3. The presence of vulnerabilities or coding errors
The widespread adoption of 3G (and soon 4G) and Wi-Fi connectivity and huge hard drives are other factors contributing to the increase of mobile malware infection. In fact, malware activity in 2010 increased 46 per cent over 2009.
The good news is that practically all mobile malware threats call for some type of effort on the part of the user. Malware can't magically appear on your phone. It usually happens after a user downloads a malicious app and the recent DroidDream incident reveals that mobile malware is more advanced than ever before.
How to stop mobile malware and protect yourself
Keeping a close eye on the app stores is a must, as Google proved. Google banished about 50 free applications from its app store immediately after it was found out that the titles hid a Trojan horse designed to steal users' information. The applications, which included pirated and copycat versions of legitimate Android titles, had been downloaded tens of thousands of times before Google took corrective action.
The best way to protect your mobile device (and yourself) is to take a layered approach to mobile security. Before you download that shiny new app, look at its permissions. An app shouldn't receive more permissions that what it needs. For example, a simple notepad app shouldn't need unrestricted access to the internet. Also, don't download apps from unauthorized or illegitimate app stores.
The second layer should be a very good antivirus app on your phone, and the third layer should be a firewall. If you choose wisely, the second and third security layers can be found wrapped up in a mobile security app.
How to choose an effective mobile security app
An typical mobile security solution will have capabilities that assist in operating the program and efficiently protecting the device. A very good mobile security application will include things like antivirus, antispam and firewall protection with realtime security. An exceptional mobile security application will have all of the preceding, as well as sms protection, remote wipe (in case your smartphone is stolen), and gps location (again, in case your smartphone is stolen).
What is the best mobile security app?
Ask ten experts and you'll get ten different answers. This question is almost as hotly debated as "what's the best antivirus software for my computer?" In order to narrow down my choices, I used the criteria mentioned above to come up with a list of mobile security applications. As you can see, many of the desktop giants of antivirus software have developed mobile versions of their software. The list isn't comprehensive, but it will give you a good starting point.
AVG
AVG Mobile Security is specifically available for Android. It comes with anti-virus and SMS anti-spam features that give protection to your mobile against all unwanted messages and advertising. Price: $9.99
ESET
ESET Mobile Security brings a new level of protection to Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones, so you can be confident in the safety of your device -- even if you lose it. Price: Free for thirty days.
Dr. Web
Dr Web Mobile Security Suite is an anti-virus security solution for Android, Symbian OS, and Windows Mobile. However, they aren't sold separately and are bundled with Dr. Web products for workstations.
Lookout
Lookout mobile security is also a multi-platform mobile device software that has a user-friendly, simple and in-depth virus scanning abilities. Lookout Mobile Security is currently available on Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
Price: Free, with a Premium version at $29.99/yr.
F-Secure
F-Secure Mobile Security allows smartphone users to experience the full potential of their devices without the fear of mobile threats. F-Secure Mobile Security automatically retrieves the newest updates whenever any data connection is used. An additional SMS update mechanism patented by F-Secure ensures that critical malware fingerprints are received even when a data connection is not available.
Price: Subscriptions begin at $3.31/month (approximately).
Kaspersky
Kaspersky Mobile Security is currently available on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, 6.1, 6.5 and Symbian OS (Nokia smartphones only).
Price: $29.95/unit/yr.
BullGuard
BullGuard Mobile Security is one of the better mobile security applications. It is one of the very few that supports all major mobile OSes like Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile.
Price: $29.99/license/yr
Mobile malware is a scary thought, and the problem is likely to get worse, especially since smartphone adoption is skyrocketing. Using the tips and advice in this article you can protect yourself (and your personal information) against the rising tide of mobile malware.
John Wright is a Computer Consultant who has been successfully removing malware from personal and business computers for several years. Visit http://www.johnscomputerconsulting.com to ask questions and learn more.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
It seems that the best way to make new friends in contemporary society is by sitting directly where you are, in front of the computer screen. The increasing growth and popularity of social networking services has spawned an entirely new kind of relationship building atmosphere, in which you learn the intimate details of a person's life without ever even knowing what their voice sounds like in real life. When it comes to building a network of substantial proportions, this kind of friend making can be hugely important. In turn, a whole array of individuals have decided that doing so requires much more than a fast hardwire connection, it requires wireless internet.
The tactics for meeting people and growing ones' professional contacts have evolved tremendously over the past decade or so. Whereas rubbing elbows and attending social gatherings was once the standard way of making connections, these outdated options have given way to cyber networking that takes place without stopping with the help of mobile broadband networks. By typing away from your laptop computer or portable electronic device, you can quickly and easily get connected with people halfway across the world. In this way, global marketing and sales have expanded exponentially over the past ten years or so, and will only continue to do so as the World Wide Web hold its ground.
