Mobile+Learning

Mobile Learning is, perhaps even more so than e-learning, a rapidly developing and changing field. Even though it was only last summer that I examined the topic for my Customised Study module, whilst supporting Nicky and preparing my webinar I discovered many new theoretical models, perspectives, case studies and tools (see blog posts from 19th & 20th March). As my webinar was on the subject of mobile learning I found it somewhat ironic that the archive file of the event was not playable on typical mobile learning devices like mobile phones or tablet PCs. I therefore decided to make the event mobile by reformatting the presentation as a video podcast. This experience illustrated perfectly the opportunities and constraints offered by mobile learning technologies. Just as I discovered that the Powerpoint presentation style that I use in class is not ideal for a webinar, the style I adopted for the webinar is also not perfect for a video podcast for mobile devices. The film can be seen below:

media type="file" key="mlearning_webinar.MP4" align="center" width="300" height="300"

Having just used Elluminate Live! for the first time I am not sure if it offers additional settings which are more mobile friendly but the saved file from the webinar was completely unsuitable for mobile use. Viewing the participants list, chat window, presentation and progress bar on a 3-inch screen is nigh on impossible. I therefore had to return to the original presentation which I saved with each slide as an individual jpeg graphic file. I then imported the files into Windows Movie Maker. As I had no way to separate the audio commentary from the Elluminate file I was forced to rerecord my commentary and then also add that to the Movie Maker project. Then having removed the unnecessary slides and ensured the timings were ok I could choose the video format (mp4) most likely to be compatible with as many mobile devices as possible. The final step was then to upload and publish the video podcast on a website like this one or a specialist podcasting site.

This process gives the webinar a new lease of life and makes it available in for use with mobile devices. My experience is however that producing a new presentation especially for mobile use could be quicker and more convenient. Nevertheless, I found the process not too time consuming and have therefore started producing podcasts fo rmy Technical English students. As the semester has only just begin it is too soon to have received any meaningful feedback but I hope that the students find them a useful and convenient addition to the existing learning opportunities.