The safer that monetary transactions become online, the more frequent that groups and individuals all the way up the economic ladder will begin to rely on them. From backs to small-time transactions of money, using the web to safely and securely take care of business has become among the leading ways in which people pay bills, get paid, and even make a living in some cases. Thanks to wireless internet services, the time frames in which one is capable of taking part in these matters have quite literally, been eliminated.
Now that everyone in cities and towns all over the country can finally rely on their mobile broadband provider to guaranteed fast and efficient service without interruption, there has been an increasing amount of financial activity taking place for people on the go. While they take care of practical matters, the ability to reach out to new friends and contacts has also grown significantly. The simplicity of 'making friends' has warranted a whole new way of getting to know people and expanding outside of one's realm. For professional purposes, this has never been so valuable.
You don't have to be a creep in order to make new contacts and extend your social network. Websites that are devoted to connecting people have implemented privacy settings that enable you to protect your private information from those who shouldn't be viewing it. In this way, ensuring a safe and healthy line of communication with friends, family, and professional contacts is rightfully secured. When you make the most of high-speed networks such as 4G, your line of communication becomes that much more fluid, accessible, and advantageous to your professional and personal growth.
CLEARWIREWIMAX4G.COM is the healthy way to grow your professional contacts and your global connectivity. Allow clear wimax to help you build your ideas and you won't be regretting it.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
The evening news screams scary headlines ("Pedophilia!", "Cyber-bullying!") that make it seem as if mobile devices in the hands of children are more dangerous than handguns. As a parent myself, I obviously agree that every parent needs to safeguard their child's mobile computing experience. However, mobile devices can be the key to learning and dare I even say it...success.
The question is not IF your child should use a mobile device in school, but HOW to do it safely. As mobile devices like iOS devices (like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc); Android (the Barnes & Noble Nook, a variety of tablets and cell phones) or other platform (such as Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia, etc.) make their way into classrooms, students, parents, teachers and administrators need to implement best practices that increase learning without compromising safety.
In the United States, many schools are seeing six-year-olds with cell phones. The average UK kid gets their first cell phone at eight. Children's access to mobile devices is staggering, as you can see from the "Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile!" survey. For instance, among middle school (6th-8th grade) students:
• 59 percent have a cell phone
• 24 percent have an Internet-enabled Smartphone
• 53 percent have a personal laptop or tablet
A generation of students is growing up with a different level of access to information at their collective fingertips.
Mobile Education 101
Mobile learning, aka m-learning, is one of education's fastest growing trends (starting in kindergarten and going all the way through university, as well as professional learning environments). Properly used, these devices are effective educational tools.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
Individualized Instructions and Learning: With automatic personalization, all learning styles are engaged so there is no "one size fits all" program. Most programs adapt to the individual learner's strengths, allowing the learner to work through their weak spots in the privacy of their handheld. If a student has problems grasping a concept, they can do additional work on their device whenever they choose.
Learning is seen as fun: Subjects like algebra are more palatable when placed in a game format and students can relate the relevancy of real world experiences.
Collaborative and Interactive: Mobile learning tends to increase communication between peers and instructors. Young people communicate differently based on today's technology. Teaching on their terms helps this information sink in faster.
Discipline issues nearly vanish: Discipline issues went down by 90% after the Rowan-Salisbury School Systems implemented a mobile learning project according to Phil Hardin, Executive Director of Technology. This is because students were more engaged on learning activities on the school bus and had less time to play pranks or bother other students.
Class attendance and participation: There is no need to cancel class due to bad weather, or fall behind as a result of extended absences if mobile devices are set up with online content filtering technology to protect the content they view when they are not in the classroom. Students can attend class and submit homework from any location with devices that have a two-camera system that allows collaboration and participation. This has particular relevance for disadvantaged and special needs students.
Saves schools money: Cash strapped school districts are also attracted to mobile learning technology as a way to save money over the long term. The iSchool Initiative estimates each $150 iPod touch would save at least $600 per student per year.
Inexpensive lessons and materials: E-books for e-readers and other online educational tools like mobile apps are less expensive to produce than traditional textbooks and will save money. Some online materials such as Open Text book are free. Amazon recently introduced a new ad-supported e-ink Kindle at a reduced rate (less than half of a comparable tablet). Whether schools will allow ad-supported technology in the classroom remains to be seen. E-books shouldn't be seen as a separate device like an e-reader, but as a free application that exists on almost every platform. The e-book learning experience can be enjoyed anywhere for free. Today a student can read a free textbook on her school PC, continue reading on her BlackBerry smartphone during the bus ride home and then open the reading app on her iPad to the exact point where she stopped reading on her phone. Any notes she made on any platform would be saved automatically. This content and extra portability costs the student and the school nothing.
Given these pluses, instead of confiscating handhelds, today's teachers want more of them in the classroom. According to a great report The New 3 Es of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered How Today's Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning, "Teachers highly value the ability of the devices to increase student engagement in learning (77 percent), to facilitate improved communications between teachers, parents and students (64 percent) and to access online textbooks anytime, anywhere (64 percent). Administrators note the same benefits but with stronger validation of the student engagement component (84 percent) and adding in the idea that the devices can extend learning beyond the school day (66 percent) or create opportunities for more personalized learning experiences (64 percent)."
When mobile devices are introduced, studies show that students become more excited about learning and teachers become more enthusiastic about teaching. The benefits are showing in higher test scores, decreases in disciplinary actions and increases in attendance. Some school programs are beginning to require an iPod touch. (A few schools will even standardize over to the iPod touch's big brother, the larger and more expensive iPad.)
But don't think m-learning is an expensive way of throwing new money at an old problem. In the developing world, m-learning is seen as the best and cheapest approach to leapfrogging into the 21st century. M-learning has the benefit of a cheap display technology that the student probably already has. (The majority of the world accesses the Internet through a mobile device instead of a desktop PC.) Most of the infrastructure isn't in the school but in the cloud, which means that an m-learning program's back office hardware costs are negligible.
What Parents and Educators Can do to Support Mobile Learning
Mobile learning must enjoy the same investment in time from parents and teachers that other classroom activities do. Technology does not run itself, it needs management. Collaboration is key for all aspects of mobile learning, including child safety, content filtering and safeguarding against the Internet's unsavory elements. Adults need continuing education. Events like the Global Education Conference help support mobile learning from a place of knowledge and understanding.
Last November, the first Global Education Conference was held entirely online (which seems appropriate!). It operated as a platform for discussion on mobile learning practices and showed how technology can enable learning anywhere and everywhere. Engaging presenters ranged from seasoned educators to technology experts. "Mobile Learning Using the iPod touch - In Hindsight was a unique discussion that I moderated. As a mobile Internet safety expert, parent and CEO and co-founder of a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks, I love being part of the mobile education conversation. This informative discussion joined educators with educational technology experts to discuss ways in which learning can be encouraged in the mobile age. Also covered were acceptable use policies, security and deployment management, as well as anecdotal student benefits. Panelists discussed how these programs evolved from concept to reality and how a leading online content filtering service helped reach and exceed goals.
The Future
The future of "mobile" learning means moving into a more virtual educational environment.
More government dollars will be granted for pilot projects such as Learning On-The-Go 2011 Wireless Pilot Projects (partially funded by the FCC). Corporate and business expenditures for mobile learning products and services in the US alone are expected to reach over $246.9 million in 2011. As mobile learning continues to grow, school districts will see more regulation, oversight and safety mandates that, if not met, could result in restricted funding. Clear Child Internet Safety Guidelines will need to be established and safe browser technology implemented to make sure investments in education continue to flow.
Clearly, more money needs to be spent on research and development of mobile technology as statistics report glowing successes in current school programs. An ongoing open dialogue with all parties including educators, technology experts, parents, business leaders and politicians must recognize the importance of mobile learning and support it.
Whatever modality is used for teaching, whether a book or a touch screen, the principles and discipline of learning remain the same - parents and teachers stand at the podium of a child's education. Mobile learning blends traditional pedagogy with technology to reach every child. Implementing proper web filtering tools will put them on the fast track to success.
If you want to start your own M-learning program, check out these resources:
To get the latest examples of mobile learning best practices, visit UW-Stout Mobile Learning website.
Tony Vincent's fantastic web site Learning in Hand is an educator's resources for mobile learning. It was started in 2002 as part of Tony Vincent's classroom website. At first focusing on Palm handhelds, Learning in Hand now covers podcasting, iPods, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and netbooks. He takes his 15 years of teaching experience and shows educators (and parents) how to use handhelds to educate with easy to follow examples.
Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
The Consortium for School Networking has a very well thought out m-learning guidelines in their Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era
Mobile Learning Experience 2011
Learning2Go: Great approach for teachers on how to finance and implement an m-learning program.
Upside Learning website has produced a great slide show on mobile learning.
To see how such a program would work, check out ProjectKnect which helped North Carolina's at risk students learn math and more via their mobile phones. You should also check out their instructive blog.
About the Author
Suren Ramasubbu is a mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leading Internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Mobicip has won Parent Choice awards and is used by schools all over the country to filter out dangerous and inappropriate content. Besides Mobicip, there are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market.
Suren Ramasubbu is a co-founder of Mobicip.com, a leading online child safety service for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PCs, laptops and netbooks. Mobicip's mission is to provide a safe, secure and educational Internet experience for school-age children. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in the new era of Internet hazards stemming from anytime anywhere access on personal devices. Suren is a passionate advocate of mobile learning and Internet safety, and speaks or hosts panels at conferences and seminars on these topics for parents and educators. He has also served as a consultant for educational technology projects in K-12 schools and school districts. As an active member of the community, Suren has led successful United Way volunteering and fundraising campaigns. He holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